02x06 - Tell It Slant

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Longmire...

Town Hall debate is just a week away.

It's game time.

I'm fine, Branch.

I'm sorry about the whole... false alarm. I hope you're not too mad.

That was the best home invasion call I ever got on.

You know, you were right... about how I'd feel once I knew the truth about mom.

You wanna talk about it?

Eventually.

It wasn't your job to k*ll that man.

It was mine to do.

A bad man is dead.

End of story.

[Horse whinnies]

[Music]

Hey!

Hello?!

You need something?!

Sweet dreams, Sheriff!

It's a beautiful night to be born!

[Bird squawking]

[Static] Ruby, it's me.

I think we have a dead body.

Ruby: Where?

I have no idea.

[door opens]

Ruby: Morning, Sheriff.

Morning.

Reports of any deaths last night?

[Door closes]

Uh, no.

How about this morning?

No. Why? You want there to be one?

Think I just got a tip.

You think? From who?

[Sighs] A Heyoka.

[Chuckles]

You mean the drunk guy who walks backwards around the square? That one?

Excuse me?

Cheyenne man that lives in the area.

He's, uh, something of a, uh...

A head case.

Sacred clown.

Cheyenne call him contrary warrior.

He, uh, does the opposite of what you'd expect.

Why?

Tradition, mostly.

Seems the whole idea is to get people out of their comfort zones, force them to examine their beliefs.

That's annoying.

If I just heard him right, we got a dead body somewhere.

Ruby: Walt.

I know you hate politics, but pretending there's a m*rder... it's a strange way of procrastinating before the debate.

I'm not procrastinating.

Well, have you been preparing?

For the last decade.

Just got a call. I guess your Heyoka was right.

Or would that be wrong?

We got a body.

That's not a body. It's a skull.

Better call in the university and the Culture Committee.

Could be a Cheyenne burial site.

My first question is who am I not going to fire for this?!

Barlow, there are regulations about these things.

Let's be reasonable.

I'm always reasonable, which is why I am not gonna stand around funding an arrowhead hunt!

I don't need you to be doing this right now.

You want to be Sheriff? Start acting like a Sheriff.

Make the problem go away.

[Cellphone ringing]

[Beep]

Vic, what's up?

Vic: Give me Walt.

No.

Damn it, Branch, just hand Walt the phone.

[Sighs] It's Vic.

Is that what my son has grown up to be?

Walt Longmire's personal assistant?

What are you gonna do at the debate... fetch him his coffee?

Branch, stay here. Watch the site, and your father.

Where are you going?

m*rder scene.

[Birds chirping]

[Door creaks, bell clangs]

[Footsteps approaching]

Death card.

[Sighs]

You know, it's not as sinister as it looks.

All it means is that something's coming to an end.

Sometimes, it's a good sign.

Tell her that.

Bruises on her windpipe.

Busted capillaries under her eyelids.

Looks like she was strangled.

Could be a robbery.

Could be.

No sign of forced entry, though.

Yeah, of course, nobody around here ever locks their doors anyway.

Looks like Cassandra had an open-do policy.

Anyone could have walked in here.

It also looks like Cassandra wasn't actually named Cassandra.

Cynthia Two Rivers.

I need to find her brother, Aaron.

Vic: Why?

He rode past my cabin this morning.

Seems strange to have your tribe's contrary warrior living in an abandoned building.

It would be strange, especially since the last actual contrary warrior d*ed in 1974.

What does that make Aaron?

A pest... with pretensions.

[Rattling]

[Aaron chanting indistinctly]

Walt: Aaron, your sister's dead.

That why you rode past my cabin this morning... to tell me?

No.

Your cabin rode past me.

[Laughing]

Aaron...

Walt is looking for your sister's k*ller, so cut the crazy-Indian act for a minute and help.

Maybe...

I should follow your example...

And pretend not to be lndian at all.

Red on the outside, white on the inside.

Here, a shining apple for your teacher!

Aaron, where were you last night?

Home.

You are homeless.

Shining Apple, so are you!

Aaron, if you can't give me a straight answer, I have no choice but to arrest you.

How did you know your sister was dead?

I... I walked to her place.

I looked inside, and...

Her body was there, but she was not.

Did you k*ll her?

