Joe Pickett (2021) s01e07 Episode Script

1
- All units,
please be advised
of an active
hostage situation.
A suspect believed
to be named Romanowski
is holding
at least one hostage
at - the Twelve Sleep Courthouse.
Backup has been requested.
- Who's the hostage?
Hello?
Who--who is the hostage?
- The hostage is confirmed
to be Romanowski's attorney.
- Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
No. No, no, no.
- No. No, Joe.
You can't go up there, Joe!
They're not gonna let you in!
- Get ready
with those flashbangs.
'Cause we're gonna go on the
count of three, you got it?
- I warned you
about Nate Romanowski!
- Who's this?
- Stop, stop, stop!
My wife's pregnant.
Stop it.
Nate, it's me.
It's Joe.
I'm takin' my gun off!
- Hey, kid, come on.
- I'm unarmed!
I'm comin' in.
- Pickett, don't!
Pickett, don't do it!
Don't do it! Joe!
- I'm unarmed!
- Mm!
- Marybeth?
Hey.
- Mm.
He went out the window.
- Oh, you gotta be kidding me.
- Fugitives are on the run.
Secure the building.
You two, stay here, understood?
- You okay?
- Yes, I'm--
- Did he hurt you?
- No. No, I'm fine.
Joe, why would he do this?
I was gonna get him outta here.
- He's not who he says he is.
He was wanted,
under another name in Montana,
for killing two federal agents.
- What?
- Ms. Pickett?
- I know.
- I need to ask you
some questions.
- Of course.
- Without your husband.
- That's fine, Joe.
I can hold my own.
- All I'm saying is that
if he killed federal agents,
maybe he had good reason
for it.
- Do you hear yourself
when you speak?
Now, maybe saying
something stupid like that
plays to your conspiracy
chat room loonies,
but not the people
like Kelmeckis and me.
- Sounds like you and
Romanowski got pretty close.
- We talked a bit.
- Ha, yeah.
More like Cricket here
got puppy dog eyes
whenever he was around.
- Shut up!
I did not.
- You know, we figured
he must've died
somewhere along the way
until we flagged his photo
in your local paper.
Some guys just don't have
the good sense to stay dead.
- Kelmeckis.
You got anything
you wanna ask her?
- Yeah.
- "The good sense
to stay dead."
- Joe! Hey, I was just
about to call you.
Look, that scat sample
you gave me?
It's the craziest thing.
It didn't match anything
in the international database,
so yeah, I don't know
what to make of it.
- Could it be
an extinct species?
- That would be incredible.
- That'd be a miracle, truly.
Have you ever heard of
anything like that happening?
- No. You?
- Nope.
- If you're right
and this animal
is thought to be extinct,
then it wouldn't be on the
endangered species list, right?
So what kind of protection
would there be
for an extinct animal
that's actually still alive?
- Me.
- You know how long they'll be?
- Hard to say,
but if I had to guess,
I'd say about an hour?
- Hmm.
- You know,
rumor has it
the sheriff's having
a lot of trouble at home,
so he spends a lot of time
in the office
talking about coffee
with anyone who'll listen.
- Do you know what time
the library closes?
- Yeah, I do.
In 15 minutes.
- I'll just be a few.
Will you let Marybeth know
if she finishes?
- Sorry, Warden.
We're just about to close up.
- I'll be real quick,
I promise.
- Do you know what's going on
over there at the courthouse?
- Uh, escaped fugitive.
- What?
Is he dangerous?
- Yeah, probably.
Do you have any books
on extinct species in Wyoming?
You can look up anything
you want over there,
but please hurry.
- Wyoming and Montana.
Big Horn Mountains.
Killed by pioneers.
Oh, my God.
- Hey. Mrs. Pickett,
we are not done yet.
- Sheriff Barnum,
Nate Romanowski was
in police custody, not mine,
so when I realized
he was dangerous,
I decided it wasn't prudent
to risk my life
to do your job for you.
