No One Believes Her: A Gritty Female Private Eye Story

0:00 Speaker 1: Hi, this is Winslow.

0:01 Speaker 2: This is Crimson.

0:03 Speaker 1: And if you like what we're doing, hit that like button.

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0:14 Speaker 3: The Casebook of Sydney Chase. Produced and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Written and directed by Winslow Swan. And featuring Dave Arkapov, Will Dorman, Winslow Swan, and starring Crimson McKenzie as Sydney Chase. Tonight's episode, Miss Folsom.

0:41 Speaker 2: At least the newspaper spelled my name correctly this week.

0:45 Speaker 1: It's a very impressive ad, Sydney.

0:47 Speaker 2: Hopefully it will pay for itself, and soon.

0:51 Speaker 1: Oh, did you see the front page?

0:54 Speaker 2: I saw it.

0:55 Speaker 1: Michael Guilford recovers from surgery. Hmm. I wonder what was wrong with him.

1:03 Speaker 2: Who cares, Alex? I mean, he is the biggest crime lord in the city.

1:09 Speaker 1: Now, now, that was never proven.

1:13 Speaker 2: The one case they would never put me on. I'm sure old Ferrari had something to do with that.

1:19 Speaker 1: Oh, come now, Sidney. You don't really believe.

1:22 Speaker 4: Alex!

1:23 Speaker 2: Mike Kingpin Guilford... killed one of the best undercover cops we ever had.

1:30 Speaker 1: But you could never prove it.

1:31 Speaker 2: I could have, if I'd been given half of a chance. I still say he is guilty. I mean, come on, one of the biggest drug dealers, and he seems to be untouchable. Well, hi there, Miss Folsom. What brings you to this part of town?

1:56 Speaker 5: Hello, Sydney. So nice to see you again.

1:59 Speaker 2: Why don't you come in?

2:01 Speaker 5: Thank you so much.

2:04 Speaker 2: Alex, I would like to introduce.

2:06 Speaker 1: Betsy, you old girl. How are you?

2:10 Speaker 5: Hello, Alex. Still practicing?

2:12 Speaker 1: Oh, semi-retired, thank you.

2:15 Speaker 2: How do you know Miss Folsom?

2:17 Speaker 5: Alex and I go way back, don't we?

2:20 Speaker 1: Well, it was... Way before I met my wife, Sidney. So now don't think that.

2:28 Speaker 2: I wasn't thinking anything.

2:30 Speaker 1: But how do you know her?

2:32 Speaker 2: She was my first client.

2:34 Speaker 5: I had a break-in, and some rather priceless antique jewelry was stolen.

2:40 Speaker 1: Didn't the police help?

2:41 Speaker 5: Sidney is better than any copper I know of.

2:46 Speaker 2: Yes, she talked to Ferrari and then promptly called me. I had just received my private investigator's license the morning she called.

2:56 Speaker 5: Lucky for me. Anyway, it only took two days for Sydney to find my property.

3:02 Speaker 2: Wasn't that hard. I figured that the thieves didn't know what they had actually stolen and used one of our local pawn shops. I got the information and some lovely photos of the suspects. Turned everything over to Ferraro, and that was that.

3:19 Speaker 5: I wanted to give her a bonus, but the dear girl wouldn't hear of it.

3:24 Speaker 2: It really wasn't necessary. So, what can I do for you today?

3:28 Speaker 5: Well, it is a little embarrassing now that I'm actually here.

3:33 Speaker 2: Why don't you let me be the judge of that? What's going on?

3:36 Speaker 5: I think something is going on at my house when I'm not there.

3:40 Speaker 1: Another break-in?

3:42 Speaker 5: Oh, no. Nothing like that. It just feels... Well, different.

3:47 Speaker 2: Okay, well, why don't you start at the beginning?

3:50 Speaker 5: That's the hard part. I don't know where the beginning actually is.

3:55 Speaker 1: Would you like a drink, Betsy?

3:56 Speaker 2: Sure. I mean.

3:59 Speaker 5: That would be most appreciated.

