It's time for another file with Detective Finn Denver! Today, Denver's digging into the crime scene, looking for whose footprints were pressed into Alaska's blood. Emma Wooten might have some answers for us-- but who is Emma Wooten, really? Is she worth trusting? Denver will have to navigate the dangers of Stump Town and the dangerous personality of Emma Wooten in order to get the answers he needs.

1. WHO KILLED ALASKA?
#5 - DETECTIVE FILES: POPPY GIRL
written by
Cameron Cooper LeBrun

2. TEXT-TO-SPEECH [voicemail]
Pain begets joy. Fear begets void. Detective. I’m aware that you’re still looking for Alaska’s
killer. Mind your own business.
Bleep.
DENVER
Cool.
DENVER [narrator]
Two years ago, Alaska Curtis was murdered in the woods of Stump Town, 20 minutes north of
Roslyn Estates. This is Long Island— the land of manicured lawns and alcoholic iced tea. To
find Alaska’s killer, I’m investigating the grown up children of some of the wealthiest families in
the United States.
Our six suspects are Jo Magaro, Emma Wooten, Logan Goldberg, Bobby Yorke, Boo
Curtis, and the disappeared Glory Johnson. And then there’s me— my name is Detective Finn
Denver. I’m a private investigator looking for the killer.
THEME SONG STARTS
DENVER [narrator]
Welcome to Who Killed Alaska: Detective Files, an original series by The Ghost Factory. This is
Episode 5: “Poppy Girl.” Listeners be warned that this series may be inappropriate for younger
2

3. audiences, and content throughout may be alarming or upsetting. Welcome to the Detective Files.
Welcome to the truth.
THEME SONG ENDS
3

4. DENVER’S KITCHEN.
DENVER
Today is Friday, September 17th! We’ve got the, uh, fall weather coming in! Gray-ish, but sunny.
Good weather to work today. First of all, Boo’s episode was pretty funny.
FLASHBACK.
Denver laughs.
JO [speaker / clip - WKA4]
THERE. IT’S RIGHT THERE.
BOO [speaker / clip CONTD. - WKA4]
What are you? I’m staring at your face right now. Why don’t I know what you look like?
DENVER
WHAT IS THIS?
DENVER’S KITCHEN.
DENVER
Who knows if they’re lying or drugged up or just super gullible. We don’t have time to worry
about that. We’ve got ourselves a mystery to solve! So in our last episode together, I was telling
you about how stabbings work. You remember that? Alaska was stabbed with a cheap knife, and
so the stabber’s hand would’ve slipped, and they would’ve cut their hand on the blade. There’s
six suspects, and I didn’t find who had cuts on their hands— but I did find out who was
4

5. hospitalized after the killing: Bobby, Jeremy, and Boo. One of those three boys must’ve had a
cut-up hand from the stabbing.
Here’s the big update on that! First of all, in Boo’s episode, Jeremy, aka Logan, said that
he was hospitalized for something other than a hand injury.
LOGAN [clip - WKA4]
I was in the ambulance with Alaska, and with Bobby.
BOO [clip CONTD. - WKA4]
After you got shot in the leg.
LOGAN [clip CONTD. - WKA4]
Yeah, exactly. After I got shot.
DENVER
So our friend Jeremy might be in the clear— his leg was injured, and his hand was fine, as far as
we know. Meanwhile, Bobby’s non-dominant hand was missing. Both Bobby and Jeremy’re
promising to show us hospital records, so we’ll check up on this again soon.
In other news, Shay and I have been discussing the crime scene— if you remember, Shay
is the anonymous Nassau cop. They’ve been giving us intel about Alaska’s death.
SHAY’S HOUSE.
SHAY [disguised voice]
Alaska was found flat on the floor, belly up. His only injuries were the stab wound to his colon,
and some very minor brain damage from the fall. He fell on the floor of the building, which was
concrete, with no signs of a struggle. The knife was found nearby him.
5

