Episode 6 - Suspension

It's getting late, and the lights are getting dim. Welcome to a place with no taboos, no judgment, where every question you've ever had about love, sex, kink, and relationships has an answer. This is The Late Shift with Dr. Good Vibes.

Good evening lovers, this is Nurse Katie Bradley filling in for the physician of fornication, the one and only Dr. Good Vibes. Sadly, the doctor is on leave this week, so we will be playing a greatest hits episode, collecting the best of the doctor's amorous advice, copulatory counsel, erogenous exhortations, and romantic recommendations for the last few years for your sonic stimulation. Stay tuned and enjoy the best of the late shift.

You did it!

Ugh, thank God, I can't believe that took ten fricking tries. How the hell does he get through these opening monologues? And how the hell does he come up with them on the fly?

No idea.

How does he not sound like a complete knob when he talks like this?

It's a gift.

Alright, take it down a notch. You know he probably murdered someone, right?

What? Seriously?

I don't know. Don't worry about it. Did you kill the recording? Sure did! Okay, good. Hit the cue button twice, and we'll do the outro.

Hey, uh

It's the green one.

Alright. Hey, Katie?

Kind of in the middle of something here, Noah.

Sorry, I just, um Do you think he really, you know?

He

says he didn't. Yeah! Yeah.

But, who knows? Maybe. I mean, how bad do you want to know?

What? That kind of depends whether he did it or not. Why?

No reason. You ready?

Yeah. I'm, I'm ready.

Okay. Let's get this done. Uh, dr. Good Vibes, Episode 3A 1220, Outro, Take 1. This has been the best of the late shift. Thank you for listening. As always, if you have a question, you can email us at Dr. Good vibes@jawbonenetwork.cum or through the form on jawbone network.com/ Dr. Good vibes, Dr. Good vibes will return to the late shift next week with the prescription For all your most pressing, passionate problems, probably

sorry.

What? What are you, why are you laughing?

Dot "cum"?

Oh God, for God's sake. Alright, let's run it back, run it back.

Hey, how you doing?

Sir, please kill your engine.

Oh, uh, right. Sorry, I didn't see the sign.

Name please?

Harold Kitchener.

ID?

Sure, one second. Here you go.

Who are you here to see?

Mick, uh, Michael Lockhart.

Right, and is he expecting you?

No, no I don't think so.

Oh. Right. Wait there, put your engine off.

Alright. What else could he possibly have on?

Inmates are only allowed one visit to Mr. Lockhart. Here's your ID back. For God's sake.

Yeah, alright. Thanks. Wait, hold on. Who is he, uh, who is he meeting with?

Obviously I can't tell you that. Unless you're his lawyer. Are you his lawyer?

Yes?

Please move your car, sir.

No, I, I meant to say

Please move your car, sir.

Right. Yes. Uh, thanks for your help.

Hello? Hello?

Hey Ma, you home?

Fucking hell, Harry. You scared the shit out of me.

Sorry. Sorry. I still have a key, so.... Why do you have a knife?

Because I was washing up and I thought one of the meth heads from down the street was breaking in, you fucking idiot!

Okay. Sorry. Sorry. Didn't mean to freak you out.

What are you even doing here?

I'm taking some time off work. Thought I'd come visit.

Huh.

Yeah.

And you didn't think it'd be a good idea to call first?

It was kind of a last minute thing. Yeah.

Fine. Are you staying the night?

Yeah, if that's okay.

I'll put your stuff in the guest room.

Oh no, I didn't really bring anything.

Well, come on then. I'll get you a coffee.

Thanks. Wait, you have a guest room?

Yeah, it's your old room.

Right. Well, what happened to my stuff?

What do you think? Hmm. Oh, please. Help yourself.

I would, but there's nothing here.

Well, forgive me, Prince Charles. If I'd known you were coming, I might have done something about that.

You know there's an actual prince called Harry, right?

If you're staying for dinner, I'll need to go to the store.

No, it's okay. I showed up unannounced. I'll go.

Well, good. I'll get you the keys.

No, I'm good.

You drove?

Yeah. I mean, I told you it was last minute. I'll be back in a bit.

Get me some cigarettes!

I have two packs in the car.

Menthols!

Good evening, I'm Katie Bradley. Good evening, I'm Katie Bradley. Good evening, I'm Katie Bradley. No, that pause was too long. I'm Katie Bradley, and this Good I'm Katie Bradley, and this I'm Kately Bradley and this, uh, Kate Kately, I can't even get my fucking name right. I'm Kately Bradley and this is my stupid podcast for idiots that I had to make because my boss is in jail for murder and I don't know if I'll still have a job next week. Working title.

Hey, Kately.

Hey, Richie. What's up?

Jemma asked me to let you know that she's booked up for the rest of the day, but she can make some time during the off site if you wait till then to catch up.

Oh yeah, that'd be great, thanks.

Great, I'll let her know.

What are you doing? Oh, nothing, just some tech checks, benchmarking all the new gear that they put in.

Ugh, boring.

You know it. But it's gotta be done.

Right, well, good luck with all that.

I'm Katie Bradley. This is my podcast. Nope, that's, that's not it.

I'm back. Don't stab me. Please.

Put the groceries in the kitchen. What'd you get?

Just the basics. I realized after I left that I didn't get a list or anything. I, uh, got the ingredients for that chicken pie you used to make.

Oh yeah?

Yeah. You know. In case you wanted to

You want one?

No, I just had one in the car.

Right. Well, I'll get dinner on.

Pie?

Fine. Yes.

Do you need a hand with anything?

No, just go sit. I'll call you when it's ready.

You know what? I'll take that cigarette.

Alright.

Ugh. Minty.

What is it?

What?

