Nocturne (2026) s01e03 Episode Script

1
[birds chirping]
[wind chime jingles]
[dog barking]
[chattering on TV]
Hey, Mom.
- Good morning.
- Good morning, you two.
- [clears throat]
- [phone dings]
- [Mom] Kevin…
- Put your phone down.
…put your phone down
and eat your breakfast.
- [grunts]
- [phone dings]
Tommy, food before meds.
- Yeah, yeah. I know, I know.
- Hey.
- Morning, guys.
- [Mom] Morning.
Kevin, actually get off your phone.
[Kevin] Whatever.
It has to be blue.
- Mom, this is blue.
- It's black.
- No, Mom. This is blue.
- It's black.
I literally got it off the school website.
- Mom.
- I know. I know because I bought it.
Go.
[sighs] Going.
[crows cawing]
[cawing continues loudly]
[suspenseful music playing]
- [gasps]
- [coffee pot shatters]
- Honey, what's the matter?
- Kevin, get your sister.
- Mom, what's wrong?
- Go! Go!
[Tommy] Kevin, listen to your mother.
Now! Get your sister.
- [Kevin] Okay, okay.
- [Mom] Get in the car! [pants]
- [Tommy] You want me to call the police?
- No! Get the kids!
- [Tommy] Okay, okay, okay.
- [pants]
Kevin, Ruth. We gotta go!
[panting, whimpering]
[ominous music plays]
[Tommy] Let's go, now!
- Mom, what's going on?
- Mom, what's going on?
- [Ruth] Dad.
- [Mom whispers] Stay quiet.
- Mom?
- Don't worry.
- It's gonna be okay.
- [shushes]
When I open this door,
we go straight to the car.
[breathes shakily]
- [groans]
- [Kevin] Dad.
Drop your packs, let's go.
- Dad, come on.
- Let's go!
- Go, Dad. Let's go, let's go.
- I'm going.
[Ruth] Get in the car, Mom!
- [breathing shakily]
- [birds squawking]
[screams]
[gunshot]
[theme music playing]
[thunder rumbling]
[Jonah] Look, all these tree carvings
line up from one spot.
Like some kind of marker or something.
Okay. What is it marking?
Look at these.
These are evidence
from the Cassie Ford scene.
See that? That was a couple of feet
from the grave site.
O'Leary and Cross,
same thing.
See, that just doesn't make sense.
The canine unit did a thorough sweep
and found no human remains
on Sally's property.
[Jonah] Yeah.
[Quinn] So, what are we missing?
I don't know.
Why do you think he kept them alive?
Control.
Watch 'em die slow.
Okay. I'm gonna keep these,
send them over to Bureau cryptanalysis,
see what they can tell us
about the symbol.
Also, check in on Sally's car.
Maybe we get lucky.
Any word from Saga?
They, uh, took the necklace at intake,
but she should get it back
by the end of the day.
I hope you're right.
I'm gonna go see Michael.
I'll, uh, call you later.
Great.
[door closes]
[suspenseful music playing]
[clamoring]
[sighs]
[patient wailing]
[screaming]
[patient] Shut up!
[patients chattering]
[patient shouts indistinctly]
[music continues]
[Wanda] Meds!
[music ends]
[Wanda] Next.
Next.
Next.
Name?
Esther Dujardin.
Dujardin. Dujardin…
Um… [clears throat]
…I had a necklace. It is a crucifix.
Here.
Well, they took it,
and I need it back for religious reasons.
Take your meds first.
Uh, what is that?
Same as you got at the last place.
No dosage changes until after eval.
And, as I'm sure was the case
at your previous establishment,
if you refuse to take it orally,
you will receive injections.
Clear?
Hey.
Dujardin.
You took your meds, so…
Oh, thank you, ma'am.
Ma'am, I don't think this one's mine.
It say Dujardin on the front?
Then it's yours.
Next.
They tell me soft food
for the foreseeable future.
Since you almost choked to death.
[chuckles]
[ominous music playing]
You okay?
- [Jonah] How you holding up?
- [Ida] It's been hard.
You know, he's back,
but he's… He's not back.
I've kept their rooms…
the same all this time, both of them.
You know, just in case.
I washed their sheets, so they had
something nice to come home to.
If I can ever get him out of here.
