August 6, 2024 • 44 mins
Episode Description:
Past obsessions collide with present horrors in this unforgettable chapter of Leo Brawn, the hit gothic horror audio drama from Shoestring TV.
It’s 1986 in Los Angeles. Fresh from the red carpet premiere of the newest Brock Gatling action blockbuster, Willie Topaz and his loyal manager Maury Stillman are riding high—until the shadow of a deranged stalker resurfaces. Her whereabouts? Still unknown. But from this glitzy memory of Tinseltown emerges a disturbing truth that ties Willie’s past to the dark forces of Dante.
Back in present-day Hell, the Dante Daily breaks horrifying news: a killer is loose, and a massacred body has been discovered in the Stygian Marsh.
As the fallout from Chort’s mysterious death deepens, Willie’s investigation into the 11th Circle leads him to a haunting gravestone in Philadelphia—and a devastating revelation that could change everything.
Meanwhile, with Sebastien still missing, Leo Brawn and Jillian Burkett are following cryptic leads that may finally reveal the truth about their handler’s disappearance.
From vintage Hollywood obsession to underworld horror, this episode is packed with noir intrigue, demonic mystery, and chilling revelations.
#LeoBrawn #HorrorPodcast #AudioDrama #SupernaturalMystery #GothicNoir #DemonHunter #WillieTopaz #BrockGatling #1980sHollywood #ParanormalThriller #FantasyPodcast #HellSaga #Chort #SebastienMissing #DanteDaily #11thCircle #StygianMarsh #ShoestringTV
Starring:
- Stitch Mainville/Leo Brawn & Young Officer Leo Brawn
- Andy Parkin/ Narrator 2 & Ronan Delaney
- Jim Fronk/ Maury Stillman & Elderly Administrator
- Tabitha Mixon/ Jillian Burkett
- Mitch Leschinski/ Detective Stanley Black
- Terry Briscoe/ Willie Topaz
- Emily Fry/ Laurie Stryker & Barb Coxlin
- Melrose Johnson/ Captain F.J. Mangutt
- Robert Lloyd/Chip Steed & Howard
- Jason Beard/ Tony Gerter
- Samantha deSuze/ Tatiana Marigold
- Grace Newton/ Flight Attendant
- Michael Cunningham/ Detective Norman “Laddie” Wallace & Voice (Man in the ugly orange tie)
Join the creator and cast on the official Leo Brawn Facebook fan page. Click the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562152012508
Have a comment or question. Select the Send us a Text Message link at the bottom of the show notes to contact the creator of Leo Brawn!
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As always, thanks for listening!!
*Headphones recommended.
Created, written, directed and produced by Jason Beard
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
UNKNOWN (00:01):
Houston TV.
SPEAKER_07 (00:42):
Right there, Maury.
You're not the one that has toreschedule all the flights.
SPEAKER_05 (00:47):
Maury, look at these people.
You're asking me to deprive themof me.
It's 1986 in Los Angeles.
Willie Topaz and his manager,Maury Stillman, are leaving the
movie premiere of Willie'slatest film, Rock Gatling.
Badass.
They are surrounded by adoringfans as the two men attempt to
(01:08):
leave the Regency VillageTheater.
Willie...
is signing an autograph on theheaving bosom
SPEAKER_04 (01:15):
of
SPEAKER_05 (01:18):
a female
SPEAKER_06 (01:24):
fan.
SPEAKER_05 (01:35):
Now in the limousine, Maury reviews
Willie's eventful itinerary.
SPEAKER_07 (01:39):
Okay, now we have a 9.30 with Edith, the costume
designer, and then
SPEAKER_05 (01:43):
makeup and wardrobe for an autograph signing.
Maury, have we heard where sheis?
Willie, let's just focus on thegoods.
I need to know.
Last word from the LAPD on herwhereabouts.
Four months ago, they questioneda woman matching her
description.
Was it her?
down to the
SPEAKER_07 (01:59):
Raggedy Ann-style red hair, overalls, and
bifocals.
She was seen leaving the cacaocoffee shop in West L.A., where
she was stopped by authorities,but then released after
questioning.
Since then, she's
SPEAKER_06 (02:12):
fallen off the face of the earth, like a fart in the
wind.
That doesn't instill muchconfidence.
And you know there's a reasonfor my hesitation.
SPEAKER_05 (02:20):
Now on Delta Flight 665, in first class, Willie is
taking a late flight toPhiladelphia, where he will be
on location shooting the nextfilm in the Archie Magnet
franchise.
Maury brings up the subject ofthe stalker again.
Look, Willie, a star of yourcaliber is going to pick up a
few unwanted stranglers alongthe way.
(02:41):
We need to- Maury, she sent me aburnt doll's head.
SPEAKER_03 (02:45):
I know, I know.
SPEAKER_05 (02:48):
She wrote, only mine.
inside the doll's head.
The woman is disturbed.
I mean, she's slightly touched,no doubt.
It was written in her own blood.
What you don't know is, I'vebeen receiving pieces of the
doll month after month sincereceiving the head.
Willy,
SPEAKER_03 (03:08):
why the hell wouldn't you share that with me?
SPEAKER_05 (03:11):
Or at the very
SPEAKER_06 (03:12):
least, the
SPEAKER_05 (03:12):
police?
It had finally stopped, and Ihad thought, Maybe.
The actor and his manager areinterrupted by a flight
attendant.
She's holding two glasses ofchampagne.
SPEAKER_00 (03:23):
Excuse me, Mr.
Topaz.
You have a fan in seat four.
She wanted you and your managerto have these.
SPEAKER_05 (03:28):
Willie and Maury turn slowly towards the back of
the first-class cabin, wherethey notice the woman holding a
glass of champagne.
She nods and gives a pleasantsmile.
She is smartly dressed, sexy,black hair, striking green eyes
peeking above the oversizedmauve sunglasses with
pink-tinted lenses.
(03:49):
She exudes confidence, hershapely figure barely obscured
by her navy blue businessattire.
Willie raises the glass in herdirection and then turns forward
again.
He places the glass on a smallfold-out table in front of him.
SPEAKER_06 (04:03):
Did we drink it?
I mean, that woman doesn't lookanything like Baba.
SPEAKER_05 (04:07):
Don't.
Please.
Don't say her name.
Willie stares at the glass ofchampagne with trepidation.
Bubbles rise to the surface in aflurry as the ice-cold glass
begins to sweat.
Eh, fuck it.
Willie brings the glass to hislips and drinks every last drop.
Maury follows suit.
(04:27):
Willie turns towards theattractive woman again, raising
the glass as if to say, thankyou.
She displays a wide smile.
Maury checks in at the frontdesk of the Bellevue Hotel in
Philadelphia.
Willie is still spooked from theflight, even though, as it
(04:48):
turned out, the lady offeringchampagne seemed to be a true
fan after all, and not somederanged stalker.
He notices beyond the grandentrance of the hotel, a crowd
has already formed for anautograph signing scheduled for
tomorrow afternoon.
Some fans hold Brock Gatlingposters or copies of Willie
Topaz's headshot.
One slim young man stands apartfrom the group, smoking a
(05:11):
cigarette and staring into thehotel at Willie.
Willie! Willie! Yes,
SPEAKER_07 (05:18):
uh, sorry.
Here's your key.
You want to grab something atthe bar before we turn in?
Nah, I'm ready to call it anight.
SPEAKER_05 (05:30):
Willie is in the shower, washing off the dread
and paranoia.
He luxuriates in the steaminghot water, ignoring the phone
that begins to ring in his room.
With Willie unaware, thebathroom door behind him,
already ajar, opens wider for abrief moment and then slowly
returns to its originalposition.
(05:56):
Willie shuts off the water andsteps out to dry off.
The phone rings again.
Willie wraps a towel around hiswaist and walks towards the
phone, but he begins to feellightheaded.
The room starts to spin and hecollapses.
Willie wakes in a panic.
He is soaked in sweat.
(06:17):
His vision is still blurry, butslowly improving.
Through his dimmed vision, henotices a slender figure walking
around the room.
His breathing increases, hispulse quickens, his eyes dart
towards the phone, which hasbeen pulled from the wall.
Filled with an ever-growingfear, Willy attempts to escape
but finds he's tied to the bed.
An extra precaution consideringhe appears to be almost
(06:38):
completely paralyzed.
The blurry figure moves closer,crawling onto the bed and then
straddling Willy.
Now in a clear view, it'srevealed to be the woman from
the flight.
She removes her eyeglasses and ablack expensive wig revealing
bright red sweaty hair.
I
SPEAKER_03 (06:59):
was relieved you drank the champagne.
Otherwise I was going to have toinject you.
SPEAKER_08 (07:05):
Who
SPEAKER_01 (07:05):
are you?
SPEAKER_08 (07:06):
Silly boy.
It's me, Barb.
It can't be!
SPEAKER_01 (07:14):
I'm glad you've noticed the new me.
You like lover?
Jazzercise, seven days a weekfor months.
It's amazing what you canaccomplish if you're committed.
SPEAKER_05 (07:28):
You should be committed.
