"_" "_" "_" "_" "We're here about Hess." "Oh, yeah, you want Gold..." "Max Gold." "He's on his way." "You Gold?" "Yeah." "And you're..." "We're from Fargo." "Good." "They said they were sending someone." "They were right." "There's no library in this town." "Why is there no library in this town?" "Uh... cutbacks?" "He thinks every town should have a library." "I agree." "Tell him I agree." "Fargo sent us to find out what happened to Hess." "He got stabbed in the back of the head at a strip club, is what happened to him." "Okay." "Okay." "Okay, all right." "Do you believe this was connected to the business?" "I..." "Things have been quiet." "No labor BS, no skirmishes with other trucking concerns." "So?" "There was a guy..." "I told this to Fargo... came by the garage the day it happened." "Brown hair, just under 6 feet, not young, not old." "Had a cut on his forehead, here." "Said he just wanted to take a look at Sam, which he did, then he left." "Look..." "Hold on a second." "He was my friend, okay?" "Sam." "Sure, he was a jerk, but deep down..." "All I'm saying is, you're gonna find him, right?" "The... the guy who did it." "We'll find him." "How's your head, then?" "Oh, yeah, it's okay." "Aches still, but..." "You try that hot dish?" "Oh, yeah." "Real good." "Yeah." "So, you know, kitty and I were talking, and we think you should move in here for a while." "Just stay with us, you know, until you get the house cleaned up or sold." "Why the heck would I sell the house?" "Oh." "I'm not saying you have to go that way." "Just, you know, stay a few days until we get it cleaned up." "Cops left a real mess." " Oh, yeah?" " Mm-hmm." "Yeah, the crime scene and all, really turned the place upside down." "Looking for clues, I suppose." "_" "How are you doing?" "All right?" "Thank you." "Okay." "You don't have to do that." "They're piling up." "Vern told me this story once." "When he was a rookie, had a boss couldn't tell his shoe from his foot." "Got killed by a hail stone." "Just standing in the parking lot of the Dairy Queen, having a milkshake, hail stone comes down, size of a softball, crushes his skull." "What flavor?" "Strawberry, I think." "I was thinking about when my dad got shot." "Traffic stop, yeah?" " Yeah." " Hmm." "He pulled over the fellas that robbed Callihans and stole the snow plow." "They came to tell me at school." "I was in Algebra." "And he's okay, you know?" "Got the limp, of course, but they caught the guys, so..." "The little one, he even got probation." "Convinced the jury it was a Stockholm Syndrome deal, you know." "Okay, we got now a list of who'll come by when and do what." "This is on the due date, you know." "Get you to the hospital, bring you home, so you're covered." "Say, Bill, I was thinking, we should talk to Lester Nygaard first thing." "Lester?" "Well, he already made a statement back at the hospital." "Yeah, I know, I read it, but see, thing is," "Vern was on his way to Lester's house to talk to him about Hess' murder, you know, how possibly Lester was involved." "Lester?" "Uh... went to high school with Lester." "Had to dissect a mouse in Mrs. Knutson's class, and poor Lester fainted." "Oh." "Yeah, okay, but..." "Girl had her monthly once in gym class, there goes Lester, fainting again." "Right, so he doesn't like blood, but still..." "Plus, this Hess murder, got to believe that's about the cutthroat world of regional trucking." "Yeah." "So it's just coincidence, you're saying?" "Hess gets killed, and then the massacre at Lester's house" " the next day?" " Exactly." "See, I'm thinking this is home invasion." "You know, it's a drifter or some such." "Drug related maybe, but not, you know, Lester Nygaard." "Am I right, Ida?" "You're not not right." "But on these high-profile deals, Bill, it never hurts to talk to the eyewitnesses yourself." ""Take control of the facts."" "That's what Vern always used to say." "Okay." "Okay, good." "We go see Lester, but I do the talking." "_" "_" "Heya, Lester." "Bill." "Mr. Nygaard, we got some questions we'd like..." " This is Molly." " Deputy Solverson." "Sure, nice