Episode 110: Their Satanic Monastery's Request
(Theme song and intro plays)
ALEX: The Black Tapes Podcast is an exploration of life, belief, faith, and occasionally the paranormal. This season we’re focusing our lens on the work of the Strand Institute and its enigmatic founder and president, Dr. Richard Strand. We’ll be telling our story in order, week to week, so if you haven’t listened to the first few episodes. Go back and start there. We’ll be here when you get back.
From Pacific Northwest Stories and Minnow Beats Whale, it’s the Black Tapes Podcast. I’m Alex Reagan.
(intro music)
ALEX: That’s Amalia Chenkova, she’s a journalist based in Moscow who did some freelance work for Pacific Northwest Stories many years ago, and before that, dated a certain producer I know.
ALEX: Amalia sent me a compressed video file. The séance was recorded on vhs in the early 80’s. So the resolution isn’t the best.
ALEX: There’s a woman seated at a table. She looks to be about 30, dressed like a young Stevie Nicks. She’s with a man who appears to be her assistant seated to her left. There are three other men at the table, all of them appear to be monks. They’re wearing pale gray robes. In the middle of the table is what looks like a glass sculpture. A two foot tall, crystal version of that obelisk from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
ALEX: Picture a woman who appears to be in some kind of deep trance. Her hand moving sharply, erratically, in jagged circles all over the page. Her assistant holds on to the edge of the paper, like he’s about to pull it away.
ALEX: The woman is writing words without looking down. The words are big, huge, looping letters. As she writes, her assistant asks questions to whatever entity they believe is present. And then reads the medium’s answers from those large pages aloud to the group.
ALEX: On that sheet of paper were what appeared to be three figures. One tall shadow and two smaller shades, it was hard to make it out because most of the page was hidden by her assistant’s arm, but they were definitely there. And they looked really creepy. Nic and I went back through all the sheets of paper, they appeared to all be covered in circular scribbles, but her assistant was pulling the pages so fast it was hard to see them clearly. Somehow, during the rapid, mostly circular movement of the pencil, these shadowy figures had been conjured. I suspect Strand would say that it was random luck, but…if you could see them, it clearly looks like two small shadowy figures next to one really tall shadow. The whole thing looks anything but random.
We’ll get back to the séance in just a moment, but first the conclusion of my interview with Charlie Strand. You’ll remember that she had just informed me that she was with her father during those mysterious, missing days.
ALEX: And so I did. After the break.
ALEX: It became apparent that the discussion was making Dr. Strand uncomfortable, well more than usual. So, I didn’t press the issue of why he thought he had a better chance at finding Coralee than the authorities. I switched gears and showed him the video of the séance. I wanted to get his take on the shadowy drawings.
ALEX: Strand had a point. Just sitting there listening to him, I thought of a few ways I could have made that thing shake on the table. And while acknowledging he was probably right, I still found his inability or unwillingness to be surprised by anything extremely frustrating.
ALEX: After the break, I speak with the woman who allegedly cast out a demon from that secretive Bulgarian monastery. I’m Alex Reagan, it’s the Black Tapes Podcast, stay with us.
ALEX: Just as Dr. Strand intimated, Clara Simone is known the world over for her special talent in making contact with demons and then exorcising them. When I told her about this podcast, she was more than happy to share her experiences with our listeners.
ALEX: Between Clara’s story of the thing under her bed, the flies coming out of its mouth, and then the implications of that demonic presence at Glushka, I have to admit, I had trouble sleeping that night. Every sound of the city outside of my window seemed… sinister. When I came into work the next morning, there was a message for me to call Amalia.
ALEX: That conversation took place three weeks ago. That was the last I heard from Amalia. We’d been speaking pretty much daily up to that point. I’ve asked everybody I could, but nobody’s heard from her. The embassy said they’d look into, but we’re still waiting to hear back from them. Calls to the monastery, as always, remain unanswered.
