The Cold Heart of a Killer (1996) - full transcript

- You'll never get me!

- Hey, sis, I'm
training for the race, not you!

- Come on!

- I'll see you at the bottom of the hill.

Come on, good dogs.

Straight ahead, straight ahead.

Whoa, good dog.

Haw, haw, whoa.

- Whoa.
- You're gonna win, Robbie.

I know it.

- You're right, this is my year.



I feel like a winner, woo!

- You are, Robbie.

And at the end of the Iditarod,
everybody will know it.

- Yeah, let's go celebrate.

You got me a great team this year.

- Hey, we're in this together.

You win, we both win.

- Iditarod is ours.

- Oh yeah, you're right,
Iditarod is a piece of cake.

- Yeah, well let's go
check out the competition.

- Race ain't as tough as it used to be.

All that fancy equipment
now, expensive clothing.

Wouldn't surprise me if half the mushers

bring their cellular phones this year.



- I'll buy you a steak,
I want to hear it again.

- We're gonna win.

We're gonna win the whloe thing.

- I might have to take
issue with that statement.

- Martinson, I should've
known you'd be spying on us.

Bad idea to drink alone,
Martinson, very unhealthy.

- You should know.

- My mistake, I see you're not alone.

How you doing, Ginny?

- Fine.

- Carl Martinson and Ginny Kline.

Now that's a potent combination.

- We're just friends.

- As I recall, that's what
you used to say about us.

- Yeah, well you were
drinkin' so much back then,

I'm surprised you can recall anything.

- I recall more than I'd like to.

- Okay, okay, that's enough.

- Jessie, you cut him too
much slack, you always have.

I can't believe you're gonna
let him race your team.

- That's enough, okay?

- How many times does
he have to let you down

before you realize the guy's a loser?

- Well, the Anchorage betting
pool has this loser down

as one of the race favorites.

- Last year's favorite finished 15th

if I remember correctly.

- Well, that was well
ahead of you, Martinson.

- Okay, guys, that's it, enough.

It's really been fun,
but we're out of here.

We got some important winning
strategy to talk about.

Forget about them, all right?

I want you to stay away
from that betting pool.

That thing's bad news.

- I'm not betting, I'm not drinking,

I'm not doing any of those things.

- All right.
- I'm just talking

to some people, that's all.

- All right.
- I mean, he comes in second

exactly once over 10 years ago,

and he thinks he's king of the hill.

- Why do you let him get to you?

He lost his job.

He doesn't have a very
good self-image, okay?

Robbie, I'm counting on you.

- I know, I know, I know.

- Gotta tell you something,
Matt's dad called.

He wants Matt to live with him.

He's gonna go for full custody.

- Again?
- That's right.

I don't know, he knows I'm in trouble.

I guess he's got spies at the bank.

- Jessie, listen to me, Steve's
not gonna do that to you

because we're gonna win the Iditarod.

It's $50,000.

- All right.
- We'll pay off

your entire loan and get
Steve off your back forever.

- All right, all right,
little brother, okay.

- I'm not gonna screw up again.

- No, you won't.

- I promise, okay?

- I know.
- Okay?

- Yeah, you bet.
- All right.

Love you, sis.

Hey there.

Rocket's looking really good, huh?

- Oh yeah, he's ready to go.

Just a couple more weeks here, buddy.

- Yep.

- Hey Mom, hey Uncle Rob!

Hey, buddy.

- Hi, honey.

Listen, he doesn't know about
the custody thing yet, okay?

- How's Rocket running?

- Oh, he's running just fine.

- 50 miles today and wasn't even tired.

- Yeah, put a booty on his
foot, and he runs like the wind.

You want to help?
- Gotta put my books away.

- Oh, I'll put 'em away.

There you go, all put away.

All right, why don't
you give this to Minny?

- Okay.
- Thank you.

- He's a great kid, Jess.

- Oh yeah, thanks.

- You've done a good job.

- Thanks.

- I gotta go get the
supplies, so see you tomorrow?

- Sure thing.

I'll be by early, okay?

We'll go for 75.

- Great.

- Oh, Rob?

- Yeah.

- Ginny's wrong.

- That's it?

- That's it.

- Hell, I could've told you that.

See you, sis.

- You get some sleep.

- Mom, I don't wanna live with Dad.

