1 00:00:15,210 --> 00:00:22,090 Speaker 1: Pushkin Stevie Lay and I'd like to welcome you into 2 00:00:22,090 --> 00:00:26,330 Speaker 1: the studio. Thanks for being here. Oh, I'm recording. I 3 00:00:26,370 --> 00:00:26,850 Speaker 1: hope you know. 4 00:00:27,130 --> 00:00:28,410 Speaker 2: Oh, thank you for telling me. 5 00:00:28,730 --> 00:00:30,810 Speaker 1: Okay, so I have your verbal consent. 6 00:00:31,170 --> 00:00:32,330 Speaker 2: Yes, I'm opting in. 7 00:00:32,409 --> 00:00:33,530 Speaker 1: Okay, so I'm recording. 8 00:00:33,730 --> 00:00:34,809 Speaker 2: I'm also recording. 9 00:00:35,170 --> 00:00:37,370 Speaker 1: I don't remember being asked for my consent. 10 00:00:38,690 --> 00:00:40,770 Speaker 2: Jonathan, can I record? 11 00:00:41,250 --> 00:00:41,450 Speaker 3: Yes? 12 00:00:41,489 --> 00:00:43,250 Speaker 2: You may, Thank you, Jonathan. 13 00:00:44,370 --> 00:00:47,570 Speaker 1: So we're gonna be re listening to an encore presentation 14 00:00:47,930 --> 00:00:50,809 Speaker 1: of an episode that we did or that you know 15 00:00:50,849 --> 00:00:56,010 Speaker 1: you produced six years ago about a man named Scott. Yes, 16 00:00:56,330 --> 00:00:59,850 Speaker 1: and here's a little glimpse behind the curtain. There's a 17 00:00:59,850 --> 00:01:04,569 Speaker 1: lot of investigation. Yes, that takes place, and you're captain 18 00:01:04,810 --> 00:01:07,610 Speaker 1: of the heavyweight investigative Bureau. 19 00:01:08,250 --> 00:01:11,010 Speaker 2: I love attending that my job is a PI. 20 00:01:11,410 --> 00:01:13,250 Speaker 1: Well, it's kind of. I mean, it's like it is. 21 00:01:13,810 --> 00:01:16,690 Speaker 1: That's what I did a lot of research I did. 22 00:01:16,930 --> 00:01:21,209 Speaker 4: I will say that this is an episode that genuinely 23 00:01:21,250 --> 00:01:24,770 Speaker 4: at every turn we were surprised by what happened. 24 00:01:25,170 --> 00:01:26,450 Speaker 2: Yeah, and that was. 25 00:01:26,410 --> 00:01:29,330 Speaker 4: Really I feel like that was like really fun while 26 00:01:29,370 --> 00:01:31,530 Speaker 4: making it. Yeah, but like I do feel that that 27 00:01:31,690 --> 00:01:34,530 Speaker 4: translates into the story in a really amazing way. 28 00:01:34,970 --> 00:01:37,250 Speaker 1: Yeah, and at the very end, I'm going to catch 29 00:01:37,330 --> 00:01:40,130 Speaker 1: up with Scott. We're going to find out where in 30 00:01:40,170 --> 00:01:42,250 Speaker 1: his life he is all these years later. 31 00:01:42,850 --> 00:01:46,890 Speaker 2: So I guess should should we play it for the people. 32 00:01:46,850 --> 00:01:50,810 Speaker 1: Without a do or a don't? Let's sit back, pop 33 00:01:50,890 --> 00:01:53,610 Speaker 1: the foot, rest on your bark a lounger and enjoy. 34 00:01:54,010 --> 00:01:56,610 Speaker 1: But oh, sorry, did I scare you? 35 00:01:56,690 --> 00:01:57,210 Speaker 2: No? 36 00:01:57,210 --> 00:01:57,330 Speaker 5: No? 37 00:01:57,530 --> 00:01:59,770 Speaker 1: Okay, well I just wanted to. Sorry I got excited. 38 00:01:59,810 --> 00:02:13,010 Speaker 1: But first a word from our sponsors. Let's play truth 39 00:02:13,090 --> 00:02:16,889 Speaker 1: or dare? Okay, go ahead, No, Jackie, you cut out. 40 00:02:16,930 --> 00:02:18,769 Speaker 1: You cut out. I couldn't hear if you said truth 41 00:02:18,890 --> 00:02:20,090 Speaker 1: or dare? Which one did you say? 42 00:02:20,370 --> 00:02:20,570 Speaker 6: No? 43 00:02:20,770 --> 00:02:24,010 Speaker 3: I'm not willing, I'm not interested. I don't want to play. 44 00:02:24,050 --> 00:02:28,610 Speaker 1: Have you ever have you ever peed in a shower? 45 00:02:29,810 --> 00:02:33,770 Speaker 1: Tell the truth? Have you ever peed in a shower? Jackie. 46 00:02:34,370 --> 00:02:36,890 Speaker 3: That's just not a question, John, is it? 47 00:02:36,930 --> 00:02:38,049 Speaker 1: Because the answer is yes? 48 00:02:38,770 --> 00:02:39,370 Speaker 3: Affirmative? 49 00:02:39,530 --> 00:02:41,290 Speaker 1: Okay? Have you ever peed in a bathtub? 50 00:02:41,970 --> 00:02:42,450 Speaker 3: Negative? 51 00:02:42,970 --> 00:02:44,370 Speaker 1: You've never peed in a bathtub. 52 00:02:44,530 --> 00:02:46,610 Speaker 3: That's disgusting. Why would you peel on yourself? 53 00:02:46,730 --> 00:02:48,410 Speaker 1: I'm not saying that I did you did? 54 00:02:48,810 --> 00:02:49,770 Speaker 3: You just said no? 55 00:02:49,810 --> 00:02:53,209 Speaker 1: I didn't? Okay, Okay, you you were surprised because I'm 56 00:02:53,210 --> 00:02:53,970 Speaker 1: not in the hot seat. 57 00:02:54,490 --> 00:02:55,730 Speaker 7: You are, You're not. 58 00:02:56,690 --> 00:02:57,690 Speaker 3: We're having a conversation. 59 00:02:57,770 --> 00:02:59,930 Speaker 1: I want to have a we are having a conversation. Okay, 60 00:02:59,970 --> 00:03:01,650 Speaker 1: you could do you want to get read the conversation 61 00:03:11,690 --> 00:03:16,170 Speaker 1: from Gimblet Media. I'm Jonathan Goldstein and this is Heavyweight 62 00:03:16,850 --> 00:03:32,570 Speaker 1: Today's episode. Scott. Okay, we're rolling. So Scott, first of all, 63 00:03:32,610 --> 00:03:35,650 Speaker 1: thank you. Maybe the thing to do would go on 64 00:03:36,690 --> 00:03:38,970 Speaker 1: if you're lucky. The mistakes you make as you move 65 00:03:39,050 --> 00:03:42,930 Speaker 1: through life are small and harmless, calling your teacher mommy, 66 00:03:43,450 --> 00:03:47,850 Speaker 1: leaving gum in your jeans in the wash, or talking 67 00:03:47,890 --> 00:03:51,650 Speaker 1: over the person you're trying to talk to. No, no, sorry, sure, 68 00:03:51,890 --> 00:03:55,730 Speaker 1: hang on a second, Yeah, yeah, tell me more, Scott. 69 00:03:57,450 --> 00:04:00,570 Speaker 1: But the mistake Scott made wasn't the small kind. It 70 00:04:00,650 --> 00:04:03,930 Speaker 1: was the big kind. Big because it hurt his dad, 71 00:04:04,370 --> 00:04:07,250 Speaker 1: one of the people Scott loves most, and he's been 72 00:04:07,250 --> 00:04:10,610 Speaker 1: trying to fix that mistake for the past eight years. 73 00:04:11,450 --> 00:04:14,090 Speaker 1: For Scott, the story all begins when he was a kid, 74 00:04:14,530 --> 00:04:16,570 Speaker 1: which is when he first discovered drugs. 75 00:04:16,930 --> 00:04:19,089 Speaker 8: The first one was weed, I know, that was when 76 00:04:19,089 --> 00:04:22,930 Speaker 8: I was thirteen, and then alcohol, and then it quickly 77 00:04:23,010 --> 00:04:26,089 Speaker 8: kind of descended from there. So I first did cocaine 78 00:04:26,169 --> 00:04:28,770 Speaker 8: when I was fourteen fifteen, first did meth when I 79 00:04:28,770 --> 00:04:31,170 Speaker 8: was about fifteen, and then it was around that same 80 00:04:31,210 --> 00:04:32,330 Speaker 8: time that I found opiates. 81 00:04:33,049 --> 00:04:36,289 Speaker 1: Scott's mom suffered from chronic pain and there were always 82 00:04:36,369 --> 00:04:40,010 Speaker 1: pills in her medicine cabinet, stuff like OxyContin and fentanyl. 83 00:04:40,369 --> 00:04:42,849 Speaker 8: It is this feeling of like finding a missing piece 84 00:04:42,890 --> 00:04:46,049 Speaker 8: to a puzzle. All of the sudden, my anxiety was gone. 85 00:04:46,210 --> 00:04:48,849 Speaker 8: I didn't have as much self doubt, and I was 86 00:04:48,890 --> 00:04:52,969 Speaker 8: able to speak my mind and connect and talk and 87 00:04:53,049 --> 00:04:57,770 Speaker 8: approach girls. And at the time it really felt like 88 00:04:57,890 --> 00:05:03,210 Speaker 8: a cheat code that I would have for life. 89 00:05:01,570 --> 00:05:05,010 Speaker 1: And for a while it worked. Scott graduated high school, 90 00:05:05,130 --> 00:05:07,690 Speaker 1: then college, and found his way into a job as 91 00:05:07,690 --> 00:05:10,569 Speaker 1: a well paid graphic designer, but he was still using 92 00:05:10,650 --> 00:05:13,609 Speaker 1: drugs the way he always had to manage his anxiety 93 00:05:13,690 --> 00:05:16,409 Speaker 1: and make friends, like the friend who got him to 94 00:05:16,409 --> 00:05:18,049 Speaker 1: shoot heroin for the first time. 95 00:05:18,369 --> 00:05:20,169 Speaker 8: And I say friend now by looking back on it, 96 00:05:20,210 --> 00:05:23,770 Speaker 8: we weren't necessarily friends at all. But he said, if 97 00:05:23,770 --> 00:05:26,130 Speaker 8: you can give me a ride to go pick up 98 00:05:26,130 --> 00:05:28,849 Speaker 8: some drugs, then I'll give you some for your trouble. 99 00:05:29,210 --> 00:05:33,489 Speaker 8: And so we're driving down I seventy. He's in shotgun. 100 00:05:33,570 --> 00:05:35,930 Speaker 8: I'm in the driver's seat with my arm extended out 101 00:05:35,969 --> 00:05:38,809 Speaker 8: over the middle part of the car as he shoots 102 00:05:38,810 --> 00:05:43,369 Speaker 8: me up for the first time, and I instantly passed 103 00:05:43,369 --> 00:05:46,369 Speaker 8: out and kind of swerved across three lanes before he 104 00:05:46,450 --> 00:05:48,290 Speaker 8: grabbed the wheel, and then I kind of came back 105 00:05:48,330 --> 00:05:57,210 Speaker 8: to a foot away from hitting a guard rail that 106 00:05:57,409 --> 00:06:01,089 Speaker 8: right there just threw gasoline onto the fire. It went 107 00:06:01,130 --> 00:06:03,370 Speaker 8: from you know, doing it on the weekends once or 108 00:06:03,409 --> 00:06:06,210 Speaker 8: twice a month, to doing it every weekend, to doing 109 00:06:06,250 --> 00:06:08,729 Speaker 8: it every few days to every other day. 110 00:06:09,849 --> 00:06:12,370 Speaker 1: Within a year, Scott lost his job and moved into 111 00:06:12,369 --> 00:06:15,770 Speaker 1: his dad's basement, back into his childhood home in Colorado. 