Nope. I’ve got my own idea. But to be fair, the hospital theory is a jumping-off point for it.

  KENNEDY:

  Pray tell…

  FREYA:

  Okay, so, I always thought the Carver could be someone who wasn’t directly employed by the hospital, but instead just worked there on occasion as an outside consultant. Like, a lawyer or insurance agent, maybe.

  I’ve also heard that hospitals occasionally bring in private psychologists and physical therapists for patient assessments when their own psychs and physios are overwhelmed. So maybe even someone like that.

  KENNEDY:

  Interesting. What made you think of that?

  FREYA:

  I think it takes the best part of the hospital theory—which is that the hospital was a good place to select future victims—and explains why no one was ever put under serious investigation when the police looked into it. Because here’s the thing… they only looked at direct employees and regular volunteers. Not outside consultants.

  KENNEDY:

  Ooh. That seems like a major oversight, so you could really be onto something there. Also, a friend of mine interned at a hospital last summer, and he said the guy who came in every week to maintain the printers knew everyone’s schedule better than the doctors.

  FREYA:

  Exactly! People forget how many invisible roles exist in places like hospitals. Vendors, contractors, temp staff. They blend in so well that no one even thinks to look twice. But they’re often the ones watching the closest.

  [Contemplative pause]

  Anyway… I think it’s finally time for us to bring up the main list of suspects. We’ve already mentioned one of them in a previous episode, and that person is close to us, so this subject has become a bit of an elephant in the room.

  KENNEDY:

  The person Freya’s talking about is my stepfather, Ethan Kilkenny. He was my next-door neighbor when the Carver started up.

  FREYA:

  The whispers about him started up several years after the killings stopped… because he married Kennedy’s mother.

  KENNEDY:

  Yeah. When that happened, people started rumors saying that he must’ve planned it all to get my father out of the way so he could have my mother for himself.

  He’s also been a linguistics professor at Corwin Bay University for the last twenty-one years, so people really latched onto that, because linguistics was in the BAU profile as a possible profession for the Carver.

  But in general, I think people just thought he fit the profile because they wanted him to. He was close. Literally right next door to the very first victim. And proximity is easier to blame than randomness.

  FREYA:

  It sure is. Eventually, the rumors became so wild that the police had to investigate Ethan just to shut it all down. But he was completely cleared. Airtight alibis for every murder.

  KENNEDY:

  We really couldn’t believe it was happening at the time, because it’s such a ridiculous idea if you think about it for longer than ten seconds. I mean, why would a man plan and execute thirteen vicious murders as a front for killing one man, just so he could ask out that man’s widow several years after her husband died? Please, make it make sense!

  FREYA:

  It really is ridiculous. But a lot of people believed it. Some still do.

  KENNEDY:

  Yeah. I’ve read all the Reddit threads, so I’ve seen the lingering suspicions. But I was there. I watched what my father’s murder did to my mom. And I watched how Ethan showed up for her—and also for me and my sister—every single day as nothing more than a friend for a very long time.

  It's not like he swooped in and asked my mom out the day after my father vanished, or even the next year. They didn’t start dating until three years afterward, and they married another year after that. A whole four years after my father disappeared.

  FREYA:

  It’s like you said a minute ago: make it make sense.

  KENNEDY:

  [Sardonic laugh] Well, with that out of the way, let’s move on to the next name on the list. Matthew Brenner. Better known to online sleuths as the Superfan.

  FREYA:

  Brenner popped up pretty quickly as a suspect. He no longer lives in Corwin Bay, but he did when the killings started, and he quickly became obsessed with the case. So obsessed that he started to look suspicious.

  KENNEDY:

  He was an avid forum user, and he went by the handle ‘RiddleMeThis78’ on multiple true crime forums. He claimed to have insight into the Carver’s mind, and posted details about the bodies that only police would know.

  FREYA:

  So then the police had to look into him. Once they did, they discovered he was a high school teacher who’d majored in computer science during college. He also lived alone. That added to their suspicion that he could be behind the murders, given the BAU profile. But in the end... he was just another armchair detective who went too deep.

  KENNEDY:

  He was totally cleared. Airtight alibis, just like my stepdad. In fact, he wasn’t even in the country when two of the murders occurred. He was vacationing in Indonesia.

  FREYA:

  So… how did he get the information that only the police were supposed to know?

  KENNEDY:

  It turned out that one of the officers working at Corwin Bay PD was Brenner’s cousin. The officer in question wasn’t assigned to the case, but he’d sneaked a look at the files and photos because he was curious. He then drunkenly shared what he saw with Brenner at a family BBQ.

  FREYA:

  It was a huge embarrassment for Corwin Bay PD. The disgraced officer was fired, obviously, and Brenner was no longer under suspicion.

  KENNEDY:

  But as we’ve seen, he still posts on forums, frequently referencing his past as a suspect. Almost like a badge of honor. It’s hard not to feel unsettled by that.

  FREYA:

  Sorry to be so blunt, but I actually can’t stand how he does that. I think it’s in such poor taste, especially considering what we know about the next suspect on our list.