- How did you know?

- I heard you on the phone.

I wanna stay in Alaska
with you and the dogs.

Please, Mom?

- Let's don't give up, okay?

We'll never give up, all right?

- Here, boy.

Hey, guys.

Hey, I know dinner's late, I'm sorry.

Here, here, here, here, oh, bud.

Hi, Dorothy, yeah.

Oh, I'm sorry, guys.

Willie, Willie?

Willie?

Will, Will?

You good for nothin' rope-chewing dog.

Willie!

Where in the hell are
you buddy?

What'd you get yourself into?

Willie!

Willie!

Willie!

Hey, Willie!

Willie!

Here, boy!

Willie!

- Hi.

- Do you think he can do it?

Do you think Uncle Rob can win the race?

- Well, I don't know, Iditarod is tough.

1,000 miles long.

- But do you think he can do it?

- Well, yeah I think he can.

- Mom, don't you wish you
were gonna mush it again?

- No, I do not.

Go to sleep.

- But that was a long time ago, Mom.

- Not long enough.

Good night.

- Night.

- Willie?

Willie, Willie, what the
hell are you doing out here?

Who tied you up, boy?

Hello, anybody out here?

Shh, shh.

There you go.

Shh.

Who's there?

Go on home, boy.

Who are you?

What do you want?

Hey!

- Apparently his dog found
his way to a neighbor.

He led him back to the body.

It looks like he'd been drinking too much.

- He wasn't drinking.

- It happened to him
once before, remember?

- He only drinks when he's unhappy.

He wasn't drinking.

- Jessie, we found an empty whiskey bottle

right next to him.

- What's wrong?

- Come here.

Matt, I'm sad.

And I'm angry with Uncle
Rob because he let us down.

- What are we gonna do?

- I don't know, Matthew.

- This is all his stuff from his closet.

- Thank you.

- He didn't have that much, did he?

- Oh look.

- Didn't you buy those
for him for the Iditarod?

- Yeah, little big for you right now.

We'll put 'em away for a while, huh?

Jessie, Jessie Arnold?

It's Dave Haggerty.

- Oh, take care of those will you?

Come on in, Dave.

- Jessie, I'm so sorry
about your brother, really.

- Thank you, Dave.

Thanks for coming all the
way out here to say so.

Come on, make you a cup of coffee.

- Well, actually I'm here
for another reason too.

We got a new president
at the bank, Jessie.

He's calling in all the
loans, not just yours.

- Come on, Dave, I'm working on

a whole new breed of racing dogs here.

That doesn't happen overnight.

- The new president
doesn't care about breeds.

He cares about money.

- Yeah, but--

- Six weeks, I got you six weeks.

- Puppies, puppies, puppies, come on.

Oh, have I ever got
something good for you.

All right, here you go.

Puppy, puppy, come on, puppies.

Come on, puppies.

Come on, go for it.

You gotta go for it if you want it.

There you go.

- Mom?

- You'll have to stay with your dad.

- Yes, you're going!

- All right, I'm goin'.

All right, I'm goin'.

- Welcome
to Anchorage, Alaska,

and the Iditarod Trail Race.

70 of the world's top dogsled
mushers and their teams

will put their training
and endurance to the test

as they travel 1,100 miles
from Anchorage to Nome

through ice, snow, and
sub-zero temperatures

in what is known as the
last great race on Earth.

Mushers will log in and
out of over 20 checkpoints

during the course of the Iditarod.

Each is on his or her own
clock, and they can stay

for as long or as short
a time as they wish,

though they must take a 24-hour layover

at one of the checkpoints
sometime during the race.

The average competitor
will finish the Iditarod

in less than 12 days.

The winner will do it in less than 10.

The toll it takes is
both mental and physical

on the mushers.

The mushers work on their
endurance for months,

knowing that the final sprint toward Nome

has nothing to do with
luck, it's all sheer guts.

- Hey, Jess, Jess.

Hey, hey.
- Hi, George.

Oh, it's good to see you.

- Hey.
- Thought you weren't

gonna make it this year?

Somebody told me your dogs are sick.

- Oh, not sick, a wolf got into 'em.

Took out a couple of the best.

Look, Jessie, I was up north
on a training run when I heard.

I'm sorry.

- Thanks, George.

