The Thing that Led to the Thing

Murder Girls is created, written and produced by Eternal Teenager. Content Warning. This episode contains discussions of murder, references to environmental contamination and corporate misconduct, and brief mentions of prescription medication and sleep disturbance. It also includes depictions of confined spaces and sustained tension, as well as profanity throughout. Listener discretion is advised.

Previously on Murder Girls.

The originals aren't just messing with treaties in some courtroom in Olympia, okay? This Omnia deal is too big for them to lose now. Nothing can stop it. Look, your father is why I'm even talking to you.

Then help me finish what he started.

The threshold facility on the island, it felt old, older than our case.

How old?

Older than 10 years ago.

Dylan wasn't just hitting the same walls.

Right. Walls don't matter when-

When you're already inside them.

What did you do?

I'm inside the Threshold Corporate Internal Network.

You hacked into Threshold? What do you have?

Sites marked as inactive, still pulling power.

He wasn't looking for reports.

He was looking for locations.

Containment adjacent infrastructure.

What does that mean?

It means something physical exists. And he was narrowing down where-

You know, if you're tracing runoff modeling, Daniel Siaya would have seen the drafts. Jonathan looped him in on most of the county projections.

We thought the primary containment source was somewhere in the Heights, but we couldn't find it.

Dylan was looking into why these sites were so shady. Limited info, limited tracking.

Hidden in plain sight.

There's an epicenter spreading out from the Heights.

Exactly. That node, that's the one.

That's not in the developed part of the Heights. That's the falls. Look, that's a shed, just against the rocks.

Utility structure.

Sign says, Tlaquah County Water Quality Initiative.

This is it.

This isn't a garage.

That's an elevator.

That's a freight elevator.

After a tense minute of surprisingly smooth descent, we arrive at the bottom. Roads, concrete lanes, painted arrows, clean drainage. It feels less like a secret lair and more like an airport parking structure for a government that doesn't exist. How do you even build something like this without the whole county noticing?

Money, power, time, signage.

What's it say? Eagles Creek. Holtwood Access 1, Holtwood Access 2, Fern River Station slash Osprey Island access.

This isn't a tunnel. It's a network. There are miles of roads down here.

And then we see it. That's it.

Primary containment.

Inside the fenced area, portable filtration units, large sealed containers on wheeled pallets, hoses feeding somewhere unseen. Tractor trailer beds loaded with the same shipping crates I saw stacked five and six high in the threshold facility on Osprey Island. Somewhere deeper in the tunnel, something shifts. Not loud, just mechanical.

Lights.

How far?

Not far enough.

Murder Girls, episode 22. The thing that led to the thing.

Man, when I suggested this spot, I didn't account for how loud the falls are up close.

Come on, we both know you picked it because it looks good in photographs.

That is slander.

What's slander is uneaten fried chicken. You two haven't even touched the chicken I brought.

Yeah, food is the entire conceit of a picnic, Ames.

We're in the middle of something historic, dad.

Cheese is receiving honors. A dog is getting a medal.

Ah, okay, okay. Please carry on.

Right.

Where was I?

Oh, yeah. It is my professional opinion that Cheese deserves not one, but two medals. Two? One for heroism, obviously, but also, and of course, one for emotional labor. She also bit a drug dealer disguised as a clown on the ass and went to dog jail.

Hey, hey, shh, they don't know about that part, buddy.

Oh, is that why we had to say that she was on an overnight behavioral retreat in Holloway?

Fucking Holloway. But yeah, and they definitely don't know we broke her out of dog jail. In the middle of the night, borrowing dad's car that technically neither of us are licensed to drive. It's not technically, it's legally, and we won't be for three years, but okay, sorry.

Is someone in clown makeup actually disguised as a clown? The whole point is the makeup, no? You're just a clown at that point.

No, no, no, a clown is a calling. If you wear a white coat, does that make you a doctor?

See?

Still vigilant. You can't teach that.

Ames, don't let her wander too far.

Dad, she saved us like three times. I think she can take care of herself. Three times minimum.

