[ominous music]
♪♪ ♪♪
[crickets chirping]
- Nobody's reported them missing.
Nobody's called in a disturbance.
BILL: These houses are an acre apart.
Brenda's neighbors were 10 feet away
and all they heard over the Orioles was pounding on a wall.
- Right.
BILL: There it is. Bishop Low's.
JEB: Porch light's off.
BILL: I'll be at the front door.
♪♪ ♪♪
[banging on door]
Police!
[bangs on door]
JEB: Bill.
♪♪ ♪♪
Police!
[busy signal beeping]
[glass shards crackling]
[clock bells chiming]
Hey! [panting]
[sighs]
- Charming.
- Sorry.
♪♪ ♪♪
BILL: It's all clear.
[Jeb sighs]
Judging by the jewelry I saw dumped in the toilet,
wouldn't peg this a robbery.
- No. Checkbook's right there.
BILL: Kidnapping?
- God, I hope that they got outta here
before anything like that could happen,
and somewhere we can find them first.
BILL: Okay. Thanks, Fred.
Well, at least half of Sam's list is still alive.
Our boys just found the Laffertys' stake president,
Mr. Stowe, and his wife asleep in bed.
[Jeb sighs]
Say they haven't seen anything unusual.
No bearded men.
But also said they haven't heard from the Lows for a week.
Which is unusual.
- L--hey, Morris. - Sir.
- First light, I need you to... [sighs]
Track the last knowns of the Lows.
- Yes, sir. Where would you--
where would you like me to look?
[police radio chatter]
- Talk to neighbors.
- Neighbors.
- The Lows' kids.
MORRIS: Kids. - Um...
You know, phone records and credit cards,
that kind of thing.
Careful. Go.
You and me, we need to keep pushing Robin.
If he had these names up his sleeve...
- That's fine with me.
JEB: Yeah.
[inquisitive music]
[siren wailing]
Sorry, it's a letter from Dianna asking for help
with, uh, the Lafferty brothers'
questionable behavior.
- To the president of your church?
JEB: To the living Prophet.
It's kind of like writing a letter
to Heavenly Father himself.
And it's--it's hard to imagine
an LDS wife doing this to her own family.
It's extreme.
And this could have--
♪♪ ♪♪
Oh, gosh. Bill, we have to find her.
[Jeb whistles]
Whoa, you guys are pros.
JOSIE: They look great. ANNIE: Yeah.
- Hey, Jeb, I called, um, Nana and Papa
and, uh, told them to hold off
on coming for the girls' baptisms.
They're a little anxious to know when we, um,
might be moving the date to.
- Girls do not need baptizing.
I mean, look at them, clean as whistles.
- [laughs]
That's a bath, not a baptism. - Bath, bath.
You're thinking of a bath.
- You know who should give a God damn about baptism?
JEB: Hey, Mom. That's a no-no.
[news reporter speaking indistinctly]
CAROLINE: Annie drew the rainbow.
[Jeb gasps]
JEB: You guys did this?
JOSIE: It's great. - See this? Beautiful.
REPORTER: Murder of the young mother and daughter,
detectives are investigating ties to Satanists
and other fringe sects known
to practice ritualized killing.
[radio shuts off]
- Skates off and shoes on in 20.
Honey--
JEB: Hmm? - Is that true?
JOSIE: The Jews, they need baptisms.
PR SECRETARY: Hello? Are you still there?
JEB: Yes, uh, this is Detective Pyre.
PR SECRETARY: So sorry, Brother Pyre,
I hope your hair hasn't gone gray from waiting.
- No, it's fine.
PR SECRETARY: I got ahold of the original letter
that Sister Lafferty mailed to the Prophet.
- Mm-hmm.
PR SECRETARY: I see here he directed the matter
to Bishop Low and to a member of the bishopric,
LeConte Bascom.
- Can you--
PR SECRETARY: B-A-S-C-O-M.
- Wonderful--you've been a great help, Brother.
Thank you so much.
PR SECRETARY: You call back any time.
The Prophet's praying for your investigation.
- He is?
That's all we're gonna need.
I appreciate that very much, Brother.
Thanks. Bye.
JOSIE: Everything okay?
JEB: Yeah. Everything's great, Mom.
That radio reporter knows
as much about this case
as our toaster, okay?
REBECCA: Should we unplug our toaster too?
[Jeb laughs]
JOSIE: You know, if the Jews don't accept Christ,
they--they're gonna find themselves
in the Telestial Kingdom with Hitler.
- Josie, that kind of talk scares the girls.
Remember we talked about that? - Mom, Mom--
JOSIE: Don't speak back to me,
because I don't speak like that with the girls.
- You want to go for a walk? JOSIE: Yes.
JEB: Yeah?
JOSIE: Yes. JEB: Let's go for a walk.
JOSIE: I'm sorry.
JEB: She's sorry, Beccs.
JOSIE: Sorry.
- I'm gonna meet you in the hallway, all right?
- Okay. - Be right back.
- Okay. - All right.
