♪
[calls] Jada!
[bushes rustling]
Jada!
[twig snaps]
[footsteps]
Hello?
Is someone there?
[twig snaps]
Get off me!!!!
[screams]
[rain spattering]
♪
♪ Everything is fading...♪
♪ Everything is fading, fading, fading...♪
Vanessa Burton went missing in 1999 at 18 years of age.
Last seen walking her dog
in the same park her remains were found.
Cause of death, blunt force trauma to the head.
There's a depressed fracture in the parietal bone.
There's no finger prints on the gift box or cassette tape,
no gravesite found.
What did you find on the tape?
It contains 15 songs, but there's a blank spot
of three minutes and 13 seconds before the first track plays.
Room for another song.
3:13.
[gasps]
[snaps fingers]
Could be numerology. Or a code.
Or an empty space.
That's the track list on the cassette.
They range from "Shank Hill Butcher" by the Decembrists
to "Frankie and Johnny" by Lead Belly.
Her skeleton was presented as a gift.
Someone's reaching out to us.
The question is why.
And how does it relate to the cassette tape?
Do they even make those players anymore?
First things' first,
let's find out what we can about the victim.
Who did this to our daughter?
We know very little at this time.
How was she found?
Your daughter's remains were found in a box
on a trail in Deer Lake Park.
That's where she disappeared.
She was found in a box.
With a cassette tape including 15 songs.
Do you have any idea why a tape of songs would be found
with your daughter's remains?
No.
I need you to take a look at these titles.
See if anything stands out to you.
I don't recognize these.
Can you please explain what is going on here?
Well, we're trying to determine that.
What can you tell me about Vanessa's life before she died?
She was about to start college on an athletic scholarship.
She was a competitive swimmer.
We had lost our son, Wynn, Vanessa's twin,
a few years earlier.
Vanessa took it hard, stepped away from the pool for a year.
What happened to Wynn?
He, um...
He drowned on a camping trip at Campbell Lake.
He and Vanessa were there with friends.
Losing our son almost destroyed us.
And then our daughter...
Vanessa had survivor's guilt.
It was tough.
She was delivered in a box, Frank.
I can't go through this again, I can't do it.
We can bury her beside Wynn now, and give her a proper funeral.
It's okay sweetheart.
I can't go through this again, I can't do it.
It's okay sweetheart. It's okay.
Do you remember that audio file I received a few weeks ago?
A sex recording from your, um, "friend..."
He was insistent that he didn't send it.
I received another anonymous file a week later,
it had an obscure version of the song
"In the Air Tonight," the lyrics reference a drowning.
So?
Well, the victim's remains arrive gift wrapped,
and then we learn her twin brother drowned?
I can't ignore that.
The song wasn't on the cassette.
I think the killer reached out to me.
You jump to conclusions.
You still have the audio file?
Have tech crime take a look at it.
They did, and found nothing.
Well, there you go.
If he did reach out to you, he will again.
Til then, let's start with the yearbook.
♪
It's a Bill Evans trio.
Any chance you have a copy of "Waltz for Debbie"?
Hmm, I'll bring one in for ya.
Yeah, that would be great.
Give me a week.
Thanks, Floyd.
Hmm-mm.
Hey, Floyd.
Kate.
How's your mom?
She's okay.
She must be stressed with the election in a couple of days.
Should I call her?
Just say hello?
I'm sure she'd love that.
Have a look at this.
♪
Hmm, this is quite the selection.
Anything stand out?
Mostly old murder ballads.
"Pretty Polly", "Frankie and Johnny", "Tom Dooley",
mixed in with some contemporary cuts.
They're all murder ballads?
Yup.
Evan Walker.
How could that be?
["Rise Up" plays] ♪♪
♪ And he pushed her in deep water♪
♪ where he knew that she would drown.♪
Evan Walker.
Murdered the audiologist.
And now serving a life sentence.