to meet ya." "Like I was saying, we got some questions, so..." "How you holding up, Lester?" "How's the head?" "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, it hurts." "I got a little... double vision still." "Jeez, well, you know, if now's not a good time..." "No, no, I was just about to..." "I want to help, you know, it's just, there's so much work to do." "Yeah, sure, it'll only take a second." "Oh." "All I got's grape juice." "Hope that's okay." "Pearl says it reminds her of being a kid." "Said." "Remember that gum?" "That grape gum that they had when we were kids?" "Heck... what was that called?" "Uh, so we got your statement from the hospital." "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, I-I was real thorough with those fellas." "I mean, what I could remember." "Doctor says I got a concussion." "Says if I was hit any harder, my brain could've swole up and leaked right out my ears." "Thank gosh that didn't happen." "In your statement, you said that you came home and found your wife, that..." "that she was already dead." "Uh-huh, downstairs, yeah." "I heard the washer going... spin cycle, and I... well, you know, she was on the floor, you know, and there was a lot of..." "I never even heard the guy." "Uh, just one minute, I'm... uh, looking at her, and the next..." "So, uh, you don't remember" "Chief Thurman coming to the house, then?" "Oh, no." "No, I feel sick about that, really." "I guess he saw the guy breaking in." "Uh, no, Mr. Nygaard." "Chief Thurman came to talk to you about a man you may have met in the Emergency Room the day previous." "Hmm, you don't say?" "Look, Lester... if this is too hard for you, you can just give us the bare bones..." "We got a witness says that, uh, she saw you and this other fella arguing about Sam Hess." "Who?" "Sam Hess." "You remember Sam... he used to beat you up in high school." "What?" "Oh, yeah, Sam had a thing for ol' Lester here." "Used to chase him around the schoolyard till one or the other ran out of gas." "You remember... big kid." "What was that name he called you?" "Uh, Lester Nig..." "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, Sam." "Yeah." "That was a long time ago." "But you were talking about him in the Emergency Room, so what's the story there?" "Well, I, uh..." "Hmm, it's real fuzzy, but I might have said," ""My face is a mess."" ""Mess" sounds like "Hess." Probably, your..." "The witness just misheard." "Yeah, that's possible." "Can you describe the fella?" "Height, eye color, that kind of thing?" "You know, the last few days, they're real fuzzy." "Reason we asks is, we got an operating theory, okay?" "This being the work of a drifter, or drifters, possibly drug-related." "See, I'm thinking this fella you met at the hospital," " maybe he followed you home." " That's not..." " We don't both share that theory." " Yeah." "No, but..." " So..." " Yeah." "I-I'm a little, uh, scrambled right now." "I-I got a concussion." "I'm not sure if I said that." "So, yeah, thi-things... things are kind of fuzzy." "Well, you know what?" "I'm satisfied." "I've actually..." "I got a few more quest..." "Yeah, thanks for the grape juice, Lester." "Takes me back, I tell ya." "And I'm gonna look up the name of that gum when I get home." "Hubba Bubba." "Hubba Bubba, yeah." "Yeah, Hubba Bubba." "We used to crack up about that." " Do you remember Hubba Bubba?" " No." "If you need anything, Lester, you give us a call, 'cause I'll tell you what, this is a tragedy." "Straight-up, dyed-in-the-wool tragedy." "She was a good woman, you know." "Good wife." "I-I just keep asking myself," ""Who could've done a thing like this?"" "_" "Good morning, young fella." "You have a package for me." "All righty, what's your name?" "Why?" "So I can find the package." "Duluth." "I'm sorry?" "The package is addressed to "Duluth."" "That's a city." "I need your name." "I told you my name." "Your name's "Duluth"?" "Well, I'll need to see some ID." "No." "What?" "You heard me." "Well..." "I can't give you your mail if you don't show ID." "Sure, you can." "All you gotta do is look through