A Good Death is Hard to Find

A safe deposit box gets delivered to the office. Inside it is a severed finger. Branch tells Walt that the bank was instructed to deliver the box to the sheriff upon the death of its owner, James Notley, arrested for armed robbery in 1989 by Branch's uncle Lucian. Notley had been stabbed to death in prison two weeks before his release. Prison records show that only two people had visited before his death — his girlfriend Connie Mallery (Robyn Lively) and Lucian. Lucian explains Notley's 1989 robbery of valuable dinosaur bones, and that Notley had all his fingers when he last saw him. Hank (Cory Tucker), a prison guard, finds a note in Notley's cell, implicating Riley Manning (Brad Carter), his partner to whom the finger actually belongs. Manning admits to cutting off his own finger to prove his loyalty to Notley, but adds that the note was probably a setup from Connie. Walt finds Connie at home with Hank and both suggest the other's involvement in Notley's death. Connie pretended to be fearful of Notley's release and Hank had him killed. Meanwhile, Vic finds evidence which leads her to believe Ed Gorski is stalking her. She tells Walt about reporting Gorski's partner Bobby for corruption, triggering an investigation that led Bobby to commit suicide. Gorski blamed Vic for Bobby's death. He began stalking her at work, which she couldn't prove, so she moved to Wyoming with her husband to protect herself. Henry later tells Walt that Vic asked about hiring a mercenary named Hector to scare someone. Walt visits Ed at his motel room and tells him the story of Achilles seeking revenge on a friend's enemy in the Iliad. Ed asks how the enemy could've prevented it and Walt suggests by leaving town.