(familiar theme music: acoustic guitar, church bells, a faraway female voice)
VOICE OF MAKO MORI: Welcome to Season Two of the Black Tapes Podcast.
This season, we’re continuing our exploration of belief and the search for truth, and our profile of the enigmatic Dr. Hermann Gottlieb. We are examining his collection of unsolved cases, pursuing the theory that they are all, somehow, connected.
Our story progresses in order, week by week. So, if you’re a first-time listener, welcome to the show. You should go back and start at episode one.
(interlude music #6)
MAKO: This episode is a little different. Our host Newt Geiszler and I recorded and produced it over the course of the month, per usual. But Newt’s health took a bit of a turn in the final week. He had to go on a temporary leave. Since we didn’t want the episode to go up late, I and our other producers took care of the remaining edits.
Don’t worry. Newt’s leave is temporary. It is a health concern. He will be back in the studio next month.
There shouldn’t be a pause between episodes. If there is, we will post an update in the feed and on the show’s Twitter account, @blacktapespod.
(interlude music #4 fades in)
This episode: We speak to an expert on Motherwell’s manuscript, and investigate a possible connection to the missing Caravaggio painting, Il Sorriso Capovolto.
First, we had a short follow-up with Karla Krasner, whom we interviewed last episode.
(interlude music #4 fades out)
NEWT: Hello?
KARLA: (tinny through Skype) (German accent) Newt? Hello. Can you hear me?
NEWT: Hi! Yes. I can hear you. Thanks for giving us the time.
KARLA: Yes. I only have a few minutes.
NEWT: Of course--this won’t take long. So, I asked Hermann about the boy in the pool, like you told me to. He said he didn’t know anything about it.
KARLA: Hm. Interesting.
NEWT: Could you tell us more?
KARLA: Are you not a journalist, Newt?
NEWT: Uh--I am.
KARLA: An investigative journalist?
NEWT: Yes...
KARLA: Lincoln was a small town when we grew up there. You are an investigator. You can find it.
NEWT: Uh. Okay.
KARLA: It sounds like Hermann was not happy you spoke with me.
NEWT: ...Not really. But we worked it out.
KARLA: Good. I am glad.
NEWT (VO): So, with that somewhat cryptic exhortation, we set to work finding the pool boy. We didn’t have a ton to go on, just a timeframe--approximately Hermann’s childhood--and a location--Lincoln, MA. Most suburbs contain a lot of swimming pools.
But our interns were undaunted. Under Mako’s direction, they got to work sifting through the local Lincoln-area papers and the archives of the Boston Globe. We’ll have updates on that as soon as we find something.
On the main stage, we are still working on the theory that the unsolved cases we’ve looked into so far are all connected--and connect back to Dr. Gottlieb. Ironic, of course, since he personally seems to hate this theory quite a lot.
It’s not very Sherlock Holmes of me to work from an assumption in this way, I know. But it’s the only way that makes any sense right now. Maybe that’s a flaw in my framework, or a flaw in my judgement. But hey, it’s my podcast, not Dr. Gottlieb’s.
In the last episode, I posited the theory that the Ceonophus--a book of incantations one thousand years old, meant to invoke the end of days--might be the book depicted in the infamous Caravaggio painting. Further, I theorized that the book in the painting is the same as the book found in the kidnapper Robert Motherwell’s possession.
I brought my theory to an expert.
WOMAN: This is not the Ceonophus.
NEWT: It’s not?
WOMAN: Mr. Geiszler, I’d eat my hat.
NEWT (VO): Dr. Belinda Marlow is a rare books dealer with a strange little shop in Providence. When I arrived for our appointment, I actually couldn’t tell if the shop was open--the door was locked, and the signage was extremely unclear about the hours. But before I had time to wonder how Dr. Marlow stayed in business, the door was flung open and I was greeted by a diminutive scholar with a bright plaid vest and an eager smile.
