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Crypto (2019) | Transcript

A young Wall Street banker is demoted to his hometown, where he begins to unravel a complex web of corruption and fraud in upstate New York. His investigation puts both his career and personal life at risk.
Crypto (2019)

Crypto (2019)
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Drama
Director: John Stalberg Jr.
Writers: Carlyle Eubank, David Frigerio, Jeff Ingber
Stars: Beau Knapp, Luke Hemsworth, Jill Hennessy, Kurt Russell, Alexis Bledel

Plot: A young Wall Street banker is demoted to his hometown, where he begins to unravel a complex web of corruption and fraud in upstate New York. His investigation puts both his career and personal life at risk.

* * *

[tires squealing]

[engine stops]

Fuck.

Where are you?

[opera music playing]

Where’s my dad?

[grunts]

[groans]

[grunting]

I have what you want.

Now let him go.

Hey. Give it to me.

[sirens wailing]

[horns honking]

[man] It’s Martin, right?

[Martin] Yes, sir.

You seem a little uncomfortable sitting here with us.

I am, a little.

What can you tell us about EquivoCorp?

The abstract.

The abstract of it…

EquivoCorp is an MNE whose primary assets range across

real estate, hotel groups, and logistics.

And?

And they recently acquired the start-up Crash, which developed an algorithm to optimize short-term rental software.

You think it was a wise choice?

Hedging their bets, while keeping their competition off scent… seems smart to me.

To me, as well.

Yes, sir, and…

For me… as well, Mr. Duran.

It’s Duran.

Which is why I was so surprised when this poorly written novel filtered across my desk yesterday.

I’m sorry. Now, my job is BSA compliance.

I did an exhaustive risk analysis…

Hide all you want behind your compliance shield and your patriotic anti-money laundering jargon.

What I want to know is what exactly was going through your head when you filed this report and made it impossible for a company with revenue exceeding 7 billion to do business with us.

No jargon!

Too many blind alleys.

I was seeing payments coming from and going into encrypted accounts.

I mean, I could show you in the report.

Bernard.

This is as much my fault as it is Martin’s.

I demand a culture of complete compliance in my department.

Martin was doing the job that you hired him to do and the one I expect him to do.

Let me make myself clear to the two of you.

You weren’t hired because I want you here.

You were hired because we had to, we were forced to, to remain in business.

You’re a necessary evil at best. You’re radiation therapy.

That’s better than being cancer.

[woman] Martin.

We’re done.

Ms. Whiting, please stay.

Thank you, Mr. Duran.

[Bernard] Where did you find this kid?

I can’t decide whether he’s a complete idiot

or some kind of savant.

Fuck you.

[Robin] Summa and Phi Beta Kappa at Williams College, 2010.

Top of his class at Wharton.

First-round draft pick on Wall Street,

had serious offers from UBS, Goldman, Merrill, BlackRock.

Turned down a lot of money to work here in AML.

[Bernard] So you’ve weaponized autism?

[Robin] You could say that.

But he’s our weapon.

[Bernard] And you have him aimed directly at our balance sheet.

This is serious, and we need to do something about it.

He’s got to go, Robin. He’s got to go.

[Robin] Bernard, I hear you. But there’s another option.

Hey, Martin.

Sorry. Robin needs to see you in her office.

Shit.

[Robin] Leverage? What, are you kidding me?

No, we’re not calling the FBI. We’re paying them to go away.

Oh, come on. Remember, these are kids in their parents’ basements.

No, it’s in everybody’s best interest to avoid federal involvement.

Okay.

What did he say?

What you drawing?

A unicorn.

It’s good. I like it.

Okay, well, you know what? Just tell him I have to call him back ’cause… No!

No, absolutely not.

Tell him not to pay a single dime until I’m in the room negotiating.

Your mom’s gonna yell at me.

Fine.

Hey, Cindy. Could you come in here, please?

Hey, could please take Molly to the kitchen for a snack?

Of course. Come on, Molly.

Hey, fist bump. I’ll see you later.

Hey, no sugar.

[Cindy] Let’s go get you a snack.

$10,000 a year for art lessons.

You know what this is?

It’s a unicorn.

Like you.

You did the right thing, Martin.

It took real guts to do what you did.

Then what’s the catch?

They’re reassigning you to a local branch…

temporarily.

Well, that’s subtle.

Where are they sending me?

Elba, New York.

You know that’s where I grew up.

Two birds with one stone, Martin.

The AML officer there is taking early retirement, health reasons.

You know the area. You’ll have an easier time orienting yourself.

This is political exile.

Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad.

It’s so bad they sent Napoleon to the other Elba.

You still have family there?

Yeah.

Well, I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to hear about your return.

Oh, yeah. Just thrilled.

When do I have to be there?

[Robin] About five minutes after that meeting ended.

Little advice from a friend?

Less is more.

Got it?

Yeah.

[Robin] Good.

Don’t go around me again.

[man on radio] …sold our children into slavery.

For what?

[turns radio off]

[country music playing on radio]

[receptionist] Okay, I just need you to sign right here for this.

[dings]

[man] All right, see you next time, bro.

Great. See you.

Why is this thing asking me for Bitcoin?

You actually take Bitcoin here?

Absolutely. I prefer it over cash.

[woman] Why?

[man] Because it’s fast, cheap to use,

it’s private, and central governments can’t take it away.

Look, I just want to convert plastic to paper.

Paper gets me alcohol, and the alcohol gives me a nice buzz.

Be honest. How many people in this town even know what Bitcoin is?

Good things take time.

[Martin] Earl.

[Earl] Holy…

Marty Duran?

What’s up, man? What are you doing here?

No, I mean what the fuck are you doing back here?

I thought you were some kind of big-shot banker in the city.

It’s a long story.

[Martin] What are you doing here?

Forget it.

