Episode 106: The Devil's Door
(Theme song and intro play)
0:00:58.4
Alex: The Black Tapes Podcast is an exploration of life, belief, faith, and occasionally the paranormal. This season we are focusing our lens on the work of the Strand Institute and its enigmatic founder and president, Dr. Richard Strand.
This week we'll be digging into two of my least favorite aspects of paranormal investigation: demons, and psychiatrics hospitals.
Alex: Sometimes I wish I had Dr. Strand's certainly to keep me safe. Speaking of Strand, he had a few concerns regarding this podcast. A few days ago, he stopped by our offices unannounced.
Alex: Strand went onto explain that he'd been receiving these requests because of interest generated by this podcast. People didn't really want to talk about skepticism, they wanted to talk about Strand himself. More specifically, about Coralee's disappearance, a subject Strand didn't seem interested in discussing. At least not on television.
Alex: I'll come back to Strand in a bit, I promise. But in the meantime, I sat down for a previously scheduled interview with writer Sanford Haines to discuss his new book, The Consolation of Ghosts: Why We Believe in the Paranormal.
Alex: Sanford Haines has written many books on spirituality. You might recognize some of the titles, The Sadness of Today is the Joy of Tomorrow, Does God Cry?, and Will I Know You in Heaven? I caught him on a break from the talkshow circuit to chat about his new book.
0:06:36.9
Alex: We love that our listeners are engaged with our show, so please keep sending your messages. We really do appreciate them. Something we didn't anticipate however, is the countless number of requests we'd received for Dr. Strand to look into an extremely wide range of paranormal concerns. Turns out, there's a whole lot going on in the world, paranormally speaking. My producer Nic explains why one case in particular caught our attention.
Alex: Nic dug up a recording of an early interview with Simon and a court appointed psychologist. This was recorded eight months after the death of his parents.
Alex: Okay, so there are some numbers and symbols drawn on one of the walls. It looks like black crayon or chalk. But near the middle of everything, there's something else. It looks like a pentagram in a double circle.
Alex: So, behind the door in Trent's room it looks like someone drew something on the wall. And it looks very similar, in fact it looks identical, to the symbol in Simon's room. It looks like Simon somehow gained access to Trent's room and drew that thing. Or Trent drew it himself to try to get Simon in trouble, or something. But there are two very significant complications. The first, Trent has never met Simon Reese. And the second...
0:15:34.9
Alex: That's Fred Barnes from earlier. We're in his office at Three Rivers State Hospital where he's part administrator, part psychiatrist.
Alex: I wasn't sure I was going to be able to pass anything onto Strand. He wasn't returning my calls. Barnes led me down to Trent's room. The scene of his alleged attack.
Alex: That's Trent Orville. He agreed to talk to me about what happened. He's tall, maybe 6'1", thin, and extremely skittish. His leg kept bouncing under the table throughout our interview.
Alex: Trent pulled back his collar to show me his neck. It was still bruised, and this was at least a week after the alleged attack.
Alex: I didn't see any finger marks, but there was definitely bruising.
Alex: Trent handed me a book he had been reading at the time for an online course. It was DH Lawrence's The Man Who Died. Someone had scribbled all over the pages. There were some dragons, knights, even a monster truck. But then, he turned the page and revealed a very different style of drawings. He flipped to the next page, and then the next. Every part of every page that wasn't text was covered with arcane symbols and numbers. There were thousands of them. The pages looked almost like art. There was one symbol that appeared more than any other, the pentagram with the two circles. The same symbol found in Simon Reese's cell. But in Trent's book there were a bunch of numbers around it. They looked like equations, like a really serious math problem. But they were all over the place, not in neat rows like I was taught in school.
Alex: Trent was clearly a disturbed young man, but he didn't really seem like a liar. This case was exactly the type of thing that would interest Strand, so I sent him a message and included a page I had scanned from Trent's book. It didn't take him long to reply. He didn't say anything about our last conversation. It was if it never happened.
(theme music plays)
0:27:42.8
Alex: I'm not sure what I was expecting. It's hard to describe Simon, because there's nothing about him that really stands out. Sandy brown hair, medium build, maybe a bit on the slim side. If I had to pick something unique about Simon Reese, it would be his eyes. But I can't really tell you why. They're not big or small, or particularly brown or blue. But there was something in the way that he looked at me. Like he was looking through me. It was unnerving. During our conversation he never turned away, not once. I'm not sure he even blinked.