But they keep telling me
that they need to observe him.
Hell, I can observe him fine.
I'll see what I can do.
Thank you.
How's it going, Michael?
What do you got there?
[rhythmic beeping]
[tense music playing]
Michael, I wanna show you something.
Have you ever seen this before?
[beeping increases]
[breathing shakily]
Honey, hey.
What's the matter?
You all right?
[whispers] The Sandman.
Who's the Sandman, Michael?
Is that the person
who kept you and Felicia?
Why do you call him that?
Mom always said that the Sandman…
he came in the night.
He's why you fell asleep.
[exhales shakily]
Is that what he did to you?
[stammers] It was just a bedtime story.
[Michael gulps]
W-When he came in the room…
[breathes shakily] …his fingers…
were made of glass.
You could hear them…
clinking.
What'd he look like?
He wore a mask.
Never saw him.
Just heard his voice.
What'd he say?
[beeping increases]
He kept us in the dark.
And we waited…
and no one came.
No one came.
I'm sorry, Michael.
[music ends]
[ominous music playing]
[tap turns off]
[door buzzes, opens]
[door closes]
[handcuffs clink]
[RHU Aide] Stand back.
What happened to you?
What do you think?
[sighs] Did you tell anyone?
[RHU Aide] Hey. Keep quiet.
[breathes shakily]
I… I'm not supposed to talk to you.
None of us are supposed to talk to you.
He's good.
[door buzzes]
[music ends]
[patients clamoring]
[pensive music playing]
[music stops]
You're new, right?
[inhales deeply]
Looking for anyone in particular?
I'm just trying to understand this place.
[whispers] Good luck with that.
[door beeps]
Make it stop! [panting]
They're telling me what to do,
and it's bad,
- and I don't like it.
- Let me go.
I need you to make them stop.
You need to make it stop.
You gotta watch out for that one.
She'd kill you in the night
if they'd let her use the plastic knives.
Really? [sighs]
No. J… I'm just playing.
Anybody really dangerous
is in there.
What is it?
For the monsters.
They still got one in there.
A couple of months ago,
the other one died.
Monster got in his head so deep,
he just bashed his own head in.
Just bam!
[groans]
Here. Until you get your badge,
I'll just buzz you in.
[beeps]
- Right. Thanks.
- No problem.
[tense music playing]
[nurse] Ladies, lunch time.
[music continues]
[car door closes]
[camera shutter clicking]
[radio chatter]
[camera shutter clicking]
- [birds chirping]
- [music ends]
[crows cawing]
[bird chirping]
[pensive music playing]
[thudding]
[tense music playing]
- [Quinn] Somebody buried this out there.
- [music ends]
It's the Gifford family minus Sally.
What does it even mean?
I don't know.
Showed Michael a picture of the symbol.
He started freaking out,
talking about the guy who was holding him.
Called him the Sandman.
The Sandman?
That's exactly what this case needs,
a catchy nickname.
I'll have ERT get into this.
Maybe you can lift a print.
Hey, how is Michael?
He's all right.
Ida wants to take him home,
but the hospital won't let her.
I'll see what I can do.
[Ellison] What the hell am I looking at?
Detective Lynn found this buried
in the Giffords' backyard.
ERT missed it.
And he thinks it's connected to Felicia?
So does Special Agent Quinn.
This photo was found
buried directly beneath
the point of parallax of the symbol.
What symbol?
What the fuck are you talking about?
Do you recognize these?
It's from Cassie Ford.
[suspenseful music playing]
This is from O'Leary and Cross.
Most recently, Sally Gifford.
Walter's burying bodies, not pictures.
[Kibbons] Working theory is that
the accomplice was interrupted.
Or maybe it's a warning.
[Ellison] Jonah was right.
He's getting help.
If he's marking burial sites,
it could lead us to finding Felicia.
[sighs]
Get this out to everyone.
[music continues]
[door buzzes]
[announcements over PA]
[director] So, you're back?
What's going on?
[Jonah] Well, I've been working
through a list of the staff members
who came into contact with Walter,
and I was wondering
what you could tell me about Sally.
Oh.
Nice lady. Hard worker. Good at her job.
[sighs] Got a lot going on at home.
She hasn't been in here in a few weeks.
[Jonah] Any idea why?
