The Death of Dick Long 2019

The curtain opens on a raucous night of revelry as friends Dick Long (character), Zeke Olsen (character), and Earl Wyeth (character) indulge in a cacophony of rock music, pyrotechnic displays, and good-natured pranks. However, the evening takes a deadly turn when Dick suffers severe injuries, leaving his companions to abandon him at an emergency room with no explanation for his wounds. As the night wears on, Earl returns home, loading up his truck with various belongings while confiding in Lake about a supposed family emergency that requires his departure.

Meanwhile, Zeke slips into a quiet routine, showering and then slipping into bed, successfully deceiving his wife Lydia (character) into thinking he’d been asleep. She requests his assistance in driving their daughter Cynthia to school, and Zeke obliges. As they depart, he inadvertently retrieves Dick’s wallet from his pocket, which he and Zeke had taken earlier while their friend lay unconscious. Zeke pulls out the driver’s license and places it on the kitchen counter before rushing Cynthia down to the garage.

As the day unfolds, Dr. Richter (character), a physician who discovered Dick’s lifeless body at the hospital where he works, contacts the local police department. His suspicions suggest that a sex crime was involved in the victim’s demise. Zeke makes a pit stop at a gas station, where Cynthia interacts with Officer Dudley (character). As the child shares her concern about her father finding a wallet he should return, Zeke notices the blood-soaked sheet in his back seat and hastily retrieves the wallet before the officer can notice.

In a swift departure, Zeke calls Earl to arrange an urgent meeting. The two converge at Zeke’s residence, where Cynthia is upstairs bathing. They attempt to scrub away the evidence from the back seat, with Earl subsequently driving the girl to school in his truck. A brief exchange takes place between Earl and Jane, Dick’s widow (character), who remains oblivious to her husband’s fate.

As the situation spirals out of control, the pair decides to dispose of the incriminating evidence by dumping it into a river, then concoct a cover story claiming the vehicle was stolen. With their plan in motion, they prepare to abandon the tainted car and walk away from the consequences.

As the investigation unfolds at the local police station, Sheriff Spenser (character name) enlists Dudley’s expertise to unravel the tangled threads surrounding Dick’s murder. Meanwhile, Lydia is torn asunder by a torrent of anxiety after overhearing rumors about the gruesome discovery. When Zeke’s inconsistencies come under scrutiny, Lydia’s patience wears thin, prompting her to confront him about the discrepancies in his alibi. Zeke’s resolve crumbles, and he confesses that Dick’s demise was a direct result of his own zoophilic exploits with Comet, the Olsens’ horse.

As the truth begins to surface, Zeke retreats to a local watering hole, where Earl awaits, and the pair concocts a plan to face the music head-on. Back at the police station, Dudley and Spenser agree to pay a visit to the Olsens, bearing the weighty news of Dick’s passing. Upon arriving at Jane’s residence, they find Zeke slumped against the stable door, his shirtless form a testament to his intoxication.

Jane approaches him, her curiosity piqued by rumors of an extramarital affair, but Zeke reassures her that such rumors are unfounded. The trio retires to Zeke’s abode, where dinner becomes a battleground for competing narratives until Zeke blurts out the truth: Lydia was innocent all along. His words hang in the air like a challenge as he flees the scene, pursued by Dudley.

The next morning, Dudley and Spenser pay a visit to the site of the abandoned vehicle, only to discover that Zeke has been released from custody. Dudley’s incredulity is palpable as Spenser explains that pursuing charges would merely perpetuate harm, destroying the lives of Cynthia, Jane, and Lydia. As the dust settles, Zeke wanders away from the police station, his path crossing with Cynthia’s school, where he catches the tail end of her piano recital. A brief confrontation with Lydia ensues, culminating in a stern directive: leave their lives alone.

As the darkness settles over the desolate highway, Zeke’s ride deposits him at a fleabag motel where Earl and Lake have claimed a room for the night. With the neon signs of the establishment humming in the background, Zeke approaches his companions with a mix of trepidation and curiosity. “What’s the plan, guys?” he queries, seeking clarity on how they intend to navigate the tangled web of deception that has ensnared them. Earl, nonchalant as ever, offers a dismissive shrug, before launching into an impromptu rendition of Nickelback’s hit single “How You Remind Me” on his battered guitar. The melancholy melody seems to hang in the air like a challenge, its introspective tone a stark contrast to the chaos that has unfolded around them. As Zeke watches Earl’s fingers dance across the strings, he can’t help but wonder if this makeshift trio will find a way to harmonize their troubles or succumb to the discord that threatens to tear them apart.