Moon Effect

"Strange things happen when the Moon pulls the tide."

Detective Gray Cooper investigates a series of killings in a small town where the victims appear to have died by mauling.

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Transcript

00;00;05;01 - 00;00;33;16
Det. Gray Cooper
I'm Gray Cooper, private detective. According to the Department of Homeland Security, my business doesn't exist. But according to the blockchain, a government address pays my bills. The following are the recordings of my case log for insurance purposes. You understand? See, I deal in the strange. The place where monsters and conspiracies dance. The kind of strange you're not quite sure is real or unreal.

00;00;34;12 - 00;01;10;27
Det. Gray Cooper
Officially, the following case did not happen. I told you nothing. Welcome to The Strange Chronicles case log. 936 November 22nd year 2052 Reports of animals turning up, shredded and half eaten in the woods of snowline. Colorado wouldn't be enough to make the local news blink like a rabbit with missing eyes and entrails stretched over a mile, or the poor coyote completely dehydrated of blood.

00;01;10;27 - 00;01;30;02
Det. Gray Cooper
With so many bite marks, the vet lost count at 150. That could have stayed under the radar. But when the local city councilman, Jerry Raven Berry, turned up dead just beyond the fence of his own backyard, that did make the news. His missing limbs and large claw marks streaked across his face and chest. Well, let's just say that part did not make the news.

00;01;30;19 - 00;01;57;02
Det. Gray Cooper
In fact, it's been redacted from my case file. And when the body of Marty Vallon, an electrician with the net phone company, showed up a month later with similar injuries just a few yards from his van on the side of the I 25, they called me. My first visit was to the local coroner. Cause of death for both then was blood loss due to mauling.

00;01;57;16 - 00;02;17;16
Det. Gray Cooper
Coroner says it's likely a wild animal, but the claw marks don't match up with a bear. Closer to that of a wolf. But much too large to fit any of the wolf species in the scientific journals I've researched, the coroner spooked. He is a man of specificity, and this case has him stumped. The only DNA pole was some hair from Marty's body that did not match his own.

00;02;17;17 - 00;02;53;24
Det. Gray Cooper
Now I'm off to the crime scenes. First to the home of Jerry Raven, Barry. Jerry was a local city councilman with a decent reputation. His biggest contribution to the community so far was adding a new HVAC system to the elementary school. He lived with his wife, Adele, and two young daughters, Kara and Bebe. When I first arrived, I smelled a floral assault before the door even opened.

00;02;53;28 - 00;03;13;29
Det. Gray Cooper
Adele was appropriately upset and grieving widow. Notable was the overdose of perfume she bathed herself in. Bebe was drawing a picture of a dog. Sylvester I was told he ran off about a month before Jerry died. Otherwise, the house seemed sad and wilted, as one would expect it to be.

00;03;22;07 - 00;03;39;12
Det. Gray Cooper
We headed out to the backyard where Adele led me into the shed. She said she'd stay on the back porch as she didn't want to linger in the place where Jerry had died. She did direct me to the trees beyond the fence where he was found. First, I took a look around in the shed. Mostly garden tools. A large pile of chains at the back grabbed my interest.

00;03;39;18 - 00;03;49;18
Det. Gray Cooper
Upon examination, I found a theft of fur. Maybe Sylvester's. I grabbed a tweezer and a bag from my jacket and sacked it for later.

00;03;51;20 - 00;04;09;22
Det. Gray Cooper
I made my way out to the trees where Jerry was found. Stains of dark blood remained, and I could see why Adele chose to stay back. I looked out beyond the trees to see what would have been Jerry's last view a densely wooded area full of wild animals. Something that night caught him outside the safety of his fence.

00;04;09;28 - 00;04;30;07
Det. Gray Cooper
Why did he come out here? Was it a noise? When I get back to Adele. I ask her. She supposes he thought maybe Sylvester was back, but thinks perhaps a bear got him instead. I ask her about the chains in the shed. She shrugs it off as mountain living chains often help with equipment in the snow. Oh, let it go for now, because I'd like to make it out to the home of victim number two, Marty Vallon.

