The Big Sky (2020–…): Season 3, Episode 10 - A Thin Layer of Rock - full transcript

Well, you know what?

Since you guys showed up,

nothing's been
right around here.

I got my eye on you.

I know the
SEC is initiating

a fraud investigation
for misleading investors.

$15 million could
be pretty tempting

to somebody in a
financial situation.

I made a mistake, but I thought
it would all be cleared up,

and it will be.

When we get back into town,



Emily and I are
gonna get a hotel.

I need some space.

Where's the money?

The account's heavily encrypted.

You fail, I won't
ruin your life.

But Carla and Emily...

I unlocked Paige's account.

Sheriff's department!

Hands where we can see them.

Who is he?

His name's Walter.

He's your brother.

I hid him away.

I gave him a safe
place to call home.



I protected him!

Where's Paige?

Is she alive?

I killed her.

You have a
beautiful voice.

Paige?

Sunny.

Well, you're a helluva surprise.

I bet.

I thought you high-tailed
it back to civilization.

I figured you'd be sitting
on a beach somewhere,

sipping a Mai Tai with
your toes in the sand.

You left
out the dead part.

- I never thought that...
- What did you think?

I'm just glad you
didn't fall in a ravine

or get eaten up
by a grizzly bear.

Thanks to your son.

Walter.

Walt took you in?

He saved me.

Well, you should know
that Walter's in jail.

He confessed to murdering you.

Why would he do that?

Yeah, that's the same question
I've been asking myself.

The only thing I
can come up with

is that you tricked him into
sacrificing himself to save you.

He said he could help me
with a little problem I have,

but confessing... That
wasn't part of the plan.

Well, he's still in jail,

and he'll stay there
until you show yourself.

- Now, let's go.
- First, I need to know

where my bag is.

I know you took it.

I imagine that Sheriff Beau
or that Jenny Hoyt has it.

So, what's so important
about that bag of yours?

There's something in it I need.

My journal.

That have something to do
with the money you took?

And if it does, I may
have a pretty good idea

who got to it before
the police did.

Help me get it back

and I'll help you
get Walter out.

Ooh.

Fancy food.

Thanks.

I think.

Ooh.

Any idea what's in this?

No, I don't. Sorry.

Here goes.

Tasty.

I'm Mo.

Or Deputy Poppernak
when I'm on duty,

which I'm not, so, Mo.

Natalie. I'm
Skylar's bridesmaid.

- Oh, that's pretty.
- Thank you.

I used to collect
stones when I was a kid.

I had a rock polisher tumbler.

Oh, cool. It's actually...

It's not stone.

It's, uh, bone.

- Oh.
- Yeah.

Who are you here for?
Bride or the groom?

Bride. Skylar, yeah.
Family friends.

Never met Austin,
but he's a lucky guy.

How about you?

Uh, both, kind of.

Austin and I are actually
working on a project together.

I'm all ears.

Help! Somebody, help!

Help, somebody!

What happened? Are you hurt?

- I...
- Sky.

Skylar.

Hey. It's gonna be okay.

Sky, tell me what happened.

Austin... Austin's dead.

Somebody killed him.

Hiya, Walter.

Well, we figured
out your secret.

20 years ago, you murdered
your parents in a house fire.

They weren't my parents.

Ah. Well,
according to this,

there was another
kid in that house.

A little girl named Meredith.

She was never found.

Did you kill her too?

I was protecting her.

From them.

They hurt her worse than me.

Where is she now?

I set her free.

You mean you killed her.

It's not what you think.

Well, here's what I think...
I think you killed her

just like you killed Paige,

or "set her free"
in your parlance.

Same damn thing.

Yeah, I know what
you're trying to do.

Do you?

Okay, let's talk
about something else.

You were just a kid
when this happened.

You been out in the
woods all this time?

- Yes.
- Hmm.

So you expect us to believe
that you built that cabin

and you made supply
runs into town

all these years all by yourself?

