0:00

Hey everyone, it's Pacific and welcome

0:02

back to another episode of Class

0:04

of 76. Just a couple quick

0:06

announcements before this week's episode.

0:10

Now you might have listened to Mayfair

0:12

Watcher Society, our sister show. If

0:15

you haven't, highly recommend it. We made it with

0:17

Trevor Henderson, the creator of Siren

0:20

Head, Cartoon Cat, and a thousand

0:22

other

0:22

terrifying gribblies. It's

0:25

a great show and I love working on it. I'm

0:28

excited to say we've actually put the first two

0:30

episodes of Mayfair on an authentic

0:33

cassette tape.

0:34

That's right, if you have a cassette player in

0:36

this, the year 2023, I have great news for

0:39

you. Now you can listen to your podcasts

0:42

the way they're intended to be. You

0:45

can find out more about this cassette tape,

0:48

that is actually very real, on

0:50

BlurMachine.com. That's

0:52

BlurMachine.com. There's

0:58

a ton of other cool stuff on BlurMachine too,

1:00

like a bunch of Blade Disgusting

1:03

merch and t-shirts, which I own

1:05

a lot of. They're very soft and I love

1:07

them a lot. And

1:09

yeah, obviously if you guys like the tapes, we'll

1:12

do more. Maybe some SCP cassettes,

1:14

I don't know. Anything's possible.

1:16

But you can find all of that and so much more at

1:19

BlurMachine.com. Again, that's BlurMachine.com.

1:27

Alright, that's enough from me.

1:28

And now, I have a quick message from our sponsors,

1:31

and then this week's episode.

1:59

is it not only human and non-human? It's

2:03

you, and me.

2:32

It's you, and me. Rowan!

2:37

Rowan! The goddamn phone is ringing.

2:39

Get your ass out here! Come here for

2:41

fuck's sake. I'm a shitter.

2:45

Hello? Hello?

2:50

Yeah, I heard all about it. You must

2:52

not have seen my notes.

2:56

Yeah. Yeah,

2:59

well, I did it. Look, I may

3:01

have been a user and a fucker, but that doesn't mean I'm

3:03

dense. I warned you. No,

3:08

I'm well aware. That's not what I'm talking

3:10

about, if. Yeah,

3:14

of course. I do, you know that. Huh?

3:22

I heard you, goddamn it. I know what

3:24

to do. Don't

3:27

worry, Herr Doctor. I got

3:29

it covered. Goddammit.

3:40

Is it the Doctor? No, it

3:42

was Publishers Clearing House, num-nuts.

3:45

You're the grand prize winner. They'll be

3:47

by

3:47

with your oversized novelty

3:49

check in an hour. What did

3:51

he say? He didn't say anything.

3:54

The hell he didn't. I heard you talking to him. Yeah,

3:56

well, he didn't have anything to say to you.

3:59

Don't worry.

3:59

about it. They'll call back. And

4:03

you'll be waiting with bated

4:04

breath. Anyways,

4:07

I'm out of here. Where are

4:08

you going? Same place I

4:10

go every day, mother. Out

4:13

to the lake. Time

4:15

to earn my keep. Someone's

4:17

got to keep this little nuclear family of

4:19

ours in the lap of luxury. I

4:21

don't know. He told us to hold tight. Maybe I should.

4:24

Well, you and I have been having a fanfucking-tastic

4:27

day doing

4:28

that. I'm going

4:30

to get the measurements like I do every day. I

4:32

know what to do and I don't need your goddamn

4:34

permission to do it. Holly?

4:37

What

4:37

Rope? You gonna forbid me to go? Jesus

4:40

Christ.

4:41

No, I'm not gonna do that.

4:44

I'm sure that was the doctor on the phone and if

4:46

he needs you to go, I'm not gonna stop

4:48

you.

4:49

Well then what do you want? We

4:51

need you here, Holly. There's

4:53

safety in numbers. Give me a break.

4:56

You're in a fallout shelter 20 feet underground.

4:59

You couldn't be any safer. I'm serious. You'll

5:02

be fine. No, I don't

5:04

think you understand.

5:04

We need

5:06

three in this bunker. It can't

5:09

be two. It has to be the three

5:11

of us.

5:12

And just what the hell is that supposed to mean? I

5:15

swear, man, you are giving me a migraine with all this

5:17

cloak and dagger mystic bullshit. You

5:19

didn't say anything about that when Heather was

5:22

here or when she took off. There's

5:25

a certain geometry to all

5:27

of this. I can't explain it. I just know

5:30

if you ain't here, things could

5:34

fall apart. Could

5:37

fall apart. That's Rope. Things is

5:41

barely put together as it is. What

5:43

I'm saying is I'll be back in a couple hours.

5:46

You can tell me all about your sacred geometry

5:48

when I get back. Why don't you draw it out

5:50

for me while you wait? Your kid and I will

5:53

be fine till

5:55

I get back.

5:56

Hootaloo!

6:07

Hey, what's going on?

6:10

Holly's heading out.

6:12

I thought we were supposed to hang tight down here. I

6:15

guess

6:15

things changed. She's

6:18

coming back, right? I

6:20

hope so, kid. She, uh,

6:23

seems a little unbalanced right now.

6:26

Look at this. She

6:28

gave you that? Yeah. It's

6:30

something, ain't it? It's her father, Stiletto.

6:34

It was her dad's? Those

6:36

are hard to come by.

6:38

I hope she knows what she's doing.

6:53

Alright. I've got Holly headed out

6:55

to the site. The data she gathers

6:58

today should help to explain what happened last

6:59

night. Let's hope so.

