ANIKA CORMACK FERGUS FERGUS_S_SON FRANKIE FUNERAL_DIRECTOR GUARD_1 JADE KEITH LAWYER LIAM MORGANA NUMBER_9 OLLIE RITCHIE STEVEN ZACH ZARA RITCHIE Hey. CORMACK Did Liam know? RITCHIE Know what? CORMACK That you were shagging his missus? And don't fucking lie to me. RITCHIE I don't know if he knew. CORMACK Were you jealous of him? RITCHIE Yes. CORMACK Did you fight that night? RITCHIE No. CORMACK You realise this gives you a motive. RITCHIE Why do you think I didn't tell you. CORMACK You didn't tell me cos you're fucking stupid. I can't help you if you keep hiding shit from me. RITCHIE I never asked for your help. You can quit whenever you want. CORMACK You're not the victim here, Liam was. Stop whining and start fighting for your kids. RITCHIE Don't bring my kids into this! CORMACK You brought your kids into it. This is your life, Ritch. GUARD 1 You're done, mate. Let's go. RITCHIE Yeah, fuck off. ZARA Our request for compassionate day release was granted. So if you have your father's funeral up here, they'll let Ritchie out to attend. CORMACK Righto. I'll have Dad's carcass shipped up then. ZARA I wanted to let you know that I'm going to talk to Ritchie about the option of pleading guilty. CORMACK You think he did it? ZARA I think acquittal is looking increasingly unlikely. Motive was the only hole in their case. CORMACK Give me more time. The Knox's are hiding something. My contact up there came through on Zach - his full name is Zachary David Stone. ZARA I'll see if he's in the system. CORMACK Zach must know something. Fergus got weird the second I mentioned his name. ZARA Speaking of Fergus, the CCTV from the Coast Guard tower came in the latest batch of disclosure. CORMACK It blows my mind they have all this shit sitting there and they just drip feed it to us. ZARA You're preaching to the converted. ZARA Unfortunately the footage clearly shows Fergus was out at sea when Liam was murdered. CORMACK I'll have a little Bo-Peep later. Anything else in the disclosure? ZARA Yes, but it's not good. Photocopies of the motel sign-in book. There was nobody staying in room 9 at the time of the murder. CORMACK Bit windy for fishing Fergy. FUNERAL DIRECTOR I note that your father was a Catholic. That faith tends to favour burial over cremation. CORMACK We're burning him. FUNERAL DIRECTOR OK. Would you like a Priest to preside? CORMACK Can't you just do it? FUNERAL DIRECTOR Yes, of course. Do you have a list of speakers? And any prayers or hymns you'd like. CORMACK You can choose the hymns. There won't be a eulogy. FUNERAL DIRECTOR OK. We'll just need you to select a casket. We have an extensive range. CORMACK Ten grand! Does it have a flat screen in it? FUNERAL DIRECTOR We have more budget friendly options at the back. CORMACK Not that friendly. Can we BYO? FUNERAL DIRECTOR That's highly unusual. But as long as it conforms to standards, yes. FRANKIE What are you making? CORMACK A coffin. FRANKIE Why? CORMACK Me and your dad's dad died. FRANKIE Oh. Are you sad? CORMACK No. I didn't know him very well. FRANKIE I didn't know my first Dad. He's not dead, he just didn't want to be my dad. CORMACK He sounds like an idiot. FRANKIE Ritchie likes being my dad. But now he's gone too. CORMACK You know he didn't want to go. He didn't have a choice. FRANKIE Yeah, that's what Mum said. Why didn't you know your Dad? Did he leave too? CORMACK He wasn't a very nice man. He used to scare me. FRANKIE Ritchie's nice. He's only scared me once, when he broke things. CORMACK What did he break? FRANKIE Lots of things. CORMACK Was it an accident? FRANKIE He said sorry after. CORMACK But did he break things on purpose? FRANKIE Mum was crying. JADE Is everything alright? Where's Frankie? CORMACK She's fine, she's watching TV. I need to ask you something... CORMACK Has Ritchie ever hit you? JADE No. God no. Why would you ask that? CORMACK Frankie said he trashed the house. JADE It wasn't like that. CORMACK What was it like? JADE It's nobody else's business. CORMACK It will be, if the prosecutor can find a neighbour who'll testify that it was a violent home. JADE Sometimes he does stuff in his sleep. They're called fugue states. We lived in