S2 E01: No Love Lost

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Unit 17 to 424 Starburns Avenue South. Female screaming behind the building. Unit 2, copy. What's up, Mike? We've got a report of a body found lying in a dumpster near Frankfurt and Main. Okay. Mendez's car is nearby. Send him. Sheriff, the caller said the body was purple. My name is John. I need to get to the hospital. Adios. Where is he? I'm right here. He's fine. Best call of the day. What? Sorry, guys. Sorry, Amelia. I didn't mean to worry you. You're not hurt?

Hey, Raj, do you mind grabbing my wheelchair off the back? Here you go. Don't help him! I can't believe you. You scared the shit out of me. You already left for work. So you called an ambulance? Easiest way to get here. Trouble in paradise. Shut up, Raj. I'll schedule you for ten-hour shifts all week. And you? You can barely walk. I don't need to walk far. I can wheel down to the lab. Why on earth did you need to get here so badly?

There's a body. There was a body a week ago, and you weren't ready then. Yeah, well, I could barely get out of the wheelchair a week ago. I think that's another reason to stay in bed now. Someone else will die next week, or the week after that. I'm sure they will, but this body is important. Why? I heard they found a purple body in the dumpster. That's impossible. Curtis is dead. And you said he was the killer. I thought so too, but I need to see this for myself. Were you even cleared for work?

Fran is going to kill me. I'll take the blame. Don't worry. Whatever. If Fran is okay with it, I'll drive you in tomorrow. No more calling ambulances, alright? That's like a $3,000 bill towards the hospital. You know, I really do appreciate you helping me these past few months. Shut up. Just get down to the lab. I really do think I can get back to staying at my own apartment. Don't be dumb. You're on the fourth floor with no elevator. And besides...

My spare room would just be empty anyway. We'll talk about it. No, we won't. I've missed you, Doc.

Hello, Curtis. It's been a long few months. People die here every day. You haven't made any new friends yet? Nobody gets me like you do. We share a bond that can never break. You have yourself to blame for this, you know. Had it been the other way around, I would have been the ghost. Oh, come on now. You know I only shot you by accident while you were stabbing me. You brought a gun into a hospital. I...

was just trying to get you to talk to me. Yeah, how'd that work for you? You know, this place has been buzzing about you since you've been gone. Oh, yeah? You're the talk of the hospital, mostly for killing me. But I also hear murmurings that you and Dr. Gats have moved in together. It's not like that. You can tell me, Doc. Who am I going to tell?

Nothing to say to that. Had I known if the rumor was true, I could have come to visit. I think that's the point. I'm surprised you didn't try to follow Dr. Gatz home by now. Who said I didn't try? It's kind of hard to keep up with a car when all you can do is float an inch off the ground. Why are you here anyway? I thought you weren't supposed to be back so soon.

You should know. Yeah. Just put her in the cabinet and we'll call it a day. Sure thing. Crowley, you're not trying to bypass the autopsy and go right to the arrest, are you? Ah, fuck. Spacer!

What are you doing here? What a welcome. Are you John Spencer? Told ya! Talk of a hospital! It's Spacer. Who are you? You're not supposed to be here. Yet, right? I still have my job. You're still under active investigation for the death of Curtis Hedger. I'm gonna go. Wait, can you pull the body back out? I can't really, uh... Close it up! I don't really want to get involved here.

I'm already here, Crowley. You trying to hide the body from me? I just know how you are. How I am what? I'm not doing this with you right now. Pull him back out. Here. I'm leaving.

Another male victim? Can you even walk? Not well, but I can lean on the table to look at the body. Aren't you on anything? Stopped Vicodin a couple weeks ago. I don't like this stuff. You know you could have examined him when you could actually stand for more than a minute. He might not have been here then. What are you trying to say, Spacer? Nothing. That's what I thought. You'll just put it in another report.

Did you go through my office? Oh, shit! I cleaned up this place after your accident. It wasn't an accident. Do you know what I found? Strewn all over the floor and covered in blood? My body? No. Fine. I found your report on Springfield. You know, the one you were planning to send to the FBI. You weren't supposed to see that. Yeah! I bet I wasn't.

