Good Night Little Rat

your house for lunch. There are some people I'd like to introduce you to. I'll, due respect, I don't know that I have time for a social call. Mr Tention. I'm aware that it's short notice, and I do apologize for not contacting you sooner. Will that be a problem tomorrow now it's it's not a problem. Is it's just been sometime since we've spoken, Mr Briggs. Eight weeks of

past eight weeks already. I'd like to hear how your investigation is going, of course, of course, but there's a lot that I'm in the middle of, a lot to work through, to organize that is, I should hope. So that's precisely why I hired you. That's really swallow. You do invite me, Mr Tench, but it'd probably be best if I followed up on a few leads first. What you're saying makes perfect sense. Good, I'm glad. However, I must insist Mr Mr Briggs. Have you been receiving my

checks each I have? Mr Guy comes same to him every Thursday. I believe this week marks the completion of the first ten thousand dollars. Isn't that correct? That's correct? Good. I just wanted to make sure that I was fulfilling my end of the deal to your satisfaction. Very much, so good. I would like you in attendance for lunch tomorrow at my home. Yes, Mr Tencher, why don't we say around half past noon? Half past it is? Have you been needing the address? No? I have it? Wonderful,

I'm very much looking forward to it. Wonderful. Yeah, wonderful. Just freaking copathetic the last time for lunch? What am I going to tell him? So Sam and Chess they call it a stalemate. Damn it. If you dare give him everything, you're a nittied if you tell him everything but stops him from getting someone else. Saw, I don't be an idiot lunch my ass, I'm gonna get sacked. Screw this, I'm taking the risk of the day off.

It goes for you too. I think Hank had good reason to worry that he'd be fired the present day equivalent of almost nine grand for what was now another dead end, And if Tench wasn't pleased, there's little chance that he would get a shot at another ten thousand. If I were Hank, I'd want to update tension, then pray that he didn't ask me any further questions. The last thing, I would want to sit opposite him and spit out a variety of imaginary theories and excuses. But

Hank wouldn't have to make any excuses. In fact, of the people gathered at Samuel Tench's house the following afternoon, Hank would end up doing the least amount of talking. From Vox Popula and the Los Angeles Harold, this is the Angel of Vine, my old heart, ankain and no ground because my angel's Hank recorded every turn of the drive to tents, even though he had the address of the property on Lomment to drive. He counts every turn, every street name, almost like a trail of bread crumbs.

Like he doesn't want to forget exactly how he got there. Maybe it's a detective thing. I don't know. But as he arrives at Tenches bell Air Mansion the next afternoon, he's clearly impressed, if not slightly resentful. Ok. You gotta be kidding me, Holy smoke. So much for the idea struggling artist. Sure as hell, don't feel bad about taking his money now. In fact, I'm gonna go get Phillis one of those paint by numbers sets. Jesus, every man's a Rembrandt, right, Maybe I should learn how to paint

by numbers. Good afternoon, sir, Mr Briggs, I presume good afternoon. You presume correct. Welcome Please do come in. Watch your step over the threshold. I do apologize for its appearance, so there was no one available to fix it until monday. No apology necessary. Really, May I hang your coat? Sir? Now it's okay, thanks. It may be a little warm in the God Marrier. I'm used to it. I'll manage, but thanks as you wish. Mr Briggs, please follow me. Wow,

what is that? Go? It's brass, sir, nice place, Mr Briggs. I'm so pleased that you could come good afternoon, Mr turch Geoffrey, Will you please tell the Lila to begin a tea service? Not traditional by any means, but scrumptuous nevertheless, right away, sir, Thank you Geoffrey. I hope I haven't brought you too far out of your way, not at all. Always nice to see where my clients live. Gives me a better idea of who they are. And what does my home tell you about me? Tells me you're one

hell of an artist. I enjoy your candor. Mr Briggs, Yeah, I'm all candor. How many commode you get in this place? What? There's a lovely breeze today? So I've asked the Lila to serve everything at the garden table tea. Yuh, I can't say I've ever had tea for lunch before. Oh no, sour dough toast burn on one side. Most days it's light, fair, but certainly not as light as that. No assorted scones, plotted cream and preserves. They thought I was joking when