Alex: So here's what happened. While Dr. Barnes was watching my interview with Simon from behind the glass, the camera in Trent's room went black. A hospital worker ran to his room and found Trent on his bed suffering a seizure. A nurse was able to help calm him. Behind his door, again, the symbols and numbers. This time the pentagram with the two circles was bigger. Almost six feet tall. Nic texted to let me know that Strand was going to meet me at the hospital first thing in the morning. If a strange, enigmatic young confessed murderer hadn't just informed me that his boogieman didn't like me, I probably would have been excited about the possibility I may have brought Strand a new black tape case. I'm Alex Reagan, it's The Black Tapes Podcast. Stay with us.
0:32:16.2
Alex: Strand walked into the Three Rivers Hospital. He was all business. He wanted to see Simon right away. Dr. Barnes was eager to oblige. I waited just outside the door to avoid crowding Simon.
Alex: And just like that, with so many of my questions left unanswered, the case was closed. In Dr. Strand's mind, it was open and shut. One kid terrorizing and manipulating another, planting suggestions of ancient symbols and sacred geometry in order to drive that young man crazy. Either that, or these two very troubled young men were working together somehow to create chaos and worry among the staff. Or was there a third possibility? Was Simon Reese trying to create a portal to summon a demon? Dr. Barnes was convinced there was no way these two patients had ever met. But Strand found serious flaws in the hospital security camera coverage, patient's visitor records, and a few other aspects of the case. For him, it was over. Until this phone call changed everything.
Alex: Detective Colins was calling because Sebastian Torres was missing. You remember Sebastian from episode two? The cute kid with the scary imaginary friend? What does Sebastian Torres have to do with Simon Reese? You'll have to tune in next week to find out. I'm Alex Reagan, it's The Black Tapes Podcast. Next week, we go back to Northern California.
(theme music)
Alex: The Black Tapes Podcast is a National Radio Alliance 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. Executive producers Paul Bae and Terry Miles.
0:00:58.4
Alex: The Black Tapes Podcast is an exploration of life, belief, faith, and occasionally the paranormal. This season we are focusing our lens on the work of the Strand Institute and its enigmatic founder and president, Dr. Richard Strand.
This week we'll be digging into two of my least favorite aspects of paranormal investigation: demons, and psychiatrics hospitals.
Alex: Sometimes I wish I had Dr. Strand's certainly to keep me safe. Speaking of Strand, he had a few concerns regarding this podcast. A few days ago, he stopped by our offices unannounced.
- Alex: I'm just not sure I understand.
- Strand: What is there to understand? It's harassment.
- Alex: Because of this podcast?
- Strand: Yes.
- Alex: Well what's happening exactly?
- Strand: People are asking me questions. They want me to speak on their programs. I was invited to debate a creationist on CNN, and to participate in a celebrity podcast version of something called "Chopped."
- Alex: Can you cook?
- Strand: What does that have to do with anything?
- Alex: (sighs)
Alex: Strand went onto explain that he'd been receiving these requests because of interest generated by this podcast. People didn't really want to talk about skepticism, they wanted to talk about Strand himself. More specifically, about Coralee's disappearance, a subject Strand didn't seem interested in discussing. At least not on television.
- Strand: I agreed to participate on your program in order to increase awareness and foster critical thinking when it comes to the paranormal, not dig up the past.
- Alex: I understand. And I believe we've provided a forum and support for you to do that. But, if you remember, I did come clean about my interest in you and your personal story.
- Strand: I had no idea that discussion would lead to this level of personal harassment.
- Alex: I'm sorry that this is happening.
- Strand: Are you?
- Alex: Yes, of course.
- Strand: Why can you keep the focus on my work? Why all the salacious attention mongering?
- Alex: Your work is an integral part of the story. But you know we're not interested in doing an infomercial for your institute.
- Strand: (scoffs) Do you honestly think that what you're doing is any different than the tabloids?
- Alex: Absolutely!
- Strand: You need to honor our agreement.
- Alex: Well, we don't really have an agreement.
- Strand: Maybe we should.
- Alex: That's not really how this type of journalism works.
- Strand: (scoffs) Journalism? Is that what you call this? This is more like reality television on the radio.
- Alex: (sighs) Okay, I understand that you're upset. Is there something we can do to help mitigate the harassment?
- Strand: (sighs) I don't think I'm going to be able to continue. I'm sorry.
- (footsteps, door slams shut)
Alex: I'll come back to Strand in a bit, I promise. But in the meantime, I sat down for a previously scheduled interview with writer Sanford Haines to discuss his new book, The Consolation of Ghosts: Why We Believe in the Paranormal.
