Hello, Premeditated podcast listeners.
Have you ever heard of Joe Kelsey?
That was the name given to a European immigrant
after World War II.
Joe spoke no English, had no family and no friends,
but in 1950, he landed a job in a Poughkeepsie factory,
where a watchman was killed in a robbery.
Joe confessed to the murder.
He was executed in the electric chair,
leaving behind zero trace of his existence
except for one box of evidence.
I tracked that box through federal,
state and local warehouses,
till it ended up in government storage
near Horseshoe Bay, Maine,
where as fate would have it,
a listener of this Premeditated pod
with municipal connections has promised
to deliver me that box.
In exchange, I'll be telling this young woman
everything I've ever unearthed about the Frozen Hearts Killer,
who... as I have frequently predicted...
recently resurfaced.
It's all going down live at DetectiveCon
in Portland, Maine.
Featuring yours truly, Laci McAllister.
So mash that button or just come and find me.
- Synced and corrected by Firefly - - www.addic7ed.com -
I am so glad we're going on this road trip.
You're fired up for DetectiveCon?
Personally,
I am not looking forward to a bunch of
cosplaying Sherlock Holmeses pointing
their magnifying glasses at me.
But if we want to catch the Frozen Hearts Killer,
this is a trade we have to make.
Didn't I recently see you giving a press conference?
I mean, what's the point of all this PR
if you can't bask in the adulation of your people?
The only people that I have are from Horseshoe Bay.
Not to, you know, dampen
your shocking enthusiasm you have for DetectiveCon.
Nah. DetectiveCon can bite the entirety of my butt.
I'm just stoked to go anywhere where I don't have
to think about having Odette's spirit trapped
in my subconscious,
or anywhere where Nick isn't stressing me out.
- Everything okay? - No, everything's fine.
Just sometimes the best way to support someone you love
is to give them the space to do their thing,
with their endless last-minute
youth center-opening to-do lists.
Woo-hoo, DetectiveCon.
? Hey! ?
? Ooh-ooh, hey, ooh-ooh-ooh. ?
What do you think Laci McAllister thinks
she's gonna find in here?
Joe Kelsey's crime and execution is a closed case.
Not our problem.
It's just our ticket to getting her to tell us
the Frozen Hearts Killer's identity confidentially,
without podcasting about it,
which could send the killer into hiding.
If she has all this information,
why hasn't she gone to the police?
She tried.
Turns out, when you keep claiming to solve
another unsolvable crime without actually solving it,
law enforcement stops trusting you.
I don't think the podcast lady wants you poking through that.
It's just that the tape is...
the tape is alr... is already loose.
They ditched us.
We-We've been ditched.
They did not ditch us.
Your fiancée yelled, "Winter of George",
and then jumped into the backseat
with her feet out the window.
Yeah, 'cause George and I both realized
I was stressing her out, and it'd be better
if I just took this down the homestretch without her.
And Nancy probably assumed you had your own stuff going on.
Yeah, well, that's not accurate.
Are you sure you haven't seen my youth center list?
It was on a, uh, a yellow legal pad
and had things on it like, uh, delivery details
and contact info for my new STEM hire.
It did not have "waste morning
- looking for the list" on it. - Okay. Easy.
You know what, I'm starting to understand George's motivation.
I'm supposed to open tomorrow, Bess.
I can't mess this up.
There are kids who need me not to mess this up.
Why didn't I take a picture of it on my phone?
Or you could've just written it on your phone.
Um, have you check yesterday's jeans?
That's it. Yesterday's jeans.
Look at us.
Oh, no, wait, wait, wait.
Do-do you want me to come with you to the youth center?
Oh, thanks, but no. I'm-I'm in the zone,
and I got my new staff member coming over to help me.
And so I'll just leave you to your, um, uh...
uh, yourself.
Yeah, I've got my own things to do, so...
The lid is really on there.
Yeah, 70 years' worth of people
with the good sense not to mess with it.
You know, it's not too late to leave it
the heck alone.
Ooh, ah.
And you don't. You never do.
Look at those boots.
These are all of Joe Kelsey's possessions.
Okay, that is moderately cool.
Can I see that watch?
"Vos-tok".
- Vostok? - Huh?
Soviet.
My zadie has one his father gave him.