No! Did you?!

Stop it.

I need... I need to stand.

[Grunts, groans]

[Clattering]

Sheriff, I loved her.

[Sighs]

She was the only one who believed in me.

[Whimpers]

You have to find who did this and make them pay.

I'll do everything I can.

I believe you.

[Pop] Ahh!

You can never tell when he is telling the truth.

He's just like everybody else, then.

At least he's up front about it.

Before I banned him from The Red Pony, Aaron Two Rivers used to drink his fill and walk out the door backwards... without paying.

His contrary act is less charming than you think.

Sheriff!

Sheriff.

[Breathing heavily]

I was questioning... the clients... who kept coming into Cassandra's.

This one guy took off as soon as he saw me.

Get his license-plate number?

No, just a good read on his face.

Find him.

[Pats back]

Hey. Check this out.

So, there are five hidden mikes in this room alone.

And if you follow the wires...

Cassandra taped her sessions.

And I can't find any tapes, and I have searched everywhere.

Maybe that's what the k*ller was after.

Calvin: No, I want... I want to know what's going on!

I'm not...

Where's Cassandra? Cassandra?!

Gretchen: Calvin!

Ferg: Sir...

Cassandra, are you...

You can't go in there!

I just want to know... where's Cassandra?!

That's all I want to know!

She's dead.

No!

She's only one who knows where Emma is.

Gretchen: It's okay, baby.

[Crying] She's... she's the only one who knows! I know.

This is Emma, our daughter.

What happened?

Two years ago, we went, uh... camping on the Blackwater River, near Pensacola.

Gretchen was cooking, and I was, uh, reading some stupid article.

Calvin...

So, I let her go... to the river by herself.

She said, "bye," went out the camper forever.

The police ruled Emma's death an accidental drowning.

We left Florida and moved here a year ago to start over.

We started hearing stories about Cassandra, that she could locate Cheyenne graves by contacting the dead.

At... at first, a... all I wanted was Cassandra to tell Emma that I was sorry, but on our first session, she told me that she...

[Sniffles]

Did she tell you your daughter was still alive?

Yes.

[Breathing heavily]

I mean, no one saw her go into the river.

A... a body was never recovered.

I mean, it's possible, you know?

Walt: How often have you come back to Cassandra since she told you this?

Gretchen: Once or twice a week.

She asked us to bring in objects connected to Emma, so we've been bringing in clothes, jewelry... diaries.

To help her locate your daughter.

Cassandra said that Emma was somewhere [sniffles] in the woods in the northeast.

I mean, we're so close, Sheriff.

That's what makes this so hard.

Gretchen: Cassandra called us last night.

She had another vision.

Yeah, we thought today might be the day.

Did you... you know, see anything written down about Emma or anything like that?

Not yet.

[Sighs]

It's okay, yeah.

Okay.

[Sniffles]

[Sighs]

Ferg said none of the neighbors saw or heard anything, but no one answered over here.

[Knock on door]

[Dog barking in distance]

[Sighing] What now?

There's a k*ller on the loose, and no one's answering, so... better make a public-safety check.

[Scraping]

[Coughs]

Vic: Holy sh*t.

Who would want to live like this?

Apparently, our m*rder victim.

This is Cassandra's place, too?

So she's a psychic and a hoarder?

I don't think Cassandra's simply a hoarder.

Medical, legal records, uh, background checks.

This looks like research.

We research our subjects.

Maybe psychics do the same thing.

Maybe our victim simply investigated her clients and passed it off as psychic.

Well, if she did, then she could have learned something that she shouldn't have.

Like maybe a husband... cheating on a wife?

There's a lot of secrets here.

Which means a lot of suspects.

[Camera shutter clicks]

Well, will you look at this?

Now, this is why they say it can take months to properly assess a burial site.

Jacob Nighthorse, what in the hell are you doing on my land?

Well, I'm representing the tribal council, Barlow, and the Cheyenne Culture Committee.

And, of course, you know if this turns out to be a significant finding, the remains will have to stay put, and you'll need to build around them.

This is the 15th hole, and I can't have a teepee in the middle of the damn fairway.

Dad.

Let me ask you something.

When you're building your casino, do you stop digging every time you run across some of my people's garbage?

You were directly warned about this land, were you not?

