Latest / Slice of Crimes | Serial Crime Story & Audio Drama / Heartbreak in Hartville Episode 5: Lyin’ Hearts!

Transcript

Heartbreak in Hartville Episode 5: Lyin’ Hearts! · Slice of Crimes | Serial Crime Story & Audio Drama

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Music.
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Heartbreak in Heartville.
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Episode 5, Lion Hearts. Hi, sleuths. I'm Casey, your resident sliced sleuth back on the case.
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Heartache, fear, suspicion, despair, and desperation, Daisy's disappearance
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has been the catalyst for a whirlwind of emotions.
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When we last left off, mistrust hung in the air, thick and impossible to shake.
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And no wonder, the spotlight has begun to fall squarely on one of their own, Dane Marks. A liar?
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What is he hiding? And who else has been misleading everyone?
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What started as a search for a sweet little girl is quickly becoming a tale
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of betrayal, secrets, and the unraveling of trust.
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If they can't get past this, what chance do they have of bringing Daisy home?
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In the quest for truth, nothing is more effective than three drops of Veritaserum.
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It will have you babbling your deepest, darkest secret in no time.
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But this isn't Hogwarts. It's Hartville.
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And here, the investigation is in the hands of the police, not the Ministry of Magic.
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So, a polygraph it is. It's time to strip away all the pretense and lay bare the truth.
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Up first, Daisy's dad, Duke Hart.
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Whatever the reason, whether it's a show of how much everyone cares,
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the desire to please the hearts, or fear of being labeled guilty if they refuse
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the test, everyone has agreed to take the polygraph exam.
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Anyway, the reason doesn't matter, only the results do.
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The room was colder than Duke expected. The chair creaked as he shifted,
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breaking the otherwise complete silence.
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The chair announces every move I make, Duke thought, an audible measure of how
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nervous I am, must be part of the intimidation factor.
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He glanced at the wires attached to his arms and chest, small, harmless things.
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But their presence made him feel exposed, vulnerable.
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The polygraph examiner, a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes and a tight bun,
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sat across from him, her expression unreadable.
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She too is part of the intimidation factor, Duke thought. It's working.
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Duke took a deep breath, steadying himself. He knew this was routine,
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just another step in finding Daisy.
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His, sweet.
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But the knot in his stomach wouldn't untangle. They'd gone over it a thousand
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times, retraced every step.
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Yet here he was, sitting in a sterile room, being asked to prove that he hadn't
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missed something, that he wasn't somehow to blame for Daisy's disappearance.
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It would be hard to prove. After all, he did blame himself.
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Are you ready, Mr. Hart? As ready as I'll ever be.
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She started with the control questions. His name, his age, where he lived.
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Simple, familiar answer. Then the question shifted. He knew it was coming,
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but still the tension rose in his chest.
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Do you know where Daisy Hart is?
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No. His heart pounded. His mind flashed back to the last time he'd seen her.
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That morning was so routine, so normal.
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They dropped her off at school. She'd kissed him on the cheek,
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a quick peck, but he took his usual extra hug.
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Maggie never handed Daisy her bag until she got her goodbye kiss,
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just to be sure she didn't forget and dash off.
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She waved as she skipped toward the schoolhouse, turning around to say her part
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of the rhyme she loved so much. See you later, alligator.
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Why didn't Duke say his part that morning? After a while, crocodile...
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Was he distracted? He couldn't recall.
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He was already forgetting bits and pieces.
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Daisy was slipping through his fingers and he couldn't hold on.
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He was nearly in a trance caught up in his thoughts when the examiner's question disrupted him.
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Did you hurt Daisy Hart?
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The examiner's eyes never left him, watching his every breath, every movement.
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It was absurd. He would never hurt his daughter.
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But the fact that the question had to be asked broke something deep inside him.
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He hated that he was here. Hated that any of them were.
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Do you have any information about Daisy Hart's disappearance?
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No. This answer felt heavier. Like it carried the weight of the world.
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Because what if he had missed something? what if there was something he should
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have seen, should have known?
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A flicker of doubt, one he had been fighting since the day Daisy disappeared,
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clawed its way to the surface.
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It was a parent's worst nightmare, knowing you were supposed to protect them,
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supposed to sense the danger before it arrived. But he hadn't.
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He hadn't seen or heard anything. And now here he was,
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being questioned like a suspect in the
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worst event of his life and he
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had nothing to offer the examiner asked a
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few more questions routine ones but duke barely registered them his mind was
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spinning replaying every moment of that morning in a loop every smile every
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wave could he have done something differently should he have stayed longer waited
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to make sure she made it safely inside?
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The guilt ate away at him, relentless.
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Even though he knew deep down that none of this was his fault, he also believed it was.