SPEAKER_01 (07:32):
No, no.
Don't be cruel, lover.
And don't try to scream.
Your manager is having an extralong sleep tonight.
Gotta love what 100 milligramsof temazepam can do.
SPEAKER_05 (07:47):
She picks up a box cutter that had been laying on
the bed and pushes the bladeupwards.
She leans closer to Willy'sface.
He's gasping for air while stillunable to move as he reluctantly
inhales her sour breath.
Her emerald green eyes nowreplaced with her natural
colored eyes, a dark, muddybrown.
In the shadows, her eyes appearblack as night.
(08:10):
Please, no.
Don't do this.
Oh, lover.
SPEAKER_06 (08:20):
Tonight is the night.
Tonight, you will go down inhistory.
The great Willy Topaz
SPEAKER_03 (08:31):
will be forever only mine.
No!
SPEAKER_04 (08:54):
In
SPEAKER_05 (09:00):
what seems to be just minutes for Willie, is
actually the following day whenhis body is discovered by his
manager, Maury Stillman.
Willie observes from above,hovering over his own body in
the hotel room as two homicidedetectives process the scene.
One kneels down and pickssomething up off the carpet.
(09:20):
Maury, his manager of 20 years,stands at the doorway Hunched
over in tears, covering hismouth with a handkerchief.
Unfortunately, Willie also takesnotice of his own corpse.
Eyes wide and frozen in fear,his throat and the mattress
underneath him covered in hisblood.
(09:41):
Hmm.
What do you have, Stan?
Vial of temezepam.
Almost empty.
Bag it.
Actually, uh, hold on.
Officer Braun, uh...
Can you join us?
Uniformed Officer Leo Braunturns towards the detectives and
leaves his post at the entranceof the hotel room.
(10:01):
Detective Wallace, you wanted tosee me?
Officer Braun, the suspect hasleft a half-empty vial of
temazepam at the scene, but nosyringe.
The coroner will have toconfirm, but doesn't appear the
body was injected.
Yes, sir?
You have an opinion?
(10:22):
The absence of a syringe wouldindicate the deceased was
poisoned prior to arriving atthe hotel?
Go on.
The front desk confirmed thedeceased and his manager arrived
at the hotel about an hour afterlanding at PHL.
The deceased's whereabouts afterlanding are completely accounted
for by his manager, Mr.
(10:43):
Stillman.
This would lead me to concludethat exposure to the temazepam
likely occurred on the planeduring the flight.
If that is true, can you explainthe delay in the adverse
reaction of the temazepam?
Well, most benzodiazepines,including temazepam, can have a
delayed effect when it's dilutedwith certain liquids.
(11:05):
Alcohol, for instance.
It's highly likely that the drugwasn't injected, but rather
ingested.
The kid's a prodigy.
Well done, Officer Braun.
You can return to your post.
Thank you.
Wait a minute, there's somethingunder the bed.
Oh, looks like we have an IDhere.
(11:26):
Is it the victims?
No, this appears to be thesuspects.
Guess they wanted to becomefamous.
Famous?
You need to get out more,laddie.
This is an actor, Willy Topaz.
You know, Rock Gatlin?
Uh, never heard of him.
What's the perp's name?
(11:48):
It's an Ohio State-issuedlicense.
One Barbara Erlin Coxlin.
SPEAKER_09 (12:01):
So good it kills.
SPEAKER_05 (12:19):
Back in present-day Dante, Willie returns from the
painful memory, unable toprocess the connections from the
past to the present.
Instead, he chooses to focus onthe task at hand.
He sits in a parked car in therear parking lot of the Obsidian
Recovery Agency.
He swapped out his personalvehicle, the cherry red 1966
(12:39):
Ford Mustang, for a lessdetectable grey 1978 Plymouth
Fury.
He's also traded in hissignature style of cowboy hat
and aviator sunglasses for blackbaseball cap and wayfarers.
He's wearing a dark brown suedejacket instead of the more
flashier tops he normally wears.
Willie sinks into the driver'sseat as an ORA prison guard
(13:02):
exits the building.
The guard is tall, lumbering,and rotund with a receding
hairline that results in aslicked back brown hat that is
long, greasy, and wavy in theback.
The guard seems to have a blankexpression.
His face is off-putting at aglance, as his mouth remains
half-gaped.
(13:25):
The guard enters a rustysky-blue 1995 Ford Bronco, turns
the ignition, and pulls out ofthe parking space.
Willie puts the Plymouth indrive and waits for the guard to
pass by.
As the Bronco pulls closer toWillie, he's surprised to
discover that the driver'sappearance has completely
changed.
He is no longer the blank-facedman that entered the vehicle,
(13:45):
but a wide-eyed, anxiety-riddenman with a multicolored mohawk,
his head full of cartooncharacter tattoos.
Willie retrieves a smallrecording device from the
passenger seat, turns it on, andpresses record to begin
documenting his investigation ashe tails the guard.
(14:07):
This is ORA agent Willie Topaz.
No case number available.
The investigation is off booksfor now.
I'm investigating the suspicioussuicide of a recent inmate with
connections to something calledthe 11th Circle.
There were three guards on dutythat night.
Two of which have solid alibis.
The remaining guard, one MaynardTully, his whereabouts around
(14:28):
the time of the suicide cannotbe substantiated.
Maynard claims to have beenaddressing a maintenance issue
in the briefing room, buttechnicians explain there were
no incident reports filed and totheir knowledge, everything was
operating smoothly that night.
Only minutes earlier today,during the surveillance, I
witnessed Maynard Tully leavethe ORA after his shift this
evening and exit the agentparking lot.
(14:50):
As he drove by in his FordBronco, He experienced what I
can only describe as a bodyswap.
His appearance completelychanged.
I am now tailing this unknownassailant, keeping distance so
as not to be detected.
I'm on Avenue X and turningleft, heading east down Cerberus
Boulevard.
(15:12):
Willie tails the ORA guard andunknown suspect beyond Dante
into a desolate area far awayfrom the city.
He presses record on the deviceagain.
UNKNOWN (15:22):
Bye.
SPEAKER_05 (15:23):
I've been tailing the suspect going on two hours.
We're in an undeveloped areanow.
Nothing around here except dirt,weeds, and rough roads.
The suspect is heading north andjust took a ramp half buried in
the sand.
A long causeway bridge headingto the cave, I suspect.
But why?
I'm still in pursuit.
The man with the mohawk parks afew yards away from the mouth of
(15:46):
the cave.
He exits the vehicle, takingnothing with him, and disappears
inside.
Willie brings the Plymouth to aI'm exiting the vehicle to
pursue on foot.
The suspect has left his FordBronco and entered the opening
of the cave.
I'm going to take a look at hisvehicle.
(16:08):
I found nothing of interest inthe front of the vehicle.
The glove contained a manual,registration papers.
Center console had a few packsof cigarettes.
I'm moving to the rear of thevehicle.
The light is failing as duskturns to night.
Willie holds a flashlight as hewalks towards the rear of the
(16:29):
vehicle.
Opening the swing gate.
And now I have access to thecargo area and it's completely
empty.
Wait, wait a minute.
The floorboard is uneven.
Appears to be somethingunderneath.
I see several outfits, guarduniforms, coveralls.
(16:51):
Maybe whoever this is can changeinto multiple identities.
There's a stuffed doll, like ateddy bear, with a small orange
tie and a creepy grin.
Hold on, there's something else.
There's a wooden box about thesize of a cigar box hidden
underneath the uniform.
The lid appears to have beenbranded with, you guessed it,
(17:15):
the 11th Circle insignia.
Opening the box, I see emptyvials and a syringe.
There's a receipt or something.
Cedar Hill Cemetery inPhiladelphia.
Stapled to the receipt is whatlooks like a handwritten map
indicating a specific plot inthe cemetery.
Thunder rolls overhead as thickdroplets of rain begin to hit
the rough-hewn ground.
(17:36):
Willie pockets the receipt andthe map.
He returns the Bronco to itsformer condition, locks the Leo
sits in a recliner in his roomin the Tartarus Helm Apartments.
(18:07):
He drinks some whiskey whilesitting in front of the
television as breaking news isreported.
SPEAKER_07 (18:16):
Ladies and gentlemen of Dante, I'm Chip Steed and
you're watching the Dante Daily.
We have some disturbing news toreport tonight.
The body of a young woman whosename will go undisclosed for the
time being has been found in thewaters of the Stygian Marsh.
Once an uninhabited swampland,the Stygian Marsh is now a
popular destination for anglersand naturists.
(18:39):
One such angler, and the man whofound the body, is Tony Gerder.
Tatiana Marigold reporting.
Tatiana?
SPEAKER_01 (18:47):
Thank you, Chip.
Mr.
Gerder, can you describe how youcame to find the body of the
young woman?
SPEAKER_08 (18:52):
I was, uh, well, I was fishing for brim, but got my
line stuck in some bush.
I waded out further to untanglethe line when I found her.
She was, uh, basically, uh,gutted, and, um, excuse me, her
right ear was, uh, removed.
