This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Matthew Cohn: I haven't slept that well in a long time.

[0:24] Keilly McQuail: Oh, there's the Icarus.

[0:28] Keilly McQuail: Ah, shit. There's his car.

[0:32] Keilly McQuail: He's back.

[0:34] Paul Guyet: What'll it be, dear?

[0:54] Matthew Cohn: Biscuits and gravy, please. Large coffee.

[0:58] Paul Guyet: You got it.

[1:00] Matthew Cohn: Has Gus Finch been in today?

[1:02] Paul Guyet: Nope.

[1:05] Keilly McQuail: Melanie.

[1:11] Matthew Cohn: Thank God. I got back to the motel yesterday and you were...

[1:15] Keilly McQuail: I was gonna call the police.

[1:18] Matthew Cohn: I think all the police in town are in this restaurant right now.

[1:21] Matthew Cohn: Melanie, you left without leaving a note.

[1:23] Keilly McQuail: I ordered already. Do you want anything?

[1:25] Matthew Cohn: No. Well, coffee, I guess.

[1:29] Matthew Cohn: Melanie, I have broken this story wide open.

[1:34] Keilly McQuail: Yeah?

[1:36] Matthew Cohn: I don't know all the wherefores and the whiches, but I do know there is something happening in this town.

[1:43] Matthew Cohn: There is some sort of cabal in the woods outside the town.

[1:49] Matthew Cohn: Those totems, all the pieces are there.

[1:52] Matthew Cohn: I don't know if it's Satanists or something more complicated.

[1:56] Keilly McQuail: Adam, do you remember when I set up your cloud?

[1:58] Matthew Cohn: Sure. No. What do you mean?

[2:01] Keilly McQuail: I set up your phone so all your voice notes would upload to the office server.

[2:05] Keilly McQuail: Remember when you lost all those interviews from Cleveland?

[2:07] Matthew Cohn: Melanie, I'm saying there's some sort of secret society or something in this town.

[2:11] Keilly McQuail: I listened to your voice notes from when you were wandering around on the outskirts of town.

[2:14] Matthew Cohn: I was investigating, not wandering.

[2:16] Keilly McQuail: Adam, I was able to run that license plate through state records.

[2:19] Keilly McQuail: It's registered to an LLC called Ivy Leaguer Limited.

[2:23] Keilly McQuail: Gus Finch is one of the listed members.

[2:26] Matthew Cohn: All right. So you're saying...

[2:30] Matthew Cohn: What are you saying? That Finch is in on this?

[2:34] Keilly McQuail: In on what?

[2:36] Matthew Cohn: The cards, Melanie. The pile of stones I found deep in the forest.

[2:40] Matthew Cohn: The signposts. It's all connected.

[2:43] Keilly McQuail: Okay. Well, I think the pile of stones is probably an old campsite.

[2:48] Keilly McQuail: I'm pretty sure what's actually happening is that Gus Finch is trying to make you think there is some sort of a cult. I don't know what.

[2:57] Matthew Cohn: I'm not some gullible rube.

[3:01] Matthew Cohn: I have a Peabody nomination.

[3:04] Keilly McQuail: You wanted a story. It could happen to anyone.

[3:10] Matthew Cohn: Where did you go last night?

[3:12] Keilly McQuail: Oh, here comes Red. You can order.

[3:14] Matthew Cohn: Now, it doesn't matter that that car, that idiot thinks he saw.

[3:18] Matthew Cohn: It doesn't matter who it's registered to.

[3:21] Keilly McQuail: I don't know what you're implying.

[3:23] Matthew Cohn: No, I'm not implying. I'm stating that you, or someone you work with, sent Adam Kleinhofer that postcard to get him to do your dirty work.

[3:31] Matthew Cohn: It wouldn't look good if the mayor of Split Valley, who has a controlling interest in an LLC that leases land to Two Trees Lumber, kicked a group of disenfranchised women off land that isn't technically even theirs to begin with.