- (Alex and Sanford laughing) Sanford: I knew you'd get to that question.
- Alex: Oh, you’re psychic too?
- Sanford: (laughs) It was my publisher's idea.
- Alex: Sure.
- Sanford: (laughs)
Alex: Sanford Haines has written many books on spirituality. You might recognize some of the titles, The Sadness of Today is the Joy of Tomorrow, Does God Cry?, and Will I Know You in Heaven? I caught him on a break from the talkshow circuit to chat about his new book.
- Sanford: My publisher and I were tossing around ideas for titles one day, and threw out some over the top, very self-helpy, self indulgent nonsense. You know, stuff that landed on the other side of ridiculous.
- Alex: So, we're not supposed to take them seriously?
- Sanford: Well, I'm not supposed to say that.
- Alex: (laughs) Okay.
- Sanford: Here's the thing. When it comes to any discussion of the afterlife, we're just guessing. And I happen to think my guesses are at least as good as anybody else's.
- Alex: What about religion?
- Sanford: You know what religion is? It's you and me and all our friends standing outside this door. None of us know what's on the other side, we're all just guessing. And at some point, somebody comes up with something we like. It doesn't matter if it strikes us as probable or even remotely possible. But it makes us feel better. So we convince ourselves and as many others as possible that our theory is the truth.
- Alex: You must get a lot of hate mail.
- Sanford: (laughs) Yeah, but who doesn't like mail?
- Alex: (laughs) So in your most recent book, The Consolation of Ghosts, you're alluding to Boethius's middle aged text, The Consolation of Philosophy.
- Sanford: You've read it?
- Alex: I Googled it.
- Sanford: Well, Boethius tries to answer a bunch of why questions. Like "Why do bad things happen to good people?" So I try to answer a smaller question, "Why do so many people claim to see ghosts?"
- Alex: Well, I don't want you to give away the ending of the book, but can you give us some clues?
- Sanford: It comes down to this. People are either lying, exaggerating, mistaken, or telling the truth. Science can explain some paranormal experiences, but in most cases all we can do is... Well, it really comes down to the best guess.
- Alex: So what's your best guess?
- Sanford: Here's what I believe. Belief is a warm blanket, it's comforting. People grow accustomed to their blankets. And what kind of person goes around ripping off blankets? Do you know somebody like that?
- Alex: It sounds like you're familiar with the subject of this podcast.
- Sanford: Now there's a guy who needs consolation.
0:06:36.9
- Man: Hi. This message is for Alex Reagan? My name is Fred Barnes, and I'm a health care manager at Three River State Hospital in Idaho. I sent you an email last week about one of our cases. From what I've been hearing on your podcast, we sure could use you and Dr. Strand up here to take a look at one of our patients. Listen, I'm not after the million dollars or anything, we really just want to help this kid. Um, thanks. Bye.
Alex: We love that our listeners are engaged with our show, so please keep sending your messages. We really do appreciate them. Something we didn't anticipate however, is the countless number of requests we'd received for Dr. Strand to look into an extremely wide range of paranormal concerns. Turns out, there's a whole lot going on in the world, paranormally speaking. My producer Nic explains why one case in particular caught our attention.
- Nic: Okay so, back in 2008 we did something on false imprisonment for Pacific Northwest Stories. It was a case up in Lewiston, Idaho involving a boy named Simon Reese. When Simon was 11 he was charged with murdering both his parents. Apparently he stabbed them to death in their beds while they slept. It was horrible. Simon was a selective mute, which of course complicated things. His defense team claimed there was no way he could have murdered his parents. There was no blood on his clothing, which makes no sense given the circumstances and the geography of the house. Also there was the question, how could he stab his mother with his father sleeping right beside her? In the end, the judge ruled that Simon was criminally insane. He's been in Three River State Hospital since the trial. He's 18 now.
- Alex: Yeah, I remember. Simon was the kid who only answered yes and no questions, and only by tapping out his responses. One tap for yes, two for no.
- Nic: I remember it was extremely frustrating at the time, and we never really did get a full account of his version of the events, Simon's version.
- Alex: His defense team claimed he was mute because he witness his parents murders.
- Nic: Yeah, I think before that he had been what they referred to as a selective mute.
- Alex: (pause) Okay.
Alex: Nic dug up a recording of an early interview with Simon and a court appointed psychologist. This was recorded eight months after the death of his parents.
- Psychologist: Simon, are you comfortable with that? One tap for yes, two taps for no.
