Previously on American Rust...
[Herlitz] At approximately 6:30 last night,
Pete Novick, a former Buell police officer, was
-found dead. He had his fucking boot
on my back the night I was arrested.
I've protected you
so many times, Pete.
Well, I can't help you anymore.
-You're firing me? -[Herlitz] Frank,
I want you taking point on this,
if for no other reason than for
the sake of public perception.
I want that crime scene
on total lockdown until every molecule
of evidence is collected.
The question is
who's the guy with the long hair and the beard?
What's the status of your probation?
Technically, it ended yesterday.
I hope your urine's clean.
I don't do drugs.
[Harris] I've been on this crap a long time.
I don't even remember what baseline's like for me.
Did you think any more about
those union papers? You gonna sign up with us?
-[Billy] When'd you get back? -[Lee] This morning.
I missed this.
I missed you.
[Grace] Hey, turn around and look out your window.
-Hi. - Hi.
What's going on, Isaac?
I'm home. Dad called in the middle of the night and said
you stole money from him and took off.
Isaac, listen to me.
Head west, just like you planned.
Get out there and go to that school.
[Isaac] You think that's really possible after what happened?
dramatic music
pensive music
Fuck you, too, Isaac.
ominous music
Lee.
I can
get on the first flight out.
Not now. That's
sweet of you, but no.
All my dad has are coffee bags.
Coffee bags?
Like...
Like tea bags, but coffee.
You have the AmEx. Use it for whatever.
Thank you.
Okay?
Okay.
haunting music
What do we got on Novick's friend
from the surveillance photo?
We've got a lot of people who have no idea who he is.
Ditto.
You've found nothing, either?
That's what I meant by ditto.
And you've reported that to Sheriff Deluca?
I just did. I do everything you say, Sue.
Just making sure we remember the power dynamics here.
Everything okay in there?
Oh, sorry.
Yeah. Okay.
Peter Novick died from blunt force trauma.
The back of his skull was split,
his parietal lobe exposed.
Is it possible he fell, slammed against something?
Doubtful. A fall wouldn't generate enough force to...
-I want to see the body. - You...
Show me the body, Tucker.
From the bruising on his face,
I'd wager he was punched first.
And the rust particles embedded in his hair
would strongly indicate that some sort of metal object
connected to the back of his skull.
-An old tool from the mill? Could be.
-We're looking at murder one. We don't know anything
until we learn what the hell
Pete was doing in the mill.
The tox screen revealed
a mess of drugs-- coke,
oxy. I even found oral fentanyl
coating his cheek and stomach lining.
Stage 3 renal impairment, hepatic fibrosis.
Which means what?
His liver and kidneys were shit.
He'd obviously been a longtime user.
I'm sorry to say it, but if he hadn't been killed,
the drugs would have eventually
-caught up to him. How long you figure
-he was using? Several years.
I've seen full-blown career junkies
with similar tox screens.
Chief Harris, how long ago did you
release Novick from his duties?
About six months.
Hey, I took him to NA. I helped him work his program.
He was clean for a good, long while.
Why am I even defending myself?
Because you allowed an officer using illegal substances
to remain on your force during a drug epidemic.
You want to indict me, you know where I work.
-Tucker, are we done here? - I believe so, yes.
Then, Sheriff, if you don't mind, I'd like to return
my former officer's personal effects to his widow.
You okay with how I'm spending my morning?
I am, Chief.
Thank you.
You all have a pleasant day.
I just spoke to Coach Dooley.
I think he's open to the idea of giving me my job back.
He seemed pretty sincere about it.
That's good.
He's got to take it up the flagpole,
but at least it's a step in the right direction.
You were right about me getting my life back on track.
So, thanks for that.
Okay.
Hey, I think I left my suit jacket
at your house. I should probably
-swing by and pick it up. - Billy, I think
Isaac saw us last night.
What? How do you know?
'Cause he left all the money he took on the porch steps.
Right where we were.
Christ.
Why didn't he just keep the money?
The point is he saw us.
Listen, I'm back in town
to get things set up for my dad and then I have to go home.
You are home.
To New York.
To my husband.
Billy, I'm not trying to hurt you.
