The Red Weather | E6 | To Live and Park in LA

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Everyone thanks, you're the man, but I make you me.

This is Anna Traynor's voice. It's the infamous haunted tape.

I do remember we found her car down south of here that pushed us in the in the runaway direction.

Even if Nick managed to meet up with Anna, then murder her couldn't have getten rid of the body and driven her car all the way to SFO. Isn't it a little bit weird that they obsess over hippies in the woods and not the obvious boyfriend.

Who was all pissed because their girls sleeping around. Daddy promises some moolah.

They half asked their investigation it goes.

Away, you're supposed to be writing, It's fine, I'll come home right. There are two contributions to the nineteen ninety six Maldonado campaign. These two companies Thomas Bolden was on the board for both Okay, look, I don't need the state and the District Attorney sudden banging on right.

We were trying to help you, iponoized Robert Maldonado to no longer speak with you, and Officer Greer is under orders to keep his work internal.

Indie Strong, Oh they don't eat fish food. Actually.

Maybe it's not surprising that my son, Indy loves to act and sing. He is, after all, the child of two performers.

Oh they don't eat fish food actually, But is this nected line?

Based on my experience, the kids that really thrive as actors are the ones who do it for its own sake, not because they want to be famous. So we've limited Indie's acting to classes and plays. But then after he appeared on a few episodes of my podcast, we were approached by a voiceover agent.

It changed, Oh, they don't eat fish food, actually, Nope, they eat.

Get out of the way here. Now he's a working voiceover actor and we got auditions about once a week. Indy loves it for the most part, but he's still a kid, and sometimes he just doesn't want to audition. Just stand out, please, Indy, come on please, Oh yeah, hold on, hold on, if we just focus, I know, but do you uh do you want me to read the other lines? Is that going to help you? What do you want me to read the other lines?

No?

Okay? Well, how did mom do the auditions while while I was gone? Because you had like, I'm not doing that? You were gone for so long? No? No, why didn't I go? Well, I was, I was working. We wouldn't have been able to hang.

Out doing the podcast about the girl?

Yeah, she was your friend? Yeah, well her sister was. What happened?

Well, that's that's what I'm trying to figure out.

Your friend a sister?

What's your name?

Did I meet her?

No?

I mean I think there was one fourth of July that she might have been. I don't remember.

She died?

Yeah? Wow, uh she was you know, she was a very unhappy. Can we get back to this. She was just a very unhappy person.

She killed herself.

Yeah, that's it.

Yeah, and you never knew what happened to her sister.

No, that's that's while I was gone for those two weeks. I'm trying to look into this. But come on, can we just focus on this and do.

This Why did you stop?

It's complicated, buddy. There are lots of people who don't want me doing this.

Are they bad people?

Well?

I think so. You know, there's just I don't know. There's so many reasons, Dad. You should help.

You have to help, that's the right thing.

After this conversation, I couldn't decide if Indy was being naive or brave. I mean, he was definitely coming from a place of innocence, but there's different meanings there. Right, you can be innocent as in foolish immature, or you can be innocent as in pure and honest, not corrupted by cynicism, by a world where powerful people get to do what they want and ignore questions. He was right, I should help, but I didn't know what that meant anymore.

My name is Jury Dunenfeld.

I am an attorney with Warren Tolan and Shapiro. You should have received a letter from my office. Use certified mail.

I had. From the letter, your podcast appears poised to make unfounded and damaging claims about our client that would be Mick. Such claims, if broadcast, may constitute defamation under current statute. Basically a cease and assist. All in all, it felt like the universe was telling me to sit down and shut up. I had been shut out of any official reopening of the case, assuming there was one by Grace Laughlin, the current Sonoma County Sheriff. Please record your message.

When you have finished recording, you may hang up.

Hi.

Sheriff Maldonado. It's writer and Sheriff Maldonado, who led the case in nineteen ninety five, also wasn't returning my calls. I am still making the podcast, and I wanted you to know, for me to hear it directly that I have been in touch with Monica Tremblaine a few times. But you know, I'm working on my own here. I'm making progress. I felt compelled to distance myself for Monica because she had decided to publish information about contributions to

It's not like I stopped them or anything. The most that I can do as a citizen is file a damn for your report.