- Okay.
- I know she doesn't mean it.
It's just the things she says around the girls,
and I--
I can't calm her down like you can.
And you're not always here, and so...
[pensive music]
Can we--can we please try the medications?
♪♪ ♪♪
- Call her doctor and ask about side effects, okay?
LECONTE: Brother Pyre. JEB: Good morning.
LECONTE: Uh, LeConte Bascom. - Brother Bascom.
LECONTE: Ignore the creases in my tie.
Had to shake a leg to meet you before we opened.
- Oh, I appreciate the haste, Brother, thank you.
- Oh, it's nothing.
The, uh, Prophet's office urged me to help you any way I can.
Take one. They're cinnamon. JEB: Oh, gosh.
I can't keep disappointing my dentist.
I can't do it. Thank you, though.
But I was hoping you could shed some light--
- Yes, yes, about Dianna's letter.
The Prophet's office filled me in.
- Oh, good. Good.
Okay.
So let's start with what you did
when you first received the letter.
LECONTE: Well, I had a word with Ron
when he came in looking to get approved on a loan.
Duplex sales are in the dang gutter
because interest rates are what they are, and--
and you are overleveraged. I just wish it were less risky.
- "Risky"?
You've never used that word with me before.
This is lean, it is a four-plex with a heavily-vetted client.
You know my word is oak. You know that.
- If it were up to me alone,
I'd give you the dang bank vault, Brother.
- Who else is it up to? Maybe I should speak to them.
LECONTE: Ron, it's my file. I'm sorry.
- Brother Bascom, I don't get this loan,
then I can't afford to keep operating.
And I'm gonna lose my business and I'm gonna lose my home.
What, my wife is next?
Do you want me to lose my children, hmm?
- Ron...
The church has received a letter
asking for intervention in your brothers' anti-tax organizing.
The church passed it on to me.
- So you won't sell me because Dan refuses
to pay sales tax in a store?
LECONTE: It's because of his failure to pay tax
on your father's home
as part of a scheme to challenge taxation as a whole.
Filing a lawsuit to say the 16th Amendment
hasn't been ratified?
That's kicking up dust.
- Okay, and what's he got to do with me?
- Ron, your wife wrote the letter.
She seems pretty worried about it.
[apprehensive music]
Now don't you lay the blame at her feet, all right?
Those ERA types spawn more varieties
of bad influence than we can stamp out.
You know, Phil Donahue's
positively urging our wives to run wild.
I'm sure it was only out of concern
for the man that she loves-- that's you--
but anti-government schemes
leaves me in no position to walk out on a limb with you.
- Look at my hands. I'm a builder.
What use would I have for anti-government schemes?
LECONTE: I don't make it my business
to understand that sort of thing,
but your brother's been very outspoken
about his new political hobbies,
and, well, he--
he portrays it as a family affair, Ron.
RON: Thank you for your time.
JEB: Was Ron angry with Dianna?
- Oh, heck. No, no, no.
No, it was Dan that was making a mess of their name,
not his sweet wife.
No, Dan was threatening the reputation of the church,
and as a result, Ron's own livelihood.
- So Ron was only angry with Dan?
LECONTE: Wouldn't you be?
It'd take hours to drive you
around all the homes that Ron has put up around here.
Dan...
Dan's a wrecking ball.
ROBIN: Brenda just couldn't let a thing alone.
- You think Brenda helped write that?
ROBIN: If Dianna wrote this letter,
then you can be sure that Brenda put the pen in her hand.
BILL: Did Dan know about this letter?
ROBIN: He wouldn't have paid it much mind if he did.
He knows more than any of the wives about her faith.
And at the time that this letter was written,
his message was bigger than the 4th of July.
[lively martial music playing]
[crowd cheering]
DAN: Don't let the government steal any more money
out of your pockets.
You keep what's yours.
Where'd the founding fathers say you needed
a Social Security number to be an American?
They tag us like cattle, track us down,
and then claim half of what's ours is theirs.
No! They don't own me, and they don't own you, either.
So vote Lafferty
and live free under the true,
original laws of the U.S. Constitution.
BILL: I suppose enough people tell you
you're the Kennedys of Utah,
you think it's your destiny to be in charge.
- You ever heard of Governor Boggs from Missouri?
He was shot in the head one night...
[gunshot]
Then he pinned
the assassination attempt on us.
So what did our Prophet do?
He launched a presidential campaign.
- Well, correct me if I'm wrong,
but Joe Smith didn't become president.
- He could have. He was very popular.
- Like your brother Dan?
- My brother Dan has always been very popular.
And the only person
who had a problem with Dan running was our father.
DAN: Yeah, she's a gypsy. Huh?
Whoa. [laughter]
Yeah, she's got me under her spell.
Whoa, wait. Hold on.
What--what are you making me do?
Oh, she's making-- what is she making me do?
I'ma--oh--mm.
Oh, no! She's got me under her spell.
Lord, she's bending me to her will!
- Dan. All right.
