Previously on American Rust...
[Tucker] Peter Novick died from blunt force trauma.
The back of his skull was split, his parietal lobe exposed.
Tox screen revealed a mess of drugs.
Are we ever gonna see each other again?
Head west, just like you planned.
Get out there and go to that school.
Dad? You okay in there?
-It's fine. I'm fine! - I'm not looking.
I'm getting a nurse.
It's happening.
I'm tired of asking.
Can I cut in?
Hey, Mrs. Poe.
Lee, what a nice surprise.
She's married, Billy.
You don't think I know that?
Just be careful.
I don't want you getting hurt again.
We're trying to unionize the shop.
-I'm not interested. - Just wait. I...
Just hear us out, okay?
We need you.
You can explain things to your family.
We got to get those signatures.
Both AFL-CIO and UAW say it could even help
their immigration status if they're part of a union.
What size shoe do you wear?
Thirteen.
Do yourself a favor. Get rid of those.
Go buy yourself a pair of 14s.
You know this guy?
That's this dude they call Bobby.
He used to run around with Pete Novick.
Oh, shit. Chief!
I saw the whole thing.
Would you be willing to come in and talk to us?
-That's not gonna happen. - I want him.
Not Deluca, not anybody else.
I want to know what happened in that mill, who was there.
This is my case.
dramatic music
-
Get up. Get up.
Don't freak the fuck out. Get up. Come on.
Get up. Get up. Shit.
Fucking run.
tense, atmospheric music
Hey. Good morning.
-See you. - Have a good one.
Yeah?
He appreciates the coffee,
but he's a Splenda guy and not a sugar guy.
That's it?
Uh, he's got no idea
how much longer he's gonna be on this sit.
So either nothing's happened
or there's a loop and he's not in it.
Yeah. All right.
That was a dumbass place to sleep.
What?
Don't sleep someplace there's only one way out of.
Hey, you lucky it was me that found you.
Well, luck is less about probability than psychology.
If you think you're lucky, you will be.
It's a good thing for you I know I am.
I'm Jojo.
Trying to figure out if it's a boy or a girl.
No.
I know.
So, this is the moment you tell me your name,
since I told you mine.
My name's Billy.
Billy Poe.
Thanks.
Can you give me that tray there?
-That-- - Yeah.
Behind the walker.
Just let me get straight, then you can get out of here.
It don't bother me, Mr. English. You take your time.
Hand me that nozzle.
Turn it on.
Thanks.
All right. I'll be out here if you need anything.
-Billy. - Yes, sir?
You hear from Isaac?
No, sir. Not since he left.
He tell you where he was going?
Uh, west, I think.
You know he stole money from me.
Lee says he gave it back.
That doesn't make it right.
No, sir.
Christ, son, you don't have to buy me a drink,
but for fuck's sake, call me Henry.
Okay.
Now, get the hell out of here.
Can't you see I'm having a bath?
How you been getting around?
Rode the train.
Got kicked off.
Bulls got you?
Bulls?
Yeah, the train cops.
No, uh, couple guys in the boxcar.
Let me guess, you were in there alone.
Uh-uh.
You can't get in a boxcar alone.
Shit. People hide all in the corners
and then jump out soon as that thing start moving.
Well, you know that now.
But you got to be careful,
'cause some people you meet on the road,
they not open to suggestion.
I tell you, motherfuckers will cut you just for breathing.
And definitely don't tell anybody you're queer.
Yeah?
Hey, baby.
Listen, let me hit you back.
Yeah, I'm busy.
Me, too.
I said I love you, too. Goddamn.
You coming or what?
What?
You gonna tell me you not queer?
Like sees like. Birds of a feather.
You know what they say.
Runaway shoes.
Not homeless shoes. Where you from?
-Fayette County. - Where's that at?
Western Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh.
Oh, you ain't been traveling long.
No, a little.
Got a long way to go.
You got somebody to go to?
No.
I got Zoe. She's waiting for me up in Vegas.
I was gonna try to save some money and buy a bus ticket,
but I said fuck it.
I'm-a just get on the road and be on my way.
I'm going to California.
That's where they all going.
Looking to be a movie star.
I know something about our friend Olga.
