Latest / Slice of Crimes | Serial Crime Story & Audio Drama / Heartbreak in Hartville Episode 2: The Disappearance of Daisy Hart

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Heartbreak in Hartville Episode 2: The Disappearance of Daisy Hart · Slice of Crimes | Serial Crime Story & Audio Drama

• 0:00
  Music.
• 0:37
  Heartbreak in Heartville.
• 0:41
  Episode two, The Disappearance of Daisy Hart. Hi, sleuths. Casey here,
• 0:47
  your resident slice sleuth.
• 0:49
  Is everyone ready to dive right back in to the story of the perfect family,
• 0:54
  living the perfect life in the perfect town?
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  When we last left off, there was a strong sense of impending doom. Am I right?
• 1:04
  It's unexpected in such idyllic surroundings, a community deemed safe as can be.
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  But tragedy is about to catch everyone off guard.
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  Hartville, South Carolina was built on family, trust, and a deeply rooted history.
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  But sometimes, even the strongest roots can't hold when the ground begins to shake.
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  Today, Ducart's world is about to collapse in a way he never saw coming.
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  And as he steps into the unknown, he's not the only one who will be tested.
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  It's just another day, another routine pickup at Mary's mini schoolhouse for Duke Hart.
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  Although they always drive to drop off in the morning together,
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  Duke has designated himself the pickup parent.
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  Maggie's schedule is less predictable, but frankly, he treasures the one-on-one
• 1:57
  time with Daisy, getting the download from a four-year-old perspective about
• 2:01
  the happenings of the school day.
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  It never fails to put a smile on his face, have him laughing uncontrollably,
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  and giving him that feeling where a parent's heart swells with pure pride and
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  joy, simply because time with his child is always the best time.
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  He's tried time and time again to explain these feelings to his best friend, Dane.
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  But words aren't adequate, and if you don't have a child, you can't truly know.
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  But Dane always lets him go on and on about Daisy, because he's his best friend,
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  and though he might not feel the feelings, he hopes to one day soon when he
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  and Mary have kids of their own.
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  Besides, Daisy is incredible. He sees her in school every day and knows Duke
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  is right. She is special.
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  These are Duke's thoughts as he makes the short drive through town to school.
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  That and how Maggie feels guilty about missing anything with Daisy due to work.
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  That's why he always makes a cute video of Daisy explaining her day as soon
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  as he gets her into her booster seat.
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  She doesn't have to miss a single thing. He is smiling and feeling very satisfied
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  with his day, his week, his life actually.
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  He practices gratitude daily, taking stock of how fortunate he is,
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  and always maintaining good karma by paying it forward whenever he can.
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  Such pleasant thoughts filled Duke's mind, a sense of calm running through his veins.
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  This is his favorite part of the day.
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  Music.
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  He turns up the music slightly. Daisy loves country.
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  Duke pulls up to the familiar red schoolhouse. His heart sinks at the sight
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  of flashing police lights.
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  Instincts honed from years on the police force kick in, And without thinking,
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  Duke jumps from his truck, hand on his holster, ready to confront whatever danger lies ahead.
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  The scene is chaos. Officers, radios crackling, weapons drawn.
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  Duke's mind races, his first thought, an active shooter.
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  But before he can get too far, the officers turn their weapons on him. Duke, stand down.
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  Stopping Duke cold, his hands shoot up. Panic surges through him and gripping
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  like a vice around his chest, tightening with every breath.
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  Active shooter?
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  No, Duke. Head back to your truck. I'll have the lead detective meet you there. I'm radioing him now.
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  Duke backs away, his breathing is heavy and ragged, his gut churning with dread.
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  He fumbles for his phone, dialing Maggie, but the call goes unanswered.
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  She's back at the ranch, buried in paperwork, unaware of the nightmare that's unfolding.
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  Duke's hand shakes as he ends the call. What would he even say if she picked up?
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  His mind is a storm of questions, none of which he wants to answer.
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  As Duke waits, trying to piece together what could be happening,
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  Detective Billy Robbins approaches from across the parking lot.
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  Robbins, a man of few words and a demeanor as steady as stone,
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  is known for his calm in the face of crisis.
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  But today, something in his eyes sends a chill down Duke's spine.
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  Is Daisy hurt? Is anyone hurt? What the hell is happening?
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  Robbins' face tightens and Duke
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  can see the words forming before they even leave the detective's mouth.
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  Two words that will forever change Duke's life.
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  Daisy's missing. The world stops.
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  Duke's mind spins out, his breath caught in his throat. The word missing echoes in his head.
