Longmire Episode 1.09 Dogs, Horses and Indians

Under the warm glow of lamplight on a table is a pile of mail, a can of Rainier beer, and a gun. Sheriff Walt Longmire settles into his fat leather chair with a tired sigh and starts rifling through the mail. He is listening to DJ Ross Strongbow on the radio, broadcasting live from the Cheyenne Reservation with rockin' blues to get through the night. Walt opens a bill and frowns noticing a charge that makes no sense. He checks the name on the address: Cady Longmire, his daughter. That explains it. But wait a minute, what's that charge...? As Walt looks at the bill again, a frantic male caller comes on the radio, begging DJ Strongbow for help. Someone is coming after him! Walt looks up. What the f***? The DJ tries to calm the caller promising help, but where is he?

Malcolm Eaglestar, Cheyenne, clutches his cell phone glancing anxiously between the rearview mirror and the dark road ahead. He's somewhere on the Rez, but he's not sure where.

Walt stands up listening closely as Malcolm begs for help. DJ Ross asks who is following him. Can he be more specific?

Nearly blinded by the headlights of the car that's tailing him, Malcolm yells that he doesn't know. His rear window explodes with a shot and Malcolm screams, "He's shooting at me!"

Walt grabs his gun, cowboy hat, and leather jacket as another shot is heard on the radio followed by the screech of tires out of control. Malcolm yells that's he's being forced off the road, and then pleads with the stranger, saying, "What do you want from me?" The DJ calls out - is he there? Is he alright? Walt freezes waiting for the answer. Nothing, and then another loud shot. Walt hurries out the door. Down time is over.

On the Rez outside the radio station, Walt's good friend Henry Standing Bear is part of a crowd of Cheyenne men listening to Mathias, head of the Tribal Police, thank them for coming out so quickly. Walt's battered, filthy Bronco pulls up next to Deputy Victoria "Vic" Moretti's shiny, clean truck. Vic hurries over to Walt to ask if Mathias had invited them; hard to believe given their mutual animosity. Walt answers no, he just thought pitching in was the right thing to do.

Mathias addresses the group. He hopes this will be a search and rescue and not a recovery. In a low voice to Walt, Vic wonders how a 911 call ended up on the radio. He explains that when the tribal police switchboard is overwhelmed, the radio station helps out by taking calls. Henry joins them, adding that an intern accidentally flipped a switch and the call went live on the air. Some of the Rez citizens recognized the caller's voice: Malcolm Eaglestar. Walt frowns. That's bad news. Malcolm is the President of the Tribal Council. Mathias spots Walt and calls him over. To everyone's surprise, Mathias is glad Walt is there - he needs the manpower. Mathias has divided the Rez into quadrants and pointing on a map, assigns Walt and Vic to search the Northeast quadrant. This is Mathias' turf, so Walt politely agrees and heads out with Vic and Henry bearing flair guns to signal if they find anything.

The trio trudges down a long, dark road lit only by beams from their flashlights. Vic complains that the combination of creepy road and Mathias acting nice is like the Twilight Zone. They've got 200 square miles to search, what are the odds they'll actually find something? She moves up ahead and Walt confides to Henry that he got a call from the Denver PD. Before Walt can reveal what they wanted, Vic spots a slithering shape in the road. Sh**, a snake! She whips out her gun and fires BAM! BAM! PING! All heads turn towards the sound of bullet on metal. The car! They run towards the sound.

They find a sedan with the door open and a dead body slumped inside with a small speck of blood on his chest. Henry recognizes Malcolm Eaglestar. He's about to fire his flare gun when Walt stops him. The body has been moved. Vic teases Walt that he's "Kreskin." How did he know? Walt pulls a thermos from his pocket and dumps coffee on her arm. See how it drips down? If the body had been shot in the car sitting up there would be more blood drainage from the wound instead of just a tiny speck of blood on his shirt. He carefully moves the body forward. The dirt on his back indicates he was shot on the ground and then somebody put him back on the car, but why? Walt finds Malcolm's wallet, but it's empty. And Vic can't find the cell phone he used to call the radio station. Walt signals to Henry to fire the flare.