So I'm gonna be on my way
before I have
to report your department
for harassing defense counsel.
Where's Joe?
- He uh--
he went to the library.
- Great. Yeah.
- Oh, you're already done.
- Excuse me.
All right.
- Thank you.
- Just so I'm clear,
as I was being interrogated
by police
after being held hostage,
you figured, now's a good time
to run errands?
- Well, when you say it
like that, it sounds bad.
- How would you say it, Joe?
- Well, the library was
about to close, and I--
I guess there's no good way
to say it.
I'm sorry.
I shoulda been there.
Hey.
I figured out what Ote
was trying to tell me.
- Well, get in!
- Yeah.
Okay, listen to this.
Pioneers exterminated the
Miller's Weasel deliberately
because they believed
the weasel stole
and ate human babies--
not true.
But it didn't keep the pioneers
from killing the weasels
in every possible way.
Some set bonfires
atop the animals' holes
and shot them as they escaped
while others
poisoned the weasels.
- You think that's
what was in Ote's cooler?
A Miller's Weasel?
- Back from the dead.
Guess who the last person
to check this book out
of the library was?
- Who?
- Clyde Lidgard.
Oh, shit.
- Yeah, oh shit.
- What is it now, Vern?
- I have news.
Unfortunately,
the planned route
for the InterWest pipeline
ran right through sacred,
native-owned land.
They're gonna have to find
a new location to build.
- Well, I have a good idea as
to where they could build it.
- Yes. Yes, you do.
I told you,
I thought of everything.
- Everything?
- Well, not quite everything.
The rest
worked itself out anyway.
Now,
we all become very, very rich.
To failure.
- To failure.
- Okay, night night.
- Night.
- Good night.
- Good night.
- Sleep tight.
- Love you.
- Goodnight, Mom.
Goodnight, Dad.
I love you so much.
- I love you.
You know, Joe, if you're right,
if there really is
an extinct species alive here
in Saddlestring,
then that probably means
the InterWest pipeline is dead!
Good night, Mom!
- Good night.
- I mean, everyone really wants
that pipeline to happen.
They think it'll bring life
back to the town,
it'd make
everyone's lives better.
- I know.
- You kill that,
you could become
the most hated man
in Twelve Sleep.
- Yeah, but what's
the alternative?
Just look away
and let this animal
get wiped off the Earth
forever?
I mean, how good's
this pipeline really gonna be
for most people?
Let's look
murders, evictions,
animals slaughtered.
- We don't know for sure
those things are connected.
- They must be.
This tiny, little animal,
this extinct weasel,
it could keep
a small handful of people
from making a lot of money--
people with power,
people who are willing to kill
to keep this a secret.
That's why
we gotta make it known.
Once the secret's out,
it's no longer
worth killing over.
- Okay, say you're right,
what proof do you really have?
A scat sample
and a children's book?
It's not enough, Joe.
- Yeah.
Yeah, it doesn't really
feel undeniable yet, does it?
- No, it doesn't.
I do think you're right
about one thing, though.
Us knowing the why of it,
why people are being killed,
but not being able to prove it.
This is the most dangerous time
for us.
- Get back in bed.
- You don't belong here.
- Who is that?
- He doesn't belong here.
- Well, somebody should've
told me he doesn't belong here.
He's been here the whole time.
- No! He doesn't belong here!
- I'll tell you
where I belong.
Come here!
- No! Mommy!
- Hey! Hey! No!
- Come here!
- Don't! Don't!
- Come here!
- No! Don't kill me!
No! No! No! No!
No! No! No!
No! Don't kill me!
- Hey, hey, hey.
- Don't let him kill me!
Don't let him kill me!
- It's okay.
- Sheridan, wake up.
Wake up.
Sheridan, wake up.
It's okay. It's okay.
It's okay. It's okay.
You're having a bad dream, hon.
You're having a bad dream.
You're okay.
