Latest / Slice of Crimes | Serial Crime Story & Audio Drama / Heartbreak in Hartville Episode 7: Heartbreak

Transcript

Heartbreak in Hartville Episode 7: Heartbreak · Slice of Crimes | Serial Crime Story & Audio Drama

0:00
Music.
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Seven.
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Heartbreak. Welcome back, sleuths. I'm Casey, your resident slice sleuth.
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This week's episode will be a doozy as we discover the fate of Daisy.
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Little Daisy Hart, the sweetheart of Hartville, has been missing for several days. Is she lost?
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Hurt? The victim of foul play? Kidnapped? murdered?
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The evidence is starting to stack up. Which way do you see it pointing sleuths?
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If you want to unearth the truth today, listen up.
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Your answers are on the way.
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Let's dive right in. The last thing Detective Robbins expected was exactly what
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he found atop a pile of mail delivered while he was questioning Emily.
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He had only stopped by his office to jot down a few notes and pull his thoughts
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together before reassembling the four ex-best friends in the same room.
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But now, he had a whole lot more to think about.
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A ransom note. It was handwritten, and as Robbins quickly noticed, hand-delivered.
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There were no postage stamps or markings.
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He stared at it for a moment, resisting the urge to touch it.
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Instead, he grabbed a pair of gloves and carefully picked up the envelope.
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The absence of fingerprints.
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Music.
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And pulled out a single sheet of stationery. The envelope's inscription,
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written in bold black block lettering, delivered a clear message.
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Detective Robert Robbins, if they want Daisy back, read this to them now.
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Otherwise, the note was a conundrum.
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Robbins was sure of one thing immediately. This ransom note needed to lead to
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a resolution, not a tangent.
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Robbins' heart raced as he read the note, then briskly walked it down the hall for analysis.
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He swabbed for DNA, checked for prints, nothing, no immediate clues,
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and DNA results would take time.
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Still, as Robbins prepared to face Duke, Maggie, Dane, and Mary again,
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this time he wasn't just dealing with deception, guilt, or tension.
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He was about to confront them with the unthinkable, a ransom demand.
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I have news. It's breaking news, actually, because I just now received this.
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And I don't even have it processed or researched yet.
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But that is happening as I speak. All of it on Rush.
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Anyway, this. This note was left with explicit instructions to read it to you now.
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It was left with my mail on my desk. The author is unknown. As you can see,
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it is handwritten in this block letter style.
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No fingerprints. But there are clues here.
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This stationary, we'll track it down. We will find the source. There may be DNA.
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The writing will be analyzed. Even the ink may lead us to something.
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I mean, actually, to somebody.
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I'm going to read it aloud now. Please, all of you, I understand this is extremely
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emotional, but I'd like you to really listen carefully.
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I'm going to ask you for your impressions. If it sparks any ideas?
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Anything familiar? Does it sound like someone you know?
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Listen to the words, the language used.
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Every one of them looks confused. A letter? Mary is the first to ask what they are all wondering.
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What do you mean by a note? Does it say where Daisy is?
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No, it's a ransom demand. I'll read it to you. Then you can all look at it more closely.
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It's protected in this plastic evidence bag. It needs to remain in there.
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The note is not addressed to any of you specifically. It's addressed to all
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of you. This surprised everyone.
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And I'm warning you ahead of time here, this is by no means an ordinary ransom note.
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Prepare yourselves. It's very personal, and it appears to be more of a threat.
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So hopeful they would soon be wrapping Daisy in a huge family hug,
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her favorite kind of hug.
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And yet doom rested like a layer of toxic black dust in the pit of their stomachs,
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threatening to kick up and choke them at any moment.
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They will never see Daisy again.
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Then their thoughts diverged.
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The pit of doom in Maggie's belly grew. She was bombarded with despair.
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Like a plague, it consumed her.
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Pushing away all hope until she no longer had any.
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It was because of the ransom demand. Maggie's skepticism quashed the hope she longed to hold on to.
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It had the opposite effect on Duke. Hope grew.
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Hope prevails. Duke thought this thought as hard as he could,
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pulling from the deepest reaches of his heart and mind and probably even his soul.
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It was as if a rush of hope poured out of him, silent but powerful.
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The note reads, Pay attention.
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This will require cooperation from all of you. The four best friends,
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like sisters, like brothers, like family, with your unbreakable bond,
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gather around your table and have an honest heart-to-heart.
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Honest. Not like the lie detectors in which you all lied.
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All of you, including Duke, each of you has chosen your fate.
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Betrayal masked by lies is costly.
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The price is a lifetime of sorrow. A lifetime of regret. a permanently broken
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heart, you all selfishly, shamelessly gambled and lost precious Daisy in your
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effort to save yourselves.
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The ransom I demand is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
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I am your judge, your jury, and very possibly your executioner.