Oh, hey, sorry for the inconvenience.

It’s…

It’s mine. My dad left it to me.

He died a couple years after high school.

I had no idea.

Why would you?

Hated this place growing up.

Remember when we used to steal beer?

No, man. I remember when we stole a bottle of whiskey.

You remember which kind?

Oh, I’ll never forget.

[together] Flamethrower.

[both laughing]

We still carry that shit. People drink it.

No.

Yeah, man.

How’s business?

Fucking terrible. Have you been to the west side yet?

There ain’t a west side.

Dude, you’ve been living under a rock?

The town’s gentrifying. Manscaped beards and feathered fedoras.

There’s even some swanky art gallery.

What business used to trickle its way here is all dried up.

Your brother’s the only person keeping this place in business.

Yeah.

[beeping]

Shit. Hang on.

Holy shit, Earl.

What the hell is all this?

Hang on, time is of the essence.

I’m getting in on this ICO.

Is that Bitcoin?

No, man. It’s for this new token called Delta Coin.

It’s a new app they’re building on the US blockchain.

The white paper’s the shit, really cutting-edge.

You want to get in on it?

No, I’m good.

Your electric bill’s got to be insane.

No, man, it’s all good. Only 10% of whatever I’m mining.

Plus the crypto day-trading, I average like 500 a day.

You heard about the TRAC coin?

To be honest, I only understand about 5% of what you’re talking about.

Seriously?

Dang, man. You better brush up. This shit is the future of money.

[coin-dropping noise]

So you’re back to help out your dad and bro?

Looks like they could use it.

No, I…

I’m just dealing with some compliance issues at the Omni branch here.

Just being modest.

What do I owe you for the beer?

Get the fuck out of here. Your money’s no good to me.

Oh, come on.

Old times, dude. Just steal it.

Hey, don’t be a stranger.

Wouldn’t think of it.

[man] Hey!

[in Russian]

[opera music playing]

[opera music continues]

[man] That’s him.

Hey, you must be Marty.

Yes.

You are right on time, just as Ms. Whiting said you would be.

Would you like a slice of cake?

No, thank you.

Oh. Of course.

Uh, let me introduce you to everyone.

Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen…

Actually…

I prefer to keep my presence here discrete during my initial audit.

These types of things, they work a little better if there’s some… separation.

Okay.

[man] We like to think of ourselves as a family.

And… here we are.

You got your coffee station over here, nice little setup.

Files are all organized. You can find what you need over here.

Got your computer, your desk.

Chair.

Make yourself at home.

Um… [scoffs]

Eric is supposed to take care of this,

but I don’t know when he’s gonna get around to it, so…

Let me know if you need anything.

Thank you.

Mm-hmm.

[imitating man] Chair.

I got a few more for you.

You can just put them…

Just put them wherever.

You got all your existing LEC files in there,

transaction reports and any SAR paperwork.

And then all your due diligence reports with the new LEC are up there.

Yeah, that Janice. She definitely fell a little behind.

I’m sorry to hear she’s sick.

Is there any chance I could speak with her before she leaves?

No, she’s already gone, but I can get you her number.

Thanks.

I’d like to preserve any continuity if possible,

given the circumstances.

You don’t recognize me, do you?

I’m sorry.

We went to high school together.

Auto shop.

Man, it’s…

It’s been such a long time…

It’s fine.

Drew.

Smith.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Of course.

I’m sorry, man. I’m an idiot.

Don’t worry, man.

This whole town’s forgettable, so just kill me.

If you need anything else, let me know.

[door closes]

Hey, what’s your name?

I’m Bill.

Have you seen Drew?

I think he’s at lunch.

I’m trying to figure out why Endelman Gallery didn’t file CTR exemptions.

Don’t know.

[man] Marty.

So it’s true.

Hi, Caleb.

That’s it, huh?

We haven’t seen each other since Mom died.

Ten years.

“Hi, Caleb”?

Well, you look good.

Doing real well.

Yeah, well, it’s been a while.

Cool mug.

How’s Dad?

What do you fucking care?

[cell phone ringtone playing]

Later.

Hello?

[muffled] No. Yeah, I found him.

[phone ringing]

[truck engine starts]

Can you find me the CIP file for Endelman Gallery?

I need their physical address, and also I need Janice’s number.

Sure.

Hello?

[woman] Can I help you?

Hi.

Did I…

Yes, you did.

The other day.

Okay.

Wow.

Wow?

No, sorry.

No, I just mean it’s…

You were at the liquor store, and now you’re here.

Well, art dealers moonlight as normal people, too, you know?

We have livers, just like everyone else.

I’m going to start over. I’m Martin.

I distinctly heard your friend call you Marty,

so I think I’m going to call you Marty.

I’m Katie.

Katie, hi.

What brings you in today?

Actually, I…

I need to talk to the owner.

Just some routine bank stuff.

I’m an AML officer. It’s anti-money laundering.

That sounds very official. Which hand do I salute with?

Well, you need Penelope.

Yes. Yeah.

She’s not the actual owner, which you wouldn’t know by talking to her.

But she’s kind of like a franchisee.

Cool.

Okay, Marty. What’s your last name?

Duran. Martin Duran.

All right. I’ll go get her.

Sit tight. And… buckle up.

Okay.

You… are far too gorgeous to be a banker.

Look at that bone structure.

Hi, I’m… I’m Martin.

Yes, yes, of course you are. Blah, blah, blah.

What is this?

Macy’s?

Oh, God, here it comes.

A beautiful boy from New York City has arrived to see me and I…

I think to myself, “Oh, thank God.”

But then…

this, a piece of country candy.

The kind you have to suck on for a little bit,

where it gets stuck between your teeth. Do you know what I mean?

No, I…

I’m sorry, I just need to ask you about your financials.

I noticed the bank might have filed inappropriate CTR exemptions.