It's okay.
- I'm sorry, Dad.
I'm sorry.
- You did nothing wrong.
You were just having
a bad dream.
You are okay.
- Go back to sleep, Lucy.
- Okay. Okay.
- It's okay.
- Nobody's trying to kill you.
- But what if
the dream was real?
- It's not.
It's not.
Look, we're all here.
We're safe.
You're safe.
- You're okay.
- Yeah, it's okay.
It's okay.
Here.
- Oh, my God.
Do I look this tired
in real life?
- Well, at least
they didn't say
you crapped your pants.
- How do you know?
You haven't read it.
- Did they?
- No.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Wacey.
- Hey, Joe.
I heard about
the Romanowski business.
Marybeth okay?
- Ah, a bit shaken,
but she's okay.
- Well, I sure am relieved
to hear about that.
Say, I was just having
my morning coffee
here at the Kensingers'
house--I'm house-sitting--
and a thought occurred to me.
You know who I'd bet
could really use this house
right about now?
Joe's family.
- Ah, I sure do
appreciate the offer.
I just don't think
it's a good time
to be house-sitting right now.
- Where?
- The Kensingers.
- Say yes.
- I just mean with Romanowski
being on the loose and all,
might be smart
to get your family somewhere
where he can't find you,
don't you think?
At least until he turns up.
- Well, Marybeth says
we'll take it.
And who am I to disagree?
All right, thank you.
We really appreciate it.
I'll--I'll call you
from the road.
- Joe, look at this.
- What am I looking at?
- "Pipeline plan in peril."
Apparently,
the original planned route
runs straight through
sacred native land.
- Mm-hmm.
- Wouldn't InterWest
have clocked that
before they spent
all this money?
- Well, you know those things.
Some of those land contracts
can go back pretty far.
You know who does
know a lot about it?
- Who?
- Vern.
What if he knew this pipeline
had to be rerouted?
That information sure
could make a lot of money
for whoever owns land
in the new pipeline location.
- How much you wanna bet the
new pipeline route they find
runs straight
through Elk Bend?
I'm sorry.
Where are you going?
- I'm gonna go see Vern
about that job offer.
Okay.
Hey, Vern.
How're you doing, man?
I have decided,
I'd like to take you up
on that job offer.
- Well, I'll be!
- But before I do,
there's just--
there's one remaining
game warden issue
I'll need to resolve.
I think there might be
Miller's Weasels
in the Elk Bend River Valley.
So as soon as I file my report
with Wyoming Game & Fish
and the EPA,
well, then I would love to come
and work for you at InterWest.
- Joe, you stupid,
self-sabotaging sonofabitch.
- When would you like me
to start?
- You know, your problem is
you have no loyalty.
I cannot,
in good conscience,
recommend hiring a man
with no loyalty.
- Mm.
You really need
to cut the shit, Vern.
You knew that InterWest route
was gonna fail
before it even happened.
You went out there,
you bought all that land
with the Scarletts,
didn't you?
- You think you know anything?
I did your job for 27 years.
You know how many times
I got shot? Zero.
Beaten up?
Zero.
You've had this job for
three months, and look at you.
The whole town wants you dead!
- Ah, it's not the whole town.
Just the crooks.
- If it's so crooked,
why don't you pack up
that little family of yours
and go?
You're the endangered species,
Joe.
You're just too stupid
to see it.
I tried to help you,
over and over and over.
But sometimes horses
just won't drink the water.
Yeah.
I was wrong.
Pickett is gonna be a problem.
- Where are we going?
- We're gonna go
stay somewhere else
for a couple nights,
at a nice, big house.
- Do we have to?
- I thought you'd be thrilled.
- I like having my things here.
- Okay,
bring whatever you want.
We have plenty of room.
Come on, it'll be fun.
Like a little vacation.
- I've still got three days
till I got to move out!
You turn on my goddamn power!
You turn on my water,
right now!