- He was the best.

- Yeah, he was.

- 10, nine, eight, seven.
- Well you ready for all this?

- Who knows.
- Six, five.

- Hey, Georgie boy.
- Four, three.

- Hey, you better get that

watch fixed, pal.
- Two, one, go.

- What are you doing?

They're waiting for you up front, come on.

- You know Bomber Gates?

- Read enough about him.

Heard you made it to the
top of McKinley last year.

He's a daredevil, isn't he?

I'm Jessie Arnold.

- Yes, of course.

I think it's really great
what you're doing, you know?

Racing your brother's dogs.

- No, no.

- Actually they're Jessie's
dogs, a whole new breed.

She raised them herself.

Trained them too.

- Oh, well then you're a real threat.

- Oh yeah.

George, you better get goin'.

- Hey, if you need anything out there,

you come looking for me, okay?

- Yes, sir.
- Eight, seven, six.

- Well, break a leg.
- Five, four.

- You too.
- Three, two, one.

Go.

- Hey, hey wanna share the smile?

I could use one.

- Oh, you got it on backwards.

- Huh?
- It's backwards.

- Oh, I think my heart is racing faster

than my sled ever will be.

My mother usually dresses me.
- 10, nine, eight.

Seven, six, five.
- I'm a little nervous.

My first race.
- Four, three, two.

- I'm Alex Jensen.
- One, go.

- Jessie Arnold.

- Oh, damn this is exciting.

- Yeah, well all right, see you in Nome.

- Yeah, maybe before then, huh?

Oh, sorry.

- Next up,

one of the race's favorites, Ginny Kline.

- One minute!
- She hails from Fairbanks

and is running in her fourth Iditarod.

Ginny Kline is one of the
race's toughest competitors

and has always finished in the top 10.

This could be here year.
- 10, nine, eight.

Seven, six, five, four,
three, two, one, go.

- You ready for us?

Okay, run!

Run, guys, go!

- Number 68,
Jessie Arnold from Anchorage.

Jessie is making a comeback

after a five-year absence
from the Iditarod.

She is one of Alaska's top
dog breeders, and she'll be

racing her new breed of husky
for the first time today.

She is dedicating the race

to her brother Rob.
- 15, 14, 13.

- Good luck, Jessie.
- 12, 11, 10, nine.

Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two.

- Ready?
- One.

- All right!
- Go.

You got 20 seconds.

You ready?

Well, good luck.

10, nine, eight, seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one, go.

- Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen,

and welcome to Knik Lake,

the first checkpoint on the Iditarod.

Here at Knik, the racers
will remove their bibs

and won't put them on again
until the end of the race.

Each musher drives two
sleds out of Anchorage

because in the city the
snow sits on pavement.

The mushers cannot stop
their sleds with a snow hook.

- Whoa now, whoa, stay, stay.

- Once they reach Knik Lake,

the mushers can race towards
Nome with only one sled.

- All right, thank you.

All right, ready?

Good job.

Trails, trails.

Trails, trails, Gabby, trails.

Come on, good dogs.

Straight ahead, straight ahead, go on.

Good job, straight ahead,
straight ahead now.

Haw, haw, haw, haw!

Haw, haw, haw!

Whoa, slow it down, whoa.

- Jessie Arnold's just coming in.

Let's get a vet out to her dogs.

- All right, good job.

You'll eat in five minutes, guys.

- Jessie, I...

Sorry, I...

- I got nothing to say to you, Ginny.

Move your feet.

- Gabby.

- Man, this is fantastic.

This is God's country.

I mean, it feels great, doesn't it?

- Yeah, until the cold
sets in and you're so tired

you can't see straight.

- Lighten up, Ginny, we're
just gettin' started.

- Hey, Gabby.

- My dogs are great.

Never seem 'em eat so well.

- Well, you know a healthy
appetite means a healthy dog.

- I can't believe I was so
nervous. This is incredible.

- Rookie, right?

- Is it that obvious?

- Hey, no offense, we all were once.

I mean, you just gotta remember
a couple things, that's all.

Up to now, the Iditarod's
been like a carnival ride.

A few thrills and chills here and there.

Out of here, it's a whole different story.

You're heading to the middle of nowhere.

Temperatures could be 40 degrees
one day, 50 below the next.