If I could just verify your books.

Do I look like the kind of person who keeps books?

We have an accountant.

You’ll need to speak to him.

That’s fine. I just need his information.

Kat, get him David’s information.

You mean Ted?

Yes, yes.

Whatever the fuck his name is.

I’ll be right back.

You have some beautiful art in here.

Yes, I do.

Do you appreciate art?

I try to.

Try…

One doesn’t try to appreciate art.

An alpinist doesn’t try to summit. That’s all there is.

The climax is in realization. You either reach the climax,

or you don’t.

Wouldn’t you say?

I guess so.

I don’t buy it.

All this trying and…

guessing that you talk about.

Kat, see Mr. Duran out.

Wow.

I warned you.

Well, nobody could be prepared for whatever that was.

This guy gives me the creeps, by the way.

Thank you.

[opera music playing]

[Penelope] Ted! Oh, yeah.

[Penelope moaning]

[sighs]

Has he called you yet?

Huh? Who?

The banker.

I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about right now.

The banker who came to see me today at the gallery.

Or was that yesterday?

Either way, he was asking questions.

[Ted] What kind of questions?

Hey.

Baby, what kind of questions?

I don’t know.

You know me.

When it comes to numbers I just…

fall apart.

Sure.

Come on, I got to go back to work. Don’t… I don’t fucking…

Jesus Christ.

[sighs]

I just don’t want ’em finding out, you know?

Don’t worry, they won’t.

I’m not a bad person.

I’m just bad with money.

Hey.

Hey, Pen.

Hey. Hey, I got to go back to work.

Oh, Jesus. What a fucking waste.

[man on phone] Da.

[Ted speaking Russian]

♪ The look in your eyes ♪

♪ When you know She’s waiting for you ♪

Off-key?

Yeah, just a little bit.

I think that’s an understatement of the century.

What can I get you?

[Martin] A Bud Light.

I need to see ID.

Bud Light.

Wow, must be a funeral around here.

You on a diet, city boy?

Hey, Allie. Give him a Perrier and a little umbrella with it, will you?

Now you want to buy my drink?

I don’t want to buy your drink.

You’re not my type.

Well, then mind your goddamn business.

What the fuck did you just say to me?

You’re going to cold-stare me, too, huh?

Right, tough guy?

You’re not related to Caleb Duran down on the 40, are you?

[Martin] That’s my brother.

Oh, shit.

Yeah.

Caleb’s your brother, huh?

Yeah.

Wow.

Hey, Allie. Let me buy this guy his drink.

No, you don’t have to do that.

No, my mistake.

Your brother coming in early tonight?

I have no fucking idea.

Jesus, Earl.

That son of a bitch.

Password?

Fuck.

Hey, Marty.

It’s French fry day, and we do a group order from Marcy’s Diner.

No, I don’t really like French fries.

There’s a burger in here, too.

Dang, man, you’re really buried, huh?

Yeah, I am.

Hey, Janice didn’t answer any of the phone calls.

Do you have an address?

I’m sure I can find it.

Great.

And…

Yeah.

Thanks. Thanks for lunch.

Yeah.

Thanks.

I found her address.

Are they foreclosing on my dad?

Shit, you scared me, dude.

Did you know about this?

I… Of course. Everyone does.

I heard they offered him a decent chunk of change. He turned it down.

[sighing]

You here to help?

If I can.

What happened to the crops?

Cold snap. Late.

Most of it died, so…

You here to help?

If you’re asking me if I’m going to help you harvest, no.

I can help with the money side of things.

Don’t…

want your money.

I wasn’t offering.

But I can give you advice.

I got work to do.

There are things you can do.

Bring in a silent partner.

We can work on restructuring the loans you have.

Or maybe subdivide and sell off…

Grab a shovel, Marty.

Or go.

[opera music playing]

[Earl] I’m telling you, man.

Banks, hedge funds, they’re buying up crypto.

Maybe for investment purposes, but I think they’re trying to sabotage it.

Why would they do that?

They can’t control it.

No centralized regulation. It cuts them out of the action.

But I thought it was all dark-web shit.

Terrorists, human trafficking, drug dealers…

It is to some degree,

but the banks use all that shit to inject a moral element that doesn’t exist.

Trust me. The central banks are going to try and destroy it.

Just watch.

How?

Invest in it, turn the other way, drive the price through the roof

and scare the people it originally appealed to away.

Now, you really believe all this shit? Or are you just bored out of your mind?

Are those two things mutually exclusive?

Look, you got to have something to believe in, Marty.

This is a revolution.

Viva la revolución!

[Martin] Take it easy, man.

[Earl] Don’t gaslight me.

These guys know what I’m talking about, right?

It’s all chaos, so we drink.

And I’m lucky ’cause I own a liquor store.

So what am I doing here?

I don’t mean that existentially, I mean that literally.

I could be drinking for free, or at least wholesale.

I’m sorry. Sorry, everybody.

I looked in to see if Omni had any cryptocurrencies.

But I don’t have access to those accounts.

Shit. That’s not an issue. If it’s a password you need, I can find one of those.

That’s not happening.

Why not? You looked at my shit.

No, I…

I know you did.

And don’t say it’s your job. You had no good reason.

You probably looked at your dad and your brother’s shit, too.

I know because I would have. I’m just honest enough to admit it.

Well, there’s a big difference.

Yeah, you had a business card that says “Omni.”

[man on mic] Hey, everyone. Welcome to karaoke night at the Gin Mill.

Is every night karaoke night?

[applause]

Sometimes it ain’t so bad.

This was one of my mother’s favorites.

Well, this girl is everywhere.

♪ There is ♪

♪ A house ♪

♪ In New Orleans ♪

♪ They call the rising sun ♪

♪ It’s been the ruin ♪

♪ Of many poor girls ♪

♪ And me, God knows I’m one ♪

♪ Please tell my baby sister ♪

♪ Don’t do what I have done ♪

Drink someplace else. There’s a fag bar over on the west side.

