The Serial Killer Trap: Suicide To Murder Part Two of Two - a Sydney Chase Mystery

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

0:01 Speaker 2: This is Crimson.

0:02 Speaker 1: And if you like what we're doing, hit that like button. And if you want to hear more, subscribe.

0:09 Speaker 3: When you sleep, you enter into another world. Beyond that world lies the doorway to nightmare.

0:22 Speaker 1: Nightmare.

0:45 Speaker 3: Come in. Welcome. I'm your host through the doorway to nightmare. Sidney Chase, a private detective, has been hired to look into the apparent suicide of Donnie Appleton. After looking at crime scene photographs, she convinces Lieutenant Ferreiro, who had closed the case, to reopen it. Now, another murder in the form of a staged suicide has happened, and Sidney has no clues or suspects.

1:22 Speaker 2: I keep looking at the photos and nothing is just jumping out at me.

1:28 Speaker 1: You're tired, Sidney. Maybe you should just get some rest.

1:33 Speaker 2: No, Alex, look! I know that you're my friend and that you mean well, but this is driving me up the wall.

1:40 Speaker 1: Carraro isn't making much headway either.

1:43 Speaker 2: Does he ever. What really worries me is there's absolutely no connection with either of the victims.

1:50 Speaker 1: Why does that have you worried?

1:52 Speaker 2: Because it means we possibly have a serial killer on our hands. And there is no way of knowing when he or she will kill again.

2:04 Speaker 3: Our mystery drama, The Conclusion of the Casebook of Sidney Chase, was written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and Crimson McKenzie, and stars Crimson McKenzie and Winslow Swan. It is brought to you in part by by Swanage Press. I'll be back shortly with Act One. It takes a rather unique individual to become a detective. It requires patience, investigative rigor, and higher ethics. In addition to being exposed to highly dangerous people, the process of solving a case can take weeks, months, or even years.

3:11 Speaker 1: Yes, I'm Dr. Alexander McDougal, Although my friend Sidney Chase, private detective, refers to me as McGoogle. All in fun, but she knows that it gets me every time. Since her husband passed away and I was the family doctor, we became close friends, playing chess every Wednesday, my equivalent of being on the golf course, and her way of keeping her mental faculties and sharp focus. She was hired to look into a possible case of suicide that turned out to be murder. When a second murder took place that also looked like a suicide, Lieutenant Ferrero decided that having Sidney on his side was probably a good idea.

4:05 Speaker 1: Now look, Sidney.

4:09 Speaker 4: You can look over the reports and picks all you want to, but hear me good.

4:14 Speaker 2: Well.

4:15 Speaker 1: What?

4:15 Speaker 2: It's hear me well. Not good.

4:19 Speaker 4: Whatever. Just make sure you stay out of my way.

4:23 Speaker 2: Any connection with Appleton?

4:25 Speaker 1: No.

4:25 Speaker 4: They lived across town from each other, didn't have friends in the same circle. Both were about to receive a lot of money, and except for that fact, that was the only thing that they did have in common.

4:36 Speaker 2: Then that is bad for you, Tony.

4:38 Speaker 3: Yeah.

4:38 Speaker 4: Why do you say that?

4:40 Speaker 2: It means that you just may have yourself a bona fide serial killer on your hands.

4:51 Speaker 1: Alex?

4:52 Speaker 2: Do you make it a habit to be in my apartment when I'm not home?

4:56 Speaker 1: Only when I know that you need some help. Sydney, I'm your friend, as well as your doctor. You're letting this case get to you.

5:08 Speaker 2: I suppose you're right. When I was with the force, I made it a point to make sure that cases were closed every single time. I also made sure that the facts were all correct.

5:19 Speaker 1: And you did an admirable job. Not one case of yours was ever left unsolved. Now that is a remarkable record, and one that you should be proud of.

5:31 Speaker 2: I am proud of my work, Alex. Now that I'm a private detective, I don't I feel like I'm making much of a difference. Maybe Ferrari is right. I should get back on the force.