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Daisy's life is in your hands now.
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Try to do better than you have so far.
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Music.
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That's it? What does that mean? Who cares about secrets? Do they want money?
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Duke, I will help you get money.
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Dane, it didn't say anything about money.
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What is this ransom note all about? It's deeply personal. It couldn't be from
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a stranger. Someone with a grudge, maybe.
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If it was about Duke, it likely was a disgruntled employee.
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Only, Duke didn't have any. Maggie?
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As a lawyer, she was constantly facing adversaries. None seemed personal.
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Whoever sent this makes it clear. They are targeting them as a group,
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calling for truth and collaboration.
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At this point, they will need to call a truce if they expect to work together.
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A truce and a vow to each share the truths they have been hiding.
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Will that be enough to save Daisy?
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When Daisy vanished, the hearts, Maggie and Duke, immediately felt the void.
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It was a physical and emotional loss, a missing piece to the jigsaw puzzle that
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made up their family, their life.
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Without it, they'd never be complete.
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And when Duke told Maggie how he felt, like he had a hole in his heart, she understood.
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The hole in Duke's heart and Maggie's heart, too, could only be filled by the return of Daisy.
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I'm getting my sweetheart back. I can get her. I will get her.
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All of you must cooperate. You have to. So Daisy can come home.
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What is that supposed to mean, cooperate? Mary, come on. He's just asking us
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to do what the letter says.
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Sit at the table, talk like friends like we always have, and get to the truth.
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Whatever you need, Duke, this is a mind game to tear us apart.
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We have to take care of each other like always.
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Maggie internalizes her thoughts. Still full of doom, she doesn't believe Daisy is alive.
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She feels the loss, as only a mother can.
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And this so-called ransom note?
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Clearly a hoax. The lawyer in her was convinced of that.
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Duke, on the other hand, is still full of hope. Pure hope.
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Maggie finally speaks up. She interjects to share a very concerning piece of evidence.
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It's just the type of detail Detective Robbins had requested they look out for.
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She recognized the paper immediately, the stationery the ransom note was written
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on. It came from her own kitchen.
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She'd used it for silly notes to Daisy, never imagining it would be used like this.
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This stationery is from... No, Maggie, you're mistaken. We can talk about this later. Me and you.
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Duke, you know the stationery is the one I keep in the kitchen.
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I wrote silly notes and doodles to Daisy every day to put in her backpack.
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It helped when she got homesick in the afternoons at school.
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Yes, Maggie, I know. I was willing to discuss this privately. I just want Daisy back.
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Duke, no, you think I wrote that? It's my paper.
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Someone stole it, I guess. I haven't even touched it since, ever since. Since Daisy vanished?
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I'm sending a tech over to retrieve the rest of the stationery and process the
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surrounding area for prints or anything else that we may find.
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With your permission, of course.
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Yes, yes, it's in the little desk cubby area in a blue box with daisies on it.
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It was, I mean it is, where I saved those notes I wrote her to show her.
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I'm going to show her them when she grows up. Probably on her sweet 16,
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but I'll be devastated to lose those notes.
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It was for you and Daisy only, or also Duke?
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Sometimes Duke likes to draw her silly faces, and then she draws one for him,
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sometimes on that paper.
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I try to keep those in the box for Daisy, too.
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Who else knew about this box and this stationery?
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Well, her teacher did, of course. Emily, she helped Daisy open the notes every day.
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I assume Dane and Mary knew. They were at school every day.
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And yes, actually for sure Mary knew.
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I shared it with her when she asked me to help her start a baby book.
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She wanted to list traditions she could share with their baby. It was last week.
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Oh gosh, Mary, I told you. I just told you.
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You did? Yes. I asked you about it because I noticed Daisy's notes at school.
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I want to steal that idea. It's so precious and it creates such a great bond.
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And you were just gushing over sharing those notes on her 16th birthday. Her sweet 16.
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I have so many questions, sleuths. How about you? First one, baby book?
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For her baby? Also, Maggie said Mary's been distant and moody for a couple weeks.
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That's not how Mary makes it sound.
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And when she attempts to display empathy for Maggie, it just comes out sounding... Ah.
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Maggie, I'm sorry, this is all so emotional, but you're right.
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What if you lose those notes? Do you think whoever wrote this took the whole box?
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I hope not. Maggie, Mary, what baby? Is Mary pregnant?
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Yes, but we're trying. Mary, you told Maggie?
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I thought we were waiting. Anyway, this is getting off topic,
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and sorry, detective, but none of your business.
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This is our private life, and it doesn't pertain to Daisy missing in any way.
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I'm sorry, Mary. I know it was supposed to stay secret. I just cannot bear to
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have secrets when we just got that ransom note.
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And Dane, listen to me. She had to tell me. You know I do her shots.