(19:14):
Oh,
SPEAKER_04 (19:15):
shit!
SPEAKER_01 (19:23):
Back to you, Chip.
SPEAKER_07 (19:24):
Thank you, Tatiana.
We hope Mr.
Gerger feels better soon.
As we know more, the city ofDante will too.
In other news...
SPEAKER_05 (19:37):
Hours later...
Leo wakens in his apartment.
A thunderstorm is in progressoutside.
Raindrops pitter-patter againstone of the few windows in the
drab apartment.
A dull light emanating from thebottom of the door blanketing
the apartment floor brieflyshifts, obstructed by a shadow
(20:01):
outside in the hallway.
Suddenly, a black file folder isslid under the doorway.
Leo remembers when this happenedbefore.
He rushes to the door and opensit, and just like before...
There is no one in the hallway.
Sebastian! He picks up thedossier and opens it.
Unlike the first time, there isno revised report contained
(20:22):
within the dossier.
Just a white piece of paper witha typed message in all caps.
DO NOT TRUST HOWARD.
Leo picks up the phone restingon a nightstand and calls
Jillian.
It rings, but goes to
SPEAKER_04 (20:37):
voicemail.
Please leave a message after thetone.
SPEAKER_05 (20:42):
Jillian, this is Leo.
When you get this, I think I'veheard from Sebastian.
I don't understand the message,though, and I'm thinking it will
make more sense to you.
Please, give me a call when youget this.
The storm outside has subsided,giving way to the burgeoning
light that seeps through thewindows.
Leo's pager beeps as he issummoned back to the ORA.
(21:10):
Pig regains consciousness.
He's cold, having been strippedof all his clothes.
His distorted and scarred bodyshivers, and he discovers he's
been chained to the wall.
He warily examines hisenvironment.
Still underground, in some newarea of the cave.
It's very dark, but as hisvision adjusts to the darkness,
(21:31):
he can make out more details inthe room.
A speaker stands in front ofhim.
Next to the speaker, foldedneatly on the ground, are his
clothes.
Next to his clothes are hisfedora, the snub-nosed revolver,
and the flashlight.
He returns his gaze to thespeaker and follows the long
cord that runs towards the backof the cavern.
(21:52):
There are a set of steep stairsthat ascend to a second story
that stop at a single whitedoor.
Lightning flashes illuminatingthe enclosure, and that's when
he sees it, and then hears it.
(22:13):
Something massive, cloaked inshadow, silhouetted by the
silent electrical storm, rollsand undulates while bellowing a
chilling groan.
The creature, or whatever it is,is enclosed by a wall of thick
glass.
The pig, already shaken from thesight before him, jumps as a
voice comes through the speaker.
SPEAKER_04 (22:35):
Who are you?
SPEAKER_05 (22:57):
Sebastian.
His name
SPEAKER_03 (23:08):
is Sebastian.
He doesn't have a last name,okay?
He was just here a day or soago.
I'm
SPEAKER_05 (23:15):
sorry, lady.
I don't recall ever speakingwith someone named Sebastian.
SPEAKER_00 (23:21):
You know that's bullshit.
It was him, wasn't it?
He told you to cover this up.
Who?
That disfigured freak.
SPEAKER_03 (23:31):
The pig.
Uh, I'm afraid I don't know whothat is either.
He got to you.
You fucking coward.
SPEAKER_05 (23:39):
Excuse me?
You don't know who you'retalking to.
SPEAKER_03 (23:44):
You don't know who you are talking to.
Trust me.
I know when someone is lying.
Oh, you're calling me a liarnow?
If the shoe fucking fits.
SPEAKER_05 (23:57):
The administrator gets nervous and pulls the small
service window shut.
Jillian exits the administrationbuilding.
She raises her hand to hail acab when her name is called out.
Ms.
Burkett?
Jillian turns quickly towardsthe stranger.
Jillian?
SPEAKER_06 (24:14):
Jillian Burkett?
SPEAKER_03 (24:15):
Don't step any closer.
How do you know my name?
SPEAKER_05 (24:17):
The man stops in his tracks.
SPEAKER_06 (24:21):
You don't know me, but I've been trying to reach
you.
Sebastian, he...
The taxicab arrives.
SPEAKER_05 (24:57):
The man enters the cab, looks at Jillian, and nods
as the car pulls away.
Willie arrives at the ORA andjoins Captain Manga to the
Devil's Den.
SPEAKER_03 (25:10):
Willie?
I didn't call you for today.
Leo and a new recruit arealready assigned to a case.
SPEAKER_05 (25:15):
No, Cap.
It's about the other thing.
I have a lead.
Need to head to Philly.
Check out a cemetery.
SPEAKER_03 (25:22):
A cemetery?
In Philly.
SPEAKER_05 (25:25):
Maybe it's a long shot, but I found something.
A map to a plot at the cemetery.
Somehow, I think it's tied towhatever this 11th circle is.
Captain, I really think...
SPEAKER_03 (25:35):
Relax, Willie.
You sold me.
The slab is yours.
Okay, pick your poison.
We have...
Bobby Maxim, birthday clown.
Just had a heart attack.
Or...
Sylvia Bolinbrook, drowned inher pool.
SPEAKER_05 (25:50):
A clown or a drown victim?
I'll go with Sylvia, the drownvictim.
Clowns creep me out.
I'm not a fan of those big redshoes, man.
SPEAKER_03 (26:00):
The drown victim it is.
SPEAKER_05 (26:02):
Thanks, Cap.
I'll have a full report once Ireturn.
The pig continues to beinterrogated by the mysterious
electronic voice coming throughthe speaker.
SPEAKER_07 (26:15):
Who are you?
They call me the pig.
We know what you are called,this malicious
SPEAKER_04 (26:25):
epithet, the pig.
We know you serve him out ofnecessity, an obligation.
The Lord is a better, a morehelpless.
His right hand, man, fixer,hand.
His muscle.
(26:46):
His...
toy.
But that is not who you reallyare.
Who are you?
I can't say.
This is part of the twisted deal
SPEAKER_09 (27:02):
with the devil you've made.
Allowing yourself to be ashamed
SPEAKER_04 (27:09):
and...
Allowing yourself to bedenigrated and disgraced.
UNKNOWN (27:12):
Why?
SPEAKER_04 (27:14):
To protect them.
My family!
SPEAKER_05 (27:27):
Leo walks into the devil's den after being called
in for a hunt.
Hey, Cap.
SPEAKER_03 (27:32):
Leo, you holding up okay?
Any word on Sebastian?
SPEAKER_05 (27:36):
No, well, I don't really know.
I got another mystery file underthe door.
First time I assumed it wasSebastian.
The one last night, it had nosignature.
SPEAKER_03 (27:48):
A prank?
Someone screwing with you?
SPEAKER_05 (27:50):
No, I don't think so.
SPEAKER_03 (27:53):
Neither do I.
SPEAKER_05 (27:54):
Someone that
SPEAKER_03 (27:55):
knows something that I don't.
Hey, Cap.
Yes, Leo.
What's on your mind?
This murder last night,
SPEAKER_05 (28:02):
the woman in the swamp.
I
SPEAKER_03 (28:04):
heard about
SPEAKER_05 (28:04):
it.
Now, how does that work here?
Murder, that is.
Aren't we all us sinners, Imean?
We're already dead.
SPEAKER_03 (28:14):
Right, right, right.
I do owe you some more training.
As sinners, we're already dead,yes.
Our souls damned.
That isn't to say that we can'tbe removed for a while.
SPEAKER_05 (28:27):
Removed?
SPEAKER_03 (28:28):
Furthermore, some sinners can be killed and sent
to some other plane of existencebeyond this place.
But only with weapons so rareand ancient, I doubt they exist
anymore.
Probably destroyed during thetransformation or lost to
history.
SPEAKER_05 (28:45):
So if that were true, then why?
Some mindless killing?
The murderer lacking theknowledge or understanding of
the ramifications?
SPEAKER_03 (28:55):
Or murder just for sport?
Some depraved game?
The killer just doesn't care,playing by their own rules.
SPEAKER_05 (29:04):
Leo has more questions, but he is interrupted
as footsteps approach.
SPEAKER_03 (29:08):
Hi,
SPEAKER_08 (29:08):
Leo.
SPEAKER_05 (29:09):
Leo turns towards the entrance of the agency and
his knees buckle for a moment.
Before him is a familiar face.
Ms.
Stryker.
Captain, what is this?
SPEAKER_03 (29:22):
I'm sorry, Leo.
This is not how I had hoped youtwo would be reacquainted.
SPEAKER_05 (29:27):
What the hell happened?
We freed you.
SPEAKER_01 (29:30):
Yes, you did.
Successfully, but something wasleft behind.
Not the demon, but I don'treally know how to explain it.
I can't.
SPEAKER_05 (29:44):
This thing left behind.
Did it cause your death?
What happened?
SPEAKER_01 (29:51):
Technically, the sin I committed was greed.
