KENNEDY:

  Yep. Doesn’t really make sense, does it?

  Anyway, that alone was strange enough, and I was definitely starting to get a weird feeling about the whole thing. But at the same time, I was too scared to run, because I had no idea what was going on. So I waited. A few minutes later, I saw a man step out from behind the trees.

  FREYA:

  Your father.

  KENNEDY:

  Yes. I can’t even describe the rush of emotion I felt then. To see him alive, after all those years…

  FREYA:

  I can’t even imagine.

  KENNEDY:

  After we reunited, he told me we needed to leave right away, before the Carver came back.

  I still thought it was really strange that the Carver had left us both alone in the woods like that, when he’d supposedly taken me there as bait to recapture my father.

  So then I wondered… did he trip over a log and knock himself out? Did a wild animal get him? My mind was just spinning all over the place.

  And then… I noticed my father’s shoes.

  FREYA:

  The same shoes the Carver had been wearing the whole time.

  KENNEDY:

  Yes. When I realized that, more stuff started to click in my mind. The masked man was the exact same height as my father. He also used a lot of phrases that my father used back in the day. I hadn’t noticed it before then, because my mind was all over the place while I was being held in the cell.

  FREYA:

  Fear can really wreak havoc on the brain. Plus, you weren’t expecting the masked man to turn out to be your father.

  KENNEDY:

  Exactly. I never saw it coming. Not in a million years. I mean, who would, right?

  FREYA:

  No one. That’s for sure. [Brief pause] So what happened next?

  KENNEDY:

  My father noticed me staring at his shoes. I could see it on his face then. He knew I was starting to figure things out.

  FREYA:

  So you couldn’t play dumb. Pretend not to know anything until you got to safety.

  KENNEDY:

  That’s right. He knew that I knew things weren’t as they seemed. So his plan was totally falling apart.

  FREYA:

  For our listeners who might not know all the details yet… what was his plan, exactly?

  KENNEDY:

  Well, as we’ve now learned, the killer we all knew as the Carver for so long was actually a group of five friends working together. My father, Christopher Miles, Silas Boone, Brian Delgado, and Heather Voss.

  They killed eight people together. Faked their own deaths. And then they disappeared.

  But my father eventually grew tired of his new life. He had all the money and freedom he wanted, but he missed Corwin Bay. Missed his old life.

  FREYA:

  So he wanted to come back.

  KENNEDY:

  Yes. But he couldn’t just stroll back into our lives after we all thought he was murdered by a serial killer a decade ago, right? He needed a way to explain it without getting in trouble.

  So, he decided to continue using the original Carver mythos to his benefit. He wanted everyone to keep believing that there was just one killer all along—

  FREYA:

  —a mysterious masked man who called himself Jack.

  KENNEDY:

  Yes. Jack. Just one man who kidnapped five people a decade ago before killing another eight. He supposedly kept the first five to toy with. Torture for his own sick pleasure.

  But after all those years, my father finally managed to escape. He didn’t go to the police, because ‘Jack’ told him he was a cop, so he was too scared. Instead, he went into hiding.

  That was going to be his big story.

  FREYA:

  But there was a glaring problem with that plan, wasn’t there? And that was: Christopher, Silas, Brian, and Heather were all still alive out there, free as birds, and one of them might get mad at your father for his brazen decision to return, as it could put their new lives at risk. So then they might decide to expose the truth about him.

  KENNEDY:

  Exactly. My father realized that, and he decided that he couldn’t risk one of them ruining his plan. So, he murdered all four of them, and pretended that the so-called Carver was back.

  FREYA:

  And he used our show to get everyone’s attention on the revived case.

  KENNEDY:

  Yes. Then he kidnapped me and forced me to record that message. He told me it would lure my father back from wherever he was hiding, and of course, that made sense to me at the time. But it was all theatre. A twisted performance.

  FREYA:

  Sociopathic levels of planning and manipulation.

  KENNEDY:

  Yes. But that’s the thing with people like him. Their hubris makes them think they can get away with anything.

  FREYA:

  So, when you finally realized that the masked man and your father were one and the same… what did he do?

  KENNEDY:

  He knew his plan was falling apart, and I guess that was enough to make something snap in his desperate mind.

  FREYA:

  So then he attacked you?

  KENNEDY:

  He tried, because I guess he realized he only had one move left. And that was to murder me and later tell the police that the Carver had killed me because he was late to the meetup.

  FREYA:

  Because if he left you alive, you’d tell everyone the truth that you’d figured out, which was that he was the Carver himself.

  KENNEDY:

  Exactly. So he pulled a knife on me. Told me he’d make it as quick and painless as possible if I stayed still and cooperated. But I didn’t. I ran. He caught me, and we fought.

  FREYA:

  And that’s when Malachi arrived.

  Detective, you weren’t even on duty that night, were you?

  MALACHI:

  No, I wasn’t. I was originally supposed to be heading up the task force to find Kennedy. We had people searching all up and down the coast for the right fishing spot. Of course, at the time, we had no idea we were looking in all the wrong places.