Whoa, dude. No need to say shit like that.

Shut your mouth, Earl.

No, this place obviously means more to you than it does to me.

Why don’t you get the fuck out of here?

[man] Hey, take it outside!

[Earl] Come on, Marty.

That was fun.

Good, bro?

I’m good.

Text me, all right?

Yeah, see you later.

You don’t get to walk back in here like nothing ever happened.

Yo! Chill out, chill out. Come on.

Chill the fuck out.

[slaps]

Calm down, come on.

[Katie] Stop!

Hey, stop! That’s enough.

Stop.

I worked there for a few years after college and…

I had this dream. I wanted to own a gallery in the city.

But I overshot a little, I guess.

How long have you been here?

A couple of years. And I’ve worked at the gallery like six months or so.

It feels like a fucking eternity.

What’s up with you and your brother?

I don’t know.

He’s not a bad guy.

In another life he could have been a gentleman.

There’s two words that don’t belong together when I think of my brother.

[woman] Anything else for the two of you?

We’re okay, Marcy. Thanks.

You know, Marcy refinanced her house to keep this place going.

She’s so deep in the hole…

she’ll never make it out.

Seriously?

Yeah.

You must know all kinds of things, back there behind the curtain.

Yeah, but it’s all depressing.

I never wanted to come back here.

You know, everyone is so fucking predictable.

And full of surprises.

[Martin] Thanks for seeing me, Janice.

I was going through Endelman Gallery’s customer ID file.

I’m not entirely satisfied with the way due diligence was handled.

Did you run them against OFAC or FinCEN?

Okay.

Were you responsible for filing the suspicious activity reports?

Look, don’t be naive.

Most of the business in a town like this

is underwritten by handshakes and mutual respect.

No, I understand that.

I’m just trying to establish some continuity here.

Well, I think that’s going to be hard for you to do.

Excuse me?

I’m afraid I left things in quite a mess.

I just got so sick and I waited too long to retire.

Afraid I’d lose my job and my health insurance.

I should get out of your hair now.

I’m sorry, I…

That’s okay.

Is that all you need?

I just need to know if there’s anything you can tell me about Endelman.

Endelman…

Um…

Carcass… No.

Carcasse.

Carcasse?

Mm-hmm.

I asked the accountant who owned the business and he said “Carcasse.”

But then I asked him to clarify,

and he corrected himself and said, “Never mind.”

I don’t even know why I remember that. I’m sorry.

Well, thank you so much for your help.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Can I confess something to you?

Sure.

Meeting you has given me great faith that you’ll sort everything out.

Yeah.

[knocking on door]

[sighing]

[knocking continues]

Did you forget something?

Who are you?

Didn’t Marcos call you?

No.

Yeah, his son injured his ankle playing soccer today.

He’s been dealing with that all day, and he asked me to fill in.

Okay, come on in.

I really don’t like surprises.

[man] Don’t worry, Marcos gave me your protocol.

We’ll fix you right up.

So Marcos has a son, huh?

I didn’t even know that.

The things you don’t know.

This may pinch just a bit.

I know.

Ow!

You okay?

Yeah.

Yeah, I’m fine.

[sighing]

All set.

Okay.

[man on TV] Aye. And I wager it’s on account of them two strangers.

No…

That burns.

What are you…

No, just give it a second.

That can happen sometimes.

[breathing heavily]

There we go.

[man on TV] To all my friends in Nevada…

[Janice groaning]

…my deepest appreciation

for the way you’ve honored me.

[man] It’s okay.

[in Russian]

[man on TV] But for personal reasons,

I hereby withdraw my name

for consideration

as a possible candidate

for governor of the state of Nevada.

Mr. Patterson, this is Martin Duran again.

I’d really appreciate if you’d call me back.

I just have a few questions about the Endelman Gallery.

It shouldn’t take any time. Thanks.

Carcasse.

[beeps]

So much for that.

[cell phone dings]

What the hell is this?

[dings]

Martin, hey. Just checking in.

How are things going?

I’m all right. It’s…

It’s a little bit of a mess, but…

Wow. Well, you are the right man for the job.

Hey, look, the reason I’m calling is we’ve got a bit of a situation.

What does that mean?

Apparently Omni’s been experiencing an unusual amount of cyber intrusion.

Really?

Yeah.

And the bank is running an internal audit

and they just released a list of personnel they’d like to question.

And you and I are on it.

Sorry, but why the hell are we on the list?

It doesn’t mean we’re suspects. It might just as soon mean

that we’re people they can rely upon for an honest testimonial.

So they’ve set up a time for you to do an interview next week.

Hey, look. I got to jump.

I just wanted to give you a heads-up.

And please don’t mention this to anybody.

You and I have nothing to hide.

I’ll talk to you soon.

Okay.

Shit.

[cell phone dings]

[Katie] What’s wrong?

You look worried.

Somehow the bank thinks I’m involved with some hacking thing, which is…

insane because I don’t know the first thing about the stuff.

Is that all?

It’s kind of a big deal.

Well, not necessarily. It could be a routine or random.

I mean, if you were running an investigation,

would you want your subjects to know you were investigating them?

That’s a good point.

What’s really bothering you?

I met with the lady I replaced at the bank.

Janice.

Oh, yeah?

I feel really bad for her. She’s a sweetheart.

I mean, she just made a ton of mistakes.

And there was one thing she said that stuck with me, though.

Well, about Endelman Gallery, actually.

Really?

Yeah.

What?

She said that when Ted Patterson came in to do the initial compliance paperwork

there was some confusion about who the owner was.

Then he said he was mistaken and listed Penelope, rushing.

I mean, you said yourself Penelope’s not technically the owner.