5:44 Speaker 1: I'm not going to give you any sage advice other than you should do what makes you happy.

5:52 Speaker 2: If I don't have to work with Ferrari again, that would make me happy.

5:57 Speaker 1: And you know that he will be wherever you are assigned.

6:02 Speaker 2: The very reason that I don't go back to the force...

6:08 Speaker 2: And now there's this case. Two murders. Both with the same M.O. And not a thread of evidence to tie anyone to the crime.

6:17 Speaker 1: Yes, and neither victim had enemies. No family that wished them harm. Both were about to receive large sums of money and had made plans, so suicide is out. I.

6:30 Speaker 2: Notice that you've been looking at the pictures from both crime scenes.

6:33 Speaker 1: Well, sometimes a new pair of eyes are needed to see something, even if they are as old as mine.

6:39 Speaker 2: Well, just let me know if something jumps out at you.

6:42 Speaker 1: It amazes me, being a doctor, how frail the human body really is. It doesn't matter how healthy you live. It does not take much to destroy it. Even something as simple as... Too much caffeine can do it.

7:00 Speaker 2: Why do you say that?

7:02 Speaker 1: Oh, I was just being philosophical about the situation.

7:06 Speaker 2: No, I mean about the caffeine.

7:09 Speaker 1: Oh, that. Well, I was looking at the photos and noticed that cup of coffee in both of them.

7:15 Speaker 2: Where?

7:16 Speaker 1: Well, in the background on the table in the first one, and in the second one on that bookcase.

7:23 Speaker 2: Okay, so... Both victims enjoyed their coffee?

7:26 Speaker 1: Yes, but they are both from the same place. Brewmaster, over on 10th Street.

7:32 Speaker 2: How could you possibly know that?

7:35 Speaker 1: I have always wanted to say this, but... Elementary, my dear Sidney. The cups that they use are very unique. They are the only coffee shop that uses those horrid blue, green, and yellow motifs on their cups... One of my patients is always slipping one down on his visits.

7:58 Speaker 2: Let me see that. Okay, so they both drank the same coffee.

8:02 Speaker 1: Are we sure about that?

8:10 Speaker 5: Have you made any progress, Miss Chase?

8:12 Speaker 2: Well, Charlie, sort of. I do have a question for you.

8:17 Speaker 5: Of course, anything.

8:18 Speaker 2: Did your friend drink coffee?

8:21 Speaker 1: Every morning.

8:22 Speaker 5: We used to stop in at Brewmaster's. He would order his usual black coffee, and then dump about half a cup of sugar and cream into it.

8:31 Speaker 2: And that was every morning?

8:33 Speaker 1: Well, no.

8:35 Speaker 5: The morning that he received the check for his cartoon, we went and he ordered the most expensive coffee they had. I remember that it cost him over $ 30.

8:44 Speaker 1: Oh, must have been some coffee.

8:48 Speaker 2: Did you notice anything else about the coffee shop? The people that work there, the customers, anything at all?

8:54 Speaker 5: Well, it's a small place. Only three tables with a couple of chairs. I think that the couple that owns the place actually are the only workers. As for the customers, well, they're just ordinary people.

9:08 Speaker 2: Think hard. Back to the day he ordered that expensive coffee. Did anyone seem overly interested?

9:17 Speaker 5: Not that I... Wait a minute. Yes, now that you mention it, there was one guy.

9:24 Speaker 1: What did he look like? Oh, ordinary.

9:28 Speaker 5: Short hair. Brown, I believe, wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

9:33 Speaker 3: Funny, though.

9:33 Speaker 5: He didn't have a computer.

9:35 Speaker 2: Why is that funny?

9:36 Speaker 5: Well, most people go there because of the free Wi-Fi. This guy? He only had a notebook and a pen.

9:42 Speaker 1: Oh, that's not so unusual. I still use a notebook and pen.

