December 18, 2024 • 23 mins
When human remains are discovered in Cedar Hollow's collapsed ice house, Detective Rourke investigates connections between missing railroad workers from 1879 and the town's founding families. As an ice storm isolates the community, attempts to silence the Historical Society's revelations lead to modern murders that echo century-old crimes. The discovery of ancient tunnels beneath the town suggests that Cedar Hollow's secrets run deeper than anyone imagined.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The ice came first as rain, falling in heavy drops
that froze on contact with every surface they touched. Detective
Jack Rourke watched crystals form on his windshield faster than
the wipers could clear them, transforming Cedar Hollow's familiar streets
into a glittering alien landscape. Main power transformers down on
Maple Street. Officer Chen's voice crackled through his radio, and
(00:21):
the backup generator at the Historical Society just failed. Doctor
Harrison says the temperature control systems for their preservation rooms
are offline. Rourke turned onto Valley Road, his tires crunching
over a layer of ice that grew thicker by the minute.
Ahead emergency lights painted the crystalline trees and alternating red
and blue. The collapsed ice house rose from the grounds
(00:44):
of the Whitman estate like a broken tooth, its century
old stone walls finally surrendering to time and weather. Harrison's
not our problem right now, Rourke responded, parking behind the ambulance.
What did the construction crew find in there? They're waiting
for you to says the scene. Chen said, But sir,
(01:07):
they're using words like multiple and old. The Victorian era
ice house had been slated for restoration as part of
the Historical Society's Winter exhibition. Now its roof had partially
caved in, revealing layers of history hidden within its walls.
As Rorke approached he kao'sni A, members of the construction
(01:35):
crew huddled near their equipment, their breath forming clouds in
the freezing air. Marcus Whitman, last scion of one of
Cedar Hollow's founding families, stood with them. His face was
even paler than usual. Detective Rourke, I, I don't understand
how this is possible. This building's been in my family
for generations. Show me, Rourke said. The crew had rigged
(01:59):
temporary lights inside the structure. Ice coated every surface, but
it wasn't the century's old ice that had once been
harvested from Cedar Hollow Lake. This ice was fresh, created
by the freezing rain that now poured through the collapsed
roof beneath it, partially exposed by the structural failure. Was
something else there, the crew foreman pointed, In the old
(02:19):
sawdust insulation layer, we found the first one when the
wall cracked. Roork stepped closer careful on the icy floor,
a human skull stared back at him from the exposed
wall cavity suspended in decades old packing material.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
As his eyes.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Adjusted to the darkness, he could see more shapes emerging
from the ancient insulation. Get forensics out here, he ordered.
And someone from the me's office, Chen already called them,
she replied, appearing at his side. But the storms getting worse.
Roads to the county seat are already impassable. Were on
our own for at least the next twenty four hours.
(02:56):
A sharp crack echoed through the air, another tree branch
surrendering to its coating of ice. The sound made Marcus
Whitman jump. Detective, he said, his voice shaking. The Historical
Society's winter exhibition. It opens tomorrow night. We've been preparing
for months. Doctor Harrison has documents photographs from the town's
(03:17):
early days. The ice house was supposed to be the centerpiece.
The exhibitions canceled. Rourke stated, flatly, this is now a
crime scene. His phone buzzed a text from Dorothy Whittaker
at the library. Don't let anyone move those bones. I
found something in the eighteen seventy nine records, something about
the Whitman ice House and missing railroad workers come quickly,
(03:40):
but as Rourke turned to leave, another crack split the air.
This time it wasn't ice on branches. The distinctive sound
of a rifle shot echoed across the estate, followed by
the tinkle of breaking glass and a cry of alarm
from inside the Whitman Mansion. The storm wasn't finished with
Cedar Hollow, and neither was Its past reached the Whitman
(04:00):
Mansion's front door just as a second shot rang out
through the frosted glass panels. He could see shadows moving
frantically in the study. Chen was already circling to the
back entrance, her weapon drawn. Marcus Rourke called, who else
is in the house? Doctor Harrison was meeting with my
aunt Virginia about the exhibition documents. Marcus replied, his voice cracking,
(04:24):
and some of the Historical Society board members were gathering
in the study to discuss contingency plans for tomorrow's opening.
The front door was locked. Rorke could hear voices arguing inside,
their words muffled by the thick walls and the steady
crack of ice laden branches. Another window shattered somewhere on
(04:46):
the second floor. Cedar Hollow police, Rourke shouted, positioning himself
beside the door.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Open up.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
The door opened slowly to reveal Virginia Whitman, her silver
hair perfectly col despite the chaos behind her. Rourke could
see several figures huddled near the studies fireplace. Doctor Elizabeth Harrison,
the Historical Society's curator, stood by the windows, her face ashen.
Someone's shooting at us, Virginia said, with remarkable calm through
(05:17):
the ice storm. Rather poor form, wouldn't you say? The
study looked like a museum had exploded. Ancient photographs and
documents were scattered across every surface, and a large presentation
board had fallen over, spilling what looked like architectural drawings
across the oriental carpet. A bullet hole marred the wall
above the fireplace, the plaster still smoking. Is anyone hurt?