Married his crime to the song "Long Black Veil",
hung a man because it was in the lyrics?
He sent a version of the song to the victim's phone.
Guess what the runtime of it is?
Three minutes, 13 seconds.
The amount of blank space on the tape.
Our killer is referencing Walker's murder.
We never publicly shared the details of that case.
Exactly.
Whoever created the cassette knows Evan.
You're reaching again.
I know one way to find out.
I'm gonna talk to Chen.
All the tracks on the cassette are murder ballads except one.
It's a song called "Standing" by Jonny Hetherington.
He's the lead singer of a local band,
Art of Dying.
Uplifting music, I'm sure.
They're hard rock, his solo LP isn't.
The song is about the unmasking of secrets and redemption.
What if the killer showing signs of remorse?
The gift, the song.
Why not just turn yourself in?
Good question.
He's playing a game.
[buzzer]
Wow.
I've been expecting you.
Vanessa Burton.
You found her body.
Did you kill her?
Why should I help you?
Hmm?
Tell me about the significance of the music.
A recording of Stagger Lee.
Killed a man for stealing his hat.
Hardly seems a motive for murder.
Reason enough for him.
What am I supposed to do with this,
hang it on my wall?
Give me something I can use, you get a turntable.
[laughs]
You must be pretty desperate to bargain with me.
I mean, the LP's an inspired choice.
But... I'm gonna need a lot more
if you're want to catch your serial killer.
I didn't say I was looking for a serial killer.
I wanna visit my mother.
I understand she's dying of cancer.
My sympathies.
Getting you a pass is above my pay grade.
She doesn't have much time.
I need a gesture in good faith.
Check out the stereophonic.
What is that?
Guard!
That's it?
I just gave you everything.
Tech Crimes traced Evan's online name in the Stereophonic
Music forum, he goes by Sonic.
We searched his message history,
and found correspondence between Sonic and Hollis Brown.
Hollis Brown is a character in a Bob Dylan song
about a man who shoots his wife and kids and kills himself.
What ever happened to the good old country song
where a guy loses his dog?
I bet Hollis is the dude.
What else do they talk about?
They were matching murder songs to crime stories in the news.
Hollis is definitely local, and references concerts
in the area dating back two decades.
Evan was in Montreal 20 years ago,
so it's unlikely he's Vanessa's killer.
And you think Hollis is.
I mean, Evan mentioned a serial killer
without me saying anything.
Then he gives us this?
I don't trust him.
Hollis is using a proxy server to mask his internet activity.
We can't locate him.
He could be anywhere.
We think each of the songs on the cassette
links to a distinctive murder,
just as the blank space on the tape references Evan Walker's.
Lyrics from each of the 15 songs.
Okay, all right, let's divvy them up,
see if we can match their stories to known cold cases.
["Pretty Polly" plays] ♪♪
♪ Oh Polly, Pretty Polly,♪
♪ don't you take this unkind♪
♪
♪ Polly, Pretty Polly,♪
♪ don't take me unkind♪
♪ Let me sit beside you, say what's on my mind♪
♪
♪ Well, my mind is me marry and never shall we part♪
♪
♪ She knelt down before me, pleading for her life♪
The song "Pretty Polly" is about a young woman
lured to the forest and killed.
It's a good reference for Vanessa Burton.
I've got an unsolved murder from Halifax, 2009.
A priest goes missing.
Was said to have fathered a child of one of his parishioners.
Similar story to the song "Carolina Drama"
by the Raconteurs.
Cold case, Eugene, Oregon. 2001.
Husband disappears after a long history of abusing his wife,
wife is a prime suspect, but there's no body.
Dixie Chicks, "Goodbye Earl"?
We've linked 15 songs to 40 unsolved murders across Canada
and the US over two decades.
We need to find a pattern, to narrow it down.
Evan Walker was right.
He gave us everything.
Except the killer's name.
It's not enough.
Drill down on this Hollis Brown, find me a real person,
not a pseudonym.