Minutes later, Mathias peers into the car at Malcolm's body while Vic searches the ground for clues. Mathias turns to Walt. It's bad news all around - the death and where it happened. The car is on Walt's land, not the Rez. Henry looks around the black wilderness. How the heck does Mathias know that? Mathias growls at Henry accusingly. He's been living on the Rez his whole life. Clearly Henry has not. Walt points out that the body has been moved. Mathias is taken aback. Why the hell would anyone do that? Vic pipes in that maybe they didn't want Mathias to be in charge of the investigation. Mathias ignores her dig and offers Walt his help. Walt needs it to find Malcolm's family. Henry offers that Malcolm was divorced, but Mathias knows he had a girlfriend.

Jill Littlefox, with huge eyes and long flowing hair, sits crying in Walt's office the next day as Henry looks on. She can't imagine why anyone would want to kill her boyfriend. He was a good soul, well loved amongst the tribe. Henry wonders if Malcolm's ex-wife harbored grudges against him? Or against her? Jill shakes her head. When Malcolm first left Anita it was hard, but that was years ago. Recently they even served on the tribal council together. Walt asks when is the last time Jill spoke with Malcolm. She looks down. He called her last night, but she doesn't know from where. Walt urges Jill to tell the truth. Henry assures her that if there's anything embarrassing it will remain secret. Jill confesses that no man is perfect - Malcolm called her from a poker game. He was excited because he was winning! Walt and Henry exchange a glance. Could money be the motive? Jill still has tears on her cheeks, but her eyes are hard. So who gets the money? Walt is confused - what money? Jill is adamant. When Malcolm called he told her he was up $20,000!

Later, at the Sheriff's station, Walt speaks privately with Henry out in the hall. Does he know of any high-stakes poker games on the Rez? Henry thought there wouldn't be money like that on the line until Jacob Nighthorse finishes building his new casino. Walt wonders if Malcolm abused his role as president of the tribal council to raid expense accounts or take kickbacks from contractors. As Walt's campaign advisor, Henry warns him to be very careful about making accusations about a man whose reputation was as squeaky clean as Malcolm's. It's incendiary, and Walt should wait until he has proof. Walt raises an eyebrow; since when is Henry his campaign advisor? The two old friends grin at each other. To Henry it appears this is a straight-up robbery. Walt points out that robbery is no reason to move the body.

Shortly after, Walt strides into the Tribal Police station and asks to speak privately with Mathias in his office.

Walt shuts Mathias' office door and turns to face him. Malcolm had a gambling problem, and it wouldn't look good for the president of the tribal council to be a gambler when he's supposed to make rulings on a huge new casino development. This case is a political hot potato, which explains why Mathias has been so oddly cooperative, and even assigned Walt the search sector where Malcolm's body ended up being found. Mathias bristles. What is Walt getting at? Walt lets him have it: Mathias needs to show Walt where the body was found before he moved it!

Under the baking sun, Mathias points to a patch of ground by the road. This is where he found Malcolm' body. Walt is pissed. He should arrest Mathias for tampering with evidence. But Mathias knows he won't. It's an election year and Walt already removed one Tribal Police Chief. If he does it again voters might think he has a vendetta against the Cheyenne. Walt knows blackmail when he sees it. Why didn't Mathias just solve the case himself? Mathias reminds Walt that Malcolm was the president of the tribal council. If the killer is from the Rez and Mathias accuses the wrong person, it will cost him his badge. If the killer is not from the Rez, Mathias has no power or reach to bring him to justice. Walt retorts cynically that it's also better for Mathias for an outsider to expose that the president of the tribal council has a gambling problem! But Mathias believes Walt has a better shot at solving the case than he does, and that's truly all he cares about. He looks Walt in the eye: can Walt honestly say he never broke the law for the right reason? Something shifts between the two men. Could it be a truce? Finally Walt asks if Mathias found Malcolm's cell phone. Mathias knows they are now on the same team.

Ruby, the dispatcher/office manager, stops Walt the minute he enters the Sheriff's station. Some members of the tribal council are waiting in his office and Omar left keys so Walt could use his truck while Walt's Bronco is in the shop. Walt asks Ruby to call Cady to let her know that her bills are still coming to his house. He pauses. Can Ruby tell him the day that Freddy Whitehawk turned up dead? She remembers it was the 21st. Walt's face darkens. He goes over to Vic's desk and hands her Malcolm's cell phone. Her jaw drops. Where the hell did he get that? She scoured every inch of the crime scene! Walt ignores the question and suggests that Vic charge the phone so she can find out who called him on the day he died. She again tries to find out where Walt found the phone, but he hurries into his office to meet with the tribal elders.