She led me through her store to a back room. I only got a glimpse at the books, but they were old. Like, really old. Beautiful, though. Very well-maintained. The most beautiful books were reserved for Dr. Belinda’s back office. It was a low room with no window, lit instead by a lot of floor and desk lamps. There were a few books open on her workbench, mid-restoration, surrounded by tools.
NEWT: So are all these books for sale? To what market?
DR. MARLOW: (dancing voice with a high timbre) Oh, no. I mean, yes. They are, technically, for sale. But I rarely sell any. I can’t really bear to part with them.
NEWT: Then how, if you don’t mind my asking...?
DR. MARLOW: How do I stay in business? My specialty is restoration. I do a lot of work for the Houghton Library at Harvard, and the Beinecke.
NEWT: That’s the Yale rare books library?
DR. MARLOW: (warmly) Yes.
NEWT: I bet you see a lot of amazing stuff. Have you ever--
DR. MARLOW: Worked on the Voynich Manuscript? (cheerful) Yes. I have! I did a partial restoration on it a few years ago.
NEWT: (amazed) How did you know that was what I was going to ask?
DR. MARLOW: For a rare book, the Voynich Manuscript is very popular! It’s like the Humphrey Bogart of rare books. Everyone has a thing for it.
NEWT: (laughing) Okay! Interesting comparison.
DR. MARLOW: Now, your book on the other hand...
NEWT: Yes?
DR. MARLOW: No one knows it.
NEWT: No one but you.
DR. MARLOW: Well, I don’t either. It's like nothing I've seen before. You don’t have the... original in your possession, do you?
NEWT: No, I’m afraid not. It’s locked up in evidence in Westfield, Mass.
DR. MARLOW: Ah. Of course.
NEWT: So you said you don’t know it, either? You don’t recognize this work?
DR. MARLOW: No. But I can read it. It’s very interesting! It seems to be a grimoire. (explanatory) A book of spells.
NEWT: I know what a grimoire is.
DR. MARLOW: Oh yes. Yes, you seem like you play Dungeons and Dragons. (Newt laughs.) Yes. Good. Well, the language is a combination of Latin and Old East Slavic, so you can be forgiven for not recognizing it.
NEWT: Is that an unusual combination?
DR. MARLOW: Nowadays? Yes. When this was written? Probably not. But no one has spoken this language since the 15th century.
NEWT: So you would say it’s from around then?
DR. MARLOW: That seems most likely. I’d really have to see the original to pinpoint the age, but... Well, from the scans, anyway, it seems to be in excellent condition.
NEWT: So the alleged kidnapper, alleged monk, who had this book--he said it was a book of prayers. Not a grimoire.
DR. MARLOW: No, no prayers that I can find. There are some sections of the Bible.
NEWT: That’s interesting...
DR. MARLOW: Yes.
NEWT: Dr. B, would you say there’s a possibility this is a copy the Ceonophus?
DR. MARLOW: Oh yes, the Ceonophus! You did mention that in your email.
NEWT: Yes. So is...?
DR. MARLOW: Absolutely not. This is not the Ceonophus.
NEWT: (disappointed) It’s not?
DR. MARLOW: Mr. Geiszler, I’d eat my hat.
NEWT: Because of the spells?
DR. MARLOW: Yes. And the time period.
NEWT: But if it was a translation--an updated version?
DR. MARLOW: I don’t think so. I also, frankly, don’t believe the Ceonophus exists. Even if it did, the content of this book is quite different from the alleged content of that piece of ambiguously extant apocalypse apocrypha.
NEWT: I see...
DR. MARLOW: If that’s what you’re after, I won’t be much help. But I can tell you about this book which we do know exists.
(paper rustling)
DR. MARLOW: I took the liberty of printing out some of the more informative chapters.
NEWT: Oh!
(a stack of paper being dropped onto a desk)
DR. MARLOW: So the first part--here--appears to be sections of the Latin Bible.
NEWT: Uh-huh.
DR. MARLOW: But not all of it. I only gave it a once- or twice-over, but some lines have definitely been omitted from certain verses. Intentionally, I’m quite sure.
NEWT: Really?