Every time you say my name, it's like
you're breaking one of my fingers.
We can't go down this road again.
It didn't seem that way last night.
Last night didn't happen.
It did for me.
You're saying you don't still have feelings for me?
I need you to stay away from me.
Please don't call again.
Hey. Got groceries in the trunk.
When'd you get home?
While ago. Went for a run.
You eat yet?
No.
You want me to fix you some eggs?
I'm not hungry.
How'd things go last night?
I saw you and Lee leaving together.
All right.
Yeah?
How long's she in town for?
Not long. Couple of days.
That's nice of her to finally pay a visit to her dad.
Are you gonna see her again?
-Ma, stop.
I'm just gonna say this
be careful.
I get it. Okay?
She's a married woman.
Yeah, so are you.
contemplative music
-Del. - Hi, Pam.
I hope this isn't a bad time.
Little Pete, check on your brother.
I have, uh, some of Pete's things.
What?!
Check on your brother.
I got some Sour Patch Kids in the drawer.
Give it back!
He kept our ring. Yeah. He did.
Now!
Fucker broke into our house and stole the flat screen
and our Blu-ray player, but he kept our ring.
And his father's cross.
I hope it'll give you some comfort.
-I got to go. - Pam,
can I-- I need to ask you something.
You ever seen Pete with, uh, with this guy?
No. Who is he?
No idea.
Hey, did you and Pete share a cell phone plan?
-We used to, but I cut him off.
Peter, come on now, help me out!
Why do you ask?
I thought I might check on who Pete was calling
the last few weeks, who he was spending time with.
You know what, Del, I wish you'd been so concerned about him
while he was alive.
He spiraled when you fired him.
Hit the drugs really hard. Spent all our money.
And now I got to scrape together what I can
-so I can bury him properly.
I got to go.
Let's talk negligence.
For centuries, English common law ruled
in accordance with the belief that
sic utere tuo, ut alienum non laedas.
In other non-dead-language words, this would mean,
-"To use your own property -"To use one's own property
-as to not harm another's." - so as not to harm
-that of another."
-Ut alienum
-non laedas. - Dad?
Now, who can tell me the rationale behind...
Dad? Dad?
You okay in there?
-It's fine. I'm fine! - I'm not looking. Just...
-just push yourself up. Let go of my....
Just do it!
All right!
-I'm sorry. - Don't talk to me.
I'm sorry, Dad.
Yeah, it can take a couple of weeks to process.
Are you able to lay out the money
-and wait for reimbursement? - Can't.
My card'll get declined, and I run out of the Zyflo tomorrow.
Okay, um... we will...
Ah.
We can try this.
I can give you samples for two weeks, and if your doctor
can come up with a one-week dose,
then that should tide you over. And, you know,
if it doesn't, just call me and we'll figure it out.
Thank you, sweetheart. You're the best.
You're also cute, but, uh, I won't embarrass you.
-Chief Harris. - Ma'am.
You do the work of saints.
Oh, yeah, me and Mother Teresa.
We also earn the same amount of money.
I, uh, got something for you.
Is this you?
Yeah. Down to 50%.
Well, where's all the Benzedrine?
You cutting back on those, too?
Uh, m-m... mostly.
Except for when I haven't slept and need to figure out
who killed one of my cops.
Yeah. Okay.
Uh, how you feeling?
Uh, agitated.
But... could be for a lot of reasons.
Can you, uh, tell me what I'm looking at?
Fentanyl.
It dissolves in the cheek. This is strong stuff.
Where'd you get it?
Drug raid. What's it used for?
People in so much pain that even oxy doesn't help.
Cancer patients.
You ever fill a script for it?
Oh, I mean, not in a long time.
Nurses dole this out in hospice care.
This is high-level palliative stuff.
You want me to get rid of it, too?
No, I'll hold onto 'em.
-Evidence. - Mm-hmm.
Ugh. Can't believe dealers are messing with fentanyl.
It's killing this town.
Speaking of-- uh...
you ever seen this guy?
Mm-mmm. I mean, it looks like he just
climbed down off the crucifix.
What, is that the dealer?
Trying to figure that out.