Nic was able to gain a bit of traction in another area- Lisa Graves. It turns out Coralee’s old college roommate got married and changed her name. Nic tracked her down and spoke with her about Coralee. She said Coralee was pretty quiet, kept to herself, great grades. They were friends, but not really close, they didn’t keep in touch after college. Lisa says that she never rented a post office box. Nic asked Lisa for a recent photo and I sent it to Tina Stevenson in Lake Tahoe.
ALEX: Tina Stevenson positively identified the woman in the second photo that I sent. She was convinced it was the woman who rented that post office box. The thing is, the second photo that I sent Tina Stevenson wasn’t Lisa Graves- it was a photo of Coralee Strand.
I sent the photo of Coralee because Tina’s description of Lisa Graves matched Coralee Strand exactly. Tina says Lisa Graves, or whoever rented that box, is paid up. But that they haven’t been in for years.
It’s the Black Tapes Podcast, I’m Alex Reagan. We’ll be back again in two weeks.
ALEX: Black Tapes Podcast is a Pacific Northwest Stories and Minnow Beats Whale production, recorded in Seattle and Vancouver. Produced by Nic Silver, mixed and engineered by Alan Williams and Samantha Paulson. Edited by Nic Silver and Alex Reagan. Associate producer Robert Romero Jr. Executive producers Paul Bae and Terry Miles.
ALEX: The Black Tapes Podcast is an exploration of life, belief, faith, and occasionally the paranormal. This season we’re focusing our lens on the work of the Strand Institute and its enigmatic founder and president, Dr. Richard Strand. We’ll be telling our story in order, week to week, so if you haven’t listened to the first few episodes. Go back and start there. We’ll be here when you get back.
From Pacific Northwest Stories and Minnow Beats Whale, it’s the Black Tapes Podcast. I’m Alex Reagan.
(intro music)
- AMALIA: Alexandra, how are you?
- ALEX: (laughing) I’m good, thanks. I’m so happy you were able to do this.
- AMALIA: Of course! Are you still with the Pacific Northwest Stories?
- ALEX: Yeah! Well, we just launched as a podcast. Well, a podcast network, actually.
- AMALIA: That sounds cool.
ALEX: That’s Amalia Chenkova, she’s a journalist based in Moscow who did some freelance work for Pacific Northwest Stories many years ago, and before that, dated a certain producer I know.
- AMALIA: And how’s Nic? Is he still there?
- ALEX: Yeah, he’s still living in my ear.
- AMALIA: Well, tell him I say hi. And he still owes me 200 francs, he’ll know what you mean.
- ALEX: Okay, I’ll tell him. So listen-
- AMALIA: Yeah?
- ALEX: Were you able to dig up anything on Percival Black? We still haven’t been able to get through to anyone up there.
- AMALIA: Me neither, I’m afraid. I haven’t gone to the abbey myself. It’s a 7 hour drive to Saransk. But I did find something which may be of interest.
- ALEX: Great.
- AMALIA: So, I’m not sure how familiar you are with this stuff…
- ALEX: Assume not at all.
- AMALIA: Okay, well, Saransk Abbey is loosely affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. A kind of splinter faction of the Order of St. Benedict. I interviewed the abbot asking if I could interview Percival Black.
- ALEX: And?
- AMALIA: And he told me that Black has taken a vow of silence.
- ALEX: Really?
- AMALIA: Yes. Apparently he wants to focus on worshipping God through action and music, not words.
- ALEX: Must have been something I said.
- AMALIA: You spoke to him recently?
- ALEX: Just over a week ago.
- AMALIA: Then yeah, it was definitely you.
- ALEX: So, Percival Black is silent…any luck with Keith Dabic?
- AMALIA: The abbot said he’d never heard of anyone named Keith Dabic.
- ALEX: Well, that won’t do.
- AMALIA: I agree. So I did some more digging.
- ALEX: I knew you would.
- AMALIA: Of course! Well, I traced Black’s history back to the English town of Bath where he supposedly lived before moving to Saransk. I’m looking into a few leads, trying to track down anybody who knew him around the time. I’m guessing he went to the university there, but I should know more soon. I have a friend in London digging into it for me.