00;04;30;21 - 00;05;04;11
Det. Gray Cooper
When I ask Adele if she knew Marty, she shudders and then shakes her head. No. She. Marty's place is more like a shack than a house. Small. One level held up, but not more than wood beams and blue tarps. Inside was surprisingly cozy, despite the tilapia waited outside. There was a fire pit with a vent in the ceiling, a small sofa and native decor not much in the fridge, but a few beers and some leftover spaghetti.

00;05;04;15 - 00;05;25;07
Det. Gray Cooper
He had a small television and a very expensive videogame system. I powered it up as I scrolled the countless games. I got no specific read on taste and had to overcome the urge to start up a game of Slayer before I continued on with my investigation. Some electrical equipment sat on the small table by the door and a photo of Marty and an older woman standing outside in the summer.

00;05;25;13 - 00;05;33;04
Det. Gray Cooper
Likely his mother. There was a sadness about Marty. Not much here to define him, and not many to miss him.

00;05;36;26 - 00;06;02;17
Det. Gray Cooper
I take the time on my way to call Joe Nebraska, my partner. Joe's in insurance. I tell him I've got two names and snowline in Colorado and tell him to let me know what he finds. Today I went to the Animal Control to check on the animal deaths that had been turning up before the murders. Found out the town's only animal control officer is in the hospital bit by what he claims was a werewolf.

00;06;06;18 - 00;06;24;17
Det. Gray Cooper
I head to the impound yard to take a look at Marty's van. The second the door on the van opens, I smell it. The floral stench of Adele Raven Berry's perfume. I look around the relatively meat van, pop the glove compartment, find a car manual and some ketchup packets. I sit down in the back, scanning the ceiling in the back door.

00;06;24;22 - 00;06;49;01
Det. Gray Cooper
Only when I peek under the seats do I see red carefully. I grab my pen and tease it out. A red, lacy bra, one whiff of it. And I'm sure it's Adele's I bag it and exit the van. Adele not only knew Marty, but left her brassiere in his van. Hey, Joe, it's Gray. Listen, we've got a connection.

00;06;50;00 - 00;07;12;29
Det. Gray Cooper
Yes. Found Adele, Raven Berry's bra and Marty's van. The smell of it. Oh, and Joe, there's something else. Animal control guy mentioned werewolf. How long until the next full moon? Let me check. Two weeks. So I suppose we have two weeks to solve this thing. Call me when you got something. Thanks.

00;07;15;22 - 00;07;31;07
Det. Gray Cooper
It has been two weeks. That is a long time for no progress on a case. I'm not the type of dame to take a rest when I'm on the case. I'm either sleuthing leads or break in. Next two weeks of conversation gets old. I don't have time for old. More talks with the family, with the coroner and no new evidence.

00;07;31;16 - 00;07;52;19
Det. Gray Cooper
This private dick is not happy. But finally, we have arrived at the full moon. Time to take a bite out of these werewolf shenanigans.

00;07;55;01 - 00;08;15;29
Det. Gray Cooper
When I greet Adele, she seems to know what is coming. Her sad smile is now a tight, neutral line. I hand her a photo of the bra. She burst into tears. She tells me Jerry didn't know that he had all kinds of side dish action. When I ask her for a name, she says sarcastically, Honey, baby, sweetheart, and refers me to his latest Secretary of the month, Phoebe.

00;08;16;12 - 00;08;48;04
Det. Gray Cooper
I head out to the city council office to meet this Phoebe, but then at a stop sign, I'm hit and my rental car lands in a snowdrift. The older man who hit me opens my door apologetically and offers to drive me to the rental office. Victor Bond. His car stinks of fast food and cigar smoke. A fur tail hangs from the rearview.