Out on the vast Wyoming plains, Detective Branch Connally, sporting slick white golf shoes, takes a muscular swing at a golf ball sending it soaring towards the Big Horn mountains. His dad, Barlow Connally, whistles his approval. Real smooth-like, Branch asks if Barlow ever played cards with Malcolm Eaglestar or knows of high-stakes poker games in the area. Oh! Now Barlow realizes it wasn't father/son bonding his son is after, but information. Barlow wonders if the info will help his son win the election for Sheriff, or Walt, the man he's running against. The last time Barlow shared information with Branch, he didn't use it. Branch takes another swing. That info was just about the election. This could help solve a murder! Branch knows his father would rather he tear Walt down, but if he can break open the Malcolm Eaglestar case, he'll garner good press, and so could win votes. Barlow chuckles. Touche. He agrees to get an address for his son as long as it wont be traced back to him. BUT, now Branch owes him one.

At the Sheriff's office, Walt, Vic and Deputy "the Ferg" Ferguson listen to a voicemail playing back on Malcolm's cell phone. A gravelly male voice angrily accuses Malcolm of ruining his marriage. The man tells Malcolm that when he finds him, he'll wish he was dead. Vic clicks off the phone. There are two more even more graphic messages, all from the same blocked number. Vic will have to call the phone company to trace it. They've been thinking robbery, but it sounds like Malcolm could have been having an affair with this man's wife. The Ferg reminds them that Malcolm cheated on his last wife. Maybe he was on the prowl again. Branch comes in and announces he may have found the location of that poker game. Walt gives him the evil eye and directs Branch to go into his office. Vic's eyebrows go up... uh-oh...

In Walt's office, Branch reports that he got a tip the game has been going on for years, and he's got an address! Walt asks who provided the tip, but Branch won't reveal his source. Does Walt want him to check it out? Walt's "no" could freeze water. Walt orders Branch to go to the Rusty Parrot in Jackson and check the registry to see if his daughter was there on the 21st, the day Freddy Nighthawk died... the same day Walt had to call Branch back from a "romantic getaway." Or Branch could save himself the three hour drive by being a man and 'fessing up to the fact that he was sleeping with Walt's daughter. Branch is busted, and he's never seen Walt this angry. He caves and confesses that yes, he was there with Cady. They had been dating for about six months. Branch never told Walt about it because his private life is none of Walt's business. Walt insists that since Branch is his deputy that makes it his business! Branch asks if can he snoop around in Walt's private life when he's the Sheriff. Walt spits out that "if" Branch becomes Sheriff, "IF!" But this isn't about the election. This is about Walt's daughter! Branch retorts that Walt should talk to Cady then, since it was her idea to keep their relationship a secret. She thought Walt wouldn't take the news very well. Walt's loathing for Branch is palpable; the news he can take, but Branch, that's another story! Walt snatches the paper with the address of the poker game and storms out.

That night Walt sits outside the Three 6's tattoo parlor in the dark of his truck. Ruby's voice comes through the police radio - where is he? No one can find him? Detective Fales from the Denver PD called again and wants Walt to call him back. Walt flashes back to:

The Denver Police Department lobby as Walt stalks through, powered by rage, and barges out the door.

Back in the truck, the rage is still there. Walt shoves open the door and strides past bikers smoking and lounging on their motorcycles in the parking lot.

Inside the skanky tattoo parlor, Jonas, a hulking biker, uses a branding iron to burn a design into the forearm of an Indian biker. The Indian winces in pain as smoke rises from his skin, but is too tough to cry out. Walt barges in and Jonas moves towards him with the hot poker looking confused. Is the Sheriff looking to get scarred? Walt is wired with barely controlled rage as he asks about the poker game. Jonas denies there is one until Walt asks if Malcolm Eaglestar was playing there last night. Jonas' face goes dark, but not as dark as Walt's. He spots a door and hearing laughter from behind it, asks Jonas what's going on in there. Jonas blocks his way, but Walt has had enough. He barrels past Jonas who then takes a swing at him. And that does it. Walt slams his fist in Jonas' jaw, flashing back to...