-Thanks. - Mm-hmm.
This looks good, ladies.
Problematic working conditions in your issues program...
And the wages are low. And, uh, no overtime,
and 32 employees agree with us.
Yeah, I see that. It's a solid start.
What do you mean, start?
I thought 30% was the requirement.
Oh, the minimum requirement.
Uh, look at it practically-- it's only 32 of a 102 people.
It wasn't exactly a cakewalk getting those 32 signatures.
And the next step that you'll face is a vote.
For or against a union. You'll need 51%.
That's 20 more people. I'd recommend
getting to that number for the petition.
That way your employer will understand when you hand this in
that you already have majority support.
20 more.
That's a lot.
We got to get the Mexican girls.
The Mexican girls don't exactly talk to us.
-Not that it isn't mutual. - Well, if you win them over,
think of the message it will send to Mr. Gelsey.
Hmm.
Yo, Coach Poe!
Trent, what's up?
Yo, Coach says you might be coming back?
Yeah, fingers crossed.
Oh, hey, this is my girlfriend, Lorna.
-Hey. - Hi. Got to get him in shape
before you kick his ass during two-a-days.
-Make him run the bleachers. I already am.
50 a day.
In pads?
No.
-Not yet. - Slacker.
You got to get to 100 with pads on.
Start with 50 and just add ten a day.
-You got to make him do it. - I will.
You looking to play college ball?
Talking to a decent D1.
Yeah? Which one?
Southern Illinois.
Oh, that's awesome, man.
Hey, what was your time in the 40?
Four-five.
-I told you. - Oh, shit. Really?
Back in the day, I was a fucking panther, man.
I'll get you there. You and me both.
You got it. Let's go run some bleachers.
See you at practice.
See you, Trent. Nice to meet you.
haunting music
Where you been?
-I drove right here. - Let's go.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Oh, man, this-this hallway smells like...
The opposite of happiness?
I think he's taking a shower.
Wow. That's something new.
Karl. Karl!
We don't have all day.
-Whoa, what the fuck? - Hey, Karl,
not very neighborly to lock the door
when there are shower stalls available.
Well, I like my privacy.
Seriously, this can't wait?
You know this guy? Take a good look.
Oh, I-I don't... I...
I think, maybe.
You think?
Yeah, okay, that's this dude they call Bobby.
Bobby...?
He used to run around with Pete Novick.
Thank you for the insight,
but I can tell that from the fucking picture.
Do you know where Bobby might be?
Well, I know he did business around the county.
Business, like auto insurance?
Come on, man. He-he deals. Some bars, some...
No, but he deals coke. Coke's not my thing.
I-I prefer to chill, to take it down a notch.
You know where those type of dudes deal.
You need to be more specific, Karl.
Well, I'm trying to help.
Or we can cuff you and drag you down the hall
in your towel, in front of all your neighbors, and then
stuff you into the back of my truck
and take you to the station.
Not so good for your privacy.
I've heard some nights he might be
at some club up in Charleroi. That's all I know.
Wait!
Uh, gave you solid intel. You gonna hit me off?
"Some club in Charleroi" is solid intel?
Blusters or Busters or some shit.
It-It's an old warehouse space.
It's all I got.
If we give you money for that, we all know
-what you're gonna do with it. - To be honest,
I-I was hoping to go grocery shopping.
I been into lentils lately. You like lentils?
-No. - Well, they're good.
-They're good for you. - Appreciate it, Karl.
Oh, on God, Harris. I-I'm done with that old life.
Clean three weeks now.
Fuck.
Josefina.
Hey.
-Can I talk to you a second? - Yeah.
Okay. Um, I-I suppose you know about the signatures
we're collecting 'cause we're trying
-to unionize the shop. - I'm not interested.
Just wait, uh, just hear us out,
-okay? - I already know what you're
going to say. Overtime, working conditions.
Do you not want to
-improve those things? - Well, of course.
But if we sign a petition, Gelsey's gonna fire us.
No, he can't do that. That-That's against the law.
Maybe for you. But the rules are always different for us.
My mom and my aunts are on visas and green cards.
You think I want to mess with that?
No. We're working with a lawyer.