112 00:06:16,250 --> 00:06:18,529 Speaker 1: He still needed to get high every day and now 113 00:06:18,570 --> 00:06:21,609 Speaker 1: had no money. There were boxes in the basement filled 114 00:06:21,609 --> 00:06:24,330 Speaker 1: with old jewelry and silverware, stuff that had belonged to 115 00:06:24,330 --> 00:06:27,930 Speaker 1: Scott's mom before she'd passed away, So Scott started stealing 116 00:06:27,969 --> 00:06:30,610 Speaker 1: stuff from the boxes to bring to a pawnshop down 117 00:06:30,650 --> 00:06:33,929 Speaker 1: the road. He figured an item or two wouldn't be missed, 118 00:06:34,409 --> 00:06:36,770 Speaker 1: but pretty soon it became a daily thing. 119 00:06:37,489 --> 00:06:39,529 Speaker 8: All the while, the voice in the back of my 120 00:06:39,570 --> 00:06:42,650 Speaker 8: head was still there, knowing what was right and was wrong, 121 00:06:42,770 --> 00:06:44,969 Speaker 8: and so I felt immense guilt. 122 00:06:45,409 --> 00:06:48,089 Speaker 1: Soon the boxes were empty, and Scott began to eye 123 00:06:48,169 --> 00:06:52,010 Speaker 1: other things, things right out in the open, things that 124 00:06:52,049 --> 00:06:53,450 Speaker 1: belonged to his dad. 125 00:06:53,690 --> 00:06:55,529 Speaker 8: So like a radio on the shelf, just right there 126 00:06:55,529 --> 00:06:59,650 Speaker 8: in the living room, taking that, and then a baseball 127 00:07:00,210 --> 00:07:04,210 Speaker 8: signed by the early thirties New York Yankees, you know, 128 00:07:04,210 --> 00:07:06,529 Speaker 8: Babe Ruth and Louke Eric and everything like that. 129 00:07:07,369 --> 00:07:09,570 Speaker 1: Did your dad know what was going on? 130 00:07:10,410 --> 00:07:13,130 Speaker 8: I mean, my dad is a very unique person. He's 131 00:07:13,210 --> 00:07:18,009 Speaker 8: kind of like chronically petrified of direct conversations, you know. 132 00:07:18,050 --> 00:07:20,129 Speaker 8: I remember, even as a kid, he would have me 133 00:07:20,369 --> 00:07:22,330 Speaker 8: order the pizza, you know, when we were ordering a 134 00:07:22,369 --> 00:07:24,170 Speaker 8: pizza or something like that, because he didn't want to 135 00:07:24,170 --> 00:07:25,290 Speaker 8: talk to the person on the phone. 136 00:07:26,330 --> 00:07:30,090 Speaker 1: So Scott's dad never brought up the missing stuff until 137 00:07:30,330 --> 00:07:32,410 Speaker 1: Scott started taking money. 138 00:07:32,570 --> 00:07:34,330 Speaker 8: I knew right where his checkbook was, you know, it 139 00:07:34,369 --> 00:07:36,369 Speaker 8: was right there on the secretary by the front door. 140 00:07:36,570 --> 00:07:40,249 Speaker 8: And I had a light table where I put down 141 00:07:40,290 --> 00:07:42,330 Speaker 8: a piece of paperwork that I'd found with his signature 142 00:07:42,330 --> 00:07:43,610 Speaker 8: on it, and then put the check over it and 143 00:07:43,650 --> 00:07:44,690 Speaker 8: kind of traced over it. 144 00:07:45,369 --> 00:07:48,569 Speaker 1: The checks were small, sixty dollars here and there, but 145 00:07:48,650 --> 00:07:52,050 Speaker 1: soon the account was thousands of dollars overdrawn, so his 146 00:07:52,130 --> 00:07:54,650 Speaker 1: dad had to make a decision. It was one thing 147 00:07:54,690 --> 00:07:57,530 Speaker 1: for a clock to go missing, another thing entirely for 148 00:07:57,530 --> 00:08:00,490 Speaker 1: his savings to disappear. So the man who couldn't bring 149 00:08:00,530 --> 00:08:03,170 Speaker 1: himself to pick up the phone to order pizza, picked 150 00:08:03,250 --> 00:08:06,970 Speaker 1: up the phone and reported his son to the police. 151 00:08:07,610 --> 00:08:09,090 Speaker 8: So then they piled me into the back of the 152 00:08:09,330 --> 00:08:11,569 Speaker 8: police car and then brought me to the jail. 153 00:08:13,570 --> 00:08:14,970 Speaker 1: Were you scared at this point? 154 00:08:15,690 --> 00:08:19,250 Speaker 8: I was petrified. I was petrified of the legal consequences 155 00:08:19,290 --> 00:08:20,970 Speaker 8: I had, but I think I was equally or more 156 00:08:21,010 --> 00:08:23,489 Speaker 8: petrified of the detox that I knew that was coming. 157 00:08:25,010 --> 00:08:28,410 Speaker 8: I remember scrawling out the hours I was sober on 158 00:08:28,489 --> 00:08:31,569 Speaker 8: a little jail house notepad that they give you, And 159 00:08:31,730 --> 00:08:33,650 Speaker 8: you know, I was doing three hundred dollars a day 160 00:08:33,690 --> 00:08:36,410 Speaker 8: of heroin at that point. So it was a really, really, 161 00:08:36,450 --> 00:08:45,930 Speaker 8: really bad withdraw There was just a series of horrible 162 00:08:46,010 --> 00:08:49,330 Speaker 8: days where I just couldn't stop crying. I would have 163 00:08:49,410 --> 00:08:53,690 Speaker 8: these kind of vivid dreams of seeing family or being happy, 164 00:08:54,290 --> 00:08:56,410 Speaker 8: and then wake up to realize I'm still in a 165 00:08:56,490 --> 00:08:57,090 Speaker 8: jail cell. 166 00:08:58,490 --> 00:09:01,290 Speaker 1: A couple of weeks into his detention, a garbled voice 167 00:09:01,330 --> 00:09:04,290 Speaker 1: came over the loud speaker. Scott had a visitor. 168 00:09:04,850 --> 00:09:06,530 Speaker 8: Nobody had visited me yet, and so I thought it 169 00:09:06,570 --> 00:09:08,810 Speaker 8: was a mistake at first. So I go up there 170 00:09:08,810 --> 00:09:10,770 Speaker 8: and there's my dad come to visit me. 171 00:09:12,450 --> 00:09:18,330 Speaker 1: But Scott's father wasn't there to offer support. He was 172 00:09:18,370 --> 00:09:20,370 Speaker 1: there to present his son with a list of all 173 00:09:20,370 --> 00:09:24,090 Speaker 1: the things he'd stolen. The radios, the watch collection, the 174 00:09:24,130 --> 00:09:28,730 Speaker 1: family silver. It was two columns containing some fifty items, 175 00:09:29,410 --> 00:09:32,850 Speaker 1: and at the very top of the page. 176 00:09:31,890 --> 00:09:38,570 Speaker 8: His most prized possession, the luger, this German pistol that 177 00:09:38,690 --> 00:09:41,610 Speaker 8: my grandfather had taken off of a German in World 178 00:09:41,690 --> 00:09:47,850 Speaker 8: War II. This gun was something that I knew was 179 00:09:47,890 --> 00:09:51,809 Speaker 8: like his pride and joy. That was like the quintessential 180 00:09:51,930 --> 00:09:54,610 Speaker 8: memento and the biggest piece that my dad had to 181 00:09:54,610 --> 00:09:58,050 Speaker 8: remember his dad by. And so that was the one 182 00:09:58,050 --> 00:10:00,370 Speaker 8: big thing that I had promised myself that I would 183 00:10:00,410 --> 00:10:02,970 Speaker 8: never take, and I took it. 184 00:10:10,930 --> 00:10:13,170 Speaker 1: Of all the things Scott had stolen from his dad, 185 00:10:13,570 --> 00:10:16,330 Speaker 1: of all the mistakes he'd made, this is the one 186 00:10:16,370 --> 00:10:17,410 Speaker 1: he regrets most. 187 00:10:19,250 --> 00:10:23,610 Speaker 8: I've only seen my father cry when his dad passed away, 188 00:10:24,250 --> 00:10:28,410 Speaker 8: when my mom passed away, And in that jail when 189 00:10:28,450 --> 00:10:31,050 Speaker 8: he was telling me about him knowing about the gun 190 00:10:31,050 --> 00:10:37,170 Speaker 8: and being gone. You know, this was a piece of 191 00:10:37,250 --> 00:10:40,090 Speaker 8: his father that he thought he would be able to 192 00:10:40,090 --> 00:10:42,290 Speaker 8: hold on to for the rest of his life. And 193 00:10:42,330 --> 00:10:45,330 Speaker 8: I sold for fourteen hundred dollars worth of drugs. 194 00:10:47,850 --> 00:10:51,410 Speaker 1: For four months, Scott sat in jail awaiting trial. When 195 00:10:51,410 --> 00:10:54,330 Speaker 1: he was finally sentenced, the judge decided to dismiss the 196 00:10:54,450 --> 00:10:57,730 Speaker 1: charges if Scott completed this two year treatment program that 197 00:10:57,850 --> 00:11:01,410 Speaker 1: was modeled on rehab programs from the seventies. Scott would 198 00:11:01,410 --> 00:11:03,290 Speaker 1: have to shave his head and scrub the floors with 199 00:11:03,290 --> 00:11:06,850 Speaker 1: a toothbrush, that kind of thing. The judge told Scott 200 00:11:06,890 --> 00:11:09,370 Speaker 1: that of the roughly three hundred people he'd sent there, 201 00:11:09,810 --> 00:11:11,290 Speaker 1: none had made it through. 202 00:11:11,850 --> 00:11:15,290 Speaker 8: So that was encouraging right at the very beginning. But 203 00:11:15,370 --> 00:11:18,010 Speaker 8: I was like, get me in. Whatever I need to do, 204 00:11:18,490 --> 00:11:19,690 Speaker 8: I'm going to do it. 205 00:11:21,210 --> 00:11:24,250 Speaker 1: After two years, Scott walked out of the facility and 206 00:11:24,290 --> 00:11:27,850 Speaker 1: he's been clean since. He has a wife, two young kids, 207 00:11:27,970 --> 00:11:31,130 Speaker 1: and a job at a residential treatment facility in Colorado 208 00:11:31,410 --> 00:11:34,929 Speaker 1: where he works with addicts and their families. He's trying 209 00:11:34,930 --> 00:11:36,850 Speaker 1: to make up for who he used to be by 210 00:11:36,850 --> 00:11:40,250 Speaker 1: paying it forward, but there's one person he's never been 211 00:11:40,290 --> 00:11:41,210 Speaker 1: able to pay back. 212 00:11:42,290 --> 00:11:45,690 Speaker 8: I have all but forgiven myself for a lot of 213 00:11:45,690 --> 00:11:48,330 Speaker 8: the things that I've done in the past, but this 214 00:11:48,530 --> 00:11:51,250 Speaker 8: is one thing that, no matter the amount of counseling, 215 00:11:51,410 --> 00:11:55,450 Speaker 8: it still bothers me on the deepest level that I 216 00:11:55,530 --> 00:11:56,730 Speaker 8: did this to my dad. 217 00:11:58,010 --> 00:12:00,850 Speaker 1: So about five years ago, Scott took his dad's list 218 00:12:00,890 --> 00:12:03,490 Speaker 1: of the stolen items and set off to recover the 219 00:12:03,570 --> 00:12:05,450 Speaker 1: luger along with everything else. 220 00:12:06,050 --> 00:12:07,850 Speaker 8: So I went to the old antique stores that I 221 00:12:07,930 --> 00:12:09,890 Speaker 8: used to go to. I went to the old sports 222 00:12:09,930 --> 00:12:12,450 Speaker 8: memorabilia spot to see if I could track down the 223 00:12:12,490 --> 00:12:13,770 Speaker 8: baseball that I had sold. 224 00:12:14,490 --> 00:12:18,050 Speaker 1: He succeeded in getting some things back, a Crossley antique radio, 225 00:12:18,210 --> 00:12:21,690 Speaker 1: a Ham radio, and that Christmas, with his sister, all 226 00:12:21,730 --> 00:12:25,130 Speaker 1: his aunts and uncles gathered round, Scott surprised his dad 227 00:12:25,170 --> 00:12:28,730 Speaker 1: with the items he'd recovered. Scott was feeling pretty proud 228 00:12:28,770 --> 00:12:31,930 Speaker 1: of himself until Uncle Bill piped up. 229 00:12:32,610 --> 00:12:35,930 Speaker 8: And my uncle, you know, basically says, well, he's the luger. 