Blue Skies (2026) s01e02 Episode Script

1
Huh.
Hi, you've reached Bill. Leave a
message.
Hey, Dad.
Just checking in on you and Blue.
Thanks again for watching him.
I'll pick him up after my shift.
Talk soon?
Blue, you're supposed to be spending the
night at Dad's.
All right, well, come with me. Come on.
Duty call.
Anytime.
Of course you're in the front.
All right, move over.
Hey, kiddo. Just saw you called earlier.
What's up?
Just wanted to check in on Blue, see how
he's doing. Oh, he's a good boy.
I feel quiet. I almost forgot he was here.
You know, I should take him to church
for breakfast.
Show him off. Yeah, that's a great idea.
What's he doing now?
Let me check.
Blue! Jody, okay, listen, but You
can't find Blue.
How'd you know?
Because he is right here with me.
Oh, thank goodness.
Wait. He ran all the way to your cabin.
That's like five miles away.
Yeah, I found him lying on my porch.
Anyway, he's safe. I'll call you later.
Okay.
How did that dog get out?
Nora.
Who's that?
You met Marshall.
She's been here a while. Looks serious.
Speaking of, where's Chaos?
You mean Blue?
He already missed him.
I don't miss him. I'm just asking.
Listen up. We have a serious situation
unfolding.
A prisoner managed to escape custody
during routine transport through the.
This is our fugitive.
Daniel Cross.
He escaped on foot and was last seen in
the northwest corner of Crystal Ridge.
This is U .S. Marshal Erin Vaughn. She
was conducting the transfer when Cross
escaped. I'll let her brief you on Cross.
Thank you.
Cross is a former military contractor
for the United States government and
recently laundered money for an
international arms trafficker.
I was transporting him from prison to
the courthouse to speak with the
prosecution. Any idea what would have
motivated him to run?
Well, your guess is as good as mine.
Perhaps he changed his mind. Maybe he
saw an opening.
I can't say. Just transport.
We issued a BOLO with Cross's photo,
description, and last known location to
the departments and patrol units in the
area.
We're monitoring all exits of the park
with rangers at each checkpoint.
Can you tell us what happened?
It was all standard procedure.
Traffic was backed up, so I took the
alternate route through the park to make
court on time.
It was supposed to be a routine transfer.
Next thing I knew, he was over the seat
and we were fighting for the steering
wheel.
We skidded off the road, but I
managed to avoid a crash.
I was able to stop him from stealing my
gun.
But he jumped out of the truck and fled
into the woods.
I yelled for him to stop. I fired one round.
Warning shot.
How'd he get the cuffs off?
I'm guessing paperclip.
Paperclip?
I found one in the backseat. It must
have been on the paperwork during the
transfer.
I conducted a thorough search before
putting him in the van, but I must have
missed it.
That's on me.
Look, I don't know this guy, just what I
read in his file, but something clearly
has him spooked.
The arms?
Dangerous? He was unarmed when he
escaped, but dangerous?
He's deemed low risk.
That's why my boss has given me 12 hours
to find him before they send in more
assets. And that's why I need your help.
How long ago did this happen? Two hours
and
19 minutes.
Where exactly in the northwest do you
flee? I'm not sure. I don't know this
well. Tyson.
This is the area where the incident
occurred.
Very few campers here.
Since he's low risk and has no history
of violence, we just need to secure the
area. He's likely on foot, so no need to
shut down the park yet.
Tyson. Three to four miles per hour is
the average foot speed with a two -hour
head start. This is what we're looking at.
Crystal Ridge is a big park with a lot
of people. Let's get Cross back in
custody.
Esposito meets at degree 83.
From Bond's description, this man moves
fast.
Better to get you ahead of the curve
than catching up.
Larson, you're going to escort Bond back
to Cross's last known location.
See if you find anything.
Let's get on it.
Hi.
Thanks for your help, Detective.