Hey. Hey, Dan. - Conspirer!
Get hence, serpent. Get!
Get!
Get! Get! All of you!
Go! Get!
Are you wiser than the Word of Wisdom?
Ungrateful to a wife who stooped to marry a deadbeat?
I intend to tell Matilda about this,
and we know she does not fear divorce.
- The Lord guides my political vision.
- Wrong!
The voice you hear is the devil's.
Oh, he--he answers prayers too.
In your cheering crowds,
do you judge what is holy on what is fashionable?
Yeah. Oh, no.
Your mother and I, we...
[train signal ringing]
We cannot return to our mission.
All those souls in Louisiana in need of baptism,
and we must stay here to save our--our son now.
Flee from temptation, Daniel. Look away from man's laws.
They're so...
small and temporary.
Lean back toward Heavenly Father's designs.
Study them closely.
His Word.
Understanding His laws...
[apprehensive music]
Is bliss.
Be my good boy again.
Pray with us.
Our Father in heaven.
May I find the strength... [mumbles]
Guide me...
JEB: How deep into study did Dan go?
ROBIN: Dan just took our father's words to heart.
Started spending his days in the BYU library,
researching the early prophets, and...
he grew frustrated with the fact that
so much of our history
seemed to have been purposefully removed
from every library in Utah, including BYU's.
So Dan started seeking out saints
who were living by our original texts.
And then that gave Dan an excuse
to drive us down to Colorado City.
We're not supposed to have anything to do
with these people, Dan. Turn the truck around.
Dan!
- They study our scriptures, don't they?
Live His commandments better than we do.
- This isn't right, Dan.
This isn't--
I don't know about this, Dan.
- And that's what we are here to address, Robin,
our lack of knowledge.
[cows mooing]
Quiet here, huh?
[grunts]
There's a lotta houses in need of that finishing touch, eh?
[chuckles]
It's a joke. I'm joking.
Can't charge property tax on a building
that ain't finished, right?
Yeah. You guys got it figured out.
Yeah, up north, they charge property tax
on a home that my dad owns outright.
Yeah, it's like the government who actually owns it.
It's highway robbery.
THIN MAN: You finish up here.
Let these men get on their way, Brother Nichols.
[apprehensive music]
♪♪ ♪♪
- You guys practice polygamy here?
ROBIN: Dan.
- No, well, I've been reading about it--
how our church changed the rules over time.
It started when we abandoned the doctrine
of plural marriage.
That's when it started. I mean, you tell me.
[chuckles]
From what I read, prophet who renounced it,
he just wanted to keep federal troops from marching into Utah.
That's all.
Ol' Woodruff had nine wives himself.
You folks, you just kept on doing it, huh?
- We do not pretend to know more
than the founding prophets.
We do not change their beliefs
to suit the fashion of the time.
- That's what I'm talking about.
What happens if the cops come around?
- "If man's law conflicts with heaven's,
"then the faithful will be ranged
under the banner of heaven against them."
- Prophet Taylor, right? I dig it, man.
ROBIN: All right, I think we're pretty much finished here.
Mr. Nichols, we'll head out now.
DAN: You know, hey.
I want to be as good of a saint as I can.
But everybody up north, they're just so concerned
with being a good American too.
I just need some guidance.
D&C 132 says that,
"If a man espouse a virgin and desire to espouse another,
"then he is justified.
He cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him."
ROBIN: Dan. - I gotta know, Brother.
I gotta know. ROBIN: Dan, it's time to go.
- I gotta know, is polygamy a part of salvation, Brother?
- Joseph Smith calls it The Principle.
In The Peace Maker.
- Get on your way!
- "Peace Maker."
The Peace Maker.
♪♪ ♪♪
[truck engine cranks]
JEB: You know, Bill, doing business with the FLDS
is kind of like doing it with the mafia.
You don't just walk away on your own terms.
So if our church finds out that--
that Robin
continued to do business with fundamentalists,
continued to visit fundamentalists who--
who marry off 13-year-old girls
to 70-year-old men to be raped and enslaved...
And to be punished if they seek help...
Brother...
I don't have to tell you that your excommunication
would be right around the corner.
- I have the right to a phone call, don't I?
I think I'll be utilizing that now.
Right now, Detective.
[phone rings]
- Okay, so two days ago,
the Lows charged a hefty bill at a sporting goods store.
I talked to the clerk there.
He said that they picked up some fly-fishing gear
and they were talking about, um, conditions
up at Granddaddy Mountain.
JEB: Granddaddy Mountain? - Yes, sir.
- So get up there. If the Lows are still alive,
they may know how they ended up on this list,
and even better,
where Dianna and Matilda are now.
- Okay, and--and if I find, say, a suspect or something?
- You radio us. - Right.
JEB: All right? - Yes, sir.
JEB: Use your training. - Yes, sir.
- Send that kid out alone,
he's liable to get pecked to death by songbirds.
JEB: Who else have I got?
- Concerned about Dianna?
- Yeah.
BILL: Any new information
that, uh, speaks to her welfare?
