Going Under

When five people go underwater in an eccentric billionaire’s private submarine, only four come back alive. With an ambitious Ph.D student found stabbed to death, can you solve who killed Ruth Tanner and why?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hello, hello, my suddenly the only person on the subline.
Anybody are you serious? Awesome power again? Pray there must

(00:34):
be oh h um, hello, uh, this is Ruth Tanner
in the conning tower. Is anybody in the engine room?
We're on emergency power here and I there we go?

(00:55):
H oh, hello is someone there? Oh? Hey, what's going on?
The lights cut out? And wait what are you doing?
Is that a knife? Wait? Stop, you get off me.

(01:33):
Welcome to Solve, the interactive mystery podcast where you don't
just hear about crimes, you solve them. Each episode will
present you with a different case inspired by a true crime.
You'll interrogate suspects, piece together evidence, and investigate the crime scene.
You're the detective. This is your case. Can you solve
it self? Presents going under I already told you what

(02:02):
I know, and that's nothing. I mean, I don't know
what happened to her, but yes, of course I knew Ruth.
We were both getting her PhDs in biology, both specializing
in biotech, both fighting for top spot in the class
ever since we started the program. It drove her crazy,
but for me it was just you know, friendly competition. Okay, everyone,

(02:27):
that's time pencils down. If you don't know the answer,
you'll never get it. Let's place your quizzes in the
basket on the way out. Have a good weekend, Meg Ruth, Yeah,
can I grab you two for a second? Thank you God.
I hope it isn't so he's curving music end. Seriously, Meg,
when have you ever gotten below the curve? It's not
about that. It's about some snotty undergrad writing my coattails.

(02:49):
Doesn't that bother you. I'm just focused on graduating and
an undergrad's not going to stop me from getting a
good placement. Did I hear placement? Because that's exactly what
I wanted to speak to you guys about now. I
know you're both focusing on bioprospecting for your thesis. Yeah,
both of us. And I mentioned this to EI Diagnostics

(03:10):
and they were ecstatic. Well, you know, as excited as
those guys get. That's exactly where they're focusing their cancer
research right now, and they wanted us to place someone
with that expertise. And I mentioned both of your names. Wow, thanks,
professor Strand, that's great. Yeah, it's great. Did you say

(03:30):
someone as a Yes, they only have room for one
placement this year, So knock them dead with your THESS
and best of luck to both of you. M hm.
Meg didn't even have any interest in bioprospecting until I
started researching it. You know, it must suck just being
so devoid of original ideas like that. But what I

(03:54):
said to you was I miss you. Oh yeah, you too.
So you're both gonna be fighting it up for this
placement then, yeah, except I think I found my secret weapon.
You know, Philip Wallace. It's a billionaire. Yeah, here, he's
built his own submarine. No, but that sounds like the

(04:17):
kind of toy those guys are into. Well, apparently it's
not just a toy. He wants to use it for
deep sea exploration, to advance medical research, final prospecting, and
knowing you, you've already called up his Company's spoken to
two assistants and his personal secretary. Billionaire Phil agreed to
meet with me next week. If I can talk him
into bring me on his team, I could get firsthand

(04:38):
experience on a dive. How would that look at my thesis?
That's cool, Ruth, really, but can we just not talk
about school for the rest of the night. We never
get to see each other. I just want to have
some fun. Okay, Yeah, that's fine. Good Hey girl, ka
Ca Hi Jake, are you hanging out? No? I just

(05:01):
popped in to say hey to a friend. I've got
to get to work. You want to walk me out? Yeah? Sure,
I'll be back in a minute. God, what is Jake
doing here? I thought you were breaking up with him?
I am, I just I don't know. I'm I'm procrastinating
that band aid off. But you are clogging your pores
with his bad vibes. Like when it's done, you can

(05:23):
actually concentrate on your thesis. I know. I've just had
it like a really stressful enough week as it is,
and I'm finding out Meg and I are up for
the same placements, keeping my anxiety like a steady eleven.
Did you hear anything from that Wallace guy? Uh? Yeah,
Actually he wants to meet me this weekend. But what's what?
I don't know, second thoughts. Everything I read about this

(05:44):
guy makes him sound like a cliche hedge fund asshole.
So you bite your tongue while he puffs his chest
out and you get to do all sorts of cool
science ship on his supervillain submarine. Okay, biting my tongue.
I can do. I'm just worried about what else he'd
be expecting from me. He's married, but there are stories. Okay,
this is an easy one. Meet him, introduce him to me.
I'll funk the horny billionaire playboy, and we'll all live

(06:05):
happily ever after in his underwater layer. Okay, I gotta run.
Good luck with all the men in your life. My god,
all right, thanks karaciaey Hey, oh hey, I don't mind me.