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Rourke asked.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Scanning the room, he counted six people, Virginia and Marcus Whitman,
doctor Harrison, and three Historical Society board members he recognized
from previous town events. Just our pride, said Howard Canton,
the Society's treasurer, and Helen Canton's uncle. And perhaps our exhibition.
Those bullets we went right through the display cases. Chen's
(06:02):
voice crackled over the radio. Detective got footprints in the
ice leading into the woods behind the house. They're fresh,
but this storm's covering them fast. Stay with them, Rourke ordered,
indicating the group and the study. I'm heading to the library,
and nobody touches anything in this room. Detective Doctor Harrison
called after him. There's something you should know. The documents
(06:24):
we were reviewing, they're about the ice house and the
Whitman family's connection to the railroad's construction. We found ledgers
dating back to eighteen seventy nine that suggest Elizabeth Virginia
Whitman's voice cut through the room like a blade. Perhaps
this isn't the time, but Harrison continued, her hands shaking
(06:47):
as she gathered some of the fallen papers. The ledgers
show payments large ones to keep certain matters quiet, and
there are photographs of the ice house during its construction.
It wasn't just for storing ice. The walls they were
built with spaces inside them. Space is just the right
size for The lights went out, plunging the room into
sudden darkness. Through the windows, Rourke could see other houses
(07:09):
along Valley Road going dark as another transformer succumbed.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
To the ice.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Nobody leaves this room, he ordered, clicking on his flashlight.
Chen gets some uniforms up here, and someone find emergency
lighting now. The drive to the library took three times
longer than usual. Ice coated every surface, transforming cedar hollow
into a crystal prison. Trees groaned under the weight, and
power lines sagged dangerously low over the roads. Main Street
(07:35):
was deserted except for emergency vehicles, their lights creating kaleidoscope
patterns in the ice. Dorothy was waiting at the library's
side entrance, clutching a leather bound volume. You need to
see this, she said, leading him through the darkened building.
Emergency lights cast long shadows through the stacks. I found
(07:56):
it in a box of Virginia Whitman's grandmother's personal effects.
She donated them last spring. Probably never thought anyone would
look through them properly. In a back room, Dorothy had
set up a battery powered lamp. She opened the book,
a personal diary dated eighteen seventy nine, to a marked page.
Listen to this, father says. The ice house will solve
(08:16):
two problems at once, storage for summer and storage for secrets.
The railroad men are growing too bold with their questions
about the missing Chinese workers. Twenty thousand dollars in gold
is a fair price for silence, but some secrets require
more permanent solutions. Rourke studied the careful handwriting.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Who wrote this.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Margaret Whitman, Virginia's grandmother. She was sixteen when they built
the ice house. Dorothy pulled out more documents, and there's
more maps of the original construction, showing hidden spaces in
the walls, lists of names railroad workers who returned to
China according to official records. And this She handed him
(09:04):
a photograph, remarkably preserved. It showed the ice house under construction,
scaffolding surrounding its half built walls. In the foreground, a
group of men in suits posed formally, but in the
background partially blurred, workers were carrying what looked like long
wrapped bundles into the structure. The next page of the
diary refers to putting the evidence on ice. Dorothy said quietly,
(09:28):
they weren't just hiding bodies, Detective, they were hiding proof
of something worse, something about how Cedar Hollow's founding families
really made their fortune. Rourke's phone buzzed and a text
from chen second shooting at the Historical Society office downtown.
(09:51):
Doctor Harrison's assistant is dead. Found this in their display
preparation room. The attached photo showed an old ledger opened
to a page listing pay from multiple cedar hollow founding families.
At the bottom, someone had scrawled in modern ink, the
ice preserves more than just bodies. Some secrets never thaw.
Through the library's frost covered windows, Rourke could see more
(10:13):
emergency lights converging on Main Street. The storm was getting worse,
and somewhere out there someone was killing to keep century
old secrets buried. But as he studied the photograph of
the ice house construction, something caught his eye. In the
corner of the image, almost out of frame, a familiar
object was visible, an object he had just seen in
(10:35):
the Whitman study moments before the lights went out. The
object in the photograph was a brass compass mounted on
a wooden stand, its base carved with Chinese characters. The
same compass had been sitting on Virginia Whitman's desk during
the shooting, partially hidden under scattered papers, But in the
eighteen seventy nine photograph. It was being held by one
(10:55):
of the Chinese railroad workers. The man appeared to be
in mid argument with Margot Whitman's father, Chen. Rourke spoke
into his radio as he hurried back to his car,
that compass on Virginia's desk. Don't let anyone touch it,
and keep everyone in that study. Only static answered. The
ice storm was interfering with radio signals.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Now.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
The drive back to the Whitman estate was treacherous. Three
times Rourke had to stop for fallen trees, and twice
his car nearly slid off the road. As he approached
the mansion, he saw that more emergency vehicles had arrived.
An ambulance's lights painted the ice covered scene and pulses
of red. Officer Chen met him at the door, her
face grim, we've got another body. Detective Howard Canton found
(11:42):
him in the wine cellar. But that's not the worst part.
