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b'Episode Notes
On Thanksgiving a police officer discovers a horrible secret about a family dinner...
Thanksgiving Dinner by Rachael Redolfi (A Weekly Spooky Original)
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Music by Ray Mattis
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Produced by Daniel Wilder
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Transcript:****
Monticello, Indiana - just an hour and a half from the infamous Gary, and still less than three hours from Chicago. It was a small town, with a population that barely scratched 5,000 men, women, and children. Most residents grew up together, worked together, went to school together, hell\\u2026 Most of them even frequented the same five churches.\\xa0
That\\u2019s why, when Sophia got the chance to move she chose Monticello. Just close enough to home that she could visit her family if she chose to, but usually she chose not to. She loved her family but\\u2026 they were a thorn in her side.\\xa0
Chicago just wasn\\u2019t quite her speed; there was too much going on all the time and she just couldn\\u2019t cope with all of that, not anymore. Aside from being constantly high-strung from all the work she had to do for the city, she also found herself increasingly depressed dealing with the less-than-responsible members of her precinct..
With the recommendation of her chief, and with a little bit of fenagiling when a position opened up, Sophia got herself a cushy job in Monticello, Indiana. She considered it cushy because she really didn\\u2019t have to do much or deal with much, aside from the odd noise complaint or writing your standard parking tickets. Sure, in the summer she would have to work a little harder to control traffic or stave off the common drunken tourist, but for the most part she really didn\\u2019t have to work that hard.\\xa0
It really felt like the only time she was working was May through August - once the chilly September air hit, everything quieted down and she got a chance to relax.\\xa0
Sitting in her cruiser, she got a text on her phone.\\xa0
\\u201cAre you coming, or not?\\u201d the text message from her brother bellowed.
Sophia grimaced at her phone, sighed, and stretched out. It had been a long shift already, she really didn\\u2019t feel like dealing with her family. She glanced at a picture on her dashboard before opening up her phone and responding.\\xa0
\\u201cNo. I\\u2019m not coming. The drive is too long,\\u201d she tapped back.
Three dots.\\xa0
Someone honked across the street and she glanced up. One elderly driver was taking too long to make a left turn at a light. She decided to ignore it.\\xa0
The response finally chimed, \\u201cDinner starts at 6. Just say you don\\u2019t want to see us.\\u201d
\\u201cOk fine I don\\u2019t want to see you,\\u201d she hastily pounded back then hit send. She was working a double anyway. Chief Lewis called off sick and she\\u2019d taken his shift; even if she wanted to see her family she couldn\\u2019t.\\xa0
Her black coffee bellowed up puffs of heat-vapor. She took a huge, scalding gulp and hissed, \\u201cfucker\\u201d at her phone before glancing back up at traffic. The picture on her dashboard glowered at her in monochromatic tones.\\xa0
The elderly driver had figured out the problem and traffic was moving along fine.\\xa0
It was never busy during noon, anyway, but during the holiday season it was so slow she could almost take a nap.\\xa0
Another ding. She glanced at the home-screen of her phone which had the banner of, \\u201cBut grandma really misses you. Her and mom\\u2026\\u201d
She honestly debated opening up that message - it had been a whole year since her brother had attempted an honest-to-god conversation with her, she was curious to see what he would try to pull this time.\\xa0
\\u201cOfficer Cortez please report, please,\\u201d a familiar and friendly voice chimed.\\xa0
Nancy was always too polite, if she didn\\u2019t end a call with \\u201cplease\\u201d, Sophia would be suspicious.\\xa0
\\u201cOfficer Cortez, reporting,\\u201d Sophia said back.
\\u201cWe have a request for a welfare check at 1911 East Davidson, please,\\u201d Nancy said.\\xa0
Sophia plugged it into her GPS, it was less than three miles away.\\xa0
\\u201cNow, this one here is a doozy,\\u201d Nancy continued. \\u201cProbably should have just called animal control\\u2026 um, if you please.\\u201d
Officer Cortez talked back through the receiver, \\u201cIf you needed animal control you just should have called them. Why am I going there?\\u201d
\\u201cWell, to be honest,\\u201d Nancy droned. If she wasn\\u2019t droning, something was wrong. \\u201cPerfectly honest, mind you, the animal isn\\u2019t of the utmost concern.\\u201d
\\u201cAlright then, so what is?\\u201d
\\u201cNorman Roberts. He ain\\u2019t been in contact with his neighbor and his dog is still outside, if you please. Abigail White called and said he hasn\\u2019t been seen in over twelve days.\\u201d\\xa0
Sophia started her car and the engine of her cruiser grumbled to life when she followed the directions on her GPS.\\xa0
\\u201cOh good! You are going! I\\u2019ll let Chief Lewis know he don\\u2019t need to go all the way down there,\\u201d Nancy said.\\xa0
Sophia paused. Furrowed her brows. Hissed into the radio, \\u201cYou didn\\u2019t disturb him, did you?\\u201d
\\u201cOh I\\u2019ve been keeping him updated on all activity in the town!\\u201d Nancy chortled back cheerily.