- No, Lloyd, um, contacted her folks.
Divorced, non-Mormon.
They haven't heard from her for a long time.
Her dad said, uh... [laughs softly]
That she joined a cult, as far as he was concerned.
- We'll find her. We will.
- Yeah. We got to.
- Love note? - Kinda.
- [chuckles]
Raising up a couple of Picassos.
[Jeb laughs] Thank you.
- Yeah, no. Thank you.
- Detectives, evidence files for Dan Lafferty.
In from Salt Lake City.
[suspenseful music]
♪♪ ♪♪
MATILDA: "On May 7th, 1982,
"at 1:30 or 2:30 p.m., we were about 20 minutes
outside of Salt Lake..." - I'll be back.
- Yeah. MATILDA: "On the I-15..."
DAN: Do you know how I've been studying at BYU
to be the best priesthood holder and husband that I can?
Couldn't find all the original teachings there,
so I went to an antiques dealer.
And he sold me something... [chuckles]
Very, very special.
Take a look at that.
Yeah.
MATILDA: The Peace Maker.
- Start--start where it's book-marked.
- Is this from my wedding bouquet?
Um, "Man is under governing power of his wife,
"and wife is under governing power of her husband.
"Now, which shall be subservient?
"Certainly neither where both have equal power.
"By depriving him of the right of marrying more than one wife,
"um, you totally annihilate his power of peaceable government
"over a woman
"and deprive the family of its
lawful and necessary head." - "Lawful and necessary head."
- What is this?
- That? An essential LDS tract,
printed by Joseph Smith himself.
And it also says that a man needs at least three wives
to achieve full exaltation into heaven.
Did you know Joseph Smith had 33 wives?
33.
His youngest was 14.
- No.
But if it's so essential,
why have I never heard of it, like, in church?
DAN: Well, because the U.S. government has been
whittling away our doctrines for over a hundred years.
But our church vowed
that if man's laws ever conflicted with ours
that we would be ranged under the banner of heaven
and against the government.
So this is what my father set me on track to find,
to understand God's laws
and how we have perverted them with man's.
- [scoffs] Perverted them? Right.
Do you know what sounds perverted to me?
Is, uh, collecting wives.
- Was Abraham a pervert?
Huh? Was--was Moses a pervert?
- I don't know. How should I know that?
I didn't marry Moses or Abraham.
Do you want to have an affair on me, Dan?
Is that--is that what this is about?
Do I not satisfy you anymore? DAN: No, no, no, no!
And you will not speak to me in that manner ever again!
You understand?
How can you possibly see me as the head,
the way I see Christ, if it's just the two of us?
- You don't have to go marrying more women.
I know that you're the head.
- You always say that you can't be happy unless I am happy
so I won't be so frustrated anymore,
and you won't be so afraid
of falling short of my expectations
because you won't be the one-and-only!
[siren wailing]
MATILDA: Dan, you need to pull over.
DAN: If you can just get over your dang jealousy,
you might see what a blessing this principle is for you too.
- Can you pull over?
[turn signal clicking]
- Howdy, officer. What seems to be the problem?
- You were speeding, and you're missing an inspection sticker.
DAN: Oh.
GEORGE: Can you roll the window all the way down, please?
DAN: You wouldn't happen to have pulled me over because,
uh, you read about my run for sheriff
in the paper, would you?
GEORGE: Can't say that I did.
DAN: Oh, okay.
Well, Matilda, would you show the good officer?
Now, see, I know it disappoints you to hear that
I'll be enforcing strict separation of powers,
so no more unlawful arrests and--
- I got backup at the ready, Dan.
- I'm sure you do.
I'm sure you've had backup ready all day.
If you know want to arrest me, you know where I live.
Get a warrant, have it signed by a judge,
and bring it by my home.
- Okay. Step out of the car, Dan.
- No.
[engine revving]
MATILDA: What are you doing?
You could have killed him.
- They're trying to derail my campaign
and sabotage me!
[siren wailing]
[metallic clunk, tires screeching]
MATILDA: What are you doing, trying to kill me?
- I'm not! They are!
[dramatic music]
♪♪ ♪♪
[tires screeching]
[bell dinging]
[train horn blowing]
[tires screeching]
[siren wailing]
God's giving me an opportunity.
Tyrants! Tyrants! Witness! Witness the tyrants!
Witness! Witness the tyrants!
Witness!
Witness the tyrants! Witness! GEORGE: Game over, Dan.
Game over.
[police radio chatter]
[apprehensive music]
♪♪ ♪♪
BILL: Let's go.
ROBIN: Hey, Pyre.
I'm finished answering your questions.
My representative is on his way.
- So we think that Dan remained the family leader
even after your folks came back from their mission.
And we're aware that he was advocating
for constitutional literalism,
but now we--
we suspect he was also exploring
fundamentalist Mormonism.
- He took Robin on a lookie-loo to an FLDS compound.
Maybe he let some of those men in his life?
Could have been the bearded men you saw.