- (long pause)
- Psychologist: Simon, we talked about this.
- (long pause)
- (tap. tap.)
- Psychologist: Are you okay if I ask you a few questions?
- (tap.)
- Psychologist: I know this is difficult for you to think about right now, but I want to move you to a safer place and I can only do that with your cooperation, okay? Simon, do you remember the night your parents died?
- (long pause)
- Psychologist: Simon, were you there the night your parents died?
- (long pause)
- (tap.)
- Psychologist: Were you there in their room when they died?
- (long pause)
- Psychologist: Simon I need to ask...
- (very loud abrupt TAP.)
- Psychologist: Okay. (pause) Now, I need to find out...
- (very loud abrupt TAP TAP.)
- Psychologist: (pause) Simon, I haven't asked you the next question yet. Did you see the murders take place?
- (long pause)
- (tap.)
- Psychologist: Okay.
- (tap. tap.)
- Psychologist: (sighs) Simon, are you saying yes and no?
- (tap.)
- Psychologist: Simon, you can't be in the room and not in the room.
- (tap.)
- Psychologist: Are you agreeing with me?
- (tap. tap.)
- Psychologist: So you're saying you were in the room and not in the room?
- (long pause)
- (tap.)
- Psychologist: Simon, are you saying you were in two places at once?
- (long pause)
- (tap.)
- Psychologist: Simon, did you hurt your parents?
- (long pause)
- (tap. (pause) tap.)
- Psychologist: Good.
- (tap.)
- Psychologist: Simon, yes what?
- (tap tap. tap tap. tap tap.)
- Psychologist: Simon. Simon, stop this.
- (tapping)
- Psychologist: Simon.
- (tapping)
- Psychologist: Simon!
- (loud knock-like tapping)
- Psychologist: Could I get some help in here?
- 0:11:12.2
- Alex: Wow.
- Nic: Yeah.
- Alex: The poor kid.
- Nic: The poor psychologist.
- Alex: (laughs) Okay, so. What's happening now?
- Nic: His case was in the process of being reopened by the Legal Justice Society.
- Alex: Was?
- Nic: Simon seems to have attacked a patient at Three River State Hospital.
- Alex: Okay, "seems to" doesn't sound very definitive.
- Nic: Well you remember Fred Barnes, the administrator at Three Rivers?
- Alex: Yeah.
- Nic: Well, he emailed us a video. A clip of him examining Simon Reese's room.
- Fred: So this is Simon's room. He's away with the therapist right now. As you can see, it's quite secure. Large doors. We have staff round the clock taking care of them. Up there you can see the camera so we can keep an eye on them, make sure they're not self harming. But look at this. Right here. Simon drew this on the wall.
Alex: Okay, so there are some numbers and symbols drawn on one of the walls. It looks like black crayon or chalk. But near the middle of everything, there's something else. It looks like a pentagram in a double circle.
- Fred: Simon's room is in the south wing. Now we're entering the east wing. We're about 80 yards away, two floors up from Simon's room.
- (footsteps, doors openings, footsteps on stairs)
- Fred: This is the room of the patient named Trent Orville. Some things I want to point out. That camera up in the corner. Again, to keep them from self harming. Last week Trent Orville was hospitalized. It appears someone slipped into his room and tried to choke him to death. His security camera went offline right before it happened. Thankfully Trent started banging on this metal bed frame and our staff came rushing over. When they got here, Trent was having troubles breathing. We questioned him about it and he says he was napping when he woke to find Simon standing over him, choking him with his hands. But our surveillance video shows that Simon never left his room. I'm not sure what to make of it, which is why I'm reaching out to you and Dr. Strand.
- (rustling sounds and footsteps)
- Fred: And there's more.
- (rustling and footsteps continue)
- Fred: We found this behind Trent's door.
Alex: So, behind the door in Trent's room it looks like someone drew something on the wall. And it looks very similar, in fact it looks identical, to the symbol in Simon's room. It looks like Simon somehow gained access to Trent's room and drew that thing. Or Trent drew it himself to try to get Simon in trouble, or something. But there are two very significant complications. The first, Trent has never met Simon Reese. And the second...
- Alex: Simon says he did it? That he strangled Trent?
- Nic: So Simon says.
- Alex: Simon talks now?
- Nic: Yeah, apparently he started talking a few months ago.
- Alex: Has he spoken about his parents' murders?
- Nic: He has.
- Alex: And?
- Nic: And Simon confessed to killing them.
- Alex: So, are they going to try him for the murders?