4:01 Speaker 2: So when did you think that something started happening at your home?

4:05 Speaker 5: I suppose it was almost a month ago. I decided that I needed a change of scene. Nothing fancy, just a small vacation. You know that my home is very isolated, and I was getting, well, lonely.

4:21 Speaker 1: And you do have a very lovely home, Betsy.

4:24 Speaker 2: Yes, but ten miles out of town and the nearest neighbor almost two miles away can make one lonely.

4:32 Speaker 5: Oh, I'm not complaining. I was never a very social person, and the privacy is welcoming.

4:38 Speaker 2: But you decided to take a vacation.

4:40 Speaker 5: Even I need some sort of human contact every once in a while.

4:45 Speaker 1: Well, where did you wind up going?

4:46 Speaker 5: Just down to Miami for a quick cruise. Nothing very special.

4:51 Speaker 1: Well, more importantly, did you have a good time? Oh, yes.

4:55 Speaker 5: It was very relaxing. That is, until I came home.

4:59 Speaker 6: What happened?

5:01 Speaker 5: Oh, nothing really. Actually, I feel a little foolish coming here.

5:07 Speaker 2: Oh, please don't say that, Miss Folsom. Just tell us what happened.

5:11 Speaker 5: It wasn't just one thing. It was just a lot of little things.

5:16 Speaker 1: Like what, Betsy?

5:17 Speaker 5: Just small things.

5:18 Speaker 2: For instance?

5:20 Speaker 5: Well, you know my collection of ceramics.

5:23 Speaker 1: Oh, yes, and quite an impressive collection it is.

5:26 Speaker 5: I noticed that a couple of the small statues had been moved, oh, not very far. It was as if someone had picked them up and set them down again, but in the wrong place.

5:39 Speaker 2: Hmm, curious. Anything else?

5:42 Speaker 5: I noticed that there were a few slices of bread missing from a brand new loaf. I wouldn't have noticed had it not been for the peanut butter jar and the knife laying next to it.

5:54 Speaker 1: Well, did you tell anyone of your impending vacation?

5:58 Speaker 5: Only the mail carrier. Oh, and Tom Spelling.

6:02 Speaker 2: Who was that?

6:03 Speaker 5: Just a local handyman who comes around looking for work. Poor man. I always try to find something for him to fix.

6:11 Speaker 2: Do you think that it could have been him that went through your home?

6:14 Speaker 3: Oh, no.

6:15 Speaker 5: He was the first person that I suspected. Turns out he was in the hospital all that week. Poor dear. Broke his leg falling off a ladder the very day I left.

6:28 Speaker 1: Could he have mentioned your absence to anyone?

6:31 Speaker 5: I suppose he could have, but that wasn't the strangest thing.

6:35 Speaker 1: Really?

6:37 Speaker 5: I had to go to Windsor this past weekend. My friend had surgery and needed some help. When I returned... Let me guess. Things moved around? More food gone? That sort of thing?

6:50 Speaker 1: Yes!

6:51 Speaker 5: Sidney, I don't know what is going on, but something is.

7:04 Speaker 7: Hi, Sidney. What brings you down here today?

7:07 Speaker 2: Hiya, hot dog.

7:09 Speaker 4: His name is Duffman. Why are you here?

7:13 Speaker 2: Just wanting to see how you guys are doing.

7:15 Speaker 7: Oh, we're just hanging in.

7:17 Speaker 4: Shut up, Frank. She's just looking for information.

7:21 Speaker 2: Me? Information? What are you talking about, Ferrari?

7:26 Speaker 4: I know you too well, Chase.

7:28 Speaker 1: All right.

7:29 Speaker 2: Fine. You got me. What do you know about Betsy Folsom?

7:33 Speaker 4: You mean the crazy lady... Up on Mountaintop Lane.

7:36 Speaker 2: Hey, that's rather rude.

7:39 Speaker 4: Don't tell me she hired you.

7:41 Speaker 2: That is not relevant.

7:43 Speaker 4: Go ahead, Frank. Tell her.