Not exactly, but to be honest,
it's not that unusual.
Her husband's got MS. So,
I cut her some slack when she needs it.
She ever been gone this long before?
[director] Sometimes.
She takes Tommy to the Cleveland Clinic,
trying to get him
into some experimental treatment program.
And if there's a last-minute opening,
she just goes.
She ever, um, mention any friends or
family she might've stayed with up there?
Mm-mmm. No, not that I know of.
[Jonah] Right.
[breathes heavily]
What about the security footage?
What about it?
Is there any chance
we could access those feeds?
Walter's cell. RHU.
We use private servers
for our security cameras,
and all that footage is stored off-site.
Plus, you know the law
around patient privacy.
I couldn't show it to you
even if I wanted to.
How would you feel about me talking
to some of her coworkers?
Look, Jonah, I wanna help, I really do,
but the last time I talked to you guys,
I ended up with a lawsuit from Gary Mazur.
I'm glad you're back,
and it has been nice talking to you,
but if you wanna do more
than that… [inhales deeply]
…I think you're gonna have to
come back with a warrant.
[door beeps]
[door beeps]
[nurse] Right through here.
[door closes]
[phone ringing]
- Hey.
- [Nathan] Hey. Uh, we got a problem.
Mic is live, but it isn't Saga.
[chattering on computer]
She was doing what sounded like a medical
intake and then a group activity.
I could hear Saga in the distance,
but the voice closest to the mic,
it's-it's someone else.
- [patient] Yeah, what do you want?
- It's hers.
[Saga] Hi.
That's a really beautiful necklace.
My mama gave it to me
when I was a little girl.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
Oh, wow. My mom gave me this
when I was a little girl.
Do you wanna look at it?
Can I look at yours?
Yours is made of brass or nickel.
Mine's made of gold.
Give me that.
Oh. Um…
[chuckles] …well,
mine's a lot nicer than yours.
Give it to me now, you devil.
I mean, I could swap you.
Do you wanna swap?
Okay.
Yeah.
List of people
with access to the RHU is wrong.
Three more people,
they let each other in with IDs.
I'll get you names… [grunts]
Bitch! What kind of shit
are you trying to pull?
Give me that.
[Saga grunts]
Give me…
[both grunting, groaning]
[patient] It's the new girl! [cackles]
[grunts]
[grunting]
[panting]
[static on computer]
Sunshine. Sun…
- Sunshine. [grunts]
- [patient grunts]
- [orderly] Calm down. Okay.
- I'm not done with you!
- [panting]
- [door slams shut]
We need to call Quinn.
Jonah.
No.
We can't.
Yeah, well, we-we have to pull Saga.
She's… She's flying blind.
[Jonah] She wouldn't want that.
Quinn finds out we lost the comms,
she'll call the whole thing off.
We have to let her do her job
and find some other way
to get eyes on her.
If you had a remote code,
could you break into a secure server?
I-If I had a remote code,
it wouldn't be breaking in.
[Jonah] Yeah, but what if you didn't?
That would be illegal.
No.
Jonah, no.
[scraping noise]
[ominous music playing]
[groaning]
[Karl] I know, Ma, I will.
- No, work's going fine.
- You can't live off vending machines.
- Stop.
- Don't you start with me.
- I'll talk to his teachers, all right?
- Thank you.
- Okay, tell Kyle I love him.
- I will. Love you.
All right.
- [inhales deeply]
- [Annie] No, I can't help you with that.
[Dominique] Patty said a cop was here
asking about Sally,
saying she disappeared.
[Annie] She was always going AWOL.
[Dominique] Yeah,
but this is a long time even for her.
I think it's… real.
Who's Sally?
What?
I keep hearing her name.
Did she work here?
Yeah. In the RHU.
She was you before you.
She worked with Jurek?
And now she's disappeared?
[ominous music playing]
All right.
[breathing heavily]
[door opens]
Karl, I don't mean to get you
into trouble,
but I'm in a lot of pain.
Could you please get me some Vaseline?
It helps.
I'll tell medical.
No, please, don't.
You've heard the sounds.
You know what they do to me at night.
I can't ask for help.
[music continues]
[music ends]
[Saga] Dr. Hauser, she came at me.
I was just trying to get my necklace back.