- ALEX: You’re awesome.
- AMALIA: Yeah, you’re only saying that because it’s true. (both laugh)
- ALEX: So, I’m guessing I should stop calling the monastery?
- AMALIA: Yes, they won’t talk to you. Here’s the thing- the Order Black belongs to are an affiliation of the Benedictine code, the Order of the Seniphus. They’re incredibly reclusive and secretive, which is why you won’t be able to find anything about them online.
- ALEX: No Instagram?
- AMALIA: A friend of mine was able to put me in touch with a religious studies professor at Lomonosov who told me something very curious.
- ALEX: About the Saransk monastery?
- AMALIA: No, about the Order of the Seniphus.
- ALEX: What does that mean? The order of Seniphus?
- AMALIA: No one outside of the order knows, but they do have a chapter in Bulgaria that has become quite notorious.
- ALEX: Notorious? For what?
- AMALIA: Well, apparently there’s a monastery in Bulgaria called Glushka. They, like Percival Black’s order, broke away from the mainstream Benedictines in the 16th century. In 1742, a monk there named Ivan threw himself from the top floor of the monastery’s tower. There’s an old, Bulgarian children’s song about his suicide. And there’s a particular line in the song, in English it translates to something like this- “Ivan thinks he can fly to God, but the Devil has him by the ankles. The pale robes still shake their heads.”
- ALEX: Pale robes?
- AMALIA: The Benedictine monks are also known as the Black Robes because of the color of the habits, but the Brothers of the Order of the Seniphus wear robes that are a pale gray- so the Pale Robes.
- ALEX: Interesting.
- AMALIA: Yes, so there were stories that this monk sold his soul to the devil in Glushka, these rumors persist. Even today people tell scary stories about the place to keep their kids in line.
- ALEX: The monastery’s still there?
- AMALIA: Yes, and as secretive as ever. Although, for some reason, in 1983, an American paranormal investigation team were allowed inside.
- ALEX: Really?
- AMALIA: Yeah. They must have been related to or knew somebody high up on the inside.
- ALEX: Please tell me you found out everything there is to know.
- AMALIA: Oh, you know I did.
- ALEX: And?
- AMALIA: And get this- they conducted a séance inside of the monastery.
- ALEX: That makes no sense. Why would a holy order devoted to god allow that type of thing? That’s got to be breaking at least a dozen monastery rules.
- AMALIA: Who knows? But it happened, and I have the proof.
- ALEX: No!
- AMALIA: Yes! I’m sending it to you now.
ALEX: Amalia sent me a compressed video file. The séance was recorded on vhs in the early 80’s. So the resolution isn’t the best.
- SIMONE: If we could clear the room that would be wonderful.
ALEX: There’s a woman seated at a table. She looks to be about 30, dressed like a young Stevie Nicks. She’s with a man who appears to be her assistant seated to her left. There are three other men at the table, all of them appear to be monks. They’re wearing pale gray robes. In the middle of the table is what looks like a glass sculpture. A two foot tall, crystal version of that obelisk from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- NIC: That thing on the table looks a lot like that weird thing on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s Presence.
-
- ALEX: I’m surprised to see the monks holding hands with the woman.
- NIC: I’m surprised to see the monks participating in a séance.
- ALEX: Maybe it’s a white séance?
- NIC: Maybe they’re allowed to communicate with the dead but only on certain days of the week.
- ALEX: You really don’t know much about religion, do you?
- NIC: Not really. No. You can tell?
- ALEX: Yeah.
- SIMONE: There’s a presence in this house of God. Who has entered this holy place?
- NIC: So, who is she talking to?
- ALEX: I’m guessing the presence.
- NIC: Right.
- SIMONE: If you have lost your way or you’re feeling trapped, I can help you find a better place, a final place to rest. This is a station of devotion, a place of worship. If you are not a traveler here of the same accord, you are trespassing. We are aware of your presence, there’s no need to disguise yourself. You may come forward. Reveal yourself.