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Her medicine changed. Duke seems confused.
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Mary? Are you really pregnant?
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Mary won't look up, but nods.
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This is clearly news Mary wanted to keep secret.
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Okay, everyone, let's move on for now. Y'all can discuss this later.
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Dane's right. Let's stay on track. No tangents.
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So is there anything else anyone notices about the note?
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Dane, what is it? I think they tried to copy my writing.
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What do you mean, copy? It's my printing, but too perfect. Not exactly how I
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write, but close. Very close.
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Also, everyone in this room knows what my block writing looks like,
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including you, detective.
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Yet nobody said anything. I find that weird. Unless you're trying to trap me. And they're helping.
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I assure you that is not the case. I want my daughter back. I don't want to
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frame you, Dane. I just want the truth.
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I need the truth. It's the only way to bring Daisy home.
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Dane, you're right. It looks exactly like you're writing. I didn't want to admit
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it, but it is. It's no copy.
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I agree. It's Dane's writing or professional forgery, which is not likely.
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Mary. Duke. You're saying I wrote that note? This is getting nuts again.
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Do you even hear what you're saying?
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It's me, your husband, your best friend. I'm tired of defending myself about things I can't prove.
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How do I prove I did not write that? Let me take a handwriting test or something, please.
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Okay, okay. I'll be checking this all out. Dane, I do have writing samples.
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Y'all are going to have to trust me. I'm going back to my office to follow up
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on the many leads we now have.
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It's good. We're getting more concrete evidence established.
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I will find Daisy. I promise you that. Y'all need to get back to the ranch,
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regardless of your initial impression of this ransom note.
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Whoever wrote it wants y'all together around that dining table.
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That's what we're doing. I refuse
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to risk Daisy's life. I'm assuming that you're going to be a little bit.
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Music.
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The four of them have been sitting at the table for over four hours.
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They are still unsure what secrets they are supposed to be telling each other.
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But so far, there haven't been any revelations.
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Their time around the table has been spent, for the most part,
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with the three of them, Duke, Mary, and Maggie.
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Leaning on Dane, increasing the pressure, desperate to coax an admission of
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guilt out of him. Not about the writing?
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Robbins will provide that answer. No, they are most concerned about the list.
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The private investigator's list of pedophiles.
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There's no unequivocal evidence of guilt or innocence.
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Just a name on a list that is far too suspicious to chalk up to coincidence.
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Dane has refused to admit anything. He also hasn't attempted to clear his name.
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And, probably most disturbing, he isn't even worried.
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The laid-back, mellowness, Duke loves about his best friend,
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he absolutely cannot tolerate in these circumstances.
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He can't see past his demeanor, which is so clearly incongruent to this situation.
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No urgency, no real action. It's starting to feel like he doesn't care.
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And the only logical conclusion Duke can reach is that he's been best friends
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with a sociopath for more than half his life.
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Robbins had been gone all day. He'd had a pile of loose ends and leads to delve into.
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And now for the first time on this case, he was approaching them with more answers than questions.
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A case file loaded with evidence and the close of the case within reach.
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He had implored them not to leave the table, and he was relieved to see they
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were all still there when he returned.
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Dane was anxious to redirect the focus away from himself by appealing to Detective Robbins.
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He knew he couldn't hold up much longer if he didn't. He was counting on Robbins to switch gears.
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We haven't gotten anywhere, Detective. If they want to help Daisy,
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they need to get past accusing me of things that are not true.
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It's wasting precious time.
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Mary startles everyone when she jumps up, pointing aggressively at Dane.
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Precious. Precious. That's the word you just used. It's a word from the ransom note.
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Are you kidding? This is what I'm talking about, detective. How is this helpful?
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I'm not even the first person to use that word today. But it doesn't mean anything.
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It's not locating Daisy.
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That's what we're all here for, right? To find Daisy, bring her home.
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Or should we just continue to sling mud back and forth and bury the truth so
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deep we will never unearth it?
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Dead silence. Everyone realizes she's right, and all eyes are on Dane.
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Robbins uses the silent moment to get everyone's attention. I need everyone
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to listen to what I have to say. I learned a few things today.
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It turns out that Robbins was greatly understating what he had uncovered.
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We've got the results back. The blood in the trunk. It's daisies.
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But there's something else. There's a second blood sample mixed in with hers.
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We ran the DNA, and it's a match to someone else. Someone close.
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It's Emily's, isn't it? She must know where Daisy is. You have to make her tell us.
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Detective Robbins looks ready to continue, but he's distracted by Dane,
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who's squirming restlessly in his chair.
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Dane suddenly pops up, pacing the room like a caged animal.
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May I continue? Robbins is clearly annoyed by Dane's behavior,
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especially because Dane complains about others slowing down this investigation.