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  But it doesn't make sense.
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  Daisy, his little girl, isn't supposed to be missing.
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  She's supposed to be here, running out of that schoolhouse with her arms wide open.
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  He can see her right there, his imagination playing cruel tricks on him,
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  his brain rejecting what's being said.
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  With the sound of tires screeching and a car door slamming, Duke is snapped back to reality.
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  Suddenly, he is staring straight at his wife.
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  The screech of tires cuts through the air as Maggie's Jeep pulls up to the scene.
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  She barely throws the car into park before she's out running towards Duke.
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  Her face twisted in panic. Her voice is shrill, almost hysterical as she tries to explain herself.
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  Music.
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  Bird! Duke! The baby bird fell out of its nest!
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  Right outside my office window, I tried to save it, but the mama bird couldn't reach it.
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  It's dead, Duke. I think it's dead.
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  Music.
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  Maggie's words tumble out in a rush, barely making sense.
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  Duke grabs her, pulling her close, but she's frantic, her eyes wild with fear.
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  Tears stream down her face, and for a moment, all she can think about is that
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  tiny bluebird, lifeless in the dirt just outside her window.
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  I can't save it duke i can't save it maggie
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  but before duke can speak maggie's words
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  shift her panic taking on a new form as
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  if she's making a connection too terrifying to fully comprehend i can't i can't
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  save it but i can save my baby i can save daisy duke's grip tightens around
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  her his heart breaking as he stumbles over the words he doesn't want to say
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  maggie daisy's she's but before he can finish,
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  Maggie pulls back, searching his eyes for answers,
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  a mother's intuition sharper than any knife.
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  She's dead, isn't she? Daisy's dead.
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  No, no, Maggie, she's missing, not dead. We're going to find her.
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  Duke's voice cracks, but he forces the words out, needing her to believe them.
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  Maggie's knees buckle and Duke holds her tighter, his tears mingling with hers.
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  But in In this moment of unbearable pain, there's a flicker of hope,
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  a desperate, fragile hope that Daisy is still out there, waiting to be found.
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  As they stand there clinging to each other, the sound of footsteps breaks through
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  the tension. It's Mary Mark.
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  Mary looks frazzled, completely unlike herself. Her movements are stiff,
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  almost robotic, as if she's fighting to keep her body from trembling uncontrollably.
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  Her face, usually calm and composed, is a mask of confusion,
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  her wide eyes darting frantically from one point to another,
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  never settling, as if searching for something solid to rest upon.
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  Maggie stands frozen, watching her friend unravel in a way she's never seen before.
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  Mary had always been the one with the steady hand, the calm voice,
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  the one who could handle any crisis with grace.
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  But now Maggie barely recognizes the woman in front of her, so wound up like
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  a tightly coiled spring ready to snap.
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  What's going on? Why are the police here?
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  Her question hangs in the air as she approaches the officers.
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  Duke is there, his expression dark and full of suspicion.
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  Her words sound absurd in light of her appearance.
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  She doesn't know why the police are there. Didn't she call them?
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  Maggie is completely thrown off by her behavior, but she's using all her strength
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  just to remain standing. She doesn't open her mouth.
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  She looks to Duke to sort this out. Why didn't you call us right away,
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  Mary? What were you thinking?
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  I had to, to check the forest first.
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  It wasn't that far, just behind the field, but it's dense, easy to get lost in.
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  I thought, I hoped, maybe, maybe Daisy wandered in there. She had to be in there.
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  I wanted her to be in there. Duke's eyes narrow, Mary's words sound like a jumble
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  of incoherent nonsense to him.
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  There's an overriding lack of urgency and no accountability,
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  but he just wants Daisy, not a bunch of excuses that are wasting more precious time.
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  And where is Dane? And where's Dane? He took the car to drive the route to the park.
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  You know, Duke, we take the kids there sometimes.
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  It's a longer walk, but I thought maybe she could have… Daisy might have wandered
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  toward it, or sat down in the tall grass along the way.
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  There. There he is now. Maybe he found her.
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  A black Lexus sedan covered in dust and mud-crusted tires pulls up slowly.
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  Duke recognizes it as Dane's, but he's never seen it. Less than pristine. What happened?
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  Dane steps out, his face drawn with worry, but his empty hands tell the story
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  before he speaks. He hasn't found Daisy.
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  Where the hell were you? Why didn't you call me?
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  Dane remains silent, but his eyes darting back and forth between Mary and Maggie isn't lost on him.
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  Duke's patience is wearing thin, the stress and fear gnawing at his composure.
