My thoughts on Rust drills down to his comment from the first episode about ‘allowing your own crucifixion’.

“I contemplate the moment in the garden, the idea of allowing your own crucifixion.”

In episode 5, one of the detectives hands Rust some photos…

“Your truck, and a man fitting your description were spotted in the vicinity of our crime scene 5 times by 5 different people over the last month.”

I believe that Rust is too smart to be caught at the crime scenes. And '5’ times? Why? Five seems like a very important number in the show.

I think that Rust is and has been setting himself up since his 'disappearance’. There are too many high profile, high power people involved in the 'cult’. Two of the five are now dead (Ledoux, Tuttle), leaving three more. Rust was told by Ledoux that 'time is a flat circle’, which Rust repeats to the detectives (to make them think he believes it?). It’ll happen again, the 5 members will be replaced and the killings will continue.

The only way to take everyone down is to infiltrate yourself, get caught, have everyone believe you were involved all along and then take everyone else down with you.

Is this why Rust wants to meet up with Marty again? Rust and Marty worked together for a long time and they obviously trusted each other enough to make up the Ledoux bust story, knowing that neither one would reveal the truth. Being partners, they spent a great deal of time together, they had each other’s backs, they even lived together at one point. Who better to point the finger and 'rat out’ Rust?

Marty isn’t going to like it, but (as I believe that his daughter is involved in the cult somehow, possibly what Rust is showing Marty in the episode 7 preview?) Marty is desperate enough to do anything to take them down.

Rust is framing himself to take down the cult… or allowing his own crucifixion.