"♪♪" "Narrator:" "And so, we come to perhapsthebloodiestchapter in the long and violent history ofthemidwestregion." "And here, I'm speaking of luverne, Minnesota, 1979... commonlyreferredto  bylaypeople as the massacre at sioux falls." "Readerswillknow thatI 'vechosen tofilethiscase asa Minnesotacrime, eventhough mostofthemurderstook place in north and then south Dakota." "ButI believe thekeyto understanding thiscomplexandnuancedcrime istolook atthebutcherand small-town beauticianatitscenter." "EdandPeggyblumquist werejust29 yearsold  onthenight theirliveschangedforever." "[ Radio chatter ]" "[ Gunshot ]" "[ Radio chatter continues ]" "[ Grunts ]" "Notmuchis known aboutohanzeedent." "Wehaveno birthcertificate, notribalor familyhistory." "Hewasthegerhardts'man." "Orhehadbeen,until..." "Dodd:" "JesusChrist,mongrel." "Just shoot these two and get me toa goddamnhospital." "[ Gunshot ]" "[ Radio chatter continues ]" "♪♪" "[ Engine turns over ]" "[ Tires screech ]" "[ Tires squeal ]" "Jeb:" "So, this what all the fuss is about?" "Sue:" "Yes, sir." "Blumquist, Mr. and Mrs." "Took flight from Minnesota two days past." "They don't look like much." "You don't look like much." "We're realized." "What..." "what's she sayin'?" "Says she realized something'." "Realized what?" "That you're up a tree without a paddle?" "It's a tri-state deal here, j.C." "We're talkin' bodies for miles." "Not just some dead hooligan in a cabin." "It's a goddamn shooting' war." "Yeah." "I know." "We got 'em, too." "Organized crime." "W-what the heck are you doin' here with... with that one?" "The eldest gerhardt boy..." "dodd." "He came to the house after Peggy, and she knocked him on his ass." "So, I thought maybe trade him back to the family." "Make a deal for us to go." "A fresh start." "We're on a journey." "[ Sighs ] Can we just..." "[ Sighs ]" "While we're skipping' down memory Lane here, it's worth notin' that the gerhardt Indian is out there free... probably calling' for reinforcements." "So if I were us..." "I-I stabbed him." "...I'd get them out of here." "Or cover 'em in bacon and leave 'em for the dogs." "I stabbed him..." "the Indian." "He wanted a haircut, and I stabbed him with the scissors." "In the back." "[ Laughs ]" "Boy, she makes us look like the gang that can't shoot straight, doesn't she?" "Our beautician." "It's worth mentionin', you know, in the spirit of full disclosure uh, my plan..." "it worked." "I made a deal for dodd." "With what?" "The gerhardts?" "No." "They... they..." "they wouldn't." "They said they weren't interested." "That's what they..." "that's what they told me." "So, I called Kansas City." "You did what?" "I spoke to this fella..." "milligan... and he said he'd protect us if we gave him dodd." "So got a meeting set at 8:00 A.M." "Where?" "Sioux falls." "They're comin' here?" "Yes, sir..." "to the motor motel." "We need to get these two into custody now." "Where's the nearest precinct?" "[ Police radio chatter in distance ]" "Tell 'em." "We can't vouch for the safety of the precinct, is the thing." "What kinda chickenshit outfit ya runnin' here, j.C.?" "Zip it." "I don't drive to your backyard and talk about how all your heads are flat." "What does that mean, you can't vouch for the safety?" "We got graft, I'm sayin'." "Money changes hands." "Used to be gerhardt money." "Now it's Kansas City." "Corruption?" "Allegedly." "But... well, ya bring these two into custody, can't guarantee they won't hear about it down in Kansas City." "And you know they'll send, like, an army." "So, we take 'em north, someplace where people got their heads on straight." "My state." "My prisoners." "Well, wherever we're takin' 'em, we need to go soon." "I've been under siege once this week." "Not really interested..." "there's a third way." "We wire the redhead." "Send him into the meeting with this milligan fella, get the conspiracy on tape." "If