The Good Daughter

Rusty’s funeral is attended by almost all the important people in Pikeville, despite their past criticism of him. The real mourners stay outside the building; the people Rusty represented all these years. Charlie and Ben step out to meet them, where they profusely thank Rusty. Afterward, Ben drives the sisters to Rusty’s house. Ben tells Charlie he has resigned from the DA’s office and wants to move somewhere north and start a private practice. Sam enthusiastically approves the idea. Charlie is shocked. Ben thinks the police believe Rick Fahey, Lucy Alexander’s uncle, stabbed Rusty. Sam and Charlie believe that Rusty knew who stabbed him but kept it secret. Charlie and Sam go through effects. Sam wants to find the photo of Gamma Rusty promised her. They find a safe, and guess the combination is the date of Gamma’s death. In the safe are Gamma’s love letters to Rusty, old photos and documents, and a diary filled with blank checks. It is clear Rusty had a secret bank account from which he periodically issued checks to someone, the latest cashed four weeks ago.

As they mull over the checks, Mason Huckabee shows up at the doorstep, ostensibly to offer condolences. Mason says he is sure Kelly did try to shoot herself, but the click was empty since she had already fired all six shells. Mason took away the revolver from the crime scene purely in reflex, part of his training as a soldier. The group speculates that Kelly shot the last bullet into the floor, not wanting to kill Judith. Charlie asks Mason the real reason for his visit. Mason asks to use the bathroom. To Charlie’s shock, Ben breaks open the bathroom door and beats up Mason, shouting that Mason let Zach rape Charlie. Mason does not fight back.

Charlie understands that Ben knew about the rape all along. Mason reveals that it was never Daniel Culpepper that night with Zach, but Mason himself. Mason had hired Zach to kill Rusty because Rusty had successfully defended the man accused of raping Mason’s sister. Mason had never wanted Gamma and her daughters hurt. He had shot Sam by accident.

Sam asks Mason why Rusty was writing checks to Danny, Zach’s son. Sam has counted the cheque stubs: Rusty had been paying an amount every month for 28 years. Zach asked for $1 million from the wealthy Huckabees to keep quiet about Mason’s involvement in Gamma’s murder. Rusty agreed to write the checks on their behalf after Mason confessed to him. Ben had found a signed confession from Mason in Rusty’s safe. Rusty kept the secret to hide the truth of Charlie’s rape.

Charlie does not forgive Mason since his silence led to the police killing Daniel Culpepper. Mason asks how he can atone for his sins. Sam tells him to go to the police and tell them that he took Kelly’s gun from the scene. After Mason leaves, Ben tells Charlie that it was only last week that Rusty told him about the ordeal Charlie underwent. Rusty told Ben that asking Charlie to keep quiet was his greatest regret. Charlie and Ben reminisce about Rusty and the extent to which he went to protect his clients and his loved ones. Sam says that Kelly may be Rusty’s “unicorn.”

Sam, Charlie, and Ben replay the footage. When Kelly’s arms sneak into the frame, they notice that one of the arms is in red, the color Judith was wearing. They agree that Judith’s hand is the one pulling the trigger. Charlie visits Judith to question her. Judith tells her that Kelly was pregnant with Doug Pinkman’s baby. The reason the security camera outside Doug’s office had a blind spot was because Doug kept it turned down. Doug had been sexually abusing his students for years. Judith had ignored what she called Doug’s “indiscretions” until he told her he wanted Kelly to live with them to raise her baby.

Filled with rage against her husband, Judith began to coach the suggestible Kelly. She had wanted Kelly to kill Doug, but Kelly had been unable to pull the trigger. Judith had held her hand and shot once into the wall to get Doug’s attention. When Doug came out, she shot him three times. Judith’s plan was to shoot Kelly next, so it seemed she had intercepted a school shooter but Lucy came into the corridor. Judith pulled the trigger in panic when she saw Lucy there. Since Lucy’s death, Judith has been filled with remorse. Judith now takes out her father’s Glock and asks Charlie to leave. Charlie knows Judith plans to kill herself, but that Judith might shoot her instead. Judith suddenly pushes her out of the house and locks her door. Judith shoots herself.

Sam is back in New York. It has been three weeks since she left Pikeville. Charlie and Ben are back together and plan to move to Atlanta soon. Lenore has retired and moved to Florida. Charlie calls Sam to tell her that Kelly has signed a plea deal for 10 years in prison. Kelly may be released earlier on grounds of good behavior. Mason has been sentenced to six years for hiding the murder weapon which Charlie thinks is too short. Charlie and Ben plan to visit Sam soon, on their way to meet Lenore in Florida. Charlie asks Sam to check her email.

The email contains an image file. It is the photo Rusty described, capturing the moment Gamma and Rusty fell in love. In it, Gamma looks happy and hopeful. Sam knows this is how Gamma would want to be remembered, “forever stalking joy” (500).