No way.
I think it's still ticking.
Built 'em different back then.
Is that dried blood?
Yeah, I think it's the murder weapon.
Let's see.
It's a police report.
Uh, and the original coroner's notes.
"Blunt force trauma to the right side of the skull.
Angle of impact indicates a downward attack from the rear".
Huh. Seems like somebody
who worked at the same factory as Joe Kelsey
tried to clear him.
But by then,
the police already had his full confession.
You guys smell something?
Electrical spark?
- The heat is off. - What does this do?
No.
Florence's panel looks all right. What, is it outside?
Uh, no.
Ooh.
That's weird.
Florence, your slip is showing.
Ooh, we're losing power now.
Hold on, I'm gonna take the next exit.
Hold on.
Um, something's burning, you guys.
Something wrong with the wiring?
- Oh! - Oh, my God!
Come on, Florence.
What the hell was that?
I told you not to open that box.
Okay, what just happened tells us
that the items in the box are haunted.
By the ghost of a cold-blooded murderer
who was executed by the electric chair.
Or maybe he burned to death?
Electrocution can result in burns like that.
I saw it happen to Josh Dodd.
I'm sure it was a horrible way to die,
but why does the ghost want to take it out on Florence?
I've only got like half a bar.
We're gonna have to go up there.
Inside the nightmare factory?
How come you never take a vote?
Sorry, girl. We'll be right back.
No!
We're locked in.
Locked in? Are you kidding me?
Joe Kelsey's things went everywhere.
We should put the stuff back in the box.
There's more stuff up here.
How far did these things go?
Where did that coaster come from?
Well, if it isn't "glampy".
If it isn't my most tedious coffee date ever.
You stalk much?
I told you I wasn't interested.
And you're trailing mud on my rugs.
I did not come in here looking for you.
I'm looking for historical documentation
about former Passamaquoddy land in Horseshoe Bay,
specifically for this address.
Well, as a matter of fact,
you are looking for me.
In the absence of the woman who's normally in charge here,
I have recently began an internship
as a historical intern.
Great.
Suppose you absolutely need the electric kettle
to brew a cup of tea.
You know, thermal shock from overly hot water
can burn sensitive tea leaves.
I'm not one for reading tea leaves,
but maybe try being less sensitive.
If you want to check this out, I'm gonna need your name.
Abby, was it?
Addy. Soctomah.
Have this back to you by end of day.
And if I'm not here, then I guess
I'll just see you never.
Mm. That would be too soon.
Oh.
Hi, George.
You missed me, right?
You're stuck in a what?
Okay.
Bess is working up a plan of action for the haunted box,
and then she's gonna come pick us up.
Found Joe Kelsey's watch.
I am guessing that his ghost did not want us
to look at the evidence in the box.
Us? I assume this is the royal we
from the soon-to-be queen of DetectiveCon.
But why?
He confessed to the murder.
He was executed for it.
What did his confession say?
Oh, thank you.
"I, Joe Kelsey,
being of sound mind and informed of my rights,
do hereby waive my right to a trial.
I confess that on the night of July 17, 1950
in Poughkeepsie, New York,
while attempting to take a cash box
from the offices..."
No. I really don't like that sound.
"I struck the night watchman a blow with my hammer".
So, of course, you follow it.
No one cares about George. Whatever.
Here.
Wait, hold on.
That's his hammer.
Whoa.
- Oh, watch out! - He's not aiming at us.
Where are we?
Joe Kelsey's ghost is
restaging the crime?
What is he saying?
Nachtmensch.
- Nightman. - Is that German?
I think it's Yiddish.
Look out!
- Oh, my God! - Nancy.
Help me!
- Come on. - I got you.
Dude, I didn't know you spoke Yiddish.
I don't.
My grandparents did.
I only remember a couple words here and there.
Something about that reenactment didn't make sense.
Just one thing?
Joe Kelsey was left-handed.
Or his ghost was at least.
He swung with his left hand.
And?
And...
the coroner's report indicates
that the killer swung with his right hand.
A downward blow from behind
to the right side of the skull would be consistent
with a right-handed attack.
Maybe it was left-handed
and just kept hitting the same spot?
It wouldn't match the blood spatter on the wall.