After the possession, I...
stole some money from someonestealing money from me and the
band i tried to escape my plannot that i really had one was to
get as far away from that placeas i could but in the end i
(30:14):
found myself on the run andguess i should have looked both
ways um
SPEAKER_05 (30:21):
i'm so sorry miss striker
SPEAKER_01 (30:23):
lori you can just call me lori from now on captain
mangit what's our case
SPEAKER_05 (30:30):
Wait, our case?
SPEAKER_03 (30:32):
Again, apologies, Leo.
I had hoped to lay the grandplan cleanly.
Since it worked so well with youteaming up with June, I thought
you could show Laurie the ropes.
SPEAKER_05 (30:42):
I don't claim to be a veteran or anything, but I
have no issues with that.
I can definitely tell you whatnot to do.
SPEAKER_03 (30:50):
Laurie, you should know, before joining the ORA,
Leo was a high-ranking homicidedetective.
Despite his sense of modesty, Iexpect you'll treat him with the
respect he deserves.
He's certainly earned it.
SPEAKER_01 (31:06):
Yes, sir.
Leo, you...
you saved my life.
I owe you.
I'm eager to work with you andget started.
SPEAKER_05 (31:14):
Well, Cap, you heard the lady.
SPEAKER_03 (31:18):
Want to do the honors, Leo?
SPEAKER_05 (31:20):
Oh, sure.
Let's see.
The subject of the demonicpossession is Dr.
Tobias Grant.
He's a chief resident at theSunrise Hills Hospital south of
the Vegas Strip.
He's currently on possessionstage three, obsession.
Transmigration subjects are...
(31:40):
Roland Devereaux, local cardshark, shot dead behind the
alley of, no coincidence, I'msure, the Mob Museum.
And Terrence Chilcutt, overdosedin the restroom of a pumping
shack gas station.
Both have been loaded into theslab.
Nicely done, Leo.
Thanks, Cap.
Well, Miss, uh, Laurie, afteryou.
SPEAKER_03 (32:03):
One more thing.
Dispatches branched out toinclude an R&D department.
one of the engineers, RonanDelaney.
He'll be helping us out fromtime to time while also
attempting to bring us into the20th century.
Ronan, can you join us?
SPEAKER_05 (32:19):
As if on cue, a man in his early 30s, shaggy black
hair and wearing a lab coat,approaches the demon hunters.
Oh, hi, it's nice to meet youboth.
Nice to finally be out of thehotbox, aye?
It's what we'll call thedispatch room.
Anyway, I've devised theselong-range communication
devices.
If you're familiar with two-wayradio, aye?
(32:41):
No?
Aye?
Aye?
Well, you'll be able to transmitand receive audio.
I fictionally call them weevils.
They have a range of about 900miles, at least in theory.
Small enough to hide securely.
And secretly in your ears.
(33:01):
So take a weevil on your way outand let's cross our fingers they
survived the trip, no?
Ronan is shaking and pale.
He pulls a flask from the pocketof his lab coat and takes a shot
and then walks away muttering tohimself.
SPEAKER_01 (33:15):
Aye.
I didn't care.
I didn't care how much fuckingwork I put into
SPEAKER_05 (33:21):
this place.
I don't belong here.
Okay,
SPEAKER_03 (33:33):
as you can tell, he hasn't been out much.
Substance abuse aside, he's onehell of an engineer.
Anyway, you'll both be aboutfive miles on either side of the
hospital.
Make contact once you've toucheddown.
SPEAKER_05 (33:47):
Leo and Laurie are laying in the mortuary drawers
of the slab awaiting launch.
Leo inserts a weevil into hisleft ear.
reading this?
SPEAKER_01 (34:02):
Yeah, loud and clear.
SPEAKER_05 (34:04):
So, you ready for this?
I
SPEAKER_01 (34:08):
wouldn't go that far, but I can tell you this.
These demons, running around,possessing all these people, the
bastards played a big part in mydeath.
At the very least, they got meto such a desperate point that I
grabbed a giant bag of money andhauled ass until I got flattened
by a tow truck.
I'm ready for some payback.
SPEAKER_05 (34:29):
That's the spirit.
SPEAKER_01 (34:31):
Any tips before we take our trip?
SPEAKER_05 (34:35):
Look, in a few minutes things are gonna get
really weird.
I'd say try not to freak out,but you're gonna freak out.
SPEAKER_01 (34:45):
We'll see about that.
SPEAKER_05 (34:46):
Well, just remember I told you so.
Oh, and try not to tense up justbefore launch.
It can help with the phantompain once you touch down.
SPEAKER_04 (34:55):
Phantom pain?
SPEAKER_05 (34:57):
It's a symptom of the reincarnation process.
Take it over someone's soul,even temporarily, it doesn't
come easy.
I typically feel it in mywrists, but it's getting easier
each time.
Laura, you still with me?
SPEAKER_01 (35:12):
Holy shit.
Oh my god.
Oh my god! Leo, are you seeing
SPEAKER_05 (35:20):
this?
The mortuary drawer's backpanels dissolve.
And soon the expanse of theuniverse is just beyond the
heels of their shoes.
SPEAKER_01 (35:29):
Is that...
Is that fucking space?
SPEAKER_05 (35:33):
Yeah, you're freaking out.
Meanwhile, the pig remainschained to a wall deep inside
the cave.
He's growing lightheaded and isstruggling to stay on his feet.
You're feeling weak.
A large hulk of a man with ablank expressionless face
(35:54):
appears from the back of thechamber and walks over to the
pig.
He's carrying a canteen.
What's with the mouth breather?
SPEAKER_07 (36:04):
Drink.
Why?
So you can poison me again?
We
SPEAKER_09 (36:13):
didn't poison you.
We drugged you so you'd sleeppeacefully while we brought you
to the location you're in now.
It's a secret that must, for thetime being, remain that way.
SPEAKER_05 (36:26):
What?
What is this?
What is this location?
What the hell is that thingbehind the glass?
SPEAKER_04 (36:35):
You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
But also,
SPEAKER_09 (36:41):
you haven't earned the right to any answers.
SPEAKER_05 (36:46):
None.
The pig's legs got weak and hetemporarily drops.
He winces in pain as the cupspinch at his wrists.
He slowly struggles to stand upstraight again.
SPEAKER_09 (36:56):
The
SPEAKER_05 (37:02):
silent lightning storm behind the glass wall
erupts again.
The shadowy colossus containedwithin the glass room moans.
As if ordered to do so, thebulky, blank-faced giant walks
away, placing the canteen nextto the speaker.
Enough of this fucking charade!Hiding behind your fucking
(37:23):
speaker with auto-tune! Who areyou?
You wanna talk?
Then come out from yourhidey-hole and do it
face-to-face! There is aclicking sound from this
speaker.
And then lights in the ceilingflicker on, dimly illuminating
the spacious chamber.
The door at the top of the stepsopens and a man in a tan,
(37:44):
rumpled suit makes a descentdown the steps towards the pig.
As the man comes closer, the pigexamines his features more
closely.
He's balding, but has stringyred hair on either side of his
head.
His eyes are sunken in and hischeeks and jawline protrude
unnaturally.
It's as if he was a patient ofreally bad cosmetic surgery or
(38:07):
he's wearing some sort of facialprosthesis.
He is pale and freckled,standing directly before the pig
now.
He notices the man in the tanwrinkled suit is also wearing an
ugly orange tie as the man leansdown and grabs the canteen.
SPEAKER_00 (38:23):
Who are you?
SPEAKER_05 (38:27):
We are your true salvation.
The man in the orange tieunlocks the chains.
The pig falls to his knees.
The man in the orange tie kneelsnext to him and offers the
canteen.
The pig doesn't resist, grabsthe canteen and desperately
drinks the water.
(38:49):
Welcome to the Eleventh Circle,John.
Willie walks past the countlessgraves of the Cedar Hill
Cemetery.
Following the drawn path on thehandwritten map, he turns left,
(39:09):
then right, then walks straightahead for a few feet.
He repeats these steps followingthe winding path drawn in the
red marker until he has finallyreached the plot marked with an
X on the map.
Willy stands in front of theheadstone of Leo Braun.
Inscribed on the headstone isthe phrase, forever in our
(39:31):
hearts.
Whoa, what the hell?
Why Leo?
Okay, now what?
Willie begins examining theheadstone more closely, feeling
its rough surface.
He kneels and traces the base ofthe headstone with his hands,
(39:51):
trying to uncover some clue, butthe investigation yields
nothing.
Willie turns the map over andbegins transcribing the details
from the headstone.
Oh my god, no! Oh, so sorry,Leo.
(40:28):
He retrieves the map from hisbriefcase and takes down the
details of the two newheadstones, starting with their
names.
Louise and Harry Braun.
SPEAKER_02 (41:52):
Leo Braun is a production of Shoestring TV.
Wait, have you subscribed to thePatreon site yet?
What are you waiting for?
For only$5 a month, you'll gainearly access to each episode,
early access to bonus clips,concept art, and so much more.
So look for us at patreon.comslash shoestringtv.
You'll be glad you did.
(42:13):
You can also join or follow LeoBraun on our official Facebook
fan page.
You can find the link on ourpodcast show notes.
