Good morning. I'm coming to you live from Dahlonega,
where there has been a significant development
in the Rachel Hopkins murder case.
As 7,500 friends and neighbors wake up this morning,
they face the grim prospect that one of them could be a serial killer.
Now, as this is a rapidly evolving situation,
know that information is still scarce,
especially on the very first day of Gold Rush Day's festival,
which typically is a time for celebration.
But what I can confirm is the second victim is Helen Wang,
the headmistress of St. Hilary's private girls' school.
While I have nothing more to share, as soon as I know something, you will too.
I'm Anna Andrews, here in Dahlonega for WSK.
We humans are capable of inflicting such misery.
Such cruelty.
Such pain.
And yet, the most dangerous thing we do is lie…
to others.
And to ourselves.
Guess we should've interviewed her yesterday.
Did Anna tell you what the hell she was doing here?
Apparently, Miss Wang left her a message at her B&B,
asked her to meet her here.
On a Saturday?
She said she arrived,
she saw the body, she called her cameraman, then called us.
All right, look.
Call Dahlonega Manor, where Anna's staying.
Just make sure that story checks out.
-I'mma go talk to her. -Yeah, I have her phone.
She give you access?
No. I asked, but--
-She laughed at you. -Yeah.
Yeah.
-Stan, why don't you give us a minute? -Yes, sir. Let's clear out, boys.
-You okay? -Mm-hmm.
-Wanna tell me what you're doing here? -I told your sidekick.
-Can I have my phone back, please? -Here's your phone.
Walk me through it, huh? Step by step.
Helen asked me to meet her here at seven.
Found her dead at 7:05.
7:06, I called my cameraman.
7:08, I called my boss.
7:45, I dialed 911.
Great. You called your cameraman first? You called cameraman, then you called 911?
She was already dead, and it's my job to report,
so yep, that's what I did.
Deputy Scott here said the doors were locked. How'd you get in?
I don't know. Ask Helen.
-Okay, well-- -Pardon me. Excuse me.
You know, I gotta ask you.
-Where were you the night Rachel died? -Why would you?
-You know why I gotta ask you. -In Atlanta.
-Can you prove that, Anna? -Do I need to, Jack?
Are we done here?
Yeah. You stay in the fucking building. You got that?
Calls and emails are pouring in. Atlanta loves you.
-If only… Ah, forget it. -No, no, no! If only what?
If only you could do something to spike it, really drive the numbers up
so it doesn't seem like I'm playing favorites.
-I'll see what I can do. -Go get 'em, tiger.
Well, I appreciate it. Yes, thank you.
-Who's that? -The night-shift clerk.
The call came in after midnight,
but the message wasn't delivered to Miss Andrews until early this morning.
Definitely a woman who left it.
Two women, best friends since high school, murdered.
A knife used in both their killings.
A friendship bracelet placed in both their mouths.
Both connected to Clyde Duffie.
No fingerprints anywhere.
Not even the victim's.
Whole place wiped clean? Maybe we're looking at a professional.
Maybe old Clyde hired somebody. Let's check his phone records.
Get a list of everybody he called over the last month.
Bank accounts, see if he's made major cash withdrawals.
Remember you asked me to do that check on Richard Jones?
-Yeah. -Came back.
Assault and battery three years ago, broke a woman's jaw.
Be right back.
You seen Anna?
I'd give your wife some space if I were you.
Trust me, she's not in the mood.
Pay attention to your fucked-up own marriage.
You don't know anything about me or my fuckin' marriage, okay?
-Know you're a lowdown cheat. -You know that?
-Yeah, I do. -Really?
-That bother you? -Get the fuck--
Too bad I ain't a female. You might just break my jaw, huh?
She went that way.
She was so upset, she didn't come today.
She just said she wasn't even coming…
Mr. Mayor, trust me when I tell you I think it's about to get a lot worse,
but I can help you if you'll let me.
A televised town hall, more publicity. Why would I put gasoline on a fire?
Fight fire with fire.
No, you do not. You suck the oxygen out of it. You smother it.
-We need to stop, drop, and roll here. -Sir, those days disappeared with dial-up.
