Speaker 1: You were listening to Strawberry Spring, based on a short
Speaker 1: story by Stephen King. M I couldn't leave my eyes.
Speaker 1: I stood there staring at the two of them. The
Speaker 1: currents were a mess. Mrs Curran's cheeks were swollen from crying.
Speaker 1: Here you go, ask I have a tissue. I could
Speaker 1: see the puffiness. The whites of her eyes, well what
Speaker 1: was left of them, anyway, were bloodshot. She had crow's
Speaker 1: feet around the corners of her face, nothing unexpected considering
Speaker 1: how much time had passed. Even still, when I looked
Speaker 1: at her, I could see the same woman that I
Speaker 1: saw all those years ago in the New Sharon Home
Speaker 1: for Boys. She was a mere image of her younger self.
Speaker 1: In a weird way. She hadn't changed a bit. She
Speaker 1: would damage been shattered back then, a woman who would
Speaker 1: never have her own children, but she had a glimmer
Speaker 1: of hope when she was looking for a child to adopt.
Speaker 1: Now there was no hope left. She wouldn't be the
Speaker 1: woman who couldn't have babies. Instead, she would be the
Speaker 1: mother who adopted and no longer had a daughter. Here
Speaker 1: I have some water. Please say believe me when I
Speaker 1: tell you we have the entire department on this thank you.
Speaker 1: Mr Curran's voice cracked. He was trying to be the
Speaker 1: strong one. He wasn't even close. He was all we had.
Speaker 1: He was her only daughter. The irony was palpable here
Speaker 1: I was standing right in front of them. In another life,
Speaker 1: I would have been their son, a thirty year old
Speaker 1: man with a child of his own on the way,
Speaker 1: but instead their daughter, Marcia, the latest victim of spring
Speaker 1: heel jack. It's hard to believe was one alternate decision.
Speaker 1: They would have never needed to know the pain of
Speaker 1: losing a daughter, and I would have had to know
Speaker 1: the pain of being unwanted, of being left behind a
Speaker 1: fence for myself in an orphanage. Do you really think?
Speaker 1: Do you really think it's the same man from all
Speaker 1: those years ago? We do? But why? Why? Now? Why
Speaker 1: would he come back after all this time? Why are Marcia?
Speaker 1: I don't understand. I wish I could say something to
Speaker 1: make you feel better. We're all here last time, and
Speaker 1: we're going to do everything we can to help find
Speaker 1: him and stop him. Please don't despair, Mr Mrs. Current
Speaker 1: police work has come a long way in the past
Speaker 1: few years. I have a file right here with the
Speaker 1: full side report on the oiler disassociative behavior, obsessive compulsive disorder,
Speaker 1: possible child to trauma, physical and psychological abuse. He's a
Speaker 1: textbook serial killer. We will find him this time and
Speaker 1: bring him to justice. Henry here is an expert on
Speaker 1: spring Hill Jack. We have the latest forensics techniques, and
Speaker 1: between the citywide man hunt and our determination, there's no
Speaker 1: way he's going to get away. Isn't that right, Henry Um? Yes,
Speaker 1: Chief Spencer is right. Please please don't despair. Don't despair.
Speaker 1: I wonder if that's what I should have echoed to
Speaker 1: the currents. Don't despair. They'll find her body. Don't despair.
Speaker 1: She probably didn't feel a thing. Don't despair. There's plenty
Speaker 1: more orphans to go around. Don't despair. Hi, everyone, I
Speaker 1: don't know if you can hear me. I replaced the
Speaker 1: transistor on my hands, so hopefully this pose well, here goes.
Speaker 1: I have some news. President Kennedy says they'll be launching
Speaker 1: a Saturn rocket before the end of the year. How
Speaker 1: neat would that be in sports? For just a few
Speaker 1: months away from the beginning of baseball season. Spring training
Speaker 1: has already started, and some people are saying the Yankees
Speaker 1: have what it takes to win the one World Series.
Speaker 1: In other news, Henry Denton was left behind at a
Speaker 1: new share in home for boys. It's looking like you'll
Speaker 1: never get adopted. But why would anyone adopt him? He's
Speaker 1: a teenager with lingering psychological issues from seeing his mother
Speaker 1: and brother die right in front of his very eyes.
Speaker 1: He sustained head injuries and his emotional scars run deep.
Speaker 1: Isn't that right, Henry? What hi, Henry? Are you doing? Okay? Um? Yeah, fine,
Speaker 1: I guess don't despair. We'll find a home for you. Yet.