So, what the ghost showed us
matches his confession,
- but it's not what actually happened? - Right.
The evidence can't lie.
But a-a ghost can.
Maybe he wants us to believe
that he was the murderer.
Uh, we already think that.
Right, the world did.
Based on, what, a confession
that could have easily been falsified and written
by cops who spoke fluent English, unlike Joe.
So, they executed an innocent man.
Yeah.
But that's not why he's upset.
He's upset about the lie being exposed
by people looking too deep into the evidence.
That's why he's trying to keep it all locked up here.
I mean, but why would a ghost work so hard
to convince us that he's guilty if he's not?
I don't know. That's the question.
Hey.
The matchbook from Joe's personal effects.
Imagine living your whole life,
and this is all you leave on the planet
to show you were ever here.
Ooh, I sure hope that's Bess
with something useful.
All right, what you got?
So, I found an account in Hannah's files
about a curio shop that was selling estate sale heirlooms
by a ghost who still wanted to possess them.
So the shopkeeper burned them all and the spirit moved on.
Sweet. Bess says burn it all.
You're on speaker.
Um, that-that's gonna cause big problems,
because I promised the evidence to Laci.
But the ghost doesn't want the evidence examined.
I mean, does Laci even know what's in the box?
Okay. That is a good point.
It's a mystery box.
So if she opens it, anything that looks 1950s-like,
it should still feel legit.
Exactly.
And there's plenty of vintage decorations
at the Historical Society that could fit the bill.
I mean, it's misleading and not very honest.
Eh...
But in the debate between what Laci wants
versus what the ghost wants,
I think we should prioritize the lives we can save
by catching the Frozen Hearts Killer
- as quickly as possible. - Agreed.
All right, bring the fake evidence, Bess.
Where would we be without you?
Mm, broken down, trapped in a factory
and haunted, I imagine.
Ciao.
Ted.
Uh, is Nick about?
He's trying to fix the Wi-Fi.
Okay.
Okay, Ted, give it another shot.
Hey.
Wi-Fi.
Okay, good.
Now you can get your homework done, huh?
Jesse says you haven't been turning in assignments?
That's not like you. What's going on?
Nothing. I'm fine.
Found my list.
Almost done. What's up?
It's not as bad as it sounds.
Oh, that's a comforting preamble.
Okay, but Nancy, uh, George and Ace are trapped
in an abandoned factory
by a ghost who only speaks Yiddish.
Okay. So, what do they need?
Antiques, which I can give them.
And a ride that you can give me.
- Okay. Okay. - Yeah.
Uh, Jesse's putting together bookshelves,
so let me see if my new STEM counselor
can-can watch things here.
- She's a godsend. - Okay.
Uh, Addy?
No.
I talked to my contact at the state recorder's office.
These documents should get us the plaque.
Oh, uh, oh, this place was built on unceded lands
that belong to the Passamaquoddy.
So, we're gonna get a plaque out front to commemorate.
So, she works here?
Yeah.
- Huh. - Yeah, you two, uh...
you know each other?
Hmm. Oh, you know, we should go.
Our friends really need us, so...
Yeah. Addy, can you hold it down here for a few hours?
Oh, yeah. Sure thing.
Guess we'll be seeing more of each other after all.
Hmm.
Come on, Nick. Let's go.
Joe Kelsey,
we have heard you.
Your secret is safe with us.
We will not tell your story. No one will ever know.
This we promise.
Okay. Are we sure that we found everything?
Yeah.
There's nothing left of him.
Thank you, Joe.
Feels normal.
All right.
We back in business.
Okay.
I will text Nick and Bess to tell them to meet us
at the convention site.
What was the name again?
Nancy Drew.
Feel like you would've been bigger here.
I guess my legend's purely coastal.
Great costume.
Hey.
- Oh, here. - Yeah.
- Hi. I am so sorry to pull you away. - Hey.
I know you have so much on your plate right now.
I got it all under control. My new hire's on it.
The kids are plugged in.
I got time to have some fun.
- Really? - Yeah.
Aw, 'cause I didn't need to be away from you.
Let's have fun.
At DetectiveCon.
Hmm.
Ah, it was under "Drew Nancy".
Here are your passes for the floor, your lanyards,
and your clue sheet.
This year's incognito nemesis is
diabolical social worker.