230 00:12:36,170 --> 00:12:37,490 Speaker 8: In there is the luger, one of the things that 231 00:12:37,490 --> 00:12:38,250 Speaker 8: you were able to get back. 232 00:12:39,210 --> 00:12:42,850 Speaker 1: Uncle Bill was close with Scott's grandfather, like him, he'd 233 00:12:42,850 --> 00:12:45,970 Speaker 1: also served in the military. He believed the luger should 234 00:12:46,010 --> 00:12:49,170 Speaker 1: have been his to begin with, not a little brothers. 235 00:12:49,410 --> 00:12:53,210 Speaker 8: And I was like, no, no, I wasn't able to 236 00:12:53,210 --> 00:12:55,570 Speaker 8: find that. And then that led to probably about a 237 00:12:55,610 --> 00:12:58,570 Speaker 8: ten minute spiel of his about how important that gun 238 00:12:58,730 --> 00:13:01,450 Speaker 8: was to him. And I remember the day when I 239 00:13:01,450 --> 00:13:04,250 Speaker 8: found out that that was stolen. It still bothers me 240 00:13:04,410 --> 00:13:06,930 Speaker 8: and and it was just like in the middle of 241 00:13:07,010 --> 00:13:11,850 Speaker 8: Christmas morning and were out presence, and every word that 242 00:13:11,930 --> 00:13:15,810 Speaker 8: he said just like, uugh, it felt like a kick 243 00:13:15,810 --> 00:13:16,290 Speaker 8: in the gut. 244 00:13:17,130 --> 00:13:19,130 Speaker 1: And how do you think it made your father feel. 245 00:13:19,770 --> 00:13:24,410 Speaker 8: Very uncomfortable, very uncomfortable. Yeah, yeah, but he's not the 246 00:13:24,450 --> 00:13:26,770 Speaker 8: type of person that would toss it back in my face. 247 00:13:26,930 --> 00:13:27,130 Speaker 7: You know. 248 00:13:27,170 --> 00:13:30,450 Speaker 8: That's kind of my uncle's style, but not necessarily his. 249 00:13:36,210 --> 00:13:39,570 Speaker 1: Although Scott's dad didn't say anything, Scott understood that his 250 00:13:39,650 --> 00:13:42,170 Speaker 1: dad felt the same way as Uncle Bill, that it 251 00:13:42,210 --> 00:13:44,770 Speaker 1: was nice to have all those items returned, but the 252 00:13:44,770 --> 00:13:48,330 Speaker 1: only one he really cared about was the luger and 253 00:13:48,370 --> 00:13:51,130 Speaker 1: it was gone all because of Scott. 254 00:13:51,850 --> 00:13:54,410 Speaker 8: I know that there's still trust issues there. I know 255 00:13:54,490 --> 00:13:58,730 Speaker 8: that there's still pain there, and I've told him over 256 00:13:58,770 --> 00:14:00,250 Speaker 8: the years that I'm going to do what I can 257 00:14:00,330 --> 00:14:02,810 Speaker 8: to try and get it back, And I know by 258 00:14:02,850 --> 00:14:05,130 Speaker 8: the glean in his eye that that would matter quite 259 00:14:05,170 --> 00:14:07,090 Speaker 8: a bit, and that if I am able to track 260 00:14:07,130 --> 00:14:10,290 Speaker 8: this down, it would be seismic. 261 00:14:11,810 --> 00:14:14,690 Speaker 1: No matter what Scott accomplishes in life or how good 262 00:14:14,730 --> 00:14:18,010 Speaker 1: he feels, there's always that nagging voice that cries out, 263 00:14:18,530 --> 00:14:21,290 Speaker 1: what about the luger? Were you able to get that back? 264 00:14:22,250 --> 00:14:24,530 Speaker 1: Even when Scott is relaxing in front of the TV, 265 00:14:24,970 --> 00:14:27,610 Speaker 1: if anything about World War two comes on, he has 266 00:14:27,650 --> 00:14:30,770 Speaker 1: to change the channel. And so Scott's come to me. 267 00:14:31,570 --> 00:14:34,450 Speaker 1: He wants to find his grandfather's luger and has no 268 00:14:34,570 --> 00:14:38,690 Speaker 1: idea where to begin. My first thought is why me? 269 00:14:39,570 --> 00:14:43,810 Speaker 1: Why not the guys from Firearms Chat podcast, the Reloading Podcast, 270 00:14:44,010 --> 00:14:51,010 Speaker 1: Wasted Ammo podcast, Socialist Rifle Association Podcast, Concealed Carry Podcast, 271 00:14:51,210 --> 00:14:55,250 Speaker 1: New Shooter Canada or gun Girl Radio, the firearms show 272 00:14:55,290 --> 00:14:59,370 Speaker 1: for the Second Amendment. Woman, I'm more the wistful type 273 00:14:59,410 --> 00:15:02,570 Speaker 1: than the pistol type, more the pond type than the 274 00:15:02,610 --> 00:15:05,370 Speaker 1: gun type. Do you think we'll have to go to 275 00:15:05,450 --> 00:15:06,090 Speaker 1: a gun show? 276 00:15:06,690 --> 00:15:07,170 Speaker 3: I don't know. 277 00:15:07,970 --> 00:15:10,850 Speaker 8: I think it just kind of depends on where it 278 00:15:11,010 --> 00:15:11,570 Speaker 8: ended up. 279 00:15:12,250 --> 00:15:14,490 Speaker 1: Like the thing that's a little scary, and maybe I'm 280 00:15:14,610 --> 00:15:17,490 Speaker 1: completely like out of line with thinking this, But is 281 00:15:17,530 --> 00:15:21,130 Speaker 1: it possible like that these guns can filter back into 282 00:15:21,810 --> 00:15:23,610 Speaker 1: like a kind of nether world of. 283 00:15:24,050 --> 00:15:26,570 Speaker 8: Like Nazi sympathizer people. 284 00:15:26,410 --> 00:15:31,010 Speaker 1: Exactly like, yeah, it's possible. Yeah, I don't abide by 285 00:15:31,090 --> 00:15:39,690 Speaker 1: Nazi sympathizers, but I'm rapidly becoming a Skatzi sympathizer. As 286 00:15:39,690 --> 00:15:42,770 Speaker 1: Anton Chekhov once said, if a gun shows up in 287 00:15:42,810 --> 00:15:45,610 Speaker 1: the first act, it must be fired in the second 288 00:15:46,130 --> 00:15:49,610 Speaker 1: and that's a lot of presh. But as Jonathan Goldstein 289 00:15:49,650 --> 00:15:52,250 Speaker 1: once said, if a gun's to be fired at all, 290 00:15:52,650 --> 00:15:55,130 Speaker 1: please don't let it hit me in the wallet, because 291 00:15:55,210 --> 00:15:57,530 Speaker 1: that's where I keep the charge card I use for 292 00:15:57,650 --> 00:16:10,330 Speaker 1: purchasing quality products like the ones coming your way. Not 293 00:16:10,490 --> 00:16:13,210 Speaker 1: knowing where to start, I spend several hours on a 294 00:16:13,250 --> 00:16:16,970 Speaker 1: gun collector's discussion board run by someone named Jan with 295 00:16:17,050 --> 00:16:21,090 Speaker 1: an iron cross for an avatar. I introduce myself to 296 00:16:21,130 --> 00:16:23,850 Speaker 1: my fellow gun nuts and announce that I'm looking for 297 00:16:23,930 --> 00:16:28,010 Speaker 1: a gun. Right away, an Internet pop up pops up, 298 00:16:28,330 --> 00:16:31,050 Speaker 1: telling me that my content has been blocked and to 299 00:16:31,210 --> 00:16:38,490 Speaker 1: quote see administrator. Immediately after, the Gimblet Media HR department 300 00:16:38,570 --> 00:16:45,650 Speaker 1: confiscates my computer. I unholster my weapon of choice, the telephone. 301 00:16:46,450 --> 00:16:49,690 Speaker 1: I dial gun dealerships all over the country to seek advice. 302 00:16:50,130 --> 00:16:52,210 Speaker 3: It's going to be almost impossible. 303 00:16:52,250 --> 00:16:54,690 Speaker 9: There may not be any type of record because it. 304 00:16:54,650 --> 00:16:57,490 Speaker 10: Could just be in some private collector's collection. It's gonna be. 305 00:16:57,530 --> 00:16:57,930 Speaker 7: Hard for you. 306 00:16:58,130 --> 00:16:59,090 Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell you straight up. 307 00:16:59,130 --> 00:17:01,090 Speaker 5: Do you know when it was sold? 308 00:17:01,130 --> 00:17:03,170 Speaker 8: Do you have any type of serial number? 309 00:17:04,129 --> 00:17:09,090 Speaker 1: Of course, a serial number. Scott doesn't know the serial number, 310 00:17:09,690 --> 00:17:11,290 Speaker 1: but he admits there's one person who. 311 00:17:11,250 --> 00:17:14,649 Speaker 8: Might, Uncle Bill, my dad's older brother. 312 00:17:15,570 --> 00:17:20,489 Speaker 1: Yeah, mister Christmas Morning himself. Are you in touch with 313 00:17:20,530 --> 00:17:21,050 Speaker 1: your uncle? 314 00:17:22,209 --> 00:17:25,170 Speaker 8: I am, I mean not a ton, but I am. 315 00:17:25,250 --> 00:17:29,010 Speaker 1: Yeah, So maybe he would. He would be a place 316 00:17:29,050 --> 00:17:29,929 Speaker 1: to start. 317 00:17:36,290 --> 00:17:44,369 Speaker 8: Now, I'm uh, I mean, of course, there's a cloud 318 00:17:44,409 --> 00:17:48,010 Speaker 8: of anxiety. My chest starts tightening when I think about 319 00:17:48,010 --> 00:17:48,810 Speaker 8: actually doing it. 320 00:17:49,689 --> 00:17:53,209 Speaker 1: Shortness of breath would come next, then burning in the 321 00:17:53,290 --> 00:17:57,129 Speaker 1: chestel region. It was sounding to this reporter like the 322 00:17:57,129 --> 00:17:59,369 Speaker 1: healing process had already begun. 323 00:18:00,010 --> 00:18:02,369 Speaker 8: But maybe we could both do it. Yeah, we could 324 00:18:02,369 --> 00:18:03,609 Speaker 8: do a three person call. 325 00:18:04,369 --> 00:18:07,330 Speaker 1: So with me on the line as his emotional defibrillator, 326 00:18:07,730 --> 00:18:09,409 Speaker 1: Scott dials up Uncle Bill. 327 00:18:15,810 --> 00:18:17,090 Speaker 3: Good after that this is Bill. 328 00:18:17,449 --> 00:18:21,530 Speaker 8: Hello, Uncle Bill, how are you. 329 00:18:22,129 --> 00:18:24,250 Speaker 3: I'm good, mister Goldstein. 