Speaker 1: I hate to have to break the news to you.
Speaker 1: What news. I don't know if you've heard. But the
Speaker 1: Currents who you met last week, Yes, I remember them.
Speaker 1: They decided that adopting a teenager right now might be
Speaker 1: too much for them, and I figured, I hope you understand.
Speaker 1: It's all about finding the right fit. But chin up,
Speaker 1: there's always families looking to adopt. Like I said, we'll
Speaker 1: find a home for you, yet, just wait and see.
Speaker 1: Don't despair. The Headmaster was a kind man. I'm pretty
Speaker 1: sure somewhere deep down inside he felt for all of
Speaker 1: us boys. He tried his best to go room to
Speaker 1: room instead of making an announcement over the p A system.
Speaker 1: I think he figured it was a little more personal,
Speaker 1: like some sort of surrogate father and Sun chat by
Speaker 1: the fireplace. Isn't that right, Henry? I said, isn't that right, Henry? Yes,
Speaker 1: of course, don't despair Mr and Mrs Current. For all
Speaker 1: intents and purposes, the Currents were too total strangers. But
Speaker 1: somehow I couldn't help thinking we were connected. Maybe we
Speaker 1: were in more ways than one. What would my life
Speaker 1: had been like had they adopted me? Fate was cruel.
Speaker 1: Fifteen years later and here they were standing right in
Speaker 1: front of me. Thank you. Yes, we appreciate all of
Speaker 1: your help. Now I remember you. You haven't changed. Excuse me.
Speaker 1: The Home for Boys Henry Henry Hartigan, Oh, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1: My last name is Denton. I was coincidentally at the orphanage.
Speaker 1: But you must have mistaken me with one of the
Speaker 1: other boys. No, I'm sure it's you. It's in your eyes.
Speaker 1: Are you okay? Yeah? There must have been another Henry
Speaker 1: at the boys phone. It was so long ago, I
Speaker 1: can't remember either that, or they were so busy looking
Speaker 1: for someone to adopt. They went somewhere else, whatever it was,
Speaker 1: I feel bad for them. They have my sympathy. I
Speaker 1: didn't have much sympathy for them. If I'm being honest
Speaker 1: with myself, I'm not sure I felt any sympathy for
Speaker 1: them at all. But that's when she Spencer interrupted. I
Speaker 1: didn't want to bring this up with the currents here,
Speaker 1: but we should go see Dancy. What do you mean
Speaker 1: we haven't been a holding sale downstairs. He was picked
Speaker 1: up right before they came in. Do you really think
Speaker 1: he's spring heel jack? Let's go find out for ourselves.
Speaker 1: Where are we going? Holding sales are in the BASEBA
Speaker 1: and knew me well enough to tell with one glance.
Speaker 1: Seeing the currents change my demeanor. Are you okay? Do
Speaker 1: you look like you've seen a ghost? I nodded her way.
Speaker 1: I wanted to say something, but what I feel more
Speaker 1: like the ghosts just saw me. Follow me. Dancy cell
Speaker 1: is just a back Oh my god. We got to
Speaker 1: Dancy's holding cell and what we saw was jarring. Time
Speaker 1: had not been kind to John Dancy. His hair was long, scraggly,
Speaker 1: and unkept. He was filthy, wearing a beat up and
Speaker 1: blood stained army jackets streaked with dirt. His fingernails had
Speaker 1: grime under them, and his teeth were stained yellow and chipped.
Speaker 1: He stood there with a hunch that made him look
Speaker 1: like an old man, not someone in their late twenties.
Speaker 1: It was hard to wrap my head around who were
Speaker 1: what I was seeing. I didn't know him well back
Speaker 1: at school. Wasn't that long ago? What could have happened
Speaker 1: in eight short years that could have transformed him into this?
Speaker 1: Take a good look. He's our number one suspect, John,
Speaker 1: that's whatever it mean? Hurt you? Why would we do that?
Speaker 1: And realized right away what I failed to see. The
Speaker 1: blood on his jacket wasn't from a murdered victim. It
Speaker 1: was his. The cops had been the ship out of him.
Speaker 1: When he turned to the light, we saw his face.
Speaker 1: His eyes were swollen, not like Mrs Curran's, though Dancy's
Speaker 1: swelling was from the bare knuckles of New Sharon's finest.