- Nic: Well there's more. He says, and this is really strange, he says that he teleported into his parents' room and that his spirit committed the crime.
- Alex: He teleported?
- Nic: That's what he says. I mean, he didn't say he teleported, but that's esentially the gist of it.
- Alex: Wow, I wonder what the District Attorney has to say.
- Nic: Well they're not sure what to think. The Legal Justice Society claims the lack of blood on Simon at the time is highly suspicious, given the violent nature of the stabbings. There was blood everywhere. How does an 11 year old boy stab his parents and then hide all the evidence? All the bloody clothes? It just doesn't make sense.
- Alex: Hm. So, what does this mean?
- Nic: This means you're going to Idaho.
0:15:34.9
- Fred: We get the whole range in here, everything from Class A straight on down to Class D personality disorders. But we've never seen anything quite like Simon's case.
Alex: That's Fred Barnes from earlier. We're in his office at Three Rivers State Hospital where he's part administrator, part psychiatrist.
- Fred: With Simon Reese you have what generally presents as a form of dissociative personality disorder, with some personality decomposition. But, if you go back, depending on who's treating him, he's either got schizoid personality disorder, extreme borderline personality disorder, or his most recent diagnosis, narcissistic personality disorder.
- Alex: It sounds like nobody's quite sure what's going on.
- Fred: Simon's had about five different diagnoses. For a while we even those he had dissociative amnesia.
- Alex: About his parents' murders?
- Fred: Yes. Until he started talking about them.
- Alex: And confessing to them.
- Fred: I didn't reach out to you to discuss his guilt or innocence. I was hoping you and Dr. Strand could look into these, these goings on.
- Alex: I'll pass everything on to Dr. Strand.
- Fred: You saw the tape?
- Alex: Yes.
- Fred: What did you think?
- Alex: I think I'd like to see more.
- Fred: (sighs) Come with me.
- (door opens and closes)
Alex: I wasn't sure I was going to be able to pass anything onto Strand. He wasn't returning my calls. Barnes led me down to Trent's room. The scene of his alleged attack.
- (door opening)
- Fred: So this is Trent's room. There's the camera. And back here is where we found the drawing.
- Alex: You washed it off?
- Fred: The cleaning staff did, yes.
- Alex: Did you ask Trent if he knows how it got there?
- Fred: Says he doesn't know. But you never know with our kids.
- Alex: What do you mean, because of their conditions?
- Fred: Not just that. 20 years ago most of the patients here would be serving life in some penitentiary. Some of them can be quite manipulative. That's why we try to keep the more seriously disturbed patients away from each other. We find they sometimes feed off each other's energies.
- Alex: Could Trent have seen this on Simon's wall and copied it?
- Fred: Trent's never been to Simon's wing of the building. Those two boys have never met.
- Alex: There's no way Simon could have shown Trent his sketches prior to that?
- Fred: Only if it happened before they got here.
- Alex: It sounds like Trent could have rigged the camera in his room to turn off at the time of the supposed attack. And he most likely drew the symbols on his wall maybe, based on something he heard from the other patients.
- Fred: He didn't hear anything from Simon. At least not before he started talking last week.
- Alex: Right.
- Fred: I think you need to speak with Trent.
- Trent: Are you from TV?
- Alex: No, radio.
- Trent: Oh.
Alex: That's Trent Orville. He agreed to talk to me about what happened. He's tall, maybe 6'1", thin, and extremely skittish. His leg kept bouncing under the table throughout our interview.
- Alex: Can you tell me what happened that night you were attacked?
- Trent: Dr. Barnes didn't tell you?
- Alex: I'd like to hear your side of the story.
- Trent: There's only one side. The truth. Look.
Alex: Trent pulled back his collar to show me his neck. It was still bruised, and this was at least a week after the alleged attack.
- Alex: How did that happen?
- Trent: You can see the finger marks where he choked me!
Alex: I didn't see any finger marks, but there was definitely bruising.
- Alex: Whose fingers?
- Trent: Who do you think? Simon.
- Alex: What's he like, Simon?
- Trent: He's... Scary. You never met him?
- Alex: No.
- Trent: Lucky you.
- Alex: You've met Simon before? Outside this room?
- Trent: No. Just here. In my room. At night.
- Alex: What makes you say that he's scary?
- Trent: Because he is! And he's crazy.
- Alex: Crazy doesn't seem like the kind of word that would go over well around here.
- Trent: Yeah, well. How about this? Simon Reese is (expletive bleeped) nuts!
- Alex: Okay, you're telling me you've seen him physically here in your room?