If you solve the mystery and track down your nemesis,
you win a gift card to Bread Herring Fish & Chips.
- Cute. - Cool.
Hey, um, so...
as requested. Did you burn everything?
Yes.
Good plan, Bess. It worked.
Hey, but you kept the box
and-and this gross old tape?
Joe Kelsey's ghost opened the door and let us out.
So maybe he didn't care about the wrapping?
Yeah, but you didn't burn everything.
We need to get rid of this tape, too.
We need to make this box look like Nancy never messed with it.
It just has to be good enough to fool Laci
so she gives me her Frozen Hearts Killer info.
Very nice.
DetectiveCon, here we come.
You all right?
Beg your pardon?
My head is burning.
What is happening with you right now?
They said Laci should be in the mainstage area.
Okay, let's try not to get... separated.
What?
What the hell is that?
Hey, why does that look exactly
like your Claw uniform?
You totally nailed her.
I nailed who?
You know what would round it out is a nametag.
Oh, my...
- What... Are you... - Oh,
so George of you to pretend you don't know.
We're the Fan Fans.
Fans of George Fan. We also sell
officially licensed crowbars.
Huh.
"Purchase your own George Fan
official merchandise".
You know, a tribute to the anonymously-penned,
epic legend of George Fan the ghost detective.
She gruesomely died, then returned from the dead
to solve supernatural mysteries
with her plucky sidekick, Nancy Drew.
Oh. Plucky.
Okay, how-how did all of this happen?
Wait.
You really aren't a fan?
No, girl. I am the Fan!
Who-who is writing about me?
Where can I find these stories?
Uh, well, online.
I am really glad I made this trip.
Have some of this.
Feels like an electrical storm in my brain.
Well, the Con can be very overwhelming.
Plus, you owe me four dollars for that water.
Hey.
Nearly got a smile out of you.
Nick says that I was imagining things,
but when you didn't invite me to this adventure,
I thought that you were leaving me behind on purpose.
I guess I was feeling a little bit mothered by you.
So, I was right.
Wait. Mothered?
Ace, you needed it.
Letting Mr. Bobbsey worm his way into your life.
I kicked him out of my car.
That doesn't mean it's over.
People like that don't take no for an answer, trust me.
Okay. Okay, let's just deal with one problem at a time.
You have to sit down. Now.
I think I made a connection with Joe Kelsey's ghost.
Maybe because I kept something
from his evidence box.
That is exactly what I told you not to do.
- I know. - Okay, whatever it is,
we need to burn it right now.
He's showing me something else.
What? Are you...
Wha...
Okay, your face is on fire
like someone has just sat you in an electric chair,
and you're randomly speaking in Yiddish.
We need to neutralize this curse right now.
- Come on. - No.
I have to see what his ghost is trying to tell me.
But why?
Joe had numbers on his arm.
Just like my grandfather.
I have to know
why someone who survived the Holocaust
would decide to give up
his own life in America. But...
Ace, come back here, now.
Laci?
Hi, I'm-I'm Nancy Drew.
Oh, my God, um, hi.
You're real.
I think so.
Is that it... the Joe Kelsey evidence?
- I can't believe it. - Uh,
I know how much you care about the Joe Kelsey case.
And I know how much you care
about catching the Frozen Hearts Killer.
Right. So, what do you know about him?
Well, I did a show real early in my podcast
where I proposed that FHK stopped killing three years ago
because he used argon as a freezing agent
and accidentally froze off two of his fingers.
I did a deep dive. I listened to that episode.
Yeah, but you can't listen to my voice mails.
A listener called in. Which was remarkable,
because although I get about 100,000 downloads per pod now,
I had no idea I had any listeners back then.
And he said he liked the part when I said
that FHK had a lot of pride.
And that he targeted victims who he felt slighted him.
You did listen.
The caller thanked me for, quote...
"Getting it right".
- Well, he was claiming to be the killer. - Exactly.
I profiled the caller, I sifted through metadata,
and I tracked his digital footprint
to the alias Richard Trott.
The eight-fingered man. I got that far, too.
Did you get his real name?
Rodric T. Hartt.
- That's Hartt with... - Two Ts?
It's an anagram. Classic.
He still occasionally leaves me positive reviews.