6. DENVER
And then there’s the drugs.
SHAY [disguised voice]
Exactly, he tested positive for alcohol and opium. He was doubly intoxicated. An easy target— I
can believe it that there was no struggle.
DENVER [narrator]
Then we get to those wacky bits. And oh, they’re wacky.
SHAY [disguised voice]
When Alaska was found— no shoes. Just socks, his shoes were gone. On the crime scene, we
had one blood-soaked shoelace, and then a pair of size 12 shoes were found in the river. But it’s
like everything else with Alaska Curtis— nothing is correctly documented or filed, and there are
almost no pictures. Except for this one.
DENVER
The shoes.
SHAY [disguised voice]
Those’re the shoes.
The sound of a camera.
DENVER [narrator]
A pair of size twelve Doc Martens— slip-on boots— caught between rocks in the river, just
down the hill from where Alaska died. I’m not clear on how they got there. Neither is Shay.
6

7. SHAY [disguised voice]
There could’ve been DNA on the boots. The killer was trying to get rid of evidence.
DENVER’S KITCHEN.
DENVER
I want to get an idea of the crime scene, but more than taking a forensic focus on the how and the
why, we’re focusing on the who— we need associative evidence. That’s evidence that will tell us
exactly who did it. There’s one very important detail that’ll help us out here— Emma’s account.
According to police documents, Emma said she saw footprints in Alaska’s blood as she and Jo
entered the room. Footprints can be associative evidence, meaning— they can tell us who killed
Alaska! So that’s our central question for today: who was stepping in Alaska’s blood, before his
body was discovered? With Emma’s help, we just might find out who.
DENVER [narrator]
At the start of every day, I remind myself that today could be difficult, today could be trying, and
I’m prepared to be scared and overwhelmed.
DENVER
Shoe 1, shoe 2, now you put the bunny in a loop!
DENVER [narrator]
Everything is always worth a try, and a try is worth your confidence.
7

8. STUMP TOWN.
DENVER [narrator]
Today, we’re heading to a park and nature preserve. The locals call this place “Stump Town”—
it's the forest where Alaska died. But we’re not here for that so-called Jail House. We’re here for
Emma Wooten. Emma hosts tours of Stump Town. They call it the “Forest of Many Mysteries
Tour.” I booked a tour on their website, which, by the way— looks like it was made in 2003.
Like, black background, neon text, and your cursor is made of purple glitter. Plus it blasts public
domain music when you buy a ticket.
DENVER’S HOUSE.
DENVER
What the fuck? Stop it. How do I turn this off? SHUT UP!
The space bar.
DENVER
No! No!
STUMP TOWN.
DENVER [narrator]
Emma’s waiting out on the beach— on the edge of the Stump Town property. I call to her—
8

9. DENVER
Good morning! How about this weather?
DENVER [narrator]
And I quickly realize that under her hoodie, she has earbuds in. She’s holding her phone
sideways. She’s playing… an anime rhythm game. Which is cute and everything, but like.
C’mon, Emma, I have a job to do.
Muffled J-pop.
DENVER [narrator]
Looking over her shoulder… she’s way too good at this anime rhythm game. Every motion is
precise. Trained.
DENVER
Emma. EMMA WOOTEN!
Emma squeaks.
EMMA
YOU DIDN’T SCARE ME! HI! HELLO! WELCOME TO THE TOUR! YOU KNOW MY
NAME! WHY!?
9

10. DENVER
I’m a private detective, I’m working on a case you’re involved with. But also, we’ve kind of met
before…
EMMA
I. Yelled at you. Sorry. Haha. You… Wait. YOU!
DENVER
Me!
EMMA
Oh fuck you’re a private detective? I must’ve said some weird shit to you at the Cactus Cafe.
DENVER [narrator]
She really did.
Tape recorder is rewound.
EMMA [clip - WKA3]
A hot man…
DENVER [clip CONTD. - WKA3]
What?
EMMA [clip CONTD. - WKA3]
What?
Tape recorder is clicked.
10