We have dozens of cold cases across the continent
that connect to these songs,
in jurisdictions that couldn't close them.
You haven't closed them, either.
What you have is circumstantial.
We need more on the killer.
Kate's developed Evan Walker as a source.
Let's give him what he wants, see what else he can turn over.
His mother is dying of cancer.
He's desperate to see her.
Do you realize the kind of favours
I'd have to pull to get this guy a day pass?
If it helps us catch a serial killer?
Who is out there running free.
Walker gave us our lead.
He's a convict.
He's a convicted murderer.
Walker will say anything to see his mother.
No.
I'm not putting myself on the line with what you've got.
So we got the info on Hollis Brown through Walker's tip.
I don't understand why he needs more.
All we have is a pseudonym, a list of songs,
and some cold cases that can possibly relate to it.
Exactly why we need Walker.
Why is the killer revealing himself to us now?
The murder ballads,
connecting music to crimes, the 15 songs, the gifts.
He obviously has an agenda.
It's only a matter of time before he acts on it.
Word is, you had one of the highest scores at the academy.
So, who is it?
If I knew that, we wouldn't be standing here.
Enlighten me.
What are they teaching in Serial Killer 101 these days?
Well, Serial Killers are usually men with personality disorders
stemming from childhood abuse or neglect.
They often have violent role models.
They're often reclusive or antisocial,
though they're capable of holding down a job.
What can you specifically tell me about this killer?
He's meticulous.
He'd have to be.
He's evaded capture for 20 years.
Obsessed with music.
He researches his victims, knowing their pain intimately
before he murders them.
See, Evan kills for the thrill of it,
but there's a lot more to it than that for Hollis Brown.
For him, it's personal.
He has a connection to his victims.
Yes.
So, he'd have a connection to Vanessa Burton.
Yes.
See, this guy's a predator,
and would stalk his victims before killing them.
Predatory animals kill to satisfy a need.
This guy needs to kill.
Evan is inspired to connect the song to someone
and kill them.
For the thrill of it.
Or Hollis Brown lured Evan into killing.
Evading capture for all these years,
why correspond with us now?
For what reason?
[phone notification]
What is it?
I think it's him.
Well, serial killers are usually men.
With personality disorders
stemming from childhood abuse or neglect.
They often have violent role models.
He's listening.
They're often reclusive or antisocial,
or they're capable of holding down a job.
What can you specifically tell me about this killer?
He's meticulous.
He'd have to be.
He's evaded capture for 20 years.
Whoever's accessing your phone won't get much anymore.
If anyone needs to reach you, present company excluded,
they can go through the police switchboard.
They'll patch the call through.
Okay.
How do we know our phones haven't been compromised too?
If you start receiving audio files, let me know.
Kate, Nolan, in my office.
How long have you known about these texts?
I alerted Tech Crimes a few weeks ago,
but they found nothing.
A few weeks ago?
And you knew about this?
And neither of you thought to come to me?
Your personal safety's in question.
You're off the case.
What?!
This is not a debate.
Kate has more insight into this investigation
than anyone you'd replace her with,
and the killer singled her out, which makes her our best resource.
Okay.
Make this easy on me.
You tell me exactly how you're going to conduct
an investigation and not wind up like the 15 people
who died before you.
Nolan works it with me.
24/7, where I go, he goes.
You good with that?
Yep.
All right.
You're with Kate, day and night, no exceptions,
and there's a surveillance team on your watch.
Thank you.
There's one more thing.
[sighs]
Go on.
We give Evan Walker that day pass.
[sighs]
And by we, you mean me.
[siren]
Tell us about your relationship to Hollis Brown.
I wanna see my mom first.
We pulled a lot of strings to get you here.
You'll answer our questions first.
Not until I see her.
Well, this was a waste of time. Let's go.
Fine by me.
Wait, wait, wait. Hold on, hold on.
All right.
I met Hollis about three years ago.