She led Rourke down narrow stone stairs. The cellar was
even older than the ice house, its walls dating back
to Cedar Hollow's founding. Howard Canton lay crumpled near a
rack of dusty bottles, a wound at the base of
his skull. Look at this, yus Chen directed her flashlight
beam at the wall behind the wine rack. We found
(12:04):
it when we were checking for the shooter's escape route.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Eh.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
The wine rack had been pulled away from the wall,
revealing a narrow tunnel. Ancient bricks lined its walls, glistening
with moisture and age, and there carved into one of
the bricks was a series of Chinese characters. It's a date,
said a voice from the stairs. They turned to see
Doctor Harrison, her face pale in the flashlight beam. Eighteen
(12:29):
seventy nine, the same year as the railroad worker's disappearance.
This tunnel, it connects to the ice house, doesn't it,
doctor Harrison, Rourke started, I thought I told everyone to
stay upstairs. Elizabeth came down to help me look for Howard,
Virginia Whitman said, descending the stairs with remarkable poise for
someone her age. We were worried when he didn't return
(12:50):
from fetching wine for our nerves the compass, Rourke said,
watching Virginia's face carefully, The one on your desk. Where
did your family get it? It's been passed down, Virginia replied, smoothly,
A family heirloom. No, Doctor Harrison interrupted, It belonged to
the railroad workers. Foreman Lee Way. He used it for
(13:12):
fung Schwe calculations during construction. The Historical Society has his journals.
They were part of tomorrow's exhibition. A crack of breaking
glass echoed from upstairs, followed by screams. Chen was already moving,
her weapon drawn, but before anyone could reach the stairs,
the cellar door slammed shut. The sound of a heavy
(13:32):
object being dragged across it echoed in the darkness. We're trapped,
Chen said, pushing against the door. Someone's blocked it from
the outside the tunnel, Rourke said, shining his light into
the dark passage.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Where does it lead to the ice house?
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Virginia answered, her composure finally cracking. But you don't understand
the bones you found. They're not just railroad workers. The
ice house, it holds proof of everything, the real story
of Cedar Hollow's founding, why the Chinese workers were killed,
what they discovered under the town while building the railroad,
what my family has been protecting all these years. Another
(14:10):
crash echoed from above, followed by the distinctive crack of gunfire,
and then filtering down through the ancient stone walls came
a sound that made everyone freeze, the mechanical groan of
the ice house's remaining walls beginning to collapse. Detective Virginia whispered,
we need to hurry before it all comes down, before
(14:31):
they destroy the evidence. You see, the compass isn't just
a compass. The Chinese characters on the base, they're coordinates,
coordinates to something beneath cedar hollow that's worth far more
than mere gold, something my family has killed to protect
for nearly one hundred and fifty years. The walls trembled
as another shot rang out above and in the darkness
(14:54):
of the wine cellar, Surrounded by secrets, both ancient and new,
Rourke realized that the ice storm wasn't their b biggest threat.
The real danger was what would happen when a century
and a half of frozen secrets finally began to thaw.
The tunnel was barely wide enough for one person, its
(15:15):
brick walls slick with.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Ice and age.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Rourke led the way, with Chen bringing up the rear
between them. Doctor Harrison helped Virginia Whitman navigate the treacherous passage.
The railroad survey team found at first Virginia explained, as
they moved forward, a natural cave system beneath cedar hollow,
but it wasn't empty. The Chinese workers recognized what they found,
(15:38):
artifacts that proved someone else had been here centuries before,
someone from their homeland. Another explosion rocked the tunnel closer.
This time dust and fragments of ancient mortar rained down
on them. Howard figured it out. Doctor Harrison added, that's
why he was killed. The ledgers didn't just show payments
for silence about murdered workers. They showed shit manifests, items
(16:01):
sent in secret to private collectors, priceless artifacts that should
have been in museums. The compass, Rourke said, piecing it together,
it wasn't for fung Shue at all, was it? No?
Virginia admitted. The characters on the base are more than coordinates.
They're a key to understanding the cave markings. Leeway realized
what they meant, what they could lead to. That's why
(16:23):
my grandfather had him and his men killed. Why they
were sealed in the ice house walls. The tunnel curved sharply,
and work could feel cold air flowing from a head.
They were nearing the ice house behind them. The sounds
of pursuit had begun, footsteps and voices echoing through the passage.
Marcus Chen said, Suddenly, he's not just trying to hide
(16:46):
the bodies we found. He's trying to destroy evidence of
the cave system before anyone else translates those markings. My
nephew never understood, Virginia said bitterly. He thinks it's about
protecting the family name, but it's about protecting the site.
What's down there. It could rewrite history, change everything we
think we know about who reached America First, they reached
(17:08):
a junction where the tunnel split. One path led up
toward the ice house, the other descended sharply into darkness.
Ancient Chinese characters were carved into the brick at the junction.