7:45 Speaker 7: We have had the pleasure of her company, Miss Chase. She made a report that someone had broken into her house.

7:51 Speaker 2: Did you at least check it out?

7:53 Speaker 4: No, Sidney. We used our Ouija board. Of course we checked it out.

7:58 Speaker 2: Oh, let me guess. It went to goodbye. What did you find?

8:03 Speaker 1: Nothing.

8:04 Speaker 7: No sign of a break-in, and there wasn't anything missing.

8:09 Speaker 4: Except for a couple of slices of bread and some peanut butter.

8:13 Speaker 2: What about the second time?

8:15 Speaker 7: Second time? We didn't get anything about a second break-in.

8:18 Speaker 2: Oh, of course not, because you guys did so well on the first go-round.

8:24 Speaker 4: Look, Sidney, I sympathize with the old girl, I really do. But unless we can find evidence of a crime, there isn't anything we can do.

8:45 Speaker 2: Yeah? Tom Spelling?

8:47 Speaker 1: Who wants to know?

8:48 Speaker 2: I'm Sydney Chase, a private investigator. I was wondering if I might ask you a few questions about Miss Folsom.

8:55 Speaker 1: She's a nice lady.

8:57 Speaker 7: I would do anything for her.

8:59 Speaker 1: She is.

9:00 Speaker 2: Um, where were you when she took her vacation?

9:03 Speaker 1: I was in the hospital.

9:05 Speaker 2: Broke my leg.

9:07 Speaker 1: Had to have surgery.

9:08 Speaker 2: Ooh.

9:09 Speaker 1: Still hobbling a little.

9:10 Speaker 6: I'm sorry.

9:12 Speaker 2: Did you happen to mention her trip to anyone?

9:15 Speaker 1: Um, I don't really remember.

9:18 Speaker 4: I mean, I could have.

9:20 Speaker 2: Think hard, Tom. Could someone have possibly overheard you?

9:24 Speaker 1: I don't know.

9:26 Speaker 6: Hello?

9:31 Speaker 2: Miss Folsom? Yes, everything is fine. I was wondering if you could possibly take another trip. No, nothing long. Just the weekend.

9:43 Speaker 1: Well, yes.

9:44 Speaker 2: As a matter of fact, I do have a few.

9:47 Speaker 5: ideas.

9:47 Speaker 6: So, what are we doing here, Sydney?

10:00 Speaker 2: Alex, have you ever heard of a stakeout?

10:03 Speaker 1: Oh, is that what we are doing?

10:05 Speaker 2: If you get hungry, I brought sandwiches.

10:07 Speaker 1: You didn't happen to bring a warm bed with you.

10:10 Speaker 2: I couldn't fit it into the cooler. I think the seat reclines.

10:16 Speaker 1: Oh, very funny. So what are we looking for?

10:20 Speaker 2: I'm not exactly sure. Just keep your eyes peeled.

10:24 Speaker 1: Where is Betsy?

10:25 Speaker 2: She's upstate for the weekend. I told her to get a nice spa treatment and a huge steak.

10:30 Speaker 1: Well, how long do we have to stay out here?

10:34 Speaker 2: As long as it takes, Alex. Now don't worry.

10:38 Speaker 1: What do you expect to happen?

10:39 Speaker 2: Just working on a hunch.

10:49 Speaker 1: Now, who could that be?

10:52 Speaker 2: Hand me the camera, Alex.

11:01 Speaker 3: It's got to be here. Look around. You guys spread out. Search every inch of this place. If we don't find that book, we're all going.

11:09 Speaker 2: To be dead. Sidney!

11:11 Speaker 4: Is that.

11:12 Speaker 1: What's he doing here? Yep.

11:15 Speaker 2: The big man himself.

11:23 Speaker 4: All right, Sidney.

11:24 Speaker 1: We're here.

11:25 Speaker 4: Now, what I want to know is, why.

11:27 Speaker 1: Are we here?

11:28 Speaker 5: How about some tea?

11:30 Speaker 4: Um, no thank you, Mrs. Folsom.