-A labor lawyer in Pittsburgh. - Yeah. Very smart woman.
And we can talk to her about green cards and visas
and all of your concerns.
Look, I'm-- I didn't want to bullshit you. Okay?
I-- My hands are shot to shit from this work.
I wake up in the middle of the night with pain
shooting up my forearms. I can't open my fingers.
And I'm proud of the work-- don't get me wrong--
but, uh, I need health insurance.
And I need to be able to save something for when I retire.
And so will you and your mom and your aunt. We all do.
We need you.
You can explain things to your family.
But to make any of this happen,
we got to get those signatures.
I'll talk with them.
Get up
Stand up
Get up
Stand up
Get up
Oh, shit. Chief!
Hey!
Get up
Stand up
Get up
Stand up
Fuck!
That was him, huh?
-Fucking right it was.
We'll get him.
If not us, Sheriff Deluca's got the--
I want him. Not Deluca, not anybody else.
I want to know what happened in that mill, who was there.
This is my case.
Fuck!
Okay, both AFL-CIO and UAW
say it could even help their immigration status
if they're part of a union.
Grace, you're up and I'm kicking your ass.
Did you hear what I just said?
Not even a little. I...
I love working on this with you. I really do.
But?
Well, first of all, I'm two funberry daiquiris in,
so, quite frankly,
I've sort of lost track of what you're looking up.
Second of all, I'm mostly helping out
'cause I like hanging with you.
Is there a third of all?
Well, if this little adventure into workers' rights
costs me my job,
drinks are definitely on you
for, like, the rest of my life.
-Message received.
You're good at this, by the way. You should've been a lawyer.
Ha!
What?
Maybe in my next life.
You think you're chocolate but you're chewing gum...
In this life, I owe you a favor
for helping me out.
You buying me a present?
Shots of Jager count as a present.
-Can I do you one better? - What?
There's a guy over there that keeps checking you out.
He's wearing tight, black jeans and he's got a mustache.
Hey, Annie, you used to be
The only girl to take it seriously...
He looks like he's in the damn Village People.
He's been checking you out since we got here.
-Really? - I shit you not,
-and I think he's kind of sexy. - You don't think
his jeans are a little tight?
Well, yeah, but at least you're getting a preview
of what you might be dealing with.
Ooh. He's coming over.
What-- No, no, what are you doing?
No. Stop. Don't do--
So, uh, what's up
-with your friend? - we were wondering
-what's up with you. - Jesus on a fucking Jet Ski.
Oh, no, oh, no...
Bethany, this is Chet. Chet, Bethany.
-Hey. - Hey.
When you're chewing gum...
You got your own shoes.
Uh, yep, I do.
And a wrist guard.
I got my own balls, too.
They, uh, come in a set.
Oh, no...
Yeah. That's what I hear.
Got it all wrong
You think you're chocolate...
I'm gonna go get that other round.
Chet, do you want anything?
No, thanks. I'm, uh, good. I'm real good.
I don't want to settle down
I just want to chew gum
I don't want to settle down
I just want to have fun
I don't want to settle down
I just want to chew gum
Oh, no, oh, no
You've got it all wrong...
melancholy music
sinister music
Hey, man.
It's okay.
Just relax.
Look, I'm not gonna hurt you, all right?
I promise.
Just relax.
Okay?
somber music
I know you
Thrill me
Darling, you
Thrill me
Honest, you do
At first
I thought it was infatuation
But, ooh
It's lasted so long
Now I'm finding
Myself wanting
To marry you
And take you home
Whoa
You
You, you, you send me
I know you
Send me
Honest, you do
haunting music
Now, hold on a second, don't go busting it down--
I'm just gonna have to fix it.
Present arms.
Order arms.
On behalf of Fayette County, the Township of Buell,
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
please accept this flag as a symbol of appreciation
for Pete's service to his community.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down...
Nice of Broom-Hilda to make an appearance.
Don't worry about her.
He restores my...
She has the gall to turn this into
a public relations opportunity?
We're gonna get justice for Pete.
Got every man on my force looking for that 7-Eleven guy.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for
His name's sake. Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil,
for Thou art with me.