- ALEX: Jesus.
- NIC: Maybe a little play by play? For the listeners?
- ALEX: Right. So…okay, that weird thing in the middle of the table just started shaking on its own.
- NIC: Or somebody bumped the table.
- ALEX: Oh, you’re taking his side?
- NIC: Whose side?
- ALEX: You know who.
- SIMONE: Are you the fallen Brother Ivan? Who’s here with us today?
- NIC: Ivan’s the guy who jumped out of the tower?
- ALEX: Yes.
- SIMONE: Are you the one who calls in the night? We would like to know who you are, Spirit. We would like to reach out to you and- (exhales)
- ALEX: What is she doing?
- NIC: Pilates?
- ALEX: I’m serious! Look at her eyes.
- NIC: Yikes.
- ALEX: She’s either trying to scare the hell out of those monks with the old white eyeballs trick or our lady is in a trance.
- NIC: Yeah.
- ALEX: Okay, now her assistant is placing a stack of large sheets of paper under her right elbow, right in front of her. He places a pencil in her right hand and arranges it so she’s in a position to write on the paper. (pause) Wow.
ALEX: Picture a woman who appears to be in some kind of deep trance. Her hand moving sharply, erratically, in jagged circles all over the page. Her assistant holds on to the edge of the paper, like he’s about to pull it away.
- SIMONE: Are you the brother, Ivan, who fell from the tower?
- ASSISTANT: No.
ALEX: The woman is writing words without looking down. The words are big, huge, looping letters. As she writes, her assistant asks questions to whatever entity they believe is present. And then reads the medium’s answers from those large pages aloud to the group.
- ASSISTANT: Are you the boy, Nicholas?
- ASSISTANT: No.
- NIC: Boy, Nicholas? What boy, Nicholas?
- ASSISTANT: Are you the child, Sasha?
- ASSISTANT: No.
- ASSISTANT: Are you a child?
- ASSISTANT: No.
- ASSISTANT: Are you of this world?
- ASSISTANT: No.
- ALEX: Okay, that’s a weird question. Aren’t all spirits otherworldly?
- NIC: I would think so.
- ASSISTANT: What is your name? Do you have a name? A human name? What are you called?
- SIMONE: (hisses something)….
- ALEX: What are those monks saying? I can’t make it out.
- ASSISTANT: What’s wrong? The ritual isn’t complete.
- MONK: We will take it from here.
- SIMONE: This demon is dangerous. I’m going to exorcise it. Immediately.
- MONK: No. Leave it to us. Please.
- ALEX: Did she say exorcise?
- NIC: Sounded like it.
- ALEX: Demons?
- NIC: Demons.
- ALEX: Great.
- NIC: Well, if your monastery has a history of child abuse and who knows what else, blaming everything on demons makes sense.
- ALEX: I guess…can you play the video? Okay, pause it again. There.
- NIC: Okay, what are we looking for?
- ALEX: Okay, that. There. Under her assistant’s arm on that sheet of paper.
- NIC: Okay? Oooh.
- ALEX: Is that a figure?
- NIC: Where?
- ALEX: Here.
- NIC: Oooh, that’s interesting.
ALEX: On that sheet of paper were what appeared to be three figures. One tall shadow and two smaller shades, it was hard to make it out because most of the page was hidden by her assistant’s arm, but they were definitely there. And they looked really creepy. Nic and I went back through all the sheets of paper, they appeared to all be covered in circular scribbles, but her assistant was pulling the pages so fast it was hard to see them clearly. Somehow, during the rapid, mostly circular movement of the pencil, these shadowy figures had been conjured. I suspect Strand would say that it was random luck, but…if you could see them, it clearly looks like two small shadowy figures next to one really tall shadow. The whole thing looks anything but random.
We’ll get back to the séance in just a moment, but first the conclusion of my interview with Charlie Strand. You’ll remember that she had just informed me that she was with her father during those mysterious, missing days.
- ALEX: You were with your father? Well, what was he, or what were you two doing?
- CHARLIE: Trying to find my mother.
