“I knew something bigger was happening.”
Detective Gray Cooper investigates the case of her missing therapist, and in the process, uncovers dark truths from her past.
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00;00;05;01 - 00;00;33;16
Gray Cooper
I'm Gray Cooper, private detective. According to the Department of Homeland Security, my business doesn't exist. But according to the blockchain, a government address pays my bills. The following are the recordings of my case log for insurance purposes. You understand? See, I deal in the strange. The place where monsters and conspiracies dance. The kind of strange you're not quite sure is real or unreal.
00;00;34;12 - 00;01;20;16
Gray Cooper
Officially, the following case did not happen. I told you nothing. Welcome to The Strange Chronicles case log. 942 November 14 Year 2053 Salem, Massachusetts. Missing Person Dr. D.C. My therapist. My old therapist was called Belvedere, but that relationship was becoming unhealthy. It's my fault. I started seeing Dr. D, say, a couple of weeks ago because things that don't usually bother me started to my mind, started playing tricks on me.
00;01;21;11 - 00;01;42;09
Gray Cooper
It started with all of this business with Joe Nebraska. I would say partner, but it's been pretty one sided lately. For the past year, he slowly became absent from the detective business. Absent from my life. Dr. D.C. thinks I need to have a talk with him, but pinning him down for a talk is like pinning a diaper on a whizzing baby.
00;01;42;17 - 00;01;50;06
Gray Cooper
Finally, after being MIA for weeks, Joe and I made arrangements to meet up for a drink.
00;01;52;10 - 00;02;12;10
Gray Cooper
We met at the local dove, called the uncanny. I sat at our usual spot at the back of the bar. He was late. Well, I thought he was. It turned out he was sitting at a booth by the door. Never had I seen Joe sit in a booth and never had I seen him wear a bright red blazer as I joined him.
00;02;12;18 - 00;02;35;14
Gray Cooper
I remembered how Dr. DC said I should be direct and honest. Tell him I concerns and deal with his reaction head on. When I sat down I noticed right away he was different. I can't say exactly how, but his face looked more relaxed. It felt like he was leering at me. I was uncomfortable from the start. What's with you, Joe?
00;02;35;15 - 00;02;57;04
Gray Cooper
I asked. He said. What? With me? Gray, baby. Gray baby. He's got to be kidding around with me. Joe is smoking a cigar. Joe, you can't smoke in here. Tobacco is illegal. That's all right. Got to run anyways, he said. I ogle the red jacket he's wearing in lieu of the old gray leather one he wore every single day of his life.
00;02;57;19 - 00;03;19;13
Gray Cooper
New style. I asked. He said his old one was so old he should have left it in the last century. This is exactly the problem. Good folks. Why was he behaving like this? Especially when I hadn't seen him in so long. He was so different. I thought he was dealing with family issues. But maybe it kicked off some sort of midlife crisis.
00;03;20;00 - 00;03;37;23
Gray Cooper
I tried to breach the topic of our relationship and his strange behavior, but before I could, he leaned across the table and I cannot tell you how unwelcome it was. But Joe planted a kiss straight on my mouth. I pushed him away and he was already halfway out the door before he yelled over his shoulder. See, it hurts.
00;03;38;16 - 00;04;05;17
Gray Cooper
I was completely taken aback. What happened to Joe? My cool, clever, calm left hand man. I didn't know. My disgust of New Joe in the new jacket went deep. When he looked back, it wasn't Joe at all. He had Zeke's face. I saw that he left a matchbook with a horseshoe and three stars on it. I snatched it up and got out of there.
00;04;08;02 - 00;04;24;13
Gray Cooper
When I went outside, all I saw of Joe was his tail lights faded in the distance. What was the point of that meeting? I didn't get to discuss anything I had planned to with him. It was almost like Joe was just checking that I still existed.
00;04;28;01 - 00;04;52;13
Gray Cooper
I called Dr. DC, but she didn't answer, which was odd because she told me to call her after our meet up. Even if it was late, I checked my coffee device. It was barely 7:30 p.m.. Maybe she forgot. Let's go. Cooper, I tell myself you're a GD supernatural detective. Sussing out mysteries just like this is your bread and maple butter.