The Path to Wisdom lies beneath. Doctor Harrison translated, these
tunnels they're not just escape routes, are they. The founding
(17:28):
families built them to access the caves, to loot them
in secret. The decision was taken from them as another
explosion echoed from the direction of the ice House. The
upper tunnel began to collapse, chunks of ancient brick and
frozen earth crashing down down, Rourke ordered, hurting them toward
the descending passage.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Now they had.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Barely made it twenty feet when the collapse reached the junction.
The tunnel behind them filled with debris, cutting off any
chance of pursuit or escape. Your flashlight, Virginia said her urgently,
Shine it on the wall. There the beam revealed more
Chinese characters, these carved more deeply into the stone, and
beneath them, perfectly preserved by a century and a half
(18:12):
of secrets, was a brass plate set into the wall.
It matched the base of the compass exactly. All these years,
Virginia whispered, all those deaths, the railroad workers, the secret tunnels,
even Evelyn Porter's murder last year. It was all to
protect this, to keep anyone from finding what lies beneath
Cedar Hollow. And what exactly is that? Rourke asked, studying
(18:36):
the brass plate. Before Virginia could answer, a new sound
echoed through the tunnel, water rushing toward them from below.
The ice storm's meltwater was finding its way into the
cave system. Detective Chen called, from further down the passage,
We've got bigger problems. I found Howard Canton's phone look
at his last text message. The screen showed a message
(18:59):
sent just before his death. Charges set ice house and
tunnels will collapse at midnight, all evidence gone below and above.
Rourke checked his watch eleven forty seven pm. They had
thirteen minutes to choose. Try to dig back through the
collapse to the surface, or press forward into the caves
that had already claimed so many lives. And somewhere above
(19:20):
Marcus Whitman was still hunting anyone who knew the truth
about what lay beneath Cedar Hollow's perfect surface. The sound
of rushing water grew louder as Rourke examined the brass
plate in the wall. The Chinese characters matched those on
the compass base perfectly, too perfectly for something supposedly carved
in eighteen seventy nine. The plates knew, he said, turning
(19:41):
to Virginia. Someone's been down here recently. Virginia's composed facade
finally cracked. Marcus. He's been obsessed with the caves since
he found our grandfather's journals.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Last year.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
He had the plate made, thinking it would help him
decode the original markings, but he was wrong. The compass
itself is the key not just its base. Doctor Harrison
was already pulling out her phone, swiping through photographs. The
exhibition researched here Leeway's last journal entry. He wrote that
(20:17):
the compass needle doesn't point north when it's near the
cave entrances, it points to something else. The water was
ankle deep, now numbingly cold. Chen's flashlight beam caught something
floating past ancient papers, their ink already running. More ledgers
Virginia identified them from the wine cellar. The water's flooding everything,
all the evidence. We don't have time for this, Rourke decided.
(20:41):
Chen try radioing for backup again. The rest of you
stay close. We're heading up. We can't go back, Doctor
Harrison protested. The tunnel collapsed, not back. Rourke pointed his
flashlight further down the passage.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
There.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
The water's flowing down, but there's a draft coming from
up ahead. These tunnels were built for ventilation as well
as access. There has to be another way out. They
moved forward, fighting the current that now reached their knees.
The tunnel walls were changing, the neat nineteenth century brickwork
giving way to rough hewn stone and then natural rock.
(21:18):
They were entering the cave system itself. Chen's radio crackled
suddenly to life. Through the static, they could hear Marcus
Whitman's voice, final charges set. If anyone still in the tunnels,
their own fault, family legacy must be protected. He's going
to bring it all down. Virginia breathed, where cape, the caves,
(21:41):
the evidence, everything, just like they did in eighteen seventy nine.
The water was rising faster, but Rourke's flashlight had caught
something ahead. A vertical shaft with ancient hand holds carved
into the rock, and there on the wall beside it
was a symbol that made doctor Harrison gasp. That's impossible,
she whispered, that marking it's identical to ones found in
(22:04):
medieval Chinese exploration records. But that would mean that the
railroad workers weren't the first to find these caves. Virginia finished,
and neither were the people who left these markings. There's
something down here, older than any of it, something that
would change everything we think we know about early contact
between Asia and North America. Rourke's watch right eleven fifty
(22:35):
four minutes until Marcus's charges were set.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
To detonate up the shaft. He ordered now.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
But as they started to climb, Chen's flashlight illuminated something else,
bones embedded in the cave wall.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Not railroad workers this time.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
These remains were far older, and they wore fragments of
what looked like ancient Chinese armor. They sealed the first
discovery team in here too, Virginia said, quietly, a thousand
years ago. History doesn't just repeat itself in Cedar Hollow, Detective,
it freezes in place. The water was chest deep now
above them, they could hear the first rumbles of Marcus's
(23:11):
charges being triggered early. They were out of time. Detective
Chen called down from higher up the shaft, there's something
up here, some kind of chamber, and sir, you need
to see this now. Rourke climbed the last few feet
and pulled himself into a space that couldn't possibly exist,
because there, in a chamber deep beneath Cedar Hollow, illuminated
(23:33):
by their failing flashlights, was something that would rewrite more
than just the town's history if they lived long enough
to reveal it. The first explosion hit then, and the
caves began to collapse around them, Trying to seal away
their secrets one final time, beneath the ice and stone
of Cedar hollow ed. This has been a quiet. Please
production head over to quiet. Please dot ai to hear
(23:55):
what matters.