As always, you can listen to LeoBraun anywhere you listen to
podcasts.
Leo Braun is written andproduced by me, Jason Beard.
And now, the amazing cast of LeoBraun.
SPEAKER_05 (42:37):
A young man stands at the edge of a cliff, torn
between hope and damnation,until he realizes that they are
one and the same.
If you've received thistransmission, then rest assured,
the 11th Circle has you.
SPEAKER_02 (43:08):
Episode 8, Stitch Mainville.
as Leo Braun and young officerLeo Braun.
Andy Parkin as narrator two andRonan Delaney.
Terry Briscoe as Willy Topaz.
Jim Fronk as The Pig, MauryStillman and elderly
administrator.
(43:30):
Tabitha Mixon as JillianBurkett.
Michael Cunningham as DetectiveNorman Laddy Wallace and the man
in the ugly orange tie.
Mitch Lushinsky as DetectiveStanley Black.
Emily Fry as Barb Erlene Coxlinand Laurie Stryker.
(43:50):
Melrose Johnson as Captain F.J.
Manget.
Robert Lloyd as Chip Steed andHoward.
Samantha D.
Seuss as Tatiana Marigold.
And Grace Newton as FlightAttendant.
Stay tuned for Leo Braun Episode9, The List.
Coming August 21st.
(44:12):
Thanks again for listening.
Houston TV.
SPEAKER_07 (00:42):
Right there, Maury.
You're not the one that has toreschedule all the flights.
SPEAKER_05 (00:47):
Maury, look at these people.
You're asking me to deprive themof me.
It's 1986 in Los Angeles.
Willie Topaz and his manager,Maury Stillman, are leaving the
movie premiere of Willie'slatest film, Rock Gatling.
Badass.
They are surrounded by adoringfans as the two men attempt to
(01:08):
leave the Regency VillageTheater.
Willie...
is signing an autograph on theheaving bosom
SPEAKER_04 (01:15):
of
SPEAKER_05 (01:18):
a female
SPEAKER_06 (01:24):
fan.
SPEAKER_05 (01:35):
Now in the limousine, Maury reviews
Willie's eventful itinerary.
SPEAKER_07 (01:39):
Okay, now we have a 9.30 with Edith, the costume
designer, and then
SPEAKER_05 (01:43):
makeup and wardrobe for an autograph signing.
Maury, have we heard where sheis?
Willie, let's just focus on thegoods.
I need to know.
Last word from the LAPD on herwhereabouts.
Four months ago, they questioneda woman matching her
description.
Was it her?
down to the
SPEAKER_07 (01:59):
Raggedy Ann-style red hair, overalls, and
bifocals.
She was seen leaving the cacaocoffee shop in West L.A., where
she was stopped by authorities,but then released after
questioning.
Since then, she's
SPEAKER_06 (02:12):
fallen off the face of the earth, like a fart in the
wind.
That doesn't instill muchconfidence.
And you know there's a reasonfor my hesitation.
SPEAKER_05 (02:20):
Now on Delta Flight 665, in first class, Willie is
taking a late flight toPhiladelphia, where he will be
on location shooting the nextfilm in the Archie Magnet
franchise.
Maury brings up the subject ofthe stalker again.
Look, Willie, a star of yourcaliber is going to pick up a
few unwanted stranglers alongthe way.
(02:41):
We need to- Maury, she sent me aburnt doll's head.
SPEAKER_03 (02:45):
I know, I know.
SPEAKER_05 (02:48):
She wrote, only mine.
inside the doll's head.
The woman is disturbed.
I mean, she's slightly touched,no doubt.
It was written in her own blood.
What you don't know is, I'vebeen receiving pieces of the
doll month after month sincereceiving the head.
Willy,
SPEAKER_03 (03:08):
why the hell wouldn't you share that with me?
SPEAKER_05 (03:11):
Or at the very
SPEAKER_06 (03:12):
least, the
SPEAKER_05 (03:12):
police?
It had finally stopped, and Ihad thought, Maybe.
The actor and his manager areinterrupted by a flight
attendant.
She's holding two glasses ofchampagne.
SPEAKER_00 (03:23):
Excuse me, Mr.
Topaz.
You have a fan in seat four.
She wanted you and your managerto have these.
SPEAKER_05 (03:28):
Willie and Maury turn slowly towards the back of
the first-class cabin, wherethey notice the woman holding a
glass of champagne.
She nods and gives a pleasantsmile.
She is smartly dressed, sexy,black hair, striking green eyes
peeking above the oversizedmauve sunglasses with
pink-tinted lenses.
(03:49):
She exudes confidence, hershapely figure barely obscured
by her navy blue businessattire.
Willie raises the glass in herdirection and then turns forward
again.
He places the glass on a smallfold-out table in front of him.
SPEAKER_06 (04:03):
Did we drink it?
I mean, that woman doesn't lookanything like Baba.
SPEAKER_05 (04:07):
Don't.
Please.
Don't say her name.
Willie stares at the glass ofchampagne with trepidation.
Bubbles rise to the surface in aflurry as the ice-cold glass
begins to sweat.
Eh, fuck it.
Willie brings the glass to hislips and drinks every last drop.
Maury follows suit.
(04:27):
Willie turns towards theattractive woman again, raising
the glass as if to say, thankyou.
She displays a wide smile.
Maury checks in at the frontdesk of the Bellevue Hotel in
Philadelphia.
Willie is still spooked from theflight, even though, as it
(04:48):
turned out, the lady offeringchampagne seemed to be a true
fan after all, and not somederanged stalker.
He notices beyond the grandentrance of the hotel, a crowd
has already formed for anautograph signing scheduled for
tomorrow afternoon.
Some fans hold Brock Gatlingposters or copies of Willie
Topaz's headshot.
One slim young man stands apartfrom the group, smoking a
(05:11):
cigarette and staring into thehotel at Willie.
Willie! Willie! Yes,
SPEAKER_07 (05:18):
uh, sorry.
Here's your key.
You want to grab something atthe bar before we turn in?
Nah, I'm ready to call it anight.
SPEAKER_05 (05:30):
Willie is in the shower, washing off the dread
and paranoia.
He luxuriates in the steaminghot water, ignoring the phone
that begins to ring in his room.
With Willie unaware, thebathroom door behind him,
already ajar, opens wider for abrief moment and then slowly
returns to its originalposition.
(05:56):
Willie shuts off the water andsteps out to dry off.
The phone rings again.
Willie wraps a towel around hiswaist and walks towards the
phone, but he begins to feellightheaded.
The room starts to spin and hecollapses.
Willie wakes in a panic.
He is soaked in sweat.
(06:17):
His vision is still blurry, butslowly improving.
Through his dimmed vision, henotices a slender figure walking
around the room.
His breathing increases, hispulse quickens, his eyes dart
towards the phone, which hasbeen pulled from the wall.
Filled with an ever-growingfear, Willy attempts to escape
but finds he's tied to the bed.
An extra precaution consideringhe appears to be almost
(06:38):
completely paralyzed.
The blurry figure moves closer,crawling onto the bed and then
straddling Willy.
Now in a clear view, it'srevealed to be the woman from
the flight.
She removes her eyeglasses and ablack expensive wig revealing
bright red sweaty hair.
I
SPEAKER_03 (06:59):
was relieved you drank the champagne.
Otherwise I was going to have toinject you.
SPEAKER_08 (07:05):
Who
SPEAKER_01 (07:05):
are you?
SPEAKER_08 (07:06):
Silly boy.
It's me, Barb.
It can't be!
SPEAKER_01 (07:14):
I'm glad you've noticed the new me.
You like lover?
Jazzercise, seven days a weekfor months.
It's amazing what you canaccomplish if you're committed.
SPEAKER_05 (07:28):
You should be committed.
SPEAKER_01 (07:32):
No, no.
Don't be cruel, lover.
And don't try to scream.
Your manager is having an extralong sleep tonight.
Gotta love what 100 milligramsof temazepam can do.
SPEAKER_05 (07:47):
She picks up a box cutter that had been laying on
the bed and pushes the bladeupwards.
She leans closer to Willy'sface.
He's gasping for air while stillunable to move as he reluctantly
inhales her sour breath.
Her emerald green eyes nowreplaced with her natural
colored eyes, a dark, muddybrown.
In the shadows, her eyes appearblack as night.
(08:10):
Please, no.
Don't do this.
Oh, lover.
SPEAKER_06 (08:20):
Tonight is the night.
Tonight, you will go down inhistory.
The great Willy Topaz
SPEAKER_03 (08:31):
will be forever only mine.
No!
SPEAKER_04 (08:54):
In
SPEAKER_05 (09:00):
what seems to be just minutes for Willie, is
actually the following day whenhis body is discovered by his
manager, Maury Stillman.
Willie observes from above,hovering over his own body in
the hotel room as two homicidedetectives process the scene.
One kneels down and pickssomething up off the carpet.
(09:20):
Maury, his manager of 20 years,stands at the doorway Hunched
over in tears, covering hismouth with a handkerchief.
Unfortunately, Willie also takesnotice of his own corpse.