9:48 Speaker 2: Still, Alex, it's worth noting.

9:50 Speaker 5: Now that I think about it, that guy was in there almost every... day. He always had headphones in, maybe listening to music and writing, perhaps. Maybe one of those artist people, but he didn't really look like one. Kinda gives me the creeps. Always looking up, staring, but when you looked back at him, he looked away. Always sitting at the same table.

10:21 Speaker 3: The police would call that a person of interest. Sidney perhaps has some other ideas. I'll return shortly with Act Two.

10:48 Speaker 3: Sidney Chase, Private Detective has very little to go on with her latest case. Her friend, Alex McDougal, retired doctor, has been tagging along and helping her out. Both are now in the office of Police Lieutenant Anthony Ferrero.

11:07 Speaker 4: So what do you want me to do?

11:09 Speaker 2: Don't you find it remotely interesting that both victims went to the same coffee shop?

11:14 Speaker 4: And how do you know that?

11:16 Speaker 1: Look at the photos!

11:18 Speaker 3: See?

11:18 Speaker 1: Right there.

11:19 Speaker 4: Okay, so they both drank coffee. What does that prove?

11:23 Speaker 2: It's the only connection that they have with each other. Or don't you see that?

11:28 Speaker 4: It might interest you to know that I have been doing some work. Our second Vic did not drink coffee.

11:37 Speaker 1: What?

11:37 Speaker 4: If you don't believe me, go and talk to the couple that runs the coffee shop. They know practically all of their customers.

11:52 Speaker 6: Oh, yes, I knew Mr. Appleton. Always wanted a black coffee, until the day he came in celebrating.

11:58 Speaker 2: Did you know Frank Marshall?

12:00 Speaker 6: Talk about ironic. Hits the lottery, comes in and gets his usual tea, and then hangs himself.

12:06 Speaker 2: Well, that's still under investigation.

12:09 Speaker 6: I couldn't believe it. He seemed so happy.

12:13 Speaker 3: Wait.

12:14 Speaker 2: You mean he ordered tea and not coffee?

12:15 Speaker 6: That's what I'm telling you.

12:17 Speaker 2: How can you be so sure?

12:18 Speaker 6: Because we serve the tea in a different cup than our coffee orders.

12:22 Speaker 1: These cups.

12:23 Speaker 2: Bright orange with a giant letter B on the side? Alex, let me see those pictures again.

12:32 Speaker 1: Something new in the case?

12:34 Speaker 2: I'm not sure. Okay, both cups are the same in both pictures.

12:39 Speaker 1: Why is that unusual?

12:40 Speaker 2: Because Brewmaster serves tea in a different kind of cup.

12:44 Speaker 1: Well, so?

12:45 Speaker 2: So where did the cup that had the coffee in it come from?

12:48 Speaker 1: Well, perhaps our victim had it delivered.

12:51 Speaker 2: According to the owner, Frank Marshall detested coffee, which is why he only ordered tea. And then there is our mysterious man without the computer.

13:01 Speaker 1: I take it that you have an idea brewing in that head of yours.

13:07 Speaker 2: No, just a theory.

13:10 Speaker 3: Alex.

13:11 Speaker 2: How would you like to go get some coffee?

13:27 Speaker 3: Alex looks at his friend, seeing the twinkle in her eyes. He is reminded of what Agatha Christie once said. Unless you are good at guessing, it is not much use being a detective. I'm guessing that you will join me for Act Three shortly. Author P.B. James once wrote that detective fiction confirms our belief that we live in a rational, comprehensible, and moral universe.

14:15 Speaker 7: Yes, sir.

14:16 Speaker 6: How may I help you?

14:17 Speaker 1: Oh, yes. I would like your very best. Something that not everyone would order.

14:23 Speaker 6: Oh, yes, sir.

14:25 Speaker 1: Oh, money is no object now. Pour your best, dear lady.

14:29 Speaker 6: My, you are in a good mood. Bit of good luck today?