Speaker 1: He must have been in that cell for hours. They say,
Speaker 1: if you corner a wounded animal, the best way to
Speaker 1: keep them from attackinginess to make eye contact. I didn't
Speaker 1: think Dancy was going to attack anyone, not in the
Speaker 1: shape he was in. Plus he was behind bars, but
Speaker 1: none of that stopped an from making the effort. What
Speaker 1: happened to you? I'll tell you what happened to him?
Speaker 1: He refused to confess. How long has he been in here?
Speaker 1: Not long? A few hours at most, Henny, can you
Speaker 1: form me a cup of water? Here? You got there, thirsty?
Speaker 1: What happens here? I'll tell you what happened to him.
Speaker 1: We picked him up and he resisted arrest, and the
Speaker 1: officers they did what they had to do in order
Speaker 1: to bring him in. You beat the ship out of me,
Speaker 1: You and your fucking pigs. You're lucky you still have
Speaker 1: breath in your lungs after what you've done. Come closer.
Speaker 1: I want to make sure you can hear me. This
Speaker 1: close enough, plenty, I'm gonna make sure you fry for
Speaker 1: what you've done. You and Alma Laura, you're fucking crazy,
Speaker 1: old man. I've been telling him for hours. I didn't
Speaker 1: do anything. I didn't kill anyone. I mean I did,
Speaker 1: but but what they were orders I had to I
Speaker 1: had to kill. But it was Vietnam. They gave me orders.
Speaker 1: They were orders. I didn't have a choice. They may
Speaker 1: be kill. It was hard to watch. I couldn't just
Speaker 1: stand there and do nothing. I took Anne and the
Speaker 1: Chief aside. This guy is not a killer. Look at him,
Speaker 1: Chief Spencer, you're grasping at straws. This guy has damaged goods.
Speaker 1: That's exactly my point. Come on, the ward did amend
Speaker 1: if he was spring Hill Jack? Do you think he'd
Speaker 1: be suffering like this over his time in Vietnam? Jack
Speaker 1: loves what he does. He lives for it. He takes
Speaker 1: pleasure in killing. We're looking at a man that's been
Speaker 1: weduce drugs and alcohol in order to live with what
Speaker 1: he's done, not what he wants to do. Chief Spencer
Speaker 1: didn't like hearing what we had to say. Chief. I
Speaker 1: know your history with this case is personal. We were
Speaker 1: friends with Chelsea too, So I'm going to cut you
Speaker 1: some slack. You're gonna cut me some leg If you
Speaker 1: don't have a reason to hold Dancy, let him go.
Speaker 1: If he's here tomorrow with just one new bruise, I'll
Speaker 1: make sure you're on the front page of every paper
Speaker 1: in New England as the poster boy for police brutality.
Speaker 1: I hope I've made myself clear. Let me make myself clear.
Speaker 1: I want to know where he was last night, and
Speaker 1: I want to know where Ama Lara is, and if
Speaker 1: it turns out either one of them had anything to
Speaker 1: do with this, then you'll have something to print. Let's go, Henry.
Speaker 1: We'll be back first thing in the morning. If you
Speaker 1: find Ama Lara, let us not JAF Spencer has lost it.
Speaker 1: I know Dancy didn't kill anyone. Am Lara isn't going
Speaker 1: to turn anything up either. Where your part, I'll walk
Speaker 1: into your car. What are you gonna do? I'm going home.
Speaker 1: Rachel is alone. She's gonna have pay be any day now.
Speaker 1: The last thing she needs is for me to be
Speaker 1: out until all hours of the night, chasing the goats
Speaker 1: of Christmas past. M Laura will turn up, but it
Speaker 1: won't matter. He's not going to be the guy. That's
Speaker 1: to say. I'm sure you're right. Dancy is a mess.
Speaker 1: He couldn't plant a murder scene like always thought. Tonight
Speaker 1: let alone went eight years ago. When I look at him,
Speaker 1: I don't think he could tell you what he had
Speaker 1: for lunch. I'll do you one better. I don't think
Speaker 1: he ate lunch. Come on, Skinna late, I cannot tell
Speaker 1: you how much I hate this fog. It hasn't been
Speaker 1: this bad since since when since five women were murdered
Speaker 1: since spring heeled Jack got away. Since I had a
Speaker 1: migraine since the murders, Yeah, since then, I'll talk to
Speaker 1: you in the morning. Drive carefully best. I watched the
Speaker 1: red tail lights disappear into the fog. I got a
Speaker 1: chill up my spine. My visions started to blur. I
Speaker 1: knew feeling like when an old friend comes to visitor,
Speaker 1: except this one was uninvited. The pain was searing into
Speaker 1: the back of my brain. My ears started to ring,
Speaker 1: and I could feel the pressure building up through my
Speaker 1: head like a tea kettle, except there's nowhere for the
Speaker 1: steam to go. My hands clenched in A rage of
Speaker 1: pain started to wash over me. That's when I heard
Speaker 1: my name, Mattery, Henry Datton. Is that you. I turned
Speaker 1: and saw a shadow running out of the police station.
