Speaker 1: You were listening to Strawberry Spring, based on a short
Speaker 1: story by Stephen King. Is someone there? I can't see
Speaker 1: you through the fog, one of those idiot froguys think
Speaker 1: this is funny, Jimmy Roger, You're not funny. Where is
Speaker 1: the god? Damn it? Fog is bad enough, ice pavement?
Speaker 1: Oh it's you, Thank God. I think there's someone else
Speaker 1: out here and they were following me and oh please,
Speaker 1: you don't know, don't don't Hello, good morning. You're listening
Speaker 1: to W. S. K Hes with d J Kevin Hard again.
Speaker 1: This is the morning heartbeat. It's time to rise and shine.
Speaker 1: You share a nights at seven o'clock March sixteenth, nineteen
Speaker 1: seventy six, and it's another foggy Strawberry Spring here in
Speaker 1: New England. If you can see your hand in front
Speaker 1: of your face, give us a call and request the song.
Speaker 1: Time to scrape the ice from your windows, shovel out
Speaker 1: the driveway and make your way to work. To get
Speaker 1: you going on your morning drive, here's a brand new
Speaker 1: one from k C and the Sunshine. Hony. Are you up?
Speaker 1: You're gonna be lates? Did you bring another lamp? Yeah?
Speaker 1: I'm up? How did you sleep not bad now the
Speaker 1: baby sleep. She kicks more than you do, but it
Speaker 1: SNAr as less. I'll make the coffee. I'll be right down,
Speaker 1: hot and fresh, just how you like it. You were
Speaker 1: the coffee both, Thank god? What would I do with
Speaker 1: at you go thirsty? You leave me any hot water?
Speaker 1: Probably not? I guess I'll have to find out for myself.
Speaker 1: It'd be careful, would you. I'm not so sure how
Speaker 1: water is good for the baby? Where did you read that?
Speaker 1: It's common sense? Oh well, as long as they're science
Speaker 1: behind that. Are you going to be late tonight? Well?
Speaker 1: What day is it? Oh? Yeah, a week day? Then, yes, Jack, never,
Speaker 1: that's all. Good morning news. This is horrible. We just
Speaker 1: found out there was a murder on the campus of
Speaker 1: New Sharon College. Police are not releasing the victim's name,
Speaker 1: but sources close to the investigation tell us that it
Speaker 1: was a female, co ed late teams to early twenties.
Speaker 1: Will have more information. Hello, have you heard the news? Yeah,
Speaker 1: just now on the radio. It was a burn around campus.
Speaker 1: It has all the signs. Wait are you telling me?
Speaker 1: Can't be sure, but as of right now, it looks
Speaker 1: like spring Heel Jack is back. Spring Heel Jack is back.
Speaker 1: It's a shark to the system here in that name.
Speaker 1: It's almost been eight years to the day the last
Speaker 1: time the fog was this heavy in New England. They
Speaker 1: call it a strawberry spring. No one even knows why
Speaker 1: got what happened at New Sharon during the last one,
Speaker 1: and there might be a pattern for that too, but
Speaker 1: if anyone has figured it out, they've never said. I've
Speaker 1: heard every theory there was, especially having written the book
Speaker 1: on it eight years and it's almost like it was yesterday.
Speaker 1: Good Morning New Sharon College, or listening to k s
Speaker 1: h R College Radio DJ Kevin Hard in here it's
Speaker 1: time to rise and shy New Sharon nights. Another foggy,
Speaker 1: rainy strawberry spring. Try and stay dry while ship. Damn it, Greg,
Speaker 1: I have some breaking news that's just in um. I
Speaker 1: don't even know what to say. A female student was
Speaker 1: found murdered in the Animal Sciences parking lot. We don't
Speaker 1: have many details right now. Stay tuned for more information
Speaker 1: as it comes in. When I heard Kevin that morning,
Speaker 1: I didn't even know it yet, but it would change
Speaker 1: my life forever. I remember throwing out my clothes and
Speaker 1: rushing across campus excuse me out of the way. Hey,
Speaker 1: watch out as well. You just blasted me. Sorry about that.