I mentioned cucumber sandwiches. Who is this day? Mr Tench We're just out here? Who's that? I sent for them? Hoping they could be of some help to you, Mr Briggs. I would like to introduce you to Roy and Alice Knudsen. These are Marline's parents. Pleasure to meet you, sir, Yes, and thank you, I mean, thank you so much for your help, sir. Nice to meet you. When Mr Tench called Samuel, please, oh well, when Samuel told us that you would reopened the case, said, I had reopened the case.

We always knew that there was someone. You knew that the cops gave up too easy. We knew it too, And here you are. We haven't given up hope of finding justice for our Marline. Why don't we sit team, Mr Briggs? Sure, Samuel, it would be lovely. Thank you, Delilah. Mr and Mrs Newtson arrived to town yesterday. I'm sorry, I'm a little lost. How do you know each other? Well? We spoke with Mr Tinch over the phone, but we

didn't meet until just today. Still lost, Mr Tinch, I didn't expect you to travel to Idahos, who had seemed that the only logical sense was to accommodate them. I see, I thought that they might be able to offer you insight into their daughter, perhaps some information that you wouldn't otherwise be able to find. Could have just asked him over the phone. How would I know what questions to ask or what answers to look for. Is there a problem? No, no,

not at all. When Mr Tinch told us what you were doing, Mr Briggs, will we wanted to meet you face to face. I understand, and it's good to meet you too. It's just such a long way to travel, and it was. It really is much shorter to fly. That's why I offered. Now, Mr Tinch, I don't mean to offend here, but I already told you I'm not going up in one of those things. Let alone too. Trains just fine. It's only an eighty mile drive to Pocatello, and two days later here we are safe and sound

and on the ground in the most beautiful pink hotel. Pink. I've never seen anything like it. It just took my bath away. I'm standing there looking at a two toned rocket. The pair of us must have looked ridiculous in that parking lot. This poor man is trying to take a photograph. He didn't pay us any mind, went right back to his business soon as we walked away. Well it really is too much, Mrs Newtson. It's the very least I can do for the both of you. I'm very sorry

for your loss. Okay, thank you Mr Briggs. It hasn't been an easy time. I can't even imagine. So what can we tell you about our Marlene? Well, well, surely there there must be something. Of of course there is. If it's all right for me to ask you about her, well, whatever you need, Roy, like Alice said, what was she like? She was a performer from the very start. She was talking before she could even walk. Yeah, of to sing. We had her taking piano lessons from a very young age.

She did not like to practice, do you remember, Roy, how she would stomp around all the time, but eventually, eventually you would hear the scales up and down and up and down. She played so well, so beautifully. My friend Annette she said she had this incredible ear for music, Daddy, and that says, I have perfect pitch. Yeah, that's what

she called her. There was a man in Twin Falls who she read about in the paper, a Charlie or Carrie I know, something like that, who had collected the autographs of people like you know, Bob Hope and being Crosby said. Crosby wrote to him twice a year after that, she said, Mama, my autograph is going to make somebody very happy. One day senior year of icycle and she was smarter than all those other girls by a mile. Well, that's the only reason Roy let her go to Hollywood

in the first place. I wasn't so fond of those pageants at the time. Why is that no reason she needed to be parading around in a bathing suit like that? Roy, You know very well she wasn't comfortable with that. Part of it was I she was incredibly modest. She one second runner up trophy still on the mantel. And what about when she got to California? She wrote home twice a week, I've found an apartment that has a television in it. She got a job real quick, and she

called home when she got that coffee advertisement. Remember that, I'm a real actress, Daddy. She she was a act It didn't seem she knew a whole lot of people. Here. Is there anyone I'm missed? Maybe? M M, well, I know there was Gladys. She lived with Gladys. She mentioned a dancer named Sylvia who having a rough time. Oh, she had a friend from work named Virginia. Who's Virginia. You're going to find him right, whoever did this to her? Mr Knutson, I am doing everything here. Please don't give