And that's what you did. That's how you that's you already did that. Yeah, so we could get the full campaign records.

Yeah, it's not about anything legal or an investigation into the Sheriff's department. That's that's up to the attorney general.

Okay, okay, No, I just you know I started out, I'm trying to make a podcast. I'm trying to solve this thing, and I feel like, uh, we were getting somewhere with them with their help, Hi.

Writer, if they really cared about Anna and if they wanted to solve this cold case, they would have welcomed the transparency, wouldn't they want to know where shit went wrong.

It was still hard for me to believe that Maldonado in particular would go from helping me as much as he did to completely ignoring me.

They should be like opening up their doors to you, to us, but instead, the minute that you brought up Mick Bowden, a multi millionaire, sound up a multimillionaire.

Guess what they did. They turned on you. That was true. Mick could become the main person of interest in Anna's disappearance because of the mixtape.

So.

Of course I didn't keep my day when they.

Had a fit.

Scin Kid was ten years old and the name came in alongside the tracks so called.

The tape had songs movie clips from Wild at Heart and bad Lands, and then Anna talked directly to Mick, he can do it. I can do it.

You're my sailor, You're my real life nickey because you are so cool.

It was so intimate and implied a connection between the two of them that was powerful, secretive, romantic, which is never how I thought about them. I started this podcast thinking Mick was against Anna, that he had this revenge porn plan that got derailed that night by me and my friends, that he was driven by jealousy and possessiveness. But hearing the tape, I had to consider that he and Anna were actually really in love and maybe that motivated him. Maybe his parents didn't want him to be

I have no memory of that.

I checked in with my buddy Chris, who had started this podcast with me. I didn't think so either. But it's really weird because on the tape she keeps talking about Van Go.

I don't know, dude.

Here's the more important question, how's the feature coming?

Don't ask? I had been hired to write a horror script for a production company out of Austin, and at this point my draft was weeks behind. Luckily, Chris thought he could help buy me some time.

Well, I'll call David. I'll call David.

David was Chris's agent who had actually introduced me to the producers in the first place.

He reps those guys at least Stephen from Gearhyes, oh my.

God, Yes do you think do you think David could hold them off?

Yeah?

I think you need to get your ass writing. But yes, if David comes at them with writers going through it, he's going through trauma, his old friend killed herself, trauma, trauma, trauma.

They'll catch you some slack. Yeah, I'm him. I'll call her.

God, thank you, thank you so much.

Man.

You're a tortured artist and that's why they want you to write their script and not some hack.

But enough with the torture.

You don't need any more to on your torture plate. My wife couldn't agree more. Nope, can't hear that again. She put a moratorium on listening to Anna's mix. But it's not bad music, to the point, I don't need to hear it over and over again. It's not like the four hundred and fifty fourth time you're going to hear something new. I still wanted to know what Anna was talking about on the tape, so why don't you write down what she says? It was actually a good idea.

Where myself go Nope, nope, not into it?

Okay, fine, but what is it about?

I don't care.

I can't get past the music. But I knew she liked pearl Jam, which Anna had included. She put Daughter on here by Pearl Jam. You like that song? I do, Okay, what's it about?

Okay?

Well my interpretation and you know, stay with me here.

I think it's about a daughter. But I couldn't help it. I kept thinking of the mix as a direct expression from Anna, like her own soundtrack, the musical of her life. So like, did she listen to Daughter and think of her mom? Laney? I know That's how I thought of music when I was a teenager, especially if I made a mix for someone. If I included a song, it was because it expressed something I wanted to say to them, or wanted them to understand about my life. I was

Get used to it because I'm picking all the music.

In Operation van Go. I'm gonna make you camp.

You're gonna hate it.

Did you hear that I'm gonna make you camp? And she called it Operation van Go, Like van Go wasn't about the artist, but a code name for something, and then it clicked. The movie clips she included bad Lands, Wild at Heart. These were movies where two lovers got into a car and ran away. All this van Go stuff wasn't about the artists. It's literally the words themselves. It's a code operation to go, maybe maybe even get

First of all, if Nick didn't murder her and he just decided not to go run away with her, why not just say that, why not come forward to that, you know? And then if he does murder her, that means number one, he's got to hide his body well enough then nobody ever finds it. Number Two, he's got the car to the parking lot and then get back in time not to miss school the next day.

