Chapter 1: What unexpected job opportunity does Maria encounter in Baltimore?
There was a farmer who had a dog, and Bingo was his name-o. The doggy liked to growl and bite, because the farmer said so. The pastor, postman, and his wife, the plumber, roofer, all took flight. The neighbors hid by day and night, cause Bingo bit that ass, yo.
Ha, ha, ha.
You've crossed over to Spooked. Stay tuned. Just recently, even amid wars, wars, and rumors of wars, as we tear each other apart, A miracle of sorts. For the first time in history, humans journeyed further into the dark than anyone has ever gone before. Four people, the best of us strapped into a tiny craft.
And right before the most dangerous, most fraught leg of their trip, as they watch our spinning planet, our Earth, setting over the moon's horizon, cutting them off from communication, On the dark side of the mystery, astronaut Victor Glover says this, I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries on earth, and that's love.
Christ said in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all that you are. And he also, being a great teacher, said the second is equal to it. And that is to love your neighbor as yourself. And so, as we prepare to go out of radio communication, we're still able to feel your love from Earth and to all of you down there on Earth.
We love you. From the moon. They were gone.
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Chapter 2: What risks does Maria face while driving a stranger?
are many, many different ways to show love. And today, we're going to hear from a young woman whom we'll call Maria. Since the 1990s in downtown Baltimore, and because we're talking about real people, real things happen. Sensitive listeners, please take care, as this story references an act of suicide. Now, Maria is in her early 20s.
on her own for the very first time, learning to navigate adult life and working any odd job she can find to stay afloat.
I had so many jobs. I did waitressing jobs, and I delivered pizza. Just whatever job I could get to make the rent and the bills.
What little free time Maria did have between jobs, she spent with a group of friends she'd met in the neighborhood. Her closest friend in the group was a guy named Jeff.
Then he introduced me to other people he knew, and then we ended up just being friends and hanging out. We were like huge anime fans. So we would hang out at my apartment or Jeff's and watch anime. And honestly, we all talk about how broke we are all the time. I went over to hang, listen to music. I was the only one with a car at the time.
So Jeff was like, hey, are you interested in making like a hundred bucks? And I was like, well, yeah. He said, it's kind of a little sketchy.
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Chapter 3: How does Maria's perception of her passenger change during the ride?
So if you don't want to do it, I totally get it. But I know this guy who needs a ride out to the Park and Ride, because in Baltimore, people would drive to the Park and Ride and then take the train into D.C. to work or vice versa. The reason he's going to the Park and Rides is because it's like a smorgasbord of cars to steal. I wasn't thinking like, oh, great, that sounds fun.
I know that that's not the normal thing that people do, and it's dangerous and illegal. But I definitely want to make a hundred bucks. So I'm like, yeah, sure.
So Jeff arranged a time for Maria and this guy to meet one day after Maria was done with work, just so that she'd feel more comfortable.
I pulled up in my car and parked. And in Baltimore, there's stoops sitting. People just sit on the stoop and hang out. So Jeff and this guy are sitting on the stoop of the apartment building, and I get out of the car and I go sit on the stoop. He's average height, average build. He had like dirty blonde hair. And he's like, OK, I'm Pete. Nice to meet you.
And I assume Jeff told you what I'm asking for. And I was like, yeah.
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Chapter 4: What shocking revelation does Maria discover about Pete?
He's like, are you good with this? I'm like, you sure you're willing to pay that much money? And he's like, absolutely. Absolutely. I was just a little wary, on guard a little bit, because, you know, I'm aware that it's maybe not the most kosher thing to do. But he was super normal and not at all scary in any way. Like, just really normal, nice guy, easygoing.
He wasn't nervous, you know, so he just put me totally at ease. And he said, so if we can go on whatever day. And I'm like, sure, that sounds good. And he's like, all right, I'll meet you here. And I was like, okay. It was kind of brief. And then I left. And they stayed on the stoop.
A few days later, Maria pulled back up in front of that same apartment building. This time, it was just the guy waiting for her on the stoop. No Jeff. He got in the car, and they started driving toward the park and ride.
He was really easy to talk to.
Chapter 5: What connection does Maria have with the Band-Aid Bandit?
The conversation was just kind of natural. There was no uncomfortable feeling at all. He told me about this woman that he was dating. And I didn't know her, know her, but I had heard about her. And he was, like, really, really in love with her. It was kind of sweet. Like, he was so, like, she can do no wrong, and she's just this light of my life.