I know that she favors the satiny kind of underwear.
Nice and shiny, often purple.
Violet or lilac.
-You can translate. Oh...
I have no idea where the fuck
she's going with this, but go ahead.
Me, personally, I go with cotton,
primary colors, unless I got a real reason
to put something snazzier on, which, unfortunately,
-is not very often.
How do I know this about you?
Because, three times a week,
I see you change in that locker room
for your night shift cleaning at Home Depot,
and I see you struggling to grip tight
on your zipper to pull it up.
I got the same struggle zipping up my coat,
especially at the end of a shift.
This work we do takes a toll on our bodies,
on our hands.
We deserve health benefits.
You and me should be able to go see a doctor
without blowing a full week's paycheck.
I mean, that's why we're trying to get this done.
You shouldn't even have to have a second job.
We do the work that gives Gelsey his money,
and we ought to share in that somehow.
That's the working America I grew up in,
and I miss it big-time.
Dalia, your daughter wants to go to college.
You got to save for that. I mean, this is how we start
to make that possible.
Um, can I ask about overtime?
Yeah, of course.
So, we all work extra shifts on the weekends,
but we've never gotten any overtime for it.
Yeah. I do the same thing.
State law makes it so workers are supposed to get
time and a half over 40 hours,
but we'll never get there if we don't unionize.
We got to stick together.
We need you.
We're gonna... we're gonna think about it.
Um, I understand
you're worried about causing trouble.
I would never ask any of you to do this
if I thought it was gonna screw with your immigration status.
I need you to know that.
Jo tells me you all got papers or green cards,
and I talked to our lawyer,
and she will haul Gelsey's ass to court
if he does anything to mess with that.
You have my word.
Sí.
-Sí. - Sí.
-Bueno. - Okay.
-Okay. - Okay?
Okay.
-Okay. - Okay.
Yes, okay.
-Fuckin' A.
This is wonderful.
-Fuckin' A. - Yeah.
You're doing the right thing.
Uh, okay, print your name and sign in the box next to it.
quiet, tense music
Good morning, ma'am.
Is this the residence of William Poe?
rhythmic acoustic guitar music
Hope you prepared to be a gentleman.
I got a big-ass appetite this morning.
What's the matter?
What, you gonna make me go Dutch?
I don't... I'm...
I'm kind of broke.
They took your money, too?
Something like that.
Come on, let's go this way.
What are you doing?
They got to throw shit out
after it's been under the hot lights too long.
Chicken or beef?
-Uh, chi-- - Nah, you take beef.
That's cannibalism or some shit.
Mmm.
You know, they did a study that found
there was way more bacteria
inside most restaurants than in garbage bins.
Who did?
They did.
Oh. Right.
Okay, the study people.
Damn straight.
Study people.
They get it peer-reviewed?
-What, the study? - Yeah.
You know, probably not.
But you know what?
Fuck them.
Fuck people.
I'm with you on that.
Fuck people.
tense, atmospheric music
Well, they're thinking about opening another restaurant.
-Really? - I thought they'd be thinking
about retirement, but they found this deal
-on a space in Shadyside.
Hey.
Did you know about this?
Did you know this was happening?
Slow down, Grace.
Don't tell me to slow down.
Do you realize what the fuck is going on?
There are deputies crawling all over the place.
I'm coming.
More men are color-blind than women
because the genes most responsible for color blindness
are on the X chromosome.
You know, you say a lot of stuff out loud
that people usually keep inside their heads.
Sorry.
That's actually what these bandanas do.
Each color says something to a man inside his head.
You know the language, you can talk to all the boys.
They see a color, they know exactly what you looking to do
or what you want to have done to you,
and you haven't even opened your mouth.
Yet.
Uh...
There, look.
He's saying, "I want to suck a big old dick."
Is this really a thing?
It is if you over 50.
That creamy beige brother over there,
he's saying, "I want to get my ass ate."
Are you serious?
What if I don't want to do anything?
Sometimes it's not about what you want
but what you'll do to make some money when you don't have it.
I would want to do a hand job.
Nobody says it like that.
A hand job?
"I would want to do a hand job."
It's not even grammatically correct.