You think the sheriff's department and the hospital are trying to cover something up? You think I'm trying to cover something up? I don't know. That's not an answer. You were so reluctant to talk about these deaths. I just think there's something more than just the fact that your son was killed by Stormshock. Maybe it's because I don't want an outsider who thinks he knows everything to be accusing our town of something we didn't do.

Even if you weren't involved, you might not know everything. I need to file that injunction. So file it? Go ahead. I damn well didn't file it for you while you were gone. And what about the purple bodies? Your obsession with some strange phenomenon that happened twice in 30 years is really getting old. Someone is killing people. It was Curtis. Or Storm Shock.

For fuck's sake. It happened to the bodies that were recovered after the 1989 disaster. And it's happening again. A false alarm storm in 2013 is not going to cause this six years later. And now we have another victim right here. The pattern continues. No, it doesn't, John. Look. He doesn't look anything like that Becca girl from before. Nothing to say? He's clothed.

But his skin isn't bloated correctly. Correctly? He doesn't look the same at all. His skin is a different shade of purple. Kind of tight against the arms and legs. It's normal decomp. Yeah. I just thought that... I know what you thought. Frankly, I shouldn't even be surprised you came in here today. But I was hoping the time off would have given you a new perspective. It can't be.

It was Curtis. Just like you thought. You listened to my recording? Just the one I found that day. And it said you thought Curtis was the killer. Well, we can't ask him now, can we? But the purple body sure as hell stopped. You still think that I did it? I guess so. I just... I wasn't convinced. And then I heard about the body today. How did you even hear about it exactly?

Did you set up a police blotter or something? I guess Curtis really did it. I didn't kill them. Even if Curtis did it, I still need to examine Becca's body for evidence. You can't. Why? She was cremated. What?! Calm down. Dr. Clark, the guy you were just a dick to, said he saw nothing suspicious and I agreed. He's a surgeon, not a pathologist. There was no crime scene, John. There was no evidence.

And we were getting pressure after everything you did here. So you closed the case? There was no case. Just an M&M conference with Dr. Gatz to make sure no one in the ER screwed up. I can't believe this! You just burned the evidence after listening to my tape, and you wonder why I think you're involved. Spacer, I'm going to make something very clear to you. Do not...

ever question my morals again. I'm on the right side of the law, and from where I stand, you're not. So, stop investigating this Shit! I'm going to do my job, and that's looking into any and every death in this town. And I have people looking into one death in particular. There are other ways to get you suspended aside from the court order.

Like what? You start mandatory meetings with Dr. Kim tomorrow. Don't be late. Sheriff? Yeah, I'm coming. Got held up here. Are you threatening me, Sheriff? Yes, I am. Unless you get your shit figured out or fall in line quickly. You're done here, Spacer. Damn it.

So you think I killed that other girl, Becca? And who else? Ugh, what have I done? Doc, don't ignore me. I'm talking to you. Damn it. Damn it. He doesn't look like them at all. Don't cut me out. Don't ignore me. Jesus Christ, Curtis. What? Is this how it's going to be? You're going to fucking...

You're just going to yell and throw a temper tantrum when I don't talk to you? Fran left. I thought you'd want to fill me in on what the fuck that was about. I don't have time for you. Don't pretend I don't exist. You owe me that. I don't owe you anything. You lied to me! You tricked me into thinking I could interact with the world and I can't touch shit! And now you still think I killed that girl? Enough. Crowley is right, okay?

It must have been you. You killed those people. You tried to kill me. Those cases are closed, and I am done with you. No, you're not. No, you're not! I have to examine this body at least and see why it's not bloated. Do not ignore me, Dr. Spacer. I may not be able to touch you, but I will make your life hell. I need my recorder.

What's it like being back down here, Doc? It's your first time since the accident, right? Weird how they keep referring to it as an accident. I saw that it bothered you. It- bothers me too. There was nothing accidental about it, right? I purposefully came here to see you. I pointed a gun at you right there. Got it. She wheeled in Becca's body and lied to me repeatedly until you couldn't weasel your way out anymore. Where are my tools? And then you tricked me.