- Uh, I guess it's possible. [clears throat]
- Yeah, you think?
He ever discuss this with you?
[pensive music]
♪♪ ♪♪
DAN: See, it's--it's no different
than the chiropractic principle.
If you're out of alignment,
then your whole body begins to fail,
and we have been out of alignment with God's plan.
I mean, is it any wonder that there's such discourse
and disorder across the world?
I mean... [scoffs]
How can it be any-- how can it be otherwise
when men are beset with lust and frustration?
God could not be any more clear.
We need to assert absolute control in our married lives.
- So if I get Brenda to--to agree
to the-- the "absolute control" thing...
- Mm-hmm.
- Is the multiple wives thing mandatory 'cause--
- Well, if you want to get to the Celestial Kingdom, it is.
[slam echoes]
[indistinct guard chatter]
- It's too far. It's too far.
It's illegal, and there's too much at stake for all of us.
- Ron, our forebears never fretted about
how much they risked by standing firm in their faith.
- My faith. Yeah.
Ah, Dan.
Daniel. DAN: Mm-hmm.
Ow, Ron. - Arise and awake...
DAN: Ron. - To your awful situation.
ROBIN: Ron, you're gonna break his hand.
- If we don't regain our footing,
I'll lose my business, I'll lose everything.
- Ron, Mom, Mom-- Mom always said it was true.
She did, and now I know it.
I know it that you--
ow! You are the true leader of us.
We all know that Dad only chose me to lead things
because he's grown weak,
and he's afraid of your strength.
And I need to cleanse myself spiritually now,
as you can see.
Mm?
But it's you, Ron. It's you.
You are the true leader of our family.
- I don't know about that. - I do. I do.
Shoulder this responsibility for us.
Fight these criminal tax laws.
Get the government out of our pockets, hmm?
It's up to you now, Ron.
- You all feel the same way?
'Cause if you all feel that this is
Heavenly Father's desire, stand.
If no one--if no one-- if no one objects.
Right?
Okay?
[laughs]
If this is His desire, then, um...
- Do me a favor, buddy.
Will you--will you pray on The Peace Maker for me?
I know I heard the Heavenly Father's voice,
and I just so badly want to see you and Brenda in heaven.
Can you do that for me?
Okay.
RON: Allen.
ALLEN: I prayed on-- on what he said.
I fasted.
But I--I couldn't hear the Holy Spirit
in the same way my brothers could.
I thought there was something wrong with me.
- Well, you know that the church
has long forbidden polygamy.
- Today's prophets still believe
it's practiced in heaven.
- Allen, it's unholy here on Earth.
ALLEN: Is it?
I mean, why was Joseph Smith almost killed in Illinois?
TOWN OFFICIAL: "Prophet" Joseph Smith...
ALLEN: It wasn't just because he was unfaithful to Emma.
He was acting upon his principle here on Earth.
TOWN OFFICIAL: 'Cept now we have a witness to your crimes
and whoredoms committed over and again
with an unmarried woman.
ALLEN: Taking wives,
some of them so very, very young.
Once I learned what Joseph did,
I still put my faith in him,
so I believed I could still love Dan
despite all of it too.
But instead,
like Emma, I, uh...
I was sick about it.
[door closes]
[apprehensive music]
♪♪ ♪♪
EMMA: Joseph, your brother Hyrum visited.
He brought me your revelation.
In an attempt to persuade me of its purity, I assume.
"If any man espouse a virgin and desire
to espouse another, he is justified."
Who else follows this revelation now?
Brigham Young?
JOSEPH SMITH: Only His anointed men.
Ours is an ever-evolving church, Emma.
And Father knew it would inspire opposition so fervent
that it would cut down our church ere it grew roots.
- We made a vow, Joseph.
And I will not stand to watch you say
it is holy to marry others
because you've grown bored of me.
To marry mere girls. I refuse.
- You accuse me
of falsifying revelations to suit my own desires?
- I was at your side when you discovered the plates.
I was your scribe as you dictated their every word,
and I publicly supported their divine authenticity.
So are you certain in asking me now
to believe that the Lord in heaven
commands you to take more wives?
- Pray on it, Emma.
- Fine. Go forth, Joseph.
So shall I,
as he must want me to take more husbands as well.
And I will.
- Thus sayeth the Lord...
"I command mine handmaid Emma Smith
"to abide and cleave unto my servant, Joseph,
"and to none else.
But if she will not abide this commandment..."
♪♪ ♪♪
"She shall be destroyed."
- The Heavenly Father will destroy me?
Me?
Are you certain, Prophet?
ALLEN: I did what the church taught us to do--
put my questions on the shelf.
It's hard to keep them up there,
isn't it?
- Did Dan keep his questions on the shelf?
- If the men I saw were from Colorado City,
then I guess you have your answer, right?
- If an LDS man chooses to take up polygamy again,
then why not blood atonement?
Slippery slope, isn't it?