All right, now, would you like your dick yanked,
or would you like to yank a dick?
Maybe either.
You want to yank a dick and get paid for it.
Theoretically.
Shit.
-What are you doing? - Come on.
Come on.
This place got some bad energy.
We're gonna find a new spot.
Inshallah.
-You're a Muslim? - No.
But I am Black.
Yo.
Me and my little brother are looking to get to Vegas
to see our mom.
Not going to Vegas.
Where are you going?
Dayton.
That's right.
Our mom's in Dayton.
I thought you said she was in Las Vegas.
Uh, she moved.
atmospheric music
Sorry, Chief. Can't let you pass.
Can't what?
Frank.
Walk with me, Del.
You go into any town in Fayette County,
you pick up the phone and you give the chief a call
when you're raiding a house, and Buell is my town.
I keep my phone on vibrate, nestled in my ass crack,
and I felt nothing from you all morning.
-You done? - What the fuck, Frank?
Herlitz made the call. She wants you out.
-Fuck Sue Herlitz. - Not even with your dick.
What are you saying to me?
I'm telling you what you already know.
This is your girlfriend's habitation,
and you've got history with Herlitz
over your girlfriend's boy,
and you've been removed from this case
by order of the district attorney.
So if you've got beef, you can take it up
with the lady on the "stand with Sue" billboards.
-When'd this happen? - It's happening now, Chief.
Now it's "Chief"?
Yeah, for now.
-Paronne signed off on this? - What do you think?
On what, circumstantial bullshit?
Eyewitness.
Uh-huh. Who?
I told you. Eyewitness.
Says he saw it happen.
Named the kid.
This the same guy, the one in
the surveillance photo with Pete Novick,
-looks like the risen Christ? - Could be.
You questioned him, and you don't know what he looks like?
The eyewitness called in.
Son of God leave a name, or is this another
anonymous call, mysterious ways and such?
Sir, we got something to show you.
That's all I have for you, Del,
so stop digging and let me do my job.
Fair?
Take care of your sister, now.
Don't worry. I will.
You think that's funny?
-He just-- - Am I your bitch?
-What? I didn't-- - Yo, you don't know me.
You don't have the right to say anything about me.
Why are you mad?
Hold on.
Goddamn, Zoe, what is it?
I'm sorry, I--
Yeah, Zoe. I said I'm on my way.
I'll call you when I can talk, and I can't talk right now.
You take whatever you're holding onto
and keep holding onto it until I call you b--
Hung up on me.
That's on you, too.
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean any disrespect. I--
Yeah, well, maybe you make it up to me.
How'd your fine ass like to make $40?
Forty dollars?
stirring acoustic guitar music
You like what you see?
Take a hint, pal.
You don't consult with anybody.
You just plow ahead and do whatever you want.
Turning my house into a construction site, I don't need.
Chief Harris.
Sorry to barge in. Door was open.
-Come on in. Arrest this girl. - Dad.
-What's the charge? - Breaking and entering,
and doing shit I don't want.
Jesus, Dad.
That's pretty serious. How do you plead, young lady?
Guilty, I guess.
How about a cup of coffee, Chief Harris?
Is that a bribe?
It's a cup of coffee.
I'm gonna have to take a rain check on that.
Take a walk outside with me, son?
Welcome home, Lee.
I'm gonna let you two adjudicate this on your own,
see if you can't work it out without me.
-All right? I pay my taxes.
I expect police protection when I ask for it.
Glad to see you're feeling better, Henry.
This is gonna be a good thing for you. I can feel it.
-You talked to your mother? - No.
Lose your phone?
I was helping Mr. English. I shut it off.
-Is she okay? - No, she's not okay.
Sheriff Deluca and his deputies are on a fishing expedition
-in your room right now. - My room?
Your room, your mom's room, the whole fucking house.
Now, listen to me, whatever there is
to find in there, sheriff's gonna find it.
There's nothing.
There's always something. Just nod yes or no.
You have a weapon between the mattress and box spring?
Or in your gym bag at the back of the closet?
A gun, a metal pipe, a heavy tool?
I want you to look at something.
You know him?
suspenseful music
You sure about that?
I'm sure.