- ALEX: Right, of course, but what were you doing that you or your father felt the police couldn’t handle?
- CHARLIE: We were… (sigh) We knew my mother. They didn’t.
- ALEX: Okay, well, is there something more? Were you canvasing the local businesses? Looking along the roadside? Was there some clue that-
- CHARLIE: You’re going to have to ask my father. I’m sorry, this was a mistake.
- ALEX: Please, Charlie! I’m not trying to- I just want to find out what happened.
- CHARLIE: I stayed with my father for the first 4 days, he…couldn’t find her.
- ALEX: And then?
- CHARLIE: Then I left.
- ALEX: To you grandparents?
- CHARLIE: That’s right.
- ALEX: When you arrived at your grandparents, you were angry? You completely disowned your father. Charlie, I feel like there’s something that you’re not telling me.
- CHARLIE: You’ll have to ask my father.
ALEX: And so I did. After the break.
- ALEX: A lot of our listeners have been asking about the origins of the Strand Institute.
- STRAND: The money.
- ALEX: That seems to come up, yes.
- STRAND: Well, I inherited a sum from my father.
- ALEX: Your father made his money selling antiques?
- STRAND: Among other things, yes.
- ALEX: I reserve the right to ask about those other things later. (Strand laughs) So, you inherited some money?
- STRAND: I wanted to do something significant to honor my father, so I offered the money as a reward.
- ALEX: To anybody that can provide proof of the paranormal?
- STRAND: That’s right.
- ALEX: I feel like you might be getting close.
- STRAND: I’m afraid I don’t share your optimism.
- ALEX: Would it be optimism?
- STRAND: I’m sorry?
- ALEX: Well, for you, it would mean giving up a million dollars. I wouldn’t think you would want anyone providing proof.
- STRAND: Well, we’re not really there yet, so it doesn’t matter.
- ALEX: Another big question that our listeners have is- what happened when you disappeared for those five days?
- STRAND: I told you. I was looking for my wife.
- ALEX: With Charlie?
- STRAND: That’s right.
- ALEX: Your daughter seemed upset that you couldn’t do something that the police couldn’t do. That seems a bit harsh.
- STRAND: Children look up to their parents.
- ALEX: That’s true, of course, but-
- STRAND: But what?
- ALEX: Why did she leave before you? And why was she so upset when she arrived at her grandparents’ house? Is there some reason Charlie believed you had a better chance of finding her mother? A better chance than the police?
- STRAND: My wife was having an affair. I told Charlie, and she reacted…badly.
- ALEX: That’s why she left?
- STRAND: That’s right.
- ALEX: Was the man’s name….Warren?
- STRAND: I don’t know his name.
ALEX: It became apparent that the discussion was making Dr. Strand uncomfortable, well more than usual. So, I didn’t press the issue of why he thought he had a better chance at finding Coralee than the authorities. I switched gears and showed him the video of the séance. I wanted to get his take on the shadowy drawings.
- ALEX: See it? Them?
- STRAND: Where?
- ALEX: Right, here.
- STRAND: Hmm.
- ALEX: You see it? The tall shadow figure, right?
- STRAND: I think it would be an exaggeration to call that a figure.
- ALEX: Well, I wasn’t looking for it and shadow figures weren’t even on my mind at the time, so I doubt it’s what you would call apophenia. It just caught my eye. What would you call that?
- STRAND: You’re looking at a tape of a séance. The supernatural and the paranormal are on your mind.
- ALEX: It happened on the last three sheets as the medium was asking for its name. You don’t think that’s more than a coincidence?
- STRAND: Do you have any idea who that is?
- ALEX: The woman?
- STRAND: Yes.
- ALEX: No. But I’m guessing by your tone that you do.
- STRAND: Her name is Clara Simone, she’s one of the better known mediums in America, maybe the world.
- ALEX: I’ve never heard of her.
- STRAND: Why would a Bulgarian monastery invite an American medium to conduct a séance within their walls?
- ALEX: That question did cross my mind, but I was a bit preoccupied getting terrified by incidental shadow figure drawings.