  KENNEDY:

  Yeah. This is a sad one.

  FREYA:

  The third suspect—at least, the third one whose name went public—was a man named Elijah Dougherty. He was a computer programmer and college professor who became a person of interest in early 2015. He’d submitted a riddle-based scavenger hunt to a local newspaper just two months before the first Carver letter, and that put him right on law enforcement’s radar.

  KENNEDY:

  He was also single his whole life and lived alone until 2004, when he took in his brother’s three children after their parents’ tragic passing. But by 2014, when the murders were happening, he was living alone again, as the children were grown by then.

  FREYA:

  The police and FBI didn’t have any concrete evidence on the guy. He just matched the BAU profile very closely. So he was placed under covert surveillance.

  But then someone leaked his name to the media. Corwin Bay PD has never admitted who was responsible for this leak.

  KENNEDY:

  After it happened, Dougherty was viciously harassed by a certain group of locals who’d collectively decided that he must be guilty. His home was burned down by one of those locals in the summer of 2015, by a man who publicly admitted that he did it because he ‘knew’ Dougherty was guilty of the Carver murders.

  FREYA:

  Later that year, Elijah Dougherty took his own life. He left a note addressed to his nieces and nephew, apologizing and outlining his wishes for the funeral. There was no admission of culpability in regard to the Carver case in the note. In fact, he didn’t even mention the case at all… though most believe the constant persecution over the leak was the ultimate reason for his decision to end his life.

  KENNEDY:

  To this day, there’s still zero evidence that Dougherty was responsible for the Carver killings. But in many people’s eyes, he remains the prime suspect.

  FREYA:

  It’s tragic. People really forget that speculation has consequences. That being named, even falsely, can destroy a person’s life. And in Elijah’s case… it did.

  KENNEDY:

  We debated whether or not to even say his name on this show, but at the end of the day, the truth matters. Elijah wasn’t charged. He wasn’t tried. And yet, he paid the ultimate price.

  FREYA:

  The fact that a lot of people still talk about him like he was definitely the Carver… I think it says much more about them than it does about him.

  KENNEDY:

  Yeah. For some, I guess it’s a fear-based response. They desperately want a scapegoat because they can’t bear the idea of the Carver never being caught. But for others, it’s just easier to blame a dead man than admit that we still don’t know who’s really responsible. And for others still… well, sometimes people want a villain more than they want the truth.

  FREYA:

  Yeah, exactly. And we wanted to end this episode on that note. Not with more theories, or with more outrage. Just with a reminder that sometimes the loudest voices don’t know the truth. They just want or need someone to blame.

  KENNEDY:

  Next week, we’ll be interviewing Heather Voss’s sister and taking a closer look at what the victims left behind: their families, their stories, and the lives that were shattered in the aftermath.

  FREYA:

  Until then, take care of yourselves. And if you have any relevant memories or stories related to Corwin Bay Regional Hospital circa 2014… we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us at the email address on our website, afterthecarver.com.

  KENNEDY:

  As always, thanks for listening. Bye for now.

  [Outro music fades in—low and haunting]

  7

  Kennedy

  “Holy shit, Ken. Holy shit.”

  Freya was pacing the length of my living room like a metronome gone haywire, one hand raking through her curls. She stopped mid-step and looked at me, wide-eyed. “This is insane. Seriously.”

  I nodded. The numbness I’d felt when I first called her over was starting to fade, leaving adrenaline and cold clarity in its place. “Beyond insane,” I muttered.

  “Do you think the ears are actually real?”

  I hesitated. “They looked real. But I don’t know. The detective said the results might take a while.”

  Freya raised a brow. “They can’t tell just by looking at them?”

  “No, apparently there’s hyper-realistic fake body parts out there these days,” I said. “On prank websites, or whatever.”

  “Even if it is a prank, that’s so fucked up. Like, who the hell does that?”

  “Trolls, I guess. Like we talked about earlier.”

  “True. There are some real assholes out there,” she said with a grimace. “What about the letter? Did you have to hand it over to the cops?”

  “Yeah, so they can analyze it. But I remember exactly what it said.”

  I recounted the text to her word for word, including the cryptic riddle that had seared itself into my memory like a brand.

  “Sounds like they want you to go looking for something,” Freya said, head slowly shaking. “But what, exactly?”

  “No clue,” I replied, shrugging. “The letter made it sound like it was for me specifically, so I guess whatever it is must be somehow relevant to me. But… I really have no idea what it could possibly be.”

  A beat of silence passed. Then Freya tilted her head. “Do you think this might be happening because of the podcast?”

  “I was wondering the same thing. But I’m not sure.”

  “It would kind of make sense, right? I mean, if the ears are fake, maybe it’s some psycho trying to get views on their YouTube channel. Like… you solve the riddle, go into the woods to find the spot, confetti explodes in your face, and the guy posts it with some clickbait title like: We Pranked a Famous True Crime Podcaster!”

  “Yeah. Maybe. But I’d hardly call myself famous, and this seems pretty elaborate just for a dumb YouTube prank. I mean, tracking me down at my stepbrother’s house and leaving a letter on my car…” I paused for a beat, shaking my head. “It’s not just creepy. It’s also a lot of effort.”