I’ll be honest. I said that because I hate my boss

and my only power’s insubordination.

So she does own the gallery?

[Earl] Dude, what the fuck?

Hi.

Sorry.

Did you get my text?

Is this about Bitcoin again?

Yeah, a new ICO.

Hey, man. Sorry, I feel like I’m always yelling when you’re around.

I’m going to get back to the gallery.

I’ll text you later.

Dude, you got to see this. Now.

[Martin] I can’t be doing this.

No, you can’t not be doing this.

If you care about what you do as a whistle-blower, you can’t afford not to see this.

[Martin] There’s too much gray area.

Isn’t that your job?

Why do you suddenly care so much about this?

When I see things like this, I get pretty worried.

Fine, man. Just show me. Let’s get this over with.

[Earl] See what I did there with the clues I sent you? Pretty clever, huh?

[Martin] Super clever.

I love those clues. Blue’s Clues, Jacques Clue-steau,

Clues Encounters of the Third Kind.

I get it.

There. This is Omni’s last quarter’s investment in cryptocurrencies.

[Martin] Holy shit.

Holy shit is right.

Ten mil isn’t a casual investment.

They used something called Merkel Trading as an intermediary.

No phone number, no email. Just query fields.

Click the “about” page.

They’re an OTC front.

My guess is they’re buying Bitcoin over-the-counter to avoid market slippage.

What’s that?

They don’t want to rock the boat they’re climbing into.

What else?

Well, I’m not exactly sure.

Merkel was a brick wall, so naturally I figured out a way to scale it.

Transactions, shitloads of them.

This is Omni.

And these are the entities they’re buying from.

They bought a lot of Bitcoin from a lot of different people.

Okay.

Now these folks are smart.

They’re using Tor networks to keep their shit hush-hush,

so I used a bad apple attack.

Earl, you’re very smart, but why does this matter?

Only a tinfoil hat.

None of it mattered until I saw it was all coming from one IP address.

And that IP is located…

[Martin] Canada?

Yep.

Carcasse Bait and Tackle, to be precise.

What did you say?

[Earl] Bait and Tackle? Yeah, I know, the possibilities are endless.

Something fishy going on, classic bait-and-switch…

No, no. The…

The first word.

Carcasse?

[entry chime rings]

This is insane.

What?

You’ve got to figure out what’s going on in this place.

Well, I’m not going up there.

There’s a healthy possibility they’re just a mirror,

and I don’t want to kick a hornet’s nest.

[bell rings]

Be right there.

[bell rings]

Jesus, guy.

Hello.

Hey, man, you following me or something?

Yes.

No, I remembered you owned a liquor store.

And then I saw you at the diner and I thought, “This is your fate.”

Right, shit. Sorry, I was pretty wasted that night.

So, what’s up, man?

I was wondering if you have… vodka.

Yeah, sure, man. Over in aisle two.

No. Not this factory piss.

Real vodka.

I’ll write a name down for you.

You’ll like it.

You have paper?

This can be hard to find, but…

I don’t think it will be hard to find… for you.

What do you mean?

Nothing.

[Earl] How will I let you know if I get it in?

You don’t have to.

I’m following you, remember?

I’ll see you around.

So you think you can figure out what’s going on in this Carcasse place?

Yeah, I think so.

Well, I have another big favor to ask.

My favor bank is running pretty low, my friend.

No, I know. I know. And I’ll make it up to you.

Yeah, what is it?

Tell me this isn’t us poking around.

[Earl] No, this is way bigger than us.

[Martin] Okay.

[ringing]

Hello?

[on phone] Yeah, this is Ted Patterson. You called?

Thanks for returning my call, Mr. Patterson.

Okay, can you come to my office?

Yeah, of course.

Tomorrow, in the a.m.

Yeah, tomorrow morning’s perfect.

[Martin whispering] I’ll call you later.

Yeah, cool.

You know where it is?

Yeah, I’ll see you then.

[train whistle blows]

[opera music playing in background]

[door slams]

I’m sorry.

I’m here to see Ted Patterson.

Yeah, your name?

Martin Duran.

Can I offer you anything to drink?

No, thanks.

Okay, right this way.

That’s a cool accent.

Thank you.

Where are you from?

Brooklyn.

All right.

Martin Duran is here.

All right, send him in.

Mr. Duran, how you doing?

I’m all right.

[receptionist] Do you need anything else?

Yes, actually.

Shred it.

Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Patterson.

Yeah, no problem. Call me Ted, have a seat.

I promise, there is a madness to my method here.

I was just finishing up your request right now.

That’s it?

In all her glory.

I just have a few questions.

That won’t be necessary. Everything you need is somewhere in there.

Thank you.

Though, I’m curious.

Does the name Carcasse mean anything to you?

No, why?

Well, Janice from the bank, she mentioned you…

you said Carcasse when she was filing the CIP report.

Janice from the bank…

Oh, Janice, well…

I think you and I can both agree that she is not

the sharpest knife in the drawer.

That’s not necessary.

What’s not necessary?

I meant no offense.

So you’re saying you never mentioned Carcasse to her?

No, I’m just saying Janice is a very sick woman

and I bet a lot of things that she’s saying right now are…

not really based in reality, right?

But hey, you want clarity, huh?

You should probably go talk to Janice.

Yeah.

Hey, kid.

Why are you acting like such a fucking cowboy, huh?

What do…

Does it make you feel like a big man

to walk around this town like a hotshot from the city,

auditing people’s lives?

Let me tell you something.

The Endelman Gallery?

That’s the best thing to happen to this town in a long time.

You’re acting like you want to find something wrong with it.

With all due respect…

you’re acting like I’m going to.

Hey, I get it. I hated my daddy, too.

You know? Fucking loser who couldn’t hang on to a dollar

unless you nailed it to his hand.