11. DENVER
You curse a lot, huh?
EMMA
Oh, shit. No, not shit. Shiiiiip. Sorry. Boo curses more than me!
DENVER
Do you wanna take me on this tour, Emma?
EMMA
You’re really here for the tour. Really?
DENVER
Totally! Let’s do it!
EMMA
Oh. Okay!
DENVER [narrator]
As we walk deeper in the forest, out of nowhere, Emma switches to a peppy fast-walk. She’s
practically skipping. In a funny way, Emma has a lot of energy in her— and a lot of personality.
She might seem unique now, but of the suspects, she’s changed the most since high school. There
was a documentary called The Wooten Kingdom that came out a few years back— filmed in
2015. The movie’s more about Emma’s parents, but Emma’s still in it plenty. In one scene,
Emma’s 8 nannies crowd around her and dress her for the day. Emma looks glass-eyed. Like
she’s half dead.
11

12. WOOTEN KINGDOM.
NANNY 1
Here’s your shirt for the day, Emma!
EMMA
Ang… oo…
NANNY 2
Let’s get this skirt on!
EMMA
Ang… oo…
NANNY 3
Let’s go with a ponytail today!
EMMA
Ang… oo…
NANNY 4
Don’t these bracelets look nice!
EMMA
Ang… oo…
DENVER [narrator]
I’m getting obsessed with that video. I’ve watched it over and over. After reading Emma’s lips, I
finally realized… that Emma was saying thank you. Maybe, if you learn to not have a
personality, then you just won’t have one.
12

13. PAUL WOOTEN
Your mom made you dinner herself today, Emma. What do you say?
EMMA
Thang… oo…
STUMP TOWN.
EMMA
So welcome to the Forest of Many Mysteries Tour! (claps for herself) Ooohhhh… Ahhhh…
Please do not use any flash photography. Not a fan of flash. When I’m surprised, sometimes I hit
people instinctively. I might not be strong but it’s still not how you want to spend your Friday.
DENVER
Got it. Mental note. Got it…
EMMA
We’re now walking from the northeast corner of the preserve, the famous beach area, which is
known for looking out on the water and having sand. However, that’s not what you’re going to
be seeing for most of today. I hope you like trees, because. This might as well be called the tree
tour, for seeing trees. But we digress. Long before Stump Town was Stump Town, it was owned
by Harvey Paris, wealthy tobacco magnate and philanthropist, who donated huge portions of his
ethically-sourced tobacco money. In 1906, this estate was designed by some of the most famous
and expensive talents of the period. From architects to horticulturists, only the most visionary and
expensive cultivated the pristine Paris family estate. You’re going to be seeing a lot of Edwardian
buildings in the Georgian style. Harvey Paris passed away in 1939. His widow, who was
13

14. famously a hoarder, eventually realized she didn’t really need the 204 acre estate, and she
donated the property to the Nassau County government. The government felt sad, because they
didn’t really have any use for it. After decades and decades, the Paris paradise melted away into
rot and decay— just like people do. The buildings fell to disrepair, they decayed, and then they
lost color and texture in the acid rain. And then all of the plants and all of the animals descended
on the broken houses and the buildings, and they made encampments out of the guest cabins and
the party houses. And that’s how Stump Town became Stump Town. In ’93, Nassau County
opened the property as a nature preserve. Do we have any questions? I love questions. Oh, oh,
question over here, from the one guy who showed up?
DENVER
Hi, yes, why do they call it the Jail House?
EMMA
Uhh, sorry?
DENVER
The Jail House? Why do they call it that?
EMMA
The?— Oh! In the 80s, the government used a bunch of buildings as a police training area. The
Jail House was used as a makeshift jail.
DENVER
Then why do they call the Bug House the Bug House?
EMMA
‘Cause it got bugs.
14