a rough neighbourhood, so Ritch kept a cricket bat by the bed. I woke up one night and he was smashing the TV to pieces. But it wasn't him, he wasn't really there. When he came out of it, he said he thought someone was in the house. CORMACK So he loses control in these states. JADE I trust him Jimmy, he's a good man. He's not violent. He's damaged. ANIKA How much do you want me? RITCHIE I'd do anything to be with you. RITCHIE Sorry boss. CORMACK Hey. RITCHIE I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Anika. I was ashamed. Liam was my best mate. I didn't want you thinking I was that kind of man. RITCHIE You said you wanted the truth. No matter how bad it looks? CORMACK I'm listening. RITCHIE It wasn't just sex. I loved her. RITCHIE I know it was just kid-love. But it was real to me. Other than Mum and you, no one ever gave a shit about me. I don't know if Anika loved me, but she cared. And that was enough. CORMACK How did you feel when she ended it? RITCHIE I was angry. At Liam. I hated how much he took her for granted. CORMACK Did you fight with him about it that night? RITCHIE I don't know. I don't remember. CORMACK We're running out of time, mate. We need to take extreme measure. We've got to try the EMDR. RITCHIE I'm scared. CORMACK I know. Me too. But we don't have a choice. RITCHIE Are you okay? ANIKA I've got to get back to work. LIAM I cleaned the cabin top to bottom. LIAM And I finished the rust-proofing. Oh, here we go. LIAM Look who shows up when the work's done. LIAM Fuck, it stinks under there. FERGUS Careful, he can catch you now. STEVEN Good as new. Bit bloody pale though. MORGANA I'll get you some fake tan. FERGUS Shit, this is the good stuff. You must really be glad to be getting him outta the house. STEVEN Your mother's just celebrating the fact I'm a bit more limber again. LIAM Oh, gross. MORGANA Prude. People over 40 still have sex you know. STEVEN Dirty, kinky sex. LIAM Stop it! FERGUS Get a room. STEVEN I'll take you out to the shelf chasing Marlin as soon as we have a client paying for the fuel. But hunting Jacks up the river is almost as much fun, if you're keen? RITCHIE That'd be awesome. LIAM Mangrove Jack's good eating too. FERGUS Gotta run. MORGANA We haven't eaten yet? FERGUS Save me a plate. FERGUS Good to have you back Dad. LIAM Ferg. Fergus! LIAM Where are you going? Mum's gone to heaps of effort. FERGUS She doesn't care. I got shit to do. LIAM Has this got something to do with that guy at the wharf? LIAM Who is he? FERGUS Nobody. Just a tourist, wanted some fishing tips. LIAM Bullshit. Why did you run away so quick then? FERGUS I didn't run away. ZACH See you later champ. LIAM How's the water? RITCHIE Like a bath. LIAM We need to get a cover for it. LIAM Sorry I was weird this arvo. RITCHIE Nah, it's fine. Everything OK? LIAM Fucking Ferg just does my head in. I shoulda clocked him one. NUMBER 9 Evening gents. RITCHIE Hey. NUMBER 9 How's the water? RITCHIE Freezing. You wouldn't like it. ANIKA Sorry about the wait. Follow me. RITCHIE Do you know that bloke? LIAM No. RITCHIE Nice outfit. CORMACK It's better than yours. RITCHIE You going to sell me a used car? CORMACK I had to pull some strings to get us this room. They think I'm part of your legal team. RITCHIE Pretending to be a lawyer and a therapist. Impressive. CORMACK I've done a lot a work on this. You're safe, mate. I promise. CORMACK Focus on the sound. CORMACK What's the clearest image in your mind from that night? RITCHIE Driving away. I was gripping the wheel so tight my knuckles hurt. CORMACK Let's work backwards from that. RITCHIE When I couldn't revive him, I went into Liam's room and got his keys from the desk drawer. RITCHIE I remember the red glow from his computer. His Geocities page was open. CORMACK What about Liam. Do you remember walking in and finding his body? RITCHIE No... I only remember the blood. He was dead and I was trying not to look at his body. RITCHIE But there was blood everywhere... RITCHIE I could smell popcorn burning. RITCHIE And someone was crying. I thought it was me. But it was you. CORMACK I remember the popcorn. I don't remember crying. RITCHIE You were. You sounded so