I'm, uh
I'm a little embittered.
It could happen to anyone.
We'll find him.
Are you canine?
If canine means raiding my fridge and
hogging the bed, then yes.
He's a really good tracker, though.
That's yours, right?
Yeah.
Blue.
Out.
May I?
Mm -hmm.
Blue, come on.
All right, Blue.
Search.
If he can pick up Cross Ascent, we
should be in good shape.
I'm not used to having a partner.
Didn't even like team sports as a kid.
Same.
Fewer people on the job, fewer people
get hurt. I agree.
You know, I'm new within myself, and
losing a witness is not the best first
impression. Like I said, we'll find him.
You got something, buddy?
All right, come on, Blue.
Oh, you'll never make it in those. We
need to make a stop first.
Okay.
Tyson, get a ranger in every campground
inside this circle.
Let's get the drone over to the furthest
campground and work your way back to
where he escaped.
Heading to the back gate.
All right.
Keep me posted.
Copy.
Look who it is.
Hey. Sorry to bother you. No bother.
What's up? Any chance you have a size 8
hiking boot with a pair of blue socks?
I can check.
I'm Ryan, by the way. This is U .S.
Marshal Aaron Vaughn. Nice to meet you.
Ryan, search and rescue.
Sorry to be suppressing. We're on a time
crunch.
Yeah. Give me a sec.
Size 8, you said?
Here we go.
Thanks. What?
Do I owe you? Don't worry about it.
Fear here must be pretty serious.
Yeah, it is. We have an escape fugitive
in the park. I'd recommend canceling all
climbing expeditions for the day. Thanks
for the heads up.
Treat for the road, Blue?
Yes. You look like you're such a good
boy.
Thank you so much.
Stay safe out there.
Thank you.
Blue? Come on.
That Ryan guy.
You an old friend?
Kind of. Went to high school together.
He traveled the world. I joined the
military.
Now we're both back home.
He's our resident expert on all things
military.
Seems nice.
Yeah, I think he likes my dog more than
he likes me.
He's cute.
Who? Blue or Ryan?
Both.
So you're former military?
Mm -hmm.
Same.
Not one of our own.
Howdy, folks. We're just with Park
Services. Got a quick question for you.
Either of you seen this man?
I don't think so.
Thank you.
Hey there, folks. Have either of you
seen this man?
No.
This man here.
Park Police.
Nothing on my end. No one's seen Cross.
Broke to a hiker who heard a bang about
a mile at Marcy's Trail.
When? Earlier this morning.
That's the direction Cross came from.
Let's check it out.
You were lucky.
Yeah. Could have been a lot worse.
What are you thinking?
You said he headed west?
I don't know, but he went that way.
Yeah, that's west.
All right, Blue.
Ready, boy?
Search!
Go to that dog's got a nose on him.
Found your cell casing.
Cross? Those are jail shoes.
Weapons are clear. Even gate, no blood.
Probably not injured.
Keep going, Blue.
Search.
What's this?
Open source intelligence.
Crosses. Records, social media, news.
Any online presence we'll be able to
track.
Could help.
What do you make of these pictures?
See if you can figure anything out.
I'll put it in facial recognition if you
have anything popped.
Cross is here.
I'm on it.
Esposito to control.
Go for Kane.
What do you got?
We found Cross's jumpsuit not far from
low land.
It's been a couple of hours. Most likely
he's gone.
But head to the lowland campground.
See what you can find.
We should continue on the path until the
cross is doubling back.
Agreed.
He's got a scent.
Did anyone out of the ordinary come
through here?
I heard a bear rummaging around my truck
this morning, but our food's in the
camper.
No bear tracks.
I heard someone throw a bear bang to
scare him off. Could it have been a
gunshot, maybe?
Maybe. You carry a gun with you? Yeah.
In a lockbox in the tailgate.
Mind if we take a look?
Of course.
My gun.
That is one clever bear.