we're lucky, we bust the whole operation." "No." "Son, I'm lookin' around, and you're outranked here nine ways to Sunday." "You can't." "These two?" "You saw 'em." "Well, they're doin' better than us so far." "Yeah." "Okay." "Through blind luck." "They're not up to..." "believe me, wearing' a wire?" "They'll make the effort if they think it'll keep 'em off death row." "Look, I've met this milligan fella." "It's not amateur hour." "He gets one whiff..." "Ed's dead before the time it takes to blow your nose." "Thought you were Gary Cooper." "[ Clears throat ]" "Turns out you're Betty laplage." "Say that again." "Look." "You brought your shit to town, son." "I'm just trying to clean it up." "And I say we squeeze the lemons we got and use the juice to catch these big fish." "So get with the program." "Kid, listen to me." "They're gonna offer you a deal, okay?" "Son..." "don't take it." "Tell 'em you want a lawyer." "Make them take you into custody." "What do you care?" "I'm responsible for you." "We don't need your conscience." "You're half the reason we're in this mess." "Look, you're not ready for this." "Trooper, not another word." "You are not up to the task." "This is a war." "Don't you get it?" "I'm responsible for you, and you're breathin' because of me." "I can't just leave you behind." "Son!" "You're turfed." "Now pack your shit and get out of here." "Or my boys are gonna show ya what a south Dakota necktie feels like." "I'm goin'." "You've been lucky." "That luck's gonna run out." "This is on you!" "[ Door opens, closes ]" "[ Police radio chatter ]" "Well, that went wrong in a hurry." "You comin'?" "No." "Good to have at least one grown-up here, don't you think?" "[ Sighs ]" "I'm gonna call my boss, see if he can stop this madness on a bureaucratic level." "Worth a shot." "This thing's officially out of control." "[ Engine turns over ]" "[ Sighs ]" "You two are in the shit just about past your eyes." "Yeah?" "But there's a rope in my hand." "Okay." "Do ya want the rope?" "Yeah." "We'll take all the help we can get." "Good." "Gonna let ya have your meetin' with Kansas City." "Gonna put a wire on ya." "What's that?" "A recording device, son." "Are ya stupid?" "Hey!" "Look, you get these Kansas City boys to impugn themselves on tape, and I'll talk to the d.A." "About pleading' ya out on lesser charges." "Well, I want it in writin'." "♪♪" "Narrator:" "Meanwhile,atthecrossroads separatingMinnesota fromsouthDakota, adifferentkindofbetrayal wastakingplace." "Yes, sir, I do think that sounds strange." "Mikemilligan, thelow-levelenforcer fortheKansasCitymafia, wasplayingadangerousgame ." "Just hours earlier, he had been targetedforexecution, buthehadturnedthetables onhiskillers." "[ Indistinct shouting ]" "Well, they never showed up." "Andnow, ina desperategambit..." "I'm on my way..." "me and my man... to collect the eldest gerhardt male." "...hesoughtto  routthegerhardtfamily onceandforall ." "That's right..." "dodd gerhardt." "That's what I was thinking..." "grab him up, see if we can't end things this minute tonight with a trade or ambush." "Well, thank you, sir." "I won't let you down." "[ Coins jingle ]" "[ Sighs ]" "[ Whistling ]" "[ Engine turns over ]" "♪ Sylvia's mother says, "Sylvia's packin' ♪" "♪ she's gonna be leavin' today" ♪" "♪ Sylvia's mother says, "Sylvia's marrying' ♪" "♪ a fella down galveston way" ♪" "♪ Sylvia's mother says, "please don't say no"... ♪" "[ Car door closes ]" "♪ And the operator says ♪" "♪ "40 cents more for the next 3 minutes" ♪" "[ Water running ] ♪ please, Mrs. Avery ♪" "[ Water stops ] ♪ I just gotta talk to her ♪" "♪ I'll only keep her a while ♪" "Finished." "Uh, that's a beauty." "[ Glass shatters ] Go show your mom, huh?" "♪ Sylvia's mother says, "Sylvia's hurrying' ♪" "♪ she's catchin' the 9:00 train" ♪" "Mommy?" "♪ Sylvia's mother says, "take your umbrella ♪" "♪ 'cause, sylvie, it's