Another fight. Inside an apartment filled with methane smoke. Walt has landed a punch on one meth head in a white t-shirt while another sweaty tweaker howls with laughter. Behind Walt a third tweaker grabs a long metal bar with a sharp point - it's a Samurai Sword...

Back at the tattoo parlor, the Indian lands a punch and bends Walt back over the pool table. Walt grabs a pool ball and smashes it against the Indian's head.

In flashback, the sweaty tweaker is still laughing, watching Walt slam his friend against the wall. The tweaker with the sword unsheathes it and, lunging at Walt with the sword over his head, slices Walt down the back. Walt arches in pain...

...in the present, too, as Jonas punches Walt's back and grabs him around the neck in a chokehold that brings Walt to his knees. Gasping for breath Walt reaches for a hot poker from the potbellied stove. He swings it around and burns Jonas' arm. Jonas tries for one more swing, but Walt has enough rage left in his fist to knock him out cold. Walt staggers towards the poker room door...

...And kicks it open. Two more surly bikers and two other less beefy types look up mid-laugh from the poker table. One of the bikers spots Jonas trying to get up off the floor in the other room and rushes at Walt in a fury. Walt lands a punch and slams him up against the wall, but the other biker comes up from behind and pounds his meaty fists into Walt's back. The two bikers crush Walt between them pounding him to the floor. Suddenly there's a cry of "Hands up!" as Branch, Vic, and the Ferg run in, guns drawn. Branch pulls the bikers off of Walt, while Vic and the Ferg keep the crowd at bay. Vic catches Walt's eye as he swipes the blood from his mouth. What the f***?

Back in the Sheriff's office, the bikers are all being held in the cells. One biker threatens the team, saying his attorney is going to take care of them. Branch informs Walt that all the bikers have records. Walt tells Branch to keep a close eye on the bikers, and assigns him to stake out the tattoo parlor. Vic and the Ferg look on silently as Branch asks Walt if he's really sending him to go sit somewhere while Walt questions their prisoners, effectively cutting him out of the case. Walt says that he sure is. Branch hands Walt the paperwork on the bikers and leaves, slamming the door as he goes. Vic asks Walt what the hell that was all about, but Walt just says, "the usual" and asks the Ferg to open the cell.

Walt takes a look at his prisoners. From the bearded, surly bunch, he picks out a clean shaven and - comparatively - pretty face. The handsome, out-of-place prisoner tells Walt that he's not going to talk, and Walt replies that they'll see about that. As the good looking prisoner exits the cell, the other bikers bump into him and shove him around. He knows what they'll do to him if he talks.

Walt takes the man, named Jeff Peters, into his office for a chat. Walt tells Jeff that he's got a pretty good poker face, but there's no anger in his eyes. Walt doesn't think he's really a part of the biker gang. So what does he know about Malcolm Eaglestar?

Jeff tells Walt that he can't say anything! Those bikers will kill him if he talks. Walt, being surprisingly reasonable, tells Jeff that he understands. Jeff visibly relaxes - until Walt yells for Vic to come in the office with pen and paper, making sure that his prisoners get a good look at Jeff before Vic enters his office and shuts the door again.

Walt takes the pen and paper from Vic and asks her if she has any leads on the angry cell phone messages. Vic isn't sure that it's a good idea to discuss things in front of Jeff, but Walt lets her know it's ok; Jeff's not talking. Vic tells him that she traced the call to a tribe member named Reuben Lamebull. He's not answering, but she has his address if Walt wants to go talk to him.

Walt thinks for a moment, then yells for the Ferg to come in the office with the tape recorder. The Ferg dutifully retrieves the recorder, then walks past the cell towards the office. All the bikers' eyes are on Jeff as the office door opens and shuts. Walt takes the recorder from the Ferg, then tells him to go grab them some lunch. Jeff has had enough. What is Walt up to?