- STRAND: (laughs) All right. Well, she has a specialty. Most mediums claim to contact spirits of people that’ve died. Clara Simone, however, claims to have a special talent. She can, allegedly, talk to demons.
- ALEX: Demons? Of course. So, how does one go about holding a conversation with demons?
- STRAND: We are still pretending that this is possible?
- ALEX: Humor me.
- STRAND: Okay, well, she claims to have a gift that allows her to identify and exorcise demons. All while being spiritually protected by God.
- ALEX: That’s quite a gift.
- STRAND: She’s a charlatan. She’s made a fortune travelling the world scaring demons out of buildings, homes, and amusement parks. Someone actually took the time to make a documentary about her work several years ago.
- ALEX: And these monks hired her, why?
- STRAND: They probably believed there were evil spirits or demons in their abbey.
- ALEX: Had you heard of the Glushka monastery in Bulgaria before?
- STRAND: No. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it has an alleged paranormal history. Most of these places do.
- ALEX: Why would you say that?
- STRAND: Well, it’s old. The older the building the more superstitious people have walked within its walls.
- ALEX: Right.
- STRAND: When people believe their home is inhabited by demons it’s usually an externalization of guilt. There’s something in that person’s conscious. They can’t bring themselves to admit it, to unburden themselves, so they blame it on a demon.
- ALEX: And you think that’s what’s going on here? At the monastery?
- STRAND: I’m sure they were aware of some terrible misdeeds in the past, they are a religious organization after all. So they either own up to it, which would mean admitting failure as a holy community, or they could blame Satan. As a holy order that takes spiritual matters quite literally, it’s not much of a stretch to believe they chose the path of least resistance.
- ALEX: What about the shaking obelisk thing in the middle of the table?
- STRAND: There are just too many ways to take that. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was battery operated and her assistant had the remote control in his pocket.
- ALEX: He was holding hands with the people around the table.
- STRAND: It could have been on a timer. I bet, if you set your mind, you could come up with half a dozen ways to fake that.
ALEX: Strand had a point. Just sitting there listening to him, I thought of a few ways I could have made that thing shake on the table. And while acknowledging he was probably right, I still found his inability or unwillingness to be surprised by anything extremely frustrating.
- (telephone ringing)
- SIMONE: Hello?
- ALEX: Hi, is this Clara Simone?
- SIMONE: Speaking.
ALEX: After the break, I speak with the woman who allegedly cast out a demon from that secretive Bulgarian monastery. I’m Alex Reagan, it’s the Black Tapes Podcast, stay with us.
- ALEX: Do you remember that séance at the Glushka monastery?
- SIMONE: I do.
ALEX: Just as Dr. Strand intimated, Clara Simone is known the world over for her special talent in making contact with demons and then exorcising them. When I told her about this podcast, she was more than happy to share her experiences with our listeners.
- ALEX: I found that video unnerving. Was it as frightening for you as it was for those of us watching?
- SIMONE: I don’t get frightened. Not anymore. You see, to do what I do, I have to approach everything from a position of pure faith. A strong conviction that God would never let anything bad happen to me. I’m doing his work, after all.
- ALEX: When did you know you had this ability- or gift?
- SIMONE: All my life I’ve known that I could commune with spirits. I grew up in an old house in Pennsylvania, when I was a little girl I’d come home after school and see strangers sitting in my living room or kitchen. And I’d ask my mother who they were. She thought I was out of my mind. And I quickly learned, if I didn’t want to get hit with a wooden spoon to keep my trap shut and my talent hidden.
- But there was one night, I was alone in my room reading, when I heard a heavy breathing. It was coming from under the bed. I was terrified. I couldn’t stop shaking. I screamed for my parents. And I remember my dad rushing in and checking under the bed for me. Of course, he found nothing. But a few minutes after he left, I saw a little boy standing in the corner of my room. I could see him in the dark. His eyes were red and his head was tilted in this weird way as if his neck was broken.