Speaker 1: I didn't know where to turn, but as a journalism major,
Speaker 1: I had to get to the paper. It was the
Speaker 1: center of my universe. If there were answers to be found,
Speaker 1: I would find them at the New Sharon Times. Back then,
Speaker 1: journalism was my life, even as I was about to
Speaker 1: find out at the expense of others. Hey, Henry, did
Speaker 1: you hear Gayl Kerman was murdered last night? Gayl Kerman? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Why would somebody do that to it? Did? Did you
Speaker 1: know her? Did anyone you know know her? What do
Speaker 1: we know so far? You're asking me hardly anything. I
Speaker 1: thought you were the journalist. Hey, keep yours open, would you?
Speaker 1: And if I hear anything, you'll be the first of
Speaker 1: non deal deal. All right, I gotta get back to
Speaker 1: the station. At least now I have a name. Kevin
Speaker 1: was out for himself, but as long as I kept
Speaker 1: that in mind, I figured I could manage him. Everyone
Speaker 1: knew Gail, or at least they thought they did. She
Speaker 1: was an art major. She wore granny glasses just like
Speaker 1: John Lennon, had a good figure. She was the kind
Speaker 1: of girl who talked little and smiled lass. She was
Speaker 1: shy but friendly, and on the morning after her murder,
Speaker 1: everyone knew Gail Kerman even if they didn't. Someone get
Speaker 1: me a picture for the front page of Gail Kerman
Speaker 1: and I mean, now, Henry, get in here. I remember
Speaker 1: like it was yesterday. Working with Anne at the New
Speaker 1: Sharon Times. We would drink coffee and stay up all
Speaker 1: night trying to hit deadlines. She was always pretty in
Speaker 1: a non nonsense sort of way. We covered school sit ins,
Speaker 1: police brutality, even Vietnam and the presidential election. But this
Speaker 1: one spring heel jack, This one hit close to home.
Speaker 1: You look like shit, you feel okay, hangover? We have
Speaker 1: aspurn around here. Between that and the insomnia. I'm just
Speaker 1: grateful for instant coffee, to be honest about, the only
Speaker 1: thing that really helps me at night is a long
Speaker 1: walk and fresh air. First of all, no one is
Speaker 1: grateful for instant coffee. I can't believe you drink that crap.
Speaker 1: Maybe that's what's giving you a headache. That's a fancy
Speaker 1: word for headaches. Do you know what's giving me mine?
Speaker 1: Let me guess. It's been over an hour since the
Speaker 1: story broke and you still don't have a picture to run.
Speaker 1: Good guests, Have you assigned anyone of this yet? No?
Speaker 1: Half our staff just found out morning classes weren't even canceled,
Speaker 1: so hardly anyone is doing until this afternoon for tomorrow's
Speaker 1: morning paper. That's because my dad talked Dean Edwards out
Speaker 1: of it. Why would Captain Spencer do that? I don't know.
Speaker 1: I overheard him on the phone this morning. Guys. It
Speaker 1: is way worse than we've heard. Do you know John Dancy. Well,
Speaker 1: he found her tripped over her body in the middle
Speaker 1: of the fog. They had to give him a sedative
Speaker 1: just for him to remember his name. That's awful. That's nothing.
Speaker 1: The awful part is Gail was cut apart. I overheard
Speaker 1: my dad and he told Dean Edwards it's like a
Speaker 1: modern day Jack the Ripper or something. The guy sliced
Speaker 1: through her torso. He said, it looked like someone tried
Speaker 1: to dissect her. Trust me, they don't have a plan
Speaker 1: other than it's a bad press to close down. Okay,
Speaker 1: look I'm here already. I'll run with it, and at
Speaker 1: the very least I can get us some picture to
Speaker 1: Pratt done. Why are you still standing here? I still
Speaker 1: need ask. I'll get that, then get the story. So
Speaker 1: us to keep eaves dropping on your dad, you might
Speaker 1: as well take advantage of being the police captain's daughter.
Speaker 1: You have to remind me in this case, I do
Speaker 1: go Rachel. Sorry, Hey, I know we're supposed to have
Speaker 1: a lunch date today, but things just got a little nuts.