- Trent: Not exactly. It's not like that, it's hard to explain. But Simon's been here. (pause) Don't look at me like that.
- Alex: Like what?
- Trent: That! Like I'm the crazy one!
- Alex: I'm sorry. I'm, I'm just trying to figure out what's going on. You claim Simon attacked you in your sleep, but at the time of the attack the security cameras clearly show Simon in his room.
- Trent: It's a thing he does.
- Alex: Sorry?
- Trent: Simon. (pause) He has a secret.
- Alex: What secret?
- Trent: (deep sigh) He's got this thing. He can leave his body, he told me about it in the night he first appeared in my room. He ... told me he was watching me.
- Alex: How could he be watching you? He was in an entirely different wing of the hospital.
- Trent: He was specific. He was very specific. He told me things he could only know if he was watching me, he knew everything.
- Alex: Can you give me an example?
- Trent: (pause) Like, like the things I like to draw in my books.
- Alex: He knew about the things you drew in your books?
- Trent: I hadn't shown them to anyone, and somehow Simon knew.
- Alex: Maybe he snuck into your room?
- Trent: That's impossible.
- Alex: What do you think he wants?
- Trent: (pause) One time I was reading and I heard someone whispering behind me in the room, I turned and no one was there.
- Alex: That's ... Odd.
- Trent: Yeah. Odd. So a few days later, another patient, a girl I've never seen before, comes up to me and whispers the same thing he whispered in my cell.
- Alex: What did she say?
- Trent: (pause) She said "Simon likes your drawings."
- Alex: I was told you have some of your drawings with you.
- 0:22:33.3 (rustling, paper shuffling)
- Trent: (clears throat) When I was kid I used to scribble. Sometimes when I would ... lose myself, I used to get in trouble for drawing on my walls but that hadn't happened for years.
- Alex: What kind of things did you draw?
- Trent: Normal stuff. Animals, trucks, dragons.
Alex: Trent handed me a book he had been reading at the time for an online course. It was DH Lawrence's The Man Who Died. Someone had scribbled all over the pages. There were some dragons, knights, even a monster truck. But then, he turned the page and revealed a very different style of drawings. He flipped to the next page, and then the next. Every part of every page that wasn't text was covered with arcane symbols and numbers. There were thousands of them. The pages looked almost like art. There was one symbol that appeared more than any other, the pentagram with the two circles. The same symbol found in Simon Reese's cell. But in Trent's book there were a bunch of numbers around it. They looked like equations, like a really serious math problem. But they were all over the place, not in neat rows like I was taught in school.
- Alex: These aren't trucks and dragons.
- Trent: Yeah. Well, I didn't draw any of that stuff.
- Alex: Are you saying that you think Simon drew this?
- Trent: Well I didn't!
- Alex: (sighs) Why would Simon be drawing in your book?
- Trent: He told me he doesn't like it when I pray.
- Alex: He told you?
- Trent: Yes. That's when he ... started getting scary. That's when he started drawing in my books.
- Alex: So, you're religious?
- Trent: I accepted the Lord into my heart.
- Alex: Why do you think Simon told you he doesn't like it when you pray?
- Trent: He hates it.
- Alex: Do you think somebody may have told Simon that you were praying?
- Trent: No.
- Alex: Why not?
- Trent: Because I didn't tell anyone. (pause) I only pray alone in my room in my own head. I don't kneel or anything like that. He started whispering to me at night that it hurt his head when I prayed. He told me if I didn't stop ...
- Alex: What did he tell you?
- Trent: He told me he'd be coming to visit. Can you help me? Can you help make Simon stop?
- Alex: I'm, I'm not ... It's just not...
- Trent: Please?
- Alex: (sighs) Trent, I'm not sure there's anything I can do, but there is somebody I can ask to look into whatever's happening. Can I borrow this book?
- Trent: Yes.
Alex: Trent was clearly a disturbed young man, but he didn't really seem like a liar. This case was exactly the type of thing that would interest Strand, so I sent him a message and included a page I had scanned from Trent's book. It didn't take him long to reply. He didn't say anything about our last conversation. It was if it never happened.
- Strand: These glyphs are Sumerian mainly, but there's something else. One of these symbols appears to be a direct reference to the Tower of Marduk, which is interesting.
- Alex: The Tower of Marduk?
- Strand: Most religious scholars believe that the Tower of Babel never existed, it was a poor translation. There was a high tower, but it was actually a tower dedicated to Marduk, the national god of Babylon. The god with 50 names.