We share a mutual appreciation of music.
Murder ballads.
This is someone with an in-depth knowledge.
About a year ago our correspondence,
he noted a recent murder that bared resemblance to a song.
So, we started looking for others, comparing stories.
It was a game, until one day, it became apparent
that Hollis knew details of a murder outside of what was reported in the news.
How long ago was that?
About two years.
In what city?
Toronto.
What did Hollis think of your handiwork,
murdering someone to the song "Long Black Veil"?
I haven't heard from him since.
All right.
We'll talk after your visit.
[pounding on door]
City heads to the polls tomorrow?
Finally.
Are you ready to be the mayor's daughter?
She's gonna win, trust me.
And it's gonna be a lot easier for you
to get dinner reservations.
Easy.
This is for you.
Where'd you get that?
Hollis.
He left it with my mother yesterday.
This Hollis dude is confident.
He must have known about our visit to Walker, right?
Or he listened in on us.
Why would he give us a silver whistle on a string?
With a skull on it?
I don't know, he's alerting us?
There's something I keep coming back to.
The tape that was left in the gift box
was labeled in felt marker.
That case we had last month with the rapper?
I remember inside the recording studio,
everything on the console was labeled and marked
in felt marker.
It's like an industry standard, right?
He's in the business.
I mean, even what's written on the label, "dub master."
That's pro lingo, right?
Yeah, yeah, I mean it makes perfect sense.
Kate, you're amazing.
[knocking at door]
Hey.
You've got to be kidding me?!
Leah, Leah, come on. Come on, stop!
I guess we're even now, huh?
It's, it's my partner.
Kate.
Well, that's ironic.
What's going on?
There's a threat on her life.
Doesn't that make it dangerous for you too, then?
I'm not worried about me.
What are you doing here?
It can wait.
Come on, come on.
You're here.
What is it?
I got a job offer.
In New York.
I was hoping you wouldn't get it.
Thanks.
I don't want you to leave.
It's a chance to start over, for both of us.
If you come with me.
Is that what you want?
It's never been about you, Nolan.
I mean, it's your job.
You're always working, you're never home,
I might as well live alone.
Nolan sprung for coffees.
You owe me.
Figured as much.
What's all this?
I've mapped the locations of our 40 cold cases
over the last two decades.
Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Kingston, Ontario.
Eugene, Oregon.
I'm trying to find some sort of pattern.
In order to hit this many cities,
our killer must have a reason to move around.
What if our guy's in the music business?
Musician.
Or one of the road crew.
It makes sense.
There have to be towns that are regular tour stops.
Could eliminate a lot of places.
Okay, well, let's contact the musician's unions,
and cross reference touring artists with their crews.
There can't be that many who have worked on the road
for two decades.
I know an old roadie myself.
Of course you do.
It's customary to thank your crew in the liner notes.
Could be looking for a manager, a sound guy, a driver.
Several circuits that bands travel,
except tours in small towns.
Ah.
There we go.
This is the Art of Dying's last road crew.
[phone rings]
Jameson.
Yeah, how long have they been union members?
Got it, thanks Meg.
Meg spoke to the local union rep,
and found three names that fit our profile.
Decker Simpson, Burt Cogburn, and Robert Henkin.
All local guys who toured the road for decades.
He's a sound engineer.
Robert Henkin.
You know this guy?
Yeah, he comes in often.
What's he listen to?
Rob's got eclectic tastes.
He was in just the other day.
Ordered up a copy of Bill Evans Trio.
"Waltz for Debbie".
What do you know about this guy, Floyd?
Worked the road for a long time.
He may have bought a murder ballad in the past,
but Robert's a quiet guy, Kate.
I don't think I'd make him for a serial killer.
Robert's the orphan of Tracey and Jorgen Henkin.
When he was 10 years old,
he witnessed his father kill his mother,
then turn the gun on himself in a murder-suicide.
It's a similar story to the one told in Bob Dylan's song,
"Hollis Brown".