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Dane stops pacing, but his unease is disruptive. Robbins clears his throat and
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refocuses on the task at hand.
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We have the information about who is tied to that name your PI gave us, Daniel Manning.
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We've matched the other blood evidence from the trunk, and we've discovered
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some important facts from the video surveillance at the school.
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We also reviewed video taken at the entrance and exit of the park where Dane
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says he was looking for Daisy instead of calling the police.
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Both tapes have answered important questions and helped nail down the timeline.
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The box of stationery and notes was right where Maggie said it would be,
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and it yielded more than we could have hoped for.
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The DNA and blood work analysis has provided the most pertinent or rather condemning detailed information.
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Finally, we have a theory on where we might find Daisy. Take me to her.
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Take me to Daisy. If you know that, I hope you're already looking.
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Not waiting to finish your case summary here. Yeah, let's get moving on this.
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Why all the drama and cloak and dagger nonsense? If you know,
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lay it on us. We all want Daisy back home safe as soon as possible and whoever took her caught.
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It's all in progress now trust and blind faith I've not seen that from any of you,
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not towards each other or yourselves but I'm
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asking that of you now there's a lot to unwind and our chain of evidence needs
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to be properly secured and recorded as we go we must be meticulous I assure
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you Duke and Maggie as soon as I know once everything is confirmed you will
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know I'm sharing it all here and now in real time.
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As it unfolds for me, I'll be unfolding it for you.
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First, the video. The one from the school clearly shows Daisy going out of range at 11.08 a.m.
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Dane, you got off the ladder five minutes before that. You're seen moving towards
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the left and out of camera range.
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You're there for about two minutes, and then you walk back through the camera's
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view and head off to the left again.
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Do you recall what you did in those two minutes?
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Daisy is still seen after you walked back through. So it had nothing to do with her.
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I told Mary to let Emily know her boyfriend left her keys in the car.
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Did he say where exactly in the car?
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Under the driver's side mat. So you admit you knew where the keys were?
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Why didn't you share that until now? Are you hiding something? Absolutely not.
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I went straight to Mary and told her as soon as I spotted her standing where
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she always lines the kids up to transition them inside to Emily.
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The kids still had a few minutes of outside time, so I told Mary to let Emily
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know her keys were under the driver's side mat when she followed the kids inside.
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Then I left. Like you said, I walked past the ladder to the left.
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I had paint supplies on that side to clean up before they dried out.
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I was painting the first coat on the new shutters up on the top window,
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and I couldn't do any more until it had cured for 24 hours.
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This is ridiculous, Detective Robbins. Who cares what he was doing on or off the ladder?
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Questioning Robbins. So much for Duke having blind faith, right?
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He's understandably impatient. Since losing Daisy, time has lost all meaning to him.
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He can't tell if he doesn't have enough or he needs more.
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So Mary, you told Emily where her keys were when you came in? I did.
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Next, we see the line of kids coming from the direction where Mary would be
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lining them up. This is at 1106 to 1107.
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Daisy is last. The kids go inside, but Daisy turns her head to the right,
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as if someone called out to her. Then she walks in that direction off camera.
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She's not seen on camera again. Dane just clearly said you always follow the
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last child in and hand them off to Emily.
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Emily confirmed this is true. It's also why it took her quite a while to be worried about Daisy.
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She knew you had not come in and assumed Daisy was with you.
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She should have confirmed this for safety protocol, but she didn't.
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The kids were settling, and she confirmed she saw the back of your head right
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where the lineup started, right where Dane had chatted with you. It's off camera.
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You don't show up on camera until 12 minutes later, and this is when the alert
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goes out that Emily says Daisy is missing.
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This is also when you told Emily about her keys being in the car.
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So you weren't lying about that, but it was much later than we thought.
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And even Emily brushed off the info, not worrying about it because she was frantic over Daisy.
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What a strange time to tell her about her keys, Mary.
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We see Dane come in from the left side where he had gone off.
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He says he was cleaning up paint, and his hands are covered in paint that hasn't washed off yet.
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He must have been called over in a hurry. Of course, I didn't take time to wash
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up. I could hear the sudden commotion.
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Emily was frantic, and Mary was calling out to me.
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I assumed one of the kids got hurt. So you're saying you were surprised to hear Daisy had gone missing?
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I was. And I wanted to search for her right away.
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Before calling the police? No.
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Well, yes. I mean, Mary asked me to get in the car and check slowly all the
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way along the road to the park we take the kids to sometimes.
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It's several blocks away.
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And she wanted me to check the tall grass in case Daisy sat down and wasn't
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visible from the street.
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So you did that instead of calling the police?
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Yes, but I told Mary that if we didn't find her in the first 10 minutes,
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I was calling Maggie at least. She agreed.
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She headed on foot to check the forest, and I took my car.
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I drove slowly, and I could see over the grass, mostly where it's not so tall.