These days, if you don't tell your own story, somebody else will.
What exactly is our story?
That this town, her people, and her mayor are strong, safe, and unafraid.
You let America know that Dahlonega is very much open for business.
And… and you get what out of this?
I'm from here.
I care about this town. You know my mother still lives here.
I didn't know any of that.
I thought most celebrities were more than happy
to prostitute their private lives for public consumption.
You know, I think maybe
you and I had a different experience growing up in this town.
You ever think that the, uh, successes you've had, who you are,
are due in no small part to Dahlonega?
-I have. -Pro tip.
Instead of, uh, resenting where you're from,
maybe consider how privileged you were.
You know, change your attitude.
To what?
"Thanks, Dahlonega."
I see.
Pro tip, if I may?
Please.
Well, Dahlonega runs on tourism.
The 45-to-65, wine-sipping, leaf-peeping, law-and-order, disposable income crowd.
-Correct? -It is, yes.
Okay. Well, you know who's a big fan of true crime?
The camper-towing, underemployed, lunch-packing, online-detective crowd.
So pros would get ahead of this right away.
Or else, you're gonna let the Internet deal with it.
Then you know what I think is gonna happen?
The invisible hand of public opinion
is gonna grab a handful of that gorgeous hair of yours
and stuff an economy-killing, serial-killer reputation
straight up your ass, Mr. Mayor.
And then, good luck with reelection.
So… what do you say?
It only takes a few seconds
when both the carotid and the jugular veins are cut.
But with a slash,
it's hard to say whether or not the same type of knife was used.
Not sure that matters. Whether it's the same knife or not,
it's certainly the same person that used it.
We know because of the bracelet.
That detail was never released to the press, so
murders must be linked.
Wait a second.
If the clippings were taken as a souvenir on the last case--
She still has both eyes, if that's what you're getting at.
In both cases, there was a message left.
First case, the fingernails, right? There was a word.
Here it's the forehead. Same person.
The staples could be seen as another message.
"See no evil," maybe, or "Turn a blind eye."
Lots of ocular trauma though.
Mm.
It took some muscle to get staples to stick in soft tissue like this.
Hey, Doc, do you have a time of death?
Well, not an exact one.
Well, rigor's pretty well peaked though.
Usually happens 12 hours after in a reasonably air-conditioned room.
That bracelet,
that's pretty much the exact same, isn't it?
Yeah.
Pretty much identical to the last one.
Doesn't look worn.
Threads seem new.
I can check in town to see where they might be sold.
Seems like we're back at square one with the semen.
No matches in the database, and Mr. Duffie's impotent.
Pfft. So he says, anyway.
We'll know for sure when the swab results come in.
That said, given the amount of large-waisted strap-ons
I found in his garbage, he could be telling the truth.
I just puked in my mouth.
If Duffie was the killer, what's his motive?
He said he had those rules with Rachel about hooking up.
He said specifically no one in Dahlonega.
The jizz ain't his.
-His wife broke the rules. -That's right.
But it doesn't explain why he'd kill Miss Wang.
Yeah. Well, what we gotta figure out is where that call to Dahlonega Manor,
where it originated from.
Why?
They said it came in after midnight, right?
Helen was dead.
-Right. -Yeah.
-Let me know what you find. -Yes, sir.
-What the fuck, Jack? -I'm sorry, Zoe. I just--
-You just dig through my shit? -Hey, look--
Just, look, I need to know what this is, okay?
-What? -Where'd you get it?
-Are you serious? -Dead serious.
You broke into my room for this?
-I didn't break in. -Dirty-ass friendship bracelet?
It's not the fucking necklace from Titanic.
-Where did you get it? -Jesus Christ.
Anna made them for all of us.
Does Anna have one?
Just 'cause you're a cop doesn't mean I have to answer stupid questions.
I need your help, okay?
Rachel and Helen, what were they to each other?
Duh, Helen was a lesbo, and Rachel swung both ways.
At least she did in high school.
She had the hots for your wife, too, but Anna was a goody-two-shoes.
Was that why they all stopped being friends? That what happened?
It was so long ago, I don't remember. Rachel probably got bored.
Damn it, hold on.
