While looking into the “curse” that has seen a dozen boys die from causes nobody can name, Rebecca is forced to confront her past.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Solve Presents Penance Part two. Come on, come on, come on, Terrence, you won't believe this, just mustard, we won't wait to lunch. You were right. There is a story here. It's more than just one dead boy. Tell me they dropped dead overnight. No foul play, no disease, no nothing. People are calling it a curse. Twenty years in the works. Is a journalist gold river? When you win the precious, so better around me. I need their death certificates to make out a common cause. I can did go up? Where's your shovel going to be? In the meantime? You don't trust my process? Didn't you say? Your dad was, the town, the bishop? Not much trust they're at present? Then you better get back to where there was wait Terrence, Amity, I didn't see you. You don't have to hide that thing from me. I know you didn't return to repent. How much did you hear? Oh? I wasn't trying to snoop. Really, I'm so glad you've shown it all. The son's about to go. Why don't you gather your stuff and come stay with us. I'm settled in Mary's. It would mean a lot to your father, would it he'd never say as much, but I know it would only one way to find out. Even the horses tense around me. No, it's there, knowing you read my coldness for what it really is. That's sad fear. Best I can guess. You show up with no warning, no reasoning, like no time's passed this boy father, Thomas, Yes, what do you really think? I think it's all in God's plan. He has the same plan for all thirteen dead boys who told you Mamma's got a flair for full disclosure. You have a son now, don't you want to stop this? These boys all died within days of returning from the room. Springer. If there's a common denominator, it's the outside world. You want to stick your nose inplace. Look from whence you came? Okay, I will. But in the meantime, Yes, and that he said I could stay with you. You want your home back, I want your trust back. I don't think I could lose you twice. If you want to come home, you know what to do. Get yourself to the preacher. Preacher King, do you do you think he could be responsible for any of these deaths? Are you suggesting he threw a hex on the town. Something a little more literal. We he acts with those boys. He mourns each boy as his own. Why his son was one to pass? I suppose I will see you at the house, sister. So you're a night owl like me, it's the excitement of having you here. I'm excited too. I've never had a sister before. We can stay up late and whisper secrets to each other in the dark. Girls, bedtime upright and early tomorrow. The Lord has blessed us. It's caused for celebration. My roof, my candles out, Sister. Yeah, I'm so happy your home. Happy to be home. Hey, Terence, after a mild holiness hangover, I'm headed to the preachers now to atone something off with this guy. Apparently his son was one of the cursed boys. I'll update you in a bit. I whipped up some of my special hash if you'd like. Thank you, but I'm not hungry. Please. That dresses size for an adolescent. Eat up. I'm amazed you have an appetite after the service yesterday. I've had a lot of practice, to be frank, We're lucky it wasn't two coffins. Given Silas's temperament. Do you think he's a bad apple? Not by your standards. No, but you shepherded in a few spoiled barrels in your wake. We've been picking up the pieces since I shaped a whole generation of morals from the edge of this cursed town. Curse. Mm hmm. It's the devil's speech, but maybe there's truth to it. Piety can't protect I never seemed to learn, even from up close, up close. You were with Thomas when it happened the night before, helping prepare for their baptisms. So Silas was there too. Shame birthday, Shame baptus. They walked home together. We never saw the other half alive again, and the the other doesn't. You had a front row seat for their final moments too. I'd forgotten your charming predilection for trouble stirring. Your atonement still proves elusive. That's why I came. Father sent me here for you to finalize it. And why would I do that? You're the preacher. That's what you do only if I ordered the excommunication, which did I put forth the action? But of course I was the one to catch you in action. I don't need a history lesson on that day. Apparently you do. Your father made the ultimate call to shun you that day. He couldn't