Can we, uh... can we go over to the garage?
She can't hear us.
I test your piss, it's gonna come back dirty?
No.
You using? You were buying drugs?
I said no.
I can prove it.
"No illegal substances detected."
That's a good report card.
I'm gonna hold onto it for you so you don't lose it.
Don't rush back home.
Wait until they're done with their hunt and gone.
Your mother's gonna have questions.
You've taken a vow of silence. Understand?
You have questions, you talk to me.
Or you talk to a lawyer. Nobody else, right?
Okay.
Helping old Henry, huh?
You're a Boy Scout, is that right?
Just doing a favor.
For him or for her?
tense, atmospheric music
stirring acoustic guitar music
Forty, we said?
We good?
Yeah.
All right.
Let's do this.
Snake don't bite.
You don't have to be afraid of it.
Yeah. Hmm?
Not the biggest, but, uh...
it's a fat one.
Go on, grab it.
Don't be shy.
That's good.
You got real soft hands.
You like it?
Uh-huh.
All right, now, it's hard already.
I paid for a blow job, not a handy.
You get down there, and you suck it off.
You can play with my asshole while you do it.
What the fuck? Hey! What the fuck?
Hey, hey! Where do you think you're going, you little faggot?
Now you're really gonna pay.
Ah, fuck!
You motherfucker!
I will kill you!
up-tempo, suspenseful music
Fucker!
gentle, plaintive music
Billy?
Billy!
-We'll be back tomorrow. I'll be here.
I think it looks great.
You should listen to me when I tell you something.
I'm listening.
-I made some calls... - Oh, Jesus.
...to a home health agency about getting you a nurse.
-I don't need a nurse. - Dad.
Whatever you think I need a nurse for, Billy can do it.
He can get me in the tub, help me on and off the toilet.
That'd be all right with me. Deal?
That was really nice of Billy, but that was a one-time thing.
A favor.
Write him a check.
I'm not gonna pay
my ex-boyfriend to take care of you.
That's not gonna happen.
You should have hired help with the money
I've been sending you the last six months.
I was holding it for you.
What? Why were you holding it?
If things didn't work out with your new husband,
it'd be there for you.
What does that mean, "didn't work out"?
It means having a plan.
Like a contingency plan?
Because I don't really belong in his world?
He'd see through me eventually and cut me loose,
and I'd be desperate.
Did I get that right?
That's not what I said.
Just...
Everyone needs a safety net.
You never know what's gonna happen.
Look at me.
I'm living proof.
The money was meant to be Isaac's safety net...
to give him a break, give him a little freedom.
Well, he took his freedom now.
In the only way he could figure out.
atmospheric music
That feels good.
Good.
gentle acoustic guitar music
Billy, what kind of trouble are you in?
Why you rushing around, trying to put
the house in order, stacking up extra firewood?
It's like you know you're leaving.
I can't talk to you about this.
I have to deal with this in my own way.
Billy, I want to help you.
Tell me, how can I help you?
You can't.
I'm sorry, but you can't.
Need a room for me and my friend.
Hey.
I got money.
Look.
No room.
Come on, man. We need a room.
No room.
You a fucking liar. There's two people outside--
I see. Homeboy got the hookup.
Christ. I'm using the restroom.
It's all good. We all gay here.
How'd that feel back there?
I wasn't ready.
To suck a dick or steal from one?
Either.
Dude, don't even think about flushing that.
The water's gonna go ice cold.
I won't.
Man, you spoke good Spanish to that desk clerk.
My mother was from Mexico.
Oh, yeah? She miss it?
She died.
Oh.
She must have been young.
She was.
She, um... she walked through the woods.
She liked to do that where we lived.
She picked up rocks along the way,
put 'em in her pockets.
And then she came to the river, and she just...
...kept walking.
She killed herself?
Look, there's no shampoo. Get my conditioner.
It's in a little plastic bottle
in my bag of shit, in the outside pocket.
Now, you take a bath,
you can use my products if you don't got your own.
-Thanks. - De nada.
-Thank you. - You bet.
-Keep the change. - Well, thank you.
Lee. Hey, come here.
Hi.
Sit your ass down.