And looks like he's now armed.
And now dangerous.
I'll call it in.
Esposito to control.
This is Tyson.
What's this guy like?
Just read his file.
I'm on a need -to -know basis.
Talking's restricted in the van, so it's
usually pretty quiet.
But that didn't stop him.
He wouldn't shut up. He just kept
talking about how people are out to get.
Yeah, but who, you know?
Could be a con. These guys can turn it
on and off depending on who they're
talking to. Larson, you copy?
Go for Larson.
Meeks and Esposito.
Affirmative. Stay safe.
Copy that.
I guess it's back to the car.
And that's where the uplink is.
Okay. Everyone is logging on.
Can you all see the map okay?
Virgo.
Affirmative. Same here.
If we don't find Cross in the next few
hours, we'll have to shut down the
park, which would be a logistical
nightmare.
But we might have to.
Crystal Ridge is now an active threat
environment.
Based on all the tracking data, there
are only two directions he could have
in. Oak Ridge and Whispering Pines.
Whispering Pines.
Meeks, Esposito, head to Oak Ridge.
Larson, you're going to take Vaughn to
Whispering Pines.
Copy that. And Larson, I see that dog
running around behind you.
I can explain.
We'll discuss it later.
You good?
Yeah.
Just the other side of the river.
Uh, one thing.
Jody's mom?
Yeah, I heard. What about her? It
happened at Whispering Pine.
What's going on?
Do you still take climbers to Whispering
Pines?
If they're daring enough.
Because of the lore.
What's the fastest route?
By foot or on wheels.
Wheels. Where are you?
Heading toward 29.
You're on the rocks at the pass.
Okay, so what should I do?
Park and hike. But stick to the trail.
The embankment can be treacherous. Copy
that. Thanks.
What did he mean by lore?
Is this place really dangerous?
A lot of people have gone missing there.
Once you get over the lip and onto the
trail, there's no cell or radio.
Get the drone over Oak Ridge.
Copy.
Meeks or Esposito will need backup.
At Oak Ridge.
Copy. Keep us posted.
You got me.
RV about 200 yards northwest from where
you are. Corner of the campsite.
Copy that. We're on it.
RV, 200 yards.
Based on what we know from when and
where Croft will cough, he should be
heading With spring pines can be
tricky.
You get turned around easy.
He's in a maze and he doesn't know it.
But so are we.
There's no service there, so stick to
the path.
Got it?
Stick to the path.
Can I help you, officer?
NPS, we're searching for this man.
Have you seen him in the area?
No, sorry.
I just got back from a hike.
Is this your RV?
Yeah. We're just here for a couple days.
Are you alone?
My kids are with me, but they're down by
the river.
We'll stay back, ma 'am.
SDS!
Don't tell Mom.
Don't sign a cross.
Just two kids.
Who were supposed to be fishing.
Sorry.
We're getting close.
We feel service.
Benard, do you copy?
Go for me.
He's heading into Whispering Pine. We
found one of Cross's prison shoes.
It's a fresh print. We're closing in on him.
Okay, I'll let King know.
She's fully prepped to make a move.
I'm not sure if he's barefoot, but if he
is, it'll slow him down. And if not,
he's definitely trying to find a way out.
I'll adjust the search radius and update
the BOLO.
Copy that.
Come on.
Are you sure you haven't been chasing a
coyote or something?
There's a method to his madness.
I need all assets to surround Whispering
Pine.
No one gets in, no one gets out.
Send Meeks and Esposito down Old Lumber
Road to Whispering Pine.
Copy. And call Ryan. I need him to guide
me through Whispering Pine.
I'll pick him up at Mills Crossing. Tell
him I'm on my way now.
Got it.
Bye. Look at this.
Hmm.
That's interesting.
We'll look into this when I get back.
All right.
Tyson for Meek.
I go for Meek.
Larson and Vaughn are closing in on
Cross at the base of Whispering Pines.