What's going on, Sheriff?
The mayor wants to do a dog and pony show for the press
to keep his ass from being recalled.
-What? When? -Tonight.
I want you to head it up since you're more familiar.
Oh, for… You can't. It's been less than 24 hours since the murder.
-You don't want that information released. -It's not my call, okay?
Get your fucking ducks in a row. Get everybody to calm the hell down.
-And get moving on a solve. -Oh, for fuck's sake. It's…
Sir, it's a mistake, okay?
God…
Goddammit.
Morning, Ms. Andrews.
Deputy Adams calling to check on your mother.
We found her wandering again last night and wanted to make sure she's okay.
Please feel free to call me at the Sheriff's office. Have a good day.
Ma?
Mama!
Mama?
You in here?
I begged my mom,
so she got them as an early birthday present.
But I can't wear the pants outside the house
unless I cover the part that says "juicy."
What do you think?
I think it's super cute.
I got you something too.
You can wear it to your party next week.
It's a Wonderbra.
-Thanks… …Rach. -Try it on.
Right now?
Well, don't you wanna see if it works?
-I won't look. -You're toxic, I'm slippin' under
With a taste of a poison paradise
I'm addicted to you Don't you know that you're toxic?
And I love what you do Don't you know…
Well?
Oh my God.
Your tits look amazing.
You're so fuckin' hot.
You guys here?
Yeah. Up in the bedroom.
I brought beverages.
Shit. You look hot.
I have another surprise.
The new and improved Catherine Kelly.
-Hey, Catherine. -Hi, Anna. Thanks for having me over.
I apologized for being such a bitch, and I told her it wasn't really pee.
I was really relieved.
Yeah, me too.
Anyway, you both look awesome.
-Let's get some pics. -Oh, I don't take very good photos.
Bullshit. You look sexy as hell. Just smile this time though.
Cheese!
Anna, have you ever thought about straightening your hair?
Uh… Wait, let me put my top back on.
Come on, pose. Like a model.
-Yeah, like a supermodel. -Yeah, come on, sexy lady.
Okay, body!
Yeah!
Anna!
-Anna! -Yeah!
Where were you?
Just outside in the garden. I saw your car.
What?
Ugh.
That big mouth, Jack, probably told you he had to come get me again.
Come on over here and sit with your mama for a minute. Come on.
I'm glad you came by.
With everything that's going on, I think you should stay here.
Hm? It's safer.
-Ain't nobody coming out all this way. -You know I can't stay in that room, Mom.
Yeah.
Baby, I don't know how we do it.
But at some point, if we gon' keep on living…
we gon' have to find a way to make peace with the past. Hmm?
Mama…
when I'm done here, which is gonna be soon,
I'm gonna go back to Atlanta.
And
I think you gotta come with me, Mom.
-To live? -Mm-hmm.
-In Atlanta? -So I can take care of you
until we can figure out what's next.
Ooh-ee, honey.
Anna, honey, I love you, but this is my home,
and I don't need a babysitter.
Alice…
is something going on with you?
Maybe.
Okay, so then we're gonna…
We're gonna need some help.
I hear you.
Okay.
This is Gerald. How can I help you?
Detective Patel here with the Dahlonega Sheriff's Office.
I need an origin number for a call made to Dahlonega Manor
at 12:02 a.m. this morning.
Sure thing.
But, you know, before that,
I wanna follow up on a request for phone records
I put a rush on three days ago.
Customer name?
Hopkins, Rachel.
Yeah, so… so that was canceled.
What? Canceled by who?
Uh…
A Detective Harper.
-Run both, please, immediately. -Sure.
Pretend to do police work. Goddamn joke.
What's going on, Boston? Who you talking to?
Uh… Another wackadoo lead.
Yeah, well, there's some more wackadoo leads for you.
This… whole mess for these idiots in town.
Goddamn waste of time.
-Good to see you. -Yeah, good to see you.
-How you doing, Mayor? -Good to see you.
So what exactly are we hoping to achieve tonight?
Hmm…
Answer questions, calm nerves,
assuage fears.
You're kidding.
Sarcasm. Right.
Ooh…
Okay, Annie Oakley.