NEWT: Ye olde typos?
DR. MARLOW: No, not these. They’re omissions. Redactions.
NEWT: Do you have any idea why?
DR. MARLOW: To save time?
NEWT: Oh?
DR. MARLOW: Maybe the scribe wanted to get to the juicy stuff. Which is the second half of the book. (pages turning) The second half is where we start getting some Slavic words mixed in with the Latin.
NEWT: Interesting. And are these the...?
DR. MARLOW: Spells? Yes. Glosh-kumen-toh!
NEWT: What now?
DR. MARLOW: That’s the name of this demon.
NEWT: Oh my!
DR. MARLOW: Yes! This is a spell to summon him. The accompanying text describes him as “dangerous but mischievous.” To invite him into your presence, you must speak his name aloud three times.
NEWT: Like a... chant?
DR. MARLOW: Yes. As in: Gloshkumentoh! Gloshkumentoh! Gloshkumentoh!
NEWT: (taken aback) Oh--
(pause)
DR. MARLOW: Hmm. Seems the demon has turned down our invitation.
NEWT: ...Your invitation.
DR. MARLOW: You don’t want to meet him, Mr. Geiszler? He sounds like a fun houseguest.
NEWT: (a little nervous) Maybe, maybe.
DR. MARLOW: There’s nothing to worry about. These aren’t real, of course.
NEWT: No. Of course not.
DR. MARLOW: It’s like a game. Hundreds of years ago, these monks were sitting around--no TV or comic books to pass the time, no D&D--bored to death. Celibacy and prayer get pretty old. So they would sit around the hearth thinking up spooky stories, to scare one another. This is probably one of those games. A parlor game for the devoutly bored.
NEWT: Sounds fun.
DR. MARLOW: And I mean, who among us hasn’t thought about it?
NEWT: (surprised) About... summoning a demon?
DR. MARLOW: Of course! (paper rustling) The spells in this grimoire are quite unique. It appears to be a collection of demons you could summon--a menu, maybe. A yearbook. A dating website!
NEWT: (laughs, nervously)
DR. MARLOW: ...And the requisite spells and ceremony for that. Are you alright, Mr. Geiszler? You look a little pale. Do you have asthma?
NEWT: Um--no?
DR. MARLOW: Oh. Good. I know my office is a little musty. Sometimes it bothers people’s... you know. Sinuses and things.
NEWT: No, no. I’m alright.
DR. MARLOW: Alright, then, let me show you this one. Say that word.
NEWT: This--this word?
DR. MARLOW: Jurashka.
NEWT: Um... Jurashka.
DR. MARLOW: Jurashka. Rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? He sounds like a nice young man. Now, if you want this nice young man in your life, just say Jurashka again tonight, twice, at midnight, with your eyes closed. You’ll need to be in the dark, facing East.
NEWT: I see...
DR. MARLOW: Just do and say all of that, and Jurashka will appear as a pair of great flaming red eyes, burning in the darkness towards you.
NEWT: (faintly) Cool.
DR. MARLOW: Oh--and this one!
NEWT: Yeah?
DR. MARLOW: I like this one. Kla-to-ma-kah. Say it with me, just for fun.
NEWT: I... I think I’d prefer not to, Dr. Dub.
DR. MARLOW: It’s easy! Kla-to-ma-kah.
NEWT: I...
DR. MARLOW: Are you sure you’re alright?
NEWT: No--yeah.
DR. MARLOW: You look worried, Mr. Geiszler. There’s nothing to fear. None of this is remotely real.
NEWT: Yeah, I know. Yeah. (clears throat) I’m okay. What does this one do?
DR. MARLOW: (reading) Ah... This Klatomakah is apparently rather powerful. You don’t even have to say his name aloud, to conjure his presence. To extend the invitation, all you have to do...
NEWT: Yes?
DR. MARLOW: (slowly) All you have to do is think his name. Klatomakah.
NEWT: ...If I, if I just think of his name... he’ll show up.
