Caught

Michael Nubold’s perfect life begins unraveling when detectives Chisholm and Titus probe into his history and therapy sessions with suspect, Grant Pauli.  And Kenzie Pratt, once again, trespasses into his intimate space, files and trauma.

Host Elijah Summerfield

Producer/Network   Darkside Thrillers Radio Drama

Author and Narrator Gem Wodahl

This is a Darkside Thrillers production.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:08

This is Dark Side Thrillers, your weekly turn on and tune in to serialized fiction, taking you into those bone-chilling moments when humanity twists beyond the point of no return. And you just know. I am your host, Elijah Summerfield, welcoming you to Dark Side Thrillers. Season one. It begins with Kept, an eight-week serialized thriller by Jem Woodall. You get hooked into the lives of three sociopaths. One who kills, one who hunts for truth, and one who will kill to hide it. Among bones and trophies under a cathedral, there's a kept secret with an appetite to hunt. Adult content, audience discretion advised.

SPEAKER_03 1:23

In last week's episode, Jack and Ellie probed into Michael's past, and Jack arrived at Michael's lecture hall, wanting files on Grand Pauli. Rogue detective Kenzie Pratt braved Brigan and began her search in Michael's private world. Will she be brave enough to open doors? Episode 10. Michael ended class early and decided to organize his files for Detective Chisholm. He parked in front of his house, leaving the driveway for the detective's cruiser. Before walking down his drive, he caught sight of the classic red 964 turbo Porsche he had seen parked at the cathedral. It was Kenzie's. He wondered if she were waiting for him. He felt a strange mix take hold of him. Anger because she was trespassing. Pity because she was a girl abandoned and hurting. And fear because she was crazed enough to damage him. He remembered a friend's words about a big cat that attacked its trainer in front of school kids. The trainer probably did something that he didn't know he was doing that tripped something hardwired into the cat's brain. When you've got these hard-wired behavior patterns, like predatorial behavior or hunting, or maternal behavior, or anti-predatorial behavior, it doesn't take much to trip them. Michael felt Kenzie was a wild construction of brutal resolve. And if he wasn't careful, he'd trip something in her hard-wired self-survivalist brain. And she'd kill him. He walked to her car and looked in. A backpack was thrown on the passenger seat. On the floor in the back were carelessly discarded half-eaten lunches and empty smoothie containers. He walked back to the house, and when he tried the back entrance, he found the French doors unlocked. Suddenly, remembering he was supposed to meet up with Sharice, he called to reschedule.

SPEAKER_04 3:52

It's me. Something's come up. I hate to cancel, but can you come over later? I don't care how late. Yeah? Ten? I'll leave the back door open. And stay the night. Okay?

SPEAKER_03 4:09

He stepped into his back hall and stood motionless, breathed shallow, and listened for noises. What if Mac was in there in the storage room? She thought. Hurt. Tied up. Unconscious. She looked at the cage and the dead thing on the floor. She looked back at the door and pressed her ear against it. She stared at the dried blood on the doorknob, then reached for it. She turned it slowly, then stopped. There was a noise above her, like a door sliding shut. The patio doors, she thought. The one she unlocked. Was he home? Why was he home so soon? She reasoned he would walk into the house, maybe upstairs to his office, if she kept quiet.

unknown 5:08

I'll wait.

SPEAKER_03 5:09

I'll run when I think he's on his computer or in the shower. I'll wait, she thought. She turned around and found her way back to the stairs. The aged wood creaked with her weight as she ascended slowly. Michael remained motionless in the hallway. He heard the stairs. She was on her way up. He walked toward the basement door, which had two arched glass windows, and stood close to it, but out of sight. Kenzie stopped halfway up the staircase, staring at the glass windows. Suddenly the hall light came on. A figure emerged out of the dark and looked down at her. It was Michael. Fuck, she thought.

unknown 6:03

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

SPEAKER_03 6:06

She froze and watched him slowly open the door. He stared at her. Salty saliva lurched up her throat, its acid cutting her tongue.

SPEAKER_04 6:20

She wanted to throw up. Don't vomit. I just painted the stairs. You look like you've eaten the head of a dead rabbit. I'll make us an herbal tea. I'll be in the living room. Just don't throw up. You'll have to clean it. And don't try to leave.

SPEAKER_03 6:43

He left the door opened and disappeared. She listened, didn't move, felt cemented to the stairs. But when she heard the kettle hiss, she let logic take over and followed the apple cinnamon steam to the living room and found Michael sitting in an oversized leather chair. I can't stay.

SPEAKER_04 7:07

Really? You think you have an option to leave? You will stay until I'm done. Now sit down. The tea is too hot. Blow on it.

SPEAKER_03 7:19

He placed the tea on a round table in front of her. She sat quietly and watched it cool.