-Why you got a gun in your purse? -If I open carried, it'd ruin my outfit.
Any good with it?
I don't know.
You… I… I feel like you should know…
…if you're gonna carry it around with lipstick and Tylenol.
Well, I got it when I was
working nights on the crime desk.
Better to have it and not need type thing.
Yeah, I'll say. Let's hope you don't need it.
Mama, I'mma head on in to get you a seat, okay?
-News time? -Uh-huh.
Mm.
There he is! How're you doing?
Good evening, everybody.
The purpose of this town hall tonight is to separate rumor from fact,
to provide you with some answers and hopefully some comfort.
And for those of you watching at home tonight,
so often when we hear about murders on television,
we forget that the victim is a person
who has left behind friends, family,
community, and so many questions.
And for us, that in times of fear,
finding those who you trust is even more important.
So I want to thank you, Mayor Woodruff, for putting together this event
at such short notice
and for having WSK as a trusted source to cover it.
Yes!
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you.
Detective Harper?
Fuckin' waste of time.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'll go ahead and share with you what I can,
and then I guess we'll open it up for questions.
Rachel Hopkins and, uh, Helen Wang, they were part of this community.
They grew up here. They lived locally.
They were both murdered.
It was violent. It was heinous. It was gruesome.
And we do believe these murders were, uh…
They're connected. These women were targeted.
We do believe they were committed by the same person or persons.
You mean like a serial killer?
-What the hell? -Who's doing this?
Now, look, I… I've worked homicide the better part of a decade,
not just here in Lumpkin County, but Atlanta Metro.
And I assure you…
I've worked with some of the best investigation teams in the country,
and one thing I just want y'all to wrap your heads around
is that the majority of these cases, they do go unsolved.
-What the hell does that mean? -Fuck.
-This ain't Atlanta. -I understand.
-You're not gonna solve this? -I never said that.
I'm just saying what this is gonna require is patience, yeah? And cooperation.
You're gonna have to let us do our job.
I thought your job was to protect the citizens of Dahlonega.
-Yeah! -Damn right!
-That most certainly is our job. -What are you doing to keep our kids safe?
I don't believe your kids aren't safe. I don't believe kids are being targeted.
Do you know who is a target?
Our kids are in danger! Come on and say it!
I heard they were naked.
-They took their eyes out! -For Christ's sake.
-I heard they were naked. -I hear they were in a sex ring!
-What's the blood spatter show? -Enough--
Answer the fucking question! Were they naked?
-Let my brother talk, Jordan! -Fuck you, Zo!
-You fucking idiot. -Can we not do that, please?
Ladies and gentlemen, that's not how this works.
We've got a job to do, and this ain't that, so…
I bid you goodnight.
Where the fuck is he going?
Hey, get back up there and do your job, you fucking coward.
Leave him be. Mind your business.
-Shut up. -Shut your fucking pie hole.
Ladies and gentlemen, what you saw there is a detective doing his job. All right?
So now more than ever, it's important we look after each other.
That we care for each other.
And I say now more than ever
because I myself know what this killer is capable of.
I found Helen Wang's body.
Now, I've covered countless murders in the course of my career.
Heinous, grisly, ugly things.
What I saw there was about as bad as anything I've ever seen.
Now, I don't know much. I am no detective,
but I have learned two things about people who kill.
One is that the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior,
and two, killer usually knows their victim.
-Dear Jesus. -Oh my goodness.
Which means one of us in here,
maybe many of us,
might know who the killer is.
We might not want to say.
The killer could be in this very room.
-Where's Duffie? How come he's not here? -You went to school with those girls.
Yeah, Zo, you went to St. Hilary. You were on the payment plan.
Your limp dick was on the payment plan, Jordan!
You wish you had that limp dick, didn't you?
You know what? Say that to my face. Why don't you say that to my fucking face?
Fuck you and any kids you got!
Come on, back up!
-Excuse me! -Get outta my fuckin' face!
-Fuck you! Get the fuck off me. -Settle down!
Hey now! Hey now!
Thanks, Dahlonega.
…face! Fuck you! Get the fuck off me.