330 00:18:26,129 --> 00:18:31,210 Speaker 1: Yeah. Hi. After Scott and I jockey over who will 331 00:18:31,290 --> 00:18:34,970 Speaker 1: hide behind who's petty coats? Scott boldly peers out from 332 00:18:34,970 --> 00:18:38,409 Speaker 1: behind my petty coats and asks Uncle Bill about the 333 00:18:38,449 --> 00:18:39,209 Speaker 1: serial number. 334 00:18:39,730 --> 00:18:41,929 Speaker 3: I believe it had a fairly low serial number, but 335 00:18:42,050 --> 00:18:44,929 Speaker 3: unfortunately we never took a photo of the writing on 336 00:18:44,970 --> 00:18:45,650 Speaker 3: the inside of. 337 00:18:45,609 --> 00:18:50,009 Speaker 1: The holster, so you don't have the serial number. I 338 00:18:50,050 --> 00:18:53,409 Speaker 1: do not. But the moment we bring up the gun, 339 00:18:53,889 --> 00:18:56,169 Speaker 1: it's Christmas Morning all over again. 340 00:18:57,609 --> 00:19:01,729 Speaker 3: It's a piece of history of his history that was 341 00:19:01,810 --> 00:19:04,330 Speaker 3: part of what formed him to be the man that 342 00:19:04,409 --> 00:19:07,889 Speaker 3: I knew. And that's about all we have from him 343 00:19:07,889 --> 00:19:10,729 Speaker 3: from that era, and now we don't have that. 344 00:19:18,369 --> 00:19:21,129 Speaker 1: When Uncle Bill speaks to the gun, it's as though Scott, 345 00:19:21,330 --> 00:19:25,490 Speaker 1: the person responsible for its disappearance, isn't there, even when 346 00:19:25,490 --> 00:19:27,050 Speaker 1: he pipes up to defend himself. 347 00:19:28,369 --> 00:19:32,050 Speaker 3: The gun disappeared to help beat his habit, and I 348 00:19:32,129 --> 00:19:35,090 Speaker 3: was really pissed at him. 349 00:19:35,290 --> 00:19:35,490 Speaker 9: Yeah. 350 00:19:35,490 --> 00:19:38,290 Speaker 3: I paid off every cent with his dad either. 351 00:19:39,129 --> 00:19:39,289 Speaker 5: You know. 352 00:19:39,330 --> 00:19:41,050 Speaker 3: It wasn't like I was going to go and beat 353 00:19:41,129 --> 00:19:43,929 Speaker 3: him up or anything, but I was pissed that he 354 00:19:44,010 --> 00:19:45,809 Speaker 3: felt the need to quote keep it safe, and then 355 00:19:45,850 --> 00:19:48,330 Speaker 3: he didn't keep it safe. 356 00:19:48,129 --> 00:19:50,969 Speaker 1: Do you still feel like you fault your brother for that? 357 00:19:53,409 --> 00:19:53,889 Speaker 3: Somewhat? 358 00:19:59,369 --> 00:19:59,609 Speaker 6: Now? 359 00:19:59,649 --> 00:20:03,209 Speaker 3: The reality of World War two events is that they 360 00:20:03,250 --> 00:20:07,249 Speaker 3: didn't really like to talk about the war. We didn't 361 00:20:07,290 --> 00:20:12,129 Speaker 3: have PTSD as a doosis. The damage was usually doubtless 362 00:20:12,250 --> 00:20:15,689 Speaker 3: with alcohol, and he a lawful lot of them drank 363 00:20:15,689 --> 00:20:17,810 Speaker 3: too much, and that's how they self medicated. 364 00:20:20,010 --> 00:20:23,729 Speaker 1: After the war, Scott's grandfather became an alcoholic. He spent 365 00:20:23,770 --> 00:20:25,769 Speaker 1: his days in an easy chair with a glass in 366 00:20:25,810 --> 00:20:28,090 Speaker 1: his hand, and in the evenings he kept a bottle 367 00:20:28,129 --> 00:20:30,689 Speaker 1: of whiskey on the nightstand to make sure he didn't 368 00:20:30,689 --> 00:20:34,409 Speaker 1: wake up in a withdrawal. Like the Luger, it seems 369 00:20:34,409 --> 00:20:37,609 Speaker 1: addiction has also been a part of Scott's family for decades. 370 00:20:42,570 --> 00:20:45,249 Speaker 1: Before getting off the phone, Uncle Bill does offer a 371 00:20:45,290 --> 00:20:48,489 Speaker 1: couple helpful bits of information. He tells us that the 372 00:20:48,570 --> 00:20:51,369 Speaker 1: Luger was a mouser and that returning World War II 373 00:20:51,490 --> 00:20:56,049 Speaker 1: soldiers were often issued something called bring back papers, documents 374 00:20:56,090 --> 00:20:59,449 Speaker 1: detailing any items they took home. If we could find 375 00:20:59,449 --> 00:21:02,649 Speaker 1: those papers, Bill says, there's a chance the gun's serial 376 00:21:02,730 --> 00:21:06,009 Speaker 1: number might be there. He also says that if anyone 377 00:21:06,050 --> 00:21:09,929 Speaker 1: has the bringback papers, it'd be Scott's older sister, Mary, 378 00:21:10,449 --> 00:21:14,410 Speaker 1: the family record keeper and also one of Scott's biggest supporters. 379 00:21:15,010 --> 00:21:17,730 Speaker 8: She's a good person and an honest one. 380 00:21:17,970 --> 00:21:20,250 Speaker 1: When Scott was in jail, Mary was the one who 381 00:21:20,330 --> 00:21:23,609 Speaker 1: visited most, gave him money for the commissary, and helped 382 00:21:23,689 --> 00:21:26,530 Speaker 1: him with his court case. When I explained the length 383 00:21:26,570 --> 00:21:29,490 Speaker 1: Scott's going through to get their dad's gun back, Mary 384 00:21:29,530 --> 00:21:32,810 Speaker 1: becomes emotional. The whole thing reminds her of a story 385 00:21:32,850 --> 00:21:36,169 Speaker 1: from when they were kids. Mary, Scott, and their dad 386 00:21:36,290 --> 00:21:37,250 Speaker 1: had gone out shopping. 387 00:21:37,970 --> 00:21:41,169 Speaker 5: He accidentally still a bookmark from the store, just because 388 00:21:41,169 --> 00:21:42,090 Speaker 5: he thought we'd paid for it. 389 00:21:42,010 --> 00:21:44,050 Speaker 10: And we hadn't, and he cried all the way home 390 00:21:44,090 --> 00:21:45,609 Speaker 10: and made us go all the way back to the 391 00:21:45,649 --> 00:21:47,689 Speaker 10: store almost an hour away, to return it. 392 00:21:49,090 --> 00:21:51,570 Speaker 1: Mary still sees her little brother as the same well 393 00:21:51,609 --> 00:21:54,969 Speaker 1: meaning kid who's trying to make things right. She's not 394 00:21:55,010 --> 00:21:57,570 Speaker 1: sure she has the bringback papers, but wants to help, 395 00:21:58,010 --> 00:22:01,009 Speaker 1: so over the weekend she digs through their grandfather's old stuff. 396 00:22:01,530 --> 00:22:05,609 Speaker 1: She finds wartime postcards, letters to their grandmother, photos of 397 00:22:05,649 --> 00:22:09,250 Speaker 1: their grandfather and his army buddies huddled in fox holes. 398 00:22:09,530 --> 00:22:13,690 Speaker 10: And then she found the actual document the bringback papers. 399 00:22:14,129 --> 00:22:16,050 Speaker 1: Holy cow, Okay, so what and. 400 00:22:16,570 --> 00:22:19,170 Speaker 3: By now it's pretty crazy? 401 00:22:19,730 --> 00:22:23,169 Speaker 10: Yeah, but yellowing with it almost looks like it as 402 00:22:23,169 --> 00:22:25,969 Speaker 10: a coffee stains right through the metal. And then it 403 00:22:26,010 --> 00:22:30,489 Speaker 10: has just written in underneath it Luger pistol cerial number 404 00:22:30,530 --> 00:22:31,729 Speaker 10: four five nine. 405 00:22:32,330 --> 00:22:41,410 Speaker 1: Wow, Hi Giovanni, how are you, Johnson? I'm good. How 406 00:22:41,409 --> 00:22:44,769 Speaker 1: are you? I'm doing well, doing well. I get Giovanni's 407 00:22:44,850 --> 00:22:47,529 Speaker 1: number from another gun dealer who tells me that if 408 00:22:47,570 --> 00:22:50,649 Speaker 1: I'm looking for a World War two era luger, Giovanni 409 00:22:50,770 --> 00:22:55,050 Speaker 1: is my man. Giovanni owns one of Colorado's largest historical 410 00:22:55,129 --> 00:22:58,290 Speaker 1: firearm shops and is something of an expert in lugers, 411 00:22:58,889 --> 00:23:02,010 Speaker 1: and so armed with the serial number, I get ready 412 00:23:02,050 --> 00:23:04,969 Speaker 1: to make some headway. The serial number is four or 413 00:23:05,050 --> 00:23:05,729 Speaker 1: five nine. 414 00:23:07,290 --> 00:23:11,249 Speaker 3: Okay, No, you have any incomplete synumer. 415 00:23:13,010 --> 00:23:17,250 Speaker 1: Giovanni explains that lugers serial numbers have both numbers and letters, 416 00:23:17,649 --> 00:23:19,810 Speaker 1: so there could be a four five nine, A four 417 00:23:19,889 --> 00:23:23,409 Speaker 1: five nine B and so on. I re examined the 418 00:23:23,409 --> 00:23:27,369 Speaker 1: scan Scott sent me, but no letter. How many four 419 00:23:27,530 --> 00:23:30,649 Speaker 1: five nine serial number guns are there? Probably out there? 420 00:23:32,090 --> 00:23:36,330 Speaker 3: Lugers probably about. 421 00:23:39,609 --> 00:23:40,489 Speaker 10: It could be one hundred. 422 00:23:42,570 --> 00:23:45,530 Speaker 1: Hoping to narrow the pool. I tell Giovanni it wasn't 423 00:23:45,570 --> 00:23:49,450 Speaker 1: just any luger, it was a mouser. Does that give 424 00:23:49,490 --> 00:23:54,209 Speaker 1: you an event? Okay? So in giving you that serial number, 425 00:23:54,290 --> 00:23:55,850 Speaker 1: it's not like you can look it up in a 426 00:23:55,929 --> 00:23:57,049 Speaker 1: database or anything. 427 00:23:57,250 --> 00:23:57,570 Speaker 7: No. 428 00:23:57,850 --> 00:23:58,810 Speaker 3: Oh, absolutely no. 429 00:23:59,209 --> 00:23:59,729 Speaker 7: No. 430 00:24:02,570 --> 00:24:04,330 Speaker 1: What would you do if you were trying to track 431 00:24:04,369 --> 00:24:04,970 Speaker 1: down this gun? 432 00:24:07,929 --> 00:24:08,690 Speaker 3: I will give up. 433 00:24:15,889 --> 00:24:19,090 Speaker 1: Before hanging up, Giovanni says, there's one last thing we 434 00:24:19,129 --> 00:24:23,129 Speaker 1: could try, retracing the gun's path. Go back to the 435 00:24:23,129 --> 00:24:25,409 Speaker 1: pawnshop clerk to see if he has a record of 436 00:24:25,449 --> 00:24:28,649 Speaker 1: who he sold the gun to. Giovanni says, the clerk 437 00:24:28,689 --> 00:24:32,010 Speaker 1: has no obligation to reveal that information, but it's worth 438 00:24:32,010 --> 00:24:35,609 Speaker 1: a shot. The clerk's name is George, and he and 439 00:24:35,649 --> 00:24:38,489 Speaker 1: Scott were friendly back when Scott was living with his dad. 440 00:24:38,929 --> 00:24:42,850 Speaker 1: They're still connected on Facebook. So Scott messages asking if 441 00:24:42,889 --> 00:24:46,330 Speaker 1: George might be willing to talk to us, and George says. 442 00:24:46,209 --> 00:24:50,730 Speaker 10: Yes, and then he calls me back a couple minutes later, 443 00:24:50,770 --> 00:24:51,690 Speaker 10: just in tears. 