7:03

I spent the better part of the night poring over the

7:05

Halo's data. And I

7:07

think I'm on the verge of something big. Is

7:10

that wise? Us sending Holly

7:12

right now? How do you mean? Cops

7:15

are going to be crawling all over the place. They

7:17

may even attempt to enter the site. Have you even

7:19

considered that? You said the gate was

7:21

left open. Deterrence disabled? What's

7:24

to prevent that from happening? You're

7:26

absolutely right. Law enforcement will

7:28

be out. But Holly is nothing if not

7:30

resourceful. Is there

7:32

something else we have to consider though? I'm

7:35

fairly certain I know what you're thinking. The

7:38

Foundation. They're probably

7:40

on the way.

7:41

Agreed. I wonder. About

7:45

what? Poor suspicions about Deputy

7:47

Cooper. He's most certainly the one.

7:50

He didn't come right out and say it, but he said

7:52

enough. Only because we know there are protocols

7:54

for this site. Which means

7:57

he'll be coming around for a visit. He's known for what?

7:59

All? What?

8:03

I may have said more than I should have about

8:05

it.

8:06

If he is who we think he is, it

8:08

won't take him long to connect the dots. That's

8:10

great, Elma. Just great.

8:13

Well, you have to forgive me, Ash. I

8:15

didn't realize that we were on the verge of murdering

8:17

a young lady, completely botching our

8:19

experiment and leaving a dangerous SCP

8:21

completely uncontained.

8:23

Well, maybe if you hadn't insisted on choosing

8:25

a subject whose genetic makeup had the potential

8:28

to disrupt our ability to mitigate

8:30

unknown outcomes, this wouldn't

8:32

have happened.

8:32

Insisted. Is

8:35

that right, Ed?

8:36

We should never have milled after our own catastrophe.

8:38

It's a little late for that now.

8:42

Given the circumstances, I hardly

8:44

see any other choice. Also of

8:46

our own doing, let's not forget, we

8:49

no longer have the luxuries that the Foundation

8:51

afforded us. No inexhaustible

8:54

budgets, no large groups of highly

8:56

trained scientists. Or

8:58

proper labs, even. I think it

9:00

is. It's safe. I have

9:03

something.

9:05

Maybe that we've been able to make the progress that we have.

9:07

Even with the setbacks, we

9:09

are incredibly close to remedying our problem.

9:13

It's not in my estimation. I

9:15

say my own efforts have brought us closer. That attitude isn't

9:18

going to help. And quite

9:20

frankly, neither is the bickering. And

9:22

your esoteric decision cannot be standing.

9:25

We still need to pursue this empirically.

9:28

And everything that's happened in the last 24 hours, we've

9:31

probably got one last opportunity that

9:33

we need. We need to work

9:35

together. Work together. Work

9:38

together, we say.

9:40

Better choice than we have, Ash. Decisively.

9:46

What are you proposing? First off, we've

9:49

got to make sure that local law enforcement is

9:51

off our trail and clear of the site.

9:54

It's time for the misdirection.

9:56

Agreed.

9:57

It's a shame. Our ups...

10:00

The observations at the bunker have yielded as many

10:02

results as our experiments at the site, but

10:04

it won't matter if we're behind

10:06

bars. So,

10:09

last one? Yes.

10:11

Both barrels.

10:13

Both barrels?

10:14

That's unfortunate. Agreed, but

10:17

necessary. Does that

10:19

mean we've got to go now? No.

10:22

Tonight, to be more precise.

10:26

The site is incredibly powerful right now, Elm. Especially

10:29

as a result of your tinkering. I thought

10:32

we were worried it was unsecured. I don't

10:34

think it is.

10:36

Why is that? I've been thinking

10:38

about it. If the site were unsecured,

10:40

there'd be bodies in the water. Not

10:43

for them. And we would certainly be detecting

10:45

that with our static observation array. Exactly.

10:48

Which means Cooper,

10:51

or most likely Cooper, was able

10:53

to secure the site after our cluster fucked

10:55

last night? That's the working hypothesis.

10:58

Okay then.

10:59

So we go again.

11:01

But I've got to say, I don't really see how this is going

11:04

to help us. It's a part of

11:06

me that says now is the time to split. I

11:08

think

11:08

that our goal may have to be reached by an extreme

11:11

method. One with substantially

11:13

greater risk. Substantially greater?

11:16

I don't want to make my daughter an orphan, Ash.

11:19

Nor do I. But unfortunately,

11:22

we far surpassed the limited knowledge

11:24

that we had of the site. Or rather,

11:26

that knowledge is largely obsolete now.

11:29

As a result of last night's event, the site has fundamentally

11:32

changed. So are we talking

11:34

about another charred corpse? I

11:36

think that's a distinct possibility.

11:39

No, no, no. You'd

11:40

expect me to support further experimentation

11:43

when the stakes are so high, and

11:45

the outcome's so indeterminate. Like

11:47

I said, it beats a lengthy prison

11:49

sentence. And if we can just find out how

11:52

to manipulate the site, we're done here

11:54

and we can go our separate ways. That's

11:56

the only reason I'm going along with this.

11:59

more you are. What's that? It'd

12:03

behoove us to choose another young person. The

12:06

Poulamiers, though? Precisely. And

12:09

given the narrow window of time that we have to work

12:11

in, we're not going to be able to hold our subject

12:14

prior to our migration attempt. So

12:16

you're saying? I'm saying we don't

12:18

have time to farm someone from outside

12:20

the area. We should take one that we've

12:22

already identified as possessing the correct

12:25

markers and proceed. So

12:27

you're proposing that we abduct another young

12:29

person right

12:29

here in Magnolia? All

12:32

the sheriffs of Poulamier are at the site

12:34

investigating the death of the last? I

12:37

am.

12:40

I don't see any of the civilian rules. Let's

12:46

say I agree.