They think
they can walk all over me,
just like they walked
all over your daddy?
Not anymore.
I'm gonna go get what's ours.
- How big is it?
- Big.
- Knock, knock.
- Hey, Wacey!
Come on in.
We're almost ready.
- We're going with him?
- Yeah, and Wacey's the one
who offered us the house.
- Marybeth.
I heard about
your exciting day yesterday.
Glad you're okay.
- Thanks, Wacey. I'm fine.
- It's Sheridan, right?
Just wait till you see
the new house
I got you set up with.
You're gonna love it.
-
- Marybeth, let me get that.
- Oh, thank you.
All right!
- You're doing great.
- Come on, Lucy!
Let's go!
Here, Becky!
- Well, now,
this is more like it.
- Hmm, yeah. Oh.
- And no one but me
knows you're here.
So you'll be totally safe.
- Thank you so much, Wacey.
- Mm-hmm.
- You are lifesaver.
- I know.
You ladies need anything,
just reach out.
- Will do.
- And don't worry,
I'm always around.
- Thank you!
All right, chickadees.
Come on, girl!
We're staying.
What's up, girl?
- Come on!
We're staying, hon.
We're gonna stay.
All right!
- This is living.
- She gets it.
- I love this.
- Of course you do,
because it's civilized.
Wow, beautiful.
- Missy, feel this.
- Oh, what a beautiful blanket.
Feel that.
I wish I'd had that
at your house
when I was sleeping
on the couch.
This is real leather.
- What if she says no?
What if she won't do it?
- We'll get her to go 'cause
we have to get her to go.
We've thought of everything.
It'll work.
Don't worry.
Hello.
- Hi. Joe Pickett?
- Yeah.
- Les Etbauer
wanted me to call
to set a meeting up
for you and him.
- Okay.
When would he--
- Tomorrow morning,
first thing,
in the office.
- The Cheyenne office?
- Do we have another one?
- I guess not.
Any sense what this is about?
- He didn't say.
Probably just wants
to meet you face-to-face.
- Okay.
Well, I'll be there.
Marshall Kelmeckis?
Uh, how did you, um--
- Yeah, I'm sorry
to bother you at home,
but I had
a couple more questions.
- Sure. Okay.
Come in, I--I guess.
- So you and Romanowski
got pretty chummy.
- I don't know, maybe.
- Is there anything else
he told you?
Anything you noticed
you think might help us
in apprehending him?
Places he mentioned?
Relatives? Anything like that?
- No. Nothing like that.
- Has he contacted you?
- No. I don't know
why he would.
Although there--there was
one thing that I noticed.
I found his missing
fingerprints really weird,
so I did a little digging,
and I find some talk online.
Admittedly, my source
is only semi-credible,
but apparently, there's a group
of special op operators
called "The Five"
who may or may not exist.
And if my source is right,
this group, they burn off
their fingerprints.
- That's some interesting
police work you've been doing.
You happen to mention any
of that to Barnum or McLanahan?
- No, they don't care
for my theories.
- Do you know
where Nate is presently?
- No, I already told you that.
- 'Cause if you did
and you didn't tell us,
that'd be a felony.
You realize that, right?
- I'm a cop. I know what
aiding and abetting is.
- Good.
Would you mind taking
a polygraph to that effect?
I'd like to rule you out
as a suspect immediately.
- Why, just because
I talked to him? I--
- Well that and, no offense,
but you seem like an easy mark.
Plain, live alone, maybe
not much of a social life.
The type that's easy
for someone like Romanowski
to take advantage of.
- Wait! No, no!
Please stop! That's my--
-
You're here.
- Yeah, I am.
Are you okay?
- He--he tried to kill me.
How did you know
he was gonna do that?
- Experience, unfortunately.
That man, the guys he works
for, they killed my wife.
- You were married?
- A long time ago,
or so it seems.
- You know, there's a lot
of people looking for you.
It's like a manhunt.
