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STRANGER THAN FICTION

A True Crime Podcast with Harley Granger

The Disappearance of Chloe Miranda

Rough audio recording for editing

[A rustling sound.]

Harley Granger: Oh, wow. This place is sick.

[A car door slamming shut. Footsteps.]

Harley: I’m Harley Granger, host of your favorite true crime podcast Stanger Than Fiction. And on this blustery day, I am here at Eaton House in Upstate New York.

[Wind against the mic, more footsteps.]

Harley: The weather is about to turn, so we don’t have much time.

[Another car door slams. A second set of footsteps.]

Harley: I’m here with my producer, Rog, who will not fail to remind you that he took a bullet for me when we were investigating a cold case not far from here.

Roger: Truth. I still have that bullet in me, my friend. Sup, y’all. Man. This place is creepy as fuck.

Harley: Eaton House. Built in 1916, it has been declared one of America’s most haunted places by BumpintheNight.com .

Roger: [laughing] Bump in the what? That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard.

Harley: You know I have to edit that out, right? They’re a sponsor.

Roger: Sorry.

Harley: The owners, descendants of the original builders, rent the space out for parties and other events. Apparently, some couples like to spend their honeymoon at Eaton House. And once a year, Eaton House owners host an annual sleepover that attracts paranormal investigators from around the globe.

Roger: Huh. People are weird, right? But that’s not why we’re here.

Harley: No. Eaton House, a six-thousand-square-foot Victorian, is where Extreme Games and Insane Challenges held their Haunted Hide and Seek event on September fifteenth of last year, the day Chloe Miranda disappeared.

[Wood creaking.]

Roger: Maverick Dillan and the folks at Extreme say that no one saw Chloe Miranda again after she hid that night with the rest of the contestants. They have been investigated and cleared as suspects. But people close to Chloe say that she had a long on-again, off-again affair with Maverick. And they believe that he has something to do with her disappearance.

Harley: Eaton House has been thoroughly searched. But we pulled the property survey and discovered something that no one else has mentioned about the house. Even the property owners didn’t know about it. We have obtained permission to check it out.

[The long whine of an opening door, footsteps echoing on hard wood.]

Harley: I’m filming now, and all this footage will be available on the website so that you can watch if you dare. Muwahaha!

Harley: Do you believe in ghosts, Rog?

Roger: I do not.

Harley: I don’t, either. I believe that bad people do fucked-up things and then try to get away with it. That’s what I believe.

[Another creaking door.]

Roger: Oh, look. A dark and creepy basement. What could go wrong?

Harley: After you. Watch out. Those stairs look a little sus, as the kids say.

[Tentative footsteps on the stairs. Then a scream from Roger, girlish and long.]

Harley: What the hell, Rog?

Roger: Oh, my God. I hate rats. I am so out of here.

Harley: Dude, do not leave me alone down here.

[Running footsteps fade away.]

Harley: Wow. That’s messed up. You heard it, folks. Roger, my friend and producer, left me alone in the basement where people say that Chloe Miranda hid during the challenge. All right, well, I am not afraid of ghosts, or rats, for that matter. Here we go.

[Footsteps returning.]

Harley: Aaaannnndd he’s back.

Roger: Let’s just get this over with, for fuck’s sake. Turn that thing off for a minute.

[Break in recording.]

Roger: Well, we’ve been down here for about an hour. And I guess the survey was wrong. There’s nothing down here that police haven’t found. There’s no trace of Chloe Miranda.

[Some rustling.]

Harley: Hold up. Give me some light.

Roger: This place is giving me the creeps. Let’s get out of here.

Harley: [Coughs, more rustling.] Look at this. Right here. Folks, I’m taking a last look at the land survey, trying to orient myself on the property.

[Sound of footsteps.]

Harley: Okay, okay, that’s north. We’re…right here.

Roger: If that’s true, then there should be some kind of door, or a hatch in the floor. But there’s just the staircase.

[A knocking sound.]

Harley: Listen. It’s hollow. This area here. Look. A seam.

Roger: Holy shit. Push on it, see if it opens that way.

[A long squeaking sound.]

Harley: Whoa. It’s a doorway to a compartment under the stairs. I’m taking some video. You’ll be able to see it on the website when the episode airs.

Roger: It’s empty. A dead end.

Harley: Maybe not.

Roger: Man, you can’t fit in there. Harley, don’t be crazy.

Harley: If I had a nickel for every time you said that…

Roger: They don’t even make nickels anymore, loser. Harley, man, seriously.

Harley: [Voice echoing.] Oh, my God, Rog. Look at this.

Roger: Oh, shit. You were right.