15. DENVER
Ohh.
DENVER [narrator]
I need to ask Emma about the footprints, but I don’t know how to shift the conversation. Emma’s
so enthusiastic about the tour right now. Genuinely, she’s putting her heart into a lecture about
animals on Long Island. It’s never the perfect moment to cut in. And then I’m thinking about the
footprints— I realize something. Emma said it was dark that night, when Alaska died.
If Emma couldn’t see her hands, how did she see the footprints in Alaska’s blood? I’ve
also heard from Shay that there weren’t any flashlights.
We walk through the Stump Town forests while Emma tells me about the plants and the
animals. The trees overhead are dark and shriveled up. Two years ago, a forest fire threatened to
destroy Stump Town. If it weren’t for the storm that swept in, it all might’ve burned it all down.
It makes me wonder— did the forest fire light up the footprints?
EMMA
Ya might not think deer… Long Island… Long Island… deer. But there’ve been two separate
occasions on this tour that a deer has nudged my gluteus maximus.
DENVER
This is where that fire happened two years ago, right? Is this the, um— what do you call it? The,
uh— epicenter?
They stop walking.
15

16. EMMA
Yes. Forest caught on fire two years ago. Guessing you know when?
DENVER
When?
EMMA
Night Alaska died, that’s when the fire happened. But. Picking up that you knew that. Already.
DENVER
Oh, no no. Tell me about the fire. Did you see it? Could you see it from all over Stump Town?
Did you see it from inside the Jail House, when you found Alaska?
Emma whines.
EMMA
Too many questions! One at a time!
DENVER
I— uh— no, you’re right. Sorry. Sorry about that. Uhhhhmmmmm. Emma, were you able to see
the footprints clearly, when you found Alaska, like clearly enough that you could figure out who
they were from?
EMMA
Nnnnnnn… I don’t know! Sto— Why— Are you manipulating me!? YOU ARE! YOU’RE
THERE, STANDING THERE, MAKING ME THINK ABOUT HIM! ALASKA, ALASKA,
ALASKA! I GET IT NOW! ALL COPS ARE PIGS!
16

17. DENVER
I’m not police! Emma. Tell me why you’re panicking!
EMMA
MMNN!
DENVER
Okay, okay. Breathe in and out. You’re gonna be okay. I know it’s hard but you’ll feel better
talking about it. If you tell me about the footprints!
EMMA
Gonna be a quiet tour!
DENVER
Emma.
EMMA [distant]
NO!
DENVER [narrator]
Emma stomps off, and when I call to her, she puts her hands on her ears. This is a familiar
roadblock. Different behavior, but the same concept. A detective’s primary job is talking to
people.
You ask them for answers. They must be willing to offer up that much. And if you’re a
private detective, like me, you would never in your life attempt an interrogation. If someone
decides not to answer you, they can walk away. And that’s the end of that. In other words, a P.I.
has to become the guy everybody wants to talk to. Different people do this differently. There’re
many different strategies. I, personally, was not born with any particular talent or skill. I can’t say
17

18. I’m naturally charismatic. But there are things I can do, after years of hard work and study, and
some field experience. And when they start to close up, what I do is… I flirt.
DENVER
Emma, wait! Listen!
EMMA
What now!?
DENVER
I’m sorry. You’re struggling with a lot of trauma, I didn’t mean to push you. We can get back to
your tour. I really like the way you think. I had no idea you were so smart and it’s really… Sorry,
I just think it— it’s an attractive quality, to be so smart.
EMMA
You… are… you… you… I…
DENVER
Take your time.
DENVER [narrator]
Most men don’t know how to flirt. They just know how to dirty-talk politely. So this strategy is
usually pretty effective at opening people up.
EMMA
You have… golden retriever energy.
Emma slurps.
18

19. DENVER
Uhhh thank you?
DENVER [narrator]
But for the first time, I think my strategy was… a little bit too effective?
DENVER
I hope you don’t mind, I know it’s a sensitive topic for you, but um… I actually did have some
questions about the, uh, a certain somebody— I know you don’t want to talk about Alaska
directly. So I’m going to respect your boundaries. Is there anything else about that night you can
tell me?
DENVER [narrator]
I need to ease Emma into this conversation. First, we’ll learn as much as we can.
DENVER
Oh, watch your step! I’ve gotcha.
Emma laughs weirdly.
EMMA
Um, these things might sound… um, dark, and upsetting to you, um…
DENVER
I can take it. Don’t worry.
Emma giggles.
19