DR. MARLOW: Yes, that’s what it says here. All you have to do is think the name Klatomakah, at night, with your eyes closed. Do this, and you’ve sent him the invitation.
NEWT: Oh boy.
NEWT (VO): I used to be so fearless about all this demon stuff. But then every night turned into either insomnia or nightmares; and then we found that weird whisper on my sleep tape, well... I find I scare a lot easier.
I knew it was all invented--like she said... probably. But in that dark basement room, surrounded by ancient dusty tomes and creaking boards... Well. If I wasn’t already having sleep problems, I would have said this interview was the reason why, that night, I didn’t get any sleep at all.
---------SPONSOR BREAK #1---------
⏮ ⏯ ⏭
NEWT: So, as we’ve mentioned in the past, we get a lot of listener mail.
MAKO: We sure do.
NEWT: Which is great. Mako and I try to read all of it, but sometimes there’s a delay.
MAKO: Yes. We got an interesting email last month, but we didn’t uncover it until recently.
MAKO (VO): One of our listeners did her graduate thesis on Il Sorriso Capovolto, back in the ‘80s. When she heard our detailed description of it in episode 202, well... She noticed something. She noticed that something was off.
Professor Emily Byrne is an illustrator and professor in Vancouver, Canada. She said she started listening to the podcast after heard about the return of the stolen Flinck. She did her master’s here in Boston, in the Tufts and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts joint program. Her thesis was on the Caravaggio. She says she came to the ISG all the time, to study the original.
BYRNE: (light voice, tinny through Skype) It was the 80s, so there weren’t exactly high-res scans online.
NEWT: I expect not.
BYRNE: Well, when you described the book in detail, I was surprised by what you said. It didn’t sound quite... right to me. I wasn’t sure if I was misremembering. It has been thirty years.
NEWT: Right.
BYRNE: So I googled the high-res scan. Sure enough, the book was like you described.
NEWT: Uh-huh.
BYRNE: But it still... still didn’t sound right. It was bothering me! So I went and dug up my files from my thesis.
NEWT: Oh, wow.
BYRNE: Yeah! It was hard to track down! I had to go to my parents’ house and root around in the attic, and when I found it, my thesis didn’t even contain a detailed description of that section of the painting. Ugh. So, I cracked open my box of research materials.
NEWT: I bet you never thought that would come in handy again, huh?
BYRNE: I absolutely did not. But it did!
NEWT: It sure did. Please tell the audience what you found.
BYRNE: (excited) Okay--okay. I don’t really know what to make of what I found. I have some detailed notes, a sketch, and a crappy photo. But they all agree--the book is red.
NEWT: Completely red.
BYRNE: Completely. The page gilding is gold. I do have something that could be a star on the cover, yes--but my notes just say “symbol,” unfortunately. And no gold latticework.
NEWT: So what we’re getting from this is...
BYRNE: ...The archived scans are not of the original painting.
NEWT: So the image we’ve had of this painting, since its theft, for over thirty years is... a fake?
BYRNE: Either that, or the one stolen from the museum was a fake in the first place.
NEWT: Which seems less likely.
BYRNE: It does.
MAKO (VO): This was a pretty major discovery. We got in touch with the museum, and, much as their staff like us, the higher-ups did not consent to an interview.
They said they didn’t know anything about these inconsistencies. They agreed to let us go through their archives and see if we could find any ourselves.
(interview resumes)
NEWT: Now, Emily, do you remember any differences regarding the code?
BYRNE: Not really. I’m afraid I didn’t copy it down. But there’s a lot of scholarship surrounding the code. If it was really changed--if the archive image is faked, somehow, I would be surprised if the code is changed. It’s the most closely studied part of the painting. That, people would notice.
NEWT: If not to throw people off the scent of the code, then why on earth would they... create a fake? What could be important about the color of the book?
BYRNE: Search me.
NEWT: Yeesh. It just gets weirder and weirder.
BYRNE: Welcome to art history.
MAKO (VO): It took about a week to go through the full museum archive on the painting. We didn’t find anything that backed up Professor Byrne’s findings.