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But I still had to get out and check a few times.
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Did you see Mary walk into the forest? No, but she headed that way, and that was our plan.
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I called Maggie exactly 11 minutes later, set my phone timer.
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She was heading to the school by the time I got off with her.
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We talked maybe a minute. She was a mess.
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Of course she was. I called Mary right away and told her to forget the forest
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and walk back to meet Maggie at the school and call the police.
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I kept on driving to the park. That's why Mary was back before me and why we
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didn't call the police right away. But we didn't wait too long.
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Are you aware that Emily was the first to call the police, not Mary?
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Is that because she was protecting you, buying time for you to cover your tracks?
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Why would you keep going to the park?
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Because Mary told me to. We do have you on video entering the park at 1146 and exiting at 1152.
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So you were there six minutes total. That's all.
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We don't know where you were until you arrived back, and everyone else was there
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accounted for. Mary, Emily, Duke, and the patrolmen securing the scene.
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I was even there before you. You rolled in at 12.30. It took you over a half
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hour to make a five-minute drive back from the park?
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I don't buy it, even stopping to check the grass.
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Okay. I admit I was scared to come back. I wanted everything to be already handled when I got there.
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Scared of Duke scared to tell Maggie you lost Daisy scared to tell them you
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waited to call the police scared about what your wife might say I knew that
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was wrong not calling 911 immediately it bothered me and I couldn't justify it to them,
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call it scared but ashamed is more like it.
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Okay, that's what you say. But you could have had Daisy with you the whole time.
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You could have left her or dumped her somewhere, and that's why you took so
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long. What do you think, Mary?
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Did it seem strange to you? Or were you expecting that?
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I guess not. I didn't have a good judgment of time.
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Do you know what time you finally did call the police, Mary?
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Was it right when Dane asked you to, or did you wait? I didn't.
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You didn't what? Call right away? Why would you want to give Dane more time
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to get Daisy out of there? Did you suspect him?
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Were you covering for him? Or were you in it together?
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No, I didn't call the police. At all. I never did.
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I thought I could handle it. I didn't
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suspect Dane then. I believed he was checking the park and the grass.
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I believed him. But you suspect him now?
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I don't know what to think. He wrote the ransom note. It's his writing.
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And you come in with a list of things he has done. You make it sound bad.
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And that private investigator found his foster name on the list for having child
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porn. And he never did tell me what he did when he was a juvenile.
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Maybe because it was too terrible.
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I think I may not know my husband like I thought I did. I don't trust him anymore. And I don't believe him.
27:30
No, I expect you don't, Mary. Once Mary verbalizes her suspicions,
27:34
Duke can no longer hold back his fury.
27:37
He lunges at Dane, fist clenched, ready to deliver a devastating blow.
27:42
Where is she? Tell me now.
27:45
I don't know. All these accusations. I don't have answers, but I did not write
27:50
that note, and Detective Robbins said they found evidence. It had to have cleared me.
27:55
Duke is still posturing, ready to beat the answer out of Dane when Robbins jumps between them.
28:01
He's not as big as either, but he's commanding, and the sound of his voice disarms
28:08
Duke, who ultimately trusts Robbins more than he trusts anyone else.
28:15
Hold on, Duke. I'm just now receiving some of the info I needed.
28:18
So I can finish up here. I am still awaiting some final details,
28:22
but Dane's right. I can clear him.
28:25
We know who wrote the note, and it wasn't him.
28:28
I know. It was me. I wrote it. Yes, Duke. And I think I know why.
28:33
But we can discuss that later. I'm sure this is coming as a shock to the rest of you.
28:38
For the time being, I'm going to omit the ransom note from the updates on this case.
28:43
While we did confirm, and as you just heard, Duke confirms, he wrote the note,
28:47
but it's not relevant to Daisy's disappearance or finding her.
28:50
So please, bear with me. I need to present this to y'all in the most understandable manner.
28:56
If you follow my explanations most, if not all of your questions,
28:59
will be answered before we leave here tonight. So please, blind faith.
29:05
Robbins's tone is firm but understanding. He knows there will be emotional triggers,
29:10
but he needs Duke to stay calm.
29:12
He'd prefer all of them stay calm, but knows it's not likely,
29:18
He breathes a sigh of relief when Duke reluctantly lets go of Dane and takes a seat.
29:24
The rest of them may not be as controlled as Duke.
29:28
Duke, you probably remember Mary asking why the police were there when she approached
29:32
you and Maggie in front of the schoolhouse when Daisy was first reported missing.
29:36
It was never a believable statement. Of course she knew why the police were there.
29:41
It's something I've continued mulling over and couldn't make sense of.
29:45
Today, when she admitted she didn't call the police at all, it finally clicked for me.
29:49
She wasn't pretending to not understand the police were there because Daisy
29:53
was missing. Her statement carried a different meaning.