The jury's still out on if she was the one who got that sprinkler system to work in that burning fun house that we were trapped in at the carnival.

Right, right. So that's like minimum three saves.

She also ate half an old boot and rolled in a dead muskrat, so.

That was tactical. She was masking her scent.

Are you getting a medal from the mayor, Dee Dee?

Huh?

No?

No, you are not. Sounds like someone is just a wee bit jealous of my dog.

Oh, hey, cheese.

What are you getting into now? Leave it.

What is it, girl?

Something in the sewer?

Ooh, the other boot? Something else to roll in? The fucking game is afoot.

Probably raccoons. They get into everything. They make it their home.

Definitely something that doesn't like daylight.

Relax, we fixed it. Town saved, drug ring dismantled, wolf mask weirdos defeated. The fishing industry may now resume being ethically questionable in peace.

You're writing your own plaque, aren't you?

Already drafted, my friend.

You definitely changed something.

Changed? How about we ended it, dude?

You don't win fights like this just once.

You make them harder to lose next time.

Okay, well, as long as I have my best friend and a heroic cattle dog with civic recognition, I'm unbeatable.

She is getting that medal though, right?

I'm so invested in seeing a dog get a civic award on a stage in front of a crowd, I'm not sure I can deal with the letdown of that being unfulfilled at this point.

Um, the mayor himself insisted. So, uh, yeah, Mags, I think your dream is going to come true, and you're welcome.

So basically, she's running for office.

She'd win. She should win, given the caliber of people they're electing these days.

You hear that? Public servant.

Okay, okay. Hey, by the way.

Yeah?

You did good, Amethyst.

We did.

Just remember, places don't stay saved. Geez, get out of there.

You goofball.

Oh, well, this is definitely a super soaker for the ages.

Amy, you really have to start watching where you step.

And just, you know, like all of the noise.

Okay, fine, feelings hurt, but feedback noted.

So, update, we didn't get caught, which in hindsight might have been worse.

Still no signal in this area either.

Wonderful.

Are they still there?

Yes.

Are they even doing anything at this point?

They're just standing around, grab-assing.

Yeah, probably killing time. Could be the end of their shift.

Which means we can move soon.

We can't wait on that. The longer we're down here, the higher the chance we're detected.

We avoided whoever pulled up. Barely. But now the freight elevator was no longer ours, and with it, neither was the way we came in.

Okay, so what's the play? Keeping in mind that I'm gonna be pretty sloshy thanks to the old sloppy shoe thing I got going on.

We move parallel, not back.

So away from the only exit we know of?

For now. We can double back later if we need to, but standing around in the dark is getting us nowhere.

Fair enough.

You ready?

Well, I just poured out my shoe. So yeah, I'm good to go.

Leaving the freight elevator felt wrong, like stepping off the only marked trail into trees that don't want you there. The light didn't reach as far out here. The hum of machinery faded. No warning signs, no fresh concrete, just water, stone and whatever came before. We told ourselves we were heading somewhere new. We weren't.

Well, this doesn't really fit with the rest of the place. This does it now.

This isn't poured concrete.

No, brick. Older than the containment system. Different construction. Pre-concrete. Maybe late 19th century.

You're kidding.

I don't joke about masonry.

It wasn't one tunnel, it was layers. Stone under brick, brick under steel. New walls sealing old ones. Old walls pretending they were never there.

Okay, so what? The original showed up out here, stole the land, decided to build a town, and also a second separate secret underground old god's eldritch horror worshipping town underneath.

I think outside of the eldritch stuff, most of that is accurate, honestly.

These older chambers were probably separate once. Drainage, storage, foundation work. Over time, someone connected them. At this scale, that takes intention.

Why does it suddenly feel bigger?

This isn't a corridor. The passage widened without warning. The ceiling lifted, the air changed. Less machinery, more space. Like we'd stepped into something that wasn't meant to be hidden, just forgotten.

Okay, that's decorative.

It is. Pillars. Platforms. Stonework. Too careful to be practical.

Is this a ballroom?

Under the falls?

I've been to worse venues.

Partially flooded. Could have collapsed. But I can't imagine when, or what it would have taken.

