Latest / Slice of Crimes | Serial Crime Story & Audio Drama / No Escape Episode Four: The Interrogation of Myers Smith
Transcript
- 0:00Slice of Crimes is a fictionalized true crime podcast that delves into complex
- 0:05and sometimes difficult stories.
- 0:08Topics may include discussions and descriptions of violence,
- 0:11abuse, self-harm, sexual assault, suicide, and other sensitive subjects,
- 0:18as well as occasional strong language.
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- 0:30Music.
- 0:48The pig has ever heard exactly as it seems seems.
- 0:54Spice of crimes.
- 1:06Episode 4, The Interrogation of Myers-Smith. Welcome back to Slice of Crimes.
- 1:12I'm KC, your resident slice sleuth, and today we're delving into the mind of
- 1:17Myers-Smith, the newest addition to the Smith family.
- 1:21He arrived in Riverton under mysterious circumstances, bringing with him a past
- 1:27that's as murky as the waters he crossed.
- 1:30What secrets does Myers hold? And how much does he really know about what happened in that escape room?
- 1:37This is the interrogation that might blow the case wide open.
- 1:41Detective Sarah McAllister sits across from Myers in the dimly lit interrogation room.
- 1:47In an attempt to rattle Myers, McAllister has cut the overhead fluorescent lights
- 1:51and plugged in a small desk lamp that flickers erratically, casting jagged shadows across the walls.
- 1:58The bulb emits a faint buzzing sound, adding an uncomfortable tension to the room.
- 2:04She intentionally aims the beam of light towards Meyer's eyes.
- 2:08The entire effect reads classic Hollywood noir, McAllister the hard-boiled detective, and Meyer's the.
- 2:17On the table between them lies a rumpled brown bag that Myers had tossed down as he took a seat.
- 2:22On the bag, he's written the word, Evidence.
- 2:26Behind the two-way glass, Detective Mike Ramirez watches, his arms crossed,
- 2:32suspicion evident in his eyes.
- 2:34He intends to see right through Myers' facade and capture the truth he's holding inside.
- 2:40At the escape room, Ramirez had deemed Myers as mysterious, or attempting to be so.
- 2:46His calm demeanor and guarded responses make it hard to determine just how much he's concealing.
- 2:52As the questioning begins, both detectives are well aware.
- 2:56They're diving headfirst into a rabbit hole of dark, uncharted territory,
- 3:01hoping to emerge with some answers.
- 3:06Evidence, huh? You came prepared. I thought it might save us some time.
- 3:11You know, most people who sit in that chair aren't in the habit of offering up evidence.
- 3:16They're more interested in hiding it. I'm not most people, detective.
- 3:21All right, Myers, I'll butt. What's in the bag? Myers abruptly slides his chair
- 3:26back, squeaking and scraping it across the laminate floor.
- 3:30McAllister jumps in her seat, startled, as Myers raises his hand slowly,
- 3:35opens his palms, and slaps his chest with a loud smacking sound,
- 3:39never breaking eye contact.
- 3:41The grin on his face reveals his pleasure at throwing McAllister off balance.
- 3:46You want me to believe the bag contains the clothing you wore in the escape room?
- 3:51Music.
- 3:57The silence stretches, only broken by the faint buzzing of the flickering bulb.
- 4:03McAllister keeps her expression neutral, but her mind is racing.
- 4:07She doesn't trust this kid, not for a second. He's too calm, too calculated.
- 4:14You sure? You look like you're wearing the clothes from yesterday.
- 4:18I even took notes, right here on my notepad. Meyer Smith, black crew neck t-shirt,
- 4:25black tight-fitting jeans, black Doc Martin boots.
- 4:29Exactly what you are wearing now. Spot on, Detective.
- 4:34This is what I always wear. I have several black shirts and pants like this,
- 4:38and three pairs of Doc Martins in varying stages of wear and tear.
- 4:42I like to keep my wardrobe consistent.
- 4:49Time to rein this kid in. no
- 4:52mercy she almost says it out loud but catches herself
- 4:55instead she discreetly takes a big breath
- 4:58looks over the top of her notebook drops it
- 5:01on the table and starts the questioning she had planned first
- 5:04i need some basic background myers i hope you got that out of your system you
- 5:09need to start being straightforward with me unless you want to be here all day
- 5:13all night even i've got time but i'd rather spend it investigating jenner's
- 5:18murder or not dragging answers out of you for hours on end.
- 5:22Okay, so how long have you been in Riverton? Sounds like McAllister is aiming to disarm Myers.
- 5:28I've been in the States in Riverton half a year. I arrived just before the school term.
- 5:33And you're from the UK, right? What brought you here? That's right,
- 5:38I'm from the UK, Greater Manchester.
- 5:40My uncle Clyde Smith, you know Jenna's and Jenkins' dad, agreed to take me in
- 5:44after my mum disappeared.