But how do we know that he was in school? Well, I'm not sure if he was ever marked absent.

But to be honest, I don't even know if the records were ever checked because because she said that.

He was with her, but she could have easily changed her story to cover for him, which the witness logs made a strong case for. Plus, if Mick had bought her that new car, she registered the Jetta only a couple weeks later.

Her parents said that he was at the house in the morning, So that means that he's now not only bought her silence and help, but also her parents.

I just don't Yeah, no, that's too much. That's even if you don't really want to be recorded, I'd really love to talk. For the millionth time I tried to reach Anna and Willow's mom, Laney, I was worried what she might think now that the word was out publicly. I'd like to explain what I've been doing, because the stuff that's online right now is definitely not the whole story. And Laney's car, the car that Anna drove in nineteen ninety five was a nineteen eighty eight Toyota Ursoll Tudor white.

I mean, but there's no way he could have done all of this that night.

The San Francisco Airport is at least an eighty minute drive from Sebastopol, Right, But you're assuming that the car definitely showed up at the Keelty lot on November first. Oh, you mean the pay through confusion. The car had been towed from the Keelty lot, where its fees had gone unpaid. That lot offered twenty four hours of parking for seven dollars, which side note that's mind bockling. Nowadays, the cheapest rate for twenty four hours is like forty five. Keelty was

Nope, no kidding. They didn't even have auto stamp tickets and.

The cashier was only on site between the hours of six am and eight pm. In off duty hours, a person would fill out a self pay envelope and slide it into one of those metal lock boxes. They had two employees in the days after Halloween. Those guys also had shifts, and neither one of them checked the car ready, meaning Tony arrived after hours. To figure out when the car was parked, don Ado and his team could only

Well, the initial assumption was that someone paid for three days and the eleven four was a date of expiration written down by an attendant, So Tony.

Showed up early morning November first.

But then, and this is really getting into the weeds.

There is a good chance that whoever filled out the envelope put the date they pulled in rather than the date they paid through.

This was a common occurrence, as Monica reported in The Press Democrat at the time, Kelty employees estimated that about quote a quarter of their customers misunderstood the instructions and would put the date of entry, allowing the amount of

November one, he's with our parents allegedly, sure.

Yeah, allegedly.

November four, he's interviewed by Malbonado in the morning, and.

He joined the search party for Anna that afternoon. Bottom line, there was no time for him to be driving to San Francisco. It seemed like a dead end. Everything seemed like a dead end. And then I saw that Mick posted something on x It was an announcement for an event, a panel. It was called Breaking Through AI and the Future of Online Advertising, and in the list of featured panelists Mick Bowden from Jaylight Industries. He was going to be at the LA Convention Center in two days.

Okay, please don't do anything.

But it's open to the public. All I have to do is buy a ticket. And I think if he sees me in person, he can't avoid it anymore.

Wait, and then he's just gonna have his bodyguards.

Stop you.

You think he has bodyguards. I don't know how rich is he. It's pretty rich, right, So either way, he could sue you.

You can put you can ask to go to a retraining order against you.

I knew what Monica would do. If you're not gonna go for this, then what are we doing? She'd go and confront him, just like she wanted me to confront Lachland and Greer. Plus, I was still thinking about my conversation with Indy DBT. You should help, you love to help. For the sake of my mental health, my family, and my actual career, I needed to take a break from and a trainer. I tried to move on, I really did, but then I went to see the producers of the film.

So you're what did they say?

Oh?

No, no, no, no, I wasn't the meeting It was fine, It was fine. Luckily the producers barely talked about the script. We got off on a tangent about Lord of the Rings that took up most of the time. It was the valet parking. When I came out to get my car, I saw the posted pricing. It was twenty four dollars, which, as suspected, is insanely high. But also I wondered why twenty four dollars? Why not twenty even or twenty five?