How you doing, Miss Thang?
-Funny running into you here. - Thanks for the beer.
We were just saying the same thing.
First the wedding, now Rylan's.
Pretty soon, you'll be back taking your pick of our men
and none of us will ever get laid again.
Shut up.
Don't come in here with that hair and that body
and expect we're not gonna notice.
Don't listen to us. We're fat and jealous.
But you can't escape our claws now, big-city girl.
So what are you doing back?
You should've brought your husband.
Oh, it's just a few days. I'm...
My dad's a handful.
I'm just getting things on track.
What kind of things?
You know, fixing things around the house,
making it easier for him to get around,
and trying to get a nurse or something to help him.
Girl, you can hire me.
I can help.
I'd feel weird asking you to do that.
Um, it's my job, Lee.
Personal care company I work for, when I work for them,
takes a huge cut right off the top.
You could hire me direct.
I'd really appreciate the work.
Can I think about it?
Who's watching him tonight?
He doesn't need round-the-clock. He just...
I feel like I'm boring you guys with this talk.
I'm boring myself. - It's not boring.
You came here to take a break, right?
I'm actually meeting Billy for a drink.
Oh, yeah?
That why you didn't bring your husband?
Very funny. It's just a drink.
That beer was for him.
Well, it's mine now.
So I guess you've heard?
Heard what?
Really?
Sheriff searched his house today.
People are saying it has
something to do with the dead policeman.
No, it's got to be some kind of mistake.
Mistake or not, he's gonna need a lawyer.
Good thing you're back.
I'm not a lawyer, Joelle. I-I'm still in school.
You're the closest thing he's got to one.
I have to go.
I'll think about, you know, you helping my dad.
I don't think we're ever gonna meet her husband.
Not gonna ask to what I owe this visit.
All right, don't be an asshole.
And I won't be an asshole.
And we can have a beer together
and be two guys who ain't assholes.
How's that?
I just came by for a little visit.
I'm not looking for a friend, Virgil.
Oh, you think this makes us friends?
Grace, though, she's waiting on you.
She also wants answers, and I don't have 'em.
She send you over here?
No, nobody sends me nowhere.
She doesn't even know I'm here.
You know, I did the best I could for that kid.
I was there for my boy.
Every single Friday night, I never missed a game.
You know, that kid could've gone all the way.
Just didn't want it bad enough, I guess.
Yeah. You know what he said to me one day,
that little son of a bitch?
He said, "You ought to be able to grow up in a place
you don't have to get the hell out of when you turn 18."
Maybe he's right.
All right.
Enough with the bonding bullshit.
Tell me straight up what they think Billy did.
Is this about Pete Novick?
Yeah, it is.
They're building a case against your son.
What fucking case?
They're gonna put him at the scene,
and Billy has a history with beating on people.
Come on, man.
You think he was selling dope with Pete?
Or to Pete?
Billy? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
He's selling dope to everyone in Fayette County
in between shifts flipping burgers at the diner.
Yeah, that's why he's driving around town
in that big old fancy car
and throwing around all that goddamn money.
Have you ever seen Billy do anything like that?
-No. - Yeah, then what the fuck, man?
Tell 'em they got it all wrong.
I'm trying to.
Good. Try harder.
Fuck.
Buy your own goddamn beer.
Excuse me, Sue.
Jesus, you scared me.
You were a half second away
from getting a face full of pepper spray.
Figured you'd want a recap.
Now, I am more than fashionably late for dinner with a donor.
Spin it for me quick. What'd you pick up?
We tagged some tools from the boy's shed
and a pair of turf shoes-- football.
-They match the scene? - Same size, 13.
But the treads on the soles don't match.
Size 13. That's something.
A lot of big-footed boys in this town.
Thirteen isn't that special.
What about a possible weapon in his toolbox?
They looked clean.
Like he wiped 'em down?
They're old tools. They have some use on them,
but I don't think the murder weapon's in there.
Get 'em tested for blood.
-It's happening now. - What else?
Poe's boss at the diner confirmed
he had contusions on his knuckles
that match the caller's description-- right hand.
Novick had visible bruising on the left side of his face.
Put it all on the pile. I can push
-Paronne to arraignment. - Thin pile.