444 00:24:52,169 --> 00:24:54,330 Speaker 1: It turns out that when George bought the gun from 445 00:24:54,369 --> 00:24:57,129 Speaker 1: Scott eight years ago, he intended to keep it for 446 00:24:57,209 --> 00:25:01,090 Speaker 1: himself at the time, George and his wife were expecting 447 00:25:01,129 --> 00:25:01,929 Speaker 1: a baby. 448 00:25:02,169 --> 00:25:05,169 Speaker 10: And about two weeks after I had sold him that gun, 449 00:25:05,609 --> 00:25:07,730 Speaker 10: he found out his wife had brain cancer. 450 00:25:08,169 --> 00:25:10,889 Speaker 7: Oh my god, like really aggressive. 451 00:25:10,369 --> 00:25:13,209 Speaker 10: Brain cancer, and she ended up having to go undergo 452 00:25:13,330 --> 00:25:17,130 Speaker 10: really aggressive radiation, and so because of that, they ended 453 00:25:17,209 --> 00:25:18,129 Speaker 10: up losing the baby. 454 00:25:20,010 --> 00:25:23,050 Speaker 1: Just months after buying the gun from Scott, George sold 455 00:25:23,090 --> 00:25:26,169 Speaker 1: it to pay for his wife's medical bills, and. 456 00:25:26,090 --> 00:25:28,889 Speaker 10: Then she passed away a number of months after that. 457 00:25:29,530 --> 00:25:32,290 Speaker 10: And it just brings up these kind of horrible memories 458 00:25:32,290 --> 00:25:35,210 Speaker 10: that he's trying to avoid diving back into. 459 00:25:37,209 --> 00:25:40,090 Speaker 1: Each time the gun has changed hands, it seems it's 460 00:25:40,129 --> 00:25:49,490 Speaker 1: been in the midst of violence, desperation, and personal tragedy. Well, 461 00:25:49,530 --> 00:25:52,369 Speaker 1: George doesn't want to talk. He does remember the name 462 00:25:52,369 --> 00:25:55,009 Speaker 1: of the person he sold the gun to, the owner 463 00:25:55,169 --> 00:25:58,210 Speaker 1: of a rare coin and gold boullion shop, a man 464 00:25:58,290 --> 00:25:59,050 Speaker 1: named Klaus. 465 00:26:00,409 --> 00:26:04,530 Speaker 5: I just keep my collecting interest private. You know, some 466 00:26:04,570 --> 00:26:07,929 Speaker 5: people think just because you buy Nazi guns that you 467 00:26:07,970 --> 00:26:08,530 Speaker 5: are na seen. 468 00:26:09,409 --> 00:26:12,129 Speaker 1: When I first phone Klaus at his store, he's reluctant 469 00:26:12,209 --> 00:26:15,250 Speaker 1: to talk. He's nervous about being judged for his hobby. 470 00:26:15,609 --> 00:26:18,970 Speaker 5: I'm a collector, but you know, some people associated collecting 471 00:26:19,090 --> 00:26:23,649 Speaker 5: World War two German memorabilia with, you know, Nazism. 472 00:26:24,010 --> 00:26:26,969 Speaker 1: I reassure Klaus that that's not what I think, But 473 00:26:27,050 --> 00:26:29,570 Speaker 1: over the course of our phone call, I become less 474 00:26:29,570 --> 00:26:30,609 Speaker 1: sure of what I think. 475 00:26:31,090 --> 00:26:34,489 Speaker 5: I have a Luger serial number seven. What makes it 476 00:26:34,570 --> 00:26:39,889 Speaker 5: so interesting that Hitler's party pen number was number seven, 477 00:26:42,129 --> 00:26:44,769 Speaker 5: so he was, you know, the party member number seven. 478 00:26:45,330 --> 00:26:46,769 Speaker 5: I have a number seven Luger. 479 00:26:47,929 --> 00:26:49,530 Speaker 1: How did you acquire something like that? 480 00:26:55,290 --> 00:27:01,289 Speaker 5: I have some things that are very, very unusual, you know, 481 00:27:02,090 --> 00:27:03,490 Speaker 5: I came I'm an immigrant. 482 00:27:03,490 --> 00:27:04,410 Speaker 8: I came from Germany. 483 00:27:05,689 --> 00:27:11,009 Speaker 5: My grandfather was a Nazi officer, and my father was 484 00:27:13,409 --> 00:27:14,169 Speaker 5: was in the youth. 485 00:27:16,490 --> 00:27:20,450 Speaker 1: I have many questions for Klaus. First and foremost, why 486 00:27:20,490 --> 00:27:24,249 Speaker 1: are you telling me Jonathan Goldstein about your familial ties 487 00:27:24,330 --> 00:27:28,129 Speaker 1: to the Nazis? But I'm not here to interrogate Klaus. 488 00:27:28,649 --> 00:27:31,369 Speaker 1: I'm here to find Scott's gun. So I try to 489 00:27:31,369 --> 00:27:34,369 Speaker 1: steer us back on track. I tell Klaus that I'm 490 00:27:34,409 --> 00:27:37,530 Speaker 1: calling on behalf of a man named Scott, whose grandfather 491 00:27:37,609 --> 00:27:40,570 Speaker 1: once owned a Mauser Luger that George sold to him 492 00:27:40,609 --> 00:27:44,649 Speaker 1: some years ago. Klaus tells me that's not possible. He 493 00:27:44,730 --> 00:27:47,209 Speaker 1: tells me he never bought a gun from George. He 494 00:27:47,250 --> 00:27:50,449 Speaker 1: doesn't even know who George is. And besides, he says 495 00:27:50,810 --> 00:27:55,050 Speaker 1: he's never owned a Mauser Luger. Maybe you're mistaken, I say, 496 00:27:55,490 --> 00:28:00,210 Speaker 1: all these guns kind of look alike, black, shiny, shooty. 497 00:28:00,889 --> 00:28:03,449 Speaker 1: Maybe you lost track of it, maybe it fell behind 498 00:28:03,449 --> 00:28:07,250 Speaker 1: the couch. Klaus tells me he'll look around, but he's 499 00:28:07,330 --> 00:28:12,449 Speaker 1: non committal, just trying to get me off the phone. 500 00:28:12,649 --> 00:28:18,449 Speaker 1: Then at eleven thirteen PM, I get a text, Hello Jonathan. 501 00:28:18,810 --> 00:28:26,169 Speaker 1: It reads call me at your convenience, and speaking of convenience, 502 00:28:26,570 --> 00:28:29,290 Speaker 1: no need to so much as move a muscle, because 503 00:28:29,330 --> 00:28:31,769 Speaker 1: I'm about to march right over there and dump a 504 00:28:31,810 --> 00:28:50,010 Speaker 1: truckload of savings directly onto your face. Discu Hey, this 505 00:28:50,050 --> 00:28:53,890 Speaker 1: is Jonathan Goldstein speaking. How are you well. I have 506 00:28:53,970 --> 00:28:56,770 Speaker 1: some news for you. I found the gun. 507 00:28:59,610 --> 00:29:02,489 Speaker 11: What Yeah, are you kidding me? 508 00:29:02,650 --> 00:29:03,249 Speaker 1: No? 509 00:29:03,250 --> 00:29:04,249 Speaker 3: No, are you kidding me? 510 00:29:04,490 --> 00:29:04,730 Speaker 1: No? 511 00:29:05,410 --> 00:29:06,370 Speaker 7: Oh my god? 512 00:29:07,050 --> 00:29:07,770 Speaker 1: Yeah? 513 00:29:07,850 --> 00:29:08,730 Speaker 7: You found it? 514 00:29:09,290 --> 00:29:09,530 Speaker 9: Yes? 515 00:29:10,250 --> 00:29:16,850 Speaker 10: Wow, Yeah, I'm blown away. 516 00:29:16,930 --> 00:29:22,130 Speaker 1: It's a matter of whether we'll be able to get it. Okay, 517 00:29:22,570 --> 00:29:25,690 Speaker 1: it's still in Klaus's possession. 518 00:29:26,610 --> 00:29:27,770 Speaker 7: So did you talk to him? 519 00:29:27,930 --> 00:29:34,529 Speaker 1: I did, and uh, it was an interesting conversation. So 520 00:29:34,610 --> 00:29:36,290 Speaker 1: you found you found the gun. 521 00:29:37,209 --> 00:29:39,850 Speaker 5: Yeah, you know, I was surprised last night. It took 522 00:29:39,890 --> 00:29:43,569 Speaker 5: a look and I went into my vault room and 523 00:29:44,610 --> 00:29:45,290 Speaker 5: I found it. 524 00:29:45,970 --> 00:29:49,009 Speaker 1: The luger was still in the original holster. Attached to 525 00:29:49,050 --> 00:29:53,170 Speaker 1: it was a tag with Scott's grandfather's name. Would you 526 00:29:53,250 --> 00:29:56,730 Speaker 1: be open to, uh, the idea of selling it back 527 00:29:56,770 --> 00:29:59,330 Speaker 1: to him? 528 00:29:59,570 --> 00:30:11,850 Speaker 5: Well, my first thought is probably not. It's just that 529 00:30:12,130 --> 00:30:15,370 Speaker 5: I legally purchased the gun. And I mean I'm a collector, 530 00:30:15,410 --> 00:30:17,530 Speaker 5: and you know I paid for it. 531 00:30:17,650 --> 00:30:20,769 Speaker 1: So I mean, would you would you say that his 532 00:30:20,850 --> 00:30:23,010 Speaker 1: grandfather paid for it with his service? 533 00:30:26,170 --> 00:30:30,250 Speaker 5: I mean it's war bounty that someone brought over from Germany. 534 00:30:31,530 --> 00:30:32,810 Speaker 5: You know, he didn't pay for it. 535 00:30:34,090 --> 00:30:38,290 Speaker 1: From Claus's perspective, the gun Scott stole was already stolen property. 536 00:30:38,970 --> 00:30:42,170 Speaker 5: He took it off as a German officer. And you know, 537 00:30:42,570 --> 00:30:46,209 Speaker 5: as we spoke prior, my grandfather was an officer in 538 00:30:47,450 --> 00:30:50,490 Speaker 5: World War Two, and you know, my thoughts were chia, 539 00:30:50,610 --> 00:30:57,610 Speaker 5: you know, could that gun been his? At this point, 540 00:30:57,650 --> 00:31:00,410 Speaker 5: I'm not really compelled to let go of the gun, 541 00:31:00,850 --> 00:31:02,250 Speaker 5: but I still give it some thoughts. 542 00:31:05,050 --> 00:31:09,249 Speaker 1: So the way that we left it was u He 543 00:31:09,250 --> 00:31:10,450 Speaker 1: said that he'd think about it. 544 00:31:11,010 --> 00:31:15,890 Speaker 7: Okay, Well, I won't start celebrating yet, but we know 545 00:31:16,010 --> 00:31:18,810 Speaker 7: who has it, we know where it is, so now 546 00:31:18,850 --> 00:31:22,729 Speaker 7: it's just kind of tactfully figuring out what it's going 547 00:31:22,810 --> 00:31:24,330 Speaker 7: to take to get it back. 548 00:31:26,330 --> 00:31:32,010 Speaker 1: I really do respect your optimism. I don't think we're 549 00:31:32,010 --> 00:31:36,969 Speaker 1: going to get the gun back. Personally, I'm gonna try. 550 00:31:38,290 --> 00:31:39,250 Speaker 3: We're going to get that gun. 551 00:31:40,810 --> 00:31:43,610 Speaker 1: Since Scott's not ready to admit defeat, I suggest he 552 00:31:43,690 --> 00:31:46,650 Speaker 1: tried making his case directly to Klaus in a letter, 553 00:31:47,370 --> 00:31:50,290 Speaker 1: So Scott writes from the heart. He explains the full 554 00:31:50,330 --> 00:31:53,249 Speaker 1: story of his addiction, his time in jail, and his 555 00:31:53,330 --> 00:31:56,930 Speaker 1: guilt about his dad. My greatest regret was that I 556 00:31:56,970 --> 00:31:59,289 Speaker 1: would never be able to get this heirloom back in 557 00:31:59,330 --> 00:32:02,930 Speaker 1: the hands of my father, Scott writes, But now, for 558 00:32:03,010 --> 00:32:07,290 Speaker 1: the first time, that seems like a possibility. Eight years ago, 559 00:32:07,530 --> 00:32:09,930 Speaker 1: I was so addicted to heroin that I was pretty 560 00:32:09,970 --> 00:32:13,010 Speaker 1: sure I was going to die. That fact has since 561 00:32:13,050 --> 00:32:17,370 Speaker 1: been replaced with another, more hope filled one second chances 562 00:32:17,490 --> 00:32:22,250 Speaker 1: are real. Klaus receives the letter but offers no response. 