Look at those statues.

Oh, hey, I know those guys. Bear, stag, anchor, falcon, salmon.

Originals, icons. Salmon. I've never seen that one before.

Oh boy, do I have a story for you.

It wasn't cracked. It wasn't defaced. It was intact. Like no one had bothered to revise it. They were all down there, or what was left of them, preserved by neglect. Over here.

We need to move.

Where?

Through the fucking Arkham, Massachusetts, civic ballroom?

Hey, hey, less commentary, more walking.

Whoa, whoa, did you hear that?

Yes, just keep moving and watch out. Watch out for the water.

Sorry.

Look at that. That doesn't look structural.

It isn't. This was closed later. Down here.

Lights off.

Now.

This is a dead end.

It's a pause. Nothing on this side.

Are they leaving?

No, which means we don't either.

My lungs forgot how to behave. Every inhale felt too loud, every exhale like a confession. Somewhere down the corridor, a flashlight clicked. They weren't done searching, so we weren't done disappearing.

We waited long enough for the echoes to change, long enough for the voices to move deeper, long enough to realize no one was coming to clear us out.

Check the lower run, then we're out. If they're checking lower, that means we're, what, upper?

It means they're not here, move.

Okay, okay, moving, moving. My phone keeps flickering.

Signal?

Not cell, it's like utility-private encrypted.

So they've got Wi-Fi down here?

They've got infrastructure.

The older brick didn't fight us, it guided us, not towards safety, just elsewhere. Back to the new build, back to the present, with its sodium lights and pavement and painted lines. Okay, that's a new smell.

Follow the grade. Water runs somewhere. It always does.

The containment tunnels were straight lines. This wasn't. This curved, dipped, adjusted.

There.

That's a ladder.

Vertical access shaft.

To where?

Up.

Yeah, dumb question. That was on me. You so basic, Amy.

Yeah, that did not sound encouraging.

It sounded intact.

Define intact.

Still attached. I'll go first.

The air changed halfway up. Less rot, more cold. Like the earth was thinning.

There's a hatch.

Please tell me that opens.

It does.

Please tell me that's outside.

It is. Come on.

Yes.

Whoa. Okay. Where are we?

Downstream. This outlet only clears at low water.

So most of the year, it's underwater?

Or sealed.

From up here, the falls looked the same. Tourist lit, clean, untouched, like the town we thought we saved.

That wasn't just containment.

That's a network.

We went looking for contamination.

And found architecture.

And history.

We've got bars.

Good. I'll text Lily. She can come get us.

So we wait. They built it slow, layer by layer, stone over stone, assuming no one would ever climb back out.

There are people who stumble into fights, and then there are people who train for them. Lily Siaya does not stumble. We crawled out of something buried, she'd been standing on top of it the whole time.

You look like you crawled out of a myth.

Yeah, myth, sewer, same difference in this place.

You good?

We weren't followed, so yeah.

That's not what I asked, dad.

We're out, there's more down there.

How much more?

Layered, connected, older than the containment grid.

Older?

Pre-concrete, pre-standardization, repurposed, unified later.

By them?

At that scale, yes.

There's a chamber.

Almost formal, like it wasn't meant to be hidden.

Or it was completely forgotten.

It was old, there was original zyconography, all of it.

All?

Including one that shouldn't be there.

Okay, strange. So what now?

Now we don't panic.

This isn't panic, it's-

It's adrenaline. That's natural. But this is a bomb, and we can't just drop that casually.

I mean, we weren't planning to put it in a reel or something like that.

Listen, if this lands wrong, it doesn't just hit the originals. It hits the town.

And if it lands crooked, the originals don't even stumble.

They adjust.

We're the ones standing out there without cover.

Yeah, well, it hit the town before. We told the truth, and it hit the town.

Yes, that's my point. We need to do this right.

We're not talking about optics. We're talking about contaminated water.

If there's active containment and they didn't disclose it, They didn't.

then the Omnia deal is finished.

Just like that?

If it rests on hidden contamination and undisclosed infrastructure, Yeah, just like that. That's why Dylan was being cagey about a lot of this with us. He was threading the needle.