  Anyway, earlier that day, I got hit with food poisoning after a sketchy gas station sandwich. I’ll spare you all the gory details, but I had to go home.

  FREYA:

  You were just too sick to work.

  MALACHI:

  Yes. I was devastated that I couldn’t be there, because that night was supposed to be the culmination of all our hard work to find the Carver. But I was simply far too ill. After I spent three hours hugging a toilet bowl, I crawled into bed and passed out.

  Then I suddenly jolted awake again, a little before midnight.

  FREYA:

  Something occurred to you?

  MALACHI:

  Yes. The case was still on my mind, despite the sickness clouding everything, and then this memory just slid back in.

  It was something I’d spoken about with Kennedy a while ago. Just a casual conversation we had while we were checking her security system after the Carver packages started showing up. I suppose that’s why it got shoved to the back of my mind for so long—because there were so many bigger things going on at the time.

  Anyway, we were chatting about our hobbies and interests, and I mentioned that I like fishing. Kennedy told me about a spot that she and her father used to visit off a hiking trail in Pasternak Forest. She said you could catch great trout there, and then she showed me the exact spot on my phone’s map app, in case I was interested in going there. I figured I could check it out on my next day off.

  But, life happens, and I never went. In fact, I totally forgot about that entire conversation.

  FREYA:

  Until that fateful night, when it came flooding back.

  MALACHI:

  Yes. When it did, I was absolutely kicking myself for not remembering it sooner. In fact, I’m actually still kicking myself. Because it should have occurred to me the second I heard that recording Kennedy was forced to make.

  But, like everyone else, I assumed that the ‘secret fishing spot’ was somewhere on the coast.

  FREYA:

  A natural assumption when it comes to Corwin Bay.

  MALACHI:

  Yes. But after that memory came back, I just knew. That’s where she was. So I grabbed my gear and raced there, hoping I’d get to her in time.

  FREYA:

  Why didn’t you call for backup? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?

  MALACHI:

  Yes, I was supposed to do that. But at the time, it was like my body was running on some sort of autopilot. I think my brain was still a bit foggy from the sickness, and then there was this wild adrenaline rush happening at the same time. So it didn’t even occur to me to call for backup until I was in the woods.

  FREYA:

  Honestly, I get it. Being sick can really mess up your mind.

  MALACHI:

  I really shouldn’t say this… but I’m actually glad I didn’t wait for my partner or backup. Because if I’d arrived at that brook just one minute later, I don’t know what would’ve happened.

  FREYA:

  What did you see when you arrived?

  MALACHI:

  Mark and Kennedy on the ground. He was trying to stab her.

  I could see blood on the side of his neck, so I knew she’d managed to wound him while defending herself. But by the time I got there, he had the upper hand.

  FREYA:

  Why didn’t you shoot him?

  MALACHI:

  It was impossible to get a clean shot. It was quite dark, and Kennedy and her father were struggling a lot.

  FREYA:

  So you might’ve accidentally hit Kennedy.

  MALACHI:

  Exactly. I just couldn’t risk it. So I charged over and dragged him off her instead. He tried to stab me then, but I tackled him and managed to grab the knife from him. Then I felt him grabbing my gun, and I knew I only had a split-second to act.

  [Brief, contemplative silence]

  Having to use lethal force like that… it’s not easy.

  FREYA:

  I can only imagine. Even with all your training, it still must be so hard to take a life.

  MALACHI:

  That’s right. It never gets any easier.

  FREYA:

  So what happened afterward?

  MALACHI:

  He didn’t die instantly, so I put pressure on the wound, hoping to keep him alive long enough to receive treatment. That way, he’d face justice.

  But I think he knew the injury wasn’t survivable—at least not without immediate help—because that was when he finally revealed the truth to Kennedy and me. A sort of deathbed confession about the Carver case.

  FREYA:

  It’s been weeks since that revelation, and honestly, it still feels totally surreal. All this time, we thought Mark, Christopher, Heather, Brian, and Silas were innocent victims. But all along, they were cold-blooded killers.

  KENNEDY:

  If Malachi and I hadn’t heard it directly from my father’s mouth, I’m not sure we would’ve believed it either. It was just crazy.

  MALACHI:

  Of course, we’ve looked into Mark’s claims and verified them. For example, he told us that Christopher Miles was working at a ski resort in Tahoe under the name Blake Turner for several years. DNA taken from Turner’s old home there confirms that he and Miles were indeed the same person.

  As for the other four, we managed to use what Mark told us to track down their activities over the years as well. Heather and Silas were living together in Florida, and Brian was living in Texas.

  As for Mark himself, he preferred a nomadic lifestyle, so he lived in multiple locations before his decision to return to Corwin Bay.

  FREYA:

  The five of them were active serial killers in their newfound locations, weren’t they?

  MALACHI:

  Yes. The FBI is now linking them to over a hundred unsolved murders and disappearances. And there’s likely even more.

  FREYA:

  [Heavy sigh] The scale of what they did… it’s almost incomprehensible.

  KENNEDY:

  It’s a nightmare. And there are still so many unanswered questions. Like the identities of every single victim.