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Now prepare us the table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
Thou anointest my head with oil.
My cup overflows."
You've held down a steady job?
Yes, sir.
-At the Buell Diner? - Yes, sir.
And I may be getting my old job back.
Coaching football?
Assistant coach at the high school, yeah.
I help out with the linebackers and the secondary.
Good. And I hear you've been keeping a low profile.
No citations. Not even a parking ticket.
We're all set.
Thanks, Dan.
Well... your urine's good.
Hah. There's a compliment.
-Ma. - Sorry.
Congratulations, Mr. Poe.
You officially have a clean slate.
You'll want to show this to the employer at the high school.
Thank you, sir.
And, son.
don't fuck this up.
gentle music
But I found some the other day and I ate 'em.
People be hungry.
Fuckin' eat anything.
Gopher, possum,
chipmunk, squirrel, rabbit, mice. Garden snake.
You ever shut the fuck up?
Goddamn.
I knew a dude, straight-up ate a bat, man.
Vampire bat? - Nah, just a regular bat.
He cooked the fucking thing over a can of Sterno.
He ain't clean it or nothing.
That ain't shit.
Once I saw this dude eat his own dog.
-Fuck off. - Swear to God.
One night, the dude was sharing his dinner with it.
The next night,
he was barbecuing the damn--
Yo, stop throwing fucking shit at me!
-Yo, yo, relax! - Calm the fuck down.
-Put the knife away. - You got a problem with me,
-fucker? - Hey, man, calm the fuck down.
What the fuck? Man, sit the fuck down, now.
-Stop throwing shit at him.
pensive music
I think Pam was really moved today.
Must have cost a good bit to pull that off.
Well, everybody kicked in.
There's no way what the boys put in came close to covering it.
It's okay to take credit for doing a good thing, Del.
You had a lot of ceremonies like that up in Pittsburgh?
Some. Yeah.
But we never did the bagpipe thing.
That was Steve's idea.
Mkay.
-Okay. - What?
You will do anything
to not talk about yourself.
You know what my mom finally did with my dad?
She instituted what she called Feelings Friday.
-Oh, boy. -She wrote up a chart
-of 20 emotions.
End of the week meal,
he had to point to a feeling,
say it out loud
and on what day he felt it and why.
-Or else she wouldn't feed him.
Is hungry an emotion?
You better watch yourself or I'm gonna go get a chart.
Del.
I know I fucked up before.
I'm sorry. I...
But...
I want you to feel like you can tell me things.
I want to understand you.
So we can try to make things work.
You don't like to talk about Pittsburgh.
A detective in any big city sees a lot of terrible stuff.
So one day you just picked up and took off?
Yep.
For Buell?
Eh, hey, I like Buell.
I mean, I built a solid cabin in the woods.
Met a nice girl.
You really want to know what happened in Pittsburgh?
I really do.
I caught a fucked-up case.
Changed how I saw the people I worked with.
Realized the job I thought was making me a better man
was actually poisoning me.
This eight-year-old at Saint Germaine Academy
gets walked into my station by his mother.
He had hickeys up and down his body.
His stomach, his legs.
-14 of 'em.
Looked like he'd been attacked by leeches.
Good God.
The D.A. charged his English teacher.
Prepped the kid. Thought he was ready.
At trial, the kid gets on the stand,
and the teacher has his pregnant wife
and baby daughter sitting right behind him.
And the wife starts crying, tears just streaming down.
Our kid takes one look at the wife and goes completely mute.
Then the teacher reaches behind to pat his wife on the leg.
Soon as he touches her, the kid pisses his pants
right there on the stand.
The judge calls the lawyers into his chambers,
says with no one to speak to the crime, there is no crime.
Dismisses the case.
Well, tell me the school at least fired the guy.
He skipped town on his own.
A few months later, the other detectives in my squad,
they track him down.
He's living in a little town outside Milwaukee.
Had the second baby by then.
The guys tell me, "We're going to Wisconsin.
You make sure you're in a crowded bar tonight."
They killed him.
All I had to say was, "No, thank you."
But I let them do it.
The oath we all took together was,
"We do this for each other.
Each other's cases, the bad ones that got away."