Who was
helping you, Walter?

Is it the same person that
helped you hide Paige's body?

Was it Sunny
and Buck Barnes?

We know you were
in Buck's truck.

No. No. It was
just a coincidence.

So you do know who they are.

Why don't you leave
Sunny out of this?

Okay, well, if Sunny
and Buck are lying

about knowing Walter,
there has to be a reason.

Okay. What
are you thinking?

Maybe Buck's his accomplice.

Walter did have Mark Woodman's
body in his old truck.

He told us to leave
Sunny out of it.

There has to be a connection.

Well, right now, we
got nothing concrete,

and Walter is due to be
transferred to County.

So, we need to ask our questions
while we have the time.

The girl that went missing
after the fire, Meredith...

Walter said he was
protecting her.

He said the same
thing about Paige.

Hmm.

You guys, maybe
Paige isn't dead.

We still don't have a body.

That's true.

Just his word.

The more we learn,
the messier this gets.

Yeah, maybe we need to
start from the beginning,

before all the lies.

You want to find Meredith?

Yeah.

Way ahead of you.
Already ran the name.

Big old pile of nothing.

Then we look harder.

Hey, Pops, what's up?

Okay, sit tight.
I'll be right there.

What's up?

There was a murder at a wedding.

Come on.

It happened at a
ranch near Birdseye.

Okay. Um...

You good to take it?
I'll stay with Cassie,

'cause clock's ticking
on this Walter thing.

For sure. I'll let you
know if I need you.

So, wait, does this mean you're
Pop's plus-one at a wedding?

Hmm. Jealous?

Yeah.

I want to be Pop's plus-one.

- Hey.
- Hey.

You were, uh, up
at the campgrounds.

Yeah, I was.

- What for?
- Oh, just...

tidying up.

Yeah? I thought we
paid people to do that.

Yeah.

Well, you remember you left
your saddles up at the stable?

- Yeah.
- I just swung by there

and picked them up for
you, saved you a trip.

Aww, honey, that's
very sweet of you.

Mm-hmm. Thank you.

You sure that's all?

Yeah. Why?

Well, just checking.

We agreed to put
Walter behind us,

and Paige, too.

Yeah, we did.

Just making sure we're
on the same page.

Okay.

- Come here.
- Mm.

Mm.

Everything's
gonna be just fine.

Just fine.

Victim is Austin Chambers, 28.

His bride-to-be, Skylar
Sharpe, found the body.

I'm so sorry, Pops.

Were you close with the bride?

Uh, went to her christening.

Our families have
always been tight.

Especially Eli, Skylar's father.

Was anyone with her
when she found the body?

Yep. The wedding photographer.

She and the victim were
due to have a photo session

before the ceremony,
but he didn't show.

Do we have a time of death?

Crime techs narrowed it
down to the early morning,

sometime before the
wedding guests arrived.

Who had access to the
property during that time?

That would be the wedding party.

They all stayed overnight
after the rehearsal dinner.

Uh, more than one
person mentioned that

Skylar's dad got into a
big fight with the victim.

Okay, keep the
wedding party here.

Send the rest of
the guests home.

Copy that.

Looks like he was hit
with something sharp.

Crime techs are still looking
for the murder weapon.

What can you tell me
about the victim's family?

Cattle ranchers.

Yeah, this property
actually belongs

to the victim's
father, Mr. Chambers.

Property like this must
be worth a fortune.

I wonder if the victim
and the bride-to-be

- stood to inherit.
- Yeah.

Something tells me this
one ain't gonna be easy.

Weddings never are.

So, we couldn't find
anything on Meredith Levinson

in the system either.

Mm, so you basically
did the same thing

I had a desk jockey do
earlier, with the same results.

Good thing you're not billing
the Sheriff's Department.

You're not billing the
Sheriff's Department, are you?

I wasn't finished, Bo-Bo.

- Okay.
- Bo-Bo?

Yeah, it's the
cringiest of all time.

