Murder in Small Town X, Episode 4: Another Death, Another Two-Dollars

Well, episode four of Murder in Small Town X certainly begins with a bang. It seems that the cries of pain heard in Sunrise at the end of day nine were not solely due to Kristen's triumphant return to headquarters. As the episode begins, we see the killer (as represented by the first-person green "killer-cam") at the house of Leita Rose-Blodgett. Last week Brian stated his belief that Leita's ownership of part of the Kingfisher Cannery was bound to get her killed. It turns out he was right. As we watch, the killer stalks Leita from somewhere outside of her kitchen before finally electing to commit his first "official" murder since offing the Flints in the first episode. Back at headquarters, the investigators are awakened by a very distraught, very bloody Dudley Duncan, who explains to them that he had reported to Leita's because a disturbance had been called in. There he found a lot of blood, but like the Flints before her, no body. The investigators offer to assist Dudley, but he instead tells them that he will back for them in the morning, thus setting the stage for the episode's events.

As the sun rises on day ten, we once again get to hear a few thoughts from the players themselves. Kristen, keeping with her thoughts from last week, believes that the mayor is the number one suspect, while Angel can only rule out Jimmy from his own mental suspect list. Alan, however, wants Thibodeaux to be eliminated only because he frightens him. Katie admits that she originally thought that Lambert was the killer, but she believes differently now. Angel disagrees, stating that money is the root of all evil. Since Lambert is gaining so much from the Flint murder, Angel believes that he is their most likely suspect.

At HQ, the investigators are told officially about Leita's death. When asked why someone would kill Leita, Angel reiterates once again his feelings about Lambert and his involvement with the murders. Fredo agrees and informs the investigators that Track 1 will focus on the murder of Blodgett.

Track 1: Leita Rose-Blodgett Crime Scene

1. Search scene
2. Recover evidence

The next lead that the investigators will be picking up on is the 14 two-dollar bills found in Abby's car during the previous episode. It seems that the town which had been stamped on the bills, Grady, Maine, is home to a club called $2 Bills. Track 2, then will be the investigation of this bar.

Track 2: Grady, Maine

1. Go to $2 Bills
2. Look for connection with Abby's stolen car

Next, we get our first glimpse at the clue which Kristen so politely brought back at the end of last week's episode. It is a can of 16 mm film processed in 1971 (Oscar Blodgett's final year, for those keeping score). On it is a man with literally half a face. He's speaking to the camera as he explains that his first memory was of running through a fire in 1941. He was eight at the time. He remembers smoke and darkness, collapsing walls, and drifting out to sea. His half-melted visage then tells us that this was the last time he saw Sunrise until he became a man. The film then cuts out. After this rather unexpected development, Fredo informs the team that he has already asked Frank Kovick to place the man's picture in the paper in order to determine his whereabouts. Kovick, it seems, has already received some information. Track 3 will be dedicated to convincing Frank to reveal his source.

Track 3: Killer Clue - Burnt Man Film

• Get Kovick to reveal his source

Before the team can leave, however, the Lifeguard has to be established. Lindsay's closing words are played to the team, and Brian is selected for the job. Brian selects Angel and Katie to recover the evidence from Leita's murder on Track 1. Alan and Kristen he sends across the bay to do some clubbing on Track 2. Finally, Stacey and Jeff are picked to question Frank on Track 3. Since Kovick is documenting the crime scene for the Sunrise newspaper, both teams 1 and 3 will be heading to Blodgett's home.

Track 2 begins with Alan and Kristen facing a rather upset G.D. Thibodeaux. Alan and Kristen inform him that they only want to take his ferry over to Grady, but that doesn't stop him from protesting his innocence in Leita's death. At Leita's house Dudley shows team 1 the crime scene while Angel tells us that he doesn't trust Frank. We then see a rather understandably upset Dudley being told for the first time that Frank is a suspect and must be controlled. Dudley tells Angel that he has to be informed of these things, and Angel tells him to just be careful not to let Frank into any more of these crime scenes. Meanwhile, Stacey and Jeff are talking to Frank in order to find out his source. When Frank finishes his photography, the two accompany him to his car where they strike a deal with the reporter. Kovick will take them to his source if they agree to "talk with him." We never get to see the kind of talking Kovick requires, but you can bet that whatever they reveal is probably something they shouldn't.