Your dogs will lie down in
the middle of an ice storm

and refuse to go on.

Take off your glove to fix your harness,

your hand will freeze, then
a day later it'll turn black.

And there's not a damn thing
you can do about any of it.

- Well, then why do you do it?

- For all those reasons.

My dogs are rested, I'm out of here.

Good luck.

- Bet he practices that speech

in front of the mirror every day.

- Nice bear claw.

- Oh, thanks, my grandfather
gave it to me for good luck.

- Was it?

- No, he died last year.

- Sorry to hear that.

- He was 98.

You gonna stay here for a while?

- Nope, I'm fed, the dogs are fed.

I'm out of here.

- Good work.

- Well, how's it going, George?

- Well, I haven't decided yet.

- Really, everything okay?

- Yeah, it just gets a little
harder every year, that's all.

- Tell you what, let's go
in and get a cup of coffee.

- No, no, no, you get goin'.

No, I'm fine.

- You sure?

- Yeah, you got a race to run, come on.

- Okay.
- Go on.

- Ready?

All right.

- Haw, haw!

- Haw, haw, haw!

- Slow down!

- George did so much for this sport,

I think it's doubly tragic

that it should be the cause of his death.

- Doesn't make sense.

- Well, those two miles before
Happy River are dense forest.

It's dangerous mushing for anyone.

- Yeah, but George has
run this race 20 times.

He knows that leg.

- Yeah, but it was dusk, Jessie.

It was hard to see.

- And he was 65 years old.

- What's that supposed to mean?

- He was too old to run this
race, and he paid the price.

- Come on, Martinson, the man is dead.

- Iditarod is not for the old.

- Oh yeah?

Some of those old guys
know a hell of a lot more

than some of us, don't they?

- Hey, I'm not sayin'
he wasn't a decent guy.

I'm just sayin' he should've
known when to quit.

- It's strange, George
knew what he was doin'.

- Freak accident.

- George's sled, huh?

Hey, Jess.

- Yeah.

- How'd it happen?

- Well, they said it's an accident,

but it doesn't make any sense.

He was mushing through the
thickest part of the forest.

There's no trail there.

- Maybe he had a heart attack,
dogs got away from him.

- I don't know, sure hurts though.

- Come here.

Was he a good friend?

- To me and my brother.

- Yeah, somebody told
me about your brother.

I'm sorry.

- I thought I was all cried out.

What you doin'?

- Well, it's really cold
out here and I wanted

to check and make sure your
hand hadn't turned black.

It's okay.

- You're a nice guy, Alex.

- Yeah, I am.
- Yeah.

You're right, though, it is cold out here.

- Really, I hadn't noticed.

- Nice.

- No, no, I know it's bad timing.

I know that.

I know that, it's just--
- Yeah, kinda.

- You're so damn beautiful.

I need to go.

Yeah.
- Yeah.

- Hey, Ginny lookin' pretty good.

- Yeah, first place.

- What's the matter,
Bomber, gettin' nervous?

- What are you kidding?

She doesn't worry me.

- So I heard the gorge is a
bitch this year. It's solid ice.

- Well, glad I'm not
wearing my high heels.

- Yeah, well you're gonna
need a sense of humor

up in that pass.

And good luck catching Ginny.

- Whoa.

What's goin' on with you guys, huh?

Course, course is clear, boy, huh?

And you guys can't see too
good today, huh August?

Tell you what, you get
us down the mountain,

I'll give you a double snack, okay?

Good boy, let's go.

All right, come on guys.

Okay, guys.

Come on, let's go!

Come on, you guys!

Forrest, mush, mush!

Forrest, Forrest, stop!

Now!

- Haw, whoa, whoa now.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Stay, stay now.

Hi.

I just want to say I'm sorry about Ginny.

I know you and she were close.

- Not really.

She need advice sometimes,
I gave it to her.

- You know, some of the guys are saying

that she got careless,
didn't check her gangline,

but I don't think so.

Ginny was--
- Ginny was a pain in the ass.

All she cared about was winning.

- You know Jessie my lead dog.

- Folks, folks, can I have
your attention please?

We've just got off the phone

with race headquarters in Anchorage.

As soon as we're able
to retrieve the sled,

there'll be a full investigation
into Ginny Kline's death.