Eyes wide and frozen in fear,his throat and the mattress
underneath him covered in hisblood.
(09:41):
Hmm.
What do you have, Stan?
Vial of temezepam.
Almost empty.
Bag it.
Actually, uh, hold on.
Officer Braun, uh...
Can you join us?
Uniformed Officer Leo Braunturns towards the detectives and
leaves his post at the entranceof the hotel room.
(10:01):
Detective Wallace, you wanted tosee me?
Officer Braun, the suspect hasleft a half-empty vial of
temazepam at the scene, but nosyringe.
The coroner will have toconfirm, but doesn't appear the
body was injected.
Yes, sir?
You have an opinion?
(10:22):
The absence of a syringe wouldindicate the deceased was
poisoned prior to arriving atthe hotel?
Go on.
The front desk confirmed thedeceased and his manager arrived
at the hotel about an hour afterlanding at PHL.
The deceased's whereabouts afterlanding are completely accounted
for by his manager, Mr.
(10:43):
Stillman.
This would lead me to concludethat exposure to the temazepam
likely occurred on the planeduring the flight.
If that is true, can you explainthe delay in the adverse
reaction of the temazepam?
Well, most benzodiazepines,including temazepam, can have a
delayed effect when it's dilutedwith certain liquids.
(11:05):
Alcohol, for instance.
It's highly likely that the drugwasn't injected, but rather
ingested.
The kid's a prodigy.
Well done, Officer Braun.
You can return to your post.
Thank you.
Wait a minute, there's somethingunder the bed.
Oh, looks like we have an IDhere.
(11:26):
Is it the victims?
No, this appears to be thesuspects.
Guess they wanted to becomefamous.
Famous?
You need to get out more,laddie.
This is an actor, Willy Topaz.
You know, Rock Gatlin?
Uh, never heard of him.
What's the perp's name?
(11:48):
It's an Ohio State-issuedlicense.
One Barbara Erlin Coxlin.
SPEAKER_09 (12:01):
So good it kills.
SPEAKER_05 (12:19):
Back in present-day Dante, Willie returns from the
painful memory, unable toprocess the connections from the
past to the present.
Instead, he chooses to focus onthe task at hand.
He sits in a parked car in therear parking lot of the Obsidian
Recovery Agency.
He swapped out his personalvehicle, the cherry red 1966
(12:39):
Ford Mustang, for a lessdetectable grey 1978 Plymouth
Fury.
He's also traded in hissignature style of cowboy hat
and aviator sunglasses for blackbaseball cap and wayfarers.
He's wearing a dark brown suedejacket instead of the more
flashier tops he normally wears.
Willie sinks into the driver'sseat as an ORA prison guard
(13:02):
exits the building.
The guard is tall, lumbering,and rotund with a receding
hairline that results in aslicked back brown hat that is
long, greasy, and wavy in theback.
The guard seems to have a blankexpression.
His face is off-putting at aglance, as his mouth remains
half-gaped.
(13:25):
The guard enters a rustysky-blue 1995 Ford Bronco, turns
the ignition, and pulls out ofthe parking space.
Willie puts the Plymouth indrive and waits for the guard to
pass by.
As the Bronco pulls closer toWillie, he's surprised to
discover that the driver'sappearance has completely
changed.
He is no longer the blank-facedman that entered the vehicle,
(13:45):
but a wide-eyed, anxiety-riddenman with a multicolored mohawk,
his head full of cartooncharacter tattoos.
Willie retrieves a smallrecording device from the
passenger seat, turns it on, andpresses record to begin
documenting his investigation ashe tails the guard.
(14:07):
This is ORA agent Willie Topaz.
No case number available.
The investigation is off booksfor now.
I'm investigating the suspicioussuicide of a recent inmate with
connections to something calledthe 11th Circle.
There were three guards on dutythat night.
Two of which have solid alibis.
The remaining guard, one MaynardTully, his whereabouts around
(14:28):
the time of the suicide cannotbe substantiated.
Maynard claims to have beenaddressing a maintenance issue
in the briefing room, buttechnicians explain there were
no incident reports filed and totheir knowledge, everything was
operating smoothly that night.
Only minutes earlier today,during the surveillance, I
witnessed Maynard Tully leavethe ORA after his shift this
evening and exit the agentparking lot.
(14:50):
As he drove by in his FordBronco, He experienced what I
can only describe as a bodyswap.
His appearance completelychanged.
I am now tailing this unknownassailant, keeping distance so
as not to be detected.
I'm on Avenue X and turningleft, heading east down Cerberus
Boulevard.
(15:12):
Willie tails the ORA guard andunknown suspect beyond Dante
into a desolate area far awayfrom the city.
He presses record on the deviceagain.
UNKNOWN (15:22):
Bye.
SPEAKER_05 (15:23):
I've been tailing the suspect going on two hours.
We're in an undeveloped areanow.
Nothing around here except dirt,weeds, and rough roads.
The suspect is heading north andjust took a ramp half buried in
the sand.
A long causeway bridge headingto the cave, I suspect.
But why?
I'm still in pursuit.
The man with the mohawk parks afew yards away from the mouth of
(15:46):
the cave.
He exits the vehicle, takingnothing with him, and disappears
inside.
Willie brings the Plymouth to aI'm exiting the vehicle to
pursue on foot.
The suspect has left his FordBronco and entered the opening
of the cave.
I'm going to take a look at hisvehicle.
(16:08):
I found nothing of interest inthe front of the vehicle.
The glove contained a manual,registration papers.
Center console had a few packsof cigarettes.
I'm moving to the rear of thevehicle.
The light is failing as duskturns to night.
Willie holds a flashlight as hewalks towards the rear of the
(16:29):
vehicle.
Opening the swing gate.
And now I have access to thecargo area and it's completely
empty.
Wait, wait a minute.
The floorboard is uneven.
Appears to be somethingunderneath.
I see several outfits, guarduniforms, coveralls.
(16:51):
Maybe whoever this is can changeinto multiple identities.
There's a stuffed doll, like ateddy bear, with a small orange
tie and a creepy grin.
Hold on, there's something else.
There's a wooden box about thesize of a cigar box hidden
underneath the uniform.
The lid appears to have beenbranded with, you guessed it,
(17:15):
the 11th Circle insignia.
Opening the box, I see emptyvials and a syringe.
There's a receipt or something.
Cedar Hill Cemetery inPhiladelphia.
Stapled to the receipt is whatlooks like a handwritten map
indicating a specific plot inthe cemetery.
Thunder rolls overhead as thickdroplets of rain begin to hit
the rough-hewn ground.
(17:36):
Willie pockets the receipt andthe map.
He returns the Bronco to itsformer condition, locks the Leo
sits in a recliner in his roomin the Tartarus Helm Apartments.
(18:07):
He drinks some whiskey whilesitting in front of the
television as breaking news isreported.
SPEAKER_07 (18:16):
Ladies and gentlemen of Dante, I'm Chip Steed and
you're watching the Dante Daily.
We have some disturbing news toreport tonight.
The body of a young woman whosename will go undisclosed for the
time being has been found in thewaters of the Stygian Marsh.
Once an uninhabited swampland,the Stygian Marsh is now a
popular destination for anglersand naturists.
(18:39):
One such angler, and the man whofound the body, is Tony Gerder.
Tatiana Marigold reporting.
Tatiana?
SPEAKER_01 (18:47):
Thank you, Chip.
Mr.
Gerder, can you describe how youcame to find the body of the
young woman?
SPEAKER_08 (18:52):
I was, uh, well, I was fishing for brim, but got my
line stuck in some bush.
I waded out further to untanglethe line when I found her.
She was, uh, basically, uh,gutted, and, um, excuse me, her
right ear was, uh, removed.
(19:14):
Oh,
SPEAKER_04 (19:15):
shit!
SPEAKER_01 (19:23):
Back to you, Chip.
SPEAKER_07 (19:24):
Thank you, Tatiana.
We hope Mr.
Gerger feels better soon.
As we know more, the city ofDante will too.
In other news...
SPEAKER_05 (19:37):
Hours later...
Leo wakens in his apartment.
A thunderstorm is in progressoutside.
Raindrops pitter-patter againstone of the few windows in the
drab apartment.
A dull light emanating from thebottom of the door blanketing
the apartment floor brieflyshifts, obstructed by a shadow
(20:01):
outside in the hallway.
Suddenly, a black file folder isslid under the doorway.
Leo remembers when this happenedbefore.
He rushes to the door and opensit, and just like before...
There is no one in the hallway.
Sebastian! He picks up thedossier and opens it.
Unlike the first time, there isno revised report contained
(20:22):
within the dossier.
Just a white piece of paper witha typed message in all caps.
DO NOT TRUST HOWARD.
Leo picks up the phone restingon a nightstand and calls
Jillian.
It rings, but goes to
SPEAKER_04 (20:37):
voicemail.
Please leave a message after thetone.
SPEAKER_05 (20:42):
Jillian, this is Leo.
When you get this, I think I'veheard from Sebastian.