I'm tired of your shit! All you do is talk!
Goddamn! I love that girl.
Hi, Lexy.
FYI, I'll be filing a report from the field,
which you'll need to run during the ten o'clock hour.
-Where you going? -Dahlonega.
-What? -Have Eddie cover my desk.
-What was that? -A town hall. People talking.
Yeah, talking about me.
Well, I didn't say your name.
If the people who know you think you might have an insight
into how or why Rachel or Helen were murdered,
then that's not on me.
Bullshit! I haven't talked to those bitches in years, and you know that.
And you fucking left, Anna, so why are you here?
What are you trying to do? Shit on me? Shit on this town?
I mean, Jesus fuckin' Christ. You still holding a grudge about…
It's been 20 fuckin' years. Wasn't even that big a deal.
Where were you, Zoe, last night between the hours of eight and 12?
Huh?
Funny. Funny.
They always underestimated me, those two, just like everybody else in this town.
Even my brother.
That's because nobody knows what you're capable of.
But I do.
Does it scare you?
Thinking about who might be next?
Does it scare you?
Better get out of here, Zoe.
It's not safe.
Nothing like some small-town drama to work up an appetite.
-Yeah. -Wanna grab a bite to eat?
Uh…
I can't, actually. I have something else I gotta do.
All right. I'll be up for a bit,
so you can always knock if you need some company.
Hey, thank you for your help tonight, Richard. I appreciate it.
Yeah.
No problem.
Hey, baby.
-What are you doing? -Huh?
Um… Nothing much.
-What's up? -I'll be there in half an hour.
What? Babe--
Hello? Oh, fuck.
Clyde.
Can you share with us how you're feeling?
It's just frustratin'.
Not knowin' anything, not bein' told anything.
I mean, and that town hall…
I'm just glad I didn't bother to go.
How's that help any of us, really?
I can only imagine how hurtful it must have been for you.
All that matters to me is gettin' justice.
Mm.
Doin' whatever I can to find whoever killed Rachel and Helen.
I want whoever is targeting the good women of this town
to be stopped and held accountable.
Mm.
So I am offerin' a $50,000 reward
to anyone who knows anything about what happened to my wife.
You heard it here first.
In a town where everyone has questions,
one grieving husband is offering $50,000 for answers.
Reporting live from Dahlonega,
Lexy Jones.
We're clear.
So sorry for your loss.
-Get all that? -Yeah, course I got it.
Good. Let's go.
Well, think of it as a punctuation mark on the story.
-It's not that simple! -Who knows? Maybe it helps.
But if you rerun any clips from the town hall,
you'll have to rerun my clip too.
Just to be accurate about it.
You have two hours.
Thanks, Jim.
Do you have something you wanna say to me?
No, I just… …I don't know why you'd do it.
Do what?
Go through all this trouble
just to take the shine off Anna.
I mean… you already have the anchor desk, honey.
Who cares what she does in the field, you know?
Well, I care.
Because she's after what's mine.
Um…
Mm.
And I am not
going to let her have it.
Am I?
No.
Get in the car.
-Should we go to the lake house? -Detective Patel.
Hey, uh, it's Wally.
I couldn't reach Detective Harper, so I figured I'd give you a ring.
Okay. Yeah, I see.
His DNA sample's cross-contaminated.
Got strands from two different people in it.
-Thanks. Um… -Yeah.
-Okay, I will let him know. -Cool. Have a great night.
Are they all wearing them?
Hey, Anna.
Hey.
Thanks for… for coming.
Yeah.
You know, I know that you, uh…
you weren't in Atlanta, you know the…
the night that Rachel died.
You saw me, didn't you?
You know I was with her.
I didn't hurt her, Anna.
You know that, right?
Did you see anything?
Anybody else that was there?
Do you know who did it?
I didn't do it, if that's what you're asking.
Okay.
That makes two of us.
I'm sorry you saw that, Anna.
It didn't mean anything.
Yeah, but it meant even less to her.
So why were you with her, Jack?
The same reason you were with that… gorilla of a cameraman of yours, right?
Except my gorilla of a cameraman wasn't found butchered the next morning
with me in charge of finding out who did it.