11:33 Speaker 5: How about you, Detective?

11:35 Speaker 7: Yes, please.

11:36 Speaker 4: Uh, Frank?

11:38 Speaker 7: Um, no thank you.

11:40 Speaker 4: So tell us, why did you find it necessary to call on us?

11:46 Speaker 2: Take a look at these, Ferrari.

11:48 Speaker 7: Hey, that looks like.

11:50 Speaker 2: it is.

11:52 Speaker 7: That's Mike Guilford.

11:53 Speaker 4: Where did you get these, Sidney?

11:55 Speaker 2: Last night, right outside Miss Folsom's house. Now ask yourself, why would the most notorious criminal in the city be doing way out here in the middle of nowhere?

12:04 Speaker 1: I found it, Sidney. I found it right where you said it would be.

12:10 Speaker 4: What's going on? Would someone please fill us in?

12:13 Speaker 2: It's quite simple. Mike Guilford must have needed a place for a quiet meeting. I'm sure the cops are watching him very closely.

12:21 Speaker 7: You aren't kidding. We knew he was up to something, but couldn't find out what.

12:26 Speaker 4: There were some other rather nasty characters coming into town for a big meeting, according to our information.

12:33 Speaker 1: So you staked out the usual places.

12:36 Speaker 2: But what you overlooked were the unusual places.

12:40 Speaker 4: I still don't follow you, Sydney.

12:43 Speaker 2: I talked to the handyman, Tom, and he was in the hospital. He just happened to be in the same room with Mike Guilford. who had surgery the same week that Tom broke his leg. Mike had to have overheard Tom talking about Miss Folsom and the house in the middle of nowhere.

13:01 Speaker 7: And he thought, what a perfect place for a meeting. But why would he come back here after the meeting was over?

13:07 Speaker 1: May I, Sidney?

13:10 Speaker 2: Please, Dr. MacGoogle.

13:12 Speaker 7: Do you ever get used to that?

13:14 Speaker 1: Oh, it grows on you. Anyway... It seems that Mr. Guilford has a fondness for roses.

13:22 Speaker 5: I do have a lovely rose garden.

13:25 Speaker 2: That you do, Miss Folsom.

13:27 Speaker 1: While Mike Guilford was admiring the roses, he must have bent over and dropped something out of his pocket.

13:35 Speaker 4: Like what?

13:37 Speaker 2: Oh, just a diary of every crime he ever committed. Quite interesting read as well. I think you'll be able to close a lot of cases and put him away for, oh, at least 13 lifetimes.

13:53 Speaker 4: Frank, get on the radio. I want Mike Guilford picked up tonight.

13:57 Speaker 7: Already on it, sir.

13:59 Speaker 2: Tony, don't you have something to say to Miss Folsom?

14:03 Speaker 1: Um, Mrs. Folsom, I, um.

14:07 Speaker 5: It's quite all right. You don't have to say it. It's the thought that counts.

14:13 Speaker 6: Now.

14:14 Speaker 5: How about some tea?

14:15 Speaker 2: I think that would be lovely.

14:17 Speaker 5: Oh, and Sydney, here is your fee. With a little bonus.

14:22 Speaker 2: That's really nice.

14:23 Speaker 4: Sydney, take the win.

14:25 Speaker 6: I was about to.

14:27 Speaker 2: Say seeing Ferraro almost apologize was bonus enough. But yes,

14:34 Speaker 2: I will take the win and the check.

14:41 Speaker 3: You've been listening to The Casebook of Sidney Chase. Tonight's episode, Miss Folsom, was produced and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Directed by Winslow Swan. Our cast included Annie Mick as Miss Folsom. William Stafford as Tom Spelling. Mick Davis as Mike Guilford. Will Dorman as Frank Duffman. Dave Arkapov as Tony Ferraro. Winslow Swan as Alex McDougal. and starring Crimson McKenzie as Sydney Chase. This is your announcer, Mick Davis, inviting you to join us for another adventure from the Casebook of Sydney Chase.