The ice came first as rain, falling in heavy drops
that froze on contact with every surface they touched. Detective
Jack Rourke watched crystals form on his windshield faster than
the wipers could clear them, transforming Cedar Hollow's familiar streets
into a glittering alien landscape. Main power transformers down on
Maple Street. Officer Chen's voice crackled through his radio, and
(00:21):
the backup generator at the Historical Society just failed. Doctor
Harrison says the temperature control systems for their preservation rooms
are offline. Rourke turned onto Valley Road, his tires crunching
over a layer of ice that grew thicker by the minute.
Ahead emergency lights painted the crystalline trees and alternating red
and blue. The collapsed ice house rose from the grounds
(00:44):
of the Whitman estate like a broken tooth, its century
old stone walls finally surrendering to time and weather. Harrison's
not our problem right now, Rourke responded, parking behind the ambulance.
What did the construction crew find in there? They're waiting
for you to says the scene. Chen said, But sir,
(01:07):
they're using words like multiple and old. The Victorian era
ice house had been slated for restoration as part of
the Historical Society's Winter exhibition. Now its roof had partially
caved in, revealing layers of history hidden within its walls.
As Rorke approached he kao'sni A, members of the construction
(01:35):
crew huddled near their equipment, their breath forming clouds in
the freezing air. Marcus Whitman, last scion of one of
Cedar Hollow's founding families, stood with them. His face was
even paler than usual. Detective Rourke, I, I don't understand
how this is possible. This building's been in my family
for generations. Show me, Rourke said. The crew had rigged
(01:59):
temporary lights inside the structure. Ice coated every surface, but
it wasn't the century's old ice that had once been
harvested from Cedar Hollow Lake. This ice was fresh, created
by the freezing rain that now poured through the collapsed
roof beneath it, partially exposed by the structural failure. Was
something else there, the crew foreman pointed, In the old
(02:19):
sawdust insulation layer, we found the first one when the
wall cracked. Roork stepped closer careful on the icy floor,
a human skull stared back at him from the exposed
wall cavity suspended in decades old packing material.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
As his eyes.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Adjusted to the darkness, he could see more shapes emerging
from the ancient insulation. Get forensics out here, he ordered.
And someone from the me's office, Chen already called them,
she replied, appearing at his side. But the storms getting worse.
Roads to the county seat are already impassable. Were on
our own for at least the next twenty four hours.
(02:56):
A sharp crack echoed through the air, another tree branch
surrendering to its coating of ice. The sound made Marcus
Whitman jump. Detective, he said, his voice shaking. The Historical
Society's winter exhibition. It opens tomorrow night. We've been preparing
for months. Doctor Harrison has documents photographs from the town's
(03:17):
early days. The ice house was supposed to be the centerpiece.
The exhibitions canceled. Rourke stated, flatly, this is now a
crime scene. His phone buzzed a text from Dorothy Whittaker
at the library. Don't let anyone move those bones. I
found something in the eighteen seventy nine records, something about
the Whitman ice House and missing railroad workers come quickly,
(03:40):
but as Rourke turned to leave, another crack split the air.
This time it wasn't ice on branches. The distinctive sound
of a rifle shot echoed across the estate, followed by
the tinkle of breaking glass and a cry of alarm
from inside the Whitman Mansion. The storm wasn't finished with
Cedar Hollow, and neither was Its past reached the Whitman
(04:00):
Mansion's front door just as a second shot rang out
through the frosted glass panels. He could see shadows moving
frantically in the study. Chen was already circling to the
back entrance, her weapon drawn. Marcus Rourke called, who else
is in the house? Doctor Harrison was meeting with my
aunt Virginia about the exhibition documents. Marcus replied, his voice cracking,
(04:24):
and some of the Historical Society board members were gathering
in the study to discuss contingency plans for tomorrow's opening.
The front door was locked. Rorke could hear voices arguing inside,
their words muffled by the thick walls and the steady
crack of ice laden branches. Another window shattered somewhere on
(04:46):
the second floor. Cedar Hollow police, Rourke shouted, positioning himself
beside the door.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Open up.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
The door opened slowly to reveal Virginia Whitman, her silver
hair perfectly col despite the chaos behind her. Rourke could
see several figures huddled near the studies fireplace. Doctor Elizabeth Harrison,
the Historical Society's curator, stood by the windows, her face ashen.
Someone's shooting at us, Virginia said, with remarkable calm through
(05:17):
the ice storm. Rather poor form, wouldn't you say? The
study looked like a museum had exploded. Ancient photographs and
documents were scattered across every surface, and a large presentation
board had fallen over, spilling what looked like architectural drawings
across the oriental carpet. A bullet hole marred the wall
above the fireplace, the plaster still smoking. Is anyone hurt?
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Rourke asked.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Scanning the room, he counted six people, Virginia and Marcus Whitman,
doctor Harrison, and three Historical Society board members he recognized
from previous town events. Just our pride, said Howard Canton,
the Society's treasurer, and Helen Canton's uncle. And perhaps our exhibition.