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  When Dane confirms he found nothing, Duke nearly drags both Mary and Dane over
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  to Detective Robbins, his frustration boiling over.
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  There they are, Detective. The owners of the school you've been looking for.
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  I'm going to check the forest again. Mary says it's easy to get lost in there.
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  Duke's voice is rough, tinged with accusation.
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  Mary's eyes fill with tears, her face pale as she struggles to find the right words.
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  Duke, we... we thought she just wandered off.
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  We searched the woods, the park, everywhere we thought she might go.
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  We didn't want to worry you if it was nothing.
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  We just wanted to find her first.
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  Dane finally speaks up. His silence has disturbed Duke terribly.
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  He has always been there for him, through some rough times, and now Dane has
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  nothing to say when he is facing the worst crisis in his lifetime.
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  He squeezes Maggie's hand, hoping to gather strength.
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  Duke's face hardens, the anger boiling just beneath the surface.
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  He's torn, trying to control his anger towards his nearest and dearest friends.
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  He knows Mary and Dane mean well, but their delay, their hesitation,
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  it feels like a betrayal.
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  And now, with Daisy missing every second.
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  Feelings must be set aside, he thinks rationally. Struggling to work toward
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  a solution, to push everyone forward.
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  Why are we standing here? Time is passing.
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  Daisy is afraid. He needs to find her, protect her, save her. He boils over.
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  You should have called me the second you noticed she was gone.
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  Every minute matters. Every damn minute.
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  Mary collapses into tears. While Dane stands there silent, his eyes dark with guilt.
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  The tension between them is palpable, but there's no time to dwell on it.
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  Duke turns back to Maggie, his voice softening, as he tries to reassure her.
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  We're going to find her, Maggie. We have to.
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  Maggie has gathered herself, summoned her inner strength as a mother,
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  a caregiver, a protector, and a partner to her husband, Duke.
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  They have always been an unstoppable team. Daisy needs them.
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  She needs them at their best, right now.
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  Duke's squeeze of her hand fortified her and she squeezes back,
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  turns her face to his, and pours her energy into Duke to bolster him as only
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  she can. I know. I know she will, Duke.
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  We have men searching the forest, Duke. Let's head to headquarters so I can
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  get statements, sort the facts, and get my officers headed in the right direction.
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  You four meet me down there.
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  Duke, Maggie, you two okay to drive?
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  I'll drive her. We'll follow you. Let's go.
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  The group, now strained and filled with unease, makes their way to headquarters.
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  Duke and Maggie, a united front of hope.
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  Dane and Mary, united in their disgrace for failing their best friends in the
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  worst conceivable way, a heavy silence hanging between them.
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  The weight of the situation presses down on each of them, suffocating.
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  Every step feels slower, burdened by the growing suspicion that shadows their every move.
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  The investigation is reaching a critical point, and they can all feel it.
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  The detective will be closing in with sharper questions and tolerating no excuses,
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  no further procrastination, and expecting complete disclosure.
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  No matter how uncomfortable, anything less. and the cracks in their stories will begin to show.
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  Trust, once unspoken and assumed, is now a fragile thing, ready to be crushed
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  below the weight of suspicion.
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  How well can the deepest friendships hold up?
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  Music.
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  On each other.
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  Episode two just flew by. Hey, sleuths, did you catch everything?
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  Even if you did, you never know what secrets might be hiding in plain sight.
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  And remember, nothing is ever exactly as it seems.
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  So join me, Casey, your resident sleuth next time so we can continue on this
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  harrowing journey together. Infinite thanks.
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  Music.
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  How do you feel after an episode of Slice of Crimes?
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  One step closer to the truth? If you haven't cracked the case yet,
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  no worries, you're not alone.
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  But before you go, remember, the mystery doesn't end here.
• 16:53
  Enjoyed this episode? Show some love, share Slice of Crimes with your friends,
• 16:58
  family, or even that neighbor who's a little too interested in true crime.
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• 17:04
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  and I couldn't do it without you.
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  Got your own theories, burning questions, or maybe a case you think I should
• 17:17
  tackle next? I'm all ears.
• 17:19
  Send your ideas and suggestions my way.
• 17:22
  The more you engage, the sharper my sleuthing gets.
• 17:25
  So until next time, fellow sleuths, keep your wits about you.
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  Stay curious. Stay sharp.
• 17:32
  You never know what the next slice of crime will serve up. And trust me,
• 17:36
  you won't want to miss it.
• 17:38
  Infinite thanks for listening today and for tuning in next week.