MAKO: So what do you think?
NEWT: I don’t really know.
MAKO: She sent us her files. She’s definitely not lying about what she saw.
NEWT: (half-hearted) Undiagnosed colorblindness?
MAKO: In a painter?
NEWT: I’m kidding. (sighs) There’s a photo, anyway. It’s pretty faded, but, she’s right. It’s definitely red.
-----------OFF THE RECORD-----------
MAKO: What’s wrong?
NEWT: Nothing, I just... Wish something would make sense.
MAKO: I know.
-----------RESUME RECORD-----------
MAKO: Let’s get some working theories.
NEWT: What if... the book in the original painting really is the Ceonophus?
MAKO: Or that certain groups believe it to be?
NEWT: And they stole it because... the original Ceonophus is lost. So that’s the only page left in existence.
MAKO: Sure. Could be.
NEWT: Maybe there's some kind of... particular power to the original.
MAKO: (doubtful) Okay.
NEWT: And they stole it. Because they need it? Or to cover the trail.
MAKO: Trail?
NEWT: Maybe there’s something to connect the painting with the real Ceonophus. The trail to find it.
MAKO: Maybe...
-----------OFF THE RECORD-----------
NEWT: (long sigh) (muffled thump of forehead on desk) Ugh.
MAKO: Stay with it. Whose interest would that be in?
NEWT: (plaintively) (voice muffled by desk) Satan?
MAKO: Come on.
NEWT: (sigh) (sound of chair) (sniffs)
-----------RESUME RECORD-----------
NEWT: Maybe Rothco.
MAKO: Could be. Maybe Lars Gottlieb.
NEWT: (amused) Right. Maybe he’s behind the art heist.
MAKO: He was an antiquities dealer, and this painting does qualify as an ‘antiquity.’
NEWT: (sighs) I think we need to delve more into Rothco. Someone with Mark Roth’s kind of money and power would definitely have access to the high art black market.
MAKO: Maybe. Do you think he’s the Advocate?
NEWT: I don’t really know what that is. Motherwell mentioned it once, and now Hermann is convinced it’s him? Because of one covert archaeology dig? I don’t know if I buy it.
MAKO: Hmm.
MAKO (VO): Newt was pretty out of it. It was worse than it had been all year. I was getting really worried. I felt like he was drifting. I sat down to talk to him about it--off the record--to really convince him to take some time off.
I told him this project was keeping him up at night, and he needed to step away. He said there was too much going on to stop now.
I hesitated to include an explanation like this. I prefer to respect Newt’s privacy as much as possible. But we decided it was necessary background to explain what happened next.
---------SPONSOR BREAK #2---------
⏮ ⏯ ⏭
(door opening)
NEWT: The prodigal reporter returns!
BECKET: Yeah, yeah. Come here, you tiny bastard.
NEWT: Rude.
(footsteps, fabric sounds as they presumably hug)
MAKO (VO): Raleigh Becket was back in Boston for work this week. I invited him by the studio to share his latest update.
NEWT: I bet Mako was happy to see you.
BECKET: I think so. She asked me to come with her to the reception this weekend.
NEWT: Oh, the Gardener reopening? Wow. Are you sure this was a work trip, Becket? That’s suspiciously fortuitous timing...
BECKET: Mad she asked me before you could?
NEWT: (archly) I don’t have to answer that.
(sound of door)
MAKO: Hey guys. Sorry. Herc was showing me a video of Max.
BECKET: (laughs) Typical.
(sitting down)
MAKO: Okay, Raleigh. What have you got for us?
BECKET: So, like I mentioned, I have a friend who’s good with computers. I went to visit them. They took a look at the emails from Tomás, and the geotagged sound file. Then they did some stuff while I went to get us some takeout... When I got back, they had two more geotags for me.
NEWT: Sweet.
BECKET: Yeah! So, the sound file was recorded at Limoges, like you found, Mako. But when he attached it to the blank email and sent it, the wifi network he was on was in Hungary.
