the Investigation of Ambrose Briddle | Old Saybrook Blockhead #2 - Ballyraven Cryptid Wildlife Protection Agency

Episode Transcript
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Ballyraven (00:00):
8.53 am January 11, 1993.
Old Saybrook, connecticut USA.

Detective Holding (00:11):
This is Detective Holding from the
Saybrook Police Department.
Today's date is Monday,54 am.
This will be a tapedconversation.
With the last name of BrittleB-R-I-D-D-L-E.

(00:32):
First of Ambrose A-M-B-R-O-S-E.
Middle of Gregory G-R-E-G-O-R-Y.
Gregory G-R-E-G-O-R-Y.
Date of birth 09-21-38.

(00:53):
Did I?
Did I say that right, brittle?

Ambrose Briddle (00:56):
Yes,

ambrose, I just wanna Hmm,

you can just call Greg

Hm.

You can just call me Greg,
okay, um, as I was saying, whatI've done is I've turned on a
tape recorder so I can taperecord our conversation, because
you know, I'm not the best notetaker in the world.
What's this about?
We'll get to that.
Uh, now, earlier, I advised youof your rights.

(01:27):
Is that not correct?
Yeah, that's correct.

Okay, can you speak up just a little bit?
It's a little hard to hear.
And have you ever lived in OldSaybrook?

No, no, I don't think so.
Are you sure?
Maybe when you were?
Yeah
, maybe when I was very young, I don't remember
.
We moved around a lot,

okay, so, maybe.
And now you live in NorthBrantford,

mm-hmm,

and about how long have you lived there?
I

don't know, over thirty years.

Have you ever worked in Old Saybrook?

No,

do you know anyone in Old Saybrook, or did
youor?
Did you know someone?

I don't know, I'm sure Probably what's this
about.
I don't have long.
You said this wouldn't takevery long.

I just have a few questions for you.

Okay,

have you ever had a job in New Haven?
Yeah

, a few.

Can you give me a list?

I spent a little time at a grocery store
and a TV repair shop,
dynamic TV service and Jim'scorner store, correct,
that sounds right.
It's been a long time.
Who can say for sure?

You also spent some time working for the
New England TransportationCompany, correct?

Yeah, I think I did spend one summer working
for
name or when, or exactly howlong.
I don't remember a whole lot about that
one, just the summer, I think.

(03:36):
Not sure A long time ago.
I can barely remember that farback.

How old were you?
Do you remember that?
Hmm

, pretty young.

How about the age of 17?
Does that seem correct?

I mean, it's possible.
I don't remember much from thattime.
I think it was later than that,maybe 20s.
I actually have thisconfirmation receipt with a
signature.
Does this look like yoursignature?

(04:31):
Hmm, could be, hmm, surprised that piece of
paper has survived so long.
Mm-hmm.
August 12th 1956.
The New England TransportationCompany Hired by Dumont
Television Network.

(04:52):
6.15 pm.
Confirmation of shipment pickupAmbrose B.
Okay,

what was a normal day on this job like?

Well, we would have a list of addresses and
then we'd pick up whateverneeded moving and take it
someplace else.

Did this usually happen at night?
Sometimes?
Did you usually work with thesame people?

We went to a lot of places,

so you don't remember any frequent clients.

I mean, not really.
There was this one furniturestore, sam, sam somethings.

When you did these jobs, did you work with
the same coworker?

I don't, I don't remember.

You don't remember if you drove with you
know the same drivers, or youdon't remember if you worked
with the same people every shiftor If you had like a partner?

No, not really, I don't remember.
Do you remember any coworkers?
No, it was too long ago.

Not even a name or two.
Maybe your boss?

No, I have a bad memory.

What about the television studio?
Do you remember going there?

No,

you don't remember that place at all.

No,
it sounded like it was sort ofan unusual thing that happened.
I don't remember anything about it.

There were over 700 unspecified boxes.
That's a lot for two guys.
I'm sure there were someexciting things being moved
around.
I feel like that's prettyunusual, pretty memorable.

I'm sorry, I just don't remember.

Maybe you saw whomever you were working with,
take something they weren'tsupposed to Is you were working
with, take something theyweren't supposed to

Is.
Is that what this is about?
You think I saw someone thatlong ago.
You think I saw someone stealsomething.

Maybe you took something, maybe you both
took some things together.
I imagine there were some veryvaluable items.

I never stole anything,

so you do recall that day a little.

No, I've never stolen a thing in my life.
That's ridiculous.

So you don't remember anything about the day
you went to the televisionstudio then?