Save the deal and save the land? You can't do both.

I think he may have learned that lesson.

It looks like they're cleaning it up. What's up with that?

If they can remove the worst of it, the deal can still go through.

If it's contained, it becomes manageable on paper. If it's manageable on paper, it stays quiet.

Manageable for who, though?

For Omnia.

So they know?

Maybe not everyone. Maybe just the need to know tier. Evan, a few others. It's a lot of money riding on this.

Clean it enough. Close the sale. Call it remediation. Doesn't change anything for us. Omnia will back away when this sees the light.

I want to know where it's going. Where are they taking it?

It looked like Osprey Island.

What?

Threshold has some kind of facility on the island. Whatever they've been cleaning up gets put in shipping crates and stored there.

Where it's headed from there, we don't know.

There's more to learn.

Yeah, you think?

More to learn. But there's already enough here to stop the deal.

The town's going to love that.

People deserve clean water more than a ribbon cutting ceremony.

We don't rush this. We line it up. Documentation, cross-verification, environmental filings, property records. Then we pull.

Pull?

The thread.

And the whole thing unravels.

If it's built the way we think it is, it already has.

They assume no one sees the whole structure.

That's their advantage.

This started with Dylan.

It still involves Dylan.

Does it?

It involves what he stepped into, what he kicked up.

Which was bigger than him.

So what are you two going to do?

See what we can add to this now that we have a better idea of what we're dealing with.

And we talk to people who remember.

You think people will talk?

Everyone talks.

Eventually.

But we move at the right time.

And when is that?

When they think they're safe.

And when we know we are.

Thanks again, both of you, for listening.

And for believing. That's the important one.

You brought evidence. Belief wasn't required.

Also, sorry for the whole subterranean corporate liminal space hell you followed us into.

Next time, we bring boots.

I feel like that's a dig at me.

Because it is, Amy. It's 100% a dig at you.

You two get some rest.

That feels unlikely, but we'll give it a shot.

We'd climbed out of something older than any of us, but the town above us hadn't changed. The same streetlights, the same quiet houses, the same people who had no idea what was running underneath their feet. Some things rot in the dark. Some things get built over.

We started with a murder, that felt manageable. You find the person, you say the thing, you restore order. Now we were debating environmental collapse and municipal compliance. Somewhere along the way, the case stopped being about one body. Or maybe it always was. There's a moment in every story where you decide if you're passing through or if you live there now. Mags came back to Avalon Falls with an exit plan. I never really left. Now we were standing in the apartment, dripping sewer water onto hardwood floors, pretending this was temporary. Ugh, I need a towel.

Me too, I would add a shower. That was gross down there.

You look clean actually, and like weirdly calm.

No, no, I'm not calm.

You're doing that thing where you narrate your feelings internally and then forget to share them.

We went down there looking for contamination.

Well, I would say we certainly found it. Like a big old bunker full of sweaty 1980s contamination and whatever, right?

We found a system.

Okay, but that's good, isn't it? That's bigger. That means Dylan was on to something real.

It means this isn't just about Dylan, not anymore.

It was never just about Dylan.

No, but it was a murder.

It still is.

Is it still just a murder?

What's that supposed to mean?

It means if we torpedo Omnia, we're not solving a murder. We're detonating a development deal.

That development deal is sitting on hidden contamination and treaty violations and is probably the main reason Dylan got murdered.

I know.

So what? We let it stand?

No, of course not.

Then what are we debating?

Scope. Are we solving a murder or are we rewriting the town charter?

Well, we're definitely not city planners.

We're just really, really bad at minding our business.

Dylan didn't mind his business either.

He didn't mind his family business.

He knew this was bigger than him. Still can't believe I'm saying that.

He thought he could outrun it.

You can't outrun what he was trying to outrun.

I think he knew that.

So what are you actually worried about?

I'm thinking about what Daniel said. If we bring this down wrong, it won't just hit the originals.

It'll hit everyone.

Yes, again.

You're talking about the phishing thing.

Yes, I'm talking about the phishing thing.