Don’t…

talk about my family.

You don’t know anything about me or my father.

Well…

I do know that he was offered seven figures

for that starve-acre farm of his.

I had a client who was interested.

I mean, you and me, we’re both money guys.

You know that that was an offer of a lifetime.

He’s never going to get another offer like that again.

Seven figures.

But guys like your daddy…

they were born to work in the dust and the mud.

They’re tough and they’re stubborn.

They’re just fucking clueless, am I right?

Yeah.

[train whistle blows]

There we go.

What?

Seven figures.

Seven fucking figures.

I don’t understand how you could turn that down.

Well, seeing as how this is my fucking farm,

I’m not quite sure how that’s any of your business.

But I can see you need it.

So I’m going to fill you in on a couple of things.

Your brother…

he’s not the same since he got back.

Every lit match is a forest fire to him now.

Then get him help.

Aw, Jesus, there’s a good idea.

He won’t keep his appointments at the VA.

Hell, he won’t even go to any of his meetings.

He just shoots his guns and drinks, that’s it.

As long as I’m alive,

I make goddamn sure he’s got somewhere to land.

Every day.

So, yeah. Yeah, I turned that money down.

So what are you going to do?

I ought to just…

Try and get what survived the frost, picked and sold,

keep our heads above water.

Looks like there’s another cold snap coming in, too.

So if you’re not here to help…

I got it.

Thank you.

What pisses you off so much about me going to make a life for myself?

What?

Nothing.

Then what is it? What did I do?

You could have waited until we put your mother in the ground.

Oh, I abandoned you?

Don’t make me laugh.

Where were you?

While Mom was sick in bed,

Caleb was in Iraq, where were you?

All that shit they were pumping into her body had to be paid for, asshole.

I had to do it. I was out here!

Yeah, and the Gin Mill.

Oh, for Christ’s sake, the Gin Mill.

The fucking Gin Mill.

You know, junior…

I like to think you’re the smartest guy I know, that’s the truth.

But when a woman you shared a bed with for 22 years is told she’s a goner

and there’s not a thing you can do about it,

well, you just handle it the best way you can think of.

Spend a little time at the Gin Mill.

It seemed like a good idea.

It just always turned into a lot of time.

That’s all.

Never enough.

You’d have handled that a lot different.

You’d have handled that a lot better.

You know something, junior?

Smart as you are, I thought you’d have figured that one out by now.

[tractor engine starts]

Try to keep up.

You might want to rethink your footwear next time.

Penelope mentioned you met with Ted. How was that?

You were definitely right about him.

The guy’s a real piece of work.

I said something about Endelman and he got kind of aggressive.

What did you say?

Just the word “Carcasse.”

What’s that?

I have no idea. It’s the one thing Janice remembers clearly and…

Ted wishes she’d forget.

I thought you might know something about it.

No, Penelope deals with him directly.

I’m getting a whiff of mild conspiracy coming off of you.

Maybe you’ve been hanging out with your Bitcoin buddy too much.

Come on, it’s not much further.

That song you sang the other night,

you said it was your mom’s favorite.

Yeah, she sang it all the time.

She…

passed away recently.

Made some bad choices about how to cope with life.

I’m really sorry.

I lost my mom, too.

It was a while ago.

It still hurts.

Yeah.

What is it about a good view…

that just makes people want to talk?

I always think about her when I come up here.

You used to come here together?

No, never.

[man] I know all of you are probably having some pretty strong emotions.

If anybody wants to talk, let me know.

Did you hear?

What’s going on?

Janice… she died.

I just saw her. What happened?

They’re saying it was an assisted suicide.

But they’re still investigating.

I’m… sorry.

Thanks.

This place is almost as dark as my office.

The fuck are you doing here?

I’m going to give you what I found, but then I’m out.

I don’t want anything more to do with this, and I don’t get deposed, okay?

Just slow down.

Now what are you talking about?

I’m a ghost in this.

Promise?

Okay, I promise.

For the sake of getting everything, I recorded my screen.

[Earl on recording] Okay, running monitor darkly script on Carcasse Bait and Tackle.

What am I looking at here?

Just wait, I’m about to tell you.

On a computer, if you want to peep, just go to the source.

The monitor.

Okay, that’s a little creepy.

Running motion detection in the BG.

Looks like we got some action.

Let’s see what the fine patrons of Carcasse Bait Shop use their bandwidth for.

All right, what’s that?

“Come and get it”…

in Russian.

Okay. I’ve got a few more accounts.

Now it looks like our subject is sending ruble to various accounts.

Looks like he’s receiving Bitcoin, four different accounts.

Checking ruble-to-Bitcoin exchange rate…

Yep, for the exact amount he sent in rubles.

But the accounts he’s receiving from are different than the ones he sent to.

A currency tumbler.

Yep. Digital Cayman Islands.

We’re going to do a little bit of sneaky shit here

and see if we can’t find out who they’re selling to.

Okay, now I just have to see from whence these comrades came

Oh, shit. They’re all coming from…

Carcasse.

Carcasse.

Which means we are now very likely looking at a money laundering business.

Fuck.

I’m not going any deeper.

Remember that guy who came in the other day asking for vodka?

Yeah, I remember.

Well, I looked it up.

It doesn’t exist.

But it does link to this.

A Russian gang.

[shouting in Russian]

Fuck, just turn that off.

This isn’t white-collar shit anymore, do you understand?

This is “you get skinned alive and have to watch” kind of collar.

[door opens]

[Drew] Knock, knock. Oh.

Hey, sorry. What’s going on in here?

[Earl] Hey, man. Nothing, just IT stuff.

This guy needs to stop watching so much porn.

You too, by the way.

No judgment. Just some friendly advice.

Um… the girl from Endelman called.

She was hoping you’d stop by.

All right, thanks.

[Martin] Katie!