(06:25):
I was just playing pool by myself. Come on, it's
just Kara. It's not just Carra. I've been so crazy
focused on school lately. Well, getting my thesis published just
kind of a big fucking deal. Jake. Yeah, first, it's
the thesis. Now it's this billionaire guy. Well, my thesis
and Philip Wallace are currently connected in my career is Look,

(06:48):
I've just got to say this. Jacobus not interrupting anything,
am I. No, Meg, we were just leaving. Come on,
I thought we could shoot some pool, have some beers, Jake.
I Uh, Ruth wants to go, so oh well, if
Ruth wants to go, yes, Ruth wants to go. Buy Meg.

(07:13):
This has been the worst two days in my life.
I just I want to know what's going on Ruth.
She's not just my girlfriend, she's family, she's my everything.
I don't know she was acting weird earlier, and I
mean it's it's it's just been a really strange day
for Ruth. Yep, thanks for the ride. Yeah, everything all right?

(07:37):
Huh Listen, Jake, I've been meaning to talk to you
about something. Yeah. I haven't needed to talk to you
about something too. Just hold on a sack. Okay, hello, Tanner,
Yes it is Ruth Philip. Oh, hi, Mr Wall Philip.

(08:00):
Please if Phil would be even better? Right, Phil, thank
you so much for calling. As I'm sure your secretary
explained to you, I'm really interested tonight. Tonight, I'm going
on during amount an hour. You want to see who
all this works? Ryan rich Dick playing submarine captain. Yeah, absolutely, good, good,

(08:23):
good way. Don't you meet me down at the port.
I'll pick you up. What did he say? Um? Driver? Sorry?
Can we add to stop? Please? So where is this guy? Jake?
You seriously don't have to be here. I'm not letting
you get into a submarine alone with this guy. Wait? Wait,

(08:45):
are you saying that you'd rather not be here. No,
it's just didn't we say that we had to have
a talk. Yeah, yeah, we did, so let's add it. Ruth.
I've been thinking it over and I think it's time.
I want you to move in with me. Ruth, that's

(09:07):
what you wanted to talk about? Yeah? Why what were
you thinking? That we've been drifting apart for a long
time and we should go our different lady? What you
wanted to talk about? Jay? Ruth? Ah? Hi there? Uh Phil,
This is Jake, my boyfriend. Wow, nice to meet you both. Um,

(09:32):
Come on a board. Plenty of room for everyone. She's
Diesel Electric. The design is a mix of classic battle
sub and modern comfort. So we've got our conning tower
up here that's a classic and our luxury cabins down

(09:53):
there that's for comfort. Ooh, it looks like you've got
a mess hole down there. Classic and comfort. Our a
chef is absolutely incredible. You know, Jake, why don't you
hop in grab something to eat while Ruth and I
talk shop. Sarah Gay will make you anything you want.
I guess I'll meet up with you guys later. Great

(10:14):
write up this ladder. You know, after the war, they
started moving control rooms into the center of the ship.
So you don't really see Conning towers like this anymore. Wow. Yeah,
it's pretty cramped up here. Yeah, that's why I like it.
I could be at the top of my sub calling
the shots from here all by myself if I want

(10:37):
to be. So you're you're writing a thesis must be
bored out of your mind. Well, I like what I study.
So someone is young and pretty as yourself, You should
be out living, traveling, experiencing things. I stuck with your
nose in a book. Shall we continue the tour? Absolutely? Uh?

(11:03):
Right this way and this is my heaven. Wow, this
looks more like a city condo. I have a seat
on the couch. You you want something to drink? Uh?
Maybe just a water? You know, I don't really drink
that much myself, A bit of a lightweight really, So
what have we got? Sparkling or regular? Regular? Is fine? Thanks? There.