29:56
Mary was shocked to find the police were there at all because she expected us not to be.
30:02
She expected that nobody had called yet because she had made sure no one would.
30:07
She knew she had not called, though she had told Dane she did so that he wouldn't call.
30:12
Maggie was told by Dane that Mary had already called. Duke wasn't informed,
30:16
so he wouldn't have called.
30:18
She didn't consider the possibility that Emily would dial 911 because she had
30:23
explicitly told her to wait.
30:25
Mary had been orchestrating the situation for over an hour, setting everyone
30:30
in motion on her terms, creating the narrative of Daisy's disappearance and how it was unfolding.
30:36
And everybody seemed to be accepting of this, and Dane was actually accommodating her. Why?
30:44
I'll tell you why. Empathy, you all were empathetic toward Mary.
30:49
You all assumed her actions were driven by guilt, that she felt so guilty,
30:53
she wanted to find Daisy herself, make up for losing her, and fix everything.
30:58
While frustrating and even infuriating, her behavior was accepted as benign.
31:05
And you're no longer considering it harmless? Is that what you're saying?
31:10
I'm introducing another perspective for consideration.
31:14
And this is supposed to help, having a new perspective, I'm overloaded.
31:19
I need direct answers that lead to Daisy, and you alluded to having that.
31:23
So please, please, Detective, I'm losing patience.
31:27
I'm way beyond that. I understand. I just need to clear up a couple things.
31:31
Maggie, did you wonder why Dane called you? He didn't call Duke. He called you.
31:36
No, why would I? No, somebody had to call her.
31:40
And you didn't ask Mary why. She wasn't calling Maggie. Her best friend.
31:45
No, this doesn't matter. Who cares? Duke had to wonder. How you knew to drive to school.
31:51
Yes, I told him I saw a baby bluebird fall out of the nest right outside my
31:55
office. The mother rejected it.
31:58
It reminded me of Daisy. She loved to look at the tiny blue eggs.
32:01
She loved that color we both do.
32:04
It's a very specific and very special blue.
32:07
And she loved the baby birds. The one that fell?
32:11
I wanted to rescue it, but it died. The mother didn't save it. It was so, so sad.
32:17
I felt panicked. I felt helpless. And I had to get to Daisy.
32:22
It made me uneasy, though, and now I view it as a premonition.
32:26
I could feel Daisy needed me.
32:28
Okay, Maggie. That may be a connection you made to the impending tragedy you
32:32
were about to face, but Dane called you. That's why you rushed to school.
32:37
And you did not tell Duke that part. That's a big omission. True.
32:43
What are you getting at? Maggie and Dane were in on it? Are you saying my wife
32:47
and best friend collaborated and have something to do with Daisy?
32:54
They do have a connection. Yes, Duke, I'm sorry.
32:59
What is this? Where's Daisy? This is all wrong. Maggie and I want our daughter back.
33:05
We don't want to sit here and listen to your wildly inaccurate theories, Detective.
33:10
Maggie starts to cry. But Robbins doesn't ease up on the intensity of his words.
33:16
This is no time for joking. This is a serious matter. But I can't resist a pun. Indulge me.
33:23
Detective Robbins pauses, letting the implications of his words sink in. It is a pregnant pause.
33:30
Music.
33:36
Look, Dane, the fact is, Mary asked you to call Maggie.
33:39
You didn't think it was strange of her to ask because Maggie was the first one
33:43
you would have called instinctively. And Mary knew that.
33:47
There are so many secrets among y'all. I'm sure finding out Duke wrote the ransom note was shocking.
33:53
This isn't easy, but the only way to get through this is to lay it all out.
33:58
Secrets are about to be spilled. I'd rather you spill them, but I will if I have to.
34:04
The detective is right. They all harbored secrets, and those secrets tell a
34:10
story of four friends whose loyalty, love, strength,
34:15
selflessness, and concern for each other knows no boundaries.
34:20
They held onto their secrets to protect their own hearts and the hearts of each other.
34:26
When the thread snagged and it began to get tugged at and pulled on,
34:31
the intricate way their lives were knitted together, loosened,
34:35
weakened, and eventually unraveled completely.
34:41
Daisy, the innocent victim of the undoing,
34:47
Can broken friendships.
34:48
Music.
34:56
Did the damage of betrayal destroy the bond of love? Or does love conquer all?
35:03
The truth is, the truth has already caused irreparable damage,
35:09
repercussions that are irreversible.
35:12
Even though none of them know the whole truth, they all hold pieces to the puzzle
35:16
that makes up this tragedy.
35:18
Sharing with each other now, coming together, to assemble their pieces can't
35:23
change everything. but it will profoundly change their hearts.
35:29
Nobody seems willing to start. Maggie and Dane are locked in a silent stare
35:35
and oddly, so are Duke and Mary.