- Hey, what about George Kotek?

We gotta do something about that.

- What about George?

- In 25 years they've
been mushing the Iditarod,

no one's ever died.

Now two dead, and the
race ain't half over.

People are sayin' it's accidents.

Not me, I'm sayin' it's murder.

Gabby's my bet.

Couple of years ago, he got
sick in the middle of the race.

He flagged Ginny over
and she wouldn't stop.

Gabby would've died if another
musher hadn't come along.

Half a dozen mushers here
feel the same way about her.

Makin' friends wasn't
Ginny's first priority.

- So far there's been no talk

of scratching this year's race, but--

Like I say, there's been no decision made.

But until there is,

headquarters is taking
everyone off the clock.

- They stopped the race.
- We'll reach those

on the trail by chopper.

Everyone's off the clock.

- For how long?
- I don't understand that.

- I knew Ginny and George both.

Both of them top mushers.

No reason for 'em to go that way.

I'm telling you, somebody killed 'em.

Somebody killed 'em in cold blood.

- Whatever your views
on the rest of the race,

I think you're all agreed we
should observe a moment of

silence for our friends and
fellow mushers Ginny and George.

We'll miss them.

Thank you.

One more thing, we just
got word of a storm.

It's blowing in off the
sea, and it looks nasty.

Now you all know you have a
mandatory 24-hour layover,

so you might want to think
about spending it here

or in McGrath.

- Just a nightmare.

Hey, Bill, where's Ginny's team?

- They're tethered out back,
but they'll be flying out

as soon as the plane gets here.

- Okay, thanks.

How you doing, huh?

Poor guy out here in the
middle of nowhere all alone.

Where's your line?

- Hi.

- Hi.

- It's a damn shame, isn't it?

- Yeah.

- Yeah, these dogs are still
so strong, so ready to race.

It's what they're born to do.

Yeah, you can see it in their eyes.

You can feel it in their muscles.

Dogs like this will take
you to hell and back

if you let 'em.

It's a damn shame.

You lookin' for the gangline?

- Yeah, want to see how it snapped.

- Can't find it.

Nobody can.

I guess somebody took it.

A couple of the mushers are droppin' out.

They think the race is jinxed.

How are your dogs, are they runnin' okay?

- They're great, they're runnin' great.

- Good.

Well, that's what it's all about.

- Okay, let's that out
of there and grab that.

- Gonna hook the dogs up there?

Yeah, bring that over.

- It looks like we're
back on the clock, huh?

Morning.
- Morning.

Where were you last night?

- I got in really late.

- Hear about Ginny?

- Yeah, another accident,
pretty unbelievable.

- Yeah, you really
think they're accidents?

Three of 'em, all fatal.

- Three?

- Ginny, George, my brother.

- You think they were murdered?

- I don't know.

Maybe somebody is awful
desperate for that 50 grand.

- Yeah, or you're lookin'
for monsters under your bed.

Jessie, if you really think
there's any danger out there,

you shouldn't go out on that trail alone.

- I don't have a choice.

Lost my brother, about to lose
my son, replacing my dogs.

I gotta go.

- You be careful, all right?

- I will.

See you at McGrath.

Gonna take my 24 there.

- It's a date.

Happy trails.
- Oh yeah, thanks.

Ready?

All right!

- Go get 'em.

Hey, who's in the lead?

- Martinson, Gabby Caders, Bomber Gates.

Jessie Arnold in fourth.

- Thanks.

- Up in Alaska,

there's some significant weather activity.

Anchorage meteorologists
are predicting record lows

and fierce winds for the state's interior,

a forecast that won't
improve conditions in a race

already plagued by two tragic deaths.

With less than a week left,
the championship is still

up for grabs with no musher
a clear-cut favorite.

Among the current
front-runners is Carl Martinson

from Butte, Montana.

He's running his seventh
Iditarod and still hoping

for that elusive first victory.

Gabby Caders of Lake Leberge

is one of the Iditarod's steadiest racers.

Look for him to be close to
the lead near the finish.

Hot dog Bomber Gates, always
an unpredictable racer,

he could win the whole thing this year.

And a surprising starter, Jessie Arnold,

is an impressive fourth.

- Five days left, halfway home.

You can do it, Mom.

- Couple more hours we'll be in McGrath.