- Alex: Okay, so how did the ancient symbol of an old Babylonian god's temple end up in a messed up kid's psychiatric prison library book?
- Strand: The kid just looked it up on the internet.
- Alex: They don't have access to the internet.
- (footsteps)
- (door opens then shuts)
- Alex: Hello, Simon. My name is Alex.
(theme music plays)
0:27:42.8
Alex: I'm not sure what I was expecting. It's hard to describe Simon, because there's nothing about him that really stands out. Sandy brown hair, medium build, maybe a bit on the slim side. If I had to pick something unique about Simon Reese, it would be his eyes. But I can't really tell you why. They're not big or small, or particularly brown or blue. But there was something in the way that he looked at me. Like he was looking through me. It was unnerving. During our conversation he never turned away, not once. I'm not sure he even blinked.
- Alex: Dr. Barnes said it was fine if I asked you a few questions. (long pause) Okay, um. They told me you talk now? (long pause) So, do you have any friends here?
- Simon: Ask me about the drawings.
- Alex: What drawings?
- Simon: That's what you want to ask me. So go ahead.
- Alex: Um, I'm not sure...
- Simon: Do you only believe what you see?
- Alex: What do you mean?
- Simon: Everything in this universe is measured. It's all plus and minus, positive and negative. He knows where everything is down to the very last atom. But (pause) (voice drops to a whisper) I can hide things from him. From his sight, I practiced it. It was hard at first. There are mechanisms, you know. And even in randomness, even in chaos...
- Alex: Who are you talking about? Who is "he"? God, is it God?
- Simon: (snickers) Not God.
- Alex: Then who?
- Simon: How did you get in here?
- Alex: Um, sorry?
- Simon: How did you get in here? In this room?
- Alex: Uh, through the door?
- Simon: Yes. And how did you get into this building?
- Alex: Through the front door.
- Simon: Good. So you know how doors work.
- Alex: If you would rather talk some other time I could ...
- Simon: He doesn't like him.
- Alex: Who?
- Simon: He. Doesn't. Like him.
- Alex: Him? Do you mean Trent? Who doesn't like him, who's he?
- Simon: He doesn't like you either.
- Alex: Who doesn't like me?
- Simon: Go ahead. Ask the other thing.
- Alex: What?
- Simon: Ask what you came here to ask.
- Alex: (long pause) They told me you confessed to killing your parents. But you didn't really kill them, did you?
- Simon: They're coming to tell you about Trent.
- Alex: What?
- (footsteps)
Alex: So here's what happened. While Dr. Barnes was watching my interview with Simon from behind the glass, the camera in Trent's room went black. A hospital worker ran to his room and found Trent on his bed suffering a seizure. A nurse was able to help calm him. Behind his door, again, the symbols and numbers. This time the pentagram with the two circles was bigger. Almost six feet tall. Nic texted to let me know that Strand was going to meet me at the hospital first thing in the morning. If a strange, enigmatic young confessed murderer hadn't just informed me that his boogieman didn't like me, I probably would have been excited about the possibility I may have brought Strand a new black tape case. I'm Alex Reagan, it's The Black Tapes Podcast. Stay with us.
0:32:16.2
Alex: Strand walked into the Three Rivers Hospital. He was all business. He wanted to see Simon right away. Dr. Barnes was eager to oblige. I waited just outside the door to avoid crowding Simon.
- (shuffling)
- Fred: Simon, this is Ms. Reagan's friend, Dr. Strand.
- (door opens)
- Strand: Hello, Simon. Dr. Barnes said you'd be fine if I asked you some questions about some sketches Trent made.
- (paper shuffling)
- Simon: Trent didn't draw those.
- Strand: Who did?
- Simon: You know who did.
- Strand: The symbols Trent drew are very interesting, historically speaking.
- Simon: Trent didn't draw anything. You're not interested in history.
- Strand: Actually I am. Are you interested in Sumerian culture?
- Simon: Not really.
- Strand: And Trent?
- Simon: He prays. It keeps me awake. It hurts, I told him not to.
- Strand: It's not every day I meet a young man with such advanced knowledge of Sumerian numerology.
- Simon: You don't believe I drew in that book.
- Strand: But you did draw on your walls. Ancient Sumerian symbols. Very specific symbols.
- Simon: Maybe.
- Strand: Dr. Barnes is worried about you and the other patients here.
- Simon: And what are you worried about, Dr. Strand?
- Strand: (pause) (footsteps) You don't get much sun in this place do you?
- Simon: You're looking out the wrong window. The sunset's that way.