- 5:46Disappeared? What happened? I don't really know. She was unreliable,
- 5:50you see. She'd vanished now and then, but she always came back.
- 5:54This time, she didn't.
- 5:56I reported her missing, but no one's seen her since. She probably overdosed,
- 6:01but her body never turned up, so perhaps she just wanted to disappear,
- 6:05live her life without having to be a mum.
- 6:07I've been looking after myself since I was ten, so it isn't a stretch.
- 6:11And your uncle, how did he take it? He wasn't too surprised,
- 6:15I suppose. They weren't close.
- 6:17He hadn't seen her since she left the States, which was well before my birth.
- 6:21They might have spoken at holidays on occasion or something,
- 6:24I couldn't say really, but they weren't on good terms.
- 6:27She always had a grudge against him for staying with their dad,
- 6:30while she went with their mum after the divorce. There was a lot of bad blood.
- 6:37So, you met your uncle for the first time when he came to the UK to help look for his sister?
- 6:43Yeah. I rang him when I had nowhere else to go.
- 6:46I was on the streets and he was the only family I had left.
- 6:49He flew over and we went to the constable, the police, and they showed him the
- 6:54missing person file I'd reported a month prior.
- 6:58A month? Why wait that long? She'd gone off before. I figured she'd come back like she always did.
- 7:05But after a month, I knew something was wrong, and I had to consider my future, you see.
- 7:09So, your uncle brought you back with him to Riverton, and you started school here?
- 7:15Yes, it was a fresh start. New country, new school, all that.
- 7:19And now that Jenner's dead, how's it between your uncle and cousin having you here?
- 7:24One day and already. Not great, as you'd imagine. My uncle's trying to keep
- 7:29things together, but it's not easy. As for Jenkins...
- 7:33Well, he's gone even quieter, if that's possible. It's a bloody mess.
- 7:37And your relationship with your cousins? How were things before all this?
- 7:42Jenna and I got on well enough. He was more carefree, more up for a laugh.
- 7:47Jenkins is different. He's always in his own world, off doing his science projects
- 7:51or what have you. We're all right, but not particularly close.
- 7:56What about Maya? She was Jenna's girlfriend. Did they seem close?
- 8:00And Jenkins, was she close to him?
- 8:04Jenna treated her like any trophy girlfriend. I don't know how deep that goes.
- 8:08I thought it was a fair bit superficial.
- 8:11And, well, Jenkins. He always struck
- 8:14me as someone who might be more into blokes, if you know what I mean.
- 8:17But what do I know? It's just an impression.
- 8:20Yeah, what do I know?
- 8:25What do you know, Myers? Myers' expression darkened slightly.
- 8:31His eyes showing the first instance of what McAllister thinks is quite possibly anger.
- 8:36Ramirez hones in on Myers' eyes during this fleeting transformation.
- 8:40His senses are tingling. Myers visibly struggles to regain control.
- 8:45He doesn't want to sound angry, especially on a taped interview.
- 8:49Myers knows how harshly people can judge it has been his experience all his life.
- 8:55He needs to try harder not to fall victim to the detective's provocations,
- 9:00Don't give them what they want, he reminds himself.
- 9:03When he begins speaking, his tone is notably more guarded.
- 9:09What do I know, detective? Nothing. Just an observation. I'm entitled to an opinion.
- 9:16Rumors, though, I'm not onto that. So I haven't discussed it with any of them.
- 9:21Doesn't matter to me, you see.
- 9:24Well then, Myers. What about you? You have an interest in Maya?
- 9:28Maybe you had fantasies of whisking her away from Jenner?
- 9:33I'm not looking for any sort of relationship, detective. Relationships require
- 9:37more than I'm willing to invest.
- 9:39I've had to fend for myself for too long, and as accommodating as my uncle has
- 9:43been, I'm under no illusion that he's doing it out of love for me.
- 9:47It's guilt or a sense of family obligation, that's all.
- 9:51He never showed my mum that kind of care, so now he's seeking atonement.
- 9:55But at the end of the day, I still have to take care of myself.
- 9:59I don't have the time or the inclination to look after anyone else.
- 10:05Okay, then. Not a relationship. But a fling with Maya, or would that be a betrayal of your cousin?
- 10:14No, Detective. Jenna didn't own Maya. She has free will. We all do.
- 10:19Loyalties are usually strongest to one's own self, don't you agree?
- 10:24So you would or you did? Neither, detective. Maya's not for me, you see.
- 10:29But what would prevent her from doing whatever she wanted?
- 10:33Free will, we all have it.
- 10:36McAllister strongly suspects that when it comes to relationships,
- 10:40no one has been honest in their portrayal.
- 10:43These kids are intertwined every which way. And she has some serious untangling to get to.
- 10:50This is her puzzle to solve. Time is of the essence.
- 10:54Okay, let's shift gears here. What can you tell me about the events at the escape
- 10:58room? Just start in with anything that comes to mind.