00;04;52;27 - 00;05;12;15
Gray Cooper
You aren't going to let anyone or anything get the jump on you. I reached into my pocket and gave a hard stare at the matchbook. He'd left and felt the fog lift a horseshoe in three stars. I knew this place, the gunslinger. They sold leather shoes and boots. The next town over.
00;05;15;11 - 00;05;37;14
Gray Cooper
I talked to the manager at the Gunslinger. He remembered red jacket, Joe. All right. He recalled his encounter with him using mostly four letter words and had no problem giving me all his personal information from a purchase he made from some new custom boots. The shipping address he provided was not Joe's. The thoughts of Zeke's face on Joe's body kept rattling around in my brain.
00;05;38;01 - 00;06;03;20
Gray Cooper
It was no romantic comedy. It was looking more and more like a bloody horror flick. I suppose you might be wondering by now who this Zeke Lazlo fellow is. I haven't wanted to talk about it, much less put my thoughts on record. But Dr. Dessaix says I should stop holding things back so much. Zeke was an under Lord of the under Lord.
00;06;04;06 - 00;06;24;25
Gray Cooper
Okay, I know it sounds bonkers like the ravings of a fundamentalist conspirator, but it's true. He imprisoned my father for years, and Joe and I had to destroy him with the help of some ancient magic and some badass witches. He's still with me. In the end, Zeke was vanquished, gone, like, stepped off the curb into a manhole to hell.
00;06;24;25 - 00;06;55;24
Gray Cooper
Gone. He shouldn't be able to show up at the uncanny pretending to be Joe. But I swear I saw him with my own baby greens. Dr. D.K. doesn't buy it. She thinks I'm projecting or something, reliving a traumatic experience and reframing it as a fantastical story, as some sort of coping mechanism. Because as far as the world knows, my father is a classified P.O.W. held by redacted government assassins because that story holds up better than the truth.
00;06;56;14 - 00;07;19;08
Gray Cooper
Kind of. Dr. DC said there is light and dark. And when I'm falling too far, one way not to forget the other. Right. So when I'm dipping deeply into the dark, remember the light. And if everything is moonbeams and sunshine to remind myself to enjoy it. Since the alternative is, you know, not make sense. She is wise, doctor.
00;07;19;11 - 00;07;43;24
Gray Cooper
You say. Anyway, she said, I'm not crazy for seeing features of Zeke and Jo. Jo and I experienced that horror together. And his odd behavior might be his way of dealing with the stress from it. She wanted me to tell him about this and how I feel and tell him about my unresolved feelings about Zeke. I brought up the business card I'd found in the alien book a few cases back.
00;07;44;03 - 00;08;05;08
Gray Cooper
Mr. Fasulo his card. She said it's an unusual name, but it's likely a totally different person. She offered to be with me while I tried the number. I left the card at home but said I'd bring it in next time. She thought I should consider some time off and asked if I'd taken a vacation lately. I told her vacation was for the birds.
00;08;05;25 - 00;08;33;00
Gray Cooper
Maybe she's right. My line of work was finally getting to me. I needed to make sure Joe was okay before any time off. He might have changed, but he was still my egg to crack. I drove to Dr. Dick's office, looking forward to filling her in on the fact that she was wrong. And I definitely hadn't lost my druthers.
00;08;33;11 - 00;08;56;27
Gray Cooper
I knew something bigger was happening when I arrived at Dr. CES for my session. Her office was closed and a sign hung that said Gone yoga ing. Firstly, is yoga in a word. Second, Dr. DC never canceled a session without calling me first. A shiver shook me. Either minor doses were worse than I thought, or Dr. DC was in trouble.
00;08;57;07 - 00;09;18;27
Gray Cooper
I called her and left a message. I had to decide whether to go look into Dr. Dick's yoga retreat or go directly to the address the clerk at the gunslinger had given me. Figure whatever peril Joe might be in, he was equipped to handle it long enough to check on the good doctor. She's out of her element. So I hopped in hero and made a beeline for the nearest yoga retreat.