You tricked me into thinking that Becca's ghost was going to move things. Like it was even possible! And I had to learn the hard way. That it is. Is it? Somebody moved all my stuff. You grabbed your favorite scalpel. Is that the one? It is, isn't it? Getting to the sink is going to be tricky. And you... Jabbed it into my chest. Over and over and over and over. Until you were sure that I was never, ever going to get up again. Just to keep your...

precious little secret. The thing is, I could have kept it between us. No one had to get hurt. And trust me, it did hurt. Obviously it hurt you still. But man... I remember looking at my body afterward. It was brutal. Maybe Fran is right about you. You do have an anger problem. Back to the table. There's still a stain on the ground. You just rolled over it. I'm not sure if that's my blood or yours. So I'm asking again. How does it feel, Doc? How does it feel to be back here?

What's wrong, Dr. Spacer? Having a hard time picking the scalpel back up? No. No. I don't believe you. I think you're terrified. Maybe even more than you used to be. Nothing is wrong. Oh, really? Why are your hands shaking, then? I think you're skittish. You've got the yips. What do you want? I don't... No yet. I'm just having fun with you right now. Nothing you say can scare me. That sounds familiar. I'm serious. What is your endgame here? Ow!

How about you don't leave me alone and I'll stop. I don't do well alone. Fine. Just... Fine. Let's talk. I'll work.

Good. What do we talk about? The victim. The chart says the victim is male in his early 30s, noted as 5 foot 10 inches tall. Let's remove the clothing here and get a better look for the cause of death. Oh. Crowley must not have examined the victim thoroughly on the scene. What? That's... a woman in... Men's clothing? The skin is, um... The skin is not filled with blood. This is normal post-mortem bruising from accelerated decomposition.

The body could have decayed faster because of the heat or the maggots in the trash can. Excuse me. I'm noticing some scarring around the pectorals. Excess skin, it seems, although the victim isn't overweight. Dr. Spacer, we have a visitor. Oh. Hi, I'm John. You must be, um... I'm sorry, there's no name on the file. My name is Clay. You keep calling me she and her. Oh. Oh. What are your pronouns? What?

They, them. Thank you. I'm confused. Are you not a woman? Who the hell are you? Then why would you go by they if you're a single person? They has been used to describe a single person since Shakespeare. And non-binary gender identities have also been around much longer than just Shakespearean times. Don't look at me like that. I didn't mean anything by it. Clay.

Are you aware of what happened? What do you mean? You're dead. So that's how you do it, huh? Just blunt like that, you're dead. Is there a better way to say it? It's fine. Yeah. I figured I was dead because I'm here and my body's over there. You're taking this well. Not everyone reacts the same way you do, Curtis. Can you tell me what happened? So you really don't know. You don't remember? No. Am I supposed to? Ready to launch your business?

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I woke up here with just a haze or something. I assumed that's normal. I'm seeing a large amount of dried blood on the back of your head. So I was attacked from behind? It looks like it. If I can clean this off I should be able to see the wound. There's a large gash. The way your scalp is split it seems to indicate some sort of round object.

Definitely with a high amount of force. I'm going to need to do a CT. Can you move the body in there by yourself? I'll be... Fine. I can still lift at least. What happened to you? It's a long story. You really don't remember anything about dying? Nothing at all. I don't. The entire day is a blur. Okay. Well, the CT will take a few minutes. Let's see if we can figure this out together. Please.

Anything you can remember from the day that you were killed? What's your normal day look like? Let's see. I wake up at 5.15 on the dot. Take care of the dogs until 5.45. And then I make my first cup of coffee. Oh, what kind of dogs? One lab and one helmet. I'm more a cat person myself. Please continue. I leave for work every weekday at 6.30 and then come home by 4.45.

Where do you work? The Springfield Bank. I'm a teller. I hate it, but it pays the bills. That place has had some bad luck. Oh, yeah. I was at the bombing. Really? Yeah. Were you? No, that was before I started. I've only been there about six months. What about your home life? Any friends or family that you normally see? Not really. We live a pretty calm life. You said we? My husband and I.