We exposed a drug ring, dude. The fishermen were part of that. They were smuggling fucking drugs. How is that our fault?

I know, I know.

We didn't sink an industry.

Tell that to the town Facebook group.

So what, we protect the Omnia deal so people don't get mad at us twice?

Obviously, that's not what I mean. Look, I don't want to be the reason Avalon Falls burns down.

It's already smoldering, and this isn't revenge.

It's about the water.

It's about the water, and it's about Dylan.

I got an email from Marion.

An official one? Like an official email?

Relax. Yes. An official email, but also a boring one. The city wants updated inventory verification for the business license renewal. Municipal compliance, basement safe confirmation, that kind of thing.

Wow. Riveting.

Apparently, if I'm continuing operations, I have to confirm what's in secured storage.

If.

It's just paperwork.

You said if like it's a fork in the road.

It is a fork in the road. Technically, I haven't decided anything.

Right.

What's that supposed to mean?

Nothing. Just municipal compliance is a deeply unsexy way to determine your destiny.

Amy.

What? I'm being practical.

You're being distant.

I'm being cool.

You're not the thing I'm trying to escape.

I didn't say you were.

I know. I'm just saying it. Avalon Falls and you are not the same thing.

Okay, good.

I haven't decided anything.

You don't have to decide tonight.

If I did sell-

We'd figure it out.

I assumed we would just take the money and do something together.

Really? Like what?

I don't know. Details aren't as important when there's money to sort them out.

But what do you want to do for real?

I don't know. I really don't. There hasn't been time to think. Like, fuck. Not since you yelled at Dylan and had a seizure. It's been go time since that moment, really.

And you are most welcome for that.

Yeah, thanks, bud. I was supposed to be figuring my life out. Med school didn't work. Loose Ends was an asset. I told myself coming back here was research. Like, I was evaluating whether this place still fit.

But?

But when I got off that bus, I knew it didn't.

Didn't fit?

Didn't stick. I wanted to sell. Take the money. Go find the thing that would lead to the thing.

Eat, pray, barf.

Sure.

Okay. So what happened?

What happened? You, Amethyst Emily O'Connell, you fucking happened.

Oh, I happened.

You absolutely happened. I mean, obviously, this, the me and you part right now, is the best thing that's happened in a long time.

Oh, oh, yeah?

Yeah, it's not bleak. It's just accurate.

Hey, be gentle with yourself.

I'm trying. It took a murder and Dee Dee's surveillance bunker and whatever the hell is under this town.

You could have just said that.

Yeah, where's the drama in that?

Me too.

You don't have to say that.

I'm not saying it because I have to. I don't feel stuck anymore. That's you.

Yeah?

Yeah. So what does Marion's email actually say?

Marion says the city flagged a few items listed in secured storage. They need confirmation for the business license renewal.

Flagged how?

As in these exist on paper but not in the municipal inventory system. So I have to confirm what's actually in the basement safe.

Love that the town only becomes efficient when it's inconvenient.

They want copies, photos, serial numbers if applicable. Basically proof the shop isn't laundering cursed Fabergé eggs.

Well, we're already destabilized.

Let's get ready to rummage.

Amazing.

Yeah? Okay.

We thought we were stepping back just for a night from contamination, from chambers, from detonations, from decisions. We were wrong.

Loose Ends at night doesn't feel haunted, it feels paused, like it's waiting for someone to finish a sentence. Dee Dee used to say the shop wasn't about selling things, it was about holding on to them long enough for the right person to find them. Turns out she wasn't just talking about antiques.

Okay, a state document scavenger hunt, do we get a prize for this?

Yes, the prize is closure.

Ah, snoozers.

And you know, possibly Marion's gratitude.

Okay, now you're over selling it.

Dee Dee labeled everything.

She labeled things she didn't even own.

Right, so this shouldn't take too long.

Good. I definitely don't want anything standing in the way of me lying in bed in the dark, staring at the ceiling for hours alone with only my thoughts and your breathing.

Is that what you've been doing?

Don't worry about it.