MAKO: Hungary?
BECKET: Yeah. Any idea why?
MAKO: Well... (waiting for Newt to jump in) (Newt says nothing) Well, remember we spoke to that historian about Adémar the monk? He went on a pilgrimage across Europe. Maybe he passed through Hungary?
NEWT: Mhm. I can ask the professor. Where in Hungary was it, Raleigh?
BECKET: Small town. I forget the name. I’ll send it to you.
NEWT: What about the first email? Any geotag on that?
BECKET: Yeah. It was Tuscany.
NEWT: I thought in his first email, he said he was going to Sicily? Not Tuscany.
MAKO: Maybe he was on his way.
NEWT: What’s in Tuscany?
BECKET: Lots of stuff. Lots of art. And...
MAKO: And?
BECKET: A town called Porto Ercole. Not far from the place he sent his email. Where, in 2010, bones were found that they have now, almost positively, identified as the remains of Caravaggio.
NEWT: What!
MAKO: Interesting. Makes sense. Considering he’s after the painting.
BECKET: Yeah. Historically, Caravaggio’s death was shrouded in mystery. No one could agree if he died from fever, a duel, syphilis, botulism...
MAKO: And now?
BECKET: This evidence suggested he died of lead poisoning. Then later tests made it look like he died of sepsis from a wound--a dueling wound he sustained in Naples.
NEWT: Ouch.
BECKET: Well. You know how it was back then.
(sound of papers)
MAKO: Great. (...) This is great stuff, Raleigh. You’ll send us all this?
BECKET: You got it.
MAKO: So where do you want to go next? Do you want to go to Tuscany, or Hungary? Do you have the time?
BECKET: I think I have a few days next month. I’m game for either. Why don’t you guys look into it and let me know?
MAKO: Okay... I think we’re leaning towards Hungary. Just because it’s the more recent geotag.
BECKET: Makes sense.
(sound of knocking)
MAKO: Come in!
(door opens)
MAKO: Oh--hey, Dr. G.
(someone’s chair moves)
HERMANN: Hello Ms. Mori. Newton. You must be Mr. Becket?
BECKET: That’s me. Dr. Gottlieb?
(footsteps)
HERMANN: Pleasure to meet you. I was wondering if I might have a word with you. When you’re finished here.
BECKET: I think we’re... we’re all set? Yeah?
NEWT: Yeah man, go for it.
HERMANN: (...) I meant--in private.
NEWT: Oh. Right. (...) Um... Studio B should be empty. Next door.
HERMANN: Thank you.
BECKET: Later Newt.
NEWT: Yeah.
(footsteps)
(door closes)
(pause)
MAKO: Wonder what that’s all about.
NEWT: Yeah...
MAKO: (standing up) I’m going to go scan these. I’ll be back in a minute to go over the schedule.
NEWT: Sure. Cool. Take your time.
(footsteps)
(door closes)
(pause...)
(sound of buttons being pressed)
(static)
(voices)
(levels adjust--voices become audible: Becket and Hermann speaking in an undertone in Studio B)
HERMANN: ...man who looked like this?
BECKET: No. I didn’t see anyone who looked like that.
HERMANN: What about this woman?
BECKET: Actually, yeah. I recognize her. She bid on something.
HERMANN: On what?
BECKET: An artifact. I think it was a vase. She didn’t win.
HERMANN: Did you speak to her?
BECKET: No, not me.
HERMANN: Was she wearing a rings? A wedding ring, or any other ring?
BECKET: I don't remember. Sorry.
HERMANN: Did you see her speaking to anyone else?
BECKET: Yes. That guy.
HERMANN: At the reception? After the auction?
BECKET: Yes. And another thing--when she was there, her hair didn’t look like that. It was dyed b--
MAKO: Newt?
(clatter)
(audio feed from studio ends)
-----------OFF THE RECORD-----------
NEWT: Yeah?
MAKO: What were you doing?
NEWT: No--oh, I was just--
MAKO: (stricken) Newt! Were you listening to them?