scared. You stopped when I stabbed you. I didn't mean to hurt you. CORMACK You were in shock. RITCHIE No, I mean literally. I thought you were Dad. RITCHIE I knew I'd only get one chance. I had to surprise him, the second he opened the door. RITCHIE I get them mixed up. The night Mum died and the night I found Liam. ZARA Geocities was an early blog site, pre Myspace. It was shut down in 2009, but it says here a bunch of the pages have been preserved in some kind of digital museum. Did Ritchie remember Liam's username? CORMACK No. ZARA I can have my associate search the archive? CORMACK At 300 bucks an hour? No thanks. I'll have a look myself. ZARA His recall seems to be improving? CORMACK It's hit n miss. His memory of getting the car keys contradicts the crime scene evidence and the blood smudges on the key rack. I'd love to know what he took from the desk. CORMACK Any luck tracking down Zach Stone? ZARA Some. He's got a criminal record: possession, petty theft, assault. CORMACK Who did he hit? ZARA A blackjack dealer. There's still an open warrant for that charge. CORMACK For 25 years? ZARA He missed the court date, which was a week after Liam's murder. CORMACK That's a bit of a coinky-dink. Next of kin? ZARA His mother. But she died in 2005. ZARA He's not on the missing person register. But there's no sign of him online - no socials, nothing. He's a bit like Ritchie, he went to ground in 99. KEITH Thanks. I said Chardonnay. CORMACK It's white, what's the difference? KEITH Philistine. CORMACK Posh wanker. KEITH You found Zach Stone yet? CORMACK No, he's a shy fella. Government's got no tabs on him. I was hoping you might have a lead? KEITH I'll ask around. CORMACK If you're theory's right, and Fergus was smuggling, who was he handing the cargo off to on land? KEITH I never worked that out. CORMACK If it was me, I'd use the motel. There's access to it via Butcher Bird Creek. KEITH You think Liam caught Fergus in the act that night and confronted him? CORMACK The timeline fits. And the weather was shocking that night, there's no way Fergus was out there fishing. KEITH If it did go down like that, whoever Fergus gave the shipment to could be a witness. CORMACK Or they could be the killer. Dunt, dunt, daaa. MORGANA Boys, go play outside please. STEVEN James is meant to be meeting Ferg? MORGANA I know. I asked Fergus to run some errands for me in the city. CORMACK You don't want me talking to him? MORGANA You want to ask him about Zach? Fergus carries a lot of guilt about how he treated Liam, at the end. CORMACK Ok, but you can't protect him if they call him to testify. MORGANA It'll never get that far. Vogel did it, he'll change his plea. STEVEN What do you want to know? Maybe we can help. CORMACK When did you last see Zach. Was he at Liam's funeral? MORGANA Yes. STEVEN No. CORMACK So which one is it? MORGANA I don't know. It was a long time ago. CORMACK What was Liam's relationship with Zach like? STEVEN Tense. Liam could see the bad influence Zach was having on Ferg. We all could. MORGANA Are you going to suggest he killed Liam now? First it's some distant relative from Ireland, now Zach? MORGANA Black Snow S3 | Episode 4 | Shooting Script | 08/04/26 25. AL L3 M ED IA IN TE RN AT IO NA L CORMACK Is there a reason you're certain Zach couldn't have been involved? MORGANA Yes! His prints aren't on the weapon that was used to butcher my son like an animal. Vogel's are. FERGUS S SON Nana? MORGANA It's OK, sweetie. STEVEN I'm sorry about that. It's just a lot for us, reliving it all. CORMACK Don't apologise. STEVEN Anything else I can help with? CORMACK Liam had a blog. Do you remember what it was called? STEVEN RoadWarrior79. I never understood computers, but Liam was so proud of that thing. (MORE) STEVEN Do you really think Zach could have been involved? CORMACK Don't you think it's odd that he's completely dropped off the grid? STEVEN Yeah, I guess. And he was using, so he seems a more obvious candidate than Vogel, who was a good kid. But the evidence is pretty damning. STEVEN I used to hope we'd discover it wasn't Vogel, and some monster had just come out of the dark and taken Liam. Because then it