me that package nonsense. The police did everything we can speech. I'm a firefighter, Mr Briggs, I know how to deliver news nobody wants to hear. So you can just spare me the horseshit. We don't want that, we don't need it. You don't have to protect us. Mr Tent showed me what that monster did to my little girl. Can you find the man who took the spine out of my daughter's please? I will? Mr Tench, may I speak to you a moment? Of course? Why don't we all take

a moment, Delilah? Would you bring another pot? I'm sure this is all lukewarm by now y. I'm sorry, it's okay. What do you have screws or something? You show them photos of her body? It was at his request. Mr Briggs calmed down. She hasn't seen them. She didn't want That is not the point. Why would you do that for what reason? Why? What? What? What right do you have? What right? That's awfully sanctimonious of you, Mr Briggs? Every right,

and you're confusing the bearers of this awful burden. It's not my right, it's his right. It was his right and his choice to see what was done to his only daughter. Wouldn't you want that choice? Why the did you tell him I reopened the case? Don't you think that everyone deserves hope? I get it bringing them here. I get what you're trying to do. Will you please leave the police work to me? My apologies. I thought I was being helpful, and what if I can't deliver,

I still faith in you. You didn't answer my question. You shouldn't be thinking about camp. The last thing I need is you frustrated at the bottom of a bottle with my money in your bank account. That's awfully harsh, even for you. But honest, I'll leave the police work to you if you leave the pep talking to me? How long are this thing in time? A few days? All right? Well? If I think of anything else, I'll give you a call. I should say goodbye. I guess

don't look so concerned. You don't have to. I told him you had very limited time today. I should say goodbye. Whatever you think is best. Hanks has goodbye to them with the explanation that he wants to get back to work, which they are eager for him to do. Jeoffrey the butler walks him back down the long hallway and he goes back to his He doesn't say a word after that. It's clearly blindsided, to the point where I think it

took him off his game. Or maybe it didn't. You tell me, Mrs Knittson mentioned a friend of Marlene's name Virginia, right, and Hank never asked any follow up questions. So who is this Virginia? And how do you find a person of interest in a city of two million first names? I don't know. I attention thought that surprising Hank with Marlene's parents was a good idea. I understand his reasoning, but maybe maybe I'm wrong. After all, all I have

to offer here is my opinion. But I cannot imagine a world where I am sitting across the table from parents who have lost their child in such a brutal way, and that somehow I'm responsible for their only chance at lasting piece. I don't understand how that can be helpful. I had a hard enough time accepting the responsibility caring for these tapes. After what I just played you, there

was only one tape left from my first haul. I made a few road trips back and forth to Seattle during all this, fifteen hours from Melaid and Multnomah Falls in Oregon, great place to stop and stretch your legs, by the way, and then another three hours to Seattle. There was no way I was going to ship them, and I didn't want to take more than a few boxes at a time. For one, I feared being completely overwhelmed by the amount of information I was facing potentially

and worst that I wouldn't know what to do with it. Too, Even though I had been given permission, a part of me felt guilty for taking all that remained of Hank. They've just found him, and I was taking pieces of him away. So my second trip up to see Bethan Phillis was right after Hank had met Marlene's parents, which turned out to be very appropriate timing. Maybe when Tench told Hank to get some rest, he went straight home.