35:39
Maggie shifts her eyes to Duke, reaching for his hand. For the first time ever,
35:45
Duke recoils from Maggie's touch.
35:48
That's the moment her heart breaks. Duke, I'm so sorry.
35:53
Sorry? Maggie, you're going to have to tell me. At this point,
35:57
jumping to conclusions is not enough for me. I need to hear the truth.
36:03
Duke, I'll tell you. Mary, I'll tell you both.
36:09
Dane looks to Maggie to read her face. He's saving her from having to say the
36:14
words he knows she had intended to never say.
36:18
Maggie nods her head, letting Dane know to continue on.
36:22
There's no easy way to say this. Daisy it is
36:25
it's possible say it I might be
36:29
Daisy's father Duke turns to Maggie her tears are confirmation enough Duke is
36:36
stunned this is not something he had ever considered in fact he would have believed
36:42
it to be impossible is he Maggie is Dane Daisy's father.
36:49
I don't. We, we don't know, Duke. But Daisy is yours no matter what.
36:54
She's ours. Yours and mine. She's always been our little girl.
36:59
Duke turns his eyes to Mary. He finds her expression difficult to discern. She appears detached.
37:05
He's not sure if his mind is playing tricks on him, but he thought he noticed her shoulders shrug.
37:11
If he was looking for an ally, Mary didn't seem willing. He found her demeanor
37:16
both strange and unnerving.
37:18
I'm sorry, Duke, but you figured out early on that getting to the heart of the
37:22
matter would be the key to finding Daisy.
37:25
You needed the truth. That's why you wrote the ransom note.
37:29
To force interaction. To see
37:31
if everyone could set their self-preservation aside and put Daisy first.
37:36
To have everyone tell the truth. Now you have part of it.
37:40
And obviously this isn't easy. That's why secrets are kept. Mary,
37:45
do you have anything you need to say?
37:47
What's my secret? I didn't sleep with Duke. My husband is the bad guy here.
37:52
And Maggie, I told you it was hypocritical to call out someone else for betrayal.
37:57
Your secret is that you knew, and you didn't hide it well earlier, or just now.
38:01
You knew about Dane and Maggie, and something led you to suspect their secret
38:05
about Daisy. What was it, Mary?
38:09
Something in the way she looked? Her eyes? Her smile? Whatever it was that drove you mad, Mary?
38:18
I don't have any secrets. I told you it's Dane who had secrets.
38:22
Porn, assault, adultery, probably even murder.
38:25
Maybe he's done this to others, not just Daisy.
38:31
No, Mary, the P.I. cleared Dane. It was a coincidence. Not him.
38:36
It is some pervert who's in jail already for other things he's done to kids.
38:41
So even he didn't take Daisy.
38:43
Dane didn't either. He also didn't write the ransom note, as you know. Thank you.
38:48
That must have confused you, finding out there was a ransom note for Daisy.
38:52
We found the impression of the note on the top page of stationery.
38:56
And a single perfect latent fingerprint, right index finger.
39:01
Dukes, I expected yours, but the note had nothing to do with Daisy missing.
39:06
Just a desperate father willing to try anything to save his daughter.
39:10
No one else took Daisy, only you could have, Mary.
39:14
You only came back two minutes before Dane because you ran back and drove Emily's
39:18
car back to the Hart Ranch.
39:20
You made sure you knew exactly when Maggie left, and you knew Duke would be
39:24
picking Daisy up from school.
39:26
Nobody was home, as you had planned. But you're on camera, Mary.
39:30
At least the car is. Emily's car.
39:33
It's there for half an hour, then drives away.
39:35
You brought Daisy, took her tiny body, and probably tossed it down the well.
39:39
We're confirming that now, and drove back to park Emily's car in the lot.
39:44
In your haste, you forgot to put the keys under the driver's side mat, though.
39:48
And you left the driver's seat back too far. No, no, no. This is crazy. It wasn't me.
39:54
Why would I? And when could I have killed her anyway?
39:59
Mary, come on. You had almost 15 minutes out of sight of the cameras.
40:04
She walked to you when you called her.
40:06
You never followed the kids' line back in, so you were unaccounted for along with Daisy.
40:11
But both Dane and Emily placed you in the yard out of camera sight.
40:15
Also, you didn't tell Emily about her keys until after she reported Daisy missing to you.
40:21
You told her to watch the kids while you and Dane looked for Daisy.
40:24
You knew Emily wouldn't be able to go to her car.
40:27
Daisy was already in the trunk by then, where you had left her.
40:31
We found a sock with her DNA on it, saliva and blood.
40:35
We withheld that information because only the kidnapper, the murderer, would know about that.
40:41
You shoved it down her throat. It kept her quiet and it killed her. How efficient, Mary.