Walt tells Jeff that the longer he's in that office, the more the bikers are going to think he's talking. If Jeff continues to keep his peace, Walt is going to throw him back in the cell, confirm that he talked, and let the bikers handle things. OR, Jeff can just tell them what he knows and Walt will let him slip out the back. Jeff relents. He admits that he's not in the gang, and he confirms that Malcolm was definitely at the poker game. But he didn't leave a winner. He was flat broke. Jeff exits quickly as Walt, Vic and the Ferg reassess. Looks like this murder wasn't motivated by money after all.

Ruby enters to let them know that the biker club's lawyer has arrived. Not only is the lawyer posting their bail, he's also filing an excessive force charge agains Walt. Walt tells the Ferg to handle the lawyer while he and Vic slip out the back to track down Reuben Lamebull. Ruby tries to stop them from leaving, explaining that this is a serious matter - she even calls Longmire Walter - but Walt isn't sticking around. When Ruby asks if she should call Cady, Walt gives her a definitive "no."

On the way, Walt asks Vic if she knew Cady and Branch were dating. From Vic's silence, Walt infers that she did. He demands to know why she didn't tell him, but Vic shoots back that there's a lot of stuff he doesn't tell her. Besides, she didn't have enough evidence. If there's anything she's learned from Walt, it's to wait to talk until the facts are on your side.

Reuben isn't home at the Lamebull residence, but his wife, Darla, answers the door. Vic asks if Darla's black eye is Reuben's handiwork. Darla brushes it off as a lover's quarrel and says that Reuben ended up with a black eye of his own. Walt tells her about the angry voicemails and asks her if she was cheating on Reuben with Malcolm. Darla laughs, denying the affair, but she admits that she is leaving Reuben because of something Malcolm did.

Malcolm sent a letter kicking Reuben out of the tribe. They call it "disenrollment." Now that he's not a member of the tribe, he'll stop getting tribal benefits, which would included a share of the casino's profits once it opened, which could have been thousands of dollars a month.

Walt and Vic sit with Henry and Mathias and tell them what they learned from Darla. When they mention the disenrollment letter, Henry looks pained. Mathias is surprised to hear the letters went out already, and Henry reveals that he thought the council was still discussing the matter. Henry says that Malcolm had introduced a controversial resolution to change the "blood quantum" requirements for membership in the tribe. In essence, anyone who didn't meet the required percentage of Cheyenne blood in their veins would be kicked out of the tribe. Walt wonders why someone would want to make a law like that now. Mathias seems to think it's simple: thin out the ranks. Fewer tribe members means a bigger share of the casino profits for those who remain. Walt asks how many people were disenrolled, and his faces drops when he hears the number: as many as 60. That doesn't exactly narrow down their list of suspects.

Walt and Vic stand in the Red Pony bar before the entire tribal council and casino owner Jacob Nighthorse. Walt asks them why they didn't mention the disenrollment, and they reveal that they were still trying to figure out how to handle it themselves. No one knew that Malcolm had sent out those letters. Walt tells them about Reuben's angry reaction and asks them for a list of everyone who got a letter so Henry and Mathias can track them down and see if they have alibis. The council members break into an argument over the resolution. Some feel that it is unfair and should never have passed. It seems Malcolm called a meeting and put it to a vote when he knew some opposing members were unable to attend.

One council members explodes, saying that Malcolm did it for himself. It's Anita, Malcolm's ex-wife. She reveals that he had huge gambling debts and tells the council she's certain he sold out his own tribe to get out of debt, but Jacob Nighthorse interrupts. Malcolm had no debts because Jacob paid them all off. He didn't want anyone to be able to influence Malcolm's decisions. Walt seems to want to say something, but before he can, Vic gets a call from Mathias. They have a situation.

Reuben Lamebull is at a blood bank, and he has a gun. He points it at Mathias, who is pointing a gun right back at him. Reuben is at the end of his rope. He yells for someone to test his blood again. Mathias tells him they can't talk until he puts down the gun. Suddenly, Reuben smashes a glass beaker and drags the ragged edge across his arm. He spreads his arms like wings, now bleeding, and cries out that he is more Cheyenne than anyone there. Walt seizes the opportunity, grabbing Reuben's gun arm and pulling him to the ground. The gun falls from Reuben Lamebull's hand as he collapses, weeping.