00;09;19;06 - 00;09;49;17
Gray Cooper
Winding Pines. I pulled into the dirt parking area at Winding Pines and headed to the main office cabin. There was no one at the desk, of course. Wandered outside and followed a dirt path. There was a yoga class happening on a wooden platform. I scanned for Dr. TSA, but didn't see her. A man with a bun approached me and asked if I needed help.
00;09;49;21 - 00;10;05;05
Gray Cooper
I told him I was looking for Dr. DC. He said he didn't remember anyone of that name, but I could wait for the class to conclude and ask around. I thanked him and left for the cabins at the opposite side. Each cabin had a small square window on the door. I took a peek into the first one. Empty.
00;10;05;13 - 00;10;24;00
Gray Cooper
It's a little suspect that I'm snooping into random cabins, but a life was at stake at the second one. I see. Dr. say she's in a robe, sweating. I think she's in distress. I try the door, but it's locked. I bang on the door. She looks surprised and comes to unlock it. I ask if she's okay and tell her I've come to help.
00;10;24;08 - 00;10;41;21
Gray Cooper
The strong smell of cedar escapes the cabin. As she tells me she doesn't need help. She's concerned for me. She said she tried to call me but couldn't get through, so she left a note. I tell her they didn't have record of her stay, but she told me they only go by first names there. Alana. She checked in as Alana.
00;10;41;26 - 00;11;04;06
Gray Cooper
I tell her I was concerned at her abrupt departure, and she explained that she forgot about the trip and that she really needed the break but couldn't reschedule it. I apologized when I realized I was wrong. She wasn't in danger at all. My embarrassment had me quickly turning to leave. On the drive to the address from the gunslinger, I started to doubt myself.
00;11;04;16 - 00;11;20;02
Gray Cooper
What if this whole Zeke thing was in my head? What if Joe has his own thing going on? Am I cracking up? Just then, my coffee device lit up. It was Joe. I braced myself, tapped the screen on my dash and took the call.
00;11;20;14 - 00;11;31;08
Joe Nebraska
Hey, Gray, it's me. I'm really sorry. I've been having some memory problems, and I'm just. I'm just missing old days, large chunks of time where I don't know where I was or what I was doing.
00;11;31;25 - 00;11;40;27
Gray Cooper
I had just arrived at the address. It was another store. I squinted at the store window and could see coats and jackets. Joe, what are you wearing right now?
00;11;41;01 - 00;11;41;24
Joe Nebraska
What do you mean?
00;11;41;27 - 00;11;43;21
Gray Cooper
What color is your jacket?
00;11;43;29 - 00;11;57;02
Joe Nebraska
Gray. You know my jacket. Same one I always wear. Funny you should ask, though. My neighbor Margot found it in the dumpster. She was taking out her trash so she couldn't imagine that I'd throw it away. What made you ask about it.
00;11;57;12 - 00;12;00;29
Gray Cooper
Joe? You've got to listen to me. I think Zeke is back.
00;12;01;05 - 00;12;02;17
Zeke
I know you do.
00;12;02;24 - 00;12;11;00
Gray Cooper
Wait, Joe. I don't know how to say this, but I think he's back, and I think he's. You.
00;12;11;22 - 00;12;13;24
Zeke
Haha.
00;12;14;10 - 00;12;19;10
Gray Cooper
I'm going to help you, Joe. Don't let Zeke win.
00;12;19;12 - 00;12;21;09
Zeke
Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
00;12;21;21 - 00;12;40;00
Zeke
Joe doesn't live here anymore. Gracie, stop.
00;12;44;24 - 00;13;16;19
Gray Cooper
This has been an episode of the Strange Chronicles of Fiction podcast. You can follow us on Instagram at the Strange Chronicles podcast or email us at info at the Strange Chronicles. Tor.com. This has been a kings of content production. Thank you for listening.