He gave me this great write-up
after I spoke at DetectiveCon '18 in Bangor.
Are you planning to say all of this on your show?
Are you planning on letting go of this box?
Thank you.
No. Thank you.
Whoa, okay, can you please not...
No, don't-don't take a selfie or post that.
No, I'm-I'm not signing autographs.
I'm so sorry, I...
Can someone please tell me who the online anonymous author is?
But you're so good at solving mysteries.
You should tell us.
- No. - Hey, I just purchased some of their merch
and their payment app is linked with one of my contacts.
Uh-oh.
What's uh-oh?
Oh, look, it's-it's George's plucky sidekick.
George's what?
Fan Fans?
I'll get back to that.
Listen, Laci gave me Trott's real name and a decent profile.
Sounds like he really loves hearing himself talked about.
Like a lot of serial killers,
he follows his own investigation and he...
He's been to DetectiveCon before.
I just saw a lightbulb go on over her head.
Hey, can you go over there and check in
under the name Rodric T. Hartt?
Yeah. Got it.
So, you're famous here.
Trust me, I did not mean to steal your thunder.
I am definitely not psyched
about someone telling my story,
and also I hate not knowing who started this legend.
Rodric T. Hartt has already checked in.
The Frozen Hearts Killer is here.
Hey, gumshoes!
In ten minutes, we'll be broadcasting live
with Laci McAllister's Premeditated podcast
on the mainstage.
Do you need a seat?
This isn't my first Con.
I brought these chairs from home.
Thank you, ma'am.
This is helpful.
That's my granddaughter up there.
Oh.
Oh, your trash, Nancy Drew.
Is that Y-O-U-R or apostrophe R-E?
Both. This isn't the real box.
Y-You thought I would buy it?
This is DetectiveCon, bitch,
and I needed the evidence in the box.
What, did you steal it and keep it for yourself?
- No. I had to burn it. - What?
If you're trying to solve the Kelsey case
- before I can... - No, I'm not.
I just... I got distracted by it
because I thought it might have something to do
with the Frozen Hearts Killer.
But listen... he's here.
Rodric T. Hartt is in the crowd somewhere.
He checked in under his real name,
and I'm gonna lure him out.
That's the sound of me blinking.
We both want to catch this guy.
And I need your help.
Please.
Okay, so, what are we looking for?
Uh, suspicious reactions from the crowd during Laci's podcast.
Someone who's really interested, agitated,
you know, murder-y.
Ace?
He's fine.
It's just some haunting residue from unwise decisions.
Hey, are you... are you good
to help us look for the Frozen Hearts Killer?
Yes.
Yes. I can do that.
No, no, no, whoa.
- Sit in the chair. - Okay.
I'm gonna look here.
I'll cover this.
- You look over there. - Great.
Over there.
Here, honey. How are you feeling?
Better. Better now.
Here we go, DetectiveCon.
Laci McAllister coming to you live.
Let me hear it.
Please welcome my guest:
Horseshoe Bay's very own little homegrown detective,
Nancy Drew.
So, tell me
about the profile that you created for the Frozen Hearts Killer.
Well, FHK
loves to hear himself talked about.
He believes he's destined to become a legend.
But it's kind of sad, really,
because he's a pathetic joke.
You know why this guy stopped killing?
He froze his own fingers off.
Well, you can't reach legend status
- if every kill costs you a digit. - Exactly.
And your audience knows what's really terrifying
about a serial killer.
The hunt.
But there's no care invested
in how he picks his targets,
when he picks his targets.
He-he is impulsive. Stupid, really.
Easily offended and impatient.
His is never gonna be a name remembered by history.
- Hey! - In fact,
we should be focusing on
remembering the unfortunate victims,
not immortalizing some loser.
You got me.
Here's your gift card to Bread Herring Fish & Chips.
You're the incognito nemesis
- from the DetectiveCon game. - Yeah.
The diabolical social worker.
Are you kidding me?
... who's blocked.
But this guy's method...
freezing the hearts of his victims?
Let's take a moment
to remember the most recent victims.
Matthew Burke.
Dustin Yates.
And that brings us to a couple of messages
from my sponsors.
Back in five.
I am gonna go get my notes from the car.
And then after the commercial break,
I can go over the crime scene details.