SPEAKER_04 7:26

That's a good girl, Kens. With your record, what would your dad think about you breaking into my home? And also, coincidentally, the police are dropping in around seven.

SPEAKER_03 7:40

She raised her eyebrows doubtfully.

SPEAKER_04 7:42

Seriously, they are. I'd hate to have to report you to them. So let's be open to suggestions, to alternatives.

SPEAKER_03 7:52

He wondered if he should bring this up now or wait for her to do real damage in a week or two. He thought he'd risk it.

SPEAKER_04 8:01

I have something for you.

SPEAKER_03 8:02

She didn't care what he had and was annoyed.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

How did you know I was here? Oh, wait, you saw the car.

SPEAKER_04 8:11

I recognized it from the cathedral. And you left the sliding door opened. Who else would trespass?

SPEAKER_03 8:19

They both knew there was nothing he could say or do at this point that would terrify her. Getting used to imminent death tamed her fears a long time ago. So she felt brave and much more menacing than Michael.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

There's a dead thing in your basement.

SPEAKER_04 8:38

I should throw that away.

SPEAKER_03 8:40

He stretched his hand toward Kenzie. Your phone, please. She didn't resist.

SPEAKER_02 8:45

Who is the little girl in your family photos? She looks like you. There aren't many photos of her growing up.

SPEAKER_04 8:53

Marianna, my twin. She wandered off and never came back.

SPEAKER_02 8:58

Where's Mac?

SPEAKER_04 8:59

The truth is, I don't know. I had nothing to do with his disappearance.

SPEAKER_02 9:04

Who did? The thing you keep at the cathedral? What is it, anyway? Canine, feline, primate? Does it have a name?

SPEAKER_03 9:14

He looked at the photos she took and deleted them.

SPEAKER_04 9:18

Kovu. Her name is Kovu. Did you see her?

SPEAKER_02 9:22

Kovu. She made this sound like a growl, but not exactly. What does Kovu mean?

SPEAKER_04 9:31

Look it up.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

I think she saw me. I think she likes me.

SPEAKER_04 9:36

Impossible. She's not very empathetic, but she does love me. She'd do anything for me. There's no command she'd think twice about disobeying.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

Maybe she's more empathetic than you think.

SPEAKER_03 9:52

They sat in silence, with Michael staring at her pale skin and Kenzie staring back, wanting to unnerve him.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

I saw the photos of your parents and the headlines of the fire. Did you set the fire?

SPEAKER_04 10:07

No, I did not set the fire. And I'm convinced if you had gone through what I went through in childhood, you would have burned the whole fucking place down and everything in it long before it happened. Do you want the truth?

SPEAKER_02 10:25

Sure, although I doubt it's the truth.

SPEAKER_04 10:28

I didn't try to save them. I've never been able to forget their cries, their choking, their threats. But the memories don't stop me from sleeping.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

I bet. What'd they do to you?

SPEAKER_04 10:44

You don't need to know. That would be cruel.

SPEAKER_02 10:47

You said you had something for me.

SPEAKER_04 10:49

Yes, I do. A gift.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

He paused to study her, how her eyes widened and sparked with curiosity. So what is it?

SPEAKER_04 10:59

I know about Langerhand's cell hystocytosis. LCH. You've been in the news since your violin made the world fall in love with you. You and your CEO dad. I know the disease is rare in adolescence and is slowly killing you. As you probably know, my parents were in pharmaceuticals.

SPEAKER_03 11:24

He thought how he spent most of his youth in their labs. He was one of their favorite lab rats. He had become an artist at concealing the scars of their experiments and didn't often look in mirrors when he wasn't wearing makeup.

SPEAKER_04 11:41

I have a treatment that has already been tested. A cocktail that would arrest this disease or slow it down significantly. A cocktail worth injecting. It's rare, unaffordable with a 90% recovery rate in other cancers. And it's yours.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Really? You'll just give it to me, just like that. What's the catch?

SPEAKER_03 12:09

Her whole life as it could be flashed before her. A life with her dad in it. A life on the concert stage. A life of composing her own music. So what's the catch?

SPEAKER_04 12:25

Walk quietly out of my life because I'm innocent.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

So is Grant Paulie.

SPEAKER_04 12:31

Is he? He damaged kids for the rest of their lives. He's not innocent.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

You can't decide that.

SPEAKER_04 12:39

I already have. I'll give you a week to think it over.

SPEAKER_02 12:44

What if I agree, then take the meds, start feeling better, and then after I decide to call the cops.

SPEAKER_04 12:50

Well, you need eight treatments. Four will start to put you into remission, and you'll feel great. Then, when Polly is put away, I'll tell you where you'll find the remainder.

SPEAKER_02 13:03

I could still go to the cops with new evidence.