startin' to rain" ♪" "♪ and Sylvia's mother says, "thank you for callin' ♪" "♪ and, sir, won't you call back again?" ♪" "♪ and the operator says ♪" "♪ "40 cents more ♪" "[ Telephone ringing ] ♪ for the next 3 minutes" ♪" "[ Ringing continues ] ♪ please, Mrs. Avery ♪" "♪ I just gotta talk to her ♪" "[ Ringing continues ] ♪ I'll only keep her a while ♪" "♪ please, Mrs. Avery ♪" "♪ I just wanna tell her goodbye ♪" "[ Coins jingle ]" "♪ Tell her goodbye ♪" "[ Pulsating tone ]" "[ Radio chatter ]" "[ Breathing heavily ]" "[ Sighs ]" "[ Door creaks ]" "[ Sighs ]" "[ Engine shuts off ]" "Clerk's dead inside." "Car keys are gone." "Looks like there's a red El dorado missing' from the parkin' lot here, so you should put out an a.P.B." "Sir, I'm supposed to escort ya out of state." "No, son, this fella that killed the clerk... he is wanted in conjunction with a double-digit number of homicides." "Yeah." "I don't know about that." "But captain Cheney's real scary, so I'm gonna have to ask ya to get in your prowler and I'm gonna follow ya to the state line." "[ Sighs ]" "Dispatcher:" "Car 9, come in." "Over." "Go for schmidt." "I got a Minnesota state cop on the line lookin' for sheriff Larsson." "Okay." "Put him through." "Lou:" "Listen, he's in a red El dorado." "Who's that?" "The Indian." "Shot the clerk at the convenience store, the one who called him in." "Looks like our man patched up his scissor wound and, uh, took the clerk's car." "Yeah, kid, it's me." "Uh..." "We're headed..." "what is it?" "The motor motel." "We're headed to the motor motel." "The plan is to ditch the prowlers and then hole up for the night under a low profile." "Then, uh, prep ed for the sting." "Listen, you need to..." "i got a bad feelin' here." "And they're..." "I'm being run out of town." "But you need to watch yourselves." "This thing ain't over." "Gibson:" "Here." "Gimme that thing." "Listen, trooper, we appreciate your giddyup on this thing, but we're not fresh off the boat here." "If these fellas wanna tussle, they're gonna find out a thing or two about what a Dakota man can do." "Yeah, but... take a seat on the bench is what I'm sayin', junior." "We'll handle it from here." "Over and out." "[ Engines shut off ]" "Jeb:" "Unload the prisoners, then ditch the prowlers 'round back." "[ Engine turns over ]" "Hank:" "Hey, captain?" "Talk to you for a second?" "Your man was out of line." "Yes, sir." "Yeah." "He, uh... well, he was havin' a feelin'." "This..." "this mess has got us... you Minnesota boys don't got much in the way of backbone, now, do ya?" "Well, now, I wouldn't say that." "Just like to think things through." "Mm." "Army?" "Yes, sir." "Liberated France in the great war." "Not single-handedly, but I like to think they couldn't have done it without me." "Well, then, you know it's the generals that do the thinkin' and everybody else just says, "how high?"" "I'm not gonna debate the merits of top-down decision makin' with ya, captain." "'Cept to say I had a lieutenant in the war, and h-he told eisenhower to go to hell once, on account of his orders woulda got us all killed." "And I send that man a card every Christmas... 'cause I can." "Stay or go." "Makes no difference to me." "But tomorrow, I'm taking the fight to the enemy." "[ Engine shuts off ]" "[ Horse whinnies ]" "Tell Simone to come see me." "I want to apologize for yesterday." "She left in a hurry..." "when you were took." "Don't think she's back yet." "Okay." "Sorry, missus, but, uh..." "What?" "What is it?" "It's for your son, ma'am." "Supposed to talk to him directly." "It's okay." "We'll go into the barn." "No." "No secrets here." "Well, what is it, kid?" "Spit it out." "Your Indian..." "Is on the phone... hanzee?" "Says he found dodd." "Is he alive?" "Yes, ma'am." "They got him, but he's breathin'." "Who's got him?" "Narrator:" "Historiansoftheregion havelongdebated thenexttwowordsspokenby