SEARCH: The Suspect
Serialised Fiction | Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller | Season One, Episode Seven
Previously on SEARCH: We discovered the tragic fate of Andy Murdoch and his Flight Club friends, orchestrated by The Wells Foundation and their undercover inside man whilst Matt McNair finds himself the organisations next target in their efforts to stop the story….
APPENDIX 38: Transcript of a Recording of a Telephone Conversation between Matt McNair and Sarah McNair
DATE: 18th November 2021
MATT: What’s up Sarah?
[AUDIO: PHONES ARE RINGING, PEOPLE ARE TALKING, SHOUTING]
MATT: Sarah? You OK?
SARAH: Matt. Hang on - I DON’T CARE GET THEM ON THE PHONE NOW!
MATT: Jesus Christ, what’s going on?
SARAH: I’m fu—I’m livid—I’m—
MATT: Alright, calm down, take a breath. Tell me what’s happening.
SARAH: Have…have you heard or seen the news?
MATT: No. I’m still on the way back to the hotel.
SARAH: Matt, they’ve named you as a suspect.
[GAP IN AUDIO - SUSPECTED SILENCE ON THE CALL]
SARAH: Did you hear me?
MATT: They’ve named me a suspect? Are you winding me up?
SARAH: Wish I was. Hold on. GET THE EDITOR ON THE PHONE AND TELL HIM IF HE DOESN’T TAKE MY CALL I’LL BE KICKING MORE THAN HIS DOOR IN!
MATT: They’re seriously saying that I’m a suspect?
SARAH: Aye. Big splashy news post on their website. It’s all over social media. The police have released a statement confirming you as a person of interest. They’re basically saying you are suspected of having an involvement in the deaths of the members of Flight Club. But don’t worry, we’ve got everyone here working around the clock to refute the story. And if that doesn’t work, I’m going to kill them, I swear to God. Absolute bastards.
MATT: Jesus Christ.
SARAH: It’s OK. Just stay calm. It’s all under control.
MATT: Stay calm? How can I stay cal—I’ve been named as a suspect in a mass murder. My name is plastered all over the internet in connection with it. And you want me to calm down? Jesus CHRIST!
SARAH: OK. I know. Just you know, calm down. Sorry, that’s not helping. Just breathe, Matty. Breathe. We’re going to figure this out.
[THUMPING AND BANGING SOUNDS FROM AUDIO - SUSPECTED FISTS PUNCHING STEERING WHEEL].
MATT: ARGH! DAMN IT! GOD DAMN IT! They—I tried to bring them back. I called it in. I tried to help them, I tried to save them. All those people. And they’re saying this? FUCK!
SARAH: Matty? Are you still driving?
MATT: Y-yes.
SARAH: Pull over. You are in no fit state to drive. Please.
MATT: I’m just pulling into the hotel car park. I’m here.
[TYRES CRUNCHING ON GRAVEL, CAR ENGINE SILENCED AS THE IGNITION TURNS OFF, HANDBRAKE IS PULLED ON]
SARAH: OK. Good.
MATT: What am I going to do? I need to think.
SARAH: Matt, I’m still here. Talk to me.
MATT: Think Matt, come on, think.
SARAH: Hey don’t go off the deep end on me here. We’re going to handle this. It’ll be OK. Just a misunderstanding that we can clear up.
MATT: Who would do this? Who would put my name out here?
SARAH: Alastair Montgomery, journalist at The Carrier. He wrote the articles, no doubt under the instruction of that hack they call an editor they have over there.
MATT: No. I mean who? Who have I pissed off?
SARAH: What do you mean?
MATT: I start researching this story. The person who brings that story to me, Andy and his friends, are killed. Plus there’s a call warning me not to go back into the pub. And now this? I’ve kicked a hornet’s nest and now it’s starting to sting.
SARAH: Listen to what you’re saying Matt. Take a second to think about it. This is nothing but shoddy journalism to grab the headline. Nothing else.
MATT: I don’t think so. I genuinely don’t. It’s actually the only thing that makes sense.
SARAH: The only—Matt. Don’t run away with this. I’m not saying you have, but I’m not saying you haven’t either. We need more to go on.
[AUDIO: CAR DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES, BEEP AS THE CAR LOCKS AND THE CRUNCH OF FOOTSTEPS ON GRAVEL - LOCATION OF MATT MCNAIR IS CHANGING AS HE LEAVES CAR TO THE HOTEL]
MATT: You’re right. We need more to go on.
SARAH: No, that’s not what I mean. At all. If that is the case, and it’s a big IF, get yourself home now or I’m coming to get you. Get in a room with legal and sort this mess out.
MATT: I hardly think our copyright and media lawyers are going to help us out here Sarah.
SARAH: Ha. Ha. Very funny. You know that’s not the only thing they do. The legal team can be kind of useful when it comes to legal matters. Which this most definitely is.
MATT: Someone killed Andy. Someone killed all those people and they’re trying to use me as a scapegoat in order to stop the story. Someone is hiding something. This is a cover-up.
SARAH: What exactly are they hiding?
MATT: I don’t know. Maybe a monster that’s not hiding under the bed anymore.
SARAH: Jesus Matt. Listen to what you’re saying. Where are you?
[AUDIO: KEYS JANGLING IN LOCK. CREAK OF A DOOR]
MATT: I’m just getting back into my room now and then I can think of a plan of ac—well I should have seen this coming.
SARAH: Seen what coming?
MATT: Someone’s been in my room.
SARAH: Matt, you’re starting to sound—
MATT: —I know exactly how I’m starting to sound, Sarah. But I don’t mean housekeeping has paid me a visit. I mean my room is completely trashed.
[AUDIO: CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
MATT: I’ve sent you photos. Take a look for yourself. Christ. They’ve turned the place over. They’re looking for something. Recordings? Maybe even my laptop with the video on it. What the hell is going on here? Did you get the photos?
SARAH: Aye. I got them.
MATT: Now do you believe me?
SARAH: [WHISPERING] Yes. Matt, am I on speaker?
MATT: No. Why are you whispering?
SARAH: The pictures you sent me.
MATT: What about them?
SARAH: Take a closer look around the room, Matt.
MATT: Why?
SARAH: Because whoever paid you a visit….they haven’t left. There’s someone in there with you. There’s someone in the room.
That ending gives me chills! I hope it spooks you as well. Who is in the room with Matt? Are they friend or foe? You’ll find out in the next episode of SEARCH! It’s a slightly shorter episode this week, largely due to the fact that the natural point to end the episode on that cliffhanger happens fairly early on.
I’d say we are about halfway through Season One of SEARCH and there a lot of twists and turns still to come. I hope you’re enjoying this serialised novel as much as I am writing it; it’s fun to rediscover the story in this format before continuing the story exclusively here on Substack.
Thank you for all the support for Toasted Fiction, not only for reading SEARCH but reading any of the stories that I write. It never stops meaning a great deal to me. Thank you for subscribing, following, reading, sharing and engaging!
Till the next story.
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My goodness, what an ending! 😱😱😱