Vic and Walt return the the Sheriff's office. Vic is upset because Reuben's gun doesn't match the caliber of the weapon that killed Malcolm. They're back to square one. As Walt approaches his office door, Cady steps out. Vic quickly walks away. Cady tells her father that she's been on the phone with the bikers' lawyer, and he's not messing around. The bikers say he used excessive force, and there are ten of them on the complaint. She begins reading names, "DB Turner, Jonas White, Mika DullKnife..." but Walt yanks the paper out of her hand, crumples it up, and tosses it in the trash. He stomps into his office.

Cady follows him in. She tries to tell him that she's just trying to help, but Walt can't keep it in anymore. He explodes. Help? Is that what she calls secretly dating Branch behind his back? Cady is stunned. Walt rants at her, saying he doesn't know how she could stand there and talk with him, have breakfast with him, hug him, when she was carrying on a secret relationship. He thinks she must have been trying to hurt him.

Cady fires back that if she wanted to hurt him, she would have told him. Her relationship with Branch just happened, it wasn't about Walt. And who is he to tell her who she can and can not see? She has put her whole life on hold to take care of her dad. What about her? Walt tells her that he's sorry to have been a burden. From here on out, she can consider herself relieved of that burden. He holds the door for Cady as she leaves in tears. He slams the door, deep in thought. Something occurs to him. Walt exits his office and walks to the trashcan. He pulls out the paperwork from the bikers' lawyer, takes one look at it, and yells for Vic.

Walt pulls up to a trailer on the Rez where Henry and Mathias are waiting for him. Henry says they have been working through the list of disenrolled tribe members and have found a lot of angry people. Unfortunately, they're also a lot of older people with alibis. Walt asks if they've talked to a Horace DullKnife yet. Mathias says they have, and he had an alibi just like everyone else. Walt asks if he has a son named Mika. Henry confirms that he does. It seems that Mika's name was on the complaint from the biker club. If Mika is in the gang, then he knew Malcolm was at the card game. Motive meets opportunity. Mathias asks Walt how he plans to bring Mika in. Apparently, Mika isn't the type to come quietly. Walt says he knows where Mika is, but he'll need Mathias' help to get him. Mathias agrees to lend a hand.

At the tattoo parlor, Branch is still sitting outside in his car. Walt and Vic pull up. She hops out of the truck and walks up to Branch with a mugshot of Mika. She asks if Branch has seen him, and he confirms that Mika went in the parlor that morning and hasn't come out. Vic nods and starts to walk away, but she can't do it. She turns back to Branch and calls him a moron for dating Cady. Branch starts to argue back, but Vic cuts him off - you don't sh** where you eat! Branch says that Cady is an adult and she can make her own decisions. Vic, frustrated, says fine, "then don't sh** where I eat!"

Walt calls Vic over and tells her to take Branch in through the front. He's going to go around back in case Mika tries to flee. The team fans out.

Vic and Branch march in the front door and demand to see Mika. Jonas, the tattoo artist, isn't too happy to see them, but he leads them back to the stock room to find Mika. As they pass by, another biker slips out the back, making a quick call on his cell. The Ferg spots the biker as he exits the parlor. He hops on a bike, and the Ferg follows in the truck.

The biker roars around the back of the parlor, nearly slamming into Walt, who dives out of the way at the last second. He pulls the bike up to the back door of the parlor and hops off as Mika runs out and takes the seat. As Mika tears away, Branch and Vic dash out of the parlor and cuff the biker. The Ferg screeches to a halt in the truck, and Walt waves him out of the driver's seat as he scrambles to the door. He throws the truck into reverse and tells the Ferg, "Time for plan b" as they tear off down the road.

Mika, helmetless due to his hasty escape, pushes his bike hard as he weaves through traffic. Walt and the Ferg stay on him as best they can as they maneuver around vehicles in their less agile truck. The Ferg hops on the radio and calls out to Mathias. He says they're heading towards the Reservation and they need to get Mika off the highway. Mathias says that he and his men are in position.

Mika guns it as he pulls into oncoming traffic. Walt tries to follow, but has to swerve out of the way of the approaching car. The Ferg is white as a sheet as he stares at his boss. That was dangerous!