those packages over there, find the one addressed to "Duluth,"" "and then hand it to me." "Look, son, we're in Duluth, so, technically, all the mail is addressed to "Duluth."" "Am I gonna need to come back there and find it myself?" "Sir?" "O-okay." "This is highly irregular." "No, highly irregular is the time I found a human foot in a toaster oven." "This is just odd." "Uh..." "Uh..." "_" "I'm a minister, apparently." "Sir?" "You have a blessed day." "Missed a spot." "You're looking at the supermarket king of Minnesota, la mercado rey." "29 markets in 15 counties, and it all started right here in this office." "Next quarter, we're expanding into Wisconsin and the Dakotas." "By this time next year, rule the whole goddamn Midwest." "You see my mangos?" "Straight from Ecuador, kiwis too." "That's what makes my stores so goddamn superior." "I got mangos in goddamn January." "And the back of a 90-year-old woman." "God damn it." "Who's the fire hydrant?" "Semenchko, head of security." "You an Oilers fan?" "Wally here is 1992 Farm League MVP." "Knocked 138 heads career-wise, ain't that right, Wally?" "Our mutual friend said something about a blackmail letter." "Found this on my windshield last week." "_" "What does this mean, "I know about the money"?" "What it means don't matter." "It's blackmail." "I didn't bring you here for what it means." "I brought you here to make it stop." "Semenchko said, "Don't do it." He said, "Let me handle it."" "But you don't get to be la mercado rey without knowing when to delegate, comprende?" "It's a pretty specific number, $43,613." "Hell, maybe he wants to pay off his student loans," "I don't know." "What matters is, can you find the guy?" "Hey, dad." "Got a good one for ya." "Oh, sorry." "Don't you know closed door means "Keep out," boy?" "Or at least knock, for shit's sake?" "You'll like this." "What's a karate expert's favorite beverage?" "Kara-tea." "Get it?" "Kara-tea." "It's... it's tea." "Son, get the hell out." "Nice to meet ya." "Look, I can find the guy." "The question is, what do you want done with him once he's found?" "Send him packing." "Isn't that what they say?" "Who says that?" "In the movies." "I don't watch movies." "You don't watch movies." "Look, this ain't complicated." "You don't get to be the supermarket king of Minnesota without making a few enemies, all right?" "Start with my damn wife." "You think your wife's blackmailing you?" "You ever nail a Greek woman?" "After 40, their pussies grow teeth." "And she ain't my wife, she's my soon-to-be ex-wife, and she is suing me for 50%." "Except now I'm starting to think maybe 50% ain't enough for her." "This is kind of embarrassing, but, uh... would you sign a copy of my book?" "I'd be delighted." "You... you want something personal?" "Yeah, could you put "To Frank Peterson, thanks for nailing my blackmailer."" "I'm just kidding." "Anything you want." "You're the writer." "_" "In addition to the victims in the basement... that's Nygaard, Mr. and Mrs... we're hearing the Chief of Police was shotgunned in the foyer." "That means "Entryway."" "No description yet of the suspect or suspects, but I told the new Chief over in Bemidji we'd be on high alert for anything that connects." "That means suspicious persons or jailhouse snitches saying they know a thing." "Okay, let's get to it." "Grimly." "Animal-Control guy called in sick again..." "You're on duty." "Yes, sir." "I got "Aurora Borealis." What about you?" "Over." "I just put "Northern Lights." Over." "My dad's home with dinner." "Over." "What's it tonight?" "Over." "Looks like burgers." "Over." "And chicken nuggets." "And chicken nuggets." "Over and out." "Did you get the dipping sauces?" "Extra, even." "Oh." "Good day?" "Yeah." "We, uh... we had an assembly, and the principal talked about bullying and how bullying was wrong, and if we saw somebody getting bullied, we should say something or stop it, and I raised my hand, and I asked" "what you're supposed to do if the bully is, like, a lot bigger than you are or has a knife or something." "And what did he say?" "Said, if they bully has a