[3:49] Keilly McQuail: I have a right of way, and I don't have a right of way.

[3:52] Matthew Cohn: But that land belongs to...

[3:54] Keilly McQuail: Yeah, so you thought we'd do a story on it.

[3:56] Keilly McQuail: Now then, bring a bunch of people to Split Valley to gawk at the women living in the forest.

[4:00] Keilly McQuail: Make them move, and no one is the villain.

[4:02] Matthew Cohn: They're squatters!

[4:04] Keilly McQuail: Is that you admitting you're wrongdoing all this?

[4:06] Keilly McQuail: If you want to talk to me, just do it through my lawyer.

[4:09] Keilly McQuail: I don't have anything more to say to you except...

[4:12] Keilly McQuail: leave them alone.

[4:15] Matthew Cohn: Are you recording me?

[4:17] Keilly McQuail: It's illegal to record me and not...

[4:21] Keilly McQuail: Shit!

[4:37] Paul Guyet: Morning!

[4:46] Keilly McQuail: Melanie!

[4:48] Keilly McQuail: Steph says you're leaving.

[4:50] Keilly McQuail: I am.

[4:52] Matthew Cohn: I thought we were just getting started.

[4:55] Keilly McQuail: I'm sorry, I'm late.

[4:57] Keilly McQuail: I'm sorry, I'm late.

[4:59] Keilly McQuail: I'm sorry, I'm late.

[5:01] Keilly McQuail: I'm sorry, I'm late.

[5:03] Keilly McQuail: I'm sorry, I'm late.

[5:04] Keilly McQuail: I thought we were just getting started.

[5:07] Keilly McQuail: Was your mattress comfortable?

[5:09] Matthew Cohn: Yes, it was. I slept better than I have...

[5:13] Matthew Cohn: maybe ever.

[5:15] Keilly McQuail: But I can't stay.

[5:18] Keilly McQuail: I hope you know that I meant what I said.

[5:21] Keilly McQuail: You don't have to be running from something to be here.

[5:24] Keilly McQuail: You can just be running toward a different sort of life.

[5:28] Matthew Cohn: Why did you choose Split Valley?

[5:30] Keilly McQuail: My parents took me camping here when I was a kid.

[5:35] Keilly McQuail: Just once.

[5:37] Keilly McQuail: At the time, it was the smallest town in New York.

[5:41] Keilly McQuail: And I loved that.

[5:43] Keilly McQuail: Such a happy trip.

[5:46] Keilly McQuail: It was sunny in the day and chilly and dry at night.

[5:50] Keilly McQuail: I felt safe.

[5:52] Keilly McQuail: But also...

[5:54] Keilly McQuail: like I could just run into the night.

[5:57] Keilly McQuail: Like I could just run into the night and start flying up toward the stars.

[6:06] Keilly McQuail: When I left my former life, I thought, where am I willing to make it work?

[6:10] Keilly McQuail: Even when it's hard.

[6:19] Keilly McQuail: It was wonderful to meet you.

[6:22] Keilly McQuail: I have to ask, Melanie, that you keep our place to yourself.

[6:25] Keilly McQuail: If you know someone who really needs it, who should be here, you can tell them.

[6:29] Keilly McQuail: But otherwise...

[6:30] Matthew Cohn: Of course. I understand.

[6:34] Keilly McQuail: I'm glad we know each other.

[6:38] Matthew Cohn: Me too.

[6:52] Keilly McQuail: I know what you're thinking.

[6:53] Keilly McQuail: You're listening to a podcast about Laura, where I've recorded Laura and Steph and a bunch of other women without their knowledge or consent.

[7:02] Keilly McQuail: Well, you shouldn't be listening.

[7:04] Keilly McQuail: This is just a sample for Tim to show him that I should have my own show.

[7:07] Keilly McQuail: Hi, Tim.

[7:08] Keilly McQuail: This turned out pretty well considering you gave me no budget, right?