Maybe that'll catch the killer's attention.
Okay.
What you said about me wasn't true.
Hello, Rodric.
Huh.
And you said you'd never say my name.
Also, you were wrong to call me sloppy.
It's just...
It's-it's not easy.
But I'm...
I'm getting closer.
I'm-I'm getting it right.
You want to be studied.
You want to be known.
You don't really get it.
Maybe someone else will, though.
When they find your heart frozen.
- Richard Trott. - Rodric Hartt.
We know who you are.
Put your hands up.
What happened to Matthew Burke's heart?
Why did you take it?
What don't I get?
I'm a part of something much bigger.
You'll never understand.
Are you okay?
Yeah, just like we planned.
Hey, you finish your homework?
- What else would I be doing? - Oh, I don't know...
just checking your Fan Fan sales on a payment app?
Are you mad?
Ted, how'd you even find out
about all that stuff that happened?
Odette told me. I thought it was cool.
So you were...
proud of me?
I guess.
Well, then...
I guess I'm a Fan Fan, too.
Sign me up.
It's ten dollars to join.
Excuse you?
I was gonna share the money.
Well, okay.
That's a lot of money. Okay, you know what,
I'm gonna try to encourage your entrepreneurial spirit.
But no slacking off in school over this
or taking my old hoodies and selling them without asking.
And you're still grounded.
Do you want me
to limit her Wi-Fi access here?
Mm, no.
She'll just find a workaround, 'cause that's who she is.
And that's fine.
I mean, that's why you're making this space, right?
So that people can connect over who they really are.
That's one thing you can check off your to-do list.
You know, you're the only person
that I've been on a date with
who was disappointed I didn't want to just get coffee.
Conversation isn't a deterrent for someone with depth.
You know what I did today
other than make a perfect cup of tea?
- Hmm. - I helped my friends deal
with paranormal mishaps. I solved a case.
I caught a serial killer
and I wrangled a haunted spirit.
My life is swirling
with weirdness that occasionally
I like to go for a spot of word-free physicality.
Okay?
? Maybe I'm addicted to the fight... ?
I totally would have banged you,
if I'd known you were interesting.
? So darkness turns to daylight ?
Can't believe she caught an actual serial killer.
Well, it wasn't my plan. It was, uh...
Uh, look, everyone, sorry.
I need to get my Grandma home.
What is this?
Bluebird Motor Hotel?
How did you get this matchbook?
I kept one last item from Joe Kelsey's evidence box.
H-How do you know about Joe?
Uh, Grandma,
I, um, tried to get the box
of his personal effects.
I'm sorry.
I didn't just want the box for a podcast.
It was for her.
You knew him?
We worked together.
Somebody who worked in
the same factory as Joe Kelsey
tried to clear him, but by then,
the police already had his full confession.
You knew he was innocent.
Those were Joe's words.
Do you know what they mean?
"I'll never leave you, sweetheart".
I couldn't understand most of what Joe said,
but that's what he'd whisper to me
when it was time for us to leave each other.
Bluebird Motor Hotel was where we'd meet.
We'd arrive separately so no one would see us together.
It's where he was the night of the murder.
With me.
This was 1950,
almost 20 years before Loving v. Virginia
went to the Supreme Court.
If the people in my Grandma's neighborhood found out
that a white man and a Black woman were in a relationship,
it would've been her who paid the price.
But you didn't care.
You still tried to alibi him.
I knew he was innocent.
I suspected it was
the other night watchman
who stole the money box
and murdered his colleague,
pinned the crime on Joe.
That same watchman robbed another spot
a few years later and got caught.
Either way, you couldn't help Joe.
He confessed to a crime he didn't commit
rather than see anything happen to you.
He died thinking of you.
Protecting the secret you two had.
It's why his ghost wasn't able to move on.
I used to go to his grave late at night,
in a black mourning veil, so no one would recognize me.
Just wish I could let him know,
so his soul can rest.
Grandma.
I'm okay.
His sacrifice
let me live my full life.
He knows now.
You can feel good.
You gave those people some peace,
and you caught a serial killer.
Yeah.
It's just that he s...
said something to me.
I'm a part of something much bigger.
You'll never understand.
Do you ever feel like a mystery isn't quite solved?
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