Those bullets we went right through the display cases. Chen's
(06:02):
voice crackled over the radio. Detective got footprints in the
ice leading into the woods behind the house. They're fresh,
but this storm's covering them fast. Stay with them, Rourke ordered,
indicating the group and the study. I'm heading to the library,
and nobody touches anything in this room. Detective Doctor Harrison
called after him. There's something you should know. The documents
(06:24):
we were reviewing, they're about the ice house and the
Whitman family's connection to the railroad's construction. We found ledgers
dating back to eighteen seventy nine that suggest Elizabeth Virginia
Whitman's voice cut through the room like a blade. Perhaps
this isn't the time, but Harrison continued, her hands shaking
(06:47):
as she gathered some of the fallen papers. The ledgers
show payments large ones to keep certain matters quiet, and
there are photographs of the ice house during its construction.
It wasn't just for storing ice. The walls they were
built with spaces inside them. Space is just the right
size for The lights went out, plunging the room into
sudden darkness. Through the windows, Rourke could see other houses
(07:09):
along Valley Road going dark as another transformer succumbed.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
To the ice.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Nobody leaves this room, he ordered, clicking on his flashlight.
Chen gets some uniforms up here, and someone find emergency
lighting now. The drive to the library took three times
longer than usual. Ice coated every surface, transforming cedar hollow
into a crystal prison. Trees groaned under the weight, and
power lines sagged dangerously low over the roads. Main Street
(07:35):
was deserted except for emergency vehicles, their lights creating kaleidoscope
patterns in the ice. Dorothy was waiting at the library's
side entrance, clutching a leather bound volume. You need to
see this, she said, leading him through the darkened building.
Emergency lights cast long shadows through the stacks. I found
(07:56):
it in a box of Virginia Whitman's grandmother's personal effects.
She donated them last spring. Probably never thought anyone would
look through them properly. In a back room, Dorothy had
set up a battery powered lamp. She opened the book,
a personal diary dated eighteen seventy nine, to a marked page.
Listen to this, father says. The ice house will solve
(08:16):
two problems at once, storage for summer and storage for secrets.
The railroad men are growing too bold with their questions
about the missing Chinese workers. Twenty thousand dollars in gold
is a fair price for silence, but some secrets require
more permanent solutions. Rourke studied the careful handwriting.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Who wrote this.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Margaret Whitman, Virginia's grandmother. She was sixteen when they built
the ice house. Dorothy pulled out more documents, and there's
more maps of the original construction, showing hidden spaces in
the walls, lists of names railroad workers who returned to
China according to official records. And this She handed him
(09:04):
a photograph, remarkably preserved. It showed the ice house under construction,
scaffolding surrounding its half built walls. In the foreground, a
group of men in suits posed formally, but in the
background partially blurred, workers were carrying what looked like long
wrapped bundles into the structure. The next page of the
diary refers to putting the evidence on ice. Dorothy said quietly,
(09:28):
they weren't just hiding bodies, Detective, they were hiding proof
of something worse, something about how Cedar Hollow's founding families
really made their fortune. Rourke's phone buzzed and a text
from chen second shooting at the Historical Society office downtown.
(09:51):
Doctor Harrison's assistant is dead. Found this in their display
preparation room. The attached photo showed an old ledger opened
to a page listing pay from multiple cedar hollow founding families.
At the bottom, someone had scrawled in modern ink, the
ice preserves more than just bodies. Some secrets never thaw.
Through the library's frost covered windows, Rourke could see more
(10:13):
emergency lights converging on Main Street. The storm was getting worse,
and somewhere out there someone was killing to keep century
old secrets buried. But as he studied the photograph of
the ice house construction, something caught his eye. In the
corner of the image, almost out of frame, a familiar
object was visible, an object he had just seen in
(10:35):
the Whitman study moments before the lights went out. The
object in the photograph was a brass compass mounted on
a wooden stand, its base carved with Chinese characters. The
same compass had been sitting on Virginia Whitman's desk during
the shooting, partially hidden under scattered papers, But in the
eighteen seventy nine photograph. It was being held by one
(10:55):
of the Chinese railroad workers. The man appeared to be
in mid argument with Margot Whitman's father, Chen. Rourke spoke
into his radio as he hurried back to his car,
that compass on Virginia's desk. Don't let anyone touch it,
and keep everyone in that study. Only static answered. The
ice storm was interfering with radio signals.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Now.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
The drive back to the Whitman estate was treacherous. Three
times Rourke had to stop for fallen trees, and twice
his car nearly slid off the road. As he approached
the mansion, he saw that more emergency vehicles had arrived.
An ambulance's lights painted the ice covered scene and pulses
of red. Officer Chen met him at the door, her
face grim, we've got another body. Detective Howard Canton found
(11:42):
him in the wine cellar. But that's not the worst part.