  “That’s true.”

  I shrugged. “Either way, I’m not heading into the woods to chase down clues. The cops are on it.”

  Freya let out a long, heavy sigh and raked her hand through her hair again. Then she finally sat down beside me. “If this freak actually did this shit because of the podcast, then it could happen again, right?” she asked.

  “Yeah, and it could happen to you, too,” I said grimly.

  “I guess so. But so far it’s only happened to you. So… I don’t know. Maybe we should pull the plug,” she said. “Your safety isn’t worth feeding some crazy asshole’s obsession.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Pull the plug on the podcast, you mean?”

  “Yeah. I mean, we’ve only recorded the first few episodes, and we still haven’t signed that Konnekt contract yet. So we don’t have to record the next episodes. We can just turn down the sponsorship, cancel the interviews we booked, and put a note on the site saying the show isn’t continuing for personal reasons.”

  “Well, um… before we decide to scrap the whole thing, there’s something else I should tell you,” I said.

  I filled her in on the offer that Malachi Sieger presented to me at the station earlier, and her expression changed with every word.

  “Oh my god!” she breathed, springing to her feet again. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope. The cops want to work with us. Sort of, anyway.”

  “And we’d really get access to the case files? And the riddles?”

  “Limited access, yeah. And only two of the riddles. But that’s still incredible, right?”

  “Yes! It’s huge! Like… potentially blow-up-the-podcast huge,” she said. “We’d get so many more listeners, and that means more eyes on the case. More chances someone comes forward with a real tip or a recollection that leads to something useful. Then we could actually solve this thing.”

  “I thought the exact same thing. But it means we’d have to continue the show. Not cancel it over…” I paused, waving a hand in the air. “Over something that could turn out to be a nasty prank.”

  “Honestly, it’s up to you,” Freya said, brows rising. “I mean, obviously I’d love to solve the Carver mystery and get super famous at the same time, because who the hell wouldn’t want that? But like I said a minute ago, your safety comes before everything else.”

  I took a long, deep breath. “I think we should keep going.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “It just feels right for us to keep working on this,” I said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but… I keep getting this feeling that we’re really onto something here. That we can actually solve this thing if we see it through.”

  “So then we keep going.” A small smile tugged at the corner of Freya’s mouth, and she held out a pinkie. “Ride or die?”

  “Ride or die,” I echoed, hooking my finger around hers.

  A knock thudded from the front door. Freya and I both froze.

  “Are you expecting anyone?” she asked.

  I shook my head slowly. “No, but there’s those cops parked outside, remember? Maybe one of them needs something.”

  “I’ll check.”

  She stood and tiptoed to the window, peeling back the edge of the curtain just enough to peek out. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath. “This guy is hot as fuck.”

  I rose to my feet, arching an eyebrow. “Who is it?”

  “I don’t know. He’s not wearing a uniform. But he’s holding a badge, so it could be that detective, right?”

  I was already crossing the room. When I opened the door, Malachi Sieger was standing there, dressed down in jeans and a dark gray shirt but still carrying that distinct air of authority. “Hi, Kennedy,” he said. “Can I come in for a chat?”

  “Uh… sure.”

  “Sorry to drop in unannounced, by the way. I know it’s very late.”

  “It’s fine. I was actually just telling Freya about your offer,” I said as I stepped back to let him in.

  He didn’t move at first. Just stood there for a second, gaze flicking between Freya and me like he wasn’t sure how to begin. Then he finally stepped inside.

  “So… what’s going on?” I asked, voice tight with tension. “Is everything okay?”

  “The analysis came back sooner than expected,” he replied. “I wanted to tell you right away.”

  “Tell me what?” I asked in a small voice.

  “The ears are real.”

  Freya let out a tiny gasp behind me.

  I stared at Malachi, heart hammering. “Are you absolutely sure?”

  “Yes. The lab confirmed it.”

  “Holy shit.” Freya sank onto the sofa, one hand rubbing her temples. “I really thought it would turn out to be a sick prank.”

  “Unfortunately not,” Malachi replied, his voice tight. He looked back at me, something darker flickering in his gaze. “Also… there’s something else you really need to know.”

  Partial transcript from After the Carver: Special Announcement 1

  [Soft ominous music fades in, then lowers to a quiet hum beneath the voice]

  FREYA:

  Hey guys, it’s Freya here with a quick but important update on After the Carver and the direction it’s taking. Some shocking information has recently come to light, and if you’ve been watching Channel 5 tonight, you might already know what I’m about to say.

  Earlier this week, a package was sent to my co-host Kennedy. Inside was something… disturbing. A set of human ears, along with a riddle.

  Yeah, you heard that right. Real human ears.

  On top of that, DNA tests were run on the ears, and the results are just… astonishing. I’m still reeling from it, to be honest.

  It turns out the tissue matches a man named Christopher Miles. He was one of the five early Carver victims whose bodies were never found.

  But here’s the part that changes everything: the ears were severed very recently. Within the last few days, according to lab reports.