Husband? Yes, what about him? What does your husband do? He's a baseball recruiter for the local high schools He used to play back in the day Was he any good? Very This CT is done Did you find something? Hmm. These cracks right here, they show an immense amount of force behind the blow. There's additional cracking along your skull and some sort of nodule that I'll need to examine further.

The clothes you're wearing now, are they normal for a weekday, weekend? That's my Thursday outfit. So, I think I must have died last Thursday. And anything outside of that, any dangerous sports or risky hobbies on the side? No, not at all. I like to garden. We've got a little backyard with a big trellis fence. That sounds nice. It was nice.

What are you doing now? I'm cutting from your esophagus down to your large intestines to try to track what you may have eaten. That way I can determine an approximate time of death. I can do you one better. Oh yeah? What do you got? I'm a routine-based person, if you hadn't figured it out. I schedule out my days, and I usually eat the same thing every day for lunch and breakfast. Dinner, we mix it up, but still. That is immensely helpful. Let's see.

If you find Greek yogurt, I died after breakfast. If you find a grilled vegetable sandwich, I died after lunch. Definitely what looks like yogurt in the small intestine. This is disgusting. Excuse me. And I'm seeing some partially digested vegetables. That could be dinner, too. I'm a vegetarian, so... And I'm guessing in your garden you tended roses. A whole garden full. Yeah.

I've got what looks to be a rose thorn embedded into the back of your shirt. And since that was my Thursday outfit... You died on Thursday. Presumably after dinner. In your garden. Wow. Oh wow. That makes sense. I remember gardening. I wanted to spend most of the evening out there because... Because I had a bad day at work. I got into an argument with my boss.

I remember that. Do you think your boss could have done this? No. I don't think so. He stayed late at work usually. Like I said, I'm home by 4.45 every day. Ate dinner at 5.30. Felix, my husband, was home that evening. What was your backyard like? Is there any other way in from the sides or the back? No, we have that big fence. Only way would be through the house. So then it was someone you knew. Why do you say that?

If it was a home invasion, the robber would have just stolen things and presumably left Clay outside unknowingly. If it was a planned homicide, I doubt the person would use a blunt object as they take much more force and time. What are you implying?

Can I ask you a difficult question? After all the other things you've asked me, why not? Were you planning on transitioning physically? I'm asking because there are indications of a subcutaneous mastectomy on your chest. What? Wow. I'm not judging at all or trying to assume anything. I apologize if I'm wrong, it's just that... No, you're right. I had made up my mind years ago, but... Oh my...

God, it was clearly- Curtis, let me look at the evidence. What? Are you implying Felix killed me? No, not at all. It's just that loved ones are often the first suspect to go to. But who else knew we were transitioning? A few people. Why? My experience with Springfield has been less than friendly when it comes to anything outside of the norm. You think this was a hate crime? Is that a thing?

Gender-based hate crimes happen more often than you think. It wasn't Felix. He was supportive of everything. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to jump to conclusions. Like I said, the impact had a large amount of force behind it.

The pressure needed to cause those injuries points towards someone with a lot of strength. It's just indicative that it was most likely a physically strong attacker. But other than that, I saw a peculiarity on your CT near the impact that I wanted to check out. A peculiarity? It could be a shard of the weapon used, or it could be something we can use to identify the killer. Hmm. What do you see? I need the bone saw. Oh, God.

Wow. Right there. It looks like a small berry aneurysm on the artery. An aneurysm? Yeah. From the fracturing, it seems to have burst during the attack. That's what caused a subarachnoid bleed. That's the reason that you bled out so quickly. Do you remember having a sudden headache? Maybe the worst that you've ever felt. I remember some sensation on the back of my head. And then I was on the ground, looking up at the sky.

I got sleepy from the sun shining in my eyes, and then... I went to sleep. And you woke up here? Yeah. with you two arguing. Did you see anyone with you when you fell? Think hard. No, I didn't. You're sure? Yes, I'm sure. Are you not able to answer who killed me without badgering me? No. Not with this amount of evidence. So I died because of an aneurysm. I wasn't murdered? Well, you were still hit in the head. The aneurysm bursting was technically what killed you, but it- Wait, can I go then?