20. EMMA
Ah, you seem, ah, um, yeah! Well, one thing is, my camera was nabbed that night. Then when I
found it again, it was full of some fucking weird videos. Weird and. Creepy! If you come on the
tour a little longer, maybe I’ll show you some of the footage?
DENVER (interrupting at slash)
Wait wait wait, there's footage of the night of that night? Have the police seen this?
EMMA
No…
DENVER
That is— so kind of you. Emma! Sure, let’s go on the tour! Deal!
20

21. AD
DENVER [narrator]
Hello, my name is Detective Finn Denver, and I’m here to announce a special event for you.
We’d like to know— who do you think killed Alaska? We’re giving away a free Who Killed
Alaska t-shirt to anyone who wants to guess: do you think it was Jo, Emma, Logan, Bobby, Boo,
or Glory? Or maybe you have a totally different theory to share? For a chance to win your t-shirt,
tweet with the hashtag #WhoKilledAlaska and tell us who you think killed Alaska. Again, log
onto Twitter, and tweet who you think killed Alaska with the hashtag #WhoKilledAlaska for a
chance to win your prize.
In other news, the podcast really needs your support. To make sure we can keep doing
what we do, you have four options: A. You can buy from our merch shop. Go to
WhoKilledAlaska.com and click on Merch. B. You can support us on Patreon. Go to
Patreon.com/WhoKilledAlaska. C. You can follow us on Twitter at WhoKilledAlaska. D. You
can tell your friends about the podcast, because nothing spreads the show better than word of
mouth!
Thank you so much for listening. Now, let’s get back to the show.
21

22. STUMP TOWN.
DENVER [narrator]
Aaaaand then we go on the tour.
EMMA
Here we have a graffiti class held by a dude named Josh.
SOON.
EMMA
HERE WE HAVE BAD MUSIC!
SOON.
EMMA
Here we have a rock where people rub their tears after a breakup. It’s supposed to curse the
person who broke up with you.
SOON.
EMMA
(out of breath) Here we have—
DENVER
Emma, do you wanna take a break and show me some of those videos?
EMMA
Oh. Yeah, I guess.
22

23. Camera sounds.
DENVER [narrator]
Emma shows me a video from her camera.
EMMA’S RECORDING.
DENVER [narrator]
The image is blurry. You can just barely see the glow of the forest fire. For a moment, we see the
corner of a cement roof— it’s the Jail House. The building and everything around is pitch black.
The distant forest fire wouldn’t be enough to light up the inside of the Jail House. Maybe the
logic’s kinda flimsy there. The fire could’ve spread, it could’ve gotten brighter later on, maybe
closer to the window. But… now that I’m thinking about it, if it was the forest fire that lit up the
room, yes it would show the footprints, but Emma said the room was dark, and she couldn't see
her hands. That wasn’t even on my radar before. I was just being… a dumb-dumb stupid idiot.
Nobody’s perfect. C’mon, Denver, breath in, breath out.
STUMP TOWN.
EMMA
This is the Stump Town Market.
DENVER
You said this is like a farmers’ market, right?
23

24. EMMA
Do you. Care about laws?
DENVER
Well, yeah, what is my whole thing, yes.
EMMA
Then, uh, it’s a farmer’s market! Don’t worry about it.
TEENAGER
HEY! HEY, YOU WANNA, YOU WANNA BUY SOME COKE?
EMMA
SHH! STOP IT!
Camera sounds.
DENVER [narrator]
The next video Emma shows me is of Bobby.
EMMA’S RECORDING.
Bobby groans.
DENVER [narrator]
It’s Bobby, limping away from the camera. He’s rubbing his shoulder. He has both hands.
24