Mika grins as he zooms past the sign for the Rez. He's almost home free. But what's this? Directly ahead in the middle of the road, Mathias and his men have created a roadblock. The bike is moving fast, but Mathias doesn't blink. He holds out a hand, as though the gesture itself will be enough to stop the biker in his tracks.

His plan foiled, Mika makes a hard right away from the Rez, nearly colliding with the roadblock as his wheels search for purchase on the dusty street. He kicks up gravel as he heads down an unpaved road. With a growl, Walt's truck skids into view behind him. Mika grimaces as he focuses on his escape route.

Walt has the advantage now that they're off-roading. He puts his 4-wheel drive to good use as he pulls ahead of his quarry. The truck kicks up dirt and rocks, pelting Mika's unprotected face and blinding him. Walt gets a good lead on Mika, then skids to a stop, parking the truck across the road just as Henry pulls his own clunker of a truck up to Walt's, bumper to bumper. It's another roadblock! Mika emerges from the dust cloud, sees the trucks blocking his path, and panics. The bike skids out from underneath him and wedges itself under Walt's truck as Mika rolls to a stunned stop on the dusty ground.

The Ferg holds Mika as Walt tells Mika he's under arrest for the murder of Malcolm Eaglestar. Mika crows that Walt can't do anything to him on the Reservation. Walt breaks it to the young Cheyenne that Malcolm's body was found on Walt's turf. He was killed off the Rez. Mika is confused. That can't be! Walt has him now. How does he know where Malcolm was killed? A slow smile spreads across Mika's scraped up face. It's true, Mika killed Malcolm. But he deserved to die a coward's death for what he did to the tribe! And for what? Money? So he could gamble it all away? Mika has no remorse for what he did. He tells Walt that his family will be rewarded. Walt demands to know what he means, but Mika's lips are sealed in a self-righteous grin.

Walt enters Jacob Nighthorse's office. A scale model of the soon-to-be-constructed casino sits on a table. Walt gives it a dirty look. Jacob walks in, asking what he can do for Walt. Walt tells him he's just come back from reporting to the Tribal Council, and he found out a few things he'd like to go over with Jacob. It seems Anita will be taking over Malcolm's position, leaving her spot on the council open, and Walt has learned that Jacob is a front-runner for the position. Walt finds this unusual, as Jacob isn't a member of the Cheyenne tribe. Jacob says that it's true; he doesn't meet the "blood quantum" requirement.

Jacob takes on a strident tone, his anger boiling somewhere deep down, as he tells Walt that the U.S. government only quantifies three things by blood; dogs, horses, and Indians. Walt isn't buying it. He tells Jacob that he's never seen dogs or horses exploit their own kind for personal profit. Jacob calls him cynical, but Walt disagrees. He's not cynical, he's suspicious. And he's especially suspicious that this terrible series of events has gone down, but somehow Jacob is in a better position than ever.

Jacob says it's just good luck. Walt agrees that it could be. Or, it could be that Jacob bought Malcolm's debt, talked him into passing legislation to raise the "blood quantum," suggested to an especially angry Mika that if Malcolm were somehow "removed" from the council Jacob would step in and repeal the "blood quantum," allowing his family to be reinstated into the tribe.

A stone-faced Jacob stares daggers as he says that Walt overestimates him. Walt doesn't blink as he tells Jacob Nighthorse that perhaps Jacob underestimates him.

The sun has nearly set over the Wyoming plains, the last of its light illuminating the edges of passing clouds. The sound of a golf club swatting a ball breaks through the chirping of crickets. A truck pulls up to the makeshift golf range, its headlights revealing Branch Connally working his frustration out on some long drives. As Cady approaches, Branch says he tried to warn her.

Cady apologizes for not answering his calls; she thought he was trying to get back together. Branch laughs and admits that he was, for the first couple of days. Cady's voice shakes when she tells Branch that her dad is angry. Branch, still hurt, reminds her that she did sort of lie to Walt for six months. Cady reminds Branch that he did, too. His hackles drop - she's right. She tells him that Walt will get over it. Branch just laughs. Sure, Walt will forgive his daughter, but Branch? Cady starts to apologize, but Branch cuts her off. He doesn't regret a thing. But now, she has to realize he only has two choices: quit his job, or take Walt's. Branch smacks another ball towards the horizon, then turns to look Cady square in the eye as he tells her that he's no quitter.