Well, if I paid attention to every kook came my way, I'd be out in the desert right now with tinfoil on my head.

Wait... what's this about a warning?

Oh, this Cheyenne gal came into a planning meeting, said she had a vision of Indian remains on my land.

[Scoffs]

Her name wasn't Cassandra, was it?

I think so. Why?

Looks like someone strangled her last night.

[Sighs]

So, I'm g... guessing we aren't just thoughtfully giving people their things back.

When a client comes in, we'll ask them their name, address, when was their last appointment, and what about.

That should give us a timeline and suspect pool.

Ruby: Walt, could I talk to you in your office?

Just for a minute.

Oh, dad, I found your dress khakis in the back of the cabin closet.

They look brand-new.

That's 'cause I've never worn them.

And if you show up at the town hall looking like that, you might never get a chance to, either.

That mean you're gonna vote for me?

That depends on how you do in the debate.

[Laughs]

[Chuckles]

These are some of the questions you'll be fielding at the debate.

I thought the questions were supposed to be impromptu.

Nothing is impromptu.

The voters will be asking both candidates hard questions.

It would be better if you were prepared.

Think of it as leveling the playing field.

I can win this thing fair and square.

Fair and square like Walt... sticking you out here babysitting your father while he preps?

[Cellphone ringing]

You better answer that.

I'm sure Walt wants to keep you distracted.

[Sighs]

Hey, Ruby.

Where?

I'm on my way.

So, where is he sending you now?

Just give me the damn questions.

[Engine turns over]

This is Walt's plan, huh?

Having me deal with one tedious task after another while he gets ready for the debate?

This tedious task is called police work, and Walt didn't tell Ruby to send you here.

I did, because I'm drowning in this sh*t.

So, what are you doing?

Looking.

For what?

Something worth k*lling for.

Failing that, an appointment book would be great.

All right. Can I help you? Do you have your I.D.?

Yes.

Walt.

That's the guy who ran.

Baseball helmet.

Name and address, please.

Phil Capps... 1909 Packard Place.

Okay. When did you last see Cassandra?

Four days ago.

Good.

Why'd you run off today when you saw my deputy?

What?

People flee a m*rder scene, there's usually a reason.

I didn't flee. I was embarrassed.

Riggs passed away six months ago.

He was the only real family I had.

[Sighs] Every week, I made an appointment to talk to him.

I guess that's over.

You can always go to another psychic.

I've tried. They're a bunch of frauds.

But Cassandra was different.

She was the real deal.

When she contacted my grandpa Joe, he told her when he d*ed, when he married grandma, everything.

How else could she know?

There's no appointment book, but...

I did find the financial ledger.

Should give us a client list, a larger suspect pool.

[Chuckles]

What's so funny?

You just never know who's gonna get fleeced by a drunken con artist.

Prejudiced much?

About what?

Psychics get paid to take wild guesses.

People are so needy, they read into it like it's some kind of gift.

Check Cassandra's finances. She had a gift, all right... gift for leveraging mortgages on both her houses and running up huge bills at bars and liquor stores.

Maybe she was self-medicating.

What, you... you actually believe in this stuff?

Like you've never had your cards read?

Vic, I'm a guy... in Wyoming.

The only cards I have read are at the poker table.

[Scraping]

[Scraping]

This paneling's not nailed down all the way.

[Sighs] Hey, Kenny Rogers, give me a hand.

[Grunting]

What the hell?

[Sighs]

This is, like, the entire county.

Asha Little Wolf...

Kishori Crowfoot... those are Cheyenne names, aren't they?

Sound like it.

Look... there's a birth and a death date.

Could be maps of Cheyenne graves.

Why go to this much trouble just to hide this?

It's always dangerous to know where the bodies are buried.

[Sighs] [Knock on door]

What do you make of those...

Wow.

Don't.

No, wouldn't dream of it.

We need to figure out who drew up these maps and why.

Maybe it was Cassandra. Spirits could have guided her.

I mean, that's what her clients would think, right?

Some more than others.

According to this ledger, Gretchen and Calvin Cowley spent a small fortune looking for their daughter.

There's no one more desperate than the parent of a missing child.

You think Cassandra took advantage of that and the Cowleys snapped?

You know, I haven't found their file yet.