25. This should be important information, but I’m thinking back to the footprints. If it was a
phone light, Jo would’ve shone the light on Alaska’s body while Emma performed compressions,
and then Emma would’ve seen her hands. A quick flash of light would make sense, or a light that
wasn’t gonna land on Emma’s hands at all. Or, as a third option, there was a temporary source of
light, from before Emma and Jo called 9-1-1. If it was a quick flash of light, then Emma could
have enough time to see the footprints, but she wouldn’t have time to look at every detail of the
room, or look down at her hands. That makes me think of lightning. There was a storm that
night! But then I notice the lightning in the video. The storm hasn’t started at the time of the
video. There’s no rain, but there is lightning.
And I remember: lightning can light up a room. But it’s just… not enough! It’s too short.
And the Jail House doesn’t have a perfect view of the sky anyways. Did Emma even see the
footprints at all? She couldn’t have had a light source… Maybe I can’t trust her after all.
We get back to the tour. Emma and I keep on keeping on through the forest, and that’s
when we get to the other building. When I walk towards it, Emma stops me.
GREENHOUSE. STUMP TOWN. INTERIOR. EARLY FALL. DAY.
EMMA
And here we’re coming up on the green— house. (whispering) Duck down. Come over here.
They scamper across the grass, and duck down in a bush. The bush hushes around them.
25

26. EMMA
(whispering) I’ve never seen them harvested this late, they’re usually ready in the summer…
DENVER
(muttering) What’re we looking at?
EMMA
Watch, in the greenhouse! No judgments, ok? They’re opening the poppies.
DENVER [narrator]
There are two men and a woman, wearing gardening gloves in the greenhouse. They’re on their
hands and knees, looking at these budding green plants. I’m thinking, are those supposed to be
poppy flowers? They look like strawberries, only rotted over. They’re green, and they’re growing
off of plant stems high off the ground. One of the men takes a knife, and he cuts into a green
plant bud. White liquid drips down. Slowly.
Dripping liquid.
DENVER
I… don’t want to watch this. I don’t understand why you’re letting me see this. Someone like me
can’t see these types of things, Emma.
EMM
Papaver somniferum. They call it the breadseed poppy. Do you know what else they call it?
DENVER
I could contact the police. I could get these people arrested.
26

27. EMMA
They call it the opium poppy. It’s in the veins of the pod, and it bleeds down like ichor. Like the
blood of the gods. There’s only one kind of god that’s real, and human beings control Him. From
deep in the ground.
DENVER [narrator]
I can’t tell you how they work the opium. It’s not something anybody should know, really. But I
sit there, in the bushes and I watch it all. I don’t know why I do it. I don’t know what has me
frozen in place. I’m not afraid of Emma, or the people in the greenhouse. I don’t know who I’m
afraid of.
I don’t call the police. The white opium drips down. It’s like I can hear it move. It bleeds
from the pods like ichor. Like the blood of the gods.
EMMA
They’re far enough away. Let’s go in the greenhouse.
Emma rises up and pulls Denver out of the bushes.
DENVER
What would happen if they saw us?
EMMA
Not sure. But sometimes, you don’t want to find out. Animals, you can tell what they want, right
away. Not people, though. You don’t know.
27

28. DENVER [narrator]
It finally sinks in. Stump Town is dangerous. It’s lawless. I don’t know how it’s possible. There’s
opium in the greenhouse. And if I never report it, I’m convinced it’s gonna stay there. Long after
this episode is out, long after everybody knows. Am I still on Long Island? Where the fuck am I?
Camera sounds.
DENVER [narrator]
The last video Emma shows me is of Alaska.
It’s three seconds long. Alaska is tall. Hair dyed blond. Eyes are wide with excitement. Or
maybe joy. He stands in the Jail House, alive. He stands in the exact spot where he’ll be found
dead, minutes later. The time on the camera shows 9:10pm. Emma and Jo called 9-1-1 just five
minutes later. At the time of this recording, Alaska had five minutes to live. Five minutes— at
most. Emma pulls away her camera, and Alaska’s gone again. It’s just back to the tour.
GREENHOUSE.
EMMA
Welcome to the greenhouse!
DENVER [narrator]
I just pretend to be in the mood for this.
28