When this goes to trial, I need that eyewitness.
Cell towers from the second call pinged south of here.
But he could be in Virginia, Maryland.
He could be any damn place by now.
I'm just saying, you shine a light on things,
have a press conference,
cameras snapping at a dead cop's funeral,
and things will get hot and fast.
Should've had him in pocket before putting the heat on.
I can take the heat.
[Billy] I feel like I spent half my life on that field.
Everybody thought playing ball was
the most important thing to me.
But I never cared what happened on the field...
...so long as I saw you after.
What were the police doing in your house?
Sheriff.
Okay.
It was my fault.
What was?
It was my fault.
I went in after him.
tense, atmospheric music
Was that Pete Novick?
Billy, don't.
I'm just gonna talk to him.
Whatever. He can't catch a ball to save his life.
Somebody needs to get tougher for my guys.
Keep it coming.
Fucking hell.
What are you doing here?
Thought you might want to talk about things
from the last time we saw each other.
Who's the asshole?
Name's Billy Poe.
Punk got me fired
after he went apeshit on some Donora boy.
Cracked open his skull with a fucking bat.
You got something to say to me, just come and say it to me.
Not so tough now without your gun
and your fucking boot on my back?
-Fuck off. - I'm sorry?
You want to talk to me, just come and talk to me.
This what you want?
Huh? This what you want?
Whoa. Whoa, whoa.
Easy.
Oh, you like that?
Like it rough?
tense, atmospheric music
Isaac only followed me in 'cause he was worried about me.
What happened, it's my fault.
I picked the fight.
Isaac is gone, doing what he should've done a long time ago.
His life is worth a hell of a lot more than mine.
So I won't say a word to another soul...
ever.
I won't do that to him or to you, because I love you.
Hey.
You made me forget.
For a few days, I forgot why I even left.
I thought maybe this was something good.
It is good.
What is wrong with you?
You knew all this time.
You hid it from me. You slept with me.
I don't know where my brother is.
He could be anywhere right now.
You're saying he killed someone?
Nobody is looking for him.
That's supposed to make it better?
He did it for me.
He did it to protect me.
I will never talk. I won't say anything.
You want me to thank you?
Tell you you're a hero?
You're not a hero.
You're worthless.
You're worse than that. You're bad luck.
And it rubs off on everything you touch.
Do not come anywhere near me again.
-Lee. - Get out of the car.
Billy, get out of the fucking car.
atmospheric music
[woman on TV] ...dating back to the Revolutionary War.
[man on TV] This one goes through, actually,
some of the Civil War battles like Antietam
and Gettysburg and, uh, Vicksburg,
and it's pretty amazing how detailed it gets.
Don't make me say it.
Because I say it all the time.
Okay.
I love you.
I love you, Zoe.
Damn.
Yeah.
A few days.
Him?
He just a kid I picked up along the way.
Yeah, I mean, he's smart, but...
might be in a useless kind of way.
I can't tell yet.
Oh, shit. I got to go.
Girl, I think he was standing right behind me the whole time.
Yeah. You, too.
You just gonna stare at me or...
I didn't... I didn't know where you were. I...
Thought I'd run off and left you, huh?
That's fucked-up.
I told you I would get you as far as Nevada.
You stuck with me for the ride, little Billy.
My name's Isaac, not Billy.
Trusting people.
That's how you make friends.
Well, come on, friend.
Get your stuff. It's time to go to school.
Come on.
A'ight.
Frank.
You asked for a heads-up, Del. I'm doing you one better.
How you figure?
I'm gonna do you the courtesy
of bringing the boy in yourself.
-Can you do that? - On what charge?
That's to be determined.
Are we in the neighborhood of intent
or accidental?
That's also to be determined.
You're not giving me much to go on here, Frank.
It's all I have to give.
This may be the last one before I'm out of gifts.
I need the boy brought in by the end of the day.
You have 12 hours.
atmospheric music
"All The Best" by John Prine
I wish you love
And happiness
I guess I wish
You all the best
I wish you don't
Do like I do
Never fall in love with someone like you
'Cause if you felt
Just like I did
You'd probably walk around the block like a little kid