She led Rourke down narrow stone stairs. The cellar was
even older than the ice house, its walls dating back
to Cedar Hollow's founding. Howard Canton lay crumpled near a
rack of dusty bottles, a wound at the base of
his skull. Look at this, yus Chen directed her flashlight
beam at the wall behind the wine rack. We found
(12:04):
it when we were checking for the shooter's escape route.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Eh.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
The wine rack had been pulled away from the wall,
revealing a narrow tunnel. Ancient bricks lined its walls, glistening
with moisture and age, and there carved into one of
the bricks was a series of Chinese characters. It's a date,
said a voice from the stairs. They turned to see
Doctor Harrison, her face pale in the flashlight beam. Eighteen
(12:29):
seventy nine, the same year as the railroad worker's disappearance.
This tunnel, it connects to the ice house, doesn't it,
doctor Harrison, Rourke started, I thought I told everyone to
stay upstairs. Elizabeth came down to help me look for Howard,
Virginia Whitman said, descending the stairs with remarkable poise for
someone her age. We were worried when he didn't return
(12:50):
from fetching wine for our nerves the compass, Rourke said,
watching Virginia's face carefully, The one on your desk. Where
did your family get it? It's been passed down, Virginia replied, smoothly,
A family heirloom. No, Doctor Harrison interrupted, It belonged to
the railroad workers. Foreman Lee Way. He used it for
(13:12):
fung Schwe calculations during construction. The Historical Society has his journals.
They were part of tomorrow's exhibition. A crack of breaking
glass echoed from upstairs, followed by screams. Chen was already moving,
her weapon drawn, but before anyone could reach the stairs,
the cellar door slammed shut. The sound of a heavy
(13:32):
object being dragged across it echoed in the darkness. We're trapped,
Chen said, pushing against the door. Someone's blocked it from
the outside the tunnel, Rourke said, shining his light into
the dark passage.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Where does it lead to the ice house?
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Virginia answered, her composure finally cracking. But you don't understand
the bones you found. They're not just railroad workers. The
ice house, it holds proof of everything, the real story
of Cedar Hollow's founding, why the Chinese workers were killed,
what they discovered under the town while building the railroad,
what my family has been protecting all these years. Another
(14:10):
crash echoed from above, followed by the distinctive crack of gunfire,
and then filtering down through the ancient stone walls came
a sound that made everyone freeze, the mechanical groan of
the ice house's remaining walls beginning to collapse. Detective Virginia whispered,
we need to hurry before it all comes down, before
(14:31):
they destroy the evidence. You see, the compass isn't just
a compass. The Chinese characters on the base, they're coordinates,
coordinates to something beneath cedar hollow that's worth far more
than mere gold, something my family has killed to protect
for nearly one hundred and fifty years. The walls trembled
as another shot rang out above and in the darkness
(14:54):
of the wine cellar, Surrounded by secrets, both ancient and new,
Rourke realized that the ice storm wasn't their b biggest threat.
The real danger was what would happen when a century
and a half of frozen secrets finally began to thaw.
The tunnel was barely wide enough for one person, its
(15:15):
brick walls slick with.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Ice and age.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Rourke led the way, with Chen bringing up the rear
between them. Doctor Harrison helped Virginia Whitman navigate the treacherous passage.
The railroad survey team found at first Virginia explained, as
they moved forward, a natural cave system beneath cedar hollow,
but it wasn't empty. The Chinese workers recognized what they found,
(15:38):
artifacts that proved someone else had been here centuries before,
someone from their homeland. Another explosion rocked the tunnel closer.
This time dust and fragments of ancient mortar rained down
on them. Howard figured it out. Doctor Harrison added, that's
why he was killed. The ledgers didn't just show payments
for silence about murdered workers. They showed shit manifests, items
(16:01):
sent in secret to private collectors, priceless artifacts that should
have been in museums. The compass, Rourke said, piecing it together,
it wasn't for fung Shue at all, was it? No?
Virginia admitted. The characters on the base are more than coordinates.
They're a key to understanding the cave markings. Leeway realized
what they meant, what they could lead to. That's why
(16:23):
my grandfather had him and his men killed. Why they
were sealed in the ice house walls. The tunnel curved sharply,
and work could feel cold air flowing from a head.
They were nearing the ice house behind them. The sounds
of pursuit had begun, footsteps and voices echoing through the passage.
Marcus Chen said, Suddenly, he's not just trying to hide
(16:46):
the bodies we found. He's trying to destroy evidence of
the cave system before anyone else translates those markings. My
nephew never understood, Virginia said bitterly. He thinks it's about
protecting the family name, but it's about protecting the site.
What's down there. It could rewrite history, change everything we
think we know about who reached America First, they reached
(17:08):
a junction where the tunnel split. One path led up
toward the ice house, the other descended sharply into darkness.
Ancient Chinese characters were carved into the brick at the junction.
The Path to Wisdom lies beneath. Doctor Harrison translated, these
tunnels they're not just escape routes, are they. The founding
(17:28):
families built them to access the caves, to loot them
in secret. The decision was taken from them as another
explosion echoed from the direction of the ice House. The
upper tunnel began to collapse, chunks of ancient brick and
frozen earth crashing down down, Rourke ordered, hurting them toward
the descending passage.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Now they had.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Barely made it twenty feet when the collapse reached the junction.
