Insomnia

There's just nothing down there.

l haven't seen a building in, like, 20 minutes.

- Look at that. - We're not on vacation, Hap.

Cheer up, will you?

Tell that to her, partner.

Better hang on, guys. lt's gonna get rough.

- Ooh. - There goes my lunch.

Detective Eckhart, l'm Detective Ellie Burr.

- Hi. Nice to meet you.

How are you doing? Good.

"Halibut fishing capital of the world." Okay.

Detective Dormer, it's an honor to meet you.

Welcome to Nightmute. l got the car right here.

lt's so incredible to be working with you.

l've followed all of your cases: Theodore Dineli, Frank Prud'homme.. .

. ..the Ocean Park shootings and especially the Leland Street murders.

ls that where Ronald Langley cut you, at 325 Leland Street?

You did your homework.

The Leland Street murders was my case study at the academy.

- l'll take you to the Lodge and... - No, take us to the station.

Right. We need to get started.

Most homicides are solved in the first 72 hours.

Well, it's 48 hours. We're a day behind.

But who's counting?

Yeah, come in.

They got you behind a desk, huh? Charlie Bubbles. How you doing?

- l haven't seen you since when? - Hey, Charlie.

- Seven years? - Eight.

Seven years! l am old. Ellie, get everyone in the bullpen.

- Nice kid. - Loves the job. Heh.

When l called Buck for advice on this, l never expected he'd send you up here.

- Something about lnternal Affairs? - They're moving in.

lt's nothing. lt's the usual crap. Buck figured you could use some help- -

They got Finn and Kentor on Narcotics.

The fuckers are looking for headlines- -

- lt's gonna blow over. - Got a message from Warfield.

l .A.'s pit bull.

He wants to be posted on your movements.

You'll find us more straightforward.

Good guys, bad guys, but a lot less public relations. lt's simple.

Except for this.

Ahem. Okay, listen up. Detectives Dormer and Eckhart...

. ..on loan from Buck Lundgard, L.A. Homicide.

- They'll help with the Connell case. - Help?

Anything they want to see, show them.

Anyplace they want to go, take them.

This is Fred Duggar.

- He's heading the investigation. Hello, Fred.

A pleasure. - Want to get on it?

- Seen what we got? - Let's start with the body.

- You got the report? - l want to see the body for myself.

Okay.

Herniation of the brain stem due to intracerebral hemorrhage.

- Beaten to death. - These contusions?

Superficial. Most of the trauma was to her face and neck.

Any signs of rape? No.

- This one covers an older bruise. - There's an older one here.

- They're both in the report. - He washed her hair.

Scrubbed her nails.

lt's all in the report.

- Doesn't say he clipped them. - She could have clipped them.

Nope. No polish on the ends of the nails. See?

She painted them herself. Someone else cut them. Toes too.

Naked when found? Yeah. Last seen wearing a red dress.

No fibers, flakes, hairs?

We know about forensics work here. The body gave us nothing.

She gave us plenty. All this trouble, all this care. Why?

He knew her. - He knows we can connect him to her.

This isn't a random psycho? Crime of passion?

Maybe. But whatever happened, his reaction wasn't passionate.

He didn't panic. Didn't chop her up or burn her.

He just thought about what we would be looking for.. .

. ..and then calmly removed all those traces.

No haste. No rush.

Why clip the nails after scrubbing them?

Manipulating the body. Prolonging the moment.

No mutilation.

Not this time.

- You think there's been others? - No.

But there's gonna be. This guy...

. ..he crossed the line and he didn't even blink.

You don't come back from that.

Okay. Let's go find out who Kay was.

Fred said not to touch anything, so l haven't tidied up.

She hates it when l go into her room anyway.

Thank you, Mrs. Connell.

Hmm.

So she went to a party Friday night.

Not exactly a party. lt's a local dive where the kids hang out.

No diary?

We didn't find one. Her mom said she has a journal.

Friends said she argued with her boyfriend Friday.

She stormed off just after midnight.

She did, huh?

This is interesting.

Who is this?

Tanya Francke, Kay's best friend.

l want to talk to her.

Who is Kay Connell? Who is she? ls she popular or is she a loner?