12:47

What else is there? I can tell

12:49

you're holding something best. I've

12:52

already selected our candidate. I

12:54

don't need you to bring him in.

12:57

Him? Him who? Alberto

13:00

Perez. I think you know

13:02

him. He's a friend of your daughter's.

13:14

Al?

13:15

Al! Rent's

13:18

on the phone for you. Tell

13:21

him I'll call him back. Or

13:25

you can tell him. It's

13:27

time to get up either way. It's already past

13:29

ten and I'm getting ready to back you.

13:31

Ugh, fine.

13:38

Hello? What's up buddy? Nothing.

13:42

Are you still sleeping for us? We're

13:44

supposed to be here in

13:45

just a few minutes. Seriously? What time

13:47

is it? Four to eleven. It's

13:50

got shit to discuss. Sleepy head. Let's

13:52

get moving. Yeah, yeah, I know. Right.

13:56

Well, I'm just so licked because I wanted

13:58

to remind you of the topos. Yeah,

14:01

no problem. I got it. The

14:03

good boots. It's already muddy out there

14:05

in the valleys. The hopes are fine, but

14:07

it's got a feeling we're going to be in a lot

14:09

of slop.

14:11

You do not want wet feet out there. Right,

14:14

right. I remember.

14:17

Hope you know what you're getting into, Wren. What

14:19

we're getting into? I

14:21

hope you know what you're getting us into.

14:25

Fucking cops, sons. Just like

14:27

preachers' daughters. Nothing but trouble. Nice. Don't worry,

14:30

brass. If

14:33

everything works

14:35

out, we'll be heroes. No matters

14:37

will fall like a house of cards in a breeze.

14:40

Uh-huh. Did

14:42

you call Cindy? How's

14:44

she doing? And Lee. Yeah,

14:46

she's a pretty

14:48

little girl. She's a pretty little girl. She

14:51

was on the scene pretty well. So

14:53

was Elizabeth. I'll bet your

14:55

dad put him through the ringer. Lee

14:57

said it actually went pretty well. She was

14:59

just a stork that doesn't exist. She's

15:02

a pretty good guy.

15:03

Your dad went for it? No

15:06

suspicions.

15:06

And, Lee, I know

15:09

you're not supposed to be in

15:12

this town with no signs of a talk

15:14

to life. Which makes it as what's in

15:16

the news.

15:17

Uh, now that I've been away from the rain,

15:20

there's not so much more to work with. Please

15:23

don't sort my phone. I'm

15:25

going to ask you also some odd questions.

15:28

What did your dad say to you last night? Not

15:30

a lot,

15:30

really. I don't understand what

15:32

you've talked about. He's

15:35

a little bit wanted. He's

15:38

coming back scared out of their wits. There's

15:40

no lie there. I'm pretty sure he thought

15:42

the same thing.

15:46

So,

15:48

get your ass moving. He and

15:49

I are going to fill you

15:50

and Stephen to know what we've been up to. And

15:54

we've got a building 101. Yeah, yeah.

15:57

I'm on my way. Give me like 30.

16:00

I've got a shower. Hurry!

16:03

Bye.

16:10

Dad! Dad!

16:14

I'm hopping in the shower and then heading over to Rens.

16:17

Take out the trash first! Okay!

16:21

Always

16:24

with the trash.

16:36

Hello? Anyone here?

16:40

Coming!

16:43

Hello, hello! Sorry about

16:45

that. I was catching the final puzzle there on

16:47

wheel right when you walked in.

16:49

Hello.

16:50

My name's Harper. Like peas in a pod.

16:53

What's that? That was the final puzzle. Like

16:55

peas in a pod. I

16:57

see.

16:59

Name's Harper.

17:00

I've got a reservation for three singles. That's

17:02

right. That's right. You sure do. Let's

17:05

be here. The

17:09

units need to be adjoining. Yes, sir. That's

17:11

what I have written here, Mr. Harper. Crown

17:13

floor and adjoining. I

17:14

set aside 117, 118, and 119. Down on the end.

17:18

That's excellent. Thank you. 119 is

17:21

a king if it makes any difference. The other

17:23

two are double queens. Good to know. Anyhow,

17:26

if you'll please just fill these out, I'll get

17:28

you all squared away. No problem. So,

17:32

uh...

17:34

Yes?

17:35

You folks from one of the networks?

17:38

Networks? I assume you hear

17:40

about the Helena girl.

17:41

Just terrible.

17:43

Yes, ma'am. That's why we're here.

17:45

But we're not with the press.

17:47

No?

17:47

No, ma'am.

17:49

We've been sent here to assist local law enforcement

17:51

in their investigation.

17:52

Oh! FBI?

17:54

Something close to it.

17:56

I just can't believe something like that could happen

17:58

here, Mr. Harper. I'm telling you, Magnolia

18:01

is one of the quietest towns in the state. Little

18:04

Rock? Sure. It could happen there, but

18:06

here in Magnolia? I mean, I just

18:08

can't tell you. Folks leave their

18:10

doors unlocked here at night. Or

18:12

at least they used to. Here

18:16

you go, miss. You can just

18:18

call me Jean. Everyone does. Okay,

18:22

Jean.

18:24

Do you think it was them Satanists that done it?

18:26

Is that why you folks are here?

18:28

Because of the Satanists?

18:30

Satanists? I heard that's

18:32

what Deputy West thinks is going on. Satanic

18:34

rituals, human sacrifice. If anyone

18:37

knows- Jean, maybe we could get those keys. It

18:40

was a long drive in. Oh

18:42

gosh, right. I'm so sorry. I just get

18:44

to blabbing and blabbing and one thing leads to another

18:47

and off I go. Not at

18:49

all. I just like to get settled in. I

18:52

may swing back in here shortly to get a local take

18:54

on everything that's happening if that's okay with you. Oh

18:57

gosh, yes. I'd be very happy to assist.