14:34 Speaker 1: Ah, I found out that I have an inheritance. Really? Oh, yes. Some distant uncle who passed away a couple of years ago and named me as an heir. The estate has gone through probate and they are just now informing me about the fortune.

14:53 Speaker 6: A real fortune, sir?

14:55 Speaker 1: Oh, yes. I'll never have to work again. May I help you?

15:06 Speaker 7: You ordered a special coffee from Brewster's. I'm here to deliver it.

15:10 Speaker 1: Oh, well, thank you. Let me get my wallet and.

15:14 Speaker 7: Won't be necessary.

15:16 Speaker 1: I don't understand.

15:18 Speaker 7: People like you.

15:19 Speaker 8: The Montague, your good fortune. Not thinking about all the people who went to bed last night hungry or had nothing to eat today?

15:26 Speaker 1: Oh, perhaps you had better leave. Like the mother two.

15:29 Speaker 7: You're just like them.

15:30 Speaker 8: How many people are being thrown out of their homes today because they don't have the money to pay rent? Bet you never thought about them.

15:37 Speaker 1: Young man, why don't we sit and talk about... Nothing to talk about.

15:42 Speaker 8: You're just another rich pompous ass who doesn't deserve to live.

15:45 Speaker 7: Why don't you just die?

15:47 Speaker 2: Hold it.

15:48 Speaker 3: What?

15:49 Speaker 1: What is this?

15:50 Speaker 2: It's called a trap, young man. And you took the bait.

15:53 Speaker 1: Not one of my favorite terms. Where's Ferraro?

15:57 Speaker 3: I'm here.

15:58 Speaker 4: Wanted to make sure we got everything on tape.

16:01 Speaker 1: Come on.

16:01 Speaker 3: Let's go.

16:02 Speaker 4: Uh, Sidney, I.

16:05 Speaker 2: You don't have to say that you're wrong. A thank you will suffice.

16:11 Speaker 3: Right.

16:15 Speaker 1: And that is as close as you are ever going to get from that man.

16:20 Speaker 2: Oh, I think that he's coming around.

16:29 Speaker 1: And that is the story. Of course, there was no mention in the papers or TV news about Sidney's hand in the capture of the killer. Philip Wilson was targeting people who were affluent. Like so many, he felt it was wrong that someone else had money while there were people who could have benefited more. When police found his notebook, he had almost 20 names and addresses of potential victims. It was lucky, I suppose, that he only succeeded with two of them. As for Sydney Chase, we still play our weekly game of chess.

17:13 Speaker 1: She still looks for lost dogs or jewelry. And in my professional estimation, she is actually comfortable with her chosen profession.

17:39 Speaker 3: And I will be back with a final word. Crime is common. Logic is rare, wrote Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. While Sidney Chase does not always follow the rules or the deductive reasoning of Sherlock Holmes, it is still quite fun to follow her exploits. Our cast included Crimson McKenzie, Winslow Swann, Dave Arkapov, Raven Adams, Robert Jackson, and Brenna Faith. The entire production was under the direction of Winslow Swann, And the story was edited by Crimson McKenzie.

18:37 Speaker 2: Hey guys, it's Crimson. If you enjoy these, please hit that like button. That way we know and share it with all your friends.

18:48 Speaker 3: And now, a preview of our next tale.

18:52 Speaker 7: Oh yes, the birthday party for Katie.

18:55 Speaker 1: Yes, she's been looking forward to it for a very long time.

18:59 Speaker 7: Such a darling girl. Lovely girl. And I can see why she adores you. Does Katie know about her parents?

19:06 Speaker 1: What are you talking about? Just what sort of priest are you?

19:11 Speaker 3: Oh, this.

19:14 Speaker 7: Well, it does afford access to people's homes. And their lives. Their secrets.

19:22 Speaker 3: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. This is your host, inviting you to return with us through the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the world of your terrifying imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue The butler did it.