♪♪ ♪♪
NEWS ANCHOR: Dan Lafferty is off the ballot for sheriff
for refusing to pay a $15 processing fee,
but he emerged from jail today
to find he's not off the minds of local Libertarians.
- He doesn't look too cheesed off about his failed campaign.
What are we missing here, Jeb?
Motive. JEB: [sighs]
- You all right?
JEB: We're chasing our tails.
- What is Robert Wagner doing here?
- What? BILL: And why are our guys
greeting him like he's Danny freakin' White?
- I'll take care of it.
- Brother Pyre.
I'm Orton Ballard, president of Robin's stake.
He phoned me a brief while ago.
- President Ballard, it's a pleasure to meet you.
How, um, how can I help?
- Well, Robin told me he's badly in need
of spiritual counsel, and under the circumstances,
he must be carrying a heavy burden indeed.
- If--if you're here to visit him,
I--I ask if it can wait for tomorrow.
We're--we--the case is very active right now.
- I know Heavenly Father won't let you rest
until the evildoers are in hand,
but Robin's a good boy, as are Allen and Sam,
and seeing all three in need of healing prayer,
I'd like you to release them into my custody.
- Perhaps we can talk in private.
- Oh, there's no need to trouble yourself.
- I don't feel it's prudent to release them just yet.
- Is everything all right?
- It's a very ghastly, complicated case,
and we're all doing our best here--
- Oh, no, I mean with you.
You're carrying so much here and at home--
your mother, her suffering.
Your bishop told me after he met with you
and your wife about your daughters' baptism,
you introduced some provocative questions.
"Blood atonement?"
This case must weigh heavy on you.
But perhaps some questions man isn't meant to answer.
Trust the priesthood.
Release the brothers into my custody.
- Put my questions on the shelf?
[soft suspenseful music]
Respectfully, sir, I'm--I'm not detaining
the Lafferty brothers for a questioning mind.
I'm investigating a murder.
- We've all made covenants to protect the Lord's Kingdom,
even unto laying down our lives.
Now, we wouldn't want anything to embarrass the church,
would we, Brother?
I trust you recall the repercussions of sharing
what is heaven's alone.
♪♪ ♪♪
- Thank you so much.
- [gasps]
[trash can rattles]
- Sorry, sir.
- [sniffs] What is it?
- Couple boys showed up at Bishop Low's home,
say they know something about who broke in.
- All right, good. Good. Let's go.
JEB: So you were rolling around and you stopped, where?
TEEN: Right around here, yeah.
- Why'd you stop here?
- The car in the driveway, it wasn't the Lows',
and there were two men in the back.
- Did you get a look at the men?
- Honestly, sir, we didn't get very close.
They--they worried us.
JEB: Why'd they worry you?
- They were just sitting there.
They weren't talking to each other or anything,
and they had long hair, sir.
- Long like when you need a haircut or--
- Yes, sir. Long like a woman's.
JEB: All right, good.
- Did you get a look at the car?
- It was a green station wagon.
TEEN: An Impala, sir.
My parents had one until Heavenly Father
answered my prayer for a Skyhawk.
- [chuckles]
Green station wagon Impala. - Yes, sir.
[tense music]
♪♪ ♪♪
[Jeb sighs]
[door opens] JEB: Allen.
This is Ron's car, isn't it?
- Yeah.
- It was spotted at the home of the Lows'
on the day of the murder.
Now the Lows are missing.
- What are you-- what are you saying?
What, that they got to Ron, too, or--
or that they stole it?
Or Dan did?
- Dianna sent this.
To the Prophet.
DIANNA: "Dear President Kimball,
"We write aware of how busy Heavenly Father keeps you.
We need your guidance..."
[grunts] "So desperately.
"Our husbands have begun questioning some federal laws
"they believe conflict with LDS teachings.
"Still, our prayers tell us that
"a good Mormon abides the law.
"Please counsel us on Heavenly Father's will.
"Is it ever right for a Mormon to break a law
"they feel violates our church beliefs?
My husband--" DIANNA: Are we sure about this?
- I think so. I think it's really good.
DIANNA: Yeah?
Yeah!
[somber music]
- Br--Brenda wrote this.
I--I can hear her voice.
JEB: Did she ever tell you about this letter?
ALLEN: No. At some point, she--
she stopped complaining about my brothers.
I assumed she...
she'd just thrown up her hands about them.
And about me.
But, uh,
she still loved me.
[crying]
She--she'd see, you know, how--
how I struggled to stand up to them.
So she did the standing.
- Did Ron ever tell you about this letter?
- No.
- Holy wow, Robin.
You called your stake president to get you out of jail?
May be the most saintly act of entitlement
I've ever witnessed.
- You know, you should really, um,
tell your partner here who we regard
as the higher authority, the church or the police.
I don't have to tell you that disrespecting church authority
puts your own salvation in the balance.
- Well, there's that.
- If you can answer me one more question, Robin.
Was Ron at war with Dan's views...
or was he drawn to his ideas too?
- Well, Ron stayed out of it until our father,
who was getting sicker and weaker,
finally swallowed his pride, practically begged Ron
to help bring Dan back in line.