- Strand: Have you ever actually met Trent?
- Simon: He means nothing. (pause) Look closer.
- Strand: Excuse me?
- Simon: Those aren't just numbers, doctor.
- Strand: Thank you for your time, Simon.
- Simon: There's so much more.
- knocking on the door, shuffling)
- Alex: What did Simon have to say?
- Strand: Those symbols are very specific. Someone's knowledge of ancient Sumaria, and this type of script in particular, is fairly comprehensive. It's clear whoever drew those symbols had dug quite deeply into sacred geometry and ancient occultism. And for some reason, Simon Reese is upset with Trent's conversion to Christianity.
- Alex: You think they've met before?
- Strand: Definitely.
- Alex: Barnes assured me there was no way.
- Strand: It's a big place, and they've both been there a long time.
- Alex: What about the symbols?
- Strand: Simon found a way to get under Trent's skin with something that he knows would scare him, demonology.
- Alex: He could have scared him in a less... comprehensive way though. Those symbols and equations are pretty intense.
- Strand: I think Simon shows these particular symbols and numbers for a reason. These mathematical symbols are attractive as a way of organizing his world, which, I'm assuming, must be quite chaotic.
- Alex: So, what's the diagnosis?
- Strand: He's a sick kid.
- Alex: That's it? A sick kid?
- Strand: Well, he's slightly malnourished. Definitely suffering delusions. He also appears to have an unhealthy obsession with religion, sacred geometry in particular.
- Alex: Yeah, you mentioned that before, sacred geometry. But what does that mean?
- Strand: It's not really my field of study. But I did recognize some of those equations. The symbols are adapted from ancient Sumerian, but the equations are from the middle ages. Dark alchemy, a form of what you might call devil worship.
- Alex: Devil worship with numbers?
- Strand: Admittedly, it is a club with very few members. But some people find it fascinating.
- Alex: Did Simon say anything else?
- Strand: He corrected me about the sunset.
- Alex: Okay?
- Strand: He knew east from west.
- Alex: And...?
- Strand: And the drawings in his room were on the south wall.
- Alex: Okay?
- Strand: Same thing in Trent's room.
- Alex: The south wall. What does that mean?
- Strand: It might be a coincidence but, certain symbols placed on the walls on the south sides of churches mean something very significant to people interested in sacred geometry.
- Alex: Lots of people know east from west.
- Strand: Of course, but not a lot of people know the original Sumerian binding symbol for the ancient god Anzû.
- Alex: Okay, so what does it mean?
- Strand: I'm not sure. But it looks like ...
- Alex: What does it look like?
- Strand: It looks like somebody was trying to create a portal.
- Alex: A portal? To where?
- Strand: This type of portal was popularly known as "the devil's door." An opening that would allow Satan and his forces to enter our world.
- Alex: So Simon was trying to summon demons?
- Strand: Singular. Demon.
- Alex: He did seem a bit obsessed with doors when I spoke with him. What about Trent's claim that Simon somehow entered his room?
- Strand: I don't think that happened.
- Alex: No?
- Strand: No. I believe Simon manipulated the other kid. Got into his head. Maybe through the other patients. Fear and imagination coupled with a healthy dose of psychotropic medication can lead to certain elevated states of mind.
- Alex: Wait, that's it?
Alex: And just like that, with so many of my questions left unanswered, the case was closed. In Dr. Strand's mind, it was open and shut. One kid terrorizing and manipulating another, planting suggestions of ancient symbols and sacred geometry in order to drive that young man crazy. Either that, or these two very troubled young men were working together somehow to create chaos and worry among the staff. Or was there a third possibility? Was Simon Reese trying to create a portal to summon a demon? Dr. Barnes was convinced there was no way these two patients had ever met. But Strand found serious flaws in the hospital security camera coverage, patient's visitor records, and a few other aspects of the case. For him, it was over. Until this phone call changed everything.
- Man: This is a message for Dr. Richard Strand. This is Detective Collins from Los Gatos police department. Please call me back at your earliest convenience. At (number bleeped out). Thank you.
Alex: Detective Colins was calling because Sebastian Torres was missing. You remember Sebastian from episode two? The cute kid with the scary imaginary friend? What does Sebastian Torres have to do with Simon Reese? You'll have to tune in next week to find out. I'm Alex Reagan, it's The Black Tapes Podcast. Next week, we go back to Northern California.
(theme music)
Alex: The Black Tapes Podcast is a National Radio Alliance 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. Executive producers Paul Bae and Terry Miles.