I don't understand the message,though, and I'm thinking it will
make more sense to you.
Please, give me a call when youget this.
The storm outside has subsided,giving way to the burgeoning
light that seeps through thewindows.
Leo's pager beeps as he issummoned back to the ORA.
(21:10):
Pig regains consciousness.
He's cold, having been strippedof all his clothes.
His distorted and scarred bodyshivers, and he discovers he's
been chained to the wall.
He warily examines hisenvironment.
Still underground, in some newarea of the cave.
It's very dark, but as hisvision adjusts to the darkness,
(21:31):
he can make out more details inthe room.
A speaker stands in front ofhim.
Next to the speaker, foldedneatly on the ground, are his
clothes.
Next to his clothes are hisfedora, the snub-nosed revolver,
and the flashlight.
He returns his gaze to thespeaker and follows the long
cord that runs towards the backof the cavern.
(21:52):
There are a set of steep stairsthat ascend to a second story
that stop at a single whitedoor.
Lightning flashes illuminatingthe enclosure, and that's when
he sees it, and then hears it.
(22:13):
Something massive, cloaked inshadow, silhouetted by the
silent electrical storm, rollsand undulates while bellowing a
chilling groan.
The creature, or whatever it is,is enclosed by a wall of thick
glass.
The pig, already shaken from thesight before him, jumps as a
voice comes through the speaker.
SPEAKER_04 (22:35):
Who are you?
SPEAKER_05 (22:57):
Sebastian.
His name
SPEAKER_03 (23:08):
is Sebastian.
He doesn't have a last name,okay?
He was just here a day or soago.
I'm
SPEAKER_05 (23:15):
sorry, lady.
I don't recall ever speakingwith someone named Sebastian.
SPEAKER_00 (23:21):
You know that's bullshit.
It was him, wasn't it?
He told you to cover this up.
Who?
That disfigured freak.
SPEAKER_03 (23:31):
The pig.
Uh, I'm afraid I don't know whothat is either.
He got to you.
You fucking coward.
SPEAKER_05 (23:39):
Excuse me?
You don't know who you'retalking to.
SPEAKER_03 (23:44):
You don't know who you are talking to.
Trust me.
I know when someone is lying.
Oh, you're calling me a liarnow?
If the shoe fucking fits.
SPEAKER_05 (23:57):
The administrator gets nervous and pulls the small
service window shut.
Jillian exits the administrationbuilding.
She raises her hand to hail acab when her name is called out.
Ms.
Burkett?
Jillian turns quickly towardsthe stranger.
Jillian?
SPEAKER_06 (24:14):
Jillian Burkett?
SPEAKER_03 (24:15):
Don't step any closer.
How do you know my name?
SPEAKER_05 (24:17):
The man stops in his tracks.
SPEAKER_06 (24:21):
You don't know me, but I've been trying to reach
you.
Sebastian, he...
The taxicab arrives.
SPEAKER_05 (24:57):
The man enters the cab, looks at Jillian, and nods
as the car pulls away.
Willie arrives at the ORA andjoins Captain Manga to the
Devil's Den.
SPEAKER_03 (25:10):
Willie?
I didn't call you for today.
Leo and a new recruit arealready assigned to a case.
SPEAKER_05 (25:15):
No, Cap.
It's about the other thing.
I have a lead.
Need to head to Philly.
Check out a cemetery.
SPEAKER_03 (25:22):
A cemetery?
In Philly.
SPEAKER_05 (25:25):
Maybe it's a long shot, but I found something.
A map to a plot at the cemetery.
Somehow, I think it's tied towhatever this 11th circle is.
Captain, I really think...
SPEAKER_03 (25:35):
Relax, Willie.
You sold me.
The slab is yours.
Okay, pick your poison.
We have...
Bobby Maxim, birthday clown.
Just had a heart attack.
Or...
Sylvia Bolinbrook, drowned inher pool.
SPEAKER_05 (25:50):
A clown or a drown victim?
I'll go with Sylvia, the drownvictim.
Clowns creep me out.
I'm not a fan of those big redshoes, man.
SPEAKER_03 (26:00):
The drown victim it is.
SPEAKER_05 (26:02):
Thanks, Cap.
I'll have a full report once Ireturn.
The pig continues to beinterrogated by the mysterious
electronic voice coming throughthe speaker.
SPEAKER_07 (26:15):
Who are you?
They call me the pig.
We know what you are called,this malicious
SPEAKER_04 (26:25):
epithet, the pig.
We know you serve him out ofnecessity, an obligation.
The Lord is a better, a morehelpless.
His right hand, man, fixer,hand.
His muscle.
(26:46):
His...
toy.
But that is not who you reallyare.
Who are you?
I can't say.
This is part of the twisted deal
SPEAKER_09 (27:02):
with the devil you've made.
Allowing yourself to be ashamed
SPEAKER_04 (27:09):
and...
Allowing yourself to bedenigrated and disgraced.
UNKNOWN (27:12):
Why?
SPEAKER_04 (27:14):
To protect them.
My family!
SPEAKER_05 (27:27):
Leo walks into the devil's den after being called
in for a hunt.
Hey, Cap.
SPEAKER_03 (27:32):
Leo, you holding up okay?
Any word on Sebastian?
SPEAKER_05 (27:36):
No, well, I don't really know.
I got another mystery file underthe door.
First time I assumed it wasSebastian.
The one last night, it had nosignature.
SPEAKER_03 (27:48):
A prank?
Someone screwing with you?
SPEAKER_05 (27:50):
No, I don't think so.
SPEAKER_03 (27:53):
Neither do I.
SPEAKER_05 (27:54):
Someone that
SPEAKER_03 (27:55):
knows something that I don't.
Hey, Cap.
Yes, Leo.
What's on your mind?
This murder last night,
SPEAKER_05 (28:02):
the woman in the swamp.
I
SPEAKER_03 (28:04):
heard about
SPEAKER_05 (28:04):
it.
Now, how does that work here?
Murder, that is.
Aren't we all us sinners, Imean?
We're already dead.
SPEAKER_03 (28:14):
Right, right, right.
I do owe you some more training.
As sinners, we're already dead,yes.
Our souls damned.
That isn't to say that we can'tbe removed for a while.
SPEAKER_05 (28:27):
Removed?
SPEAKER_03 (28:28):
Furthermore, some sinners can be killed and sent
to some other plane of existencebeyond this place.
But only with weapons so rareand ancient, I doubt they exist
anymore.
Probably destroyed during thetransformation or lost to
history.
SPEAKER_05 (28:45):
So if that were true, then why?
Some mindless killing?
The murderer lacking theknowledge or understanding of
the ramifications?
SPEAKER_03 (28:55):
Or murder just for sport?
Some depraved game?
The killer just doesn't care,playing by their own rules.
SPEAKER_05 (29:04):
Leo has more questions, but he is interrupted
as footsteps approach.
SPEAKER_03 (29:08):
Hi,
SPEAKER_08 (29:08):
Leo.
SPEAKER_05 (29:09):
Leo turns towards the entrance of the agency and
his knees buckle for a moment.
Before him is a familiar face.
Ms.
Stryker.
Captain, what is this?
SPEAKER_03 (29:22):
I'm sorry, Leo.
This is not how I had hoped youtwo would be reacquainted.
SPEAKER_05 (29:27):
What the hell happened?
We freed you.
SPEAKER_01 (29:30):
Yes, you did.
Successfully, but something wasleft behind.
Not the demon, but I don'treally know how to explain it.
I can't.
SPEAKER_05 (29:44):
This thing left behind.
Did it cause your death?
What happened?
SPEAKER_01 (29:51):
Technically, the sin I committed was greed.
After the possession, I...
stole some money from someonestealing money from me and the
band i tried to escape my plannot that i really had one was to
get as far away from that placeas i could but in the end i
(30:14):
found myself on the run andguess i should have looked both
ways um
SPEAKER_05 (30:21):
i'm so sorry miss striker
SPEAKER_01 (30:23):
lori you can just call me lori from now on captain
mangit what's our case
SPEAKER_05 (30:30):
Wait, our case?
SPEAKER_03 (30:32):
Again, apologies, Leo.
I had hoped to lay the grandplan cleanly.
Since it worked so well with youteaming up with June, I thought
you could show Laurie the ropes.
SPEAKER_05 (30:42):
I don't claim to be a veteran or anything, but I
have no issues with that.
I can definitely tell you whatnot to do.
SPEAKER_03 (30:50):
Laurie, you should know, before joining the ORA,
Leo was a high-ranking homicidedetective.
Despite his sense of modesty, Iexpect you'll treat him with the
respect he deserves.
He's certainly earned it.
SPEAKER_01 (31:06):
Yes, sir.
Leo, you...
you saved my life.
I owe you.
I'm eager to work with you andget started.
SPEAKER_05 (31:14):
Well, Cap, you heard the lady.
SPEAKER_03 (31:18):
Want to do the honors, Leo?
SPEAKER_05 (31:20):
Oh, sure.
Let's see.
The subject of the demonicpossession is Dr.
Tobias Grant.