NEWT: Yes--but--
MAKO: Turn it off. Turn it off right now.
NEWT: I did...
MAKO: Newt! This is so far over the line! Gottlieb mistrusts us already, but Raleigh is our friend, how can you--
NEWT: Yeah, your friend maybe, but I think--I think maybe they--
MAKO: (incredulous) What? You think what?
NEWT: (desperate) There’s something they’re not telling us--
MAKO: Newt. Why would Raleigh keep secrets from us?
NEWT: (frantic) You didn’t hear them--they were talking about an auction, a woman with--
MAKO: Stop! Stop. I don’t want to hear it. Did you turn it off?
NEWT: Yes! It’s off. It’s off. I already... Oh... (indistinct noise)
MAKO: No, no. (footsteps) Stop. It’s okay.
NEWT: (muffled) That was so stupid.
MAKO: Stop, stop. It’s okay.
NEWT: (muffled) (inaudible)
MAKO: I’ll talk to them. But then you have to talk to them too.
-----------RESUME RECORD-----------
NEWT (VO): Mako caught me. I regretted it almost immediately. I’d let my paranoia get the better of me.
We talked to them about it.
Dr. G was not pleased.
Mako was surprised I wanted to include this in the show at all, but I felt really bad about it. I decided I wanted to be as transparent as possible. Particularly for Hermann’s sake. He was... really upset.
--------- ⏹ Stop ---------
MAKO: Thanks for speaking with me.
(door closing)
(two sets of footsteps)
HERMANN: (flat) This is off the record, I presume?
MAKO: Yes.
(both sit down)
MAKO: I know you’re upset. You have every reason to be.
HERMANN: (...)
MAKO: I just wanted to talk with you, because there’s something important I think Newt isn't telling you.
HERMANN: What might that be?
MAKO: Newt has been... He’s been suffering from insomnia for the past eight months.
HERMANN: Insomnia?
MAKO: Yes. It’s quite bad. I don’t think he’s slept more than two consecutive hours in months. I’ve been worried it might start affecting his judgment. Well, I think we can conclude that it finally has.
HERMANN: (...) For how long? Since... January?
MAKO: Since last December. So, no, he hasn’t talked to you about this?
HERMANN: No.
MAKO: I didn’t think so. And you don’t listen to the show, then? He's talked about it on there.
HERMANN: No... not since the first few episodes. Last year. (...) (quiet) Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?
MAKO: Sometimes it does.
(beat)
HERMANN: So Newton has disclosed this to his audience, but not to me?
MAKO: Seems like it, yes. I told him he should talk to you about it, but... I’m sorry. I don’t like going behind his back like this. But I’m telling you this so that you will ask him about it. You two need to discuss it. There’s a reason his judgment is impaired. He isn’t just... misbehaving. Newt wouldn’t do this unless something was wrong.
HERMANN: Is it really as bad as that?
MAKO: He isn’t himself.
(beat)
MAKO: I’m going to tell him to talk to you about it. I don’t know how to convince him to take a break from the show. Maybe you can.
HERMANN: I can try. (sound of chair) Thank you, Ms. Mori.
MAKO: (sound of chair) Of course.
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NEWT (VO): Hermann and I talked things over a few days later. He accepted my apology and I talked to him about my... health problems. He said what I recorded wasn’t actually very important. It was tangentially related to Rothco, apparently. As long as I promised publicly not to record him without his knowledge--ever again--he agreed it was okay to leave it in the show.
So here I am: promising publicly.
(outro music begins)
MAKO (VO): Eventually (...) Newt agreed to take a three-week break.
We debated about whether to produce and release this episode at all, or to simply go on hiatus. But Newt was insistent. Even though I wouldn't let him help edit it, he wanted me to do it. I think he wants it released, as insurance--a motivation to get better.
Still, I apologize for how short this episode is. We hope to be back next month with a regular episode.
It’s the Black Tapes. I’m Mako Mori. Thanks for listening.
See you next month.
(music fades out)
⏺ Rec