It's a harmless
term of endearment.

- Hmm.
- All right?

What do you got, Denisey-poo?

Well, anyway, so,
unlike your desk jockey,

- we don't give up, do we, Em?
- Nope.

Instead, we're changing course
and looking into the possibility

that Meredith Levinson
might have changed her name.

Oh. I'm listening.

I mean, it's taking
forever, but...

But you know what they
say... Patience is a, uh...

- Virtue.
- No.

It's just an eight-letter
word starts with P.

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

Okay, I'm going through
change of name requests

with the state.

Oh, I'm with ya. Okay.

So, what if we back-trace
the name with the birthdate

in the Montana Vital Statistics?

Um...

Ooh, I think we got her.

Yeah, Meredith Levinson.

She's still alive, except now
she goes by Madeline Lowe.

Nice work, Em.

That's my
girl. That one.

Everything okay?

Yeah, I just keep getting
calls from a blocked number.

Ignore it. Spam.

- Car warranty, condos.
- Maybe.

My mom always calls
from a blocked number.

Answer it, then.

The bride's
dad is waiting.

Let's do this first.

Hey, Eli.

Hey.

This is my partner, Jenny Hoyt.

Can we make this quick?

I really need to be
with my daughter.

You want to ask me about the
fight with the groom, I suppose?

Can you tell us
what it was about?

All that family
cares about is money.

And you thought the
rehearsal dinner

for your daughter's wedding

was an appropriate
time to bring that up?

The timing choice
was theirs, not mine.

At dinner, my daughter told me

that Austin made her sign
a last-minute prenup.

So, yes, I approached him
at the rehearsal dinner.

What'd you think
about the wedding

moving forward after that?

It didn't sit well with me.

But it was Skylar's
choice to make, not mine.

Bringing two families
together is complicated.

It's only natural you
wanted to protect her.

You don't get it.

After Skylar lost her
mother, she stopped smiling.

Austin was good for
her, despite his family.

She was happy.

So, if you think I was gonna
take that away from her...

Not a chance.

I've said my piece,
and that's all.

And for Skylar's sake, you
better find out who did this.

Order up.

Thanks, Frankie.

I found Paige. Alive.

Huh.

Thought she'd be
in a shallow grave,

under a pine, with
beetles and grubs.

I know you two were
sent to my camp

to find Luke and Paige

by some really shady characters.

Only one reason for
that, and that's money.

Your point?

You help Paige get
her $15 million

and get her to a safe place,
she'll split it with you.

That's a lot of money.

Too bad we don't
have Paige's journal.

No deal.

What he means is that

we don't have the journal
yet, but we'll get it.

'Cause the
way I understand it,

there's only one person
who can decipher the little

word code thingamajig
in the journal,

and that's Paige.

Which means if you want the
money, you need each other,

and that girl's been
through a lot already.

It's hard out there for a pimp.

I don't know what this one
over here is talking about,

but are you two in?

What's in it for you?

That's my business.

Just to be clear... Donno and I?

We are not people you mess with.

Likewise.

Can I help you?

Just... looking.

Well, most folks just standing
at the gun counter looking

need a gun.

Well, I suppose I'm interested.

Okay. What kind?

Not sure, but, uh...

- I need it now.
- Okay.

Well, you just gotta
do a little paperwork

and a background check.

You a criminal?

- No.
- Sorry.

I didn't think so,
but takes all types.

So, what kind of
gun you looking for?

Uh, um... I'll
need your guidance.

Um, something easy to use.

Well, you don't strike
me as a Glock guy.

Maybe a Walther.

James Bond's gun.

Got a PPK.

Now, I know that new
movie is using a P99,

but this one... This
one's the original.

Go on.

Gun's $600.

$650, I can throw in some
bullets and a shooting lesson.

I'll take it.

James Bond.

Do we have to do this now?

We'll be quick. Promise.

So, is my dad really a suspect?

We're still checking his
alibi after the fight.