[phone beeps]
[Dr. Hauser] So, um,
did she make you angry?
[Saga] I don't get angry.
Emotions are like the weather,
but I'm the sky.
Who painted that?
That artist looks really angry.
Well, I thought you didn't get angry.
I don't. But that texture,
those colors. They're really visceral.
Like that corner down there on the left…
it just looks like rage to me.
Kind of like a furnace.
[Dr. Hauser] Are you sure, Esther,
that you don't get angry?
Well, you should check my file.
It's all in there.
It should say I'm an artist.
I do sculptures like Michelangelo.
- Really?
- [Saga] Mm-hmm.
I find it therapeutic.
[Dr. Hauser]
Well, it says a lot of things in here.
Like that you burned
your previous facility down.
That wasn't my fault.
That was self-defense.
- Arson?
- Well…
[phone beeps]
Did you take my phone?
Give me back my phone, Esther.
Esther, this isn't a game.
Give me my phone back now.
She's got my phone.
[Saga groaning]
Okay, it's all yours. It's all yours.
It's all yours. [grunts]
[door buzzes, opens]
[door closes]
[coyotes barking, howling]
[sighs] Fuck.
[grunts] Fuck.
Fuck.
[car approaches]
[tense music playing]
[chattering on radio]
[Nathan] Shit.
[chattering on radio continues]
[mutters indistinctly]
[breathing heavily]
[car departing]
Fucking Jonah.
Yeah.
Huh.
Huh.
- [static on radio]
- [guard 1] Patrol car radioed in.
Do you see movement
around the south entrance?
[guard 2]
That guy is seeing shadows everywhere.
[guard 1] Anything?
[guard 2] No. It's all clear.
[panting]
Oh.
Oh, fuck me.
Thought you should see this.
Came in less than an hour ago.
Corner of 8th and Spire.
[Quinn] There.
We ran the plates. That's Sally's van.
Keep watching.
[tense music playing]
[Jonah] Stop. Can I get
a printout of that?
That's just up the road.
Jonah, the APB is out. My team is on it.
- Where are you going?
- [Jonah] To find that van.
[Karl] Does it hurt?
No.
No one in here's ever been so kind to me.
You're my only friend, Karl.
No talking, Walter.
[whispers] You're an angel.
[in Lithuanian] You're doing God's work.
[phone ringing]
- Hey.
- [Nathan] This is some highly
illegal shit, Jonah.
And when Quinn finds out about this,
I'll throw you under the bus, okay?
I know you will, Nathan.
[Nathan] It took me four hours,
but I'm in.
So, how are we gonna let her know
we can see her?
We can't just waltz in there
for visiting hour.
Yeah, I know. Working on that.
- Find her, Nathan. Call me when you do.
- [sighs]
[Nathan] Okay.
Right now,
I've just gotta find this family.
[tense music playing]
If I were you,
I'd burn those motherfuckers
so you don't get his bad juju.
[Jonah] I was wondering
if you've seen this van?
- Nope. Haven't seen it.
- Thank you, sir.
Okay.
Have you seen this van?
[music continues]
- [horn honking]
- [music ends]
[tires squeal]
[jazz playing in diner]
Excuse me. You, uh, seen this vehicle?
- Nope. Never seen it.
- Thank you.
- [server] What can I get you?
- Uh, just a coffee to go, please.
- [server] Do you want cream in this?
- No, just black.
Here you go.
That's weird.
- What's that?
- [server] Oh, I saw that van.
They were parked out back
a couple of hours ago.
- Did you get a look at the driver?
- [server] No.
- [Jonah] Any idea which way they went?
- Yeah. South toward Endo.
- Thanks.
- [server] In a real hurry too.
- [thuds]
- [tires screech]
[clattering]
[owl hooting]
[suspenseful music playing]
[owl hooting continues]
[rustling]
[music ends]
[radio chatter]
- [sighs]
- [camera shutter clicking]
When's the last time you slept?
What are they doing here?
[Quinn] It's hard to keep a case
like this under wraps.
Must have picked it up on the scanner.
Think they know who it is?
Only a matter of time if they don't.
What are you thinking?
Only four sets of prints.
Got out on foot, no sign of struggle.
So I don't think they were being pursued.
Could have hitchhiked,
called an Uber or something.
That's easy enough to track.