Back in the house, Angel and Katie begin to document the crime scene. They find another .357 casing like the one at the Flint house, a piece of fabric caught in the door frame, and what they presume to be Leita's shaved hair on the ground. On the floor Katie finds a metal replica of a numbered sliding puzzle. Written on the back is a love letter to one F.K. whom Katie assumes to be Frank Kovick, one of her top suspects. The engraving tells F.K. that he "makes all the pieces fit, love Me." Originally I thought that Me was Mary-Elizabeth, but she couldn't get around that much... could she? No, it seems far more likely that if this puzzle piece is indeed Kovick's, and we have no reason to believe that it's not, then the sender was a loved one being cute, probably his wife. In either case, it now seems likely that Kovick was at the crime scene, probably before the murders took place. Next, the investigators note that the phone is off the hook. Theorizing that Leita was on the phone at the time of her murder, Dudley decides to try using redial to determine whom the call was directed to. Reverend Rusty answers, and when Dudley asks him he tells the group that Leita had called the church that morning for information about its bake sale. Dudley seems unconvinced, but there's not much more to be done with the good Reverend.

On Track 2 we see Kristen setting Alan up with a surveillance camera. Fully wired, the two head into $2 Bills only to discover FOX's weekly foray into the land of gratuitous sexual content. $2 Bills, it seems, is a strip club (now the fact that it's the world's only non-strip strip club is another story; this is network TV after all), a fact which Alan seems less than upset about. As the two sit down to enjoy the show, they are greeted by "that bad girl from across the bay," Mary-Elizabeth Merchant. As Mary-Elizabeth shakes her moneymaker, Alan admits to being somewhat "lost in thought." He's glad, though, that Kristen is around to keep him focused. It's rare that someone's glad to have Kristen around. She’d better enjoy it while she can.

On Track 3, Kovick, Jeff, and Stacey arrive at Trekkers Motor Lodge. When they get out of the car, Jeff asks Kovick if there had ever been any major fires in Sunrise. Kovick tells the two about the so-called miracle fire of '41 in which Sunrise was practically razed to the ground, yet not a soul was killed. After this the three talk to whom I can only assume is the lodge owner. He tells the team that the burnt man had stayed at the lodge in '71 and then shows them to his room. When they get there, the lodge owner explains that the burnt man hanged himself in the shower the year that he had stayed there. He doesn't know anything else about him, and no one claimed him upon his death. When he goes on to say that no family would claim a freak such as that, Frank takes offense, admonishing the man for being so callous as to call the man a freak. Stacey comments on how hotheaded Kovick is, but on the way home he attempts to explain himself. Frank it seems, is an adopted child and thus very thankful to his adopted family for giving him such a wonderful life. He takes family matters very personally. That's why he reacted the way that he did. I don't think that's the whole story, but its evident that whatever Frank's hiding, it won't be revealed for some time.

Back on Track 2, Alan is still struggling to find ways to enjoy himself when Mary-Elizabeth steps down from the stage and invites him and Kristen to a little chat. She wants the investigators to know that she was the one who dumped Abby's car in the drink in the previous episode. As she tells the team that Jimmy begged her to do it, two huge bouncers come and escort the duo to the club's owner. When they arrive in the office, William Lambert, apparent owner of $2 Bills, does his best Dr. Claw impersonation, spinning his chair ever so slowly to turn towards the unbelieving investigators. Lambert is upset that Alan and Kristen have dared enter his club while wearing a wire. He tells them that he thinks they are targeting him. When Kristen moves to interject, Lambert shuts her down, telling her that she shouldn't interject "nothing." Alan's smile is barely contained. Lambert goes on to explain that he is the son of an unwed 15-year-old mother who was driven out of Sunrise by her best friend, Leita Rose. Yes, he hated Leita, and yes she controlled the property necessary for his building of the hotel, but no, he would never kill her. Or so he says.

When the two return to headquarters, Kristen recaps the days events for teams 1 and 3. At this point we bear witness to what has become another weekly tradition: the Kristen slam session. As Kristen's testimony progresses, we see an interview of Alan in which he comments on the team's inability to shut her up. Later, in the briefing room, the guys are watching the video Alan made of $2 Bills. When the video shows Kristen being absolutely shut down by Lambert, the men watching the video give the wealthy businessman a standing ovation. Now that's teamwork. As the day comes to a close, we see Jeff telling Kristen to her face that she's annoying and he can't stand her. Kristen only responds by telling Jeff that he's stuck on himself. With the session over, it seems clear that the producers aren't even trying to hide the outcome of the upcoming vote. Kristen will once again find herself enjoying the night air of Sunrise.