Speaker 1: It was the outline of a man, but I wasn't
Speaker 1: sure why he was running towards me. Your wife just called.
Speaker 1: She needs you to come home right away. She's going
Speaker 1: into labor um ship. I raced across the lot. Each
Speaker 1: time my feet hit the pavement, the pain amplified. But
Speaker 1: before I got to my car, I saw a shadow
Speaker 1: under the street line on the opposite side of the
Speaker 1: parking lot. It's starting to come closer. It's the shadow
Speaker 1: of the man, the same shadow I saw at the porphanage,
Speaker 1: the same shadow from school, the same shadow that's been
Speaker 1: following me my entire life. In the dark. I can
Speaker 1: barely see them. Where are they? They're there? Are I've
Speaker 1: bent over to grab hive. That's when I heard the voice,
Speaker 1: familiar and distant, all at the same time. Henry, is
Speaker 1: that you? I recognize that, police, but it can't be.
Speaker 1: It's impossible. Tonight of all nights, ghosts all coming back
Speaker 1: to hunting first hand, then Chief Spencer, Mr Curran, Mrs Curran,
Speaker 1: John Dancy, one ghost after another. Why now? Who is
Speaker 1: that coming closer? My head hurts. I haven't had a
Speaker 1: headache like this year's. The pain is unbearable, and not
Speaker 1: since the last killings, not since the first time Spring
Speaker 1: Heeled Jack showed up. My god, I would do I
Speaker 1: didn't think to make the pain go away. It is you?
Speaker 1: Who is it? Who's there? I can see him, but
Speaker 1: I can't believe my eyes. I missed you, Henry, Dad,
Speaker 1: You're alive, Henry, Henry, Henry, wake up? What are you
Speaker 1: doing here? Those are my boys. You're not taking them
Speaker 1: from me. You can't have them. You can't even be here.
Speaker 1: I know what you did. The army was here. It's
Speaker 1: not true. They're liars and scared. It's okay. Can here,
Speaker 1: stay close to me. He's got a mom. Liars. They
Speaker 1: said you killed five women then went a wall. Where
Speaker 1: have you been all this time? They were in an encampment. Commies.
Speaker 1: The army was worried about. Goddamn commies. They showed me
Speaker 1: the reports after you went missing. There were civilian and
Speaker 1: women living in a village. You slaughtered them all. They
Speaker 1: weren't a threat. Everyone was a threat. It was war.
Speaker 1: Stop it. You're scaring the boys. Hey, it's okay, boys,
Speaker 1: Daddy's home. Everything's gonna be just fine. Okay. Where can
Speaker 1: it be? A family again? Hello? Operator? Get me the police.
Speaker 1: What are you doing? Yes, this is an emergency. Get
Speaker 1: off the phone. Hang up on my head. Don't look
Speaker 1: stay under the table, Dad, Leave her alone? Are you okay? Henry?
Speaker 1: Grab my car keys? Hello? Hello, is anyone there? Let's
Speaker 1: go before he gets up or come out. Mommy. I
Speaker 1: know you are honey, I am too, but we have
Speaker 1: to hurry up and leave before she get sucked. Ah,
Speaker 1: I'm bleeding, and I what you do with me? Stay
Speaker 1: away from us. That look in your eyes you have
Speaker 1: it to Henry. You can't help yourself. What are you
Speaker 1: talking about? You're just like me. Get your hands off me.
Speaker 1: That rage, I know that feeling. Fuck you, come one voice.
Speaker 1: We have to go back here, you bitch. I'll kill
Speaker 1: you before you take my son's Just keep your head down. Mom.
Speaker 1: Where are we going? Your green parents sleeping? But he
Speaker 1: knows that's where we'll go. I don't know where else
Speaker 1: to go. Your grandfather will help you. Mommy can't behind.
Speaker 1: Does go faster? Come on, I know, Henry, it's just
Speaker 1: hard to see through the fog. Mom, look at it. Dad.
Speaker 1: I always said women make bad drivers. Momas, she's no exception.