Speaker 1: I get it here, come out from under the rain. Hey,
Speaker 1: do you wanna just stop at the grinder and pick
Speaker 1: up some sandwiches? In this weather? I have food at
Speaker 1: my apartment. We can make lunch there. I don't have
Speaker 1: time for launch. Let me just walk you home. I
Speaker 1: don't want you walking home alone. It's what, okay, I
Speaker 1: don't know, it's it's just I don't want anything to
Speaker 1: happen to you. Do you think there's something to worry about?
Speaker 1: I mean, did that girl Gail? Sorry Gail? You don't
Speaker 1: think a random stranger killed her? To you? I have
Speaker 1: no idea, but let me walk you home, okay, just
Speaker 1: to be safe. M I remember seeing the blank looks
Speaker 1: on everyone's faces as I walked Rachel back to her place.
Speaker 1: They all looked worried, but no one was more worried
Speaker 1: than Rachel. Things were just starting to get serious between
Speaker 1: us when it all started. I know this probably isn't
Speaker 1: the right time, but we've both been so busy. Graduation
Speaker 1: coming up. What are you talking about? We don't graduate
Speaker 1: for three more months. It's like a lifetime. No, it's
Speaker 1: like three more months. I just I need to know
Speaker 1: what are we doing after we graduate? Ah? I thought
Speaker 1: we agreed we'll move in together, get an apartment, go
Speaker 1: to Boston or New York. I'll get my journalism career
Speaker 1: going at a big paper, and you'll help people they're
Speaker 1: crazy or whatever shrinks do Are you going to be
Speaker 1: the one to tell my father that his little girl
Speaker 1: from the Sabbath is going to be living in sin Well?
Speaker 1: I hadn't really thought about it. Well I have, and
Speaker 1: now there's this, in all seriousness, a murder right here
Speaker 1: on campus. I'm not sure I want to live in
Speaker 1: a big city like Boston or New York when you graduate.
Speaker 1: If this happens here, it's only worse in a place
Speaker 1: like New York. Oh my god, Henry's that Please day,
Speaker 1: Just keep walking. We're at the parking lot where they
Speaker 1: found the girl. Come on, let's go. I don't understand.
Speaker 1: It's just alive just a day ago. Now it's emergency
Speaker 1: and what is happening. Don't find the guy that did this.
Speaker 1: I hope you're right. Let's go be from the rain picks. God,
Speaker 1: I hate this weather. I don't know what's worse, the
Speaker 1: fog or the rain. The fog always reminds me of
Speaker 1: the accident. I'm sorry I should have said anything. I
Speaker 1: can't imagine. I was like, uh, it was it was awful.
Speaker 1: I was fourteen at the time. We just found out
Speaker 1: my dad died in the Korean War. Everything was falling apart.
Speaker 1: Remember my mom packing up our place. We're moving to
Speaker 1: be closer to her family. And I think we're on
Speaker 1: our way to my grandparents house. Mom, Mom, I can't
Speaker 1: see a thing. It's a pitch black at how's your
Speaker 1: brother m Junior sleeping? We should pull over and wait
Speaker 1: for the fog to clear camp. We're in the middle
Speaker 1: of nowhere. I told your grandfather we'd be there by morning,
Speaker 1: and he'll be worried, sickingfore not okay, maybe just slow
Speaker 1: down while I can barely see past the hood of
Speaker 1: the car. I've never seen fog like that before. It
Speaker 1: was so thick that headlights just bounced off like yellow
Speaker 1: polka dots on white cotton. Mom, please slowed down. Why
Speaker 1: are you speeding up? It all happened so fast. I
Speaker 1: saw headlights from behind. They flashed in the rear view mirror.
Speaker 1: He can't see a damn thing. Then from out of nowhere,
Speaker 1: there was a deer in the middle of the road,
Speaker 1: and my mom swerved. Look out. We had flipped over
Speaker 1: a few times. The car was crushed. I was thrown
Speaker 1: through the windshield. There were shards of glass stuck in
Speaker 1: my face, blood dripping from my forehead. I started to
Speaker 1: crawl back to the car. It was so dark in
Speaker 1: the fog. Guy couldn't see. But the car was upside
Speaker 1: down and part of the underside caught fire. It was
Speaker 1: like a signal light, but it wasn't leading me to safety.