I say that because at the end of the tape was the first time I heard Hank with a then seven year old Phillis. It's just really necessary, yes, absolutely necessary. I will not be denied hearing baby you. I am never going to do the end of this never so he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged, and then

he scrooged again. He scrabbled and scratched and scraped. Oh my god, if that's you, and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, we go, we got pop. His snout came out into the sunlight. He found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow. This is fine, he said to himself. This is better than whitewashing. O somebody sleepy. Mh, you are too. We'll read more tomorrow. Sweeting glass your heart there,

you want to press it? Yeah, okay, go ahead. That was so sweet. You were so cute. I don't remember that a book was that The Wind and the Willows. Ye have zero recollection of it? Are we done? Sorry? I'm not a licensed family therapist, so I don't know if playing that for them was the right thing to do or not. But I do know is that it wasn't my choice to make. Much like Tench, I merely

presented the information. And that's not me being manipulative. By the way I knew that I wouldn't be sharing updates as far as the case was concerned, But they remained this second mystery, and the one that was the most relevant to them, who was Hank Briggs. I returned to l A with three more boxes to go through and eventually worked out the timeline. Thanks to hanks continued reading on what I call the philist tapes, they managed to read A Wind in the Willows all the way to

chapter five. Mr Toad. As wonderful as this time must have been for him, Hank couldn't ignore his duty. In fact, sharing these moments with his own daughter possibly made it worse. He returned to his irrational office discipline with renewed into tensity, more obsessive, more discouraged than before. It was jarring, which reminded me of what Beth had said about Hank the first time she heard him, And there he was my grandfather, and there was a immediate sense of urgency in his voice.

And so I stopped it. Will got it who told somebody that, sum bitch, it's nothing nothing. This behavior continued for a while. He wasn't always breaking things, but his emotion is ferocity. Now remember that I said that Hank would receive two phone calls that would change everything right. The phone call from Tench, which led to Marline's parents, was the first. This one was the second. No no, no, no, no, now coming in thank Briggs, Hank Adler Harrison, good afternoon, doctor.

Sure it took your sweet time. It was out of my control. I didn't think I was going to hear from you. That makes the both of us. Don't sound so disappointed. I'm not that bad. So your boss come around yet. Leonard Shaw would like to meet you at the studio at his house. That's some boss. Yeah, you'll probably want to keep that to yourself. I advise that you find a way to behave yourself in general while you're there. Is that a threat? I hope not. Thursday afternoon,

four o'clock. No need to ring the bell. All open the front door. We wait. Why are you going to be there because he wants me there? Are you really gonna argue? This one's Friday at four address Phil send his driver to your office at half past three yea. Over the next few nights, Hank and Phillis were able to plow through to chapter eight Toads Adventures. It wasn't as intense as the moments of him alone in his office, but there was a definite sense of purpose, as if

he wanted desperately to finish the story with Phyllis. He was reading for Phyllis and for himself, almost as if he knew that he would never see her again. He looked and understood the silence, with a smile of much happiness on his face and something of a listening look still lingering there. The weary rat was fast asleep. Mhm, look that goodnight, little rat. The Angel of Vine is a podcast produced by Vox popular on behalf of the Los Angeles Herald. Thank you for listening to the Angel

of Vine. If you'd like to support us, please leave us a review and tell your friends to subscribe. The Angel of Vine is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and all major podcast apps. If you can't wait for the next episode of The Angel of Vine, episode seven through ten are available right now exclusively on Stitcher Premium, as well as Angel of Vine bonus episodes, extended episodes,

and add free episodes. Go to Stitcher Premium dot com, slash angel and use promo code Angel to get your first month of Stitcher Premium Free. The Angel of Vine is direct did by E. Ryan Martz, written by Oliver Vacare. Story about E. Ryan Marts, Jason Salmwalt and Oliver Vakare. Sound designed by Joel Robbie and Kevin du Sablon. Produced by Vox Popular in association with Forever Dog Podcast Network.

This episode's performances by Joe Manganello, Alan Tutick, Constant Zimmer, Camilla Luddington, Misha Collins, Eric Bouza, Steve Bloom, Mary Elizabeth McGlenn, Coco Lamoreau Cree Summer, and Oliver Vacare. Angelis is performed by Desy Dennis Dylan piano and arrangement by James Harper. Composed by Matt Dennis, Lyrics by Earl Brent from downtown Los Angeles. This has been the Angel le Vine. You'll hear more from us soon. Oh is my Joe? H mm? Excuse me while I did supppear