Speaker 1: Stay stay away from her. I hope you're happy now, Mama, Mama, Mama, Jr. Henry, Hey,
Speaker 1: can you hear me? O? My god? Where am I? Henry?
Speaker 1: It's cold out? Come on, let me help you up.
Speaker 1: It was you. You're the reason they died. You were
Speaker 1: chasing us now, I remember you killed them. You killed them.
Speaker 1: It's cold out. Let's not attract attention. Come on, let's
Speaker 1: get in the car where it's warm. Let's talk about it.
Speaker 1: What's what? What's wrong? It's been almost fifteen years. I
Speaker 1: blamed myself. I didn't see the deer. I thought it
Speaker 1: was my fault. They died. Oh my head, it hurts.
Speaker 1: You've been alive all this time, son, that was a
Speaker 1: long time ago. I've changed, okay. I've come to make
Speaker 1: peace with you with my past. I'm not violent anymore.
Speaker 1: We can get past. Why did you deal? I did
Speaker 1: what you taught me to do, Henry, I need an
Speaker 1: ambulance of the parking lot now, Hey, their new share.
Speaker 1: Night's DJ Kevin Hard to get here for all your
Speaker 1: late night knees. It's a cool night out tonight. The
Speaker 1: fog is rolled in and it's another amazing strawberry spring.
Speaker 1: A quick check of the calendar because it's March thirty one.
Speaker 1: You know what that means, don't you, Henry, Tomorrow is
Speaker 1: able Fool's day. Spring break is here. It's almost eight
Speaker 1: years to the day spring Yale Jack disappeared into the fog.
Speaker 1: Shut up, I can, Henry. I'm here for you. I've
Speaker 1: always been here for you. Or have you forgotten? Hey?
Speaker 1: This is Kevin Hartigan I'm not sure you can hear me. Here,
Speaker 1: I just got my hand radio working d J. Kevin
Speaker 1: Hartigan here the voice of New Share in college with
Speaker 1: the latest music. Here we are again, Henry. You don't remember,
Speaker 1: do you? Ah? Home, sweet home? I'm done. I mean
Speaker 1: to you ship, Rachel. Where are you upstairs in the bathroom.
Speaker 1: I'm on my way. Yes, Oh thank god? You are
Speaker 1: you okay? We need sorry my water brook. Where's your bag?
Speaker 1: Never mind, I see it. Come on, I'll help me downstairs.
Speaker 1: Stay focused. There's just a few nuts from the hospital.
Speaker 1: Come on, come on, just be careful. We don't want
Speaker 1: to get into Henry. Henry, wake up, Henry. It's me, Kevin.
Speaker 1: You still have time? Oh my head? What the hell
Speaker 1: we happened? We happened you and me? Look at Rachel.
Speaker 1: You should be put around of oistory, just like you
Speaker 1: did with mom. Mom. What are you talking about? Who
Speaker 1: are you? You don't remember? Don't worry, It'll all come
Speaker 1: back to you. It's me, Henry. It's Kevin. Don't hear
Speaker 1: remember I'm your brother? Yeah? Did it? A Strawberry Spring
Speaker 1: executive produced by Lee Metzger, Jared Goodstadt, and Philip Albert
Speaker 1: Stat written and directed by Lee Metzger, starring Garrett Headland,
Speaker 1: My Love and Amelia Horizon, Gardiola, Sydney s Enie Ken Marino,
Speaker 1: Al Madrigal and Breck Bessenger. Audio Up in house production
Speaker 1: by Georgiana Glick, Franzheim and Laura Ramada, edited by Carry Caulfield,
Speaker 1: Eric and Jeremiah's Immerman. Sound design and mix by Jeremiah's Immerman,
Speaker 1: Score by Jeff Peters. Original songs and music by Jared
Speaker 1: Goodstad Kuver and Jesse Stepenberg. Strawberry Spring is published in
Speaker 1: Stephen King's story collection night Shift, available in paperback and
Speaker 1: e book from Anchor Books and as an audio book
Speaker 1: from Penguin Random House. Audio original score and soundtrack from
Speaker 1: Strawberry Spring featuring Daddy long Legs by Yakuza and the Bear,
Speaker 1: now available on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Music, Spotify,
Speaker 1: or wherever you stream good music. For the full list
Speaker 1: of production credits, please visit audio up dot com. You
Speaker 1: will find more podcasts from I Heart Radio on the
Speaker 1: I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
Speaker 1: to podcasts. But stupid us, the Body is the Flop