No, no, no, no.
There were drives all the time,several times a week.
They all blended together and,like I keep saying, my memories
not the best.

I am sorry, mr brittle, I mean no offense.
I'm sure you understand, thoughI believe you, I really do.

I just like I can't do I just I don't know
what you want from me.
I don't, I don't know anything.
There's so many memories that Idon't.
I forget things all the time.
Yes, I understand, I have ahard time remembering what I had

(08:52):
for dinner yesterday.
Nevertheless, 30, 40 years ago,yeah, however, I believe you
remember this day,
what?
No, I already.
I already told you,

like I said, I find that hard to believe.
Do you recognize this man?

I don't know.
No, no, I don't think so.

You don't recognize him.

No,

you know.
That's not true.

I don't know him.

Look at him again.
Look, look at him again.
His name is Paul Lawrence andyou knew him.

No, I've never seen this man.
I can make things verydifficult for you, mr Brittle,
now I know you're a good guy andI don't want to make things
difficult for you.
Lying during an investigationis a crime.

(10:07):
Do you want to go to prison atyour age?
This is crazy.
I don't know anything about
he was on that job with youthat night, wasn't he?
I don't think so.
I don't remember him.
I don't even remember beingthere.

Says so, right here, you were there.
You both were there,

where I don't.
I don't understand why you'reasking me questions when it
seems like you already have yourown answers.
I don't have time for this.

Sit down, mr Brittle.
You can't leave.
I'm

not going to put up with it,

sit down, sit down.

I'm not going to put up with it,

sit down, sit down.
Now.
I know who you are, where youwere and who you were with, and
I have a pretty good idea ofwhat happened.

I haven't done anything.

No, you had a chance.
You had a chance to talk.
You had a chance to talk a longtime ago too, didn't you?

I,
no, don't answer.
Like I said, I know you're agood guy, so I'm gonna wipe the
slate clean and give you anotherchance to explain yourself,
explain what happened.
This was only a few hours afteryour shift

(11:43):
Officer.
I
I'll give you a few minutes totake a long look To remember Mr
Lawrence and what happened tohim
.

What, maybe you know, someone else did to
him.
What maybe you did to him.
What maybe you did to him.

No, no, I didn't.
I did not

Take some time to think about it.

No, can I?
Can I?
It's okay, stay here, I'll letyou compose yourself and I'll be
right back.
Can I get you anything?
Can I get some water?
You want some water?
Okay, I'll bring you some water.
But listen, this is veryserious, very serious.

(12:31):
When I come back, if you tellme any more lies, no more
chances.
If I were you, I'd tell thetruth.
If you help me, I can help youDo the right thing.

(12:56):
I can't do this again.
I can't.
I can't.

Ballyraven (13:26):
Detective Holding was working on a cold case from
1956.
Pouring over what files andphotos were left, he discovered
an error.
Ambrose Brittle was neverinterviewed, at least no
evidence of one remained.
Brittle was an obvious suspect.
First, he was with the victimthe night he died.
Second, he was a co-worker.

(13:48):
And third, he immediately quithis job the day after.
It seemed blatantly obvious.
An impatient, fidgety old man.
The out-of-the-blue inquiry.
When is Holding expected?
Not well, unhelpful andunwilling to answer anything,

(14:10):
holding was certain that Brittleknew more.
He knew something.
He didn't think the man was akiller.
But there could be a raresurprise.
He just, he just didn't seemlike a killer.
Faced with the evidence, heexpected the man to break, but

(14:35):
not in the way he did.
Coming back with water and morecrime scene photos, ambrose's
mood had changed.
The man's eyes bulged and hesobbed.
He cried.
Is this another test?
Just tell me.
Over and over, he yelled Iswear I wouldn't.

(14:57):
I swear I wouldn't.
Over and over.
Eighty-two minutes into theinterview there was a knock at
the door.
Two men in dark suits stood onthe other side, along with the
police chief.
They ushered Holding out of theroom.
Brittle stretched, looking intothe hallway after him.
He then hyperventilated andbegan to incoherently screech.

(15:24):
A week later, an explosion inthe sky rattled the city.
Neither seen nor heard, it wasonly felt as a pulsation of air,
a minor local earthquake.
The odd atmospheric event spittiny glassy red cubes
periodically from above.
Holding's father insistedsomething similar had happened
once before.

(15:44):
It was some sort of crystallinemeteorite.
Pieces of it fell.
For years People would skywatchhoping to catch a sliver of the
glassy rock, or at leastanxiously hope to avoid getting
hit by them.

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