(11:30):
So you're kind of going into the opposite direction of
the billionaire space race. Literally, you know what, Let those
guys fight for what's up there. I want what's down here.
There's a whole world teeming with life and discoveries waiting
to be had, like, for example, the cure for cancer. Yes, exactly.
So you've heard that the study of deep sea sponges
has shown some promise. Yeah, I have. That's what I want.

(11:53):
This sub forward for research, not just drinking Margarita's under
the sea. I could use someone like you on my team.
It would probably help you boring as thesis. How deep
can we go on this? Unfortunately we're limited thet but
I've got a two man explorer. We could go down
as deep as you want. How about it? Now? What

(12:16):
are you busy? What's that? Yeah, we've been having some
glitches in the engine room lately. It's nothing serious. The
power cuts as a precaution. Someone will get it back
up and running in a minute. I've got emergency landing
till then. It's a good mood lighting, isn't it. Um,

(12:38):
Maybe we should just go find Jake. I'm sure he's fine. Yeah,
but it's um, it's really dark and I should probably
go find him. Why don't we talk some more later? Sure,
no problem, after you. I've never heard of miss Tanner
until she started calling my office NonStop. She was very

(13:00):
adamant about meeting. Of course, I was skeptical. Honestly, I
was surprised by her interest in the subject, but I'm
always looking for smart people to work with. It kills
me that something like this would happen on my sub
but honestly, I couldn't venture I guess about what actually happened,
other than to say she was having issues with that

(13:20):
boyfriend of hers. Hey, I was kitchen is like the
size of my apartment. Do you have a good time
with Captain money Bags? Jake? Come on? Can you not
be weird about this? Oh, I'm being I heard there's
a bowling alley in here somewhere. Maybe I'll go check

(13:41):
it out. Finally they got the light bag on. Oh
you must be rude, Hi sugar? Uh yes, sorry, she's
always acting strange when we get below a thousand feet

(14:04):
I want to sorry, I'm an Phillip's wife. Oh hi,
uh wow it is It is so nice to meet you. Well,
can I fix you a drink? Oh? I have a
special margarite to recipe and the staff you're never get
it right? No, thank you, I'm all right. Thanks suit yourself.

(14:30):
You know you're not the first young thing he's invited
down here, and you won't be the last. Phillip's got
his nasty little habit. Oh no, no, no I am.
I'm just a student that's studying. Yeah, well we've been
married only three years now, I'm wife number three, you know.
But I know him. He tinkers away it whatever fascinates him.

(14:52):
This year's the submarine, Next year, god knows what. But
he always comes back to me and comes baarn the
best to give. Yeah that um that that bracelet is
really something? Are those charms? Gold? Are you serious? The
fourteen carrots? Honey? Look there's the even one from my

(15:15):
little Sugar. I wouldn't touch her. Sorry, um okay, well
is uh is Phil around? We were just talking before?
Oh yeah, this place is so big it's easy for
people to get austin. But don't worry. I'm sure he
will find you. You know. I think Jake and I

(15:38):
need to get going, so maybe i'll go look for
Phil and yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course you go
look for feel that. They say animals have a sixth sense,
you know. Take my little Sugar for instance. She can
sniff out bullshit from a mile away. I wonder the

(15:58):
girl ran off. She's seen the look on her face
when she realized how was his wife? I know what
she was up to, Believe me, Bandy looking for you.
Could you not call her that? Please? She wants to
go home. I hope there's not trouble in Paradise surface
just as as soon as I can fix this. I

(16:20):
can't believe you're doing this again. I talked to her, Philip.
She is a child. She is a grown adult trying
to write a paper. I was that what this sobby
is just some underwater midlife crisis to lor young girls.
Damn it. And I don't have time for your ship.
I don't want another way, your little horse hanging around. Okay,
you pushed me for the last time. Do you hear me?