Mo, you know my dad.

You know he wouldn't do
anything like this to hurt me.

He... He knew that Austin
and I were in love.

What about the prenup?

I could care less
about the prenup,

about the land and the cattle.

I... Even if there was
something more valuable.

What could be more valuable
than land and cattle in Montana?

A dinosaur.

How big a specimen
are we talking?

I don't know.

I didn't know about
the dinosaur fossil

until Austin asked me
to sign the prenup.

Did that bother you?

That he was keeping
this discovery a secret?

No, it was just his hobby.

Searching for buried treasure.

He was gonna unveil
it after the ceremony.

He was gonna name it after me.

I'm so sorry, hon.

Do you need a moment?

- I'm okay. I'm...
- Just a few more questions.

Yeah.

How much did Austin
know about dinosaurs?

Not much.

He had to ask a friend to help
him figure out what to do.

What can you tell us
about this friend?

Quite the postcard.

Yeah. She's impressive.

Graduated top of her
class at Montana State.

Yeah, 2.5 kids, picket fence.

Looks like Madeline went
all straight and narrow.

Meanwhile, Walter
went Ted Kaczynski.

Guess it's an argument
for nature, huh?

- 'Cause he lives in the...
- Yeah.

I got it. The woods. Yep.

Hi, Madeline Lowe?
Sheriff Beau Arlen.

This here's Cassie Dewell

of Dewell and Hoyt
Private Investigators.

What's this about?

Well, we were hoping to talk
to you about a house fire

that happened 20 years ago.

And our condolences.

We know your parents
were lost in that.

They weren't my parents.

Right, well,
they... They adopted you,

along with another
boy. Walter?

Why are you asking
me about Walter?

'Cause he's currently in police
custody, on murder charges.

Wow. Okay.

We were hoping you
could shed some light

on what happened the
night of the fire

just so we can understand
who we're dealing with.

Walter set the fire,

but the Walter I
know wasn't a killer.

He was gentle.

Kind, protective.

He killed your adoptive parents.

You... You saw him do that.

Yes, but...

The things that went
on in that house...

We were beaten, starved.

I didn't think it was
ever going to end.

Trust me, he did what he
did so that we could escape.

Where did Walter take
you after the fire?

His birth mother picked us up.

She told me to change
my name and start fresh.

I haven't looked back.

And what was her name?

I don't remember,
but she sang to us.

Oh, and she had the
most beautiful red hair.

I said I need more time.

It's good to hear your voice.

How are you?

Okay. What's up?

Come on, Avery. I'm
pretty busy right now.

It's just that...

I love you, Carla.

Whatever happens...

I want you to know that.

But there's
something that I have to do.

What's going on?

I got myself into a
bit of a fix

but I promise to make it right.

Wait, what
are you about to do?

Whatever it takes to
make you and Emily safe.

Avery? You're scaring me.

No, no, no. No,
don't be scared.

It's just that...

I just wanted you
to know that...

that I love you, Carla.

That's all that matters.

Av...

Avery?

Hello?

Anybody here?

Hello?

Anybody around?

This is private
property. Who are you?

Jenny Hoyt,
Sheriff's Department.

Who are you?

I'm Carson Price.

Oh.

You're Austin's best man.

I was looking for you.

Sorry, I thought you
were trespassing.

Wanna help me up?

Right now, this
site's still a secret,

and so we always gotta
worry about thieves.

Mm. We requested the
wedding party to stay put.

You're the only one who did not.

So, your friend's dead,
the bride is grieving,

and you're out here
digging around in the dirt.

I know how it looks, but,
you know, winter's coming.

With the fossil weathering
out of the ground like it is

and the rain and
the snow on the way,

we... we don't have
any time to waste.

Wow.

Tyrannosaurus rex.

You know your theropods.

Mm.

My son was a dinosaur freak.

That's not why you came
out here, though, is it?

Skylar told us that
Austin asked you for help.