Speaker 1: It was the exact opposite. Mom, Wake up, Mom, Mom,
Speaker 1: wake up JR. The dome light flickered, and that's when
Speaker 1: I realized my mother's neck was broken. Oh my god,
Speaker 1: Oh my god, Oh my good. And my brother was
Speaker 1: crushed under the roof of the car. I passed out
Speaker 1: on the side of the road. I woke up when
Speaker 1: I heard the sirens get us there throwing hurry m
Speaker 1: The accident left me with migraines in a severe case
Speaker 1: of insomnia. I spent weeks recovering. That's just about everything
Speaker 1: I can remember, But the fog always brings it back
Speaker 1: like it just happened. It's called emotional memory. What is
Speaker 1: but you just described you feel the emotions come back
Speaker 1: to you when something triggers it. I look at you,
Speaker 1: diagnosing me on the spot. I didn't diagnose anything, just
Speaker 1: letting you know why you're feeling such intense memories. So
Speaker 1: you're saying I'm not crazy. No one's ever going to
Speaker 1: say that, are you going to be? Okay? Yes, just
Speaker 1: to be safe, lock your door and don't open it
Speaker 1: for anyone. I'm not even for you. Okay, you can
Speaker 1: open up for me. Well, I see you tonight. Maybe
Speaker 1: depends on how late I stay at the paper. If
Speaker 1: it's after midnight, do not come knocking on my door.
Speaker 1: All right, let's just agree. Now, all right, I'll see
Speaker 1: you tomorrow with Rachel safely locked away. I followed up
Speaker 1: on some leads and headed back to the paper. And
Speaker 1: not now, Henry and slow down. We don't have time.
Speaker 1: We don't know anything about gil criminal. We have a
Speaker 1: paper to print. I know that. Just take a breath.
Speaker 1: I'll tell you what I have so far. The clock
Speaker 1: is ticking. Okay. She lived in the dorms Shreve Hall.
Speaker 1: She was an art major, mostly kept to herself. But
Speaker 1: she does have a boyfriend, Carla and Laura. Where was
Speaker 1: he last night? I don't know where does he live?
Speaker 1: I don't know that either, Henry, this is a big one.
Speaker 1: This one could put the New Sharon Times on the
Speaker 1: map that Oh that you know? Good, Let's write what
Speaker 1: you have. We'll do a piece on campus safety. Who knows,
Speaker 1: maybe we have a very own New England, so each
Speaker 1: on our hands, New England zodiac. I know, I know
Speaker 1: we'll come up with something catch here. If I didn't
Speaker 1: know you better, i'd almost say finding a serial killer
Speaker 1: on campus sounds like wishful thinking, Oh well, it's good,
Speaker 1: you know me. Better write what you have cover security
Speaker 1: on campus, and we'll start with that. I spent the
Speaker 1: rest of that afternoon writing the front page. We didn't
Speaker 1: have a lot on Gail's murder, but I managed to
Speaker 1: turn it into a pretty compelling character piece about a
Speaker 1: talented girl whose life was cut short by senseless violence.
Speaker 1: I remember how frieda I was that night, between the
Speaker 1: murder Rachel and the rain and fog. It was a
Speaker 1: long day. I headed back to my place and crashed hard.
Speaker 1: But that first day was nothing compared to what came next.
Speaker 1: Rose and sew and new Sharon Knight's tido and out
Speaker 1: of bed. Pick a look outside. It seems like a
Speaker 1: strawberry spring will be with us with a foreseeable future.
Speaker 1: Shut the funk up already. Oh, good ahead, it's so shitty.
Speaker 1: H Hey, good morning. How would you sleep? Not good?
Speaker 1: Just keep thinking about Gail. I see you made the
Speaker 1: front page. It was either that or the library dedication.
Speaker 1: I think Anne made the right choice. You want to
Speaker 1: come by and brought me the campus? Sure thing, give
Speaker 1: me ten minutes. I'll be right over. It's foggy out today,
Speaker 1: Hold my hand and warm me up. It's just felt
Speaker 1: like it'd be better if he wants me to class,
Speaker 1: No problem, happy to do. In the late sixties, it
Speaker 1: seemed like there was a protest for everything. The police
Speaker 1: presence on campus was heavy. They were looking to solve
Speaker 1: Gail Kerman's murder, but in the process, Piste just about
Speaker 1: everyone else of the police just meet things worse they're
Speaker 1: just doing their job. That's what they said in Selma.