Need backup?
Base out.
Copy. On our way.
Ryan, thanks for doing this.
No problem.
Do this.
There's loose rocks on the trail. We
need to slow down. If the sun sets,
going to have a hard time finding this
guy.
We need to move.
I'm okay.
You're going to have to walk around.
I'll cut through and meet you at the
other end of the trail.
Are you sure?
Yeah. It should take about 20 minutes.
Just follow the path.
I'm okay, Blue.
I'm okay.
You'll want to take a right down an old
service road about one and a quarter
miles from here.
So that's weird.
Thank you.
Daniel? Take a deep breath for me, okay?
Don't make me.
There's a way out of this.
No one wants this to end badly.
Especially me.
I'm not here to hurt you.
I just want to understand what's going
on.
You'll never understand.
Try me.
They're going to kill me.
They're going to kill my family.
Who's they?
You're scared.
You're tired.
Please.
You have no idea what's going on.
Don't make me shoot you.
I'm not the enemy here, Daniel.
Put the gun down and let's talk.
Too late for that.
Why are you so scared?
These are dangerous people.
No one's safe.
Not even you.
There's only one way out of this for me.
And you're not it.
Daniel, I'm not going to lie to you.
You're out of time.
You and I both know that. You're going
to have to trust me.
You want me to trust you?
Yes, I do.
Just let me go.
You can't do that.
Think of your family, at least. They
need you. I am thinking of my family.
I was set up.
And as soon as I took the deal, she's
been after me.
She's not going to stop until I'm dead.
She'll kill my family.
She'll kill you.
She?
Yeah. Go on.
Blue, down.
Daniel, this is your last chance.
There is a way out.
I have a plan.
We're good.
You cuff. We're good.
The cavalry has arrived.
I guess having a partner isn't so bad
after all.
I guess not.
Got it. Okay, great. So we're clear
here? Yeah, we're clear.
Yeah.
I want to thank you.
You know, you were right about paranoia.
Don't make me have to catch him again.
I mean, I told you he was a nut.
All right, listen up.
Meek and Esposito will transport Cross
and the Marshal back to HQ.
Larson and Lassie here will come with
me.
When you get back, make sure that you're
completing your report so Juan can
complete her transfer. Got it?
Tyson made some headway on his online
search.
It's back on your desk. Make sure you
check it out at headquarters, okay?
I don't think our marshal has been
totally honest with us.
There's more you need to know.
I think I know what that's about.
Get cross and beholding. Copy.
Marshall, do you mind debriefing in my
office?
Yes, ma 'am.
You taking off? Some of us get to go
home.
Lucky you.
What's the latest with this guy? I'm not
sure yet.
Hey, didn't one of the town vets go to
our high school? Yeah, I'm friends with
him. Why? Would you mind seeing if he
has a chip reader so we can check blue?
Okay.
Good job today, by the way.
Filed my report.
Not taking any chances this time. Unless
he's Houdini, he's not going anywhere.
Thanks for everything.
And nice work, Detective.
We meet again.
So.
What's the
plan did I say you could talk.
Can't lose a prisoner twice. That looks
suspicious.
There are plenty of ways to kill someone.
Doesn't have to look like an accidental
escape.
How are you going to do that between now
and the courthouse?
I wouldn't worry about it.
Listen, I said I wasn't going to talk
and I still won't. I don't know why they
reopened the case.
I'll do whatever you want, whatever it
takes to keep my family safe. It's too
late. You ran once, you'll make a deal
with the prosecution. Then this entire
thing leads back to me.
I swear to God, I'll hold up my end of
the deal. Nobody knows you were involved
in international gun smuggling. And they
never will.
And if any of that comes back to me,
I'll kill your family too.
That's a promise.
Come out with your hands up. Whoa,
Martha.
What's going on? Save the theatric.
Cross told us everything.
And you believe them?