SPEAKER_04 13:06

But you won't. Because I'll tell them you somehow found the hoodie, didn't bring it in, tampered with evidence, and broke into my home to plant it because you're crazy. I'll fuck you up, Pratt. So be smart and keep quiet.

SPEAKER_02 13:24

If you're so innocent, then I want to know what happened to Mac. If this Kovu, is that her name, has something to do with it, I want to meet her. I know she saw me. I need to know what happened. But I won't let them send Grant Pauli to prison. I don't really care what happens to me. I don't need your treatment.

SPEAKER_04 13:49

It's obvious why you don't care. You're half dead anyway, living in an empty house with useless meds and an absent dad. But once this treatment works its magic, when you start feeling human again and loved again, you'll never regret this transaction.

SPEAKER_03 14:09

She didn't flinch.

SPEAKER_04 14:11

Okay. You want answers? We can meet at the cathedral Saturday night? Are you up for that? You'll have all the answers you need if you can handle them.

SPEAKER_03 14:23

She got up and walked past him to the front door. I'm leaving. Michael intercepted her and moved close.

SPEAKER_04 14:30

I know what you want.

SPEAKER_03 14:31

She didn't move back. And what's that?

SPEAKER_04 14:34

What every little girl wants. To grow up, to be beautiful, to be loved. When bruises and jaundice made you blue, black, and yellow. Your dad left you, didn't he? He couldn't look at you. But you can get him back.

SPEAKER_03 14:55

Kenzie knew Michael wasn't innocent. That he was cruel. That he liked to inflict pain. She turned to open the door.

SPEAKER_04 15:06

I think that's Detective Chisholm. You better slip out the back and fast.

SPEAKER_03 15:12

As she turned to leave, she blurted out, one more thing.

SPEAKER_02 15:17

I warned your girlfriend about you, but she wouldn't listen.

SPEAKER_03 15:22

The doorbell rang again, and Kenzie ran, knowing she had cut him in some way. But it was so stupid of her. She felt sick. Michael followed snapping photos of her flight. The doorbell rang a third time. Michael invited them in, and Kenzie slid out, thankful that a black truck parked behind her and had left enough room for her to back up and leave quietly. Michael couldn't focus as he strategized about Kenzie connecting with Sharice and vaguely heard Chisholm introducing his partner.

SPEAKER_04 16:00

I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.

SPEAKER_03 16:03

Detective Titus. She thought that photographs didn't do him justice. He felt disoriented and awkward with these intruders.

SPEAKER_04 16:12

Come in and sit. I'll only be a few minutes printing the files. I'll also give you digital copies.

SPEAKER_03 16:18

He left, hoping they wouldn't stay long. After Jack and Ellie sat down, Ellie noticed Michael's phone and a coffee mug on the coffee table. She reached for the phone. Jack blocked her and shook his head. She glared at him. They waited. Michael returned quickly, handing Jack an envelope of notes and a small drive.

SPEAKER_04 16:46

That's everything. All six sessions. And I want you to know his probation officer will have a copy too.

SPEAKER_03 16:53

Jack took them and placed them on the coffee table. Michael saw his phone and pocketed it. No one spoke. Michael sensed they weren't ready to go.

SPEAKER_04 17:06

I was just about to pour some wine. Would you like a glass?

SPEAKER_05 17:10

Are you off duty? No thanks. Not a wine lover.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

We are off duty. Thank you. I'd love some.

SPEAKER_03 17:18

Jack was always amused when Ellie shared a substance with people of interest and claimed it as a strategy to calm them and win their trust. But then she could hold her substances. Michael brought back two half-filled wine glasses.

SPEAKER_04 17:36

This is hula omaui, a zesty, sparkling pineapple wine from Hawaii.

SPEAKER_03 17:41

I love pineapples. She smelled the bouquet and sipped.

SPEAKER_05 17:45

You should try her pineapple upside-down cake. I'm glad you like it. Professor Newbold, we wanted to ask about some things that we've found in our preliminary investigation of Max Shelton's disappearance.

SPEAKER_04 17:57

How can I help?

SPEAKER_05 17:58

I'd like to ask about the exotic animals you brought here when you immigrated.

SPEAKER_04 18:02

I wasn't expecting this. Why do you have to know about the pets I brought with me?

SPEAKER_05 18:08

It's routine to investigate new residents to eliminate them.

SPEAKER_04 18:11

Sure. Where do I start?

SPEAKER_05 18:14

What did you bring with you and where did they go?

SPEAKER_04 18:17

Very simply, I brought back different species I raised from birth. And all but one I auctioned off. I have all the receipts with contact info.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

We'd appreciate seeing them.

SPEAKER_04 18:29

Sure, I'll forward them to you.

SPEAKER_03 18:31

Jack withdrew his card from his notebook and handed it to him.

SPEAKER_05 18:35

The immigration file said you kept an ape.