And I'm thinking, is this the same one that I know? But I didn't say any of that out loud. I just, you know, I'm just driving you, so I'll be supportive. And I had just broken up with this guy. I was dating forever. And so I'd be like, yeah, I'm going through this. Get there. I pull in and then just slowly drive through. And occasionally he'd be like, hold on a second.
And I would stop and he would get out and like go check something out. And then he would get back in and say like, just drive up there a little farther. And so once he decides that he's got what he wants, he said, I'm all set. Thank you so much.
Chapter 6: How does Maria's experience challenge her views on morality?
And gives me a hundred dollar bill. And I was thrilled and I was like, no problem. You know, call me if you need me again. And he said, thank you again so much. Have a great day. And I just left. Honestly, it was like the most fun $100 I ever made. I just get to drive somebody and chat and hang out. So I thought it was great. How many times did you do this with him?
Maybe three, four, somewhere in there. He would page Jeff and then Jeff would call me.
Was there anything about doing this that felt exciting to you?
I guess there was a small element where, you know, you're feeling like kind of a rebel, you know, I'm going out, I'm gonna go do something I'm not supposed to do. But I didn't really feel uncomfortable. Somebody else might have been more nervous or thinking like, oh, is there somebody watching me?
But it felt like just as if I was taking a friend to go pick up their car and they were like, is that my car? Oh, no, let's keep going.
That said, Maria was pretty careful to never bring up what they were doing during those long drives.
I had that mentality, like, your place is to just hang out and not ask questions.
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Chapter 7: What strange event occurs during Ivana's trip with Uncle John?
So I just sort of avoided the topic.
Which is why it caught her off guard when he brought it up.
I think he said something like, you know, so you're not going to ask the obvious question. I was like, well, you know, I don't want you to say anything you don't want to talk about or whatever. And he's like, no, I don't care. What questions you have. I said, don't you feel kind of bad like that these people are going to come out of work and like not have a car?
And he's like, actually, I do feel bad. He said, I always make sure to fill it with gas. And I remember asking, why do you do this? And he was like, well, I just don't have any other options. And so I feel sorry for him. It would have been at least several months since I had seen him. I came home from work one day and it's still daylight.
I park the car, I get out and I look up and he's standing under this tree, which is maybe a car lengths away, having a cigarette. And he's got like one leg crossed over the other one, just leaning on the tree and looking at me. And it took me a minute to register that it's him. And I'm like, what the hell is he doing here?
But after like a couple of seconds, I realized he wasn't as solid as a normal person. He wasn't transparent, but he wasn't completely solid.
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Chapter 8: What do the burning chickens symbolize in Ivana's story?
My brain is trying to process that this is actually happening. And then he waves at me, just sort of indicating, like, see ya kind of thing. And then he literally disappeared. He just is there, and then he's not there. It was just very surrealistic. I felt shaky and my heart's racing, and it just sort of set my whole nervous system like crazy.
And so I just sort of ran to my apartment, closed the door, and just breathed for a few minutes until my heart rate slows. And then I felt this sadness. because he can't be alive and also show up here as a not really solid being. But I feel like I need to know. So I call Jeff and say, like, have you heard from Pete? And he goes, oh my gosh, so I just heard that this happened.
He found out that the marshals or whatever were chasing him had found him in this hotel room. And they surrounded him and he shot himself. And he's gone. A few days later, I don't remember where I was going, but I see Jeff across the street.
And so I go over and he has this article about this guy who I thought was Pete, but it turned out his name was like Edward Brown and that he was known as the Band-Aid Bandit.
The Band-Aid bandit did not seem like the open, easygoing guy that Maria had been giving rides to. According to the article, he'd escaped from prison and had been robbing banks while running from the cops. He'd been on America's Most Wanted three times. Mr. Brown attempted to disguise his appearance by placing a Band-Aid on his upper left chin, trying to obscure...
a positive identification of him by bank surveillance cameras.
It was kind of eye-opening, I guess. Seeing it in print did make it so that I could see more realistically how the rest of the world saw him. But it didn't necessarily change my experience with him because that wasn't the person that I remember driving. Yeah, okay, yes, he should not be robbing banks, but the world isn't set up black and white.
Like, you know, a lot of people grow up in situations where they don't see another way out. And maybe that's why he showed up, because I had a normal conversation with him. That's probably a better reason than any other I could come up with. Maybe he just really needed that.
You know, somebody that's just another human being that he can talk to that's going to treat him like anybody else instead of like this fugitive from the law. He really needed to be normal.
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