00;08;48;16 - 00;09;09;19
Det. Gray Cooper
I noticed some fliers on the back seat with a photo of a wolf. He tells me Snow Land is famous for their werewolf folk. He never goes out on a full moon and he leans in too close to tell me about the murders in town. My hand tightens on the pistol inside my coat pocket. I'm relieved when we pull into the rental parking lot.

00;09;10;12 - 00;09;16;00
Det. Gray Cooper
They have me wait 30 minutes for a return car. Apparently they don't keep a very full lot out here.

00;09;18;09 - 00;09;30;14
Det. Gray Cooper
Joe calls, lets me know that Adele is set to receive a full bitcoin life insurance payout. It's nearly 7 p.m. and the city offices will be closed. I head back to the motel.

00;09;36;08 - 00;09;55;18
Det. Gray Cooper
I pull up to the raven berries and notice the car is gone. I knock and then try the door to find it locked as well. I call Gerri's office and find out it's been closed since his death. After some checking, I find Adele had left the kids at Jerry's parents last night. She said she needed some time to grieve and went to a spa in nearby Leaf Dale.

00;09;56;04 - 00;10;15;17
Det. Gray Cooper
However, when I call Leaf Dale Spa to check on it, they have had no new clientele in the past two days. Winter isn't an especially busy time for the spot here. A call from the coroner reveals some results from the hair on Martin's body. And I'm off to his office. Turns out it was a match for the fur found on the chains and their even very shed.

00;10;15;26 - 00;10;22;00
Det. Gray Cooper
What's more, he found both human DNA and canine DNA.

00;10;27;12 - 00;10;46;14
Det. Gray Cooper
Was Adele Raven Barry our suspect all along? When we matched the DNA from the red bra and Marty's van to the hair fibers from the shed, I waited in town another week to be present for her arrest. But Adele never turned up. She never claimed the life insurance policy on Jerry either. Only ever found some wolf prints in the backyard.

00;10;46;26 - 00;11;08;22
Det. Gray Cooper
Best I can say about this case is that Adele had used the shed on full moons to protect people from herself, but somehow escaped the night Jerry died. Or maybe he let her out. Her feelings toward her husband did not save his life. Marty? I don't know. I'd speculate. His death was an accident. Didn't get her to her cage in time to spare him her animal instincts.

00;11;09;03 - 00;11;30;05
Det. Gray Cooper
Snow, land. Animal Control reports more animal deaths in town, but no new murders. Someone has been putting up fliers in town warning of the Snow Island werewolf, telling the locals to stay home on a full moon. Joe Nebraska is not convinced. He says he is waiting for the call and will be so happy to let me know when the insurance payment hits the ledger.

00;11;30;11 - 00;11;31;07
Det. Gray Cooper
Okay, Joe.

00;11;31;26 - 00;11;34;09
Det. Gray Cooper
Okay.

00;11;37;16 - 00;11;42;18
Det. Gray Cooper
Oh, you.

00;11;43;04 - 00;12;05;19
Det. Gray Cooper
Did you ever here a wolf howl on a full moon? The truth is, when the moon is full, emergency rooms are busier and people certainly go a little mad. Strange things happen when the moon pulls the tides. The tides move water and we humans are mostly made of water. Can the moon make us change too? Can we become savage?

00;12;05;26 - 00;12;53;24
Det. Gray Cooper
What happens when the moon moves you into calling out for it? The reflection of the sun. The moon is a symbol of our smallness. It reminds us our furry, hungry little puppy selves to bow to the greatness of the moon and to honor its seduction log. 936 Closed for now. Stop. This has been an episode of the Strange Chronicles of Fiction podcast.

00;12;53;29 - 00;13;16;28
Det. Gray Cooper
You can follow us on Instagram at the Strange Chronicles podcast or email us at. Info at the Strange Chronicles dot com. This has been a kings of content production. Thank you for listening.