(16:40):
Everybody fucking hears you? Anne? Why so? I mean I
barely talked to the girl. She was whatever kind of bland,
impossibly young. I could be her mother. Treat me like
it too. I mean, she was like writ at and
all self involved. You know, phil probably brought her over

(17:02):
just to wind me up. Is he saying? You know,
he's always bringing some young any to upset me, to
see how far he could push me? Oh? Is it
hot in here? I need I need to break. Look.
All of my interactions with miss Tanner were strictly platonic. Hell,

(17:24):
she barely wanted to talk to me after my wife
scared her off. I brought this up to the surface.
We said our goodbyes, and she was the one who
decided to come back down the next day. That's it, Hey, babe,
I've been looking all over for you. I called you
like a hundred times yesterday. Hey care Yeah, sorry, no

(17:45):
signal underwater? Underwater you shush? Cretan. Wait, sweet, you went
on that guy sub yep with his wife and Jake
whooff is right. Made even more awkward by the fact
that phil really quickly invited me to go to the
bottom of the ocean with him on a mini sub.

(18:06):
My creeper sense is tangling online too. Anyway, I guess
that's a dead end. Now Jake is on his way
to meet me, so I have that conversation to look
forward to. Yikes, good luck with all that. I've got
to run. But call me if you need me. Okay, Yeah? Thanks? Care?
Is that him? Is that hello? Ruth? Hi? Philip? What's

(18:34):
going on? Look? I just wanted to say, I hope
my wife didn't offend you. It has nothing to do
with you, you know what I mean? Really, it's fine.
And then I hope I didn't put you off by
suggesting we go down and the explore together. No, I
appreciate you offering. I just thought it help with your paper.
But I'm actually taking a fellow student of yours down

(18:55):
on the sub tonight. Oh yeah, some one name Meg.
Enterprising young lady I managed to get hold of my
private email, told me all about the papers she's writing.
Crazy quintion. That's right, that is a crazy coincidence. Anyway, rude, here,
you're welcome to come to if you're if you're not

(19:16):
doing anything. Um, you know you can't about. You didn't
have to come. I just had that breakup conversation hanging
over my head while you're underwater with poor Man zelon Musk.
All right, everybody just watch a step. I wasn't expecting

(19:37):
it to be so big. Ruth, Ruth, what are you
doing here? Well, Phil invited me. Well, you're both writing
the same kind of little paper there, right, this will
be great. Come on, everybody aboard you conniving. Oh you'll
want to talk, okay, Yeah, I overheard her talking about

(19:58):
Phil at the bar. It's not like I copied her
paper looked over her shoulder during an exam. I was
just genuinely interested in amateur naval vessels. He's Diesel Electric.
The designs and mix of classic battle sub and modern
comfort great another one. You know what, Mega, I'll take

(20:22):
you up to the tower. I'm gonna go ahead and
start our dive. Hey, Jake, sorry about all this. Yeah, whatever,
come on, don't be like that. I didn't mean for
it to come out the way that it did. Yesterday.
You broke up with me out of the blue. It
wasn't out of the blue. We've been growing apart. There's

(20:44):
a bullshit for a while now. The only reason that
we've been growing apart is because you spend all your
time working on your stupid thesis. Oh my career is stupid. Now,
you know what, there's a gym in here. I'm I'm
gonna go and see if have a punging bag because
I feel like hitting something right now. Yeah, I was heartbroken.

(21:09):
I thought she was committed to me, to us. Of
course it made me upset. But what what was I
ever violent? No? Why would you even think that I didn't.
I'd never heard anyone, and that stupid campus citation does
not count. I got drunk in a frat party and
I pushed over a by cop on my way home.
But I would never ever hurt Ruth. Now did I

(21:33):
need to put an art gallery in a submarine? I
don't know, but I figured this way, I have it
if I need it. Ruth, Hey, everything okay with you?
And uh every great great? Hey make I was telling Ruth,
I have this explore mini sub You can really go
deep in it. You want to go for a dive? Oh? Um, well,

(21:58):
Ruth would come to right. All right, it's a two
person supped tight squeeze as it is. Well, you know,
I think I want to check out some of these
paintings for a bit. Oh sure, I'll leave you too
to it. I thought you would have gone. What are
you implying that I'd sleep with some rich asshole just

(22:19):
to get that placement? Oh? I didn't say. That's so
typical of you. Ruth was a little miss perfect. She
was always judging me. Ruth was smarter than me, okay,
and I don't want her for that. But what I
couldn't stand was that she never missed an opportunity to

(22:39):
remind me, Oh, welcome home, darling. Drinking again? What else
am I supposed to do? Down here? Shall I make
you one. I'll pass. Thank you, come on doctor's orders day.