Sophia sighed, pinched her brow at a stop-sign and groaned, \\u201cLet him know I\\u2019m handling it and then\\u2026 just\\u2026 stop. Please. He needs his rest.\\u201d
\\u201cOh, sure!\\u201d Nancy chirped.\\xa0
Sophia headed forward and followed the directions on her phone.\\xa0
\\u201cI guess chemo ain\\u2019t easy, afterall,\\u201d the dispatcher noted.\\xa0
\\u201cNo, it is not,\\u201d Sophia reassured, trying not to look at the picture of her father.\\xa0
Sophia took a turn, waited at a traffic light, and took another sip of her coffee. Well-paved roads gave way to gravel as she headed toward the trailer-park. The soy fields were barren and empty, a copse of oak trees with vibrant orange leaves towered near a fence line, and a few crows glowered at her from their perched on the phone lines.\\xa0
The road was bumpy and her cruiser had a rough time hopping over all the potholes. Monticelllo was doing well, but not well enough to buy new SUV\\u2019s for the police, or repave all the roads; and even as well as the city was doing, it still had its rough areas, just like any city around the world. Sophia just counted herself lucky that this particular city didn\\u2019t have many of the other issues as elsewhere in the country.\\xa0
While driving past a barren grove of trees her phone chimed again. Another message from her brother, this time insisting, \\u201cDad would want you here.\\u201d\\xa0
That almost set her off. Feeling the blood pounding hard in her arms and the burning sense of rage in her chest she paused, took a deep breath and counted.\\xa0
One.
Two.
Three.\\xa0
Four.
Five.\\xa0
She released the breath glanced at the picture of her father in uniform she kept in the car and scowled, grumbling to herself, \\u201cNow he\\u2019s trying to use you against me.\\u201d She wouldn\\u2019t dignify her brother\\u2019s harassment with a response.\\xa0
She turned a corner at the entrance of the trailer park and followed each left-hand turn until she came to the address she was looking for.
An elderly woman, definitely past her seventies, rushed out of a trailer and swarmed Sophia\\u2019s SUV.\\xa0
\\u201cAre you here for Norm?\\u201d the woman asked.
Sophia nodded, stepped out from the car with hardly a glance at the photo, and considered leaving her phone in the car but then thought better of it. If this was an emergency she would want her phone - and if it wasn\\u2019t\\u2026 Well, it was still set on vibrate and wouldn\\u2019t disturb her.\\xa0
The woman, Abigail, bombarded Sophia with a tirade of information, \\u201cI\\u2019ve been waiting for what seems like forever! It\\u2019s Thanksgiving now and Norm promised to have dinner with me\\u2026 He always promises but rarely keeps them. Almost two weeks ago, though, I made him swear on his momma\\u2019s grave he\\u2019d have Thanksgiving dinner with me and he ain\\u2019t said a word!\\u201d
Sophia nodded, took out her notepad and wrote down any pertinent information she could discern - there was none.\\xa0
\\u201cSo the last time you spoke to Norman was twelve days ago?\\u201d she asked.
\\u201cYes, twelve days ago,\\u201d Abigail confirmed with a nod. \\u201cHe\\u2019d just got home from a long haul and promised me a visit today!\\u201d\\xa0
Sophia closed the door of her car with a slam, and immediately a cacophony of barks sounded from behind the trailer. Within a few moments the entire park was filled with the warning howls of dogs.\\xa0
\\u201cHe does that when anyone comes over,\\u201d Abigail explained, pointing at the small yard behind the trailer. \\u201cHe\\u2019s been chained up this whole time.\\u201d\\xa0
\\u201cFor almost two weeks?\\u201d\\xa0
\\u201cYeah, I just been giving him food and water,\\u201d Abigail explained, looking rather sheepish.\\xa0
Sophia grimaced before the yelping died down, and only the baying of Norman\\u2019s hound remained.\\xa0
\\u201cHave you tried contacting Norman directly?\\u201d she pried.\\xa0
Abigail nodded. \\u201cI banged on the door - both front and back! - and he hasn\\u2019t said anything,\\u201d she explained. \\u201cI called him last week but it went straight to voicemail.\\u201d\\xa0
Sophia nodded, and glanced over Norman\\u2019s trailer; none of the other trailers were in the best of shape, but his was the most worn-down. The paint had peeled off of practically every inch, all of the windows had been broken and replaced with plywood, the front door itself was held in place with a patchwork of duct-tape and bungee-cords\\u2026 the trailer sat at nearly a forty-five degree angle at the left corner because the foundation had settled unevenly.
She noted a security camera duct-taped just above the front door and she assumed on instinct there was a twin on the other side of the house. She didn\\u2019t mention this to Abigail.\\xa0
Officer Cortez took a step forward and asked, \\u201cSo when was the last time you spoke to him directly?\\u201d\\xa0\\xa0
Abigail\\u2019s answer finally raised enough alarm that Sophia had to write down the answer, \\u201cJust about three weeks ago, right before he went on the road.\\u201d\\xa0
Noting it, and raising an eyebrow, Sophia took another step forward and the dog in the backyard began to growl again. Another noise - like a dog growling but very muffled - cau'