- Mm-hmm.
- And I'm a cop,
so I should be arresting you.
- I would appreciate it
if you didn't.
- Okay.
- Okay?
- Okay.
- All right.
- Who--who was that guy?
- Not a U.S. marshal.
Take this.
You get to a hotel.
When you come back, you report
anything that you see, okay?
- Okay.
- Okay.
- You're a weird dude,
Nate Romanowski.
- You're pretty weird yourself.
- Thank you.
Um, yeah,
I'll just go and let you get on
with your special ops stuff.
- I never said
I was special ops.
- Yeah, you didn't have to.
- Joe Pickett.
- Have a seat.
Mr. Etbauer will be with you
in a minute.
- Pickett?
Come on in.
Sit!
Sit, sit.
So, you're Joe Pickett.
My problem child.
Did you know, I've gotten
more complaints about you
than any game warden
I've worked with?
And this is only what, your
first season as head warden?
- Complaints?
- "Sidearm taken by suspect,"
"trailer full of evidence
blown up,"
"flashlight melted"?
I mean,
how can that happen?
- Which part?
- How could you let a suspect
take your gun from you?
How can something
like that happen?
- Well, I was writing up
a citation.
I had my pad in one hand.
I had my pen in the other.
- Uh-huh.
- I admit,
I wasn't prepared
for what happened.
It might have been my fault
that I let it happen.
- But he took your weapon,
while you just stood there.
You see what I mean?
When you don't expect it?
- Give that back to me.
You know I'm your boss, right?
- In a sense.
- In a literal sense!
I am your boss.
And we have decided
to suspend you without pay,
effective immediately.
You'll have three days
to journal your area.
Your duties will then
be reassigned
to an interim warden
who will be assigned on Monday.
If I were you,
I'd start looking
for alternative accommodations
right away.
If, after our seven-day review,
we decide
to officially fire you,
we're gonna need the house
for the new game warden.
- Did someone tell you
to do this?
- Of course not!
- Well, then I'd like
to file a report before I go.
I found evidence of an extinct
species come back to life.
- Nope! Stop!
Absolutely not!
I cannot accept a report
from a suspended warden,
especially while
he's being suspended.
It could look like
the two things are related.
- They are related,
aren't they?
- Have you even seen
one of these animals
you're talking about, hmm?
No. Of course not.
You know, you can't
just file a report
based on some hunch
without any proof!
You'd think they would have
taught you as much
in the academy.
This conversation's over.
- It's too late
to get it right ♪
It's too early
to give in ♪
- Make it
through the night ♪
Till the light
come shining in ♪
- What do you want?
- I know
you owed Ote some money.
I'm here to collect it.
- Sit down.
Let's talk.
- I didn't tell anyone
about it.
Not the sheriff,
not no one.
- Not the game warden?
- Nope.
Mm-mm, didn't tell him shit.
- Well, that's good.
- But I know
Ote was working for you,
doin' something stupid.
- Mm-hmm.
- And then he died.
So the way I figure is,
you kinda owe me something now.
Mm-hmm.
At least if you don't want me
to tell nobody nothing.
- Well, you're right
on one count.
Me and Ote did have a deal.
- Hmm.
- And he was doing
some work for me.
But he didn't finish.
And unfortunately,
he forfeited what I owed him
when I had to put an arrow
through him.
Oh.
Run.
God damn it.
- You know what really
takes the jelly
out of my donut, Cricket?
- What?
- Kelmeckis asked me
to meet with him
to go over
any possible escape routes
that Romanowski
could have taken.
Then, that asshole flaked.
- Mm.
- On his own meeting!
-
- Some people just have
no manners nowadays, huh?
- No manners, yeah.
- Yeah, well.
Yeah, give me the local
U.S. marshals' office.
Yeah, hi there.
This is Deputy McLanahan
from the Twelve Sleep
Sheriff's Department.