563 00:32:26,890 --> 00:32:29,930 Speaker 1: Two weeks go by and still we hear nothing, so 564 00:32:29,970 --> 00:32:34,330 Speaker 1: I send another email. Klaus's answer is short. I have 565 00:32:34,450 --> 00:32:37,250 Speaker 1: considered Scott's response, and I have decided to not sell 566 00:32:37,290 --> 00:32:40,009 Speaker 1: the gun at this time. If my position ever changes, 567 00:32:40,050 --> 00:32:40,969 Speaker 1: I will contact you. 568 00:32:42,250 --> 00:32:44,050 Speaker 11: Klaus. 569 00:32:44,530 --> 00:32:46,690 Speaker 7: That's just ridiculous. 570 00:32:46,690 --> 00:32:49,009 Speaker 8: Settling on the fact that we know where it is 571 00:32:49,890 --> 00:32:51,010 Speaker 8: and not getting it back. 572 00:32:51,970 --> 00:32:54,690 Speaker 3: That's just like super frustrating. 573 00:32:55,690 --> 00:32:57,450 Speaker 7: I mean, there's got to be something we can do. 574 00:32:58,450 --> 00:33:01,050 Speaker 1: Scott says he's willing to pay whatever Klaus wants for 575 00:33:01,090 --> 00:33:05,489 Speaker 1: the gun. So again, I contact Klaus. It's not a 576 00:33:05,530 --> 00:33:10,290 Speaker 1: money issue. Klaus responds almost immediately, I'm just not interested 577 00:33:10,410 --> 00:33:15,290 Speaker 1: in selling a gun to an individual. I can't figure 578 00:33:15,330 --> 00:33:19,050 Speaker 1: out what exactly Klaus means by an individual. Maybe in 579 00:33:19,090 --> 00:33:23,450 Speaker 1: the past he sold guns to organizations or museums. When 580 00:33:23,490 --> 00:33:26,770 Speaker 1: I write him back, he responds with this, based on 581 00:33:26,850 --> 00:33:30,010 Speaker 1: the background information, I would not sell this gun back 582 00:33:30,050 --> 00:33:35,050 Speaker 1: to Scott. So it's not really an individual per se, 583 00:33:35,250 --> 00:33:40,209 Speaker 1: it's this individual. Scott's letter hadn't made Klaus feel sympathetic. 584 00:33:40,890 --> 00:33:44,290 Speaker 1: It made him feel nervous. Like with Scott's criminal past, 585 00:33:44,610 --> 00:33:47,370 Speaker 1: A gun and a second chance might not make for 586 00:33:47,450 --> 00:33:53,370 Speaker 1: a great combo. If there was any hope, it's now gone. Well, 587 00:33:53,930 --> 00:33:57,490 Speaker 1: I have an update update Okay. A couple days later, 588 00:33:57,690 --> 00:34:00,490 Speaker 1: I catch Scott at work. Yeah, I have another update. 589 00:34:02,450 --> 00:34:06,730 Speaker 1: Uh huh, it looks like Klaus is willing to sell 590 00:34:06,730 --> 00:34:07,050 Speaker 1: the gun. 591 00:34:08,250 --> 00:34:10,130 Speaker 7: Ah, you're kidding me. 592 00:34:10,610 --> 00:34:14,050 Speaker 1: No, you were right. Oh, you were right to be hopeful. 593 00:34:16,570 --> 00:34:18,450 Speaker 1: I did not think that I was going to be 594 00:34:18,490 --> 00:34:19,730 Speaker 1: reporting this back to you. 595 00:34:19,970 --> 00:34:21,930 Speaker 3: What brought it about? What changed his mind? 596 00:34:22,730 --> 00:34:25,730 Speaker 1: I'd asked Klaus the same question. It seemed as though 597 00:34:25,730 --> 00:34:27,410 Speaker 1: over the weekend you had a change of heart. 598 00:34:28,530 --> 00:34:30,250 Speaker 5: I figured you were going to haunt me until I 599 00:34:30,370 --> 00:34:32,930 Speaker 5: finally get it back to the guy. 600 00:34:33,490 --> 00:34:34,530 Speaker 1: I probably would. 601 00:34:34,930 --> 00:34:37,770 Speaker 5: I just thought, you know, it seems like the guy 602 00:34:38,090 --> 00:34:42,650 Speaker 5: really wanted that item back. So yeah, I just didn't 603 00:34:42,690 --> 00:34:43,890 Speaker 5: want to be haunted about it. 604 00:34:44,010 --> 00:34:47,810 Speaker 7: So oh, I can't even believe it. 605 00:34:48,850 --> 00:34:51,170 Speaker 1: But there was still one thing that Klaus hadn't changed 606 00:34:51,170 --> 00:34:54,050 Speaker 1: his mind about, And I feel bad having to tell Scott. 607 00:34:54,610 --> 00:34:56,770 Speaker 1: He is saying that he is willing to sell the gun, 608 00:34:57,650 --> 00:35:02,290 Speaker 1: but he won't sell it to you. Klaus doesn't trust Scott. 609 00:35:02,650 --> 00:35:04,810 Speaker 1: Bottom line, I mean, he doesn't know me. 610 00:35:04,890 --> 00:35:08,330 Speaker 8: He doesn't know that it's become a contributing member of society. 611 00:35:09,690 --> 00:35:12,970 Speaker 1: After everything Scott's done to redeem himself, the rehab, the 612 00:35:13,010 --> 00:35:18,210 Speaker 1: good works, Klaus's judgment stings, but Scott gets it. It's 613 00:35:18,210 --> 00:35:21,770 Speaker 1: something he's experienced before, people accusing him of theft when 614 00:35:21,810 --> 00:35:24,810 Speaker 1: things go missing, women breaking things off when they learn 615 00:35:24,890 --> 00:35:27,930 Speaker 1: he was once an addict. The world still sees Scott 616 00:35:27,930 --> 00:35:31,930 Speaker 1: as a bad bet, but he sweeps aside his feelings 617 00:35:31,970 --> 00:35:35,490 Speaker 1: to address the more pressing question, who can we get 618 00:35:35,570 --> 00:35:38,690 Speaker 1: to buy the gun? The first person that comes to 619 00:35:38,730 --> 00:35:41,770 Speaker 1: my mind is the person who's always believed in Scott most. 620 00:35:42,330 --> 00:35:43,210 Speaker 1: What about your sister? 621 00:35:43,890 --> 00:35:47,090 Speaker 8: Yeah, absolutely, now, she would be totally open and willing 622 00:35:47,130 --> 00:35:47,490 Speaker 8: to do that. 623 00:35:48,450 --> 00:35:49,370 Speaker 7: Oh, one hundred percent. 624 00:35:49,970 --> 00:35:51,890 Speaker 1: Well, it looks like we're going to be buying a gun. 625 00:35:52,290 --> 00:35:53,050 Speaker 8: Let's buy a gun. 626 00:35:53,090 --> 00:35:59,490 Speaker 1: That's right, except we don't. After looking into Colorado's complicated 627 00:35:59,490 --> 00:36:02,529 Speaker 1: gun laws, we learn that because Mary's not a full 628 00:36:02,530 --> 00:36:05,810 Speaker 1: time Colorado resident, it's illegal for her to buy the gun, 629 00:36:06,570 --> 00:36:10,290 Speaker 1: so we discuss options. Scott's could buy it and give 630 00:36:10,330 --> 00:36:13,930 Speaker 1: it to his dad, but that's also illegal in Colorado. 631 00:36:14,250 --> 00:36:18,170 Speaker 1: Only blood relatives can gift each other guns. We consider 632 00:36:18,250 --> 00:36:21,930 Speaker 1: Uncle Bill totally legal, but Scott's worried he'd buy it 633 00:36:22,010 --> 00:36:25,290 Speaker 1: and then want to keep it for himself. Out of 634 00:36:25,370 --> 00:36:28,530 Speaker 1: viable family members, we consider getting a middleman to buy 635 00:36:28,530 --> 00:36:31,250 Speaker 1: the gun from Klaus, then sell it to Scott, who 636 00:36:31,290 --> 00:36:33,810 Speaker 1: can then give it to his dad. But as it 637 00:36:33,850 --> 00:36:36,930 Speaker 1: turns out, there's a term for this, a straw purchase, 638 00:36:37,370 --> 00:36:44,090 Speaker 1: and it's a federal felony. It's been nearly two weeks 639 00:36:44,090 --> 00:36:47,450 Speaker 1: of phone calls with Scott, with lawyers with the Colorado 640 00:36:47,530 --> 00:36:51,370 Speaker 1: Firearms Unit, and with each passing day, I become increasingly 641 00:36:51,410 --> 00:36:55,410 Speaker 1: nervous about Klaus changing his mind. So I present Scott 642 00:36:55,450 --> 00:37:00,130 Speaker 1: with what might be our last remaining option, his dad Win. 643 00:37:02,370 --> 00:37:05,850 Speaker 1: Scott falls silent for the first time in the course 644 00:37:05,890 --> 00:37:10,530 Speaker 1: of this quest. He seems defeated. Thought of placing his father, Win, 645 00:37:11,050 --> 00:37:13,770 Speaker 1: the man afraid of the crack voiced pizza boy, in 646 00:37:13,810 --> 00:37:16,370 Speaker 1: a room with Klaus, the man with the gun vault 647 00:37:16,370 --> 00:37:18,530 Speaker 1: and the luger that may or may not have belonged 648 00:37:18,530 --> 00:37:21,930 Speaker 1: to Adolf Hitler, makes him wonder if maybe it's all 649 00:37:21,970 --> 00:37:25,490 Speaker 1: just gone too far. But at this point it's the 650 00:37:25,530 --> 00:37:29,290 Speaker 1: only way to get the gun, so Scott agrees Win 651 00:37:29,530 --> 00:38:01,450 Speaker 1: will buy the luger. After the break, Win and Klaus. 652 00:37:50,610 --> 00:37:50,850 Speaker 3: Hello. 653 00:37:53,170 --> 00:37:55,610 Speaker 1: Scott and his dad Win meet me on the way 654 00:37:55,610 --> 00:38:00,530 Speaker 1: to see Klaus. Mary's here too, She's come along for support. 655 00:38:01,330 --> 00:38:03,410 Speaker 1: Klaus told us to meet him at a gun shop. 656 00:38:03,450 --> 00:38:06,130 Speaker 1: He knows where they can run the necessary background check. 657 00:38:06,770 --> 00:38:08,410 Speaker 1: We all get into Scott's. 658 00:38:07,970 --> 00:38:10,930 Speaker 9: Car, people with microphones and stuff. 