- You got to remember Article of Faith 12.
"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers,
"and magistrates in obeying, honoring,
and sustaining the law."
If you get yourself thrown in jail,
you're mocking our prophet. So...
- [clears throat] What brought this to mind, Ron?
This unexpected visit?
- I felt a calling from the Lord.
DAN: Oh.
You sure it wasn't a calling from Dad?
[laughter]
D&C 98, 6 and 7-- "I the Lord justify
"you and your brethren of my church to befriend the law,
"which is the constitutional law of the land,
whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of evil."
And the 16th Amendment is clearly "more than"
what the Constitution once was. It is evil.
- Until the--until the church
calls us to break the law, then--
- It can't. That is why Joseph wanted us
to directly correspond with Heavenly Father,
so we should "depend upon no person for borrowed light,
"trusting only unto the Holy Spirit,
who is ever the same."
- There's no place in the church
for extremes, Dan, right? [Dan stammers]
- What about extremely good, Ron?
How about extremely good?
The government keeps changing their rules.
We're simply trying to sustain the rules that we started with,
our heavenly inspired constitution.
I mean, it's the only way out of this mess
and back to God's plan.
- God's plan? What's your plan? Just to get us thrown in jail?
Is that your plan? Or are you gonna become sheriff
and stack the juries and rule how you wish?
Because if you do, that's an embarrassment.
- Ron. How do you think we feel?
I--I'm embarrassed I can barely support my family.
I wish that we could all be as successful,
as--as well off as you are, but that's--
RON: Watch your tone with me, all right?
- I'm sorry. All right. I'm sorry.
- I'm curious.
Does it help your profits
to obey these illegal laws?
RON: What? DAN: Yes or no?
- [laughs]
DAN: But you follow them anyhow.
And why? Because you're scared.
- Dan-- DAN: Dad--Dad'll be gone soon,
and what has he left us with?
Lafferty men used to run things in this state.
And I've had a vision to set things back in that order.
Now, if you don't want to be a part of that,
then you should change your name
if all we do is embarrass you
because you're either a part of this family or you are not.
I think it might be time for you to leave, Ron.
- Okay. Shut up and let me think.
You know, just--
[sighs]
I do own my own home, and I do own my own business.
You all know that.
So did someone tell you that I'm--I'm gonna lose it all?
Is that why you're speaking this way to me?
- Ron-- [Ron stammers]
RON: You want to cut me down in front of my own brothers?
Is that what you want? - Ron.
I did not know that.
RON: Just-- DAN: Hey, Ron. No, no, no.
- Don't touch me, man. You shame me.
DAN: I didn't know that.
[pensive music]
Ron, you suffer because you're persecuted.
And "persecution has rolled on our heads from time to time
like peals of thunder because of our religion."
"Because of our religion," Ron.
So "arise and awaken
unto your awful situation."
They changed the rules on us.
We're gonna put things back in order.
Robin, will you come help me hold our brother?
JEB: Was this before or after
your dad confronted Dan at the parade?
ROBIN: It was before.
He only stepped in because
Ron hadn't succeeded with Dan
in the way that our father had hoped.
- See, Allen claims that--
that Ron had nothing to do with Dan's ideas.
But now you're telling me...
that Ron followed all of you until the end?
- I didn't follow Dan to the end.
But yes, Dan shifted Ron's mind.
- Did Ron come to Dan's side before or after this date?
- Before. Well before.
Ron was already with us when Dianna sent that.
[tense music]
♪♪ ♪♪
[number pad beeping]
JEB: If Robin is telling the truth,
that letter was all about fixing Ron.
First, Dan brought Ron
into alignment with his political views.
- So arise and awaken.
- Then Dianna sent the letter.
DIANNA: Yeah? - Ron.
JEB: Then Ron was denied the loan.
And when their father derailed Dan,
Ron had to take over Dan's efforts...
- Arise and awake... DAN: Ron, Ron.
- To your awful situation.
JEB: His father and his own wife
standing squarely in Ron's way.
BILL: See what Bascom says. - Yeah. You ready?
BILL: What line? - Three.
[line trilling]
Ringing.
LECONTE: Good afternoon! LeConte Bascom.
- Mr. Bascom, this is Brother Pyre.
Uh, we talked this morning.
LECONTE: Oh, hi.
Detective, how's your day?
JEB: To be honest with you, I--I've lost time
because, uh,
well, see, I worry you may have fudged the truth
with me this morning about Ron's reaction to that letter.
- Oh, dear. Uh...
I remembered as best I could, Brother Pyre.
- Well, see, I don't think Ron was upset with Dan one bit.
Did you misremember that or did the Prophet's office set limits
on what you can say?
'Cause they'd rather us think of Ron
as some kind of saintly victim of Dan's extracurriculars
because the last thing they need
is for Utah to find out its treasured son had gone fundie.
- In all honesty, uh, anything I might know,
I entrusted to the authority of Bishop Low.