To do give them twenty four dollars.

No, if you don't have any ones, you give them two twenties and they have to give you change. As I watched the guy counting out my change, it occurred to me this pricing was probably intentional because if they

Lally.

When I woke up at five the next morning, the day of the breaking through panel, I didn't make tea and I didn't go to my computer to write. Instead, I loaded up my mics, my gear, and I got my car because mixed Alibi was no longer solid all right. I am parked on the street across from the LA Convention Center. It was still dark out. I had found a loading zone. Here's my thinking, which I ran by

Ju?

Yes? Look no, look I had to tape and so did the cocks, So I know that you and Anna were planning something.

Shit.

Wait, let's talk about it, you know, let's let's sit down. Just stop stop. We are not doing this.

Like this, Julie, please, okay, if you want to talk, you want to talk like a fucking person.

Manda Man, great, happy to thank you, figured, thank you. I strongly suggest you consult with your net less legal council. He said, yes, it looks like it. The woman Nick put me in touch with Julie set up a time for an interview. Oh my god, though it was it was truly truly horrible. It was just the worst. Like nobody would even look me in the eye. It was like, you know, I'm just the most annoying little like a like a journalist. Yeah, I mean I.

Remember your brother Shiloh was cool.

Yeah, Mick met me at one of those generic rental offices. We work kind of space.

You know, and you don't looking to care about the people from back then.

That's that actually want another truth.

That's the whole reason I wanted to do this. Oh, Julie is also recording this.

Are you gonna okay? Yeah? Cool?

Are you a lawyer?

No?

No, what do you think this is like some that position I'm in public relations for Jlight.

I set aside about fifteen minutes for this.

I might just interject, Okay, that's on schedule.

This is going to record because we knew that this and make it sound like I said something I never said.

I got my own coffee, fair enough, fair enough.

Julie had her phone with a mic attached. I suddenly wished I had someone with me too. I felt outnumbered. Let's just start with some basic questions. But Mick wasn't playing.

There was no case.

Back then, There's no case now sure, but I guess, well, well, do you remember seeing me that night?

Yes, of course, yes, you and her sister.

Right, Willow. And there was Chris de Lectio, Ryan Connor, guy in the Phantom mask, right, yeah, he Phantom of the Coffee Shopper.

Who came at me with a bat. Chris swung in my head took out my head light.

Did we hit his car? Yeah? Yeah, I think I think that's right. I went back and checked with Connor and Chris. Now Willow told us that he had the your tape, right or did you just tell us to like damage his car? Man? I don't. I don't remember at all, honestly.

I mean that's pretty simple, soul.

Well, okay, but what I remember is that we were trying.

To get you. Remember, those are the facts. That's what happened. Came at me with a bat, took up my head light.

All right, Well, we were just trying to get into your car, so we weren't attacking you by any means. You were we were just trying to distract you. Okay, okay, let's uh, let's talk about the party that earlier. That night, you got into a fight with Anna. Multiple people have said that you guys were screaming at each other. So what were you fighting about?

As I told the cops back then, I do not remember what the fight was about specifically.

I do remember that she had been drinking a lot, which was a little common.

I am not here to disparage Anna in any way.

Even though she dumbed you dumb me, Yeah, I mean she was like she moved on. You know, she was sleeping around, She partied at the Earth.

Remember that that had nothing to do with me.

And you know, she had a reputation. Everybody knew what she was doing. And yet here you are. When she pages you, you're come and running right get let me.

I was empathetic to hers that she was sure, Okay, she was in a tough spot. She did not have a father figure in her life. She was living with those feminazis. So yes, when she needed help, I would go out of my way to his.

Sister, okay, because he loved her.

I don't know what that even means. You know, when you're eighteen.

You don't know what love means.

I had a girlfriend at the time, yes, right.

But you didn't say that at the time. You didn't call her your girlfriend. That's not what you said. Yeah, I can show you the transcript, okay, because this is this is actually kind of important. You were interviewed by Maldonado and he asked you, is she your girlfriend? And you said no, no, this is this is from the transcript from the Sheriff's department. And then she asks or he asks you, is she hot? You're like, not even not even hot? And then like why did you go

Well, you tell me, man, like, is this like some me too stuff?