I'm not, I'm just, look, as you're almost doctor, I am legally obligated to be concerned if you're not sleeping.

Relax, the Lamontre gene knocks me out. You know, eventually, usually, like, we'll see.

Amy.

So, we're looking for a safe?

That's what I thought. But apparently, most of the documents and the combination are in some box.

Some box?

We'll know it when we see it, apparently.

So this box would be where?

That is the question. I say we try the office on the main floor first, then basement storage.

As a last resort?

Yes, because that place is terrifying.

Yes, like, even without the, you know, those fucking haunted steampunk noises.

So, hopefully, we find it up here.

Okay, nothing jumping out at me yet.

Nope, just like, look, this is a box marked with three Xs.

Oh, okay, I'm listening.

Right? But when I look inside, there are xylophones, xylographs and X-Men action figures.

Ha, hilarious.

Okay, I mean, like, five out of ten.

Oh, oh, is there a storm figure?

There is, actually. You want it?

Oh, absolutely. Here you are. Yes, yes, thank you for this.

Looking through some more boxes over here.

Dee Dee definitely liked objects with personality.

She liked objects with history.

Same difference.

Okay, acquisition records, lot numbers, tax filings.

Thrilling. Oh, wait. Please tell me this is not the haunted ventriloquist dummy.

No, that's near the front.

Why?

Because she said it liked the light.

So this is just another ventriloquist dummy?

Yes.

A second ventriloquist dummy?

Correct.

So, just to clarify, there's been like two ventriloquist dummies in this place, just lingering while we've been sleeping, brushing our teeth, me borrowing your deodorant, existing in a state of trust. Together? Do I have that right? I need you to answer me, Mags!

It's technically three if you count the one with the porcelain hands.

See my face? To the outside world. To you. This looks like the face of someone with their shit 100% locked. The face of a champion. The steely gaze of a Viking shield maiden.

Okay, let's just...

But internally? Internally, Mags? Internally, I am silent screaming right now. That's the worst and most intense type of screaming. And do you know why?

Because you're screaming alone.

That's right. Yeah. I'm screaming alone. On the inside.

Silently.

Well, while you're silent screaming, I'll just go ahead and check some more boxes.

Yeah, while you're doing that, me and Storm are gonna burn these cursed dummies, then go out for sushi. Don't wait up.

I think they're resistant to fire damage.

Oh, I miss her. Dee Dee, I mean.

So much.

Remember when she made us inventory the entire back wall alphabetically?

And then reorganized it by energy.

And then by threat level.

Which made absolutely no sense at the time, but now, now I kind of get it.

Yeah, huh. Dee Dee either really needed a break from us, or she was like a wildly abusive capitalist running on child labor.

We alphabetized willingly. Fucking Dee Dee. Oh hey, this should be it, basement safe records, in a box.

Wow, she really did prepare for her own death like it was a dinner party.

She liked contingencies. Okay, property title copy, insurance, inventory certification, safe log, combination.

Look at you, responsible adult.

It's unsettling. Whoa, what's this? It's an envelope.

Is it labeled, do not open until dramatically appropriate?

It's not labeled at all. Opening it.

That's a USB. What does it say?

Mags and Amy.

Targeted. Okay.

It was in the records box.

So anyone coming for paperwork would find it.

Looks like it. Yes.

She planned that.

We still need the safe inventory from downstairs. Double check it against the log.

Right. We should bring that.

The USB too. Obviously, that's the first thing we're doing down there. Come on. Okay, let's see, one file, no name, video created just over a month before she died.

You ready?

Nope, but here we go. Oh.

Hi.

Oh shit.

If you're watching this, then a few things have happened. One, I was right about you. Two, you found what I hoped you'd find. And three, you're ready. Oh, and number four. I, uh, I died.

Dee Dee. Why she gotta make me cry already?

At this point, some time has passed, and well, I'm sure you have some questions, right? That's what you little shits were always good at. I always liked that about you. You never took, that's just how it is for an answer. Yeah. So, I'm not going to start with why. I'm not going to explain that at all. You already know why. You've seen enough by now to know why. No, I think first... First, I need to explain what it is I built.