Well, I guess you're not the cop I
thought you were.
We got it all on tape.
Before you make any rash decisions, all
the files have been recorded.
They're back at headquarters.
How'd you know?
You start at the tire track.
The accident didn't make sense.
It's like you planned to stop.
There were no skid marks.
Not forget your one warning shot.
Found your shell casing.
What didn't add up was the bullet
hitting the tree.
The trajectory was a straight line. You
wanted to shoot Cross, not warn him.
And the cup.
You said that he picked those with a
paper clip, so he wouldn't have had any
handcuffs on.
But in the cabin, they were hanging
around his wrist, destroyed.
He used the gun he stole to do it.
And finally, you said you'd never met
Cross before the transport.
We found a newspaper article.
There's a photo of you.
Standing behind him in court, Cross
corroborated my suspicions and we wired
up.
You were involved in this thing.
He's not innocent, but neither are you.
And we know why you did it.
Cross' case was reopened.
He was going to say something.
He saw a chance to clear his name, but
it didn't implicate you.
He told me that you're the one that
coerced him into laundering in the first
place.
He got word he was speaking to the U .S.
Attorney, so he jumped on transport.
You wanted to kill him.
- Say you escaped. Say it with self.
- Defense.
Get out.
Let's go!
Unfortunately for you, Croft got away.
He fought back for his family.
He loved me.
Thankfully, we found him.
Now we can tell them what he knows.
Smart.
You're under arrest.
You got everything?
I did.
I'm not sure what the courts will do or
how I could help your family.
You can rest easy knowing that they're
safe.
And so are you.
Thank you.
For everything.
Your instincts were spot on.
Keeping things under wraps, force bond,
walk right into your trap.
Good job.
Listen, speaking of instincts, I have
this really strong feeling about Blue.
That dog likely has an owner out there
somewhere. He has skill set unlike
else in the department.
I think I know what you're going to say.
I want him in canine.
You can't put the time and money and
effort into canine training for a dog
is not ours.
But if you can prove he doesn't have
anyone out there, then we can talk.
Understood?
Hey.
We're all in this together. We're a team.
How's it include Blue?
Hey,
Blue.
Hi.
I think I found what you're looking for.
How did you The vet owed me a favor.
Now I owe you one.
Whatever gets us closer to keeping Blue
around.
Us?
He reminds me of the dog I grew up with.
Chuckles. I remember.
Should we do this?
Yeah, get it over with.
You want me to do it?
No, I have to do it.
Sweet.
It says, chip found, but no ID detected.
What could that mean?
I have no idea.
The vet said that if he was chipped,
we'd find out who he belongs to.
Well, he's chipped. We just can't read it.
Dog is his own mystery.
Who are you? Who are you?
Who are you?
Uh -oh. I got a full case load tomorrow.
Golf is out of the question.
I know how much Judge Mills likes golf,
but I can't get away.
I appreciate the offer, but some of us
have to work for a living.
I'll see you in court.
Hey. What are you doing up?
Just up.
Thinking.
You okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
It's just hard to sleep when your mind
is racing a mile a minute.
Yeah, I know the feeling.
Listen.
Maybe you were right.
About what?
Well, maybe it's time.
Time to start moving Mom's stuff out.
Um, yeah.
Yeah, I'm here. I just What's wrong?
No, nothing. I, um I know what I
said, and
the truth is, I just I don't think
I'm ready to say goodbye, either.
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have No, hey,
hey. No need to apologize.
My heart hurts, too.
Why don't we table it?
And we'll do it together.
I would like that.
Mom would like that.
Okay, good.
I need to get some sleep. You should too.
See you tomorrow?
Tomorrow.
Night,
Blue.
Okay, no. Blue, down.
Thank you.
Hey, this is not a dog fed.
Hey, I'm curious. You need to get down.
Okay, fine, fine.
On that side.
Okay, fine.
Just don't hug the covers.