I can feel you staring holes in the back of my head, so either spit it out, or go sit in the lounge room. I'm not used to cooking with an audience anymore, and you're starting to bug me.

It's nothing.

Uh huh.

Have you, um, have you been to visit Mick at all? Ma?

No. I haven't. Why?

I stopped at Sullivan on the way here. But he wouldn't see me. Sorry, couldn't see me. Apparently he was expecting someone. Didn't want to use up his one visit for the week.

Should have called first. You could have saved yourself a long drive. Good advice in general.

Yeah, well, figured if I called he'd say no. Thought I'd have a better shot if I just turned up. Ma, you're getting ash in the potatoes.

Fuck's sake. Twelve years, and to my knowledge, you've never been to visit him once. Not once. Right?

Yeah.

Well, that makes two of us. People in this neighborhood barely tolerate my continued presence as it is, and who can blame them? I keep to myself, Harry, I barely leave the house. I don't see anyone. I don't do anything. And I know that the only reason this house isn't still getting paint thrown on the front of it on a weekly basis is because I've been very fucking clear that that boy is dead to me.

Ma, - Therese: I'm not done talking. Harry. Sorry.

As far as I'm concerned, Mick is not my son. And if you want to pretend like he's still your brother, that's your business. But if you turned up on my doorstep today because you want to talk about him or what he did, you can get straight back in your car and head back to whatever new life it is you're living in the city since you had the foresight to take your dead shit father's name and get the fuck out of this shithole before it all hit the fan. I'm not having it. Do you understand?

I'm not - Therese: Do. You. Understand. Harry. Yeah.

Good.

Except - Therese: For fuck's sake, Harry! How fucking clear do I have to be about this? I'm

not

just digging up old shit, Ma. Do you think I wanted to come back here and talk about any of this? Something Something happened.

Do you want a drink?

Sure. Yeah. Just, whatever you're having.

Get stuck in. I had a couple while you were at the shop, so you're gonna have to work pretty hard to catch up. So

You were there for Mick's trial, right? Like, in the court?

Yeah.

Do you know any of the details of what happened to Ruby Amal?

I know more of the details than I ever would have wanted.

Can you tell me what they say Mick did to her? What they said? I don't.

Harry.

Please.

No. Harry, stop. Enough. I told you I'm not going to talk about it with you. Get a fucking therapist. God knows you can afford it.

The FBI came to my office yesterday.

What? Why?

They think I had something to do with what happened to Ruby Amal 15 years ago.

Why do they think that?

I don't know if they do. Really? Somebody tipped them off, like an online thing. But the tip was Vague. Not vague as in Just light on detail. Basically just said that I did it. So they brought me in, Took my prints and my DNA, Asked me some questions, but it didn't Seem like they were taking it super seriously? Like, They were serious, they're FBI agents, but not like, I don't know if they were really looking at me that hard. It wasn't, They didn't arrest me.

They just brought you in for questioning.

No.

Well,

Yes, but, I don't know, yeah, yeah, I guess. I went voluntarily, they asked me questions, but, Brought me in for questioning, Makes it sound really bad.

Yeah, it does.

Anyway, what had happened, got back to work, and they told me to take some time off until it all gets cleared up. Hence my sudden visit.

When?

When what?

When did they interview you? When did they bring you in?

Yesterday.

Jesus, I fucking knew it. I knew this was going to happen eventually.

Knew what would happen. Knew what would happen, Ma. Ma.

Okay, okay. Alright. I've got some cash in the back of the closet upstairs. It's not a lot, but it's better than nothing. You can take my car, but you'll have to ditch it before you try to cross the border. Where are you thinking of going? No, wait, it's better that you don't tell me. Do you have enough clothes? Ma. I think I have some of your old clothes in the basement, some coats and jeans and stuff. I could dig them out.

Ma, stop. What are you talking about?

I know, okay? I know. I've always known.

Known what?

Your fucking voice. I'm trying to help you.

Sorry. Okay? Sorry. What do you know?

You don't get it, Harry. Years. And I didn't say anything. Two fucking years. Then when they arrested your brother, I waited for the day when I'd hear that they'd kick down your door in the middle of the night and took you away as well.

Ma, what are you saying?

You don't know what it was like, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. For months, years, every time I heard the phone ring or car pull up outside and then, nothing. They charged Mick and he just sat there in silence. They put him away for the rest of his life and he didn't say a word. All through the trial, through the interviews. And they never came back for you.

Wha hold on. Hang on.

Do you really have time to sit here and talk about this? Don't look at me like that. I lost one of my sons, Harry. One of my boys. I couldn't let them take you too.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God, ma, I didn't, I I didn't have anything to do with it.

Stop, Harry, just stop. I found her backpack in your room a few weeks after she disappeared, when they were still looking for her under your bed, where you kept that box of You're a good boy, Harry. You always were. What happened to that girl was. Tragic. But I know it wasn't your fault. I know it wasn't your fault. Look. If you leave now, you can be in Montreal by midnight. Take I 81. It'll get you across the border sooner.

Ma. Stop. I don't I have to go.

Yes, that's what I've been saying.

No, not I have to go home. Back to the city.

Harry!

I can't Uh I can't I just

Harry! harry, don't be stupid! You don't have to do this! Do you think this is going to bring her back? Get out of the fucking car! Get out of the car, Harry! Harry! Next time on Dr. Good Vibes

You've known me a long time now.

Yes, I have. Intimately.

Do you Do you think there's something wrong with me? Dr. Good Vibes is a Neon Diner production. Written, produced, and directed by Richard P. Doyle. Editing and sound design by Ramon Sampson. It features the vocal talents of Richard P. Doyle, Rachel Slee, Jonah Maronin, Emily Teede, Gavin Davis, Louis Val. Full credits can be found in the show notes.