Hello?

Hey, I’m sorry. Have you seen Katie?

What do you think?

I’m not really qualified to say.

[sighs]

I think Katie…

Your…

country mouse act is so dreary.

I saw right through it the first time you walked in, in that outlet mall suit.

You’re a very clever boy.

Indulge me.

It makes me feel…

lonely.

Like my life is outside of me.

It’s a giant fucking mess.

Or…

is life very mysterious?

And remote?

And it’s we who are the mess?

This is like the million-dollar question.

Eight million.

Mr. Hiroshito paid $8 million just last night.

Well, that’s incredible.

Congratulations.

So is Katie here?

She didn’t come to work today.

I called you.

You?

Why?

‘Cause you’ve been asking some…

really tough questions.

Like what?

[scoffs]

I like you, Marty Duran.

Or do you prefer Martin?

One’s a country mouse, one’s a town mouse.

What is it that the fable teaches us? That…

poverty with security…

is better than plenty in the midst of fear and uncertainty.

Wouldn’t it be nice if life were that simple?

Stop with the fucking riddles.

Talk to me.

A simple life…

A simple life is just a myth now, it’s…

There’s no…

There’s no returning to the country, it’s…

There’s just the back door that evil uses.

What do you know about Carcasse?

What do you know?

Enjoy this.

From one…

town mouse to another.

Penelope.

[walkie-talkie chatter]

Holy shit.

Fucking…

[Katie on voice mail] You know who I am and what to do.

Look, Katie, I need to talk to you. Just…

Just call me back.

Fucking…

What do I do?

[line ringing]

Martin?

Now, Robin.

We have a serious problem here.

Okay, what’s going on?

What? Say it.

I’m pretty sure the Russian Mafia is laundering money

through the Omni branch here.

The Russian Mafia… in Elba?

Are you joking?

Martin, are you serious?

Yes.

They’re smuggling artwork into a local gallery here to wash their money

and we’re helping them do it.

Okay, do you have proof?

Some, yeah.

Jesus Christ, okay, uh…

Look, send me everything you have.

Get back to your hotel, get your things.

Get back here by tomorrow.

Okay.

In the meantime, I’ll start setting up internal controls.

And, Martin, stay in your lane.

Okay? Don’t go rogue. We got to do this right.

I understand.

[man on radio] …major system that’s stalled. What this means in English

is another late cold snap is on its way.

And that’s causing havoc for farmers in the area.

This time last year, we were having great winter crop harvest…

[Caleb] Here it comes.

That’s the last of it.

[bell dings]

[man singing in Russian]

[siren wailing in distance]

Leaving the heavy ones for me?

[sighs]

Well…

I’m going to get a little shut-eye.

[sighs]

Appreciate it.

A lot better than a pop on the nose.

[chuckles]

I’m hungry.

Yeah.

[truck engine starts]

Hmm.

[Caleb] You didn’t have to come help.

I know.

What, came back to be a hero?

If you have something to say to me, just say it.

Three months I was lying in a hospital bed in Germany by myself.

Not a fucking word from you.

Did you even know? Did you even care?

Of course I did.

Then why?

I was angry.

About everything, everybody.

I needed to get the fuck out of here.

I thought I’d go to the city,

and make my own way.

But honestly,

it’s the same shit.

I work in a fucking basement.

I still get pushed around by jocks,

only now they’re wearing $10,000 suits.

Who are these guys?

No one.

Just a bunch of Wall Street assholes.

Seriously, give me their names.

What are you going to do?

You’re going to drive to the city and beat the shit out of them?

I fucking might.

I don’t give a fuck.

[opera music playing]

[woman on TV] In local news, we have a report of another tragedy

in the business community on the struggling east side…

Can you turn that up?

Van Loan’s Discount Liquor, an east side institution since the ’70s,

burned to the ground last night

Fire investigators will be scouring the ruins

before officially determining a cause.

But authorities at this point are attributing it

to faulty wiring in the store’s cold storage room.

Tragically, the store’s proprietor, Earl Simmons,

the second-generation owner, was caught in the blaze

and was pronounced dead at the scene.

[police officer] Jesus Christ.

Structure fire and an OD, all in one night.

What the hell is happening to this town?

Who OD’d?

[police officer] The wild lady from the gallery.

She bit off her own tongue.

Officials will be conducting an autopsy on the deceased as soon as possible in order to rule out any foul play.

The building is…

Will you turn the fucking TV off?

Marty, what the fuck’s going on?

I don’t know.

Jesus Christ!

Hey, man. I’m sorry.

What the fuck are you doing in here?

I didn’t mean to scare you, I…

You just walk into somebody’s room?

Man, your door was open. I just need your signature.

Are you Martin Duran?

Who’s it from?

It’s a blind shipment. I have no idea.

I just need you to sign for it. Number six, right there.

I’m keeping your pen.

Asshole.

[cell phone dings]

Too easy, Earl.

[Earl] Hey, Marty.

If you’re getting this,

I’m dead.

I know I told you I didn’t want to be involved with any of this anymore, but I guess it’s too late.

Screenshot this, print it out, and guard it with your life.

These are the keys to my digital wallet.

I know you don’t know jack shit about crypto, but I can give you three millio reasons why you should learn.

‘Cause I just shipped you all my mining gear.

Okay.

This is the really important part.

You need to get this stuff organized and out there.

I’d say give it to WikiLeaks, but I don’t know, half of that stuff is BS now.

I’ll leave it to your discretion.

Viva la revolución.

[phone ringing]

Hello?

[Caleb] Martin, you need to get to the farm, now.

Caleb?

Just get to the farm.

[line beeping]

Caleb! Shit.

Shit.

[line ringing]

Hello?

Drew… Drew, it’s Martin Duran.

Hey, Marty.

Yeah, man, I need a ride.

What’s going on?