Speaker 1: This isn't Selma. That's why it's scarier. That's what she
Speaker 1: lived just met. Considering the flowers and the makeshift memorials
Speaker 1: in front of the door on a shrew, it's so
Speaker 1: sad years old. It's funny how when someone dies and
Speaker 1: needs something to people even if they don't know. There
Speaker 1: were at least a half dozen police cars parked in
Speaker 1: front of Shrewd Hall where Gail leved. It was weird
Speaker 1: to see. It wasn't like the Vietnam protests. That was
Speaker 1: an ocean away. Tensions ran high and six no one
Speaker 1: trusted anyone. Between the civil rights protests, the hippies, black panthers,
Speaker 1: the war, and now the murder, the tension was as
Speaker 1: thick as the fog, and no one was immune. This
Speaker 1: was about one of our own, and everyone wanted to
Speaker 1: know what the police were going to do about. You too,
Speaker 1: have student I d S I do, and Rachel, you
Speaker 1: have yours with I have a classic at to. I
Speaker 1: don't have time for this. I need to see identification. Henry,
Speaker 1: let's go. I'm going to be late. This is messed up.
Speaker 1: First floor, it's like Major's lingerie rubber sheets. I know
Speaker 1: you're just trying to lighten things up, but if you're
Speaker 1: not careful, this is where you'll find exco friends. To
Speaker 1: meet me later as long as I'm not a got it.
Speaker 1: Look are you rolling in at the Cracker ten? What
Speaker 1: do you have for me? Well, there's about a half
Speaker 1: dozen cops in front of Kerman's dorm and Henry, I'm
Speaker 1: hearing bloomers there's going to be a curfield. Really, how
Speaker 1: would they enforce that? Their pigs and racists? I love
Speaker 1: your passion. Jan Edwards is calling for all students on
Speaker 1: campus to meet at the Quad at noon, So something
Speaker 1: big is going to go down. You're either part of
Speaker 1: the problem or part of the solution. In my father,
Speaker 1: he's part of the problem. Well, it looks like we're
Speaker 1: all gonna go so we can hear what he has
Speaker 1: to say for himself. There's a lot of TV stations here.
Speaker 1: We'll just say ahead of the news outlets. They're not
Speaker 1: even from here. I can't believe this story is getting
Speaker 1: that much interest this quickly. It's not every day there's
Speaker 1: a murder on a college campus. No, that's where I
Speaker 1: have to stay on talk of him. Hello, can you
Speaker 1: hear me? Okay? Then? Um, I know you're all worried
Speaker 1: about what happened to Gail Kerman last night. I am too.
Speaker 1: As you know, we take great pride in our student
Speaker 1: bodied here at New Sharon. So that is why, after
Speaker 1: consulting with Captain s. Spencer of the New Sharon Police
Speaker 1: Department and with our board, we have decided that starting tonight,
Speaker 1: the campus of New Sharon College which will be under
Speaker 1: perfume beginning at ten o'clock. I repeat ten o'clock. Now
Speaker 1: Captin Spencer is here, which some additional information, and so
Speaker 1: I'm going to turn over the microphone to him. Captain Spencer,
Speaker 1: thank you, Jean Edwards. As you may have heard by now,
Speaker 1: a sophomore by the name of Gail Kerman was found
Speaker 1: dead last night just after eleven in the Animal Science's parkingline.
Speaker 1: If anyone has any information or saw anything, please notify us.
Speaker 1: Is this is an ongoing investigation. Now, as the dean said,
Speaker 1: starting tonight at ten the campus will be under curfew.
Speaker 1: In addition, we will have our officers stationed on campus
Speaker 1: to enforce it. And just so you know, anyone outside
Speaker 1: on campus after ten pm where we detain sighted and
Speaker 1: arrested it now. I think you all know my own daughter,
Speaker 1: Chelsea is I do not tell you how much I
Speaker 1: hate him right now, and this is her view as
Speaker 1: being put in place to protect Paul of you. We
Speaker 1: are investigating the murder of Gail Kerman, and until we
Speaker 1: make an arrest, everyone must remain vigilant. Thank you, and
Speaker 1: stay sick. I want everyone to leave a plot immediately, immediately.