Get a real rest then.

Oh yeah yeah yeah, I know.

I know it's tough.

I know it's cold.

Yep, you're right, gotta keep movin'.

Okay, all right.

Ready?

All right!

Haw, Rocket, haw, haw!

Come on, let's go, let's go!

Whoa now.

Whoa, whoa now.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Whoa now, whoa now.

Come on.

Hang on now, here we go, easy.

Easy, I got you.

I got you, come on.

Whoa, whoa, here we go.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, all right.

You're all right.

Hang on now, here we go.

Come on, come on, Helena.

Come on, Helena.

Easy, girl, there.

Oh, thank god.

You're all right, okay.

Whoa, whoa now.

You guys hear something?

You okay?

Come here, Rocket.

Come here, Rocket, you all right?

What's wrong?

It'll be okay, it'll be okay.

Good dog, good dog.

Who is it?

Who's out there?

You guys okay?

All right, I hear you.

I hear you.

Hold on.

Morning, everybody.

How'd you do, huh?

Tough night, wasn't it?

Oh yeah, you got those fur coats on.

Where's the marker?

Camped at the trail.

I camped next to a marker.

Where's the damn marker?

I can't believe this.

- Hey, Jessie, how's it going?

- What the hell happened to you?

- Somebody moved the marker on me.

- What?

- When I woke up this
morning, it was gone.

Took me three hours to find the trail.

You know what?

I think somebody wants me gone too.

- Well, maybe you didn't
camp next to the marker.

- You think I'm nuts?

- Jessie, you're tired.

- I camped next to the marker, okay?

Gonna check on my supplies.

Whoa now, whoa.

- Hi.

Sorry, I knocked, I did.

I promise I knocked.

I brought some food to apologize.

I wanted to surprise you.

- Well, you did.

How long have you lived in Alaska?

- Over 10 years,

but I can hardly remember
livin' anywhere else.

- Kinda does that to you, doesn't it?

- Yeah.

How about yourself?

- Well, I was raised here.

I tried the lower 48 for a
while while I was married.

Didn't work for me.

- What, marriage or the lower 48?

- Both.

- Yeah, my wife, she stuck
it out for about a year.

And then I came home one night
in the middle of the winter

and there was a note on the refrigerator.

It was a forwarding address, Miami Beach.

- Ooh.

- Yeah, she hated Alaska,

but she hated me more
for bringing her here.

- Well, it's not for everybody.

- So how'd you score this place, huh?

- Belongs to a friend of mine.

When she heard I was gonna run the race,

she said I could use it.

- Oh, that's nice.

I sure would like to kiss
you right now, Jessie.

- I think I'd like that.

- So your friend gonna come home tonight?

- Probably in five or 10 minutes.

- That won't even leave us
enough time for dessert.

- That's okay, we don't have any.

- Oh yeah?

Why don't you check
under my coat over there?

- What is this?

- Well, I'm kind of a rookie out here.

I figured I probably would need it.

- This is a serious gun.

- Oh, Jessie, come on.

Jessie, don't think what you're thinkin'

'cause you're wrong.

- Why don't you just tell me who you are?

- I'm a cop, Jessie, I'm a state trooper.

- I don't understand.

- Sounds like my dog.

Jessie, let me have the gun.

Give me the gun.

It's not what you're thinkin'.

- Alex, don't, don't!

- It's Buck, it's my lead dog.

What is it, Buck?

Buck.

Gabby, don't move, just stand still.

- No, don't!

- Are you crazy?

- Dog was, not me.

- What were you thinkin'?

- I was thinkin' of savin' your life.

Don't worry, I won't
make that mistake again.

- It's all right, it's all right.

- Dog's had all its shots, right?

Distemper, rabies?

- Yeah, I got the papers.

- If you tranquilize a healthy
dog, he'll behave like that.

- Tranquilize?

- Yeah, you give him too much,
it has the opposite effect.

- My first instinct was to agree with you,

but we'll have to run some
blood tests to confirm it.

- So he's out of the race.

- Look, your dog's gonna be fine,

but we're gonna have to
ship him back to Anchorage.

- Don't you have somebody
else who can run leader?

- No, no, I'm out.

- So what's the story, Alex?

You a musher or a cop?

They weren't accidents, were they?

And you're here investigating.