Oh my god, no.

Yes, I think I think we're done here.

Oh no, okay, So what did you do that night? Just tell me what you did?

What happened?

What's your version?

I got a page.

Yeah, I went to pick up Anna to help her again, she wasn't.

There, and I left, And then you went to your house, yes, and then I went to not your girlfriend? And you don't even think is hot? Okay, and then two weeks later, she registers a new car. Did you buy her a new car?

You think I bought a girl a car when I was eighteen?

Well, listen, I got the tape from her. Okay, you know about this tape. It's the tape that Anna made for you.

Okay, No, yeah, no, sorry, man, No, that's backwards.

Okay, you had that completely, but you know what I'm talking about.

I found that tape in my car when Anna left it with a bunch of her books and crap. And when I heard it, that's when I knew she was banging some older guy that takes not to me.

She says your name, No, she does this, She yes my name, Yes she does, she says mickey.

Okay, first of all, if someone called me mickey, they weren't doing it twice.

All right, let's listen. I have it, I have it. I want to I want to play this for you. I had my computer with me and I played in the clip.

Do it?

You're my sailor you're yours.

You're such an idiot. Okay, did you listen to the whole tape?

Did you listen to it all? Because what she's no idea? How many times I've listened.

Okay, she's using movie quotes throughout the entire thing.

Okay, so from what True Romance? There's Killers, the killer movie.

Natural Born Killers, right, Mickey, natural Born Killers.

I suddenly knew what he was talking about. Mickey and Mallory Knox from Natural Born Killers, the Oliver Stone movie. She wasn't saying his name. It was a mashup of quotes and characters. Sailor was from Wild at Heart, Mickey from Natural Born Killers, and You're So Cool was from True Romance, all movies about passionate, doomed lovers were running off together and becoming criminals hitting the road. He really, Oh this is great. Now, I'm glad I came and did this.

Look at you, you're freaking moron.

Okay, it's not to me. It's some guys. She even says they're not the same age.

I always said that she made that take for somebody else, an older guy.

Okay, I don't know who he is. I told him to look at the call leaders, the teachers. There was that one freak, that creep of Jacob who ran that senior name. I feel like we said, they just keep talking to me.

You went I'm sorry, You're just we're done, right, We're done, We're done, all right, Julie.

Come on, was it really not to Mick?

You said this thing last week? Said, oh, I'm glad you're sixteen at least, because I know it's because you just like want me to drive. But then it also can't be true that age doesn't matter, which, by the way, you say.

It all the time, how would I miss this my big move, finding Mick in front of him? It was a complete waste. I did finally feel like a journalist, and I guess that means feeling alone, inconvenient and feeling like everyone, the law and the public are against you. But finally there was an upside to the podcast being public writer.

It's leany trainor I wasn't to be honest, I didn't.

Want to call you back. Huh.

It's been I don't.

Know, it's been years, decades, But it feels like nothing when when something like this for me, this is yesterday, You know, this is yesterday. I had Willow and Anna and yesterday I was kicked out of Maldonano's fucking office.

You know that. They called me hysterical? Did you know that?

And then years years trying to get them, anybody to listen to me. So when Monica put out that story, yes, yes, yes, yes, this is what I have been saying all along.

They didn't want to do.

Their jobs, they didn't want to find her. They just wanted it to go away.

Anyways, I called Monica to thanker, and she said that I should talk to you, and that even if I didn't want to.

Be recorded, that I should talk to you.

So here I am calling.

I'm in Colorado. I don't want to send anything through the mail.

I'm not sending.

Anything through the mail, but I have things.

I have lots to show you, things you need to see. Okay, call me back, and I don't know.

I had to go to Colorado. The Red Weather is an iHeart podcast hosted by writer Straw, sound engineering, editing and mixing by Bou milkis produced by Tess Bartholomey. Executive producers at iHeartRadio Trevor Young and Matt Frederick, Associate producer Bo milkis original score by Kyle Morton. If you're enjoying the show, please remember to leave a review in rating. Thanks for listening.