Speaker 1: I have to go. It's not enought. You know, he's
Speaker 1: my father, and now everyone knows well we have a
Speaker 1: new headline. We do, but we still don't know who
Speaker 1: killed Gayl Kerman. Why. With the curfew in place, there
Speaker 1: wasn't anything left to do but study. I remember that
Speaker 1: second night of Strawberry Spring. I was in my room.
Speaker 1: I could barely see out the window. The fog was
Speaker 1: so thick. When Kevin burst in, they caught him. What who?
Speaker 1: I heard it over at the grinder. Gayl Kerman's boyfriend
Speaker 1: did it. His name is Carl M. Laura. Thank god,
Speaker 1: Now maybe we can all get back to normal. Yeah,
Speaker 1: thank god. You could hear everyone coming out into the hallway.
Speaker 1: It was the only thing anyone was talking about. I
Speaker 1: remember Feeling relieved, I sat back. I was happy they
Speaker 1: caught the guy. A lover's coral had run his course,
Speaker 1: but at the same time, I was disappointed my journalistic
Speaker 1: intentions were left unfulfilled. I had to cancel on Rachel
Speaker 1: and made a beeline for the Times. The fog was
Speaker 1: worse that night than any I had ever seen. As
Speaker 1: I made my way across campus, I imagined, this must
Speaker 1: be what it's like to be blind. We have some
Speaker 1: pictures to go with the story. I called downstairs, and
Speaker 1: the guys think they'll be able to change the front page. Thanks.
Speaker 1: Looks like that was an open and shut story for us. Yeah,
Speaker 1: hard to believe Anna Laura could be that violent. Did
Speaker 1: you know him? I mean not really. He was a
Speaker 1: dishwasher at the Grinder. I'd see him every once in
Speaker 1: a while. When I was in there with Rachel, Jessie
Speaker 1: went over the police station. She's going to try and
Speaker 1: get a copy of the report. If nothing else, we
Speaker 1: can do a follow up. M what are you looking at?
Speaker 1: You still look like shot? Ah, These glorious migraines. Usually
Speaker 1: coffee and aspirin does the trick. How about rest? Did
Speaker 1: that ever work? Go home and get some sleep. There's
Speaker 1: not much more to write about this one. Looks like
Speaker 1: the cops got their man. As I headed home, I
Speaker 1: noticed dark shadows and the white fog. It was probably
Speaker 1: my imagination. No one was supposed to be out, including me,
Speaker 1: But with the killer cod I wasn't too worried about
Speaker 1: the curfew. The story had written itself, or so we
Speaker 1: all thought, but we were about to find out there
Speaker 1: was and still is more to the story. Hm Ye
Speaker 1: did it. Strawberry Spring is a production of Audio Up
Speaker 1: Media and I Heart Radio executive produced by Lee Metzker,
Speaker 1: Jared Gootstat, and Philip Albert Statt, Written and directed by
Speaker 1: the Lee Metzker, starring Garrett Headland, Milo Ventimilia, Horizon Guardiola,
Speaker 1: Sidney Sweeney, Ken Marino, Al Madrigal and Brett Passenger. Audio
Speaker 1: Up in house production by Georgana Glick Franzheim and Laura Ramada,
Speaker 1: edited by Carry Caulfield, Eric and Jeremiah Zimmerman. Sound design
Speaker 1: and mixed by Jeremiah Zimmerman, scored by Jeff Peters. Songs
Speaker 1: and music by Jared Gootstatt and Jesse Stephenburg. Strawberry Spring
Speaker 1: is published in Stephen King's short story collection night Shift,
Speaker 1: available in paperback and ebrook from Anchor Brooks, and as
Speaker 1: an audio book from Penguin Random House Audio. For the
Speaker 1: fullest of production credits, please visit audio up dot com.
Speaker 1: You can find more podcasts from iHeart Radio on the
Speaker 1: I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
Speaker 1: to podcasts. The bullet is the draup