I'm only in this bishopric. Maybe speak with him.
BILL: In all honesty, Mr. Bascom,
we can't find the dang Lows.
- I'm sorry, who's this? BILL: Bill Taba.
Detective. We haven't met yet.
But we can because if you don't tell us
what you "entrusted to Bishop Low,"
then I'll cuff your ass and bring you in for interrogation.
- Uh, uh, forgive me, I didn't, um,
realize the pertinence of what I saw until now.
Now, don't you lay the blame on her feet, all right?
[files shuffling] Ron.
RON: Thank you.
♪♪ ♪♪
- He was upset when I told him
about the letter his wife wrote.
RON: Shut your--
LECONTE: But I--
I honestly thought it was just a domestic, Brother Pyre.
♪♪ ♪♪
[phone clatters]
- Thank you so much. Keep me posted.
The Herald and Tribune are sending reporters.
You want the national outlets?
- No. We just want useful tips, not publicity.
BILL: Yeah, we got an older model Impala station wagon,
light green.
JEB: Hit pause on calling more press
until we fill in the boss.
- Fred, do you mind holding?
JEB: Chief. Welcome back. Thanks for coming back early.
LEROY: Yeah. Where are we with suspects?
- We have a station wagon IDed at a house
targeted by the killers, belongs to Ron Lafferty.
- Dan Lafferty made contact
with a fundamentalist sect down south.
We're putting out an APB now. LEROY: Absolutely not.
Unless you're ordering pizza, sunshine,
hang up the phone.
Come on. In my office.
- Welcome back, Chief.
- Time is of the essence.
We--we can enlist the public's help with a press conference.
LEROY: All right, you two know as well as I do.
Outsiders do not understand the difference
between our church and the fundies, the polygamists.
We struggle against that perception every single day.
[tense music]
This is my press conference.
And you two will do as I say.
[camera shutters clicking] And of course, a big thank you
to our detectives, Jeb Pyre, Bill Taba.
They have been delivering solid investigative work
that is gonna bring this troubling situation
to a quick close.
Detectives have a quick update as to where we're at.
Jeb?
- [clears throat] Thank you, sir.
[camera shutters clicking]
Afternoon.
At this point,
we're not able to name a suspect,
but we are asking the public to help us locate a vehicle
we think may be connected to the crime.
It's a green Chevrolet Impala.
[continuing indistinctly]
A as in Ada, 2-8-3.
REPORTER: Detective, were the murders ritualistic?
REPORTER: Have you identified a motive?
REPORTER: Are women with young children being targeted?
- At this point, we don't think that the public generally
needs to be afraid, but we are a community
that isn't used to locking its doors.
For the time being, we should all err on the side of caution.
Okay? Thank you.
REPORTER: Sir, do you suspect fundamentalism
as a motive for these murders?
LEROY: Uh, we, uh, are aware of a constitutional fundamentalist
anti-tax group's proximity to these events,
but we've found no direct link. Thank you.
REPORTER: How about Mormon fundamentalists?
- That's enough, gentlemen. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Thank you very much. - Detective Pyre.
Why were you present at a cabin raid
outside of your jurisdiction? Was that raid related?
And if so, which is it? Satanists, FLDS, or neither?
♪♪ ♪♪
It's quite a simple question.
- Personally,
I wouldn't rule out fundamentalist Mormonism.
REPORTER: Why? What have you found?
JEB: Thank you, gentlemen. That's enough.
REPORTER: No, detective, what have you seen--
[indistinct chatter]
- Hey. You should, uh...
- Yeah, let's get up to Granddaddy Mountain
and find Morris. I'm ready.
- I was gonna say you should take the night off.
Forgive my language...
But I'm goddamn proud of you.
You did the right thing.
So go, get some sleep.
You may well need it.
- Thanks, pal.
[sighs]
♪♪ ♪♪
[radio static crackling]
- Oh, no.
[static crackling]
[static cuts out]
I'm looking for Fern Lake.
- You're lost.
- Hey, hey.
♪♪ ♪♪
[indistinct chatter]
- Brother.
- [mumbles]
- Aren't we blessed?
- Good morning, Sister Dorren. Yes, of course.
- Um, my husband and I have been praying
with Stake President Ballard
to see you through your current confusion.
- [mouthing]
- To conceive three children that you will not meet
till you get to heaven
is a heavy burden, Sister.
But they are waiting for you in heaven.
And we cannot let them down.
He's given you these two beautiful girls.
Sometimes, when we wait a long time for something,
it's hard to accept when it's finally here.
But it is here.
Your children have reached the age of accountability,
and it is time for your girls
to be baptized into His one true church.
- We should head in. Thank you.
DORREN: Bless you. Yes.
MORRIS: Where are you taking me?
Hello?
Mister?
[ominous music]
♪♪ ♪♪
Dear Heavenly Father...
With your blessing--
♪♪ ♪♪
[crow calls]
Bishop Low!
Thank--thank you!
Bishop Low!
♪♪ ♪♪