heat. You'd better pray Emma has a stronger moral fiber in light of your shared cuts of cloth. I bet he doesn't. Where are you running off too? To find the boy who broke this curse? I'd like to know how he did it. Hey, Terence, the preacher could be promising, weird phrase for a potential pedophile, but he's definitely pathological. Okay, I'm at a piece and I've got a him. I swear to look right, and so it's probably tooth your legs. Let's see you try to raise a barn then, Hey, hey, Pontiac crec hands off his suspenders. That's not what they're intended for. What are you gonna do? Duchy called the cops on me? How would you manage that? We don't you know those duchies have telepathic powers. The boy gives me what he owes. I'm gone you okay, baby, baby, I don't want you roped into this. It's nothing. Hey, it's not nothing. You gotta stop tracking me down here, dude, I got appearances to keep up. You got twenty four hours don't make your kind and reliable to me class. Wait I was stop running, or I'll tell father? What am I becoming? What did the guy want with you? That's just Kenny. He's harmless. I met him when I was on rum Springer or whatever. It doesn't matter. Does it have anything to do with your brother Thomas and I are We're different. He was the good one. I'm the good enough one. His rum Springer was spent church chopping in mind was spent. Well, we've been pen pals little year he was away. It started off friendly, but but can you blame me? Look at her. You've been a catalyst for all sister teenagers, allowing ourselves to act like teenagers. I haven't even been around though. People talk. All there is to do around here almost all. Did you see anything off that night with your brother? Anything unusual? Rebecca be gentle? Not my strong suit says he died in his sleep like every other boy asked Swaller is to say? While there is to say, or all you're willing to, is there a difference? Can you tell me? I think I've told you enough. Ship, don't worry, I've got myself unto Yeah, who do you have to call. We've best get going anyway, silas coming to dinner. I am father told me you and Preacher King crowded atonement dinner. It will be a ship time, I do not doubt, but will all be together? But excuse me, well, I but Terrence, God, it's so loud over there, I can't hear. I got to depict Hello the death certificate, Oh glorious causes influenza for all thirteen yep? And what's weirderre? The dates are all over the map. What healthy kid quots with a flu outside of the flu season? Not any I know. But flu symptoms are what like nausea, fever, chills. Why is a new kid getting fit? No? No, I'm saying. Flu symptoms also sound a lot like poisoning, right objection conjection? Well, if it is poison, where's the well? And why only these boys any in help? And Father dearest, he's pointing the finger back at us. Each of these boys died days after returning from the rum springer. In his mind, the outside world is the common denominator. That's a big gass pool to pluck from. You got anything more specific? Actually, yes, there's this Lancaster asshole names Kenny drives a red Pontiac sunbird. He's got an extra grind with silas the surviving brother. What about creepy preacher? Name is Jonathan King. Look at the names on your desertificates. You've got Abraham King. That's his son. Hang on an it. Abraham is the earliest day. He was the first of the thirteen. Yes, ma'am. So if the preacher's son did happen to die of the flu, the cruelty of that kind of God might send a holy man into a vengeful rage. Exactly, he's coming over for dinner. I'll sniff out his vengeful potential. Excellent, I'lphe of LPD knows any kids. Blessing day, Miss Raber, what are you doing praying? Well, we'll need it for tonight. Well, we've got Levi and silast about it. The man up in case my company doesn't do the job. If flattery can infect the integrity of a single man in our rounds, it is Preacher King. Is that flower talk for a kiss ass Rebecca behavior? So help me, I promise, really I do. How long has it been since we've hugged a long time? Father? The preacher told me something odd today about the boys about you. He said you were the one to make the final call on me, that you could have chosen different, reverted the decision whenever you wanted. Oh, since he's lying about that, what else could he be lying about? I thought of you every minute and missed you even more. There's a life here you couldn't You wouldn't have if I had stayed. But you're here to stay