19:00

Here you go, Mr. Harper. Thanks,

19:02

Jean. See you in a bit. Sure

19:05

thing. How

19:12

bad is it? It'll be fine. Well,

19:16

I'll tell you what. We are

19:18

properly in the woods now. How

19:20

far away is the nearest metropolitan area, Hauska?

19:23

Over 300 miles if we're not counting Little Rock,

19:26

which I don't think anyone has ever called metropolitan.

19:30

Whew.

19:32

That's how we donate any special containment

19:34

procedures.

19:35

Knock it off. Let's

19:37

get squared away, briefing in mind in 15. We

19:40

got a site to secure, a public that needs to be placated,

19:43

and potentially an evacuation to conduct. Yes,

19:46

sir. Don't hit those. See

19:48

you in 15.

19:59

Good morning, Sheriff.

20:01

Good morning, Connie. Is the coffee fresh?

20:04

Yes, sir. Just throwin' the part out here, and I

20:06

got y'all one too. Can I get you

20:08

a cup? Still workin' on the one from home.

20:11

Thank you, though.

20:12

Sure.

20:15

God, yes. I needed that.

20:18

Kimmy said you lot were here

20:21

all night. I heard

20:23

what happened. It's just terrible.

20:25

That poor girl. Tell

20:28

me about it.

20:28

How are the- how's her mother

20:31

doin'? Beth, God bless

20:33

her. She's been through so much. First,

20:36

being left with the kids and no support,

20:38

and the drugs and the men, and

20:41

now this, her baby. Just

20:46

terrible.

20:47

Well, she's doin'

20:50

as well as can be expected.

20:51

I hope you catch the man that

20:53

did this, Sheriff. Or

20:55

men. If it's some kind

20:58

of, you know, cult

21:00

thing.

21:02

Oh, boy. I can see West

21:04

has already made the rounds.

21:05

Just the way they done that

21:07

poor girl?

21:09

It's just pure evil.

21:11

What else could it be?

21:13

Well, I don't disagree with that. But

21:17

he's still got to change my mind if that's what he's

21:19

thinkin'.

21:20

Well, I don't know anything

21:22

about what these types are up to,

21:25

but I sure don't want them here

21:27

in our backyard.

21:30

All I'm sayin' is, we got our work

21:32

cut out for us,

21:33

rumors aside, there ain't

21:35

no clear motive, very little

21:37

physical evidence, and no

21:39

suspects. Well, if anyone

21:42

can get

21:42

to the bottom of this,

21:44

it's you, Sheriff. I appreciate

21:46

the vote of confidence, Connie. Of course.

21:50

Well, I'd better get to

21:52

it.

21:57

Morning, West. Morning, Sheriff. Where

21:59

we meet?

22:00

Connie set up conference room two for

22:03

us. Donuts and a fresh potter

22:05

in there. I'm on my way just finishing up a thing here. Sounds

22:09

good. I'll catch you in there. No

22:12

shit, Andrews. I know

22:15

what I read. Yeah, what's that? The

22:17

good book. Every night.

22:20

Well, good for you.

22:22

It warns us of this kind of thing, Danna.

22:25

It's all read out plain as day for anyone

22:27

who has ears to hear. Let him hear.

22:31

I must have missed a bit about murdered kids.

22:34

It's the last days, Danna.

22:37

That's all I'm saying. I know

22:39

you like to make light of it, but you'd be

22:41

smart to get right with your creator before

22:44

it's too late. You and him can both kiss my ass. Good

22:46

morning, gentlemen. Morning, Sheriff.

22:48

Morning, Sheriff. I see we're already

22:50

welled into it. Where's Donovan and

22:52

Cooper? Cooper's down in the basement, racked

22:55

out. I told him I'd come get him when we were set

22:57

to start. I'm not sure about

22:59

Donovan. All right. Go grab Cooper, Danna.

23:02

I think I saw Donovan pulling up right as I was

23:04

coming in, so he should be here in a

23:06

minute. Copy that, Sheriff. I'll go get

23:08

him.

23:14

Morning, Sheriff.

23:16

Morning, Deputy. Come on in. Get

23:19

situated. Let's get this moving

23:21

so we can get started. Sheriff,

23:24

I've got some slides for the overhead. Do

23:27

you now? Yes, sir. Just

23:29

a few. Set it up, then.

23:31

I hope we're going to

23:33

be sticking to the facts here, West. Yes,

23:36

sir. Some very uncomfortable

23:38

facts. Some uncountable truths

23:41

is more like it. In this case, they go hand

23:43

in hand. All right. Well,

23:46

let's wait a minute to roll out the sermon until everybody's

23:49

settled. Morning,

23:52

Sheriff. Morning, Deputy Cooper. Hide

23:55

to sleep. Well, I've

23:57

had better. After last

23:59

night. I'm not surprised. All

24:02

right, gents, the county boards are

24:04

minding the scene for us while we circle the wagons.

24:07

So we've got to limit the time to discuss.

24:10

And a lot to cover. Okay

24:13

then, let's get started. Time

24:21

keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping

24:25

into the future.

24:30

I want to fly like

24:32

an eagle to the sea.

24:34

Hey,

24:38

Al! Hey, Mr. Stevens.

24:41

You heading over to, uh, run Kubo's

24:44

place? Yeah, how'd

24:46

you... I just dropped Cindy off there.

24:49

Top on in, I'll buzz you over. Sure,

24:51

that'd be great.

24:54

Thanks, Mr. Stevens. Please,

24:57

call me Elm. Here.

25:11

How can you do that

25:13

this early in the day? It

25:16

helps me think. You don't have to, Stevens.

25:19

But you should. Just give it to me.