- Are you some kind of expert?
- Hardly.

This is... This is like
a side hustle, I guess.

Yeah, this one
day on a job site,

I found a Spinosaurus tooth.

- And the rest is history.
- Any money in that?

I mean, I made 350
bucks on the tooth.

What about your T. rex?
How much is that worth?

I mean, it's too early to say.

- Well, just a ballpark.
- Okay.

Uh, I mean, if this
thing's intact,

it could be worth millions.

Carson, where were you
early this morning?

- I was asleep in my room.
- Mm.

Anyone else who can verify that?

No. Sorry.

But it's the truth.

The way Madeline described
Walter's birth mom...

- Oh, Sunny Barnes.
- It has to be.

It explains a lot.

He had help hiding
all those years.

Yeah, it does. Yeah, we
definitely got to talk to her.

What about Cormac?

Think he knows
anything about this?

I don't know.

Ah, that's my ex. Hang on.

- Hey.
- Beau, thank God.

I don't know what's going
on, but it's really bad.

Whoa, whoa. Slow down.

- What happened?
- It's Avery.

I-I think something
terrible might've happened.

I just need you to come.

- Okay, where are you?
- At his hotel.

- I'm on my way.
- Okay.

I'm gonna need Emily to hang
out with you a little longer.

- Is that cool?
- Yeah, whatever you need.

Thank you.

- You talk to the vendors?
- Sure did.

And I have decided that I
am never getting married.

For the right guy,
I might try again.

For the right guy, huh?
Have you met him yet?

- What do you got, Pops?
- Let's change the subject.

All right, so the florists,
they, uh, had a crew

on-site at the ranch
early this morning.

Somebody see something?

One of the crew noticed a
person leaving Austin's room.

Fits our timeline
for the murder.

Any chance they can
I.D. the suspect?

Doubtful. It was
still pretty dark.

But they got a look at a jacket.

It had this reflective
mountain logo on it.

Carson had a jacket
just like that.

The best man?

Our bone collector might
be hiding something.

I put Paige over here.

Come on.

Paige!

Hey!

Where is she?

I don't know. She
couldn't be far.

I told her to stay put.

Or you're lying to us.

Why would I do that and bring
you all the way out here?

- I'm not stupid.
- No...

but you are desperate
for some reason.

Aim for the larger part
of the leg, right there.

I tell you, Paige was here.

Well, we'll see about that.

Go look for her.

If he can't find Paige,
we are all in big trouble.

Especially you.

Carson, gonna need you to
step out of the vehicle.

You were seen leaving
Austin's room this morning.

That's impossible, but okay.

A witness said that the
person leaving Austin's room

was wearing the jacket
you have on right now.

Austin and I aren't
the only ones

with this jacket, all right?

I had them made for the whole
crew when we started the dig.

- Cuff him.
- Yeah.

I didn't kill him.
Wait, wait, hold on.

I think maybe I know who
was in Austin's room.

Who?

Austin wasn't always
the most faithful.

I thought he had ended things
with her, but maybe not.

Ended things with who?

With Natalie,
Skylar's bridesmaid.

She and, uh... she and Austin
found the dinosaur together.

I met her.

She said her and Austin
were working on a project.

Yeah, and she was
part of our crew.

Did you ever confront
him about the affair?

When I tried to talk
to him, he just told me

to mind my own business.

Let's go.

Okay, so maybe
Natalie goes to Austin

the night before his wedding,

a last-ditch effort to
convince him to be with her.

He chooses Skylar,

and she kills him
in a jealous rage.

Well, there's more.

Natalie discovers the
dinosaur with Austin,

but it's on his family's land.

She has no legal claim to it.

It's gotta be her.

Unless...

What are you thinking?

Skylar didn't know
about the dinosaur

until Austin asked her
to sign the prenup.

She thought he was
spending all that time

digging for buried
treasure on his own.

What if, on your wedding day,

you're betrayed
by the two people

supposed to love you the most?