I left the force before they could ask me to repay the debt.
I broke my oath.
You got yourself out of a bad situation,
before you did something terrible.
You made a change.
Not everybody has the courage to do that.
pensive music
You okay?
I'm just wiped out.
Could you open one of those for me?
Thanks.
Mm.
Dad, I'm sorry about yesterday.
I was trying to help.
I know.
It was rough for both of us.
They're coming in hordes.
It's like an invasion.
There's no other way to put it.
We are being invaded.
And what is our so-called government
doing about it? Nothing.
Can we not watch this, please?
What's wrong with the news?
It's not news. It's racism.
If there were stories about Mexicans curing cancer,
-they'd show it. - Your children
are half Mexican. Your wife was Mexican.
I'm not talking about you.
You know I'm proud of you.
...with a pool and a sauna.
We're making them stay in dormitories...
Is there a Pirates game on?
I thought you'd be a Yankees fan by now.
Mm, just be happy it's not the Mets.
That's my girl.
[newsman] This is where your tax dollars...
[sportscaster] ...is still dealing a scoreless game.
Dad, can we talk about long-term plans?
Can we do that?
Evens the count at one and one.
-Tomorrow. - Please?
At some point soon.
I have to go back to school.
I can't keep Skyping into my lectures.
[sportscaster] Looked like a backdoor cutter...
Isaac's not coming back.
He'll come back.
This is his home.
And when he does come home,
you'll be able to go back to your nice life in New York,
and you won't ever have to worry about me again.
I do worry about you.
That's why I send you money every week.
Where did you find this?
I sent it to make your life easier.
But because you didn't use it for that,
you wound up alienating your son.
Your mother never had a problem caring for me.
And look what that did to her.
Don't.
Mom's been dead going on four years,
and you've basically ground to a halt.
You know what breaks my heart?
You remind me so much of her.
You look like her and you sound like her,
but you don't act like her one goddamn bit. Not in here.
I'm not her.
I'm not here to serve you the way she did.
Because you know what?
It sucked the life out of her.
Don't talk about your mother like that.
You want your money, take it.
It sucked the life out of Isaac, too.
Did you ever thank him?
Did you ever thank Mom?
Because I know you haven't thanked me for coming home,
for cooking dinner, for doing all the laundry
lying around the house.
Thanks for making dinner.
Fouled again.
I'm getting a nurse. It's happening.
I'm tired of asking.
[newswoman] There's a whole business built around
smuggling these people in filth, through tunnels.
Where is the Mexican government?
The smugglers live in Mexico,
they get paid in Mexico.
The enforcement has to happen in Mexico.
Fayette County Sheriff tip line.
[Bobby] Yeah, I'm calling about the cop murder,
about Pete Novick.
Hold on one second.
I'll transfer you to the sheriff.
Sheriff?
Hello?
I saw the whole thing.
[Frank] Are you the person who called us before?
I'm the person calling you now.
That's all you need to know.
Would you be willing to come in and talk to us?
-That's not gonna happen. - We can protect you.
Not a chance.
How do I know you're telling the truth?
You don't have a choice.
I can hang up.
Don't do that. Stay with me.
Just tell me what you saw.
It was some kid.
Big, strong kid. Like, 20, 21.
Him and Pete got into an argument.
I guess they had beef with each other
from back when Pete was a cop.
They started going at it, yelling.
Next thing I know, the kid punches Pete in the face.
Coldcocks him.
Is that how Pete Novick died?
Come on, man,
you know that's not how he died.
You trying to test me?
I'm just trying to understand.
-How did this kid kill him? -[Bobby] I got hit too,
so I was on the ground.
That kid was strong like an animal.
White guy. Like six-foot, maybe taller.
All I know is when I looked over,
Pete was on his face on the floor,
and he was bleeding from the back of his head.
And the kid was running out the door.
Did he have a weapon?
[Bobby] I told you, I was on the ground.
Do you know this kid's name?
Are you still there?
Yeah, I'm here.
[Frank] Did Pete say his name when they were arguing?
He did, yeah.
It was Billy. Billy Poe.
Are you sure?
-Hello?
-You still there?
intense music
haunting music