He's a chief resident at theSunrise Hills Hospital south of
the Vegas Strip.
He's currently on possessionstage three, obsession.
Transmigration subjects are...
(31:40):
Roland Devereaux, local cardshark, shot dead behind the
alley of, no coincidence, I'msure, the Mob Museum.
And Terrence Chilcutt, overdosedin the restroom of a pumping
shack gas station.
Both have been loaded into theslab.
Nicely done, Leo.
Thanks, Cap.
Well, Miss, uh, Laurie, afteryou.
SPEAKER_03 (32:03):
One more thing.
Dispatches branched out toinclude an R&D department.
one of the engineers, RonanDelaney.
He'll be helping us out fromtime to time while also
attempting to bring us into the20th century.
Ronan, can you join us?
SPEAKER_05 (32:19):
As if on cue, a man in his early 30s, shaggy black
hair and wearing a lab coat,approaches the demon hunters.
Oh, hi, it's nice to meet youboth.
Nice to finally be out of thehotbox, aye?
It's what we'll call thedispatch room.
Anyway, I've devised theselong-range communication
devices.
If you're familiar with two-wayradio, aye?
(32:41):
No?
Aye?
Aye?
Well, you'll be able to transmitand receive audio.
I fictionally call them weevils.
They have a range of about 900miles, at least in theory.
Small enough to hide securely.
And secretly in your ears.
(33:01):
So take a weevil on your way outand let's cross our fingers they
survived the trip, no?
Ronan is shaking and pale.
He pulls a flask from the pocketof his lab coat and takes a shot
and then walks away muttering tohimself.
SPEAKER_01 (33:15):
Aye.
I didn't care.
I didn't care how much fuckingwork I put into
SPEAKER_05 (33:21):
this place.
I don't belong here.
Okay,
SPEAKER_03 (33:33):
as you can tell, he hasn't been out much.
Substance abuse aside, he's onehell of an engineer.
Anyway, you'll both be aboutfive miles on either side of the
hospital.
Make contact once you've toucheddown.
SPEAKER_05 (33:47):
Leo and Laurie are laying in the mortuary drawers
of the slab awaiting launch.
Leo inserts a weevil into hisleft ear.
reading this?
SPEAKER_01 (34:02):
Yeah, loud and clear.
SPEAKER_05 (34:04):
So, you ready for this?
I
SPEAKER_01 (34:08):
wouldn't go that far, but I can tell you this.
These demons, running around,possessing all these people, the
bastards played a big part in mydeath.
At the very least, they got meto such a desperate point that I
grabbed a giant bag of money andhauled ass until I got flattened
by a tow truck.
I'm ready for some payback.
SPEAKER_05 (34:29):
That's the spirit.
SPEAKER_01 (34:31):
Any tips before we take our trip?
SPEAKER_05 (34:35):
Look, in a few minutes things are gonna get
really weird.
I'd say try not to freak out,but you're gonna freak out.
SPEAKER_01 (34:45):
We'll see about that.
SPEAKER_05 (34:46):
Well, just remember I told you so.
Oh, and try not to tense up justbefore launch.
It can help with the phantompain once you touch down.
SPEAKER_04 (34:55):
Phantom pain?
SPEAKER_05 (34:57):
It's a symptom of the reincarnation process.
Take it over someone's soul,even temporarily, it doesn't
come easy.
I typically feel it in mywrists, but it's getting easier
each time.
Laura, you still with me?
SPEAKER_01 (35:12):
Holy shit.
Oh my god.
Oh my god! Leo, are you seeing
SPEAKER_05 (35:20):
this?
The mortuary drawer's backpanels dissolve.
And soon the expanse of theuniverse is just beyond the
heels of their shoes.
SPEAKER_01 (35:29):
Is that...
Is that fucking space?
SPEAKER_05 (35:33):
Yeah, you're freaking out.
Meanwhile, the pig remainschained to a wall deep inside
the cave.
He's growing lightheaded and isstruggling to stay on his feet.
You're feeling weak.
A large hulk of a man with ablank expressionless face
(35:54):
appears from the back of thechamber and walks over to the
pig.
He's carrying a canteen.
What's with the mouth breather?
SPEAKER_07 (36:04):
Drink.
Why?
So you can poison me again?
We
SPEAKER_09 (36:13):
didn't poison you.
We drugged you so you'd sleeppeacefully while we brought you
to the location you're in now.
It's a secret that must, for thetime being, remain that way.
SPEAKER_05 (36:26):
What?
What is this?
What is this location?
What the hell is that thingbehind the glass?
SPEAKER_04 (36:35):
You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
But also,
SPEAKER_09 (36:41):
you haven't earned the right to any answers.
SPEAKER_05 (36:46):
None.
The pig's legs got weak and hetemporarily drops.
He winces in pain as the cupspinch at his wrists.
He slowly struggles to stand upstraight again.
SPEAKER_09 (36:56):
The
SPEAKER_05 (37:02):
silent lightning storm behind the glass wall
erupts again.
The shadowy colossus containedwithin the glass room moans.
As if ordered to do so, thebulky, blank-faced giant walks
away, placing the canteen nextto the speaker.
Enough of this fucking charade!Hiding behind your fucking
(37:23):
speaker with auto-tune! Who areyou?
You wanna talk?
Then come out from yourhidey-hole and do it
face-to-face! There is aclicking sound from this
speaker.
And then lights in the ceilingflicker on, dimly illuminating
the spacious chamber.
The door at the top of the stepsopens and a man in a tan,
(37:44):
rumpled suit makes a descentdown the steps towards the pig.
As the man comes closer, the pigexamines his features more
closely.
He's balding, but has stringyred hair on either side of his
head.
His eyes are sunken in and hischeeks and jawline protrude
unnaturally.
It's as if he was a patient ofreally bad cosmetic surgery or
(38:07):
he's wearing some sort of facialprosthesis.
He is pale and freckled,standing directly before the pig
now.
He notices the man in the tanwrinkled suit is also wearing an
ugly orange tie as the man leansdown and grabs the canteen.
SPEAKER_00 (38:23):
Who are you?
SPEAKER_05 (38:27):
We are your true salvation.
The man in the orange tieunlocks the chains.
The pig falls to his knees.
The man in the orange tie kneelsnext to him and offers the
canteen.
The pig doesn't resist, grabsthe canteen and desperately
drinks the water.
(38:49):
Welcome to the Eleventh Circle,John.
Willie walks past the countlessgraves of the Cedar Hill
Cemetery.
Following the drawn path on thehandwritten map, he turns left,
(39:09):
then right, then walks straightahead for a few feet.
He repeats these steps followingthe winding path drawn in the
red marker until he has finallyreached the plot marked with an
X on the map.
Willy stands in front of theheadstone of Leo Braun.
Inscribed on the headstone isthe phrase, forever in our
(39:31):
hearts.
Whoa, what the hell?
Why Leo?
Okay, now what?
Willie begins examining theheadstone more closely, feeling
its rough surface.
He kneels and traces the base ofthe headstone with his hands,
(39:51):
trying to uncover some clue, butthe investigation yields
nothing.
Willie turns the map over andbegins transcribing the details
from the headstone.
Oh my god, no! Oh, so sorry,Leo.
(40:28):
He retrieves the map from hisbriefcase and takes down the
details of the two newheadstones, starting with their
names.
Louise and Harry Braun.
SPEAKER_02 (41:52):
Leo Braun is a production of Shoestring TV.
Wait, have you subscribed to thePatreon site yet?
What are you waiting for?
For only$5 a month, you'll gainearly access to each episode,
early access to bonus clips,concept art, and so much more.
So look for us at patreon.comslash shoestringtv.
You'll be glad you did.
(42:13):
You can also join or follow LeoBraun on our official Facebook
fan page.
You can find the link on ourpodcast show notes.
As always, you can listen to LeoBraun anywhere you listen to
podcasts.
Leo Braun is written andproduced by me, Jason Beard.
And now, the amazing cast of LeoBraun.
SPEAKER_05 (42:37):
A young man stands at the edge of a cliff, torn
between hope and damnation,until he realizes that they are
one and the same.
If you've received thistransmission, then rest assured,
the 11th Circle has you.
SPEAKER_02 (43:08):
Episode 8, Stitch Mainville.
as Leo Braun and young officerLeo Braun.
Andy Parkin as narrator two andRonan Delaney.
Terry Briscoe as Willy Topaz.
Jim Fronk as The Pig, MauryStillman and elderly
administrator.
(43:30):
Tabitha Mixon as JillianBurkett.
Michael Cunningham as DetectiveNorman Laddy Wallace and the man
in the ugly orange tie.
Mitch Lushinsky as DetectiveStanley Black.
Emily Fry as Barb Erlene Coxlinand Laurie Stryker.
(43:50):
Melrose Johnson as Captain F.J.
Manget.
Robert Lloyd as Chip Steed andHoward.
Samantha D.
Seuss as Tatiana Marigold.
And Grace Newton as FlightAttendant.
Stay tuned for Leo Braun Episode9, The List.
Coming August 21st.
(44:12):
Thanks again for listening.
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