thegerhardts'nativeman ." "Whenexactlydidhedecide tobetray therestof hisemployers?" "Yes,hehadexecuted doddgerhardtin coldblood, but at what point did he decide tofinishthejob ?" "Wasithere?" "Ormaybeearlier." "All you gotta do is be straight with us." "I'm straight." "It'scertainlypossible thatthemovewas spontaneous." "Whoknows?" "Maybeithadbeen buildinginsideof him sinceOttogerhardt tookhimoffthe street whenhewas8yearsold." "Whatevertheanswer, whenFloydgerhardtasked whoitwas thatwasholdingher son , ohanzeedentsaid..." "Kansas City..." "that milligan fella." "It was an ambush..." "luverne." "Butcher grabbed dodd, fled the state." "Why?" "I tracked them to a motel in sioux falls." "They got numbers, but they're not expecting anything." "I'll be there in three hours." "No, ma'am." "You send bear and a dozen men, we can bring him home." "Are you telling me what to do?" "No." "Just can't vouch for your safety, is all." "Three times, I sent men to do a job." "Three times, they come back unfinished." "I'll handle this myself." "Yes, ma'am." "We'll lay waste to 'em in the devil's hours." "Oh." "Wranglers and white tees." "Captain says we're goin' undercover for the night." "Poker later, if ya feel like losing' some money." "You better wear pants this time." "Aww." "[ Music playing, siren wailing, indistinct talking on TV ]" "[ Schmidt chomping ]" "Are... are we really doin' the right thing here?" "[ Toilet flushes ]" "What, now?" "Anyone want tea?" "No, thanks, hon." "Officer?" "It's "detective."" "Sorry." "Didja... tea?" "No." "[ Water running ]" "[ Water stops ]" "[ Clears throat ]" "[ Snaps fingers ]" "What do ya think?" "When he's sleeping, we can just..." "No." "Unh-unh-unh-unh-unh!" "None of that, now." "Don't make me separate ya." "Okay." "It's "Ben," isn't it?" ""...jamin." Benjamin." "And..." "You're from..." "Sorry?" "Fargo, north Dakota." "I work for chief Gibson." "Which one is he, again?" "Does it matter?" "[ Laughs ]" "I guess not." "Thanks." "[ Cymande's "getting it back" plays ]" "♪ I don't wanna be down ♪" "♪ 'cause my name is gettin' around ♪" "♪ I said the whole world is lettin' me down now ♪" "♪ 'cause I don't know where I'm bound ♪" "♪ yes, I guess I'm goin' down, down, down ♪" "♪ and I feel I'm gonna drown ♪" "♪ yeah, I guess I'm goin' down, down, down ♪" "[ Siren chirps ]" "♪ And I feel I'm gonna drown ♪" "[ Song ends ]" "Dispatcher:" "Car 18, come in." "Over." "Car 18." "Over." "Solverson." "Yeah, just got a courtesy call from sioux falls p.D." "Say they found constance heck dead in her room at the southnik hotel." "Guess she went out there for a conference." "You're kiddin'." "No, sir." "Strangled, they said." "I mean, when's all this madness gonna end?" "I surely don't know." "[ Sighs ]" "♪♪" "[ Engine turns over ]" "[ Tires squeal ]" "♪♪" "[ Lou sighs ]" "Constance:" "I tried." "You heard." "Yeah?" "Just checkin' in." "I got 'em." "Not sayin' ya don't." "Just want to go over the details with them, explain their rights." "They know." "I told them." "[ Laughs ]" "Son, I get the feeling you don't want me to come in." "All things equal, pops, we got a lot of swingin' dicks around here." "But command's been delegated." "I'm in here." "You're not." "Let's leave it at that." "[ Indistinct talking on TV ]" "You okay in there, ed?" "Peggy?" "[ Door closes ]" "Wire's secure, and no one's the wiser." "We got the upstairs room bugged and ready for the meet." "Okay." "Move quickly and with authority, troopers." "That's lesson one." "Yes, sir." "Ice machine's busted." "What?" "I'm just sayin'." "I mean, it's your show..." "you made that clear... which means I'm here to observe, and what I'm observing' is..." "Ice machine's crapped out." "[ Growls ]" "We bring this case in tomorrow, and there'll be commendations all around." "[ Police radio chatter ]" "From this point on, we're radio silent." "[ Click ]" "[ Click ]" "♪♪" "Lou:" "Motor