659 00:38:13,890 --> 00:38:17,210 Speaker 1: Scott's dad, Win is seated up front. He's brought along 660 00:38:17,210 --> 00:38:20,570 Speaker 1: the luger's empty case, which sits on his lap. When 661 00:38:20,690 --> 00:38:23,489 Speaker 1: is bride eyed and smiley, but knowing from Scott how 662 00:38:23,490 --> 00:38:26,450 Speaker 1: shy and nervous his dad can be, gives his jolliness 663 00:38:26,490 --> 00:38:30,210 Speaker 1: a slightly forced quality. A road work case in point, 664 00:38:30,490 --> 00:38:34,010 Speaker 1: when our eta gets pushed back due to roadwork, Win 665 00:38:34,130 --> 00:38:41,050 Speaker 1: bursts into song, Oh work here? Or this is when 666 00:38:41,130 --> 00:38:44,489 Speaker 1: as Scott tells us about his day's pretty dark day, 667 00:38:45,090 --> 00:38:47,130 Speaker 1: when is the one giggling in the background. 668 00:38:48,490 --> 00:38:52,969 Speaker 8: Four people into detox programs this morning, So a lot 669 00:38:53,010 --> 00:38:59,090 Speaker 8: of distraught parents and overdosing teenagers to deal with this morning. 670 00:39:04,730 --> 00:39:06,130 Speaker 2: The destination is on your land. 671 00:39:06,690 --> 00:39:08,210 Speaker 1: Maybe you can even pull in. Oh what is a 672 00:39:08,290 --> 00:39:10,890 Speaker 1: private party? We pull into a parking lot and we 673 00:39:10,930 --> 00:39:13,770 Speaker 1: all get out of the car, all except for Scott. 674 00:39:14,490 --> 00:39:17,330 Speaker 1: After the way Klaus responded to his letter, He's afraid 675 00:39:17,370 --> 00:39:19,370 Speaker 1: if he goes in he'll blow the whole deal. 676 00:39:19,850 --> 00:39:20,810 Speaker 9: We'll be right back. 677 00:39:20,890 --> 00:39:24,850 Speaker 11: Cool, well, have fun. 678 00:39:24,170 --> 00:39:25,130 Speaker 9: Yes, all right? 679 00:39:26,810 --> 00:39:30,010 Speaker 1: From behind the windshield, Scott watches as his father ambles 680 00:39:30,010 --> 00:39:32,650 Speaker 1: towards the gun shop, empty gun case in his hand. 681 00:39:36,090 --> 00:39:39,570 Speaker 1: I can imagine how Scott's feeling. Scott already believes he's 682 00:39:39,570 --> 00:39:42,610 Speaker 1: failed his dad in so many ways, Sending him to 683 00:39:42,610 --> 00:39:45,210 Speaker 1: buy back his own gun in a rundown looking gun 684 00:39:45,250 --> 00:39:48,210 Speaker 1: shop with bars on the windows must feel like one 685 00:39:48,250 --> 00:39:57,290 Speaker 1: more failing. Let's buy ourselves a gun. Time to buy 686 00:39:57,330 --> 00:40:03,210 Speaker 1: a gun. At the door, a large man wearing sunglasses 687 00:40:03,250 --> 00:40:07,490 Speaker 1: and a holstered gun silently greets us wind Ducks. Inside 688 00:40:09,130 --> 00:40:11,370 Speaker 1: walls and shelves of the gun shop are full of 689 00:40:11,450 --> 00:40:16,130 Speaker 1: Nazi metals, Nazi helmets, Nazi hats, belts, uniforms, guns, and 690 00:40:16,170 --> 00:40:20,610 Speaker 1: Swastika armbands. And at the center of it all is Klaus, 691 00:40:21,010 --> 00:40:24,930 Speaker 1: who is at present chummily talking to a large tattooed 692 00:40:24,970 --> 00:40:29,610 Speaker 1: clerk with a white goatee. They quiet down when Win, 693 00:40:29,850 --> 00:40:36,330 Speaker 1: Mary and I approach. Klaus appears to be in his sixties. 694 00:40:36,730 --> 00:40:40,090 Speaker 1: He's a slight man with thinning, slick back hair. Winn 695 00:40:40,130 --> 00:40:44,130 Speaker 1: walks over, smiling nervously as Klaus turns to greet him, 696 00:40:44,410 --> 00:40:48,410 Speaker 1: and then the grandson of a Nazi officer shakes hands 697 00:40:48,490 --> 00:40:54,570 Speaker 1: with the son of an American soldier. As Mary and 698 00:40:54,610 --> 00:40:58,290 Speaker 1: Klaus introduce themselves, I adjust the levels on my recorder. 699 00:40:58,970 --> 00:41:01,570 Speaker 1: The goateed man has a look about him that says 700 00:41:01,970 --> 00:41:05,890 Speaker 1: I don't listen to podcasts just the same. I take 701 00:41:05,930 --> 00:41:09,010 Speaker 1: a deep breath, scoop my testes out of my MPR 702 00:41:09,210 --> 00:41:14,330 Speaker 1: tote bag, and, in my best vocal approximation of Ira Glass, 703 00:41:14,370 --> 00:41:20,650 Speaker 1: demand my journalistic rights. Uh. And would it be okay 704 00:41:20,690 --> 00:41:23,810 Speaker 1: if we were to be recording for the thing they 705 00:41:23,810 --> 00:41:24,970 Speaker 1: we're doing in the background? 706 00:41:25,050 --> 00:41:26,930 Speaker 5: Absolutely not okay, Absolutely no. 707 00:41:27,610 --> 00:41:33,170 Speaker 1: Cut it. The luger sits on a glass display counter. 708 00:41:33,970 --> 00:41:38,370 Speaker 1: Winn walks over. That's it, he says, his father took 709 00:41:38,410 --> 00:41:41,330 Speaker 1: it off of my grandfather. Klaus jokes to the goateed 710 00:41:41,450 --> 00:41:45,490 Speaker 1: man the gun is pristine. Mary and I take turns 711 00:41:45,530 --> 00:41:49,690 Speaker 1: holding it. It's heavier than we expect. Win hands a 712 00:41:49,810 --> 00:41:53,850 Speaker 1: driver's license over for the background check. While we wait, 713 00:41:54,010 --> 00:41:57,969 Speaker 1: there's an awkward silence. I consider asking if anyone seen 714 00:41:58,010 --> 00:42:00,890 Speaker 1: Mama Mia too. Here we go again, and if so, 715 00:42:01,210 --> 00:42:04,090 Speaker 1: whether they thought the closing super Trooper number at the 716 00:42:04,090 --> 00:42:07,969 Speaker 1: Hotel Belladonna was a bit much. But before I can 717 00:42:08,010 --> 00:42:13,450 Speaker 1: clear my throat of anxiety, mucus, the background check is complete. 718 00:42:13,690 --> 00:42:16,810 Speaker 1: After all the hoopla. It took all of ten minutes. 719 00:42:18,370 --> 00:42:21,490 Speaker 1: Wind gives Klaus the money, and Klaus gives Win the gun. 720 00:42:22,170 --> 00:42:25,530 Speaker 1: For perhaps the first time ever, the luger changes hands 721 00:42:25,570 --> 00:42:30,370 Speaker 1: without incident. Klaus watches as Winn carefully places the gun 722 00:42:30,490 --> 00:42:33,730 Speaker 1: back into its case. Don't let it get out of 723 00:42:33,730 --> 00:42:37,410 Speaker 1: the family anymore, he says, as the goated man watches 724 00:42:37,490 --> 00:42:45,330 Speaker 1: us Wind our way to the exit. On the ride back, 725 00:42:45,570 --> 00:42:50,450 Speaker 1: everyone is quiet. I imagine Scott is feeling relief, Mary 726 00:42:50,730 --> 00:42:54,530 Speaker 1: Pride and her brother, but watching Win in the front seat, 727 00:42:54,730 --> 00:42:58,170 Speaker 1: staring out the window, gun case at his feet, it's 728 00:42:58,210 --> 00:42:59,490 Speaker 1: hard to say what he's feeling. 729 00:43:04,250 --> 00:43:06,410 Speaker 8: God, this is crazy to see. 730 00:43:07,410 --> 00:43:10,610 Speaker 1: At Mary's apartment, we all have around the dining room table, 731 00:43:11,130 --> 00:43:14,810 Speaker 1: Scott's grandfather's gun has been placed at the center. Scott 732 00:43:14,810 --> 00:43:17,290 Speaker 1: and Mary marvel at it, but I'm amazed at the 733 00:43:17,330 --> 00:43:20,450 Speaker 1: tag is still on it. Yeah, and it has a number. 734 00:43:20,490 --> 00:43:23,170 Speaker 8: Four or five nine. Look at that. 735 00:43:24,330 --> 00:43:25,210 Speaker 2: This is crazy. 736 00:43:26,170 --> 00:43:27,730 Speaker 8: You understand how crazy this is. 737 00:43:29,970 --> 00:43:32,930 Speaker 1: If Winn does understand how crazy it is, it's hard 738 00:43:32,970 --> 00:43:37,410 Speaker 1: to tell. There's something muted about his response. In fact, 739 00:43:37,730 --> 00:43:41,130 Speaker 1: since we've entered the apartment, Wind hasn't seemed interested in 740 00:43:41,170 --> 00:43:44,130 Speaker 1: his father's gun at all. When Scott asks him if 741 00:43:44,170 --> 00:43:47,970 Speaker 1: he'd like to hold it, he declines, well, Scott and 742 00:43:48,010 --> 00:43:51,570 Speaker 1: Mary passed their grandfather's gun between them. Winn sits silently. 743 00:43:52,330 --> 00:43:54,930 Speaker 1: I tried to draw him out. Did you put any 744 00:43:54,970 --> 00:43:57,170 Speaker 1: hopes in ever getting that gun back? 745 00:43:58,730 --> 00:44:01,650 Speaker 9: I thought it was unfortunate that this appeared, but I 746 00:44:01,770 --> 00:44:05,250 Speaker 9: pusn't saying darn. I wish I could find that gun. 747 00:44:07,690 --> 00:44:09,450 Speaker 9: It's just a material of object. 748 00:44:15,490 --> 00:44:18,170 Speaker 1: No one is sure what to say. Sure, it's a 749 00:44:18,170 --> 00:44:21,970 Speaker 1: material object, but it's a material object that carries great meaning. 750 00:44:22,690 --> 00:44:25,250 Speaker 1: It's a material object that connects him to his dad. 751 00:44:30,690 --> 00:44:32,330 Speaker 9: I was not as close to my dad as I 752 00:44:32,330 --> 00:44:36,330 Speaker 9: would like to have been, the guy with a glass 753 00:44:36,330 --> 00:44:38,730 Speaker 9: of Scotch whiskey in his hands, sitting in the easy chair, 754 00:44:39,050 --> 00:44:43,330 Speaker 9: tossing out criticisms as needed. The way you grow a 755 00:44:43,330 --> 00:44:45,330 Speaker 9: better son is to criticize. 756 00:44:44,850 --> 00:44:48,930 Speaker 1: Him for the first time all day when isn't cracking 757 00:44:48,930 --> 00:44:50,570 Speaker 1: a silly joke or smiling. 758 00:44:52,090 --> 00:44:57,730 Speaker 9: My main memory of my dad was being afraid of him. Remember, 759 00:44:57,770 --> 00:45:01,290 Speaker 9: one of my early memories is that I'd somehow succeeded 760 00:45:01,330 --> 00:45:05,450 Speaker 9: in getting a bruised bone on my shin, and I 761 00:45:05,490 --> 00:45:09,090 Speaker 9: was like three years old, and my mother was sufficient 762 00:45:09,450 --> 00:45:12,050 Speaker 9: concerned that she took me to the doctor and had 763 00:45:12,050 --> 00:45:14,530 Speaker 9: an X rayed, and it was, oh, how in the 764 00:45:14,570 --> 00:45:17,490 Speaker 9: world did little teddy that was me then get a 765 00:45:17,490 --> 00:45:21,210 Speaker 9: bruise on his bone? And I think what it is 766 00:45:21,210 --> 00:45:25,009 Speaker 9: is that I think I got kicked by a guy 767 00:45:25,130 --> 00:45:27,650 Speaker 9: wearing size twelve wingtips. 