Um, like, move on? What? No, I want to go see my husband and my dogs one last time. Are you sure that's a good idea? Thanks for looking into it, I guess. It sucks that an aneurysm killed me. But at least it was good timing. Good timing? You were just about to begin a new chapter in your life. If anything, this should be heart-wrenching. Well, I won't leave Felix destitute.

I took out an insurance policy on myself before my first surgery, just in case. Wait a minute, so- Whose idea was it to take out the insurance policy? It was a joint decision. Is there anything else I'd really like to go? No, of course not. Sorry to keep you. How much money do you think a high school baseball coach makes? Not much. I don't get it then.

Why didn't you tell her? Tell them what? That it was almost definitely her husband that killed her. Er, then. We don't know that. Of course we do. What good does it do, Clay, if we try to convince them that their husband did it? If they're happy in their last moments, I'm not going to destroy that without hard evidence. You said it was a blunt object from inside their house with a lot of strength behind it. Which is true. And the husband was a baseball player.

Also true. Add in an expensive insurance policy and you've got motive. Clay never said it was expensive. But I'll let Crowley know all of that. So that's it? That's it. We provide the evidence. Crowley takes it to the lawyers. And Felix hires a high-powered lawyer to get off with... Uh... What is it for killing someone who is about to die with an aneurysm? Some aneurysms never burst.

Clay could have been fine, but I get your point. And you wanted this job back for what reason again? The aneurysm technically killed Clay, if you and I both know it was the husband. Not with that evidence. If we can't do anything to prove it, the least I can do is to ensure that whoever attacked Clay is convicted of murder.

And not of accidental manslaughter or something by using the aneurysm bursting as an excuse. Anyone who can do that to another person, regardless of who they are, they deserve to go to jail. What do you mean? What are you doing? Was that the scan? The CT scan of the aneurysm. Yeah. So you're fudging evidence. In this case... Can you... do that? No.

But I just did. I get the feeling this isn't your first time doing this. What matters to me is justice for the victims. Someone attacked Clay. Whether the aneurysm was there or not. Whatever I can do to help point the investigation in the right direction, I'll do it. Just like I'll prove that you killed those other victims. Truth be damned. That is the truth. Whatever you say, Doc.

Hey everybody, this is Vince Dijani, creator of How I Died. Now before you skip on to the next episode, I wanted to let you know that I'm not going to be doing my traditional long, drawn-out outros where I tell you this is going to be my favorite episode ever made. I realized after season one that this got a little tiresome, so we're going to reserve...

them to just bonus free content on our Patreon in case anyone's interested. They're going to be written and audio on there that you can go and check out for some director's commentary. But I did want to pop in and say a quick thank you to you, our listeners.

We really appreciate the support and the passion that you guys have for this show, and we wouldn't be making it without you. So I really mean it when I say thank you from everybody at Audiom for listening to this show. We really appreciate your support, and we hope everyone's doing well. Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. I hope you enjoyed the show and a huge, huge shout out to everyone involved making it.

How I Died is an audio media original production created and written by Vince Dijani, directed and edited by Chroma Sikora, with sound design and mixing by Eric Howell. The How I Died theme song was created by Silent Mike. Starring me as John Spacer. Shana Waring as Sheriff Crowley, David Dixon as Curtis, Luis Bermudez as Eric Mendez, Vin Vox as Dr. Kim, and Caitlin Roberts as Amelia. This episode guest starred Alaris Morrow as Clay.

John Pattonode as Raj, Albie Robles as Nathan Clark, and Brandon P. Jenkins as the dispatcher. Thanks so much for listening, and until next episode, try not to die. All right, girls, this is the place. We'll get everything loaded over to the boat, and we'll lock up the truck. Don't leave anything behind. Wait, is that it? That's where we're going? Yeah, that's it. Seal Skin Rock. Wow. Return to the mysteries in Don't Mind, Seal Skin Rock.

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