(23:00):
You brought a backup, lousy in case the other one
breaks down. They're only interested in the science and trust me.
Oh of course, dear, I'm only tasting here a pay sovereign.
Thank you. You know I love you, right mm hmm,

(23:24):
I love you too, sweetie to us cheers, look, I
already told you and made me a margarita. She makes
them strong. I don't drink that often, so I ended
up falling asleep. When I woke up, everyone was screaming
and Ruth was dead. Hello, hello, my suddenly the only

(24:00):
person on the sublane. Anybody are you serious? Awesome? Power again?
There must be oh h um, hello, uh, this is

(24:29):
Ruth Tanner in the conning tower. Is anybody in the
engine room? We're on emergency power here and I there
we go, Oh hello, is uh someone there? Oh? Hey,
what's going on? The lights? Cut out? And wait? What

(24:55):
are you doing? Is that a knife? Wait? Stop, get
off me. You've reached the end of the investigation. It's

(25:22):
time to decide who you think Ruth's killer is. Here
are your suspects, her jilted boyfriend Jake. We've been growing
apart bullshit for a while now there The reason that
we've been growing apart is because you spend all your
time working on your stupid thesis. Her rival classmate Meg,
Ruth was smarter than me, okay, and I don't fault

(25:42):
her for that, But what it couldn't stand was that
she never missed an opportunity to remind me the billionaire Philip.
Damn it, I don't have time for your ship. Everybody
fucking hears you, or Philip's jealous wife an Hey, tankers away.
It would ever fascinate see you. This year's the submarine,
Next year, god knows what, but he always comes back

(26:04):
to me. We'll be back with the answer after a
word from our sponsor. Now it's time to find out
who killed Ruth. Ruth's killer was Philip's wife Anne. She
was fed up with Philip constantly flirting with younger girls.
He's always bringing some young antenny to upset me, to

(26:25):
see how far he could push me, and she became
convinced he was cheating on her with Ruth. I can't
believe you're doing this again. I talked to her, Philip.
She is a child, knowing that Philip is a self
proclaimed lightweight, she made him an extra strong Margarita shall
make you one O thank you come on doctor's orders.

(26:50):
So he brought a backup Lousy in case the other
one breaks down. With Philip out of the way, and
tracked Ruth down and killed her. Oh hello, If someone
there and there would have been no way to tell
that Anne was behind Ruth's murder if not for a
gift from Philip that that bracelet is really something? Are

(27:11):
those charms? Gold? Are you serious? Their fourteen carets? Honey?
The telltale jangle of Anne's charm bracelet could be heard
during the struggle, revealing her as Ruth's killer. This episode
was inspired by a true crime that took place in
late two thousand seventeen, when a right journalist was tasked

(27:34):
with interviewing an entrepreneur that had access to his own submarine.
The entrepreneur invited the young woman onto his submarine, where
she was ultimately killed on board and her remains left
out to see. Ruth was played by Ava de Luca, Verly,
Jake by David Hack, Kara by Katie McClellan, Philip by

(27:57):
Joe San Filippo, Anne by Cat Bayleiss, Professor stand by
Patrick Kavanaugh, meg by Natalia del Reego. His episode was
written and directed by Jennifer Helen Coates. Executive produced by
Walt Palmer and Corey Serge. Produced, recorded and mixed by

(28:19):
Salt Audio. Recorded at Bang Zoom Studios, Edited by Zach
Jurich for Salt Audio. Sound designed by Zach Pino for
Salt Audio. Original music and score by Noah Gersh and
Jamie Scheffman at Salt Audio. Casting by Romy Stepman, Casting
Assistant Daisy Laura. Production coordinated by Liz Lamy. Next time

(28:48):
on Solve, a bank robbery comes to a bloody end.
We're now receiving confirmation that among the two dead at
the attempted Crown Trust bank heist is Eddie Doyle, lead
of the Doyle Gang of bank robbers who have been
terrorizing citizens across the Northeast. Frank, Yeah, I can't believe it,

(29:11):
But did someone tip off the cops? Tell me how
the bank manager gets the coach to the fucking vault road. Listen,
The alarms didn't make a difference. The cops were already there. Okay, okay,
somebody called the coups and it had to be someone
in this room Tune in next week to find out