The tunnel behind them filled with debris, cutting off any
chance of pursuit or escape. Your flashlight, Virginia said her urgently,
Shine it on the wall. There the beam revealed more
Chinese characters, these carved more deeply into the stone, and
beneath them, perfectly preserved by a century and a half
(18:12):
of secrets, was a brass plate set into the wall.
It matched the base of the compass exactly. All these years,
Virginia whispered, all those deaths, the railroad workers, the secret tunnels,
even Evelyn Porter's murder last year. It was all to
protect this, to keep anyone from finding what lies beneath
Cedar Hollow. And what exactly is that? Rourke asked, studying
(18:36):
the brass plate. Before Virginia could answer, a new sound
echoed through the tunnel, water rushing toward them from below.
The ice storm's meltwater was finding its way into the
cave system. Detective Chen called, from further down the passage,
We've got bigger problems. I found Howard Canton's phone look
at his last text message. The screen showed a message
(18:59):
sent just before his death. Charges set ice house and
tunnels will collapse at midnight, all evidence gone below and above.
Rourke checked his watch eleven forty seven pm. They had
thirteen minutes to choose. Try to dig back through the
collapse to the surface, or press forward into the caves
that had already claimed so many lives. And somewhere above
(19:20):
Marcus Whitman was still hunting anyone who knew the truth
about what lay beneath Cedar Hollow's perfect surface. The sound
of rushing water grew louder as Rourke examined the brass
plate in the wall. The Chinese characters matched those on
the compass base perfectly, too perfectly for something supposedly carved
in eighteen seventy nine. The plates knew, he said, turning
(19:41):
to Virginia. Someone's been down here recently. Virginia's composed facade
finally cracked. Marcus. He's been obsessed with the caves since
he found our grandfather's journals.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Last year.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
He had the plate made, thinking it would help him
decode the original markings, but he was wrong. The compass
itself is the key not just its base. Doctor Harrison
was already pulling out her phone, swiping through photographs. The
exhibition researched here Leeway's last journal entry. He wrote that
(20:17):
the compass needle doesn't point north when it's near the
cave entrances, it points to something else. The water was
ankle deep, now numbingly cold. Chen's flashlight beam caught something
floating past ancient papers, their ink already running. More ledgers
Virginia identified them from the wine cellar. The water's flooding everything,
all the evidence. We don't have time for this, Rourke decided.
(20:41):
Chen try radioing for backup again. The rest of you
stay close. We're heading up. We can't go back, Doctor
Harrison protested. The tunnel collapsed, not back. Rourke pointed his
flashlight further down the passage.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
There.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
The water's flowing down, but there's a draft coming from
up ahead. These tunnels were built for ventilation as well
as access. There has to be another way out. They
moved forward, fighting the current that now reached their knees.
The tunnel walls were changing, the neat nineteenth century brickwork
giving way to rough hewn stone and then natural rock.
(21:18):
They were entering the cave system itself. Chen's radio crackled
suddenly to life. Through the static, they could hear Marcus
Whitman's voice, final charges set. If anyone still in the tunnels,
their own fault, family legacy must be protected. He's going
to bring it all down. Virginia breathed, where cape, the caves,
(21:41):
the evidence, everything, just like they did in eighteen seventy nine.
The water was rising faster, but Rourke's flashlight had caught
something ahead. A vertical shaft with ancient hand holds carved
into the rock, and there on the wall beside it
was a symbol that made doctor Harrison gasp. That's impossible,
she whispered, that marking it's identical to ones found in
(22:04):
medieval Chinese exploration records. But that would mean that the
railroad workers weren't the first to find these caves. Virginia finished,
and neither were the people who left these markings. There's
something down here, older than any of it, something that
would change everything we think we know about early contact
between Asia and North America. Rourke's watch right eleven fifty
(22:35):
four minutes until Marcus's charges were set.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
To detonate up the shaft. He ordered now.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
But as they started to climb, Chen's flashlight illuminated something else,
bones embedded in the cave wall.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Not railroad workers this time.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
These remains were far older, and they wore fragments of
what looked like ancient Chinese armor. They sealed the first
discovery team in here too, Virginia said, quietly, a thousand
years ago. History doesn't just repeat itself in Cedar Hollow, Detective,
it freezes in place. The water was chest deep now
above them, they could hear the first rumbles of Marcus's
(23:11):
charges being triggered early. They were out of time. Detective
Chen called down from higher up the shaft, there's something
up here, some kind of chamber, and sir, you need
to see this now. Rourke climbed the last few feet
and pulled himself into a space that couldn't possibly exist,
because there, in a chamber deep beneath Cedar Hollow, illuminated
(23:33):
by their failing flashlights, was something that would rewrite more
than just the town's history if they lived long enough
to reveal it. The first explosion hit then, and the
caves began to collapse around them, Trying to seal away
their secrets one final time, beneath the ice and stone
of Cedar hollow ed. This has been a quiet. Please
production head over to quiet. Please dot ai to hear
(23:55):
what matters.
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