motel." "Motor motel." "Come in." "Motor motel, this is Lou solverson." "They're coming." "Do you hear me?" "They're com... ♪♪" "When we reach the motel, I want you with the vehicle." "Make sure you're safe." "Hanzee'll stay, too." "Okay." "I miss them all." "We'll be together again." "On high." "[ Junction's "sorcerer" plays ]" "Best piss I ever took was in a kitchen sink." "No wonder you got divorced." "I'm an outdoor guy myself." "Gibson:" "It's liberating', I think... pissin' someplace where you're not supposed ta." "When I was a sergeant," "I pissed in my C.O.'s desk drawer when he was in Hawaii." "I drank six coffees and a nehi first." "[ Laughs ]" "Now, that was a good piss." "[ Sue laughs ]" "Well, you got the hardware for it." "If that was me, I'd-a had to climb up on the desk." "Two rooms upstairs, three down." "Got dodd on the bottom next to the office." "One man on guard." "Milligan's on the second floor." "Stay with ma." "[ Music continues ]" "I like pissin' in the pool." "That's just gross." "♪♪" "Yeah, but... okay, so, why is pissin' in the pool so much worse than pissing' in the kitchen sink?" "[ Groaning ]" "Screw this." "[ Groaning continues ]" "[ Groaning stops ]" "Well, first of all, son, were there other people in the pool at the time?" "No!" "[ Tires screech ]" "Brother?" "Brother?" "[ Static ]" "[ Breathing heavily ]" "All clear." "All clear!" "Oh, Christ." "It's rapid city all over again." "[ Grunts ]" "Brother?" "Man:" "They're cops!" "[ Gunfire continues ]" "[ Knife plunges ]" "[ Gasps ]" "Aaah!" "[ Groans ]" "[ Thud ]" "Nooooo!" "[ Gunshot ]" "[ Heartbeat ]" "[ Heartbeat quickens ]" "Aaaaaaaaah!" "[ Both grunting ]" "Narrator:" "Then, as he killed bothfriendandfoe alike, itbecameclear thathanzeewasona mission tofindthebeauticianand her butcher's assistant husband andsilencethem onceandforall ." "Again,thequestionofwhyhas puzzled historians for decades." "It'struethattheyhad seenhimexecutedoddgerhardt andthattheywere theonlyonesleft whocouldrevealhis treachery forwhatit was." "Butmaybe thereasonwasdeeper." "Peggy:" "Professional, you said." "Yeah." "Tired of this life." "Thefactthathehadshown  histrueselftothem  ina momentof vulnerability." "[ Shotgun cocks ]" "[ Gunshot ]" "[ Both grunting ]" "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" "[ Gunshot ]" "Aaaaaaaah!" "Oh!" "Gotta make a break for it, hon!" "Are... are..." "are you seein' this?" "It's just a flyin' saucer, ed." "We gotta go." "[ Gunshots ]" "[ Grunts ]" "Hank:" "Officer down!" "[ Panting ]" "[ Groaning ]" "I shoulda gone home with ya." "Turns out I didn't go." "Grateful for that." "[ Coughs ]" "[ Engine shuts off ]" "What the..." "[ Siren wailing, approaching ]" "Okay, then." "[ Engine turns over ]" "Yeah." "All right." "[ Groans ]" "Peggy?" "Ed?" "Uh..." "On the run, with the Indian in pursuit." "Go." "I can make it." "[ Groans ]" "Dinner Sunday?" "[ Chuckles weakly ]" "I'll be there..." "in a suit of armor." "[ Sirens continue ]" "[ Credence clearwater revival's "run through the jungle" plays ]" "[ Sirens continue ]" "♪ Thought it was a nightmare ♪" "♪ lord, it's all so true ♪" "♪ they told me, "don't go walkin' slow ♪" "♪ the devil's on the loose" ♪" "♪ better run through the jungle ♪" "♪ better run through the jungle ♪" "♪ better run through the jungle ♪" "♪ whoa, don't look back to see ♪" "♪ thought I heard a rumblin' ♪" "♪ callin' to my name ♪" "♪ 200 millions guns are loaded ♪" "♪ Satan cries, "take aim!" ♪" "♪ better run through the jungle ♪" "♪ better run through the jungle ♪" "♪ better run through the jungle ♪" "♪ whoa, don't look back ♪" "♪ ohhhhhhh ♪" "♪ oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh ♪" "♪ ohh-oh ♪" "♪ over on the mountain ♪" "♪ thunder magic spoke ♪" "♪ "let the people know my wisdom ♪" "♪ fill the land with smoke" ♪" "♪ better run through the jungle ♪" "♪ oh, don't look back to see ♪"