  FREYA:

  Or the location of the underground cell where your father held his four friends before he killed them. And you, when he kidnapped you. We still don’t have any idea where that place is, do we?

  KENNEDY:

  No. I was unconscious when he took me there, and he blindfolded me when he took me out and drove me to the woods that night. So I have no clue where it is. All I know is that we were in the car for a long time, so it’s got to be quite far away from Corwin Bay.

  MALACHI:

  It’s unlikely that we’ll ever know the location. But in my opinion, the most important thing is identifying all the victims and bringing closure to their families.

  FREYA:

  We want to help with that. On this show, and beyond.

  KENNEDY:

  So if you’re someone listening who thinks a friend or family member might’ve been one of the Carver Five’s victims, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We want to hear from you.

  FREYA:

  We’ll link all the relevant resources and contact details on our website.

  [Pause]

  Kennedy, Detective Sieger… thanks again. I really appreciate both of you sharing your experiences today. I know it wasn’t easy.

  MALACHI:

  You’re welcome.

  FREYA:

  That’s all for now, everyone. We’ll be back next week with more updates. Until then—

  [Pause, quieter voice]

  Stay safe. And stay curious.

  [Outro music: subdued piano with ambient static and faint wind, fading slowly into silence]

  34

  Kennedy

  Two months later

  The rooftop bar buzzed with warmth and laughter, string lights twinkling overhead like stars. Boston stretched out behind us, the river glinting in the distance and headlights moving below like veins lit up in gold.

  Freya was surrounded by a group of people near the bar, glass in hand, laughing at something her cousin was talking about. I’d drifted toward the balcony to look out at the skyline.

  Arms slid around my waist from behind. Malachi. His chin brushed my shoulder, voice warm and low at my ear. “I’m so proud of you,” he said. “Best New True Crime Podcast and the People’s Choice Award for Best Overall? That’s huge.”

  I smiled, resting my hands over his. “It’s amazing. But at the same time, I feel like a bit of a fraud,” I admitted. “I mean, we only went viral because of you secretly buying those ads for us in the beginning.”

  He snorted. “Kennedy, every podcast up for that award used marketing campaigns to launch. You really don’t need to feel guilty about it,” he said. “Then again, I guess that’s easy for me to say, right? But not so easy for you in practice.”

  “Yeah, to be honest, I’m a little jealous of your ability to so rarely feel guilt,” I murmured, turning in his arms to face him.

  Malachi’s voice turned lower, more tender. “You and Freya earned that prize. You both worked your asses off for the show in a million different ways.” He paused and shrugged slightly, lips twitching. “And no one ever needs to know that the story we told at the end was a complete fabrication. Because it wouldn’t be true crime then, would it?”

  A slow smile spread across my face. “Our dirty little secret.”

  Malachi smiled back, but something was flickering behind his eyes now. “Do you ever regret it?” he asked. “Lying about so much to cover everything up?”

  “Nope. That’s one thing you won’t catch me feeling guilty about.” I lifted my chin. “I don’t regret a single thing I did that night, or anything since. Because I did it for you.”

  His smile returned, softer this time. “I love you,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

  “I love you too.”

  He glanced back toward the bar. “Want another drink?”

  “Sure. Thanks.”

  As he stepped away, Freya sidled up beside me, her brows raised. “I know it’s been ages, but I still can’t get over the fact that you two are together now,” she said, eyes trailing Malachi. “It’s like a romance movie or something. Handsome hero rescues damsel in distress, and they ride off into the sunset together.”

  I laughed softly, the sound catching in my throat.

  If only she knew that the so-called damsel in distress had driven a knife into her father’s neck so she could run back into the arms of the man who’d stalked and kidnapped her.

  Not so much of a romance movie after all. At least not any kind I’d seen. But it was still a love story, albeit a dark, twisted one. And it was completely, irrevocably ours.

  “You know, speaking of romance,” I said, nudging Freya’s arm with a smirk. “You still haven’t told me who that mystery man of yours was.”

  “Was, or is?” a familiar voice chimed in from my right.

  I turned, eyes widening. Dec stood there, hands in his pockets, lips curved in a sheepish grin.

  Freya gave me a guilty look, then stepped closer to him and laced her fingers through his. “We didn’t want to hide it from you anymore,” she said. “So we figured tonight was the night to tell you.”

  My eyes bounced between them. “Okay, this is a plot twist.”

  “Are you mad?” Freya asked, her smile faltering slightly. “We wanted to tell you sooner, but—”

  “Mad? No!” I said quickly. “I’m just shocked. I mean… how? When?”

  Dec chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you remember the day you helped me unpack my stuff? And you caught me with your phone?”

  “Yeah...”

  “Well, I wasn’t lying when I said I had your phone because Freya called. But I wasn’t totally honest with you either.”

  I tilted my head slightly, brows lifting. “Go on.”

  “After we spoke, I couldn’t stop thinking about how damn sexy she sounded,” he said, grinning. “So then I started wondering what she looked like now that she was all grown up. I tried to find her on Instagram, but her profile was locked. That’s why I… uhh… borrowed your phone again.”