wouldn't have been my fault. But then I realise, that maybe Vogel is that monster and I just couldn't see it. ANIKA Hey. What's up? LIAM Why's room 9 blank? It's occupied. ANIKA The guy asked me to leave his deets out. Gave me a pretty nice tip. LIAM That's a bit suss. ANIKA He's probably just screwing someone's wife. Or husband. Why do you care? LIAM I don't. ANIKA Hey. We need to talk. ANIKA I've been hiding something from you. And I feel sick about it. ANIKA I've been selling Mum's pain meds to Fergus. She doesn't use them all. LIAM What? ANIKA He's been partying real hard, he said he needs help with the comedowns. And I need the money. LIAM Is that why you couldn't hang the other night? ANIKA He came round to pick up the pills. He feels guilty, so he always stays and plays cards with Mum. ANIKA He made me promise not to tell you. I'm sorry. LIAM At least we know the gear you sell him is clean. LIAM You want to get hammered? LIAM It was full-on projectile vomiting. I didn't even know you could get that seasick. ANIKA Oh god, the poor guy. LIAM Poor me! I had to clean it up. RITCHIE I love this place. ANIKA You'll get over it. I can't wait to leave. RITCHIE Where would you go? ANIKA London. Paris. Prague. Anywhere with a pulse. He used to say cities are overrated, then he stole my idea and went to Sydney. LIAM Forget Europe. I want to go to America, that's where the tech jobs are. You guys should come with me. ANIKA I've got a bit going on here at the moment. LIAM Yeah, no. I meant down the track. RITCHIE We got everything we need right here. Good mates, good beer, this view... What more could you need? LIAM I need a slash. RITCHIE I've been thinking about you all day. ANIKA What were you thinking? RITCHIE That you're perfect. That I want you again. ANIKA How much do you want me? RITCHIE Too much. I'm going fucking crazy. I'd do anything to be with you. LIAM It just hit me, if you love it here this much, we need to find you a girlfriend. RITCHIE You were thinking about that while you had your dick in your hand? LIAM That's when all my best ideas come. What about Katie Hinze? She's hot. ANIKA Is she? She moved to Brisbane. And I don't think Ritchie needs our help. LIAM He doesn't know anyone here. What about Lani? ANIKA She's pregnant. LIAM Is that a deal breaker? RITCHIE You're an idiot. RITCHIE Anyone up for a swim? LIAM Nah mate, we'll see you tomorrow. ANIKA Goodnight. RITCHIE You right? LIAM That guy, in room 9. He was just looking through my window. RITCHIE Shit. Where you guys...? LIAM No. But it's still fucking suss. RITCHIE Yeah. That's messed up. LIAM Ferg, are you okay? FERGUS I fucked up. I'm sorry. FERGUS I'm fucked. I'm so fucked. LIAM We can fix it. FERGUS How? Do you have a hundred grand? FERGUS I'm a dead man. LIAM We have to talk to Mum. She'll know what to do. MORGANA We're overdrawn. We don't have enough for mooring next month. STEVEN Just pay half, they'll cut us some slack. We'll get back on track now I'm up an about. STEVEN What's happened? LIAM Tell them. MORGANA Tell us what? FERGUS I messed up Mum. I went out to Bishops. NUMBER 9 Morning. STEVEN Can I help you, mate? NUMBER 9 I sure hope so. FERGUS I told you, I need more time. NUMBER 9 It doesn't work that way son. STEVEN What the hell's going on? LIAM Dad! MORGANA Let me talk to the uncles. NUMBER 9 There's nothing left to say. You've got 3 days. Or your boy's next. RITCHIE Did you make that? CORMACK Cheaper than therapy. RITCHIE It's funny, but I reckon Dad would actually dig it. CORMACK Probably. About the only good thing he did was teach us how to use tools. RITCHIE It looks a bit short? CORMACK That was a creative choice. Nobody said he has to go to the afterlife in comfort. FUNERAL DIRECTOR God, accept our prayers on behalf of your servant, Thomas... FUNERAL DIRECTOR Do not count his deeds against him, for in his heart he desired to do your will... FUNERAL DIRECTOR As his faith united him to your people on earth, so may your mercy join him to the angels in heaven. Amen. FUNERAL DIRECTOR We are now ready to commit Thomas's soul to eternal rest. CORMACK Actually, bugger it. I will do a eulogy. Can't let God have the last