Oh, God.

It's Skylar.

Do you know where she is?

I saw her getting
into Austin's truck.

I have an idea where
she might be headed.

Cormac, I-I have
something I need to tell you.

It might be hard to hear.

It's about your mother.

I already know.

Walter's my brother.

Half... Half-brother.

How long have you known?

Found out yesterday.

I'm still processing,
otherwise I woulda told ya.

She's been lying to
me my entire life.

But she's my mother.

I don't know what to do, Cass.

If you don't have
any part in this,

you need to do what's right.

I promise you, I didn't
know anything about this.

I want you to know that, um...

whatever you find...

I'm my own man.

Convinced the front
desk clerk to let me in.

Huh.

He got a gun.

Avery hated guns.

His voice when he called me...

I'm telling you,
something is wrong.

Hey, it's okay.

We'll have a look around,
see what it tells us.

- Okay?
- Okay. Uh-huh.

Well, he was definitely
working on something.

Avery never left
his computer unlocked.

Wait, what is this?

I've never
seen it before.

It looks like a recovery
phrase, maybe, or a password.

He was going after that money
that Luke and Paige stole,

wasn't he?

How the hell should I know that?

- I don't know!
- All right. Hey.

Listen to me. I'm
gonna find him, okay?

- I will.
- Okay.

Come here.

More importantly, I'm not gonna
let anything happen to you

or to Emily.

- Okay.
- You got it?

Yeah.

There she is.

Skylar, step away
from the ledge.

Put the weapon down.

Stay away from her.
She deserves this.

You don't have to do this.

They weren't just
sleeping together, Mo.

They were in love.

He lied to me about everything.

He named the dinosaur after
her. I found the paperwork.

I gotta get in there, Pops.

Skylar. Skylar.
Look at me. Look.

Okay, look at me.

Think of your dad.
He's lost everything.

He can't lose you, too.
She... She's not worth it.

Right? Neither
was he. All right?

No! Stop! Aah!

Natalie.

Natalie, wake up.

Call an ambulance!

I'm not sorry.

Hey.

You weren't
answering your phone,

so I thought I'd take
a chance and swing by.

Hey, you okay?

Yeah.

Yeah, it's been,
um, a rough day.

And, uh... I
wanted to see you.

Tough case, huh?

Never gets easier, does it?

Well, something's wrong
if it ever does, you know?

Hey.

Hey.

Oh, I didn't know
you had company.

Hey, Jenny.

Hey.

Uh, i...

It's okay.

We can catch up later.

A minute.

Hey, hey, hey, Jenny.

I actually asked them to
come here and stay with me.

I think Avery is making
a play for the money

that Luke and Paige stole.

I saw some stuff in his hotel
room. It doesn't look good.

What did you find?

Let's get into it
tomorrow, okay?

Of course.

Hey. Carla.

I think you might need
this more than me tonight.

Thanks.

- It's good to see you.
- You too.

- Night, Jenny.
- Night, Em.

- I'll see you.
- Yeah.

- You okay?
- Oh, gimme those. I got it.

I just don't understand how
we're all gonna fit in there.

What are you talking
about? It's fine.

Fine. Look, I'm just...

I feel more comfortable having
you here under my roof, okay?

Oh, are we calling the
tin can a roof now?

Whoa. Whoa!

She can hear you.

Right there. What's
wrong with you?

Wow.

Popcorn or peanuts?
I got both.

Are you serious?

No salt on the peanuts. Sorry.

Where are you? We're waiting.

And where's the money?

Somewhere safe.

This sounds like the
start of a renegotiation.

What I'll need from you

is a larger finder's fee

and an ironclad assurance
of my family's safety.

You think about that
and I'll be in touch.

I don't renegotiate.

A deal's a deal.

Track him down.

And his family too.

What the hell?

Mom.

I don't know why you
thought it was a good idea

to stick around.

Hello?

It's Cassie. I
just want to talk.

- Captioned by VITA...