That could have been what was taken.

You searched the whole house?

Yes.

No.

Keep searching.

Have Ferg dig deeper into the Cowleys' finances.

Jacob: You wanted to see me.

How are things progressing at the burial site?

Could be an important finding.

Construction will have to hold while we expand the dig.

Let me know if Barlow gives you any trouble.

I appreciate the unexpected support.

Jacob, uh...

I actually called you in to discuss something else.

A m*rder.

I understand you visited a psychic recently...

Cassandra.

I did. I did, indeed.

Like many people, I have a desire to stay in touch with my ancestors.

Yeah.

How many times you visit her?

Two or three times.

Imagine it's quite an experience speaking to the dead.

So, which is it... two or three?

Three. Why does it matter?

That way, I can tell if she was charging you $6,000 or $9,000 an hour.

There's a line item here said you paid her 18 grand.

So what were you really paying her for?

[Sighs] Psychic geological surveys.

Cassandra walked my casino land, searching for remains.

She found none, so I built.

That was money well spent?

It was, and I bet you Barlow Connally wishes he'd done the same.

If I were you, I'd speak to him about the m*rder.

You don't need second sight to see the anger in that man.

And, by the way, I like the uniform.

It makes you look like someone worth voting for.

Man: Deputy Connally, do you feel your family's business in the area will create a conflict of interest for you as Sheriff?

Branch: Good business is good news for our county.

Now, I'm sure many of you remember my uncle was once Sheriff.

And like Lucien, I am my own man.

And I were pushed to choose between our county's best interests and my father's profit margins, trust me, I'll choose Absaroka every time.

[Crowd murmuring]

My question is for Sheriff Longmire.

Sure.

[Clears throat]

Sheriff, is it true that you're afraid of technology and you don't even own a cellphone?

I wouldn't call it fear.

[Feedback]

I'm s...

[Feedback]

As I just, uh, ably demonstrated, sometimes technology is more of a distraction than a help, so...

[Crowd chuckling]

Well, I will vote for you early and often, but I was pulled over by this foul-mouthed blonde lady last month, and it turns out she's not even from here.

Why are you taking jobs away from Wyoming residents?

Sheriff, I'm very sorry about the passing of your wife.

Thank you.

But didn't she lead a movement to stop the building of the casino?

Yes. She did.

My wife, Martha, was concerned about the influence of the casino on local culture and crime.

So, does that mean you're gonna play "I told you so" every time there's a crime connected to the casino?

Not at all... my department will provide the same protection after the casino opens as it did before.

With just four people?

[Crowd murmuring]

The new casino will bring tens of thousands of newcomers to Absaroka County.

This will bring new opportunities but also new challenges.

Now, I've discussed a security action plan with Jacob Nighthorse.

And in this plan, the casino would hire a private security firm that would coordinate with my department, keeping our area safe while creating good local jobs.

[Crowd murmuring]

My question's for the challenger.

I look forward to it.

Deputy Connally, uh, you've been a deputy for a short time.

What experience has prepared you to better serve and protect our county over your opponent?

Yee-yee-yee-ooh! Whee-hoo!

[Crowd screaming]

Whoo-whoo! Whoo-whoo! Whoo-whoo!

I'm the real Sheriff of this county, and you are all under arrest for m*rder!

[Cackling]

You may be wondering why this drunken clown interrupted my brilliant debate performance.

Aaron, why did you interrupt the debate?

Indians hate watching massacres.

[Laughs]

A... and you seem more interested in politics than catching my sister's k*ller.

We may have uncovered what your sister's k*ller was looking for.

Cassandra told me these were lost, but you can never get a straight story out of her.

How did Cassandra put these maps together?

She have a vision?

My sister had a talent for reading people, but the thunder spirit did not reside in her.

She did not have vision.

Then how were these maps made?

When I was a boy...

Grandma Go Go drove all over the place, taking down every Cheyenne grave marker she could find.

For every grave, she drew a map.

Why?

I believe that was when Cheyenne graves were being ransacked for artifacts.

You can't rob graves you can't find.

Who knew your sister had these maps?

Nobody among the living.

Is that the truth, Aaron, or another one of your riddles?

You tell me, Shiny Apple.

