The Hunter

On Monday, Cal goes to the pub, where Mart introduces him to Rushborough. The men tell Rushborough stories about the Ardnakelty, and Cal can tell that they are leaning into the Irish stereotypes to manipulate Rushborough. Later, Cal and Mart discuss Rushborough. Mart thinks that Rushborough is not the kind of man easily swindled. Cal agrees and wonders what Rushborough is doing in Ardnakelty.

Later in the evening, Rushborough shows the men his gold ring. Rushborough says that his grandmother gave him the ring, which she dug up in a friend’s garden in Ardnakelty when she was a child. Rushborough passes the ring around, and Cal feels the energy in the pub change as the men see the possibility of gold.

In the morning, Cal takes €300 with him to Johnny’s house. Cal tells Johnny that he wants to invest the €300 in the Rushborough scam. Johnny feels surprised by this, especially since Rushborough asserted it was the land of their ancestors, which Cal does not relate to. Johnny refuses Cal’s money, but Cal threatens to tell the police about Johnny’s scam if he does not let him in on the deal. Johnny tells him that if he wants in on the deal, then he should give the money to Mart, who oversees buying the gold.

Later that day, Cal tells Lena that he invested money in Johnny’s plan so that he can keep an eye on him. Trey cannot sleep because she hears Sheila and Johnny arguing. She sits in the living room with the television on to drown out the sound. She thinks about how angry Sheila was earlier because Johnny invited Rushborough over for dinner. Johnny comes out of the bedroom and sits with Trey. Trey offers Johnny a drink and tells him that everything is going to be okay. She indulges Johnny’s daydreams about money, then tells him that when the men are putting the gold in the river the next day, she will make sure Rushborough stays away from the river. Johnny feels happy that Trey is finally taking his side.

Cal and Trey work in the workshop together. Cal wonders if he should tell Trey that he knows about Johnny’s scam and has invested in it to keep an eye on him. After they finish working, Trey asks if she can borrow his camera for a few days. Cal does not ask Trey any questions but teaches her the settings of the camera. A few minutes later, Johnny offers to drive Trey home. He asks Trey why she has Cal’s camera, and Trey tells him that it is for a school project. Cal realizes that Johnny has not asked Trey to do anything with the camera, but that she must have her own plan.

Trey wakes up at four in the morning and follows Johnny to the river with her camera. She watches the men put gold into the river from her hiding place. She feels surprised when Cal shows up. Even though she knows that Cal must have his reasons for being there, she feels angry that he did not trust her enough to tell her his plan. As the men pour the gold into the river, Trey takes pictures of them.

At the Reddy house, Sheila warns Trey to stay away from Rushborough because he is dangerous. Trey tells Sheila that she would kill him if he touched her. Sheila wishes that she had married a different man so that Trey had a good father. Trey tells Sheila that she knows that Johnny is putting gold in the river to scam Rushborough. Sheila urges Trey to pack a bag and live with Cal, pretending that he is her father. Trey does not want to do this, so Sheila tells Trey to focus on her carpentry because it is worth more than anything Johnny can offer her.

Trey goes to where Rushborough rents, and she shows him the pictures of the men putting gold in the river. Surprised, Rushborough calls Johnny and tells him to come over. Trey feels nervous because she does not want Johnny to know that she betrayed him, but she does not want to leave without Cal’s camera. When Johnny arrives, Rushborough shows Johnny the pictures, and Trey says she has not shown the pictures to anyone else. Once Rushborough hears this, he slaps her. As Johnny and Rushborough talk, Trey realizes that they are partners and trying to scam the Ardnakelty men. Trey explains that she wanted to make Rushborough leave so that the Ardnakelty men would not get any money. Rushborough takes out a bag with gold foil in it and gives it to Trey. He tells her to tell the Ardnakelty men that she found it buried in the mountains. Trey promises that she can do this, and Rushborough slams his heel on Banjo’s paw, threatening to hurt them if she messes up. Johnny and Trey leave, and Johnny explains that he owes Rushborough money. He tells Trey that Rushborough’s grandmother is not from Ardnakelty. Johnny proposed the idea of scamming Ardnakelty with the story, and Rushborough agreed to it. Trey asks Johnny to keep Cal out of his scam, but Johnny says that Cal threatened to go to the police if he did not let him invest. Trey wanders off, telling Johnny she needs to treat Banjo’s paw.

Trey carries Banjo to Lena’s house because he can hardly walk on it. She tells Lena that she tripped over Banjo and stepped on his paw. Lena examines Banjo’s paw and tells Trey that it will heal. Trey asks Lena if she knows who killed her brother, and Lena tells her that she does not know. Trey leaves Banjo with Lena to rest. As she walks home, she thinks that she needs to keep Cal out of her plans. She knows that she may not be able to punish whoever killed her brother directly, but she needs to find some way to get revenge on Ardnakelty.