40:48
You're known to be efficient. To create detailed plans, to be calm under pressure.
40:54
You were able to utilize your strengths, but even you made mistakes.
40:58
Maybe it was your pregnancy brain, tired, forgetful.
41:03
No, no, no. You're just storytelling. There's no proof. Your facts are fabricated.
41:09
Mary, you forgot the first thing I said when I addressed all of you today?
41:12
The blood DNA evidence matches Daisy.
41:15
But there is another contributor.
41:18
She was biting her nail. It was bleeding. It was one of the reasons I agreed to wait to call.
41:24
I thought I was protecting her from having to face losing Daisy.
41:27
She was chewing at her bloody finger, and I thought she was having a nervous
41:30
breakdown. It scared me.
41:33
Yes, the blood matches Mary. She broke her nail.
41:37
And I expect to call here very soon saying they also found blood on Daisy.
41:41
Her body, her clothing, her mouth.
41:44
We won't have results immediately, but they will come soon enough.
41:49
Mary, please stand and put your hands behind your back.
41:53
Robbins cuffs Mary, placing her under arrest for felony kidnapping and first-degree
41:58
murder with special circumstances.
42:01
He mirandizes her and leads her away to be processed into jail.
42:05
Nobody says goodbye. Nobody will even look at her.
42:10
Just so you know, I'm sure of everything I said in here. There's plenty of evidence.
42:15
I'll need y'all to testify.
42:17
And that won't be easy, but I'm sure you'll do it for Daisy.
42:21
I want to take the three of you out to your well now, if it's okay with you, Duke.
42:26
Daisy is there. You can say goodbye to her.
42:31
Yes, take us to her, the three of us. Maggie, Dane, let's go.
42:36
Maggie falls to her knees, her strength finally giving out.
42:40
Duke instinctively reaches for her, but so does Dane.
42:44
Duke glares at Dane, struggling to separate the friend from the betrayer,
42:48
and the same goes for Maggie.
42:50
Where did Duke fit in now?
42:55
Life felt like a lie.
43:01
Maggie, Dane, and Duke walk out behind the detective arm in arm.
43:04
As they make their way outside, Duke's voice is barely audible as he addresses Robbins.
43:09
For Robbins, I'm no dummy.
43:12
You did a DNA profile on Daisy and the rest of us. You didn't say she was mine.
43:18
Robbins stops and holds Duke's gaze until Duke nods almost imperceptibly.
43:23
Dane is Daisy's biological father. Duke feels numb, his hearing muffled, and his vision blurred.
43:30
Suddenly, the three of them shift, and Maggie and Dane are holding Duke up.
43:35
Tears stream down Dane's cheeks, dropping to the ground and splashing.
43:39
Duke doesn't cry tears. He makes a deep, grumbling sound that seems to come
43:44
straight from his soul. It sounds like heartbreak.
43:47
He feels like he's dying, dying of a broken heart.
43:52
Maggie musters the strength that Duke had always admired in her.
43:55
Her eyes are red and watery, but her voice doesn't waver.
44:00
The three of us have a lot of grieving to do. And Daisy deserves to have her
44:04
two daddies act with dignity as we mourn her. It's complicated.
44:08
How we each feel about ourselves, about each other. But we all feel the same about Daisy.
44:14
We all love her beyond our wildest dreams. We all lost a part of ourselves when
44:19
she died. And we will all carry her with us in our heart forever.
44:23
Episode 7 over and out wow.
44:29
How did that go for you sleuths out there any surprises,
44:33
many surprises there's a whole lot to digest I know but you probably noticed,
44:39
there are still plenty of loose ends to tie up in episode 8 I'll let you in
44:44
on the aftermath of this tragedy and share more details that will answer those
44:49
questions that still linger We all love an epilogue, don't we?
44:53
Music.
45:07
How do you feel after an episode of Slice of Crimes? One step closer to the truth?
45:12
If you haven't cracked the case yet, no worries, you're not alone.
45:16
But before you go, remember, the mystery doesn't end here.
45:21
Enjoyed this episode? Show some love, share Slice of Crimes with your friends,
45:26
family, or even that neighbor who's a little too interested in true crime.
45:30
Oh wait, that's probably you.
45:32
Your five-star ratings and killer reviews help keep these investigations coming.
45:37
And I couldn't do it without you.
45:40
Got your own theories? Burning questions? Or maybe a case you think I should
45:45
tackle next? I'm all ears.
45:47
Send your ideas and suggestions my way. The more you engage,
45:51
the sharper my sleuthing gets.
45:53
So until next time, fellow sleuths, keep your wits about you.
45:57
Stay curious. Stay sharp.
46:00
You never know what the next slice of crime will serve up. And trust me,
46:04
you won't want to miss it.
46:06
Infinite thanks for listening today and for tuning in next week.