Before the team can get to sleep, though, there comes a knock at the door. Reverend Rusty and Mary-Elizabeth have arrived, and they bear gifts. It seems that the answering machine at the church received a call from Leita Rose-Blodgett just before she was killed the day before. Mary-Elizabeth was at the church when the Reverend played it, and she convinced him to bring it over. This surprises Alan. He can't believe that the girl would be stripping one day, and then at the church with the Reverend on the next.

The next day, the investigators recap their findings to the entirety of the group. First, Fredo gives voice to the question of why Mary-Elizabeth was at the church with Reverend Rusty. The team correctly identifies that Abby was working at the church in the days preceding her death, so Mary-Elizabeth's working there should come as no surprise given what we know about her somewhat skewed personality. The team then hears the tape itself. Little is revealed except for the time at which the call was made: 10:15 PM. Angel and Katie then describe the evidence they discovered at the murder scene. Katie remembers that the puzzle piece they found was below the splattered blood, confirming that the holder of the piece, presumably Kovick, was there before the murders took place. The fabric piece that they found has been analyzed and found to contain colored fibers on top of black leather. The team immediately recognizes that the piece could be from Bill Lambert's cannery jacket, and so Track 1's new mission becomes its acquisition. In response to this, Alan tells the group that Rev. Rusty invited them all to casino night at $2 Bills (a little odd for a reverend to recommend a party at a strip club, isn't it?). Since Lambert owns the club, it's reasonable to assume that he will be present. Team 1 will go to the club. Since Mary-Elizabeth told Alan and Kristen that Jimmy also worked there, team 2's mission is to go back to the club and look for Jimmy. They are to corroborate the story that was told to them by Mary-Elizabeth as well as find out the details which brought about the theft of the car. Next, Jeff tells the group the story of the miracle fire in 1941. Since the oldest guy in town is Nate Flint's father, C.R., team 3's mission will be to discover any possible connection between the burnt man and the historic blaze.

Stacey and Jeff are driven to the burnt out remains of the Kingfisher Cannery, where they meet up with C.R., looking out over the horizon. Jeff asks him a couple of questions, but the answers don't really shed any more light on the origin or result of the fire. All we are told is that the greatest victim of the fire was the sardine business. It was the fire's only casualty.

That night, teams 1 and 2 arrive at $2 Bills. There they find the largest assemblage of suspects since the Flint memorial a full week (game time) before. Katie reiterates the need to obtain Lambert's jacket, while the men begin flirting with everyone in the room. Shortly, Sam Larabee begins yelling at Frank Kovick. This prompts Prudence Connor to explain to Angel that Sam's been having problems ever since she entered the Flint house and discovered the bodies. The doctors have diagnosed her with Pavor Nocturnus, or Night Terrors, because she wakes up every night screaming. Alan chats with Deanna Harris before remembering that team 2 is supposed to be looking for Jimmy. Alan and Kristen discover Tinker in the back of the club, gazing forlornly at an evocative tape he had made of the late Abby Flint. When Alan begins to tell him of Mary-Elizabeth's confession, his demeanor immediately changes. Jimmy tells the team that Mary-Elizabeth made him pay her $600 dollars for the supposed favor to a friend, and seems less than pleased by her subsequent failure to accomplish the simple task. He tells the team about the fight he and Nate had on the night of the murders. This time though he admits that he came back to the club and had a few before returning to the Flint home. Angry and more than a little drunk, he proceeded to bash in Abby's car in the hope that someone would come out to meet him. When no one did, he entered the home only to find blood in the foyer. He freaked out, stealing Abby's car and taking it into the woods to be hidden. He never hurt Abby, it was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Katie, meanwhile, is still eyeing Lambert's jacket. Lambert, however, is oblivious. He has called this party so that he may once again regale the assembly with tales of his beautiful hotel. He tells the group that C.R. Flint's failing health will give him controlling interest in the cannery and soon nothing will stand in the way of the Inn at Finneas Point. Frank Kovick seizes the opportunity to make a toast to Lambert, congratulating him for his many successes before accusing him of the highest crime of all: murder. Lambert is none too happy with the public insinuation, however, and soon a scuffle ensues. Since Drew Chambers is nowhere to be seen, the fight is not broken up, and Kovick winds up looking at the club from the outside. Seconds later, we see a hand pulling a fire alarm. The party has just ended. Outside, we hear an interview with Kristen explaining that she gave an idea to Katie to take off her coat and go over to Lambert under the auspices of being cold. Katie mentions nothing of Kristen's giving her the idea, but we do see her going over to Lambert and requesting his coat. When he gives it to her, the group heads back to HQ, where Angel tells the team that Katie is a true professional. Kristen just sits back and stews.