25:22

Like a pro. Where's Al? He's

25:25

supposed to be on his way. But I've

25:28

got this bad feeling. A bad feeling?

25:31

Yeah, like he went right back to

25:33

bed. He didn't seem all that enthused.

25:36

Well,

25:36

why don't you guys patch me up on everything that he already

25:38

knows? You said all the locals already know

25:40

about the lake? You cool with that?

25:43

Yeah, yeah, let's do it. Right,

25:46

okay then. You said this started with

25:48

Tammy Lynn, then? No, not

25:50

at all, but...

25:51

well, last night. Let's

25:54

just say it's no coincidence where

25:57

this all went down. You mean at

25:59

whispering lake? exactly

26:03

the thing is Cindy and you'd know

26:05

this if you'd lived here the whole life like Lee

26:07

and I but whispering late

26:10

it's got

26:11

a bit of a reputation a reputation

26:14

for what there's a rich and colorful

26:16

history of weird shit happening

26:18

out of the lake one that goes back

26:21

as long as Magnolia has been on the map weird

26:24

how Lee and I have been looking

26:27

into the lake for years on and off you could

26:29

call it our pet project mainly

26:32

we've just been going through old periodicals

26:34

down at the library putting together

26:36

all the pieces for the sake of satisfying

26:38

our own morbid curiosity about it we

26:41

figured that'd be a good place to start the old newspapers

26:44

and there was quite a bit there that tells the

26:46

story okay let's hear it

26:48

Lee sure what we got holy moly that's

26:52

what you guys

26:55

have collected about the lake this is

26:57

only part of it but there's a lot here so I'm

26:59

just gonna read you out some dates and headlines it should

27:01

give you a clear idea of what we're talking about okay

27:06

bear in mind the paper began in July

27:08

of 1832 which is

27:10

to say the lake was front page

27:13

news right from the start exactly

27:15

here we go October 13th 1832

27:18

Tanner and Dottie young found ground in

27:21

Whispering Lake July 21st 1833

27:23

Johnson family visiting from Idaho missing

27:26

after setting out for a picnic by the lake

27:28

January 26 1834 parents Oliver sentenced to

27:32

be hanged after drowning his fiance

27:34

Geraldine Mason in Whispering Lake September 15

27:38

1837 strange sounds heard at Whispering Lake

27:40

thought to be Indian ghosts October 19

27:43

1839 three men gunned down

27:45

outside Whispering Lake it goes on and

27:48

on like this year after year okay

27:50

I'm not sure

27:52

hold on let me just do one per decade December

27:55

11th 1869 Confederate veteran Hank

27:57

Hodgson missing near Whispering Lake

27:59

July On 4th 1876, Centennial

28:02

Celebration, clouded by three missing young

28:04

people. Let's jump into the 20th century! October

28:06

13th, 1929, Whispering Lake,

28:09

site of mass suicide! January

28:12

6th, 1934, Bootleggers Massacre at

28:14

Whispering Lake, and then, all of a sudden,

28:16

BAM! Big Brother. Big Brother?

28:20

That's right. In early 44,

28:23

the Army finally took notice of what's going on

28:25

down there. Here's the headline. January

28:28

19th, 1944, US Army

28:30

Corps of Engineers set to close

28:33

toxic sites at Whispering Lake.

28:36

Toxic site, right. That's what you were saying

28:38

last night, that it was a toxic site. That's

28:40

right. That's what we've always been told. Stay

28:43

away from Whispering Lake, boys! It's as hot

28:45

as Hiroshima. But that's just it,

28:47

Stevens. Lakes don't just

28:49

become toxic overnight, or

28:51

without any actual nuclear tests being

28:53

performed. How do you know that

28:55

there were no tests? There's not

28:58

a single story about the government

29:00

even being at Whispering Lake.

29:02

Not before 44.

29:04

So how do they just show up and declare it toxic?

29:07

You tell me. It's the rise of the

29:09

military-industrial complex,

29:12

man!

29:12

The hippies were right.

29:14

That seems a little paranoid, doesn't it? Why

29:16

would the government be interested in, what, a haunted

29:18

lake? Maybe it's more than haunted. Maybe

29:21

they sent some spooks up here to see if it wasn't some

29:24

kind of Russian mind control experiment.

29:27

We really don't know. But what did they...

29:29

They didn't do anything here. The Army,

29:31

you just said... Not before they closed

29:33

down the lake they did it. But

29:35

they did afterwards. That's

29:38

why Kubo's Country Cabin is out there.

29:40

That's just old barracks.

29:42

That's right, but...

29:43

Well, we stumbled onto

29:45

something else. What? Some

29:48

local gossip. About? What

29:50

the Army was up to while they were here? Which

29:52

was what? They were digging. Digging

29:55

for what? Well, we

29:57

couldn't really verify anything.

29:59

Naturally, it was all hush hush, but

30:02

it was likely

30:03

we think it was underground bunkers. That

30:06

was the local rumor at least. Out at

30:08

the lake? We don't know exactly

30:11

where, but it would make sense that they're somewhere

30:13

up three miles down by Whisperin Lake. There's

30:16

more. Okay. Tell her about the summer of

30:18

blood. Summer of blood?

30:22

There were more than a few strange

30:24

things going down when the government was up at Whisperin

30:27

Lake. Yeah? For

30:29

the two years the army was on site, all

30:31

the bad stuff that was typically confined to the

30:33

area surrounding the lake spilled right

30:36

over into Magnolia. Like... I

30:38

looked up some old crime statistics at my dad's

30:40

office. In 44 and 45,

30:43

domestic violence was up 150%. Assaults

30:47

were up over 100%. Missing

30:50

persons cases for those two years were the

30:52

highest ever for the county. In

30:54

the cherry on top, there were even a

30:56

couple of murders, which was unheard

30:58

of back then. Magnolia

31:00

was all in on Ike's America.