- I tried to speak to him, I asked him his name. And he opened his mouth and all these flies flew out of him. It was like a dark cloud pouring out of him. And all the flies gathered on my ceiling, totally covering it. And then the boy whispered his name. Aleister. And as soon as I repeated it, these great, big black wings appeared out of his back, and the boy’s face peeled away and that’s how I saw the face of my first demon. I didn’t scream this time and it wasn’t because I was afraid of getting the wooden spoon.
- ALEX: No?
- SIMONE: No. I felt myself getting angry.
- ALEX: Angry?
- SIMONE: I can’t really explain it. I just saw a strange shadow child turn into a winged demon and yet I was angry. I was angry that this thing had invaded our world, my world, so I commanded that he leave. But he wouldn’t. I picked up the bible from my night stand and started reading the first passage that I could see. And Aleister screamed. Oh, that sound. I’ll never forget it. It was exhilarating. Thrilling.
- ALEX: Thrilling?
- SIMONE: Yes. I felt the power of the Lord surge through me. I had become his vessel. It was as if I had a superpower. I held forth my hand, felt a white powerful surge, and then the demon vanished. That’s when my parents ran into the room. They claimed they heard me screaming. I tried to explain what happened, that it was the demon who had been screaming, but…
- ALEX: But you got the wooden spoon.
- SIMONE: Exactly.
- ALEX: So, this kind of thing happens to you a lot? I mean demons?
- SIMONE: It’s a living.
- ALEX: So, was there something about the Glushka case or demon that made it stand out. Its name was-
- SIMONE: Don’t- don’t speak its name!!
- ALEX: No?
- SIMONE: They love hearing their names in this world, and you risk attracting…well, let’s just say it’s best never to speak their names.
- ALEX: Oh, okay.
- SIMONE: Can I ask you something?
- ALEX: Sure.
- SIMONE: Do you believe in god?
- ALEX: In an agnostic sense? Maybe?
- SIMONE: So you definitely don’t believe in Satan? The Devil.
- ALEX: Not really, I guess, but that’s the weird thing. I don’t think I do believe, but that stuff still scares me. A lot.
- SIMONE: As it should. He wields so much power and harbors so much hate for God. He will wage war again with the Lord, and this time he’s preparing his army.
- ALEX: Army?
- SIMONE: Yes.
- ALEX: What kind of army?
- SIMONE: His forces have grown in number since his fall. And they have many names and ranks. The one I met at Glushka, was part of a larger force. He has caused much suffering at that monastery and has collected many souls, all are now part of his Master’s army.
- ALEX: Souls? Like that monk who committed suicide? Ivan?
- SIMONE: There were many suicides at that monastery- this demon responsible for all of them.
- ALEX: The one- the one who I will not name, of course?
- SIMONE: Yes. That one.
- ALEX: I was wondering. Why didn’t they want you to exorcise that demon if he’s so much trouble?
- SIMONE: I don’t know.
- ALEX: You must have a theory.
- SIMONE: I think they want him there.
- ALEX: Who? The monks?
- SIMONE: I think they just brought me in so they could finally learn his name.
- ALEX: You think the monks worship a demon?
- SIMONE: Like I said, I don’t know. If you’ll excuse me, I have another call.
ALEX: Between Clara’s story of the thing under her bed, the flies coming out of its mouth, and then the implications of that demonic presence at Glushka, I have to admit, I had trouble sleeping that night. Every sound of the city outside of my window seemed… sinister. When I came into work the next morning, there was a message for me to call Amalia.
- ALEX: So what did you find?
- AMALIA: Well, It’s strange. I came home yesterday to find someone had slid a letter under my door. My building is pretty secure so I don’t know how they got in here. The concierge didn’t see anyone suspicious. Very cloak and dagger stuff.
- ALEX: What was the letter?
- AMALIA: I will read it to you.
- ALEX: Yes, please.
- AMALIA: It’s not long, don’t worry.
- ALEX: Okay.
- AMALIA: Okay, let me just get it. Okay, “we know what you are researching, we strongly suggest that you drop your investigation.”