The next day, the investigators successfully match up the fabric piece with the nice new hole in the logo of Lambert's jacket. When team 2 tells the group Jimmy's story, an argument ensues as to whether his actions are believable or not. The team, deciding that they are unable to decide, keeps Jimmy on the suspect list. Now its time for the weekly red envelope quiz. Today's question: What is Pavor Nocturnus? Angel once again remembers the clue with ease, and the team gets another question right. Drew Chambers (right), unseen in this episode, is eliminated from the suspect list. As the team celebrates, we are told that the black envelope mission will take place that night.

Later that day, we see Stacey begging the men to vote her the heck out of that house. It seems that she has absolutely had her fill of Kristen. Since she can't stand her, she wants the two of them to go out on the same mission, ensuring that only one of them could possibly come back. When voting time comes, though, the team has other ideas. We see Alan, Stacey, and Katie all vote for Kristen in rapid succession. It appears that even with Stacey's plea this vote won't be close at all. When Fredo turns over Kristen's picture absolutely no one is surprised. Brian, as Lifeguard, selects the next victim. Since Stacey has been so adamant about separating off from Kristen, Brian has no trouble selecting her as the other black envelope player. Kristen will be heading to the Grady Point lighthouse, while Stacey explores the marine supply warehouse. Before the two leave, we get to see the house preparing to have one less mouth to feed. Jeff tells Kristen that she needs to find her inner beauty. When Kristen basically tells him to shove it, that he should save his speeches because she's coming back, Jeff can only respond with “God help us.” Alan echoes the sentiment stating that if Kristen comes back for the third time the house might just come down. And in a strange twist, probably brought on by the realization that they will never have to see each other again, Stacey and Kristen do a little bit of bonding. Isn't that sweet?

As Stacey and Kristen are driven to their respective locations, the players remaining at HQ discuss how being sent out three times must make Kristen feel. The two arrive at their destinations and begin to explore in the familiar slow and poorly lit fashion. Kristen arrives at the top of the lighthouse only to find that she has to go back down to find her flowered X. Stacey meets up with a couple of flying mammals, but keeps on trucking despite her fear. As Kristen arrives at her X we see that it is accompanied by a memorial of some kind. She couldn't have survived again, could she? Stacey finds her X only to discover that it completely lacks anything to accompany it at all. No mistake about it this week folks, Stacey has been sent packing. At the lighthouse, Kristen leans over the memorial to find a circled name: Duchamps. When she returns to headquarters the clap of the investigators is a little more reluctant than it has ever been before. Katie tells Kristen that she wants to take her to Vegas. As the episode ends, we see a clearly distraught Kristen talking to Angel. He tells her that the group doesn't hate her. Every day is a new day, and tomorrow they will be a new team.

I don't know about that, but at least things are finally getting interesting in the town of Sunrise. Soon, more important suspects will be eliminated and/or offed. It's my hope that when the final episode is shown it will become patently obvious who the killer was all along. If the producers were able to plant ridiculously obvious clues in plain sight along the way, then that will make the final revelation all the more stunning. In one final note, it appears that Fox has shortened the run of MiSTX. Previously the website had the show extending through the 11th of September, but now they show it as ending on the 4th. One can only hope that they just made a two hour finale out of the 4th. If they cut 6 days into one episode this relatively tight little mystery could get a bit more messy than just some mustard packed fingers. Until next week.

Richard Hoeg is an Economics major at Hillsdale College and very thankful that he won't have to propose to his girlfriend on an imac in the Outback with Jeff Probst breathing down his neck.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! You can find our most recent articles at the Home page and take a look at our sections on WWF Tough Enough and Big Brother 2. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For even more news about reality TV, be sure to check out RealityTVFans.com and SirLinksALot!