29. EMMA
This is the “most haunted building in Stump Town.” Which is like— (snorts) Yeah, sure. Alright.
Whaaaatever. But, yeah, in theory, Harvey Paris’s body was buried somewhere in here. In a cast-
iron coffin or something. And uh, yeah! That’s the tour.
Denver clears his throat.
DENVER
That’s it?
EMMA
That’s the Friday tour! You should come on Saturday, we go to more places.
DENVER
Oh! Uh… do you want to take a walk?
EMMA
I had… another tour in a little bit, but uh… Yeah! Yeah, we should— We can. Yeah!
Emma giggles.
29

30. SOON.
DENVER
Thank you for the tour, Emma. I really appreciate it. You don’t have anymore footage from that
night, do you?
Emma clicks buttons and gears on the camera.
EMMA
No… I mean… except for this artsy photo I took— before my camera disappeared.
DENVER
I definitely want to see that. Can I see?
Button is clicked.
DENVER
Mm. Okay.
DENVER [narrator]
A lighter. Possible connection to the forest fire there.
DENVER
You’re great at photography, have you thought about doing this professionally? Man, you’re
multi-talented.
30

31. Emma giggles.
DENVER
Do you know whose lighter this is?
EMMA
I’m not remembering— probably I just found it. On the ground. Three of them smoked. If that
helps. Glory, Jo, Boo, one two three, they liked to smoke cigarettes.
DENVER
That does help. It does. And do you have an idea who took your camera that night and took those
videos?
EMMA
No?
DENVER
Then how did you get it back?
EMMA
I found it outside the Jail House… before we walked in and found him.
DENVER
Emma. What did you see when you walked in? What did you see in the blood? You can tell me,
okay? It’s not gonna freak me out. What did you see?
EMMA
Footprints.
31