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Finally, the examiner closed her notebook and stood.
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That's all, Mr. Hart. Let's get you unhooked. I'll email the result to Detective
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Robbins now. Your exam showed no deception.
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Duke nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. As he stood to leave,
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his thoughts returned to Daisy.
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He had done everything he could to find her. He had worked with the police,
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the volunteers, and the search parties.
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He'd made the calls, put up the posters. he had given every ounce of himself
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to the search, but it still wasn't enough. Not yet.
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He glanced back at the polygraph machine before stepping out of the room,
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wondering if it could really see the truth.
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Because the truth was, Duke didn't
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know where Daisy was, but he would keep searching until he found her.
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Duke catches Maggie's eye as he steps out of the room and she steps in.
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He senses her anxiety and yet another wave of guilt washes over him.
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Did she think he didn't believe her?
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That he needed a lie detector to determine if he could trust his wife?
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Another thought surfaced, one that was ugly, that he was ashamed of,
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one he'd been suppressing.
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He did need Maggie to prove herself. He was no longer capable of blind trust.
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He diverted his eyes from hers to the ground, certain she could tell what he'd been thinking.
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Maggie Hart sits down, her hands trembling slightly as she grips the armrests of the chair.
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Dark circles under her eyes betray sleepless nights.
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Her mind is racing with fear and uncertainty, and so is her heart.
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That can't be good for the test, she thinks.
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In an effort to calm down, she looks up at the examiner and manages a weak smile.
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It's immediately apparent she won't be receiving a warm welcome from her,
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or any welcome at all for that matter.
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The examiner's expression didn't soften. It remained as ice cold as the air in that tiny room.
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Maggie shivered. Maggie was used to treating people as friends,
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whether it was the first or the hundredth time they met.
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Since Daisy vanished, so had her friends. And this was taking a toll on her.
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The polygraph examiner disrupts Maggie's thoughts.
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You're all hooked up now. Are you comfortable?
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Comfortable. The AC is on full blast. She feels like she needs a winter coat.
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The small, hard chair she is precariously perched on tips easily,
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and squeaks with her every move.
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And she's in this tiny room to prove her innocence in her daughter's disappearance.
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It's all so surreal and uncomfortable.
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Maggie hears herself saying the word.
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Yes. While she is thinking no. Her first lie, would there be more?
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She shrugs her shoulders, already feeling defeated.
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Let's get started then. Please don't move like that again. You should remain still.
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These first questions are to set up the measurements when you answer truthfully.
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They are quite straightforward.
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Then I'll ask questions about your daughter's case. Yes or no answers are best. Don't elaborate.
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Is your name Margaret Ray Hart?
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Yes. Are you currently living at 1133 Hart Ranch Road? Yes.
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The questions are so basic, so easy.
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But Maggie knows what's coming next, and the knot in her stomach tightens.
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This test isn't about confirming where she lives.
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It's about Daisy. And Maggie knows that no matter how truthfully she answers,
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there's no guarantee this machine will side with her.
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Then Duke's face flashes in her mind again, his faith in her,
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his belief that she couldn't have anything to do with this. He did believe her, right?
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Maybe he doesn't, and he's too ashamed to admit it.
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Is she part of the reason he wanted polygraphs done?
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Maggie's spiraling. The examiner's voice brings her crashing back.
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Do you know where your daughter Daisy is?
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Then suddenly, without warning, the examiner's softball pitches become hardball pitches.
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Each one feels like it's hitting Maggie in the gut.
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This is harder than she had imagined. It feels like she's being accused of harming her child. No.
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Her answer is firm, but doubt creeps in as soon as she speaks.
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Not doubt in herself, but doubt in the machine, in the process,
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in the way she's being perceived.
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Anyone who watches true crime as she does knows that the investigation always
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starts with the closest people and works outward from there.
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Regardless of how considerate Detective Robbins has been, he must be looking
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at her and Duke under a microscope.
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That rattles her. The idea of her life, her privacy being intruded upon,
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is hard for her to accept.
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Maybe it's the lawyer in her. Maybe.
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Have you lied to the police during their investigation?
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No. Maggie's mind starts racing. She hasn't lied. She's omitted information at times.
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She didn't tell Detective Robbins that Mary is going through IVF and that she's
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been administering Mary's daily injections for the past month.
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But that isn't relevant, so it shouldn't matter.
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And it's Mary who should share that information, not her.
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She's growing concerned because she has withheld the other part,
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which is Mary's moodiness for the past couple weeks.
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And now, her downright uncharacteristic irritability.
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Mary hasn't acted like a best friend since Daisy disappeared,
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and she can't understand why.
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She attributes it to hormones, but she hasn't had the opportunity to discuss
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it with Mary, and that's why she hasn't mentioned it to the police.