word. CORMACK Comfy in there?Okey dokie, where to start? RITCHIE He taught us how to fish? CORMACK Yeah. Those were fun days. And those few nights when you weren't totally hammered and you'd read to us were nice too. CORMACK But mostly, you just hurt us. And it kept hurting, way after Mum was gone. Pain is your legacy. It's the only way I know how to feel things. CORMACK I've spent my life alone, hanging out with dead people, because I don't know how to love the living. You didn't teach us how to love. And yet somehow, there's still a tiny bit of me that loves you. And I fucking hate that. CORMACK But you're gone now. And I'm going to try to bury that shred of love, and all that hate, with you. But I want you to know, that even though your god might forgive you, I don't. CORMACK Anything to add? RITCHIE Amen. CORMACK Righto. Light him up. FRANKIE I missed you Dad. RITCHIE I miss you too chook. So much. FRANKIE What are these? RITCHIE You remember that puzzle we did, with the wood and the string? This is a bit like that. These are a puzzle, and I've got work out how to get them off. FRANKIE Oh. Can I have a piece of cake? RITCHIE Yeah, go for it. RITCHIE Your eulogy jolted something loose. It got me thinking about how fucked up I am. CORMACK I usually only have that effect on women. RITCHIE Most of it started with Dad, but my problems with gambling didn't. I realise now they started that night Liam was killed. RITCHIE The car keys weren't in Liam's drawer, I grabbed them off the rack by the front door. I took money from his desk. And 3 casino chips. RITCHIE I didn't use them for ages. When I eventually did I won and got hooked. I been losing ever since. CORMACK Was Liam a gambler? RITCHIE No, it was too reckless for him. Does this help at all? CORMACK Every detail helps. Speaking of help, I slipped the goons a few notes earlier, so you and Jade can have some alone time. I'll watch Frankie. RITCHIE Thanks mate. RITCHIE This'll be a challenge. CORMACK Or it could be a bit of fun. CORMACK Do you have a queen? FRANKIE Go fish. CORMACK Are you sure? Let me see your cards. FRANKIE Go fish! RITCHIE Little help? JADE Stop moving. It's like dressing a baby. RITCHIE Won't be long now. RITCHIE I'm going to miss so much of his life. JADE Don't say that. RITCHIE Zara said I should consider a plea. JADE What? No. RITCHIE I can't do 25 years. I can't. JADE You won't. Jimmy will solve this. It's going to be OK. JADE It's going to be OK. ZARA You've reached the office of Zara Sibanda. Please leave a message. CORMACK Ritchie's telling the truth - there was someone staying in room 9. ANIKA Yeah, he was there for about a week. CORMACK But his name's not in the book. Why didn't you take his details? ANIKA He gave me a tip not to. A big one. It wasn't that unusual. It was pre 9/11, you could check in anywhere without a passport. CORMACK Was he a friend of the Knox's? ANIKA No, I don't think so. Zach knew him though. CORMACK He was mates with Zach Stone? ANIKA I don't know if they were friends, but I saw them talking. They definitely knew each other. ANIKA Do you think this guy could be a suspect? CORMACK Liam wrote about him in his blog. Called him a 'sicko and a psycho'. ANIKA Fuck. CORMACK What is it? ANIKA Liam caught that guy peeping through our window one night. CORMACK Why didn't you tell the police this? ANIKA Morgana said they were certain that Ritchie did it. But you don't think that, do you? ANIKA Oh god. And I helped this guy stay anonymous, all this time. CORMACK That's not on you. If the guy in room 9 knew Zach, he wasn't an opportunist. He was at the motel for a reason. Are you sure he didn't know the Knox's? ANIKA No. I can't be sure. NUMBER 9 You've got three days. Or your boy's next. OLLIE Sorry to keep you waiting Morgana. MORGANA Thanks for taking the time. OLLIE What can we help you with? MORGANA We appreciate everything you're doing to get justice for Liam. But James Cormack's approach is very intense and it's taking a toll on my family. LAWYER Sorry, who's approach? MORGANA James Cormack. I was hoping the Prosecutor would consider assigning a different consultant. LAWYER There's no James Cormack on our team.