I had a meeting this morning
with Kelmeckis,
and, uh--well,
he didn't show up,
so I'm just calling to make
sure he didn't return to you.
Yeah, it's Kelmeckis.
Kel-meck-is.
Are you sure about that?
- What is it?
- Oh, my God.
Sheriff.
- Yep?
- Kelmeckis is not
a U.S. marshal.
- What the hell do you mean
he's not a U.S. marshal?
- Look, he had paperwork
and a badge.
- Did you check this paperwork?
- He took it with him
to the courthouse
before I could have a chance.
- This is stupid,
even for you, McLanahan!
How the hell could you
let this happen?
- Well, look,
what kind of stores
even make badges like that?
- Do you know how much
this chaps my rear?
God, forgive me.
- Hi, Mom!
- Hi, girls!
How was music class?
- Fine.
- Thank you.
- Why is April there?
- I'll be right back, okay?
Hey, April.
- Hi.
- Is somebody coming
to get ya?
- My mom's supposed to.
- Okay, I'll just
give her a call.
- The number you have reached
is not in service
at this time.
- Maybe she left me.
- Oh, no.
I'm sure she wouldn't
leave you, sweetheart.
- She's done it before.
- Okay.
Well, come hop in.
You're gonna stay with us
till we find her, all right?
- Okay.
- Okay.
Hurry, hurry, hurry.
Shit.
Uh
Let's go.
Come on, boys.
Let's go. Let's go.
Come on.
- Come on, boy!
- He's coming.
- Joey, I know it's not
your birthday yet,
but I got you something.
I can give it to you early,
if you want.
- Nah, I'll wait.
Just kidding.
Let me see it.
- Do you like it?
It even says "Game Warden"
on it.
- I love it.
- I got myself one too.
- Uh-oh, it looks like
we have a known poacher
on state lands here.
- Squirrel season doesn't start
for another two months.
I'd think you'd know that
by now, Merle.
- Well
I blew it, Vic.
I'm sorry.
- Where have you been?
What's wrong?
Joe, what's wrong?
- I lost my job.
- Okay.
How?
- We're gonna have to find
a new place to live
so a new game warden
can live there.
I went
by my childhood home today.
- You did?
- When I was a kid
in that house,
sometimes I could hear
the violence coming.
It was like a ringing
in my ears.
It just got louder and louder
until it exploded.
Sometimes it was so loud, I--
I couldn't stand it.
The anticipation
was almost worse
than the pain itself.
And the violence became
a relief, somehow.
It was like a reset.
It's quiet.
I can hear
that ringing sound now,
and it's loud.
I hear it all around me,
everywhere I go.
The violence is coming, and
I don't know how to stop it.
And it seems every time
I try to make things better,
I just make 'em worse.
- That's bullshit.
Hey, that's bullshit.
And you know it.
No one can control
what happens, not really.
But you try.
You go out there
every single day
and you fight the good fight,
and I see the toll it takes
'cause I'm here.
But in all the years
I've known you,
I've never seen you turn away
from a problem,
back down to power.
Don't you dare start now.
- Excuse me,
Mrs. Pickett?
- Yeah, honey.
- Can I have some water?
- Of course, honey.
You don't need to ask.
You can just help yourself.
Then, I'll come tuck you in.
- Okay.
- Hey, April?
Call me Marybeth, okay?
- Well, it seems
you don't turn away either.
- Well
I guess we're the same
like that.
- I have to go.
- Where?
- I gotta finish this thing.
- For all your love
of soma ♪
All my blood's in vain ♪
You say
your history's over ♪
All of my blood's in vain ♪
Flash across your screen ♪
Got you in their hand ♪
Fifteen minutes of freedom ♪
Still three-fifths a man ♪
Sterilize your conscience ♪
And disgrace your name ♪
All my blood's in vain ♪
You say
your history's over ♪
All of my blood's in vain ♪
Your television coma ♪
All my blood's in vain ♪
It's gone too far
to change ♪