knife then you should tell a grown up." "Well, that's good advice." "Yeah, but what if there's no time?" "I mean, you're the police." "If you saw somebody doing something, you'd stop 'em, right?" "Well, you know, sometimes there's more than one right thing." "What does that mean?" "It means..." "I got you, and I am responsible for you, and sometimes I might be in a situation where... and this hasn't happened, and it won't... but a situation where if I try to stop a guy" "from doing a bad thing, I could get hurt." "Or worse." "And then who would take care of you?" "But it's your job." "Well, I got two jobs, and the first, the most important, is being your dad." "Well, if I saw somebody doing something, I would stop them." "I believe you would." "Every cooperation, obviously." "If you want girl, you want drug, just ask." "You know who we are." "I told the police, I couldn't see the guy on account of the blood being in my eyes." "We got a description of a man. 5'10", brown hair, big bruise on the forehead." "Does it ring a bell at all?" "Could be Lenny." "Who's Lenny?" "Comes in here a lot." "Drink pretty heavy." "I heard him say a few things over the years about guys like Hess." "Money in the pocket, think they're tough shit." "That's him at the bar, with the band-aid on his head." "Well, the Russians, they used to send dogs up into space, which is stupid, because what's a dog gonna do in space?" "At least with a monkey, they can operate the, uh... the equipment or something." "Hi." "My friend would like an orange soda, and I'll have just a cup of hot water with lemon." "What are you supposed to be, some kind of circus act?" "Oh, my friend was wondering, how'd you hurt your head?" "Oh, is your friend looking for a date?" "'Cause you know this is a place for dicks who like pussies, not pussies who like dick." "No, seriously, h-h-how'd you hurt your head?" "Screw." "I ain't afraid of a dink and a lepton." "You like playing with knives?" "Oh, you keep talking, big boy, you're gonna find out." "Hey, come on!" "Hey!" "That the guy?" "Can you take off the tape maybe?" "God damn you little bastards!" "I'll kill the lot of you!" "Hey, now, look, okay?" "I'm sorry for what I said to you before about the dink and the lepton." "I don't think it's him." "Delicious." "Just a few more." "What'd you say your name was again, handsome?" "Frank Peterson, ma'am." "I work for Mike, your divorce attorney." "Oh." "Charmed, I'm sure." "Oh, sorry." "Just bronzed." "He's a pig." "You smelled his hands?" "Have I smelled your husband's hands?" "They smell like feet." "Your ass looks amazing, darling." "Keep it up." "So, anyway, I've been tasked to put together a complete record of your husband's assets." "We want to get you the biggest divorce settlement possible." "Now, I've got your husband's net worth estimated at $10 million." "More." "$15?" "Okay, sweetie, let's do a cool down, yeah?" "Five minutes." "There you go." "Ma'am, can you confirm that your husband started his first grocery with a loan from his uncle, like it says in the book?" "That's the story." "But you don't believe it?" "Stavros had two uncles." "One of 'em was a drunk who lived in a barn, and the other died in a fishing accident when he was ten." "So where did the money come from?" "Hey, ma." "Frank Peterson." "Oh, yeah, from the store." "Hey, I got one for you." "What kind of bone will a dog never eat?" "Huh." "Chicken?" "A trombone." "Oh, yeah!" "That's a good one." "A trombone." "My dad'll like that one." "Your dad, your dad." "Your dad's screwing us, mister." "Mommy." "What?" "I'm just being honest." "He's a hard-on, your father, and you're too trusting." "Well, he's my dad, and you're my mom, and everything's gonna work out, okay?" "Oh." "Mmm." "Aren't they just the sweetest pair?" "Hmm?" "Yeah, it's-it's me." "It's Lester." "Uh, she's, uh..." "My wi..." "My wife, she's, uh, aw, hell, um..." "I think I, uh..." "She's in the basement dead and, uh..." "look." "I'm freaking out here." "I don't know what to do." "Yeah, yeah, it's-it's me." "It's Lester." "Uh, she's, uh..." "My wi..." "My