32. DENVER
Okay, Emma. What did those footprints look like?
EMMA
Wha— Ng— Sneakers?? I don’t know.
DENVER [narrator]
That actually makes them shoe-prints, not footprints… But that could still be helpful. That could
still be associative evidence.
DENVER
So… there’s a very important question here… How did you see them?
EMMA
What do you mean?
DENVER
It was dark. You couldn’t even see your own hands.
EMMA
I’m not sure. I’m not lying!
DENVER
No, I don’t think you’re lying. Maybe you’re not going to remember every detail, that’s fine.
DENVER [narrator]
What kind of light source would be a quick flash, or wouldn’t cast on Emma’s hands? Think
about it. We have all the clues. I’m gonna give you the answer. I’m gonna answer now. Okay?
Are you waiting? Are you ready? The answer’s coming. I’m gonna give you the answer. I’m
gonna give you the answer now. In 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Right before Emma went in to see Alaska, Emma
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33. found her camera outside the Jail House. What do you normally do when you find a person
dying? Obviously, you call 911, but then what? Here’s a theory for you: I think Emma’s a
completely logical person. This is relevant, hear me out— Emma comes to her own conclusions,
she holds onto every piece of information for dear life, and sometimes she’s the smartest when
nobody’s looking. So when Emma and Jo recognized that Alaska was unconscious on the floor,
Emma had to realize that she was standing in a crime scene. And what do you do to preserve a
crime scene. First and foremost, you take a picture. Emma did what the police didn’t. She took a
photo of the crime scene, and when the flash went off, she lit up the whole room. That’s how
Emma saw shoe-prints in Alaska’s blood.
DENVER
Can I see your camera for a second?
DENVER [narrator]
There’s no photo like this on Emma’s camera, but Emma could’ve deleted the photo— not too
surprising. It was a traumatic experience. Maybe she didn’t want to see Alaska dying in her
camera roll, and when you delete a photo, you might not remember taking it after two years,
especially if you’re overloaded with intense, emotional information.
DENVER
I know what to do. Emma, can I borrow your camera for a few days?
EMMA
I… guess?
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34. DENVER [narrator]
But the delete button isn’t gonna stop us. I got into contact with a digital forensic service. These
are computer scientists who specialize in investigating criminal activity. I have them look into
Emma’s camera, and after nearly a week, they find the file.
OFFICE.
DENVER
This is the photo?
COMPUTER SCIENTIST
This seems to be the deleted photo you’re looking for. The file is corrupted. That’s the best we’re
gonna get.
DENVER [narrator]
The photo is screwed up and garbled, but there’s a crystal clear square of the photo where we can
see… a shoe-print. It’s glowing in the flash of a camera. We got it.
That leads us to our next research trip. The next stop for my super cool detective work…
is a shoe store. The place where all super cool detectives go to solve murders. And I am the
coolest of all detectives. That last part wasn’t really relevant. I just wanted to tell you that
because it’s true. I am, in fact, very cool.
SHOE STORE.
DENVER
Excuse me, excuse me, hi! Hello! Hi!
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35. SHOE STORE CLERK
Hi, how’s it going.
DENVER
I’m going to show you a photo! It’s going to be a little traumatic but I put it in a fun color filter
to make it less upsetting. LOOK AT THIS!
SHOE STORE CLERK
I’m looking at it—
DENVER
What kind of shoe is this!?
SHOE STORE CLERK
I don’t know! It kind of looks like a Doc Marten maybe!?
DENVER
OH MY GOD! CHECK THE DOC MARTEN WORK BOOTS!
SHOE STORE CLERK
Okay! You don’t need to yell!
Rubber boots clunk down on the counter.
DENVER
These are the boots? Yeah. Sell them to me. I’ll buy em.
Cash register pops open.
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36. DENVER [narrator]
2295 Extra Wide Greasy Slip-On Work Boots by Doc Martens. It’s a mouthful. All the tongue-
twisters in the world could not prepare me for a long shoe name like that. Not even Sally’s She-
Sells could prepare me. But good old 2295 Extra Wide Greasy turns out to be important to this
case. Those… were Alaska’s shoes. The shoe-prints didn’t belong to the killer in the first place.
This won’t point us to any suspect— Alaska was stepping in his own blood. But this isn’t
possible. How was Alaska stepping around in his own blood? He was drugged out. According to
forensic documents, Alaska dropped to the floor as soon as the knife hit him. He didn’t put up
any fight. It is wacky. But it’s a lead! It’s leading us somewhere for sure.
STUMP TOWN.
DENVER
So that’s what I figured out, thanks to your camera.
EMMA
That’s… hahaha… Thank you for sharing with me… um, Finn.
DENVER
Sure…
EMMA
The weather’s. Nice.
DENVER
Yeah, it is! Almost uh, it’s almost fall, huh?
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37. EMMA
Gonna miss all the flowers.
DENVER
What’s your favorite flower? Do you have a favorite?
EMMA
I do.
DENVER
Oh yeah?
EMMA
Poppies.
DENVER
Emma.
EMMA
I love seeing all the colors together. And all the shapes are so good. The Flanders poppy is a sign
of war. Red poppies mean love, yellow means friendship, and orange means both and neither…
I’m like a bread-seed poppy. On the inside, I mean.
DENVER
What does that mean?
EMMA
I’ll tell you what that means. Eventually. I can’t say it out loud. Not yet.
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38. CREDITS
THE GHOST FACTORY
WRITER/DIRECTOR/HEAD - Cameron LeBrun
EDITOR - Nikolas Harter
MUSIC - Thor Speeler, Cameron LeBrun
“HERE COME THE RAINDROPS” - Reed Mathis
AMBIENCE DESIGN - Cornelius Wilkening, Avery Callahan, Andrew Tikhonovich,
Jacob Lundy
SFX - Avery Callahan, Andrew Tikhonovich, Jacob Lundy
LEAD SOUND DESIGN - Cornelius Wilkening
MIX & MASTER - Manas Kunder (Fiverr) manaskunder7
ART - Bella Wynne, Lock Reinhardt, and doritofalls
EMMA WOOTEN - Liz Mina
SHAY - Sally Roberts
FINN DENVER - Joseph Kitembo
NANNIES - Lisa Nicole Young, Christine Shogren, Emily Dellyn, Sandra Guillen
OTHER VOICES - Andrew Beck, Anna Kate Hall, George Duryea, Dakota West
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