31:03

And don't forget the whispers. The

31:06

whispers? Right. Whisperin

31:08

Lake. Its name is... What's

31:11

the word I'm looking for here, Hillerman? Descriptive?

31:14

Exactly. Whisperin Lake isn't

31:17

so named as some kind of romantic

31:19

nod to our agrarian past, with

31:22

the winds whispering through the trees or some shit

31:24

like that. Nope. The

31:26

whispers down at Whisperin Lake are real,

31:29

just like headlines say. And

31:31

during those two years that the feds were on

31:33

site, everyone in

31:35

town thought they could hear something being carried

31:37

in on the breeze. Come to think of

31:40

it. Yeah? Holy shit!

31:43

You heard

31:43

them, right? Are you hearing this leak? Stevens

31:45

heard the whispers.

31:46

I...

31:47

I don't know. Did we, Lee?

31:49

I didn't hear anything,

31:51

but... I mean, I can't be sure. There

31:53

was Tammy Lynn, I remember that. I...

31:57

I do remember hearing something else, also.

31:59

That's for the kind of... itches? Itches?

32:04

That's how Jack Donovan described it. Jack. He's

32:07

lived here his whole life. His stories

32:09

about the lake are... well,

32:11

they're...

32:13

If they can have faced value, they're the ravings

32:15

of a senile old man. But... They

32:18

could also be genuine first-hand

32:20

accounts. The thing about Jack?

32:22

He's been out to the lake, back before

32:25

it was fenced up.

32:26

Clothes in, hips in, almost

32:28

all the way in, on more than one occasion,

32:30

the way he tells it.

32:32

I don't get it. I thought you were saying the lake

32:34

drove people crazy. It does.

32:37

But there's always loose cannons. Jack

32:39

Donovan is, or rather was,

32:41

one of those. He said that

32:43

when he was out there, he heard his dead

32:46

mother's voice calling him into the lake. He

32:49

was only just barely able to scramble

32:51

out before... Or he could be full of shit. That

32:54

was a definite possibility. But he

32:56

did talk about... what did he call

32:58

it, Lee? The mantra. That's right.

33:01

He claimed that there is a spell

33:04

or an incantation that he recited

33:06

to keep the lake from taking him under. Something

33:09

about not recognizing the bodies

33:11

in the water. Claimed it was

33:13

an old Choctaw legend. Jack

33:16

also said that there's always been folks who don't

33:19

even hear the whispers.

33:21

Like you didn't, Lee? Maybe.

33:23

He told us about one of his buddies growing up,

33:25

Gary Kroghut, and how he could go

33:28

into the Whispering Lake like it was no big deal.

33:31

Because he was an Indian? We

33:33

don't know. Maybe. Lots of folks around

33:35

here are part native, though. Point

33:37

is, even before the fence went

33:39

up, most people around these parts never

33:42

dared to go into Whispering Lake. Or

33:44

even near

33:44

it. Because...

33:47

Because if you go into Whispering

33:49

Lake, it'll take you under.

33:56

So

33:56

here's what we know. We know that in

33:58

the last two years, we've seen the seen a distinct

34:01

rise in occult activity in and

34:03

around Magnolia.

34:04

We've got satanic iconography as

34:06

you can see here in the first set of

34:08

slides.

34:10

All of us have been

34:12

out to the mills. We've seen the handiwork

34:14

first hand. We've also received

34:17

numerous anonymous tips pointing to possible

34:19

satanic or cult activity right

34:22

here in Magnolia.

34:23

Okay, let's show them these a bit. Tell

34:26

me more about what we've got on that front. These

34:29

tips.

34:31

Okay, I'm glad you asked.

34:35

Let's see here. Okay,

34:40

we've got so we

34:41

got so so this may

34:43

not seem like much, but

34:45

there is a connection here

34:48

to words missing

34:50

pets.

34:51

For Christ's sake,

34:53

missing pets again. That's

34:55

right. Like you and I discussed last night. Sometimes

34:59

cult groups will act out their sicko fantasies

35:01

on pets and the like before they work

35:03

up the nerve to take a human victim.

35:05

We've seen a spike recently.

35:08

Well, not exactly. But since the call

35:10

for tips, we've had lots of reports of past

35:12

incidents. So pets have

35:15

gone missing in the past. Lots

35:17

of them Cooper. This ain't purely circumstantial.

35:20

Not when you combine it with graffiti and the alters

35:22

that we were just talking about. Look, I've

35:25

got to agree with Cooper here.

35:27

If this is what you got, we're

35:29

gonna have to move on. Deputy West. We're

35:31

not dealing with a missing person or a

35:34

possible runaway. We've got

35:36

a murder investigation to begin. And

35:38

this is starting to feel like a distraction. Just

35:41

bear with me, Sheriff. I haven't told you the whole

35:43

story yet.

35:45

Go get to it. Holly building.

35:49

Holly deal that Holly building. Holly

35:51

building is wanted for a string of offenses

35:54

in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

35:57

Among her charges are drug possession.

35:59

drug distribution, assault,

36:02

resisting arrest, kidnapping,

36:05

and attempted murder.

36:08

She sounds like trouble. Why

36:10

are you telling this?

36:12

Tell him Andrews. I

36:14

ran into Mrs. Vildine approximately

36:17

two weeks ago, right around the

36:19

time of Tammy Lynn Halona's disappearance.

36:22

You ran into her where?

36:24

Over at the Shawnee's. Ran

36:26

into her.

36:28

She rolled through the stop sign there on

36:30

Fleet,

36:31

pulling into the lot.

36:33

And? Well, there wasn't much to it. I

36:36

issued her a citation and... You didn't bother

36:38

to... It was just a ticket, Sheriff.

