Episode 3 kicks off 48 hours prior, with Derry Fallon (portrayed by Aaron Monaghan) arriving at the isolated cabin, desperation etched across his face as he seeks long-awaited answers. Inside, he unexpectedly encounters Aileen Ryan (played by Carolyn Bracken), but their Q&A session is abruptly halted by a hail of gunfire. Scrambling to safety, they realize they were both deliberately drawn to this secluded spot and reluctantly decide to team up.
As night descends and they set up camp, Derry once again interrogates Aileen about her presence at the cabin. She reveals she has been delving into the infamous Mountain Murder Case and claims to have received a mysterious invitation, offering to produce it but lamely excuses her missing phone as lost in the chaos – a lie exposed almost instantly.
The night passes without further incident, but navigating their way back proves far more arduous than anticipated. Before stumbling upon a clandestine cannabis farm, Derry mentions his wife's fascination with the Mountain Murders, prompting Aileen to disclose only the case's unsolved nature. Though tempted to exploit the scarce resources, Derry is eager to move on. A brief spat ensues, culminating in Derry stepping into a bear trap while hastily grabbing Aileen's bag to expedite their departure. She playfully threatens to leave him but reconsiders, freeing him from the trap.
They manage to find refuge in a cave just before dusk. Aileen deserts him temporarily but returns later, cloaked in darkness, bearing supplies from the cabin, including medication for his pain. As she builds a crackling fire, Derry rolls a joint, which he eventually forces her to share, almost against her will. Amidst passing the joint, she quizzes him about any dirt he believed she had on him.
His confession unfolds in a haunting flashback, with Aileen observing from the backseat of their car. To her astonishment, Derry confesses to murdering his supposed best friend and his wife's brother, Brian Dalton (Diarmuid Noyes), for betraying his father. After acknowledging the slaying as his catalyst for relocating, the narrative seamlessly weaves back to the cliffhanger of episode 2, revealing Derry as the intended target of the earlier shooting.
Meanwhile, Diana Huia (Acushla-Tara Kupe) gives chase to the shooter, while Aileen unveils her cabin discoveries to Theo Richter (Richard Flood) and alerts him to a plot to have Derry eliminate her. The shooter eludes capture, but Officer Jacobs (Darren Young) picks up the trail in town shortly after. Misfortune strikes as Jacobs pulls over an innocent bike, ridden by Sinead Martin (Rachel Morgan) and Ginge (Poroaki Merritt-McDonald), right in front of Joseph Martin's (Liam Carney) store. Joseph promptly rushes to their defense. Later, Joseph mends fences with Sinead, allowing her and Ginge to spend the night under his roof.
As Sergeant Bruce Harris (Scott Wills) is compelled to rejoin Joy Webb-Jones (Jessi Williams) on air and rescind his earlier declaration that the town's turmoil had subsided, Richter and Diana persist in their interrogation of Aileen at the hospital. Yet, she offers no insights beyond what she has already imparted.
Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Gwenda (Miriama Smith), disrobed of her uniform and on a personal mission, makes another bid to mend fences with Auntie Wiki (Vanessa Rare). It transpires that Gwenda has uncovered the underlying cause of the familial strife and conveys this, accompanied by an apology to Wiki. Buster Huia (Wayne Hapi), eavesdropping on their conversation, listens as Wiki informs Gwenda that while they can reconcile, she will not permit her to take residence in her grandmother's home.
By this juncture, Richter and Diana have arrived at the morgue, where they utilize Derry's thumbprint to access his phone and decipher the message that led him to the cabin. Subsequent to this, Richter visits Anita and inquires who would dare commit such a heinous act against Derry, but she either lacks an answer or is too terrified to disclose it. Matters conclude there for the time being, interrupted by Diana's arrival to announce that Derry's body is now prepared for the sacred ritual. Though she had initially consented to the arrangement, Anita is overcome with panic upon witnessing Buster and the others chanting over Derry's remains.
As Anita tenderly keeps vigil by Derry's side, Ginge confides in Sinead about his nights at the graveyard, wracked with guilt over Jarred's (played by Flynn Mehlhopt) tragic overdose. Their argument, sparked by a local girl, led to a bitter rift, and despite Sinead's heartfelt attempts to reassure him that the incident wasn't his fault, her words seem to bounce off an unyielding conscience.
Meanwhile, Aileen is discharged from the hospital but eagerly anticipates her departure from Richter's residence. Her haste becomes clear when Richter, professing his love while simultaneously grilling her about her time in the woods, prompts a fiery exchange. She firmly tells him to confront his diagnosis alone, refusing to be a distraction in his struggle. Stricken by her words, he returns to the hospital to delve deeper into his condition with Doctor Ray Morris (portrayed by Edwin Wright).
The next morning, police uncover a stunning revelation: the text that lured Derry to his fate originated from a burner phone acquired seventeen years ago. The phone's original owner? Emma Wilson (Dea Doglione), the Mountain Murderer's inaugural victim. Even more perplexing, evidence at the cabin where Aileen was found has been tampered with—specifically, a dragon necklace, once adorning the goat's carcass, is missing. This necklace harbors a connection to Diana's mother, Christine Huia (Bronwyn Turei).
The episode culminates in a dramatic twist as authorities track the burner phone's signal to Christine's gravesite, uncovering both the phone and the necklace, seemingly planted with intent. Prior to this revelation, Sinead discovers a clandestine camera hidden in the room she shared with Ginge, adding another layer of intrigue to the unfolding mystery.