- Come with me.

I started this race as
a musher just like you.

Then Anchorage contacted
me right after Ginny died.

Jessie, I got something to tell you.

George was murdered.

Anchorage did an autopsy.

- Why would anybody want to hurt George?

- I don't know, apparently
somebody drugged his coffee.

One of the mushers
found this on the trail.

George must have dropped it after--

- That's not George's.

- Well, sure it is.

- No, it's not.

- Yeah, but there's his
initials, GK, George Kotek.

- Ginny Kline.

It's not George's.

- But this matches the top that
they found in George's sled.

- Well, she must have lent it to him then.

- Are you positive about this?

- Sure, pretty hard to
miss the big gold GK.

- You know what must have happened?

Someone's been after Ginny all along.

George drank the coffee
that was meant for her.

When that happened, the killer
didn't want to screw up.

Not again.

He made sure Ginny's gangline was cut.

- Because she was the favorite.

And so was my brother.

He wasn't drinking.

You're telling me he was murdered?

- I'm sorry.

- Why didn't you say something before?

- Because I couldn't prove it until today.

That's what I was coming
to talk to you about.

Listen, the killer knows that I'm a cop.

That's why he went after Buck.

He wants me out of this race.

He's smart.

He knows we don't have enough
evidence to make the case.

That's what he's bankin' on.

But if what you say is true,

if your brother's team
was one of the favorites,

then you're in danger 'cause
you're mushing that team.

- I'm not gonna quit.

- Jessie, Jessie that's crazy.
- I'm not gonna quit.

Oh, no, no, I'm not gonna quit.

I've come too far.

If I quit, I'm another victim.

I'm not gonna let that happen.

- Jessie.

- God, Alex, I'm sorry.

I gotta get some rest.

- What's the story?

- You guys are only five minutes apart.

- Arnold, heard some of
your dogs are hurtin'.

- Well, you heard wrong, Martinson.

We're great.

- Yeah, looks like you're
falling pretty far behind.

Maybe I'll have a hot meal
waiting for them in Nome.

- Looks like Gabby will be the
one dishing out the kibble.

- Let's go.
- Yeah, listen.

If you lose your way again,
you know you can always

follow me right to the finish line.

- I'll pass you before White Mountain.

- Trail, trail, whoa, let's go.

Stretch it out, come on.

Stretch, stretch out the trail.

Come on, that a boy.

Let's go, keep it up.

- Arnold, Jessie, you're up next.

- Whoa, whoa.

- Hey, Jessie, I just got off the radio.

The storm is gonna be
worse than they thought.

I'm not going back to Anchorage.

- Don't worry about me, I'll be okay.

- All right, I'm gonna get
on the next supply plane.

I'll meet you at the next checkpoint.

I'll meet you there.

- I'll take good care of it.

- Yeah.

All right.

- All right.

Find the killer.

Ready?

All right!

Haw, Rocket, haw, haw!

- Her team's in good shape.

She'll catch up with the leaders.

- Let's go, let's go.

- I know.

- Come on, pick it up, let's go!

Let's go, come on!

Hike, that a boy, that a boy.

Hike, hike.

- Come on, let's go, come on!

Come on, let's go, let's go!

Come on, let's do it!

Let's go, come on!

- Whoa, slow down.

Whoa now, whoa, stay.

What's going on?

Whoa, good boy.

Easy, easy.

What's the matter?

Let's see.

Uh oh, well, I know you love
to run, but you're ridin' now.

Geez!

- Sorry, guess you didn't hear me.

I need a lift. My team got away from me.

I know they're just up ahead.

Think I can give you a hand?

The rules I say I got to take my team

back to where I lost 'em and start over.

But then again, that
would put you ahead of me

first time in the race.

- All right, get on.

Ready?

All right!

- It's dangerous out
here, Arnold, be careful.

- I'll take my chances.

- Well, damn it, you've had
24 hours to run these checks.

I need some answers now!

What?

Hold on, hold on.

Go again.

Are you sure, are you absolutely certain?

- All right!

Whoa, whoa, slow down.

- Good stop.

- There you go, there
you go, be careful now.

Easy, easy.

- Jessie Arnold?
- Yeah.

- Alex Jensen's been calling.

He's coming in on the next supply plane.

He wants you to wait here for him.