now? Isn't God good? This is delicious amity? Now I see why Matthew can't find his suspenders over his belly. Uh not a problem for your leave, though, strong beer rye to be that age? Uh, Silas is here too, fairly more legal than you dode. Rebecca. Have you told your family why you've invited me here? Didn't I? Why to Tom? Of course, which I do, hallelujah. You seem awful jolly about it. But it's a serious thing, the admission of sin, a choice you chose against twenty years ago, the stubborn teenagers you take a lifetime to break in, Right, Bishop, it was put all on her and that wasn't right. We were flawed too in our handling of it. Maybe more so, who's atoning for what? Now? Because if I recall, Rebecca was the one who had premarital in a course in broad daylight in my field, don't get any ideas, then refused to repent and instead ran away with our prize, Joshua. I don't think that warrants any apology on our and Joshua should have been held to the higher ethical standard as the man, not my daughter father. He was the one back from rom Springer. He was the one corrupted from the outside. This insistence that it was all my Rebecca's idea and there for her blame to absorb. That was the wrongest something and a shameful one. You don't just cut off evil. You find the rue of it and you cast that away instead of casting a young girl right back into the depths of it. She could have repented. Then she's repenting now. I'm sorry, man, but you're acting like the last straw with her was the very first. Rebecca has been trouble since since the day I was born. Oh, dessert, desert, anyone, amity, I'd love the recipe for this, of course, let me fish it from the cupboard. Anyone here? Nope, what's that, sonar? We are my secrets. The potatoes you won't find any as good outside town. This is your recipe. You wrote it my original, yes are excuse me? Well, I gather we've overstayed our welcome silas. Let me walk you home. No, I um, you live so close. I'm so out of your way. Don't be absurd. The sun slow. I don't want that ruffian in the red car stocking you down again. Where did I put you? Oh? We yep night? Fuck me. Handwriting is a perfect match. I wash you dry. It works for me, Amity, Can we chat? What is it? Dear? You wrote this letter to my paper? No, I mean I can explain exact handwriting match to your recipe. So explain that. Explain what what's in your hand I didn't mean any trouble. I was trying to prevent more of it. You sent this to Rebecca. I found one of her her stories in your dresser one of my articles. Matthew had it cut out. I don't know where he got it or how any of this works, but I do know that if someone doesn't look into this curse from outside, it will keep on. I refused to lose my boy to heaven like the rest of them. The outside is the cause, not the solution. Can't you see that I sent it to Rebecca. I sent it to one of us. She is not one of us. You don't really think that, father? Did you only come back here because of this letter? Answer me? Originally yes, but I don't want to hear it. I didn't know I would come back and feel I feel what sweetheart? Seggers, Come quick, what's going on? It's Silace. He collapsed just now on the loan, Silas, Stylus, what's wrong with him? We need to call an ambulance. Stylas. Do you have your phone? Ship? Where is she going? Tell me? I don't see what I'm seeing in your hand. I'm calling you use that phone? You give up your right to exist here with us? Hi, I need an ambulance. Why are you next of Kim? Sure? Yeah, I'm the mother. Take care of him? Is he stable? Rebecca? Yes, yes, I'm here. I turned it down. Why would I still be punished? What do you mean? Turned what down? Silas? We're losing him, Silas. M Rebecca Raber was played by Alice Lovek, Terrence by Blaine Gray, Matthew Raber by Jim Hannah, Amity Raber by Carrie Kawa Silas Shrock by Dmitri Todd, Preacher King by Bradley Fisher, Kenny by Devon Matthew McKee, Emma Raber by Brady Ryder, Levi Raber by Chad Roberts, Mary by a Rooned Stores. This episode of Solve was written by Shannon Riley, directed by Corey Serge, Executive produced by Corey Serge Executive produced by Walt Palmer and Sterling Barnett. Casting by Daisy Laura. Audio production and post production by Salt Audio production manager Liz Lamay. Recording engineers Hope Brush and John Schmidt. Original music and score by Nathan Turchon, editing and mixed by Zach Jurich. Assistant editor Hope Brush. Sound designed by Eric Rachelson. Script supervisor Marilyn Miller