wife, she's, uh, aw, hell, um..." "I think I, uh..." "She's in the basement dead and, uh..." "look." "I'm freaking out here." "I don't know what to do." "Lester, have you been a bad boy?" "Jeez..." "Here." "Oh!" "Sorry." "Just bronzed." "The hammer and, uh..." "look... can you come over?" "I'm on Willow Creek Drive." "Number 613." "Please!" "Please?" "Sure, Lester." "I'll be right there." "This place is a shithole." "Okay, nut sack, here's the drill..." "You're gonna pack up your shit and blow." "I'll tell Stavros you couldn't find the guy, and in return, I won't bust your head." "You hearing me, asswipe?" "I did some digging on you, made some calls, you get me?" "And we don't need you and your big-city connections coming here and showing us what time it is." "I'm the guy." "You understand?" "Me." "20 years I worked for the king." "You know what that makes me?" "The goddamn prime minister." "So give me the letter, pack up your shit, and..." "What the hell you doing?" "That's disgusting." "Okay, slick, I got your number." "I'm on to ya." "Just remember, you were warned." "Semenchko warned you." "Uh, hey, Molly." "Yeah, Chief?" "So just want to make sure we're on the same page about everything." "I want you to center it." "Same page about what?" "Just... about Lester and the case, you know." "Just want to make sure you know to focus on the break-in angle." "Maybe call some other town, see if they have a similar problem." "No, higher." "Similar to three murders, including the Police Chief?" "Not, you know, literally." "Just ruffians and the like." "Right there, perfect." "Look, Chief, I know you don't think Lester..." "Maybe call the staties, you know?" "See if they effected any car stops." "Suspicious types where the driver" " had a head wound, and the like." " Yeah." " Yeah, but I think..." " Just..." "Leave poor Lester alone, will ya?" " You'll be in Gordo's room." " Uh-huh." "He's on the sofa, which is..." "Don't worry." "His dad built him a fort." "He loves it." "Oh!" "Baby, it's cold outside!" "B-r-r-r!" "But here at Phoenix Farms, it's always summer." "Real good peas, hon." "Yeah, mom, real good." "How's your dinner there, Lester?" "Oh, yeah." "Real good." "I was thinking of going hunting" " this weekend." " Mm-hmm." "Told Gordo I would take him shooting." "You interested?" " Uh..." " Now, hon, I don't think your brother wants to be around all that guns and violence, not after what happened." "Oh, shoot." "I'm sorry." " No, no, it's fine." " I can be" " a real ass sometimes." " Language." "No, no, no, I..." "It sounds..." "You know, bag a deer or something." "So I've been thinking, maybe I should sell the place, you know?" "Get a... what do you call it, a fresh start?" " Yeah?" " Mm." "That's great." "I'll call Jimmy." "It's a fine market right now he says... real good." "It is the right choice, sweetie." "Too many bad memories in that old house." "Both Chaz and me think so." " Ow!" " Oh, jeez!" " Mm." " Oh, I am so sorry." " It's okay." " I'm sorry." "It's fine." "Hi." "What can I do for you, son?" "Well, I got a..." "I need something for a wound, I guess you'd call it." "Are we talking pain pill or something more topical?" "It's..." "I guess something to keep it from getting infected." "Okay." "That'd be an anti-bacterial." "All right." "I got some in the back." "Mr. Nygaard?" " Yeah?" " Ooh, hiya." "Hi." "Deputy Solverson again." "I just have a few more questions." "Is now a good time?" "N-not really." "I'm kind of in the middle of..." "Sure, yeah, no, I understand." "Yeah, it won't take a second." "Um, so, listen, going back to the Emergency Room, that first visit, that was for a broken nose, is that right?" "Shoot." "I-I just remembered." "Um, sir..." "You know, I got to be honest," "I-I-I'm starting to feel a little harassed here." " Now, that's not..." " Sir, your unguent!" "Sir!" "I think he means you." "You know, you're asking about a fella that I might've talked to at the hospital when you should be out there looking for the animal" " that killed my wife." " With all respect, sir, your wife's not the only victim here." "A