You're not to leave
under any circumstances.

- What's going on with Gabby?

- Oh, his lead dog's gone lame.

He's out of the race.

You're in first.

- Whoa!

Listen, tell Alex as long as I stay ahead,

nobody is gonna get me, all right?

Ready?

All right!

- But you're not supposed to leave!

- What do you mean she left?
I told you to keep her there.

Has anybody else come through?

Oh no, no, no, no, no.

Jessie, what the hell are you doing?

Hey, you the pilot?

You flying the supply
plane to White Mountain?

- Soon as the weather clears.

- I can't wait that long.

- You're setting quite a pace.

Took a while to catch up to you.

I guess that breed of yours
is as good as they say.

- Yeah, I'm gonna go
outside and check 'em.

- They're fine, all tucked
in sleeping like babies.

- Right, back off, Bomber.

- You're gonna leave and get ahead of me,

and I can't let that happen.

- Get your hand off me.

- I need a couple hours of sleep.

I gotta be sharp for the last leg.

You can leave when I leave, that's fair.

That'll be Martinson,
he was right behind me.

- The storm's gettin' worse.

Crazy to run in this.

- Yeah, you get lost out
there, you'll be gone forever.

Not a trace.

- We gotta help each other
and look out for each other.

Maybe we should all just take
a break, ride the weather out.

- That's exactly what I've
been saying all along.

So now I suggest we
get a little fire going

and enjoy ourselves.

- No place to burn it.

- I stayed here once before.

There's an old heater here somewhere.

There it is.

- Got some kerosene in my sled.

- I'm gonna do whatever
it takes to win this.

- So will I.

- I got enough for a couple hours.

- Well, we're not gonna be
here any longer than that.

Unless, of course, your cop
boyfriend comes lookin' for us.

- A sleeping bag.

- I'll come with you.

- Martinson, Bomber, wake up!

Come on, wake up!

It's the heater!

It's carbon monoxide!

Wake up!

Come on, Bomber, wake up, wake up!

Martinson, wake up, wake up!

Come on, come on, come on, wake up.

Wake up, come on, come on!

Come on, come on, Bomber.

Come on.

- Hey, has Jessie Arnold come through yet?

- Nobody's been through yet,
the storm was pretty bad.

- Yeah, but she left town
over eight hours ago.

- Right, she should be here
by now even with the storm.

- Look, I'm gonna need some
help. Can I use this snowmobile?

- Sure.
- Thanks.

- Come on, come on.

- I am not gonna lose, not again.

I'll tell 'em Martinson killed you,

and then I killed Martinson
when he came after me.

Yeah, that'll work.

Whoa, I gotta admit, you
gave me a run for my money.

I never expected you to be a
better musher than your brother

even when he was sober.

- Rocket!

Stay where you are, you son of a bitch.

- Go ahead, come on.

Come on, maybe I deserve it.

- All right, let's go, let's go!

- Come on, let's
go, let's go, get her!

- Let's go, let's go, come on!

Come on.

- Come on, pick it up, let's go!

Come on, faster!

- Straight ahead.
- Faster, let's get her!

Move it, come on, let's get her!

Go!

Pick it up, come on.

- Straight ahead.
- Come on, pick it up.

Come on, faster, faster!

Pick it up, pick it up!

- Haw, haw.

Haw, haw.

- Come on, let's go!

- Come on, straight ahead.

Come on, good dogs.

Haw, haw.

- Let's go, come on,
pick it up, pick it up!

- Jessie!

Are you okay?

- Why did he do it?

- Debts.

- Debts?

- Gambling debts.

Even bet on the race.

I wish I could tell you your brother

died for a better reason.

- How did he think he
would get away with it?

- I don't know.

- I gotta finish the race.

- Nome?

- Nome.

- I'll clean up the mess.

- Wish me happy trails.

Come on!

- Happy trails.

- Ready?

All right!

Come on, good dogs.

Straight ahead, straight ahead.

- Mom, Mom, you're here!

I can't believe it.

You're in first place, you're gonna win!

- How did you get here?

- Dad flew me in all by myself last night.

- All right!
- How are the dogs running?

- Oh, they're great, they
ran like a million dollars.

- Ladies and
gentlemen, the winner

of this year's Iditarod,
number 68, Jessie Arnold!