768 00:45:28,930 --> 00:45:31,810 Speaker 1: Scott's never heard this story before, and it seems almost 769 00:45:31,850 --> 00:45:33,130 Speaker 1: like he doesn't want to believe it. 770 00:45:34,850 --> 00:45:37,489 Speaker 8: Were there good parts about your relationship with him, if 771 00:45:37,490 --> 00:45:40,090 Speaker 8: you had to name, if. 772 00:45:39,970 --> 00:45:48,050 Speaker 9: I had to name, hmmm, I don't know. He was 773 00:45:48,090 --> 00:45:49,530 Speaker 9: just kind of scary all the time. 774 00:45:51,050 --> 00:45:53,970 Speaker 1: Wynn explains that his relationship with his father wasn't the 775 00:45:54,010 --> 00:45:55,969 Speaker 1: same as Bill's relationship with their father. 776 00:45:56,650 --> 00:45:59,050 Speaker 9: I think I felt criticized mostly for not being as 777 00:45:59,090 --> 00:46:02,810 Speaker 9: good as my brother. He always did well in school, 778 00:46:03,010 --> 00:46:06,810 Speaker 9: and I wasn't always so wondrous, and I always saw 779 00:46:06,810 --> 00:46:09,850 Speaker 9: myself as a little more plump and a little less at. 780 00:46:08,970 --> 00:46:15,130 Speaker 1: The Bill was always the louder voice in the room. 781 00:46:15,210 --> 00:46:18,370 Speaker 1: So that Christmas, when Bill lectured Scott about the significance 782 00:46:18,410 --> 00:46:21,370 Speaker 1: of the luger, Scott had assumed Bill was speaking for 783 00:46:21,450 --> 00:46:24,330 Speaker 1: his dad too, But he wasn't. 784 00:46:24,770 --> 00:46:26,970 Speaker 8: I saw it as this treasured possession that linked to 785 00:46:27,010 --> 00:46:31,210 Speaker 8: you to the good parts of Grandpa. But your relationship 786 00:46:31,250 --> 00:46:34,730 Speaker 8: with him is complicated and different than I even knew. 787 00:46:36,410 --> 00:46:38,610 Speaker 1: Scott was right in believing that the gun was a 788 00:46:38,650 --> 00:46:41,210 Speaker 1: reminder of Win's father, and that it carried a lot 789 00:46:41,210 --> 00:46:44,770 Speaker 1: of meaning for Win. He just misunderstood the nature of 790 00:46:44,810 --> 00:46:56,770 Speaker 1: that meaning. To know that Scott had been thinking about 791 00:46:56,810 --> 00:46:59,690 Speaker 1: it all these years, even maybe past year, having thought 792 00:46:59,770 --> 00:47:02,770 Speaker 1: about it, how does that make you feel? 793 00:47:05,890 --> 00:47:08,370 Speaker 9: It makes me feel loved that he would make it 794 00:47:08,410 --> 00:47:10,330 Speaker 9: a part of his life to try to track it down. 795 00:47:12,770 --> 00:47:15,330 Speaker 9: It feels like maybe I was at least partially successful 796 00:47:15,330 --> 00:47:18,810 Speaker 9: in not being like my dad. Yeah, that I was 797 00:47:18,850 --> 00:47:20,650 Speaker 9: somebody he could run over to and climb up in 798 00:47:20,690 --> 00:47:23,170 Speaker 9: the lap of when he was little and stick his 799 00:47:23,210 --> 00:47:25,530 Speaker 9: fingers up my nose. He used to like to do that. 800 00:47:27,210 --> 00:47:29,490 Speaker 9: I could never stick my fingers up my dad's nose. 801 00:47:36,410 --> 00:47:37,730 Speaker 1: Wynn looks over at his son. 802 00:47:39,130 --> 00:47:44,050 Speaker 9: Don't let it bother you anymore. The greatest prize that 803 00:47:44,130 --> 00:47:46,330 Speaker 9: I got out of this whole thing was the fact that, 804 00:47:46,410 --> 00:47:49,130 Speaker 9: even though all this crap disappeared, I got to get 805 00:47:49,130 --> 00:47:53,130 Speaker 9: my boy back. The funeral plot that I had bought 806 00:47:53,410 --> 00:47:56,090 Speaker 9: for myself to be next to your mom. I thought 807 00:47:56,090 --> 00:47:58,450 Speaker 9: I was going to have to bury my sons in it, 808 00:47:58,490 --> 00:48:03,770 Speaker 9: and I am delighted that I never had to do that. 809 00:48:03,770 --> 00:48:05,090 Speaker 9: That's ever so much better. 810 00:48:09,730 --> 00:48:12,970 Speaker 1: Maybe eight years ago, during Wind's visit to Scott in jail, 811 00:48:13,410 --> 00:48:15,450 Speaker 1: it wasn't the missing gun that had made him cry. 812 00:48:16,090 --> 00:48:20,050 Speaker 1: It was missing his son. But now the gun tells 813 00:48:20,050 --> 00:48:20,850 Speaker 1: a different story. 814 00:48:22,170 --> 00:48:24,930 Speaker 9: The gun has grown, so it's not just my dad anymore. 815 00:48:27,170 --> 00:48:30,770 Speaker 9: It has a whole story to tell about my son. 816 00:48:31,170 --> 00:48:39,850 Speaker 9: And it's back returned by this guy here. Thank you 817 00:48:39,890 --> 00:48:40,530 Speaker 9: for doing all that. 818 00:48:43,490 --> 00:48:56,850 Speaker 1: Of course, a few weeks later, I get this text 819 00:48:56,850 --> 00:49:00,730 Speaker 1: from Scott the other night. It reads, I stumbled upon 820 00:49:00,770 --> 00:49:04,489 Speaker 1: a World War II documentary and for the first time 821 00:49:04,530 --> 00:49:07,730 Speaker 1: in eight years, Scott didn't changed the channel. 822 00:49:46,570 --> 00:49:52,330 Speaker 6: Now that the fern ures raft turned into its goodwill home, 823 00:49:55,850 --> 00:50:00,210 Speaker 6: Now that the last month's raft is stealing with the 824 00:50:00,450 --> 00:50:02,489 Speaker 6: damaged pos. 825 00:50:02,130 --> 00:50:04,210 Speaker 1: Take this moment to dissolve. 826 00:50:06,730 --> 00:50:09,050 Speaker 2: If we mess him, if we talk. 827 00:50:10,490 --> 00:50:25,170 Speaker 1: The things that accident. Hey Scott, Scott, I'm good. 828 00:50:25,250 --> 00:50:25,730 Speaker 10: How are you? 829 00:50:26,890 --> 00:50:27,130 Speaker 9: Yes? 830 00:50:27,970 --> 00:50:32,210 Speaker 1: Good and good. This is kind of suiting that we're 831 00:50:32,330 --> 00:50:35,730 Speaker 1: out of sync. This is exactly what happened during our 832 00:50:35,770 --> 00:50:41,489 Speaker 1: first interview. Do you remember I remember that is suiting. Yeah, 833 00:50:41,570 --> 00:50:43,650 Speaker 1: I just wanted to catch up with you and see 834 00:50:43,730 --> 00:50:44,610 Speaker 1: what's changed. 835 00:50:45,330 --> 00:50:48,370 Speaker 11: I mean, the biggest changes is my my dad passing away. 836 00:50:49,730 --> 00:50:50,930 Speaker 1: I'm so sorry to hear this. 837 00:50:51,610 --> 00:50:51,970 Speaker 7: Thank you. 838 00:50:52,050 --> 00:50:57,010 Speaker 11: I mean, it's it was truly in his style of 839 00:50:57,050 --> 00:51:00,090 Speaker 11: how he let us know that he had lever cancer 840 00:51:00,850 --> 00:51:07,610 Speaker 11: was a group text message and the words were, I 841 00:51:07,810 --> 00:51:11,450 Speaker 11: have terminal cancer and there's nothing that they say it 842 00:51:11,490 --> 00:51:15,570 Speaker 11: can do. Very sad news. Oh no, kind of a thing. 843 00:51:16,010 --> 00:51:19,370 Speaker 11: And that was in alignment with his wanting to avoid 844 00:51:19,410 --> 00:51:20,410 Speaker 11: talking over the phone. 845 00:51:21,130 --> 00:51:24,210 Speaker 1: Yeah. He wouldn't even talk with the pizza delivery guy. 846 00:51:24,610 --> 00:51:24,970 Speaker 11: Yeah. 847 00:51:25,090 --> 00:51:28,130 Speaker 12: And and so then it was, yeah, it was. 848 00:51:28,330 --> 00:51:30,730 Speaker 11: It was about a year, a little little over a 849 00:51:30,850 --> 00:51:33,890 Speaker 11: year from what he sent out that mass text that 850 00:51:33,930 --> 00:51:34,569 Speaker 11: he passed away. 851 00:51:36,450 --> 00:51:41,650 Speaker 1: Do you think that returning the luger changed your relationship 852 00:51:41,650 --> 00:51:43,370 Speaker 1: with your dad in his last years. 853 00:51:45,010 --> 00:51:49,330 Speaker 11: Our relationship opened up on a much deeper level after this, 854 00:51:50,770 --> 00:51:53,210 Speaker 11: And I mean that's the full circle part. 855 00:51:53,050 --> 00:51:56,090 Speaker 12: Of it is you go back to, you know, those 856 00:51:56,170 --> 00:52:00,210 Speaker 12: early days, my dad changing the locks on his house. 857 00:52:01,250 --> 00:52:06,610 Speaker 12: So you go from that fear of me to cut 858 00:52:06,690 --> 00:52:10,050 Speaker 12: to fifteen years later, I was the only person with 859 00:52:10,090 --> 00:52:12,450 Speaker 12: a key to his house. I was the one that 860 00:52:12,530 --> 00:52:17,330 Speaker 12: was at his bedside all throughout him declining through this disease, 861 00:52:17,410 --> 00:52:20,090 Speaker 12: and then I was the executor of his estate, Like 862 00:52:20,130 --> 00:52:22,930 Speaker 12: I'm the one combing through and looking through all of 863 00:52:22,970 --> 00:52:26,330 Speaker 12: these things to figure out what sentimental belongings to hold 864 00:52:26,370 --> 00:52:28,290 Speaker 12: on to and what to let go of. 865 00:52:29,370 --> 00:52:30,850 Speaker 1: Where is the gun now? 866 00:52:32,090 --> 00:52:35,410 Speaker 11: After my dad was diagnosed, he had offered the gun 867 00:52:35,450 --> 00:52:38,330 Speaker 11: to me, Oh, and he said, I would like you 868 00:52:38,370 --> 00:52:41,370 Speaker 11: to have this just because of all of the work 869 00:52:41,450 --> 00:52:46,970 Speaker 11: and everything you did to get it back, But it 870 00:52:47,090 --> 00:52:49,490 Speaker 11: meant so much more to my uncle, you know. 871 00:52:49,970 --> 00:52:54,049 Speaker 8: Yeah, so it's actually uncle Bill who has the gun now. 872 00:52:55,890 --> 00:52:57,770 Speaker 1: Scott, thank you so much for talking. 873 00:52:58,090 --> 00:52:58,490 Speaker 11: Yeah. 874 00:52:58,530 --> 00:53:13,810 Speaker 1: Absolutely, Thanks to everyone who helped put this episode together. 875 00:53:14,170 --> 00:53:17,610 Speaker 1: We'll be back next week with another Encore presentation and 876 00:53:17,690 --> 00:53:20,090 Speaker 1: along with it, another update from our guest