36:41

I was just trying to hit my quota. I

36:43

didn't.

36:44

She looked normal. Acted normal.

36:47

There wasn't nothing to it. I swear to God.

36:49

So when did you figure out she had an

36:51

arrest warrant?

36:53

I ran her name with 50 or so others that

36:55

I pulled from recent stops.

36:57

The warrant came back just this morning.

37:00

Okay. That's what I'm talking about.

37:03

Solid police work. And we know

37:05

anything about this kidnapping charge. I

37:07

talked to Sergeant John

37:10

Temple from Lubbock Police Department.

37:14

And? He says Mrs. Vildine was involved in some

37:16

pretty shady goings on down in Texas,

37:19

working for the Mexican Cartel as a mule,

37:21

and get this, a coyote. Coyote?

37:25

A human smuggler. Bingo. In

37:27

one, Cooper. Is this where the kidnapping

37:30

charge come from? No.

37:32

The kidnapping charge is unrelated to her

37:34

work with the Mexicans.

37:36

Is it also unrelated to the Dark Master?

37:39

I don't see the connection here. The person she is

37:41

alleged to have kidnapped. Yeah. Aspen

37:44

Daniels. Who is Aspen Daniels?

37:47

The son of Argus Daniels? Wow,

37:49

Cooper! You're on a roll.

37:52

That's right.

37:53

Argus Daniels. The High Priest

37:55

of the San Francisco. Wait

37:59

for it.

37:59

Satan.

38:01

Now Aspen Daniels and a kid

38:03

he's actually 23 years old and is wanted

38:06

for questioning about a string of Arsons in the Bay

38:08

Area.

38:09

One that led to a death.

38:11

Why is it being called a kidnapping then? According

38:14

to the investigating officer from the SFPD

38:16

Holly Dildeen forced her way

38:19

into the Daniels home and abducted

38:21

this Aspen at gunpoint.

38:22

Sounds like a kidnapping to me. Fair

38:25

enough but there's some question as to the

38:27

validity of the story. Yeah.

38:29

Detective Iverson he's the lead

38:31

dick on the case he thinks it may be bullshit

38:34

and attempts by elder Daniels to

38:36

get his kid out of the city before they hauled him in

38:38

on the arson charges. God dang

38:40

church of Satan you was right West.

38:43

That's California for you full

38:45

of sickos.

38:47

Hmm

38:48

so we've got Holly Dildeen up here in

38:50

Magnolia with the son

38:53

of a satanic heavy hitter. Simple

38:56

arithmetic right Sheriff? And

38:59

convenient.

39:00

Better convenience and coincidence I always

39:03

say. I

39:04

don't know how simple it is or convenient

39:07

but it is definitely worth taking a look at.

39:11

Let's get a bolo out for her. If

39:13

she and this kid are up here not Nick of the woods

39:16

and if they've got anything to do with this

39:19

I want them brought in for questioning. I'm on

39:21

it. Good work West but

39:24

we still got plenty to look at. Keep

39:26

all investigative avenues open for the time being.

39:29

I want no stone left unturned. Yes

39:32

Sheriff.

39:33

Andrews relieve

39:35

the county boys out at the lake and as soon

39:37

as the ME wraps up down there

39:40

I want you to start a grid research for that vehicle.

39:42

Yes sir. Banner I

39:45

want you to start examining the evidence from the scene

39:47

with the ME and I want updates

39:49

every hour on the hour. No

39:51

problem Sheriff. What

39:53

about me and Donovan Sheriff? You two

39:56

go home get some sleep and back

39:58

here at three. I'm

40:00

gonna have some long shifts in front of you for a while

40:03

until we get this mess sorted out. Sheriff,

40:05

I... I know what you're gonna say, Cooper, and don't

40:07

worry. I fully plan on having

40:09

you as lead on this investigation, which is

40:11

why I'm sending you home for some rest. Understood.

40:15

In the meantime, I've got to meet with the

40:17

press to make sure that folks around here know

40:19

what's going on, and to see if we can't

40:21

get any help identifying any persons

40:24

near our crime scene last night. And

40:26

you'll be telling them our suspicions? No,

40:29

West. I don't think it's appropriate

40:31

at the moment. Let's get Dilldine

40:34

and... and... and Miss Daniels Kate into custody,

40:37

and then we'll go from there. Sheriff, I... It's

40:40

not up for discussion, West. It's my call.

40:43

Now, let's all get to work.

40:45

Yes, sir.

40:54

Hey, everyone. Pacific here with a quick ad break,

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41:09

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41:11

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41:13

And now, a quick message from our sponsors.

41:17

All right, thanks for listening. And now, back to the episode.

41:25

Goddammit,

41:29

I'm an American citizen minding my own business, and you've got no right to stop

41:31

me. Ma'am,

41:34

if you can just answer my questions, you can be on your way. I'm

41:37

not answering your questions. I'm asking you to stop. I'm

41:40

not asking you to stop. I'm

41:42

asking you to stop. If you can just answer my questions,

41:44

you can be on your way. I'm not answering nothing to you,

41:47

comrade.

41:47

Last time I checked, I had freedom

41:49

of speech. Can you tell me what you're

41:51

doing out here? And what this... What

41:54

is this, Darryl? Looks like some kind of Geiger

41:56

counter or something.

41:57

No. Can you

41:59

tell me what...

41:59

This is what you're doing with this? It's

42:03

a particulate resonance ampometer.

42:06

Just like I said. Okay, you're

42:09

a...you're a particulate reconnaissance-mometer.

42:12

What are you out here measuring? Does

42:15

it have anything to do with the Hulona girl's

42:17

murder? You're not supposed to say

42:19

that.

42:21

The murder word. God damn it.