- 11:01It was Jenna's idea. He pushed it on us, if you want to know.
- 11:04We all chipped in to bribe the kid at the storefront to let us play individual rather than teams.
- 11:09If you ask me, he wanted to pit us against each other and see what would happen.
- 11:14Jenna wasn't big on following rules. He liked to set them. Doesn't bother me.
- 11:19I've never given rules much notice myself.
- 11:22And during the game did you notice anything unusual no
- 11:26we all split up i didn't see jenner after
- 11:28that we were all focused on solving our own puzzles i assumed anyway i wanted
- 11:33to beat jenner that was my focus did jenner say anything to you before you split
- 11:38up he was his usual self confident cocky he did offer a bit of banter he said
- 11:45hey cuz i'm coming for you cuz or something of the sort.
- 11:49Cuz, meaning cousin, I suppose. I was miffed.
- 11:53Set out to beat him right then. We could be competitive like that.
- 11:57And Jenkins, how was he acting?
- 12:00Jenkins was Jenkins. Quiet, focused on the game. He didn't say much.
- 12:05You mentioned that you and Jenner were closer than you were with Jenkins.
- 12:09Did Jenner ever confide in you about anything? Something he might have found out?
- 12:14Number Jenna wasn't much for confiding. He liked to keep things to himself.
- 12:18I get that. No reason to let everyone in, you see. No benefit in that, I'd say.
- 12:25Look, I've asked each of you the same thing, and like I told the others,
- 12:29if y'all are keeping a secret for Jenner, or about Jenner, it will come out.
- 12:33There's something buried here, and I will uncover it, Myers.
- 12:36The four of you can't keep a secret forever. Someone will crack.
- 12:41McAllister locked eyes with Myers, eager to force him to back down.
- 12:45Myers doesn't flinch, he doesn't break her gaze, and he's quick with his retort.
- 12:49You're so wrong, detective.
- 12:51Faulty logic there. If we were all holding a secret, then it wouldn't be a secret.
- 12:55It would be common knowledge.
- 12:57Now why would anyone murder someone over common knowledge?
- 13:05McAllister decides to end the interview. Myers is not forthright at this time,
- 13:10continuing to play the detectives, believing he always has the upper hand.
- 13:14She'll let him in with that, more likely to slip up if he thinks he's smarter
- 13:18than they are, she stands to escort Myers out.
- 13:25As Myers is led out of the room, Detective McAllister feels a chill run down her spine.
- 13:32There's something about Myers,
- 13:33something in the way he answers or doesn't answer that makes her uneasy.
- 13:37He's calm, too calm, and there's a darkness there that she can't quite put her finger on.
- 13:44But, as usual, she has a trick up her sleeve. Hoping to catch him off guard,
- 13:48she blurts out, Did you pick up Maya's hairbrush at the escape room?
- 13:52Hmm. I don't recollect, detective. I know. But you did give her a flashlight,
- 13:56right? Myers stops mid-sentence.
- 14:04Myers is only momentarily flustered, regaining his composure in his next breath.
- 14:08He closes his mouth, throws back his shoulders, and resumes striding confidently
- 14:13toward the door, head held high.
- 14:17Well, I'll give him this. He is quite committed to being non-committal,
- 14:23McAllister thinks to herself.
- 14:25Intrigued by his answer, she's certain he's trying to figure out what she knows
- 14:29and why she's asking, which McAllister is convinced means this is important.
- 14:36Just then ramirez strolls in good day sir best of luck to the two of you cracking
- 14:43this case we don't need luck kid we don't let cases go cold ever damn right mike.
- 14:51As mcallister silently recounts the interview a nagging thought tugs at her
- 14:57mind myers was too smooth, too controlled, too controlling.
- 15:02And she continued her thought, too arrogant,
- 15:07Myers-Smith, a boy with a troubled past, a new life in Riverton,
- 15:11and a web of secrets that might just lead to the truth.
- 15:15But is he hiding something more sinister?
- 15:18As the investigation continues, the detectives will have to dig deeper to uncover
- 15:23what Myers isn't saying.
- 15:25Time to shut the door on episode four. Anyone close to solving this mystery?
- 15:31The good news? Every episode is chock full of answers.
- 15:36The bad news? Every episode leads to more questions.
- 15:40But here's the best news of all. If you join me next time, I'll continue to
- 15:45peel back the layers of this twisted case.
- 15:48And remember, nothing is ever exactly as it seems.
- 15:53Infinite thanks for listening. How do you feel after an episode of Slice of Crimes?
- 15:59One step closer to the truth? If you haven't cracked the case yet,
- 16:03no worries, you're not alone.
- 16:05But before you go, remember, the mystery doesn't end here.
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- 16:33tackle next? I'm all ears.
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- 16:42So until next time, fellow sleuths, keep your wits about you. Stay curious.
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