- ALEX: That’s it?
- AMALIA: Mm-hmm. Two sentences, that’s it.
- ALEX: Are you researching Putin and the Russian mob or something?
- AMALIA: Nothing like that, or at least I didn’t think so.
- ALEX: Wow, that’s scary.
- AMALIA: Yes.
- ALEX: Hey, if you’d rather not pursue this anymore, I totally understand.
- AMALIA: Well, the thing is- there are a few things that the letter could be related to.
- ALEX: Really?
- AMALIA: Well, you know me. I’m also working on a few…controversial things. (laughs)
- ALEX: True.
- AMALIA: To be honest, quite a bit of my research is what might be considered highly sensitive. But I’m not dropping anything, including our investigation, because of some letter. You know that’s not my style.
- ALEX: Well, be careful.
- AMALIA: Always.
- ALEX: Promise?
- AMALIA: I promise.
- ALEX: Okay.
- AMALIA: I’m still working some leads. I’ll keep you posted. Oh! And I did manage to track down Percival Black’s former roommate in Bath. I left him your number. So he’s going to give you a call.
- ALEX: Nice! Thanks!
- AMALIA: No worries.
- ALEX: You’re amazing.
- AMALIA: I’ve been told!
- ALEX: Okay, well, talk to you soon.
- AMALIA: Good luck, Alexandra.
- ALEX: Thank you.
- AMALIA: Don’t forget about Nic.
- ALEX: Oh, no. I’ll give him a hard time for you.
- AMALIA: Okay, bye.
- ALEX: Bye.
- AMALIA: Bye.
ALEX: That conversation took place three weeks ago. That was the last I heard from Amalia. We’d been speaking pretty much daily up to that point. I’ve asked everybody I could, but nobody’s heard from her. The embassy said they’d look into, but we’re still waiting to hear back from them. Calls to the monastery, as always, remain unanswered.
Nic was able to gain a bit of traction in another area- Lisa Graves. It turns out Coralee’s old college roommate got married and changed her name. Nic tracked her down and spoke with her about Coralee. She said Coralee was pretty quiet, kept to herself, great grades. They were friends, but not really close, they didn’t keep in touch after college. Lisa says that she never rented a post office box. Nic asked Lisa for a recent photo and I sent it to Tina Stevenson in Lake Tahoe.
- ALEX: So, did you get the photo?
- STEVENSON: I did.
- ALEX: Great, I just wanted to make sure you had a current photo in case Lisa Graves comes in again.
- STEVENSON: Yeah, it doesn’t look like her.
- ALEX: Well, she’s aged a bit.
- STEVENSON: Right? Don’t we all? But Lisa’s face was completely different and she had long brown hair.
- ALEX: Did you get the new picture? I just sent it.
- STEVENSON: No. Not yet.
- ALEX: It should be there any second.
- STEVENSON: Uh, yep. Here it is! Yeah, there you go! That’s her!
- ALEX: That’s Lisa Graves?
- STEVENSON: Absolutely, yep, 100%.
- ALEX: You’re positive?
- STEVENSON: Positive.
ALEX: Tina Stevenson positively identified the woman in the second photo that I sent. She was convinced it was the woman who rented that post office box. The thing is, the second photo that I sent Tina Stevenson wasn’t Lisa Graves- it was a photo of Coralee Strand.
I sent the photo of Coralee because Tina’s description of Lisa Graves matched Coralee Strand exactly. Tina says Lisa Graves, or whoever rented that box, is paid up. But that they haven’t been in for years.
It’s the Black Tapes Podcast, I’m Alex Reagan. We’ll be back again in two weeks.
ALEX: Black Tapes Podcast is a Pacific Northwest Stories and Minnow Beats Whale production, recorded in Seattle and Vancouver. Produced by Nic Silver, mixed and engineered by Alan Williams and Samantha Paulson. Edited by Nic Silver and Alex Reagan. Associate producer Robert Romero Jr. Executive producers Paul Bae and Terry Miles.