friend of mine was killed, plus, you know, Sam Hess." "Yeah..." "I told you, I haven't seen Sam since high school." "_" "I'm not sure this is your car, Mr. Nygaard." "What?" "Oh, no, it's... it's my wife's." "Mine's in the shop." "Well, sir, it's just... it's hard to believe is all, you know?" "I mean, you're saying this is all some big coincidence, you know, you knowing Sam and all." "And it's a quiet town, and suddenly, we got four victims in 24 hours, yourself included." "And then there's this witness saying that you were talking about Sam Hess the day he died, and, you know, then it turns out you and he had differences in the past, so..." "You know, all I'm saying is, just... help me understand what happened." "Look, I answered all your..." "Just ask Bill, huh?" "Your boss, he said he was satisfied." "And I-I got..." "Look at me." "My wife... is dead, and you're harassing me." "I'm not harassing you, sir." "I..." "Talk to Bill!" "I..." "He'll tell you, this..." "this was a break-in." "You're wasting time talking to me." "I'm sor..." "I can't help you." "Watch your feet, now." "So how's it going?" "Well, it turns out Lester and Hess went to high school together and Hess used to beat him up." "A learned detective might consider that a clue." "Yeah, that's what I said, but Bill's a big believer in coincidence, apparently." "Well, what he lacks in common sense, he makes up in self-esteem." "Yeah." "Bill have a theory?" "Oh, yeah, he says that it was a spree, you know?" "A drifter or "gang of drifters."" "You know, like it's 1942." "Like, uh, drifters are a national threat... hobos." "Well, he's Chief now, so he sets the agenda, same as always." "Yeah, I know, it's just..." "I mean, you know, here we get this car crash with this dead man in frozen panties nearby, and the driver has a head injury and maybe went to the Emergency Room where he talked to Lester about Sam Hess," "and then within 24 hours, Hess is dead, and then there's the fracas with, you know, Lester's wife and Vern." "Not sure if you remember, but when you were five, they had to put you under anesthesia to fix your teeth." " Gave you that mask." " Hmm." " Gas that smelled like tutti frutti." " Yeah." "My soft little girl in a hard world of drills and needles." "I'm 31, dad." "I carry a gun." "I know." "But it's relative, you know?" "There's the kind of things a schoolteacher gets exposed to... truancy and the like... and then there's the stuff a cop sees... murder and violence and general scofflawery... and then there's the kind of deal you're looking at now." "Which is?" "Which is, if I'm right... savagery, pure and simple." "Slaughter, hatred, devils with dead eyes and shark smiles, and... one day, you're gonna get married and have kids, and when you look at them, their faces, you need to see what's good in the world," "'cause if you don't, how you gonna live?" "You talk a lot, you know that?" "It's always been a problem." " Lou." " Chief." "Molly could I have a word?" "Yeah, sure." "Pull up a chair." "You want some coffee or..." "Yeah, no, uh..." "Lester Nygaard called me, yeah, and he's super upset." "Well, yeah, you know, I thought he might do that." "Yeah, we talked about this and all, and I thought we were..." "I thought I was clear that we were gonna focus on the drifter angle and not, you know... harass the victim." "Well, I'm not, you know..." "I didn't harass him." "I just..." "I got questions, you know." "Yeah, well, I'm the Chief now, and I got to..." "Everyone's got to line up behind me, you know, toe the line." "Sure, yeah." "Yeah, I know." "Yeah, we talked about this, and now I got to take you off the case." "Well, we all know how you felt about Vern." "I mean, heck, who didn't?" "But... maybe it's best if you just... it... and this could be good for you career-wise, because, uh, I'm gonna make you head of inquiry on that frozen fella, the naked one." "Yeah, I'll make you lead on that." " Bill, listen, I..." " Yeah!" "So that's my decision." "Take care." "Well, okay, then." " See you for dinner." " Yup." "Drills and needles." "Aah!" "Oof!" "No, wait..."