42:23

I mean the Hulona girl's disappearance.

42:27

One way or the other it ain't got to do with either.

42:30

I don't even know what you're talking about. I'm

42:32

out here for Strayon and Carter purchasing. I'm

42:34

doing geological surveying of potential

42:37

cutting-hull facts. Okay.

42:40

And this three-mile road is on my

42:42

list.

42:42

So here I am. Could have just said

42:44

that.

42:45

Like I said, it's a free country last

42:47

time I checked.

42:48

Okay. And

42:50

do you have any documentation or, uh,

42:53

permits?

42:53

I don't need permits to

42:55

walk in the woods, do I, officer? Or

42:58

to take measurements of the air,

43:00

the literal air, do I?

43:03

Whispering Lake is a toxic...

43:05

Oh, whoa! I

43:08

ain't got nowhere near the lake. I've been

43:10

outside the fence

43:11

all along. Inside the fence,

43:14

outside it, it don't matter this morning. You're

43:16

trespassing on a crime scene. Like

43:19

I told you, I didn't know nothing about it. Now,

43:21

if you'll hand over my P.R.A.,

43:23

I'll be on my way. Let

43:26

the lady go, Billings. We're

43:28

supposed to watch the scene until the Emmy is done,

43:31

and then we're out here. Don't complicate

43:34

this shit. The voice of reason over

43:36

there, Billings.

43:38

Okay. I'm gonna let you go with a

43:40

warning this time. This

43:41

is a call going out to whole channels. Be

43:43

on the lookout for one Holly Dildine.

43:46

Wanted for questioning regarding the Helena disappearance.

43:50

Dildine is five feet four inches tall, 115

43:51

pounds. Hey, wait!

43:54

Call for backup! We're

43:57

still done! Get back here!

43:59

It's DizzyTagger, give me some backup

44:02

out here of Ronto.

44:13

This episode is possible thanks to our patrons.

44:16

Joining us this week was DeadStraight3000,

44:21

Carrot Wolf, Austin

44:23

Strouthman, Luca

44:25

Luc, Hygiriyu,

44:28

I'm so sorry I butchered that, Frade

44:31

Baldwin, Call of Jeppy,

44:34

Darlin Ginger, Ryan

44:37

Elder, and Alyssa

44:39

Osceola. Thanks

44:41

guys, your support helps us do what we do, and

44:43

we couldn't do it without you. SCP

44:48

Archives was created by Pacifics Opidiah

44:51

and John Grills. Class

44:54

of 76 was written by F. Cole Serrano.

44:56

Lee Hillerman

44:58

was Brian David Gilbert. Cindy

45:01

Stevens was Madeline Moore. Ren

45:04

Kubo was Brandon Wind. Al

45:07

Perath was Jimmy Furrer. Elm

45:10

Stevens was Graham Rowett. Thaddeus

45:14

Cooper was Damon Alums. Jack

45:16

Harper was John Grills. Dr.

45:20

Ash Calder was Chris Young.

45:23

Deputy West was Chudnileff.

45:26

Holly Dildeen was Krista Lewis.

45:30

Rowan was Nate DeForte.

45:32

Aspen Daniel was Dustin Parsons.

45:37

And joining us in our ensemble we had,

45:39

Rhys Torado,

45:41

Anver Mamoud,

45:42

Katrina Pacina,

45:44

Brandon P. Jenkins, Russ

45:47

Moore, John Carlo Herrera,

45:50

Jeremy Ellitt,

45:51

Kale Brown, Vic

45:53

Collins, and Scott Pallivan.

45:58

Our dialogue editor... was Daisy McNamara.

46:01

Our music was done by Matt Roy Berger and

46:04

our sound designer was Dana Kreisman.

46:07

Our showrunner was Daisy McNamara and

46:09

I'm your producer Pacific S. Obadiah.

46:12

Our executive producers are Tom Owen

46:14

and Brad Miska. And

46:17

this

46:18

is a bloody FM show.

46:22

Hello, my name is Robert M. Lamb

46:24

and I'm the writer and creator of Story.

46:27

Story is an audio drama with a different

46:29

premise, genre, and cast of characters

46:32

every single season. For example, season

46:34

one was a dramedy that follows five friends

46:37

who set out to fulfill a challenging dream

46:39

after graduating college. Their dream?

46:42

To walk across America from Washington

46:44

State to Key West. Season one

46:46

is 26 episodes and they're all out right now

46:49

for your binging pleasure. Season two of Story,

46:51

which is a thriller set on a Hebridean island,

46:54

is currently releasing with only a couple episodes

46:56

left. Val and Delilah are trying to rekindle

46:58

their marriage by sailing across the Atlantic, but

47:01

things go horribly wrong when they find themselves

47:03

shipwrecked on an island with a creepy man.

47:06

It's a tense thriller leading up to an action

47:08

pack finale. So if you're looking for a new

47:10

show to listen to, make sure to check out Story

47:12

on bloody.fm or search for Story

47:15

on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever

47:17

you listen to podcasts.

47:21

If you were to look up the word haunt in the dictionary,

47:24

this is what you'll find.

47:25

To visit often, frequent,

47:28

to come to the mind of continually,

47:31

to intrude upon,

47:33

a place to which creatures habitually

47:35

come to feed. Do

47:38

you believe in ghosts? Join

47:41

me on the journey through America's dark and haunted

47:43

past as we explore the ghost stories and

47:45

folklore that have been passed down for generations.

47:49

A place to which creatures habitually come

47:51

to feed. What

47:53

scares you?

47:55

Let's find out.

47:58

I'm Christopher Feinstein. And

48:00

this is Haunted American History.

48:03

Haunted American History is available on Spotify,

48:06

Apple, anywhere you listen to podcasts.