That's fair, Anna.
-Maybe I shoulda said something. -Maybe.
I cannot wait to hear this.
You just say I did, right?
You follow that through, then they kick me off the case, then what?
Who's gonna solve it?
Someone around here gonna solve it?
Someone who's never been on a homicide case, let alone solved one?
Who's gonna do it if I step off of it?
So you corrupt your own case, break the law,
but insist on staying on it instead of, I don't know, saying,
"Hey, fellas, that there is Rachel Hopkins."
"I don't know who killed her, but I know who fucked her. Me."
But no, you couldn't do that.
No. You are the only capable cop this side of Atlanta,
so you manage to be both the victim and hero of your own story.
It is unbelievable, but that's what you do.
Guess I'm really sorry that you feel that way.
No, you're not.
That's what people say to make themselves feel better.
You're not sorry for how I feel.
To be sorry about how I feel, you'd have to understand first.
-Right. -But you don't do that.
Guess not.
I told you I didn't feel good about leaving her that night, didn't I?
Didn't I?
Yes, Anna, you did.
What, you think I don't know that? You think I don't think about that?
You think I don't carry that with me? She was mine too.
She…
She was my baby too.
I never get to see her again either. Never get to hold her.
Sing to her, hold her hand. I hate myself. I blame myself--
No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm not saying it's your fault, Jack.
-Not Mama's. I know that. -The thing I just… I… I…
The thing I can't wrap my head around is after everything that we lost, after…
after how low and broken we were…
…you picked then to leave me.
I mean… …it's not even that you did. It's how you did it.
You didn't… you didn't… …you didn't say anything.
You just… you just bolted. No explanation. No…
The thing is, Anna, I swear to God, I coulda…
I coulda got through that.
Losing everything.
Losing my career.
Losing you.
You fuckin' knew it, knew I was looking for you.
You knew, and you were okay with that.
There's nothing in this world you could've done to me. Nothing…
I've never been that cruel to you, Anna. Ever.
Is that how it happened? That's how you remember it?
It's not how I remembered it, Anna. It's how it happened. It's a fact.
I tried. You stopped.
I honored my commitment, my vow.
I pulled my end of the fucking bargain, Anna.
And things got hard, and you tucked tail, and you fucking quit.
That's what you did.
And all I did is… I tried to take your pain away. That's all I tried to do.
I tried to be there for you, to hold you
and let you know no matter what, we could get through anything together.
I wanted to fix it, to make you better.
I didn't want you to make me better, Jack!
I didn't want you to fix it. I just wanted you to…
-I wanted you to listen to me. -What?
When do I not listen to you? How can you say I don't listen?
I never didn't listen. Whatever you said, I was--
Fucking shut up!
For once.
You wanted me to hold you.
So that's why you held me.
You wanted me to agree, to tell you everything was gonna be all right,
that we'd get through it together.
I already lost one baby. I didn't need another.
-Do you know how unfair that is? -I'm sorry.
-Do you know how fucking unfair that is? -Nothing is fair, Jack.
-You know how fuckin' unfair that is? -Nothing is fair.
I thought you woulda learned that after Charlotte went. Fair!
"You need a break, Anna."
"You work too much."
"Mama can look after the baby."
"No, don't worry. We can leave her."
"You're imagining things."
"Charlotte's just fussy. She'll be fine."
She wasn't fine, was she?
Then when you kept telling me that I'll be fine,
"You're fine, you're fine," it just…
it felt like a request.
Just to get over it. I… I didn't…
I didn't want you to fix me, Jack. I just wanted time.
Time to
live in the pain, to feel it. I…
When Charlotte left, all that was…
left in me was just this impossible emptiness, this
hole.
I just didn't know what to do. I had to go, Jack.
I had no choice because that hole was Charlotte.
It was all that I had left of our baby girl,
and you kept trying to take her away from me, so…
I just couldn't let you.
I'm so sorry.
Hey…
Wait.
I'm so sorry, Anna.
Can I just hold you for a second?
I'm so sorry. Can I just hold you?
I'm sorry.
I know, I know.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry!
You don't have to be sorry.
I'm so sorry, Jack.