SPEAKER_03 18:38

Michael nodded.

SPEAKER_05 18:39

Smiley.

SPEAKER_03 18:40

He scrolled through photos on his phone until he got to Smiley's album and showed the detectives.

SPEAKER_04 18:46

He's so adorable. Eight weeks old. The Toronto Zoo took him in. I paid his board. He loved it there. He passed last year.

SPEAKER_05 18:57

I'm sorry to hear that. There were no other pets you kept?

SPEAKER_04 19:02

No. I'm far too busy to be responsible for that kind of commitment anymore. Again, why are you asking about the animals?

SPEAKER_05 19:11

There is evidence in the forensics report. Evidence that is non-human.

SPEAKER_04 19:15

May I ask what kind of evidence?

SPEAKER_03 19:17

Jack wanted purposefully to disclose this.

SPEAKER_05 19:21

Bone fragments.

SPEAKER_03 19:22

He wanted to assess how Michael responded. Michael thought about how his near-perfect private world was under inspection. Meticulously, he had cleaned up, covered tracks, moved on, moved up, moved into an emotional penthouse above sad, unfulfilled people beneath him in the land of aspiring souls that never find self-realization. He was real on all levels of reality. And now this.

SPEAKER_04 19:58

So Grant Paulie is no longer a prime suspect? That would be a mistake.

SPEAKER_03 20:04

He needed to flaunt not only his credentials, but also his one-on-one time with Polly.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

Professor Newbold, we have to investigate all avenues.

SPEAKER_03 20:15

Jack felt Michael was being defensive.

SPEAKER_05 20:18

Professor Newbold, did you ever live in Montreal?

SPEAKER_04 20:21

I did and fell in love with that city. I did my doctorate at McGill. And Hamilton? My first teaching assignment. Part-time. Why did you leave? Tem Zue offered me tenure. This sounds like I'm definitely one of the avenues you're exploring.

SPEAKER_03 20:38

Jack smiled, stood up, and put his notebook in his pocket.

SPEAKER_05 20:43

It's what we have to do. Thanks for helping. Anytime.

SPEAKER_03 20:48

Ellie finished her wine and followed Jack into the hallway, thinking there weren't too many men like Michael Newbold, that he was a zodiac sign onto himself. All the good modalities forged into one man. That would be too good to be true.

SPEAKER_04 21:08

I hope you get a breakthrough in the case, and Mac comes home soon.

SPEAKER_03 21:13

We do too. She needed to shake herself free from her perception of his perfection.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

Professor Newbold, do you know either Kenzie Pratt or Sharice Lee who attends Thames U?

SPEAKER_03 21:25

Ellie saw his eyelashes blink a few times, like her question re-rended a nerve-ending. And was his face slightly flushed? He thought a moment.

SPEAKER_04 21:37

What was the first name?

SPEAKER_03 21:39

Kenzie Pratt.

SPEAKER_04 21:40

No, I've never heard of a Kenzie Pratt. But Sharice Lee is a student in one of my classes, if she's the one you're asking about. I don't know what she looks like, though. How does Ms. Lee figure into our conversation about Max Shelton's case? And Grant Polly.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

That's exactly what we're trying to find out.

SPEAKER_03 22:05

We'll get back to you, said Ellie, suddenly caught by Michael's slight change in body language.

SPEAKER_05 22:12

We appreciate your time.

SPEAKER_03 22:14

And hospitality.

SPEAKER_04 22:15

Anything to help?

SPEAKER_03 22:16

He walked them out to the front porch and watched them leave. He was completely caught off guard with Ellie's last question. Did Sharice know Kenzie? Were they playing a sick joke on him? He decided to call Sharice and cancel their late-night date with a promise of lunch the next day in Toronto. She said she was tired anyway, and would meet him after her 10 o'clock class in the morning. He wanted to ask her about Kenzie, but knew he'd lose control in some stupid way. He'd come on too strong or he'd probe too deep. He was confused, though, about Kenzie being on the detective's radar. After checking his office for missing items and was satisfied Kenzie didn't lift anything, he took a hot shower, taking his time to strip the theatrical grease paint from his face and neck with special wipes and lotions of oils and nutrients. After all this time, his scarred tissue still became inflamed, especially if he were stressed or emotional, caught off balance. He wondered if his face looked flushed when Ellie questioned him. He didn't think she looked that intuitive to have noticed. Kenzie angered him, made him uneasy. He studied his face in the mirror, knew the month and year of each scar that went deep into his inflamed tissues. This ends episode 10. Look for its audiobook this summer. Kept is a dark side thriller serialized fiction radio drama available on your favorite streaming provider. And the Int Music by Richard Moore. Sound recording by Mike Donaldson. Music score and song design by Grace Note Music. Original song lyrics by Meg Howald. Thanks to Pixabay Artists.