"Hollis Brown" is the online name of Robert Henkin.
He and Walker corresponded for years.
Turns out Robert is a sound engineer,
he's worked with touring live bands for over two decades.
Okay, that all seems to track, but...
How is this guy connected to Vanessa Burton?
Robert Henkin was working at Campbell Lake
at the time of Vanessa's brother's drowning.
We have our connection, then.
He also has a gun charge as a minor.
They found a 38 in his locker.
He ticks every box.
Where are Nolan and Kate?
We think the whistle might be a nod to Vanessa's swimming.
She was a competitive swimmer.
The insignia on the whistle is the team logo
of Vanessa's high school swim team.
Nolan and Kate are following it up now.
Good work.
[dripping water echoes]
Is that what I think it is?
I don't like the look of this.
["God for A Day" by Jonny Hetherington] ♪♪
♪ Say a little prayer ♪
♪ for everybody else ♪
♪ from from your own private hell.♪
♪ I know about your hurt♪
♪ I know about your past♪
♪ Why you almost never laugh ♪
[phone rings]
♪ We're all gettin' something from someone ♪
[phone continues to ring]
♪ What about you?♪
♪ What about you...♪
[phone continues to ring]
Hello?
Hello, Kate.
Hi, Robert.
Do you like the song?
Not what I'd expect from you.
Well, they all can't be murder ballads, can they?
We should meet in person.
We should.
We do have a lot to talk about, Kate.
Name the place.
All in good time.
What is it that you want?
I think the better question, Kate, is,
what is it that you want?
Do you prefer to be called Robert or Hollis?
Rob-
Did you know that sound travels four times faster underwater?
Kate?
I did not know that.
You're drowning, Kate.
But I am gonna save you.
Soon.
He's stalking you.
The song is about redemption and holding people accountable.
I think it may be specific to me.
He said he wants to save me.
Should I be worried about your safety, Kate?
No.
I've been issued a new phone and a computer,
and I'm under surveillance.
You're concerned this person knows about the coverup
of your gun being stolen and consequently the death
of your partner, Mike Huntley.
Do you know why you came back to counselling
after you tried to stop?
To talk to someone I can trust.
Yes.
Most times, that's what people are looking for,
just someone who sees them for who they really are.
The killer thinks I understand him.
Maybe you do.
Coffee?
Yes.
Thanks.
What do you got?
Robert Henkin's life was spared in his parents' murder-suicide,
he's lived with guilt and grief ever since.
Vanessa Burton stood on the shore
and watched as her brother drowned,
she was consumed with guilt for several years after his death.
Jeff Donnelan killed his best friend in a car accident.
I can only imagine the guilt he suffered.
Robert thinks he's doing his victims a favour.
An angel of mercy.
[laughs]
See that?
What's that?
Land deed.
Robert's father owned the factory
where his parents' murder-suicide happened.
Henkin Gems.
Yeah, they process rocks and minerals.
It was in the case file.
The company became Robert's after his father died.
Factory's been vacant for 30 years.
Guess what forensics found
in that silver whistle he left for us?
Polished stone.
What if he's been inside the factory?
♪
["Pumped Up Kicks"] ♪♪
♪ Robert's got a quick hand♪
♪ He'll look around the room,♪
♪ he won't tell you his plan♪
♪ He's got a rolled cigarette,♪
♪ hanging out his mouth he's a cowboy kid♪
♪ Yeah found a six-shooter gun♪
♪ In his dad's closet hidden♪
♪ oh in a box of fun things,♪
♪ I don't even know what♪
♪ But he's coming for you,♪
♪ yeah he's coming for you♪
♪ All the other kids with the pumped up kicks ♪
♪ You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun ♪
[tape recording of Kate] Obsessed with music, he researches his victims,
[echoing] researches his victims, victims, victims, victims...
knowing their pain intimately before he murders them.