Or maybe you can't tell the difference between a shiny lie and the plain truth.

Shiny lie!

Hey! Hey!

[Cackles] Shiny lie!

Shiny lie! Aah! Aah!

Henry! Aah!

Perhaps he will fall upward.

[Sighs]

You gonna arrest Cassandra's brother?

Walt: I have him in a cell.

I'll let him go once he sobers up.

Hey, Vic, it's Ferg.

Checking out the Cowleys' finances.

Their search for Emma looks like it's about to bankrupt them.

Could be motive. Have you found the Cowleys' box or file?

Not yet. They never came by the station to claim anything.

Cassandra had her clients bring in their most prized possessions.

Maybe we should start looking at people who aren't coming in.

Call if we have something.

Yeah, me too.

[Beep]

[Grunting]

[Doorknob rattling]

[Wood creaks]

Hey! Don't move!

[Gasps, breathing heavily]

Walt: Why did you break into Cassandra's house?

Curiosity.

We know you and Calvin have paid a lot of money hoping to find your daughter.

I also have some evidence that Cassandra might be a fraud.

And if she lied to you about Emma being alive, nobody would blame you for being angry.

I caught on to Cassandra's con pretty early.

One time, she tried describing Emma to us.

I recognized the language... it was from a news article, nearly word for word.

Why not call her on it?

I couldn't do that to Calvin.

Before we met Cassandra, he was suicidal.

But with her, he had hope, something to live for.

So you paid Cassandra to lie to your husband?

I had to decide what I loved more...

Calvin or the truth.

It wasn't that hard.

Where's Calvin right now?

Fiddler's Tap Room out on Highway 12.

Drinking.

So, why were you in Cassandra's house, really?

I was hoping to get rid of any research connected to Emma.

What do you think Calvin would do if he knew Cassandra was a fraud?

He wouldn't k*ll her, if that's what you're asking.

Calvin doesn't own a g*n. He's never even fired one.

Cassandra wasn't sh*t. She was strangled, silenced.

I just called the tap room.

They haven't seen Calvin all day.

[Sighs]

[Grunts]

Mrs. Cowley, where's your husband?

I don't know. [Inhales sharply]

He took off after we talked to you.

If your husband figured out the truth about Cassandra...

He needs our help.

Hi.

So, I found another box for you to add to your collection.

What's inside?

I don't know.

I didn't think it was my place to look.

[Car door closes]

Jacob: Tell me something.

Why did I find myself in Walt's office this morning, being questioned about a m*rder?

I knew you could talk your way out of that ledger, but I found something else you couldn't talk your way out of.

What is that?

Maps of Cheyenne graves, which are now in Walt's possession... all except two.

My father's golf course development and this casino property.

According to these, there weren't actually any remains on my father's land.

But there were bodies buried right here on yours.

Well, that's interesting.

Did you pay off Cassandra to move those remains from your property place them on my father's?

I was right about you.

You will make one hell of a Sheriff.

I know, but that wasn't the question.

A few months ago, Cassandra warned me about bodies on this land.

If I didn't pay her, she said, she'd start having visions in public.

So it was a shakedown.

For about five minutes.

Then I offered her 10 times what she was asking.

All she had to do was make those remains and I got to say, that's some impressive detective work.

Actually...

I'll hold onto these for now.

Level the playing field.

There's no chance that Cassandra got greedy...

Tried to blackmail you?

Do you have an alibi for the night of her m*rder?

I am my alibi.

If I had k*lled Cassandra, you wouldn't have found a ledger with my name on it inside her house.

In fact, if I were to k*ll someone, I suspect no one would ever find trace or trail of the crime.

[Sighs]

Enjoy the rest of your night, Deputy.

And do watch your step.

Vic: I found our missing husband.

[Sighs]

Calvin Cowley. Where is he?

Sheridan... he just put a charge on his credit card for Mama Tia's psychic readings.

Looks like he's still a believer.

Which makes it unlikely he k*lled Cassandra out of, uh, disillusioned rage.

Just like everybody, he loved Cassandra, the drunken grifter.

Show some respect.

What did I say?

[Sighs] I'm just getting a little tired of everybody piling on the victim.

People found comfort in her, and I seriously doubt that she was an alcoholic.

Branch told you about her credit-card charges.