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But now she wonders if all of this might matter after all.
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Maybe hormones mixed with the stress of Daisy missing is driving her crazy.
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Has all this stress caused her best friend to come unhinged?
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Does Mary need her help more than anything right now?
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This all hits Maggie like a brick, and the deep guilt takes her breath away.
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Have you done anything to harm your daughter, Daisy?
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No, never. Her response bursts out louder than she intended.
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She can't help it. The thought of harming Daisy is unbearable,
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and the mere suggestion fills her with rage and guilt all at once.
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Tears prick the corners of her eyes, but she blinks them away quickly,
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trying to regain her composure.
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She can't break now. She's pretty sure crying. In the middle of a polygraph
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would be an instant fail.
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She realizes she feels guilty for not protecting Daisy.
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How long had she known Dane? Years. He'd never done anything to make her doubt
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him. He loved Duke like a brother.
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And he loved Daisy. He was a simple man, always content with the small things in life.
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She had never sensed anything off about him. Never.
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And yet, that list, it's changed everything.
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Could he be capable of something so vile? Is this why Mary's been acting so odd?
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Maggie's emotions are suddenly overwhelming. Why is she just fitting these pieces
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together now? My theory?
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Maggie's sudden revelations are the result of being asked complex probing questions
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that require a simple yes or no answer, that require her to sit still and silent,
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that leave her isolated, with only herself to listen to and analyze her own thoughts.
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It's like a forced extensive exercise in self-reflection.
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There's no place to hide from her thoughts, no room for denial,
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and there's no lying to herself, right?
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Have you been truthful with your husband, Duke Hart, about your knowledge of Daisy's whereabouts?
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Yes, she answers quickly, but the guilt twists in her chest.
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Duke has been her anchor, but how much longer could they hold on to each other
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if Daisy didn't come home?
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They were both suffering, barely holding together, under the weight of suspicion,
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under the weight of not knowing.
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She had told Duke everything, well, almost everything. She didn't want to add
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to his burdens. But was that deceit?
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Protecting her husband's tender heart as he protected hers?
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That's love. And with that, a calm came over her.
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Their love for each other, their love for Daisy, will safeguard them.
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Okay, that's it. Let me disconnect you.
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I'll be emailing your results to Detective Robbins. I think he will go over them with you.
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But overall, the results of your polygraph are inconclusive.
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Inconclusive? The word hits her like a slap in the face.
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Inconclusive means doubt, means more suspicion, means the police will keep looking
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at her like she's hiding something.
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Her heart pounds in her chest. Her breath quickens.
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She had told the truth, but the machine didn't believe her. Will anyone believe her?
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What does that mean? It means the results aren't clear enough to determine deception or truth.
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The emotional and psychological stress you're under can impact the test.
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I didn't lie. I didn't. And now nobody will believe me.
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Listen, this doesn't mean you're lying, Maggie.
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It just means the machine can't distinguish between truth and the emotional
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turmoil you're experiencing right now.
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Maggie feels a wave of helplessness wash over her. The machine couldn't see the truth.
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All it saw was the worry, the exhaustion, the raw emotion coursing through her.
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And now, this result, inconclusive, would only raise more questions.
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Not just from the police, but from Duke. From everyone.
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Her mind spirals. What will Duke think?
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What will happen to their marriage if this drags on? And what about Mary?
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Could her moodiness really just be the IVF? And Dane? God, could he have been
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hiding something all along?
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She stands from the chair, feeling a strange numbness take over.
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The examiner's voice fades into the background as she walks out the door.
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The word inconclusive echoing in her mind.
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And that wraps up episode five the
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polygraphs may not have unwrapped all the lies but they've ripped open the raw
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unspoken turmoil duke and maggie's deepest conflicts that the ones they've been
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avoiding are no longer locked away inside their hearts the question is will
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duke's love for Maggie and Jor?
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Or will he be unable to see past her lion heart?
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Hey, sleuths, think you've got all the answers? Maybe you do, maybe not.
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There's more polygraph examinations coming up, and even though the results may
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seem telling, on Slice of Crimes, nothing is ever exactly as it seems.
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Can't wait to unwrap more secrets next time.
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Infinite thanks for listening.
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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.
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Enjoyed this episode? Show some love. Share Slice of Crimes with your friends,
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Oh wait, that's probably you. Your five-star ratings and killer reviews help
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keep these investigations coming. 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
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tackle next? I'm all ears.
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Send your ideas and suggestions my way.
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The more you engage, the sharper my sleuthing gets.
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So until next time, fellow sleuths, keep your wits about you.
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Stay curious. Stay sharp.
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You never know what the next slice of crime will serve up. And trust me,
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you won't want to miss it.
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Infinite thanks for listening today and for tuning in next week.