[garbled electronic noises]
...knowing their pain intimately before he murders them.
♪ He's coming for you, yeah, he's coming for you.♪
♪ All the other kids with the pumped up kicks ♪
♪ You'd better run, ♪
♪ better run, outrun my gun ♪
♪ All the other kids with the pumped up kicks ♪
♪ You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet ♪
♪ All the other kids with the pumped up kicks ♪
♪ You'd better run, ♪
♪ better run, outrun my gun ♪
[tape recording of Kate] The reason he died.
He researches his victims
[garbled electronic noises]
Researches his victims
Obsessed with music.
Kate, do you copy?
♪ ...outrun my gun♪
♪ All the other kids with the pumped up kicks♪
♪ You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet♪
♪ All the other kids with the pumped up kicks♪
♪ You'd better run, better run, out run my gun♪
[sound of gunshot]
[tape recording of Kate] Well, that's a relief, to have someone to confide in.
But it doesn't absolve me.
I made a mistake my first week in homicide.
My partner wanted to protect me and try to cover it up.
And that's why we were at the apartment the night he died.
All because of my mistake.
I got him killed.
I'm the reason he died.
[tape rewinding] I'm the reason he died.
All because of my mistake.
I'm the reason he died.
All because of my mistake.
I'm the reason he died.
All because of my mistake.
I'm the reason he died.
I got him killed. I got him killed.
[tape recording of newscaster] Police mourn the death.
Police mourn the death of celebrated homicide detective,
Michael Huntley.
After shots were fired last night at 200-
Kate!
You turn that off, this cop dies.
I've already killed one today.
Please.
Just do what he says.
He already killed my partner.
Yeah.
Come on, Kate.
Move.
Come on.
That's right, Kate. Come on.
There she comes.
Hey there, Kate.
Good girl.
How about you drop that gun?
Drop it.
Put it down.
Drop it.
Oh, come on Kate?
You remember Michael Huntley, Kate?
Don't make that same mistake twice.
There you go.
Now, put that big heavy gun down on the floor. Yeah.
Good girl.
Now kick it over to me.
Kick it.
Now here's the thing, Kate.
I've been looking forward to this moment for so long.
Just you and me, alone.
Have you?
[gun firing]
[grunts]
Oh Kate, you're gonna love what I have on my playlist.
What do you want?
I want the same thing you want, Kate?
You know, remember, we wanna be free from pain.
I can help you with your pain, Robert.
Yes, I know.
I know, cause we're kindred spirits, Kate.
I'm gonna help you, you're gonna help me.
We're gonna save each other.
Hey, you know, I knew you were special
the moment that you put Walker behind bars.
You were the only one in all those years.
Only one that could connect a murder and song.
You see, everyone wants to hear their tragedies in a song.
Now, do you think someone's
going to write a song for us, Kate?
'Cause that would be...
Come on.
Is that what you want?
To be immortalized in a song?
I already told you what I wanted.
You don't ever listen, Kate.
Please.
Please don't do this.
There's nothing to fear, Kate.
[gun fires]
[breathing heavily]
Chen removed your police detail.
Which means, you don't have to look at my mug 24/7.
Nice work on the case.
Thanks.
You're going to fit in here, Kate.
I just talked to Leah.
How'd that go?
She wants to give us another chance.
That's what you wanted, right?
She got a job offer in New York.
Means I'd have to leave.
I thought you should have these.
You removed them from evidence?
It's not evidence.
The secret's yours.
[sighs]
[distant police sirens]
[champagne cork pops]
[cheering]
Congrats Mom, you're the Mayor.
Thank you honey for being so supportive.
Of course.
And as much as I dislike you being in homicide,
I've seen firsthand how lucky the city is
to have an officer like you.
Your father would be so proud.
You said something to me a few days ago,
and I'm not sure I responded to it well.
What was that?
You said you wanted to focus on the things that matter,
including our relationship.
I'd like to make that effort, too.
[sighs]