And where’s Dad?

He’s not here.

I came home and I found this on the porch.

[Drew] Is that a tongue?

[Caleb] What the fuck is going on? Where’s Dad?

[Drew] Is that an actual tongue?

Whose tongue is that?

What time is it?

You know who did this?

These people are dangerous.

[Drew] Whose fucking tongue is that?

What time is it?

It’s 2:37.

Just let me think for a second.

Fuck that!

That’s not Dad’s tongue, Caleb.

[Drew] Then who the fuck’s tongue is that?

[Martin] Caleb!

Just wait a second.

Caleb, stop and listen to me.

Just look at me.

Caleb…

Get out of the way.

You’re pointing a gun at me.

It’s almost 3:00. They have Dad.

Get the fuck out of the way.

We’re going to get him back.

But we need to be smart.

Hey, it’s Marty.

This is either the smartest phone call I’ve ever made… or the dumbest.

[in Russian]

Now get in the truck.

You all right?

They broke my arm.

Oops.

Maybe you’re not so fucking smart.

[Ted] So, I…

I assume that you’re going to tell me that you made copies of that or something, right?

Yeah, I did.

And if I don’t call my brother and tell him my dad and I are okay… he drops the files everywhere.

FBI, DEA, everywhere.

You know what, cowboy?

I don’t think you had time to make copies.

So go ahead and call him.

Tell him you’re not going to be okay.

Call him.

[line ringing]

[cell phone ringtone playing]

Now, I’d be very careful what you do next.

Knowing my brother, every lit match is a forest fire.

Hey, hey.

[Ted] Easy.

Hey, just calm the fuck down.

Hey…

let’s just talk about this, okay?

Yeah?

You and me, we’re both still money guys, right?

Your dad’s farm, the seven figures?

I can make that happen.

We can all walk away from here happy.

Yeah?

You’re so fucked.

[sirens wailing]

[shouting in Russian]

FBI, on the ground!

Get on the ground!

Drop the weapon, get on the ground now.

Spread your legs, keep your hands where I can see them.

There they go.

Hands behind your back.

Oops.

This won’t change anything.

[FBI agent] Get up.

[on police radio] We have two suspects fleeing the scene on foot. We are in pursuit.

FBI!

Get down! Let me see your hands.

[speaking Russian]

[shouting] Stop!

Look, I didn’t…

Junior, I don’t think I want to know.

Get him some help?

[Mr. Duran] Yeah, he took my boots.

Goddamn busted arm.

Where’s Caleb?

Clear on your six!

Cover that door.

Check that door for me, Ken.

FBI!

Clear.

Clear, go.

[Katie] FBI!

You hit?

I’m okay.

[on radio] Shots fired!

10-4.

Seven, do a sweep of the sector

[gunshot]

FBI! On the ground.

Drop the gun, drop the gun!

Get down.

He’s with me!

Copy, stand down.

Stand down.

[walkie-talkie chatter]

[siren wailing in distance]

[FBI agent] Can I ask you some questions?

[Mr. Duran] Sure, go ahead.

You okay?

Yeah, yeah.

How’s the arm?

It’s good. It’s all right. It’s not hurting.

Anything else hurting?

No. I’m good.

Your brother was a hero today.

Yeah.

How did you find out about me?

You said you lived in upstate for two years.

But your bank account’s six months old.

It was air-tight, just not to me.

But I figured… you’re either a really bad criminal… or you’re undercover.

I do have one question.

Did your mom really die?

She retired.

Moved to Fresno.

So she did make bad choices.

I’m sorry.

You’d think it gets easier, but…

the lies just keep getting harder.

I have to get back to the city.

Look me up sometime.

I don’t know your real name.

You’re a smart guy, Marty.

Any idea how long you were in the van?

Hmm?

How long?

I don’t know, maybe a half hour or something.

Maybe an hour. They had the bag over my head, so I didn’t see anything.

[Martin] It’s uncertain to me how high these conspiracies go.

So forgive me if you know what I’m about to say.

But during my investigation of the Elba branch,

I discovered that OmniBank maintained several dark accounts of cryptocurrency.

Furthermore, an employee of the bank has been using these funds in various illicit activities with the Russian Mafia.

Robin Whiting, my boss and chief AML officer at OmniBank, has been enriching her shareholders and herself through racketeering, kickbacks from cyber ransoms, money laundering, murder.

[Bernard] Can you prove any of this?

I can.

It’s all right here.

Everything.

Courtesy of Earl Simmons.

A true friend and hero.

What is that?

[Robin] Martin.

What happened in there? How’d it go?

Really well. I stayed in my lane, just like you told me to.

Good. Good, we wouldn’t want you to get exiled again like…

Who was it you said? Napoleon?

Do you know what happened to Napoleon after he was banished to the island of Elba?

He escaped and recaptured France.

Oh.

And, Robin… a word of advice from a friend.

When you talk with them, less is more.

I think I’m fully equipped to handle the board.

But thank you, Martin.

No, I’m not talking about the board.

[FBI agent] Robin Whiting? FBI.

You’re under arrest.

[Robin] You’ve got to be kidding me.

No, you have no…

[FBI agent] You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.

Yo.

[coin-dropping noises]

Marty!

Jesus!

Fuck.

You scare pretty easy.

This looks like fun. You working hard?

Yeah, you handle the farming. I’ll handle the mining.

You lazy bastard.

Oh.

I’m going to go shoot, you want to come?

No, I’m good.

I’m going to head down to the city.

“I’m going to head to the city.” City?

Wait.

Oh.

[laughing]

Shut up.

Why not?

Remember your manners.

[exclaims]

Hell yeah.

You have fun on your date.

Well, it’s not a date.

Yeah, sure it isn’t.

Hey, I owe you one, remember?

Hey, call me!

I’ll be in the back of your truck.

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