[7:13] Keilly McQuail: I'm not worried.

[7:14] Keilly McQuail: If Tim doesn't give me my own show, I'm gonna release the episode where his prized journalist is fooled into pursuing a flimsy story with no research or background work.

[7:25] Keilly McQuail: Still, I've thought about releasing it.

[7:29] Keilly McQuail: I could change the names, obscure the voices.

[7:32] Keilly McQuail: I even went on the Caldwell boards last week.

[7:34] Keilly McQuail: I thought about getting in touch with Laura.

[7:36] Keilly McQuail: She might want her story told.

[7:39] Keilly McQuail: Maybe I could tell it in a way that didn't betray where she was.

[7:51] Keilly McQuail: She knows people's lives better, so she thought she'd just concentrate on her own.

[7:58] Keilly McQuail: Well, I always answer the phone.

[8:01] Keilly McQuail: That's why I answered, even though you came up like, you know, unknown and that's usually scammers.

[8:08] Keilly McQuail: She could call.

[8:09] Keilly McQuail: She's going to call, I think.

[8:12] Keilly McQuail: And I can tell her all the cool stuff I'm up to.

[8:17] Matthew Cohn: So, is that why you're calling?

[8:19] Matthew Cohn: You think you can help me find my mother?

[8:21] Keilly McQuail: I...

[8:23] Keilly McQuail: I was calling to learn more about her, actually.

[8:25] Keilly McQuail: I don't know if I can find her.

[8:27] Keilly McQuail: I'm not an investigative journalist.

[8:29] Keilly McQuail: But why?

[8:30] Matthew Cohn: She's just a person.

[8:32] Matthew Cohn: She was the most successful representative in the history of Caldwell Cosmetics, and she vanished.

[8:36] Matthew Cohn: Yeah, she vanished.

[8:38] Keilly McQuail: So, you must know someone who could help.

[8:43] Keilly McQuail: You must know someone who could help.

[8:45] Keilly McQuail: You must have, like, contacts, right? Special websites you can use to track people?

[8:51] Matthew Cohn: Where are you living, Trevor?

[8:53] Trevor: Well, I don't want to...

[8:54] Matthew Cohn: No, I don't want your address, anything like that.

[8:57] Matthew Cohn: I mean, who are you living with?

[9:01] Trevor: My aunt and uncle.

[9:04] Trevor: They're great. I mean, I like living with them.

[9:06] Trevor: They bottle my football gear and they come to the games.

[9:09] Matthew Cohn: And your sister?

[9:11] Trevor: I don't know.

[9:12] Trevor: Cassie texts me sometimes.

[9:14] Trevor: She's out there somewhere.

[9:16] Trevor: She never really liked me very much.

[9:18] Trevor: I don't want you to find her.

[9:20] Matthew Cohn: It sounds like you're doing okay.

[9:26] Trevor: I guess so.

[9:30] Trevor: That doesn't mean I don't want my mom.

[9:33] Matthew Cohn: I know.

[9:35] Matthew Cohn: It must be really hard.

[9:39] Trevor: This has been a total fucking waste of time.

[9:48] Keilly McQuail: I found a message posted last month on page 15 of the board.

[9:54] Keilly McQuail: Hospitality has worn out.

[9:57] Keilly McQuail: We're moving on.

[9:59] Keilly McQuail: Keep eyes on this space.

[10:02] Keilly McQuail: Maybe the powers that be in Split Valley have finally gotten their way.

[10:08] Keilly McQuail: Maybe Laura's mission is too big and she needs more space.

[10:14] Keilly McQuail: Maybe she got tired of the woods and is moving her game to Florida or Texas, somewhere warm.

[10:21] Keilly McQuail: Wherever she is, wherever she ends up.

[10:26] Keilly McQuail: Wherever she ends up.

[10:31] Keilly McQuail: I wish her well.

[10:56] Keilly McQuail: I wish her well.

[11:26] Keilly McQuail: I wish her well.