I think she's scared.
Something happened. She…
saw something,
or someone and it spooked her.
[Quinn] The accomplice.
Yeah.
What do you wanna do?
Abso-fucking-lutely not.
It's the right play, Dave.
Why?
You've got the FBI here.
Use the right channels.
Put out a statewide bulletin,
feed it to all the local townships.
Cross-check statewide databases
on this symbol business.
We're doing all that, Chief.
So what do you wanna
stir all this shit up for?
[Quinn] If we can find Sally
and she can ID the accomplice,
that could lead us to Felicia.
We're just running out of time.
We need to let everyone know
we need the public's help.
I just wanna find the girl.
[train whistle blows]
I know you do.
We need this, Dave.
You gotta trust me.
Fine.
I'll do it.
But we keep it simple.
And I don't wanna hear that fucker's name.
[Ellison] Good morning.
I'm Chief Dave Ellison
of the Fairhaven Police Department.
As you know, this department has been
working in conjunction with the FBI
to help locate Felicia Frost.
Now, there have been
some recent developments in the case,
and while we want to assure everyone
that there's absolutely
no reason for alarm at this point,
we would like folks
to keep their eyes open.
So, as part of our task force,
I'll have former detective
Jonah Lynn tell you more
about what exactly
we're asking from you all.
- [Jonah] Thank you.
- [dramatic music playing]
[Jonah] There have been some developments
in the Felicia Frost case.
The FBI,
alongside the Fairhaven Police Department,
has identified Sally Gifford
as a person of interest in this case.
Mrs. Gifford
is a 38-year-old Caucasian female.
She was last seen
with three other members of her family
in a red Dodge Grand Caravan.
Now, that vehicle was recovered
this morning,
about three miles west
of Crawford and Snyder,
and it's our belief that all the occupants
left the vehicle on foot and unharmed.
It's important to note, at this point,
that Mrs. Gifford
is not suspected of any crime.
We just wanna talk to her.
We believe that for her safety
and the safety of her family,
the sooner she contacts us, the better.
So if you, or anyone you know,
has any information
or witnesses anything suspicious, please
call the numbers on your screen now.
I wanna thank the members of
this community for their… their patience
and their courage as we work together
to bring Felicia Frost home.
There have been some dark days
in Fairhaven over the past few years.
But, uh, we believe if we can
come together as a community
and-and keep these new channels
of communication open…
I have no doubt that
there will be sunshine in our future.
And it's important to all of us
that you know that, uh,
this task force will be watching you
as carefully as
all of you are watching this story.
Thank you.
Jonah, did they stop teaching
the Constitution
in the Philly Police Department?
We lost her comms and we had to improvise.
By committing a felony?
Unlawful use of a computer,
wiretapping, invasion of privacy?
- And that… That is just Pennsylvania.
- Stop.
See that?
Sunshine. She's giving us the all-clear.
Keep going.
[sighs]
Look. Those initials.
A nurse and a chaplain.
- [Quinn] Okay. And?
- That's two names we didn't have.
None of this will be admissible.
So what? They're still leads
that could help us find Felicia.
It's not like we're just doing it
to build a case.
Oh, 'cause I-I thought that's what we did.
I thought we built cases.
If anyone finds out
that we have hacked into a…
They won't. They won't.
If they do, put it on me.
I'm not a cop anymore. Remember?
You still a cop?
Y-Yes, ma'am.
[slams door]
- For now.
- [Jonah] Shit.
[Ida chuckles]
People keep sending money. [chuckles]
[Michael groans]
- [Michael] Mom.
- Yeah?
I can… I can see you clearly again.
[chuckles]
[Ida chuckles] Oh.
[knocks on door]
Oh, sorry, guys.
[Ida] Oh, that's fine.
Michael was just saying
he's feeling better.
That's great.
[Ida] Yeah.
[Ellison] I have good news too.
I'm here to break you out.
[doctors, nurses clapping]
[nurse] All right, Michael!
[phone ringing]
Agent Hawthorne.
- [person breathes heavily]
- Hello?
[caller, distorted]
Stop looking for Sally Gifford.
[caller breathes heavily]
She's gone.
I took her.
I took them all.
I'll bury them all.
You'll never find them.
[breathing heavily]
[glass clinking]
[door creaks, closes]