Yeah... bars and liquor stores.

But I have spent the last I don't know how many hours in Cassandra's house.

How many alcoholic hoarders do you know that have exactly zero bottles in their house?

[Sighs]

Cassandra's clients... they love her.

Maybe it wasn't a client.

Maybe she told someone something they didn't want to hear.

You here to arrest me?

You didn't answer my question.

You gonna place me under arrest?

Depends.

Where were you two nights ago when that psychic was m*rder*d?

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

After everything I've given to him, my son still has the gall to come into my house and accuse me of m*rder.

Now, if you think I did it, just come out and say so.

Dad, just tell me where you were.

Well, let's see.

Uh, I was just about where you are right now, actually.

Doing what?

A 26-year-old stewardess with daddy issues.

Eh.

[Clear throat]

That's a little too much information, but that's all I needed to know.

No. No, no, no.

You do not get away that easy.

Now, tell me, son, where are you getting all the cash for these campaign ads?

It's not my money. I know it's not your money.

But then, it's never been your money, has it?

I have allies and supporters.

You mean you have investors, who will be impatient for their returns.

Is that why my golf course is indefinitely delayed?

Jacob Nighthorse pays for a few commercials, and you throw the old man under the bus?

Actually, I now have the leverage that would force Nighthorse to remove those remains so construction can start back up again.

Good. Use it.

I need something from you first.

And what would that be?

My coffee.

[Car door closes]

[Dog barking in distance]

[Aaron chanting]

Hello, Aaron.

Your sister, uh, made a living selling lies.

You were ostracized for serving the truth.

You must have appreciated the irony.

Ironically enough, I didn't.

Aaron, tell me what happened.

I need you to drop the contrary act.

I can't. I had the thunder dream.

I have to obey the thunder spirit.

I used to think it was my calling.

It's my curse.

I think I understand.

What are you doing?

[Metal scrapes]

[Grunts]

Sheriff...

I'm here to turn myself in for the m*rder of my sister, Cassandra.

But why...

Would you k*ll your own flesh and blood, Aaron?

My sister was paying bar tabs, liquor-store bills all over the county, including at The Red Pony.

Wasn't her drinking she was paying for.

It was mine.

Two nights ago, she found me ransacking her house...

Looking for money.

She told me she was cutting me off.

Actually...

First, she told you she was cutting you off, then you started throwing and breaking things.

Yes, because it meant no more alcohol.

And she knew that was the only thing that quieted the voices in my head.

But it was never about the booze, was it?

Your sister told you that you never had the thunder dream, that you are not a contrary warrior, that you're nothing more than a paranoid schizophrenic who needs clinical help.

You heard the one person you thought actually believed in you say, "no."

She said she was gonna have you institutionalized, and you snapped, didn't you?

I would do anything to take it back.

But I can't.

And now I must face what I have done.

It is my sacred duty to serve the truth.

Aaron Two Rivers...

You're under arrest.

[Handcuff clicks]

[Crying]

I need to talk to Gretchen and Calvin Cowley about their daughter.

Walt: How do you know about the Cowleys?

[Tires screech]

[Door creaks]

Sheriff, what are you doing here?

Who is this?

Cassandra's brother.

He asked to speak to you about your daughter.

Is that okay?

Yes, please.

I talked to my sister...

About Emma.

She told me she was in Vermont, outside Burlington...

In a blue house.

Was that the truth?

Would you believe it if it was?

[Car door opens]

Hey, Dad.

Hi.

You said you had something to show me.

What is it?

I don't know yet.

Vic, uh, found this among the possessions of a dead psychic.

Well, I have a hard time believing that you ever visited a psychic.

[Sighs] I didn't.

But it appears that your mom did.

[Click]

Do you want to hear this?

[Click]

Martha: To be honest, I normally would never come here.

But things have changed in my life.

Cassandra: The spirits say, if you're asking whether or not the cancer will k*ll you, their answer is... No, it will not.

I just got my diagnosis two days ago.

They say it's terminal.

How could you even know?

Is there anything else you would like the spirits to tell you?

Yes. My husband, Walt... what will happen to him?

You truly want to know?

Yes.

The spirits say...

[gasps]

[Click]

I guess we'll find out soon enough.

[Crickets chirping]