Did she like this town? She want to bolt first chance she got?

Did she have dreams?

She knew this guy. We know her, maybe we can know him.

This is designer. This is expensive.

- The boyfriend, Randy. - Randy Stetz.

- He could afford this? - He's in school.

- Mom didn't buy it. - What are we thinking?

l don't know, stepfather? Any rich uncles?

No.

An admirer.

Yeah.

- Tsk. l want the boyfriend. - l'll get him to the station.

l want to go to the school. Pull him out in front of friends.

Catch him off guard. lt will get people talking.

So how far away is the school?

- lt's 1 0:00, Detective Dormer. - You bet.

At night.

Oh. So when does it get dark here?

lt doesn't. Heh.

Not this time of year.

Yeah, l heard about that. How come you didn't know that, Hap?

- Lower 48. - Lower 48?

Not from here. Can tell by your walk.

- How's that? - Unsure.

- Ah. - Dormer and Eckhart.

We have a reservation.

Don't be fooled by my friend's frivolous demeanor. He's all business.

- Your restaurant still serving? - Kitchen's about to close.

We'll be quick. Thank you.

Thanks.

We got the Halibut Calabrese, got the Halibut Olympian.

- Keep going. - Halibut Cajun style.

l can't wait to see what they got for dessert.

Natives are getting restless.

- We gotta talk. - No, we don't.

- Just sit tight? - Nothing's changed.

Nothing's changed?

What do you think we're doing in the halibut capital of the world?

Buck figured Charlie needed help.

Buck figured l .A. would be coming to me next, and he was right.

Warfield had me in his office for three hours yesterday.

Hap, he's rattling your cage, pal. That's all.

Me and Trish talked it through, and l'm sorry, l gotta cut a deal.

- Don't say this shit to me. - You won't be involved.

l'm not? Of course l will.

With your reputation, he can't touch you.

My reputation's the whole problem.

You think Warfield gives a fuck about you shaking down drug dealers?

You think that will get him his headlines? He needs the big fish.

He's putting the squeeze on you to get to me.

- But you're clean, Will. - l'm a good cop, yeah.

But there's always something they could use to get at your credibility.

Have you any idea what this is gonna do?

Think about all my cases. All the cases dependent on my word, my judgment.

Those fuckers on the street. That's what you're doing.

They got nothing on you because there's nothing to get.

Dobbs.

- What about Dobbs? - That's different.

lt's different?

Warfield doesn't want Dobbs on the street.

lt's a house of cards. Once it starts, it's just gonna tumble. All of it.

That's a chance l gotta take, pal.

- l got family. - Don't give me that.

Warfield made it clear. l get probation.

We're cops, man. This is not about us.

This is about all the people who depend on us. People with families.

l spent my life doing this. My life.

You're gonna destroy it like that. Why? Why?

So some l .A. prick gets closer to being chief of police?

Or playing golf with the mayor or whatever the fuck else he's after?

You finished?

Sorry, l gotta cut a deal.

So, make any decisions?

Uh. . .. You do everything around here?

- After 1 1 , pretty much. - Ah. Ha.

Over to you, Will. What are you having?

l lost my appetite.

Excuse me.

Morning.

Hi.

- What kind of calls you get here? - Mostly drinking- related problems.

Domestic abuse, bar fights, that sort of stuff.

People here come to live the way they want to. . .

. ..so most people keep to themselves.

Chief won't let me handle anything over a misdemeanor.

Don't knock misdemeanors.

No, but it's such small stuff. lt's so boring.

lt's all about small stuff. You know, small lies, small mistakes.

People give themselves away same in misdemeanors as in murder cases.

lt's just human nature. Aren't you gonna write that down?

Friends making you nervous? They think you did it?

You killed her?

- No smoking on the school premises. - Did you love her?

- Randy, did you love her? - Sure, she was nice.

She was nice. Wow. That makes me all soft inside.

Did it occur to you she didn't love you?

She loved me.

- Wanted me every night. - Oh. Probably to pass the time.

Girl like Kay Connell, she was looking for more than some loser. Right?

What can l say? Love is blind.

- Live on your own? - His grandpa's.