MFM Minisode 469

This week’s hometowns include babysitting in a tornado and a psychic at a lesbian poker night. For our sources, please visit https://www.myfavoritemurder.com/episodes. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3UFCn1g. Head to social media to share your favorite moments from this episode. Instagram: instagram.com/myfavoritemurder http://instagram.com/myfavoritemurder Facebook: facebook.com/myfavoritemurder http://facebook.com/myfavoritemurder TikTok: tiktok.com/@my_favorite_murder http://tiktok.com/@my_favorite_murder Watch full episodes of My Favorite Murder on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@my_favorite_murder Send your hometown stories to [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. Join the Fan Cult to access ad-free episodes of My Favorite Murder. Members also receive merch store discounts, exclusive audio and video content and more! Visit www.fancult.supercast.com http://www.fancult.supercast.com/ to join. Shop for My Favorite Murder and other Exactly Right merchandise here: www.exactlyrightstore.com https://www.exactlyrightstore.com. Rate, review and follow My Favorite Murder on the iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you like to listen. See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  This is exactly right.

• 0:06Speaker 01

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• 0:36Speaker 02

  In New Orleans, truckers kept getting sideswiped the exact same way. When a man is found murdered under questionable circumstances related to these accidents, the rubber hits the road. And what the feds uncover is a complex scheme of staged wrecks, financial fraud, and a pair of conspiring lovers behind it. This is a story about fake accidents that led to real consequences. Listen to "Over My Dead Body: Operation Sideswipe" wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

• 1:29Karen Kilgariff?

  Hello and welcome.

• 1:31Georgia Hardstark?

  To my favorite murder.

• 1:32Karen Kilgariff?

  The minisode.

• 1:33Georgia Hardstark?

  Here we go.

• 1:34Karen Kilgariff?

  It's gonna be so fun.

• 1:35Georgia Hardstark?

  So fun. The first one of 2026.

• 1:38Karen Kilgariff?

  My god, this is gonna set the precedent for all minisodes to come.

• 1:42Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh shit.

• 1:43Karen Kilgariff?

  Get ready.

• 1:44Georgia Hardstark?

  I don't remember what stories I picked. Okay.

• 1:46Karen Kilgariff?

  We'll kick off big and strong. The subject line of this email is "Babysitting in a Tornado." Hi ladies. You asked for babysitting stories, so I'm here to deliver. In 2009, I was 10 years old and for some reason, the adults in my life decided I was mature enough to babysit a two-month-old infant and a three-year-old.

• 2:04Georgia Hardstark?

  How old was she?

• 2:05Karen Kilgariff?

  She was 10.

• 2:06Georgia Hardstark?

  10 and it... No. No, no, no, no, no.

• 2:08Karen Kilgariff?

  10.

• 2:09Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay.

• 2:10Karen Kilgariff?

  On this particular day, I was extra pumped because my neighbor said she'd pay me $5 an hour after school. And by neighbor, I mean she lived five miles down a rural road.

• 2:20Georgia Hardstark?

  Honey.

• 2:21Karen Kilgariff?

  That's how neighbors work out in the country.

• 2:23Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 2:23Karen Kilgariff?

  I got dropped off by the school bus and the mom basically sprinted out the door. She told me to call if I needed anything, then offered zero instructions on caring for an infant.

• 2:32Georgia Hardstark?

  An infant. Like, they're very droppable, especially by 10-year-olds.

• 2:38Karen Kilgariff?

  Who are basically in third or fourth grade, I think.

• 2:40Georgia Hardstark?

  Right. Yeah, my nephew Joe is 10. I would not let him hold a baby.

• 2:45Karen Kilgariff?

  Right? Bye. We'll see you in three hours.

• 2:48Georgia Hardstark?

  Don't fucking kill the baby. For fuck.

• 2:51Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay. In parentheses, it says, "I did not know how to put on a diaper. Who approved this plan?"

• 2:56Georgia Hardstark?

  Seriously.

• 2:57Karen Kilgariff?

  "About an hour in, I noticed the sky starting to turn green."

• 3:01Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh my god.

• 3:02Karen Kilgariff?

  "Anyone from tornado country knows that shade of green means bad news. Shit." "Then I realized the house didn't have a basement. Double shit." "My 10-year-old brain short-circuited. I put both kids in the bathtub."

• 3:14Georgia Hardstark?

  Laid the fucking infant down in the bathtub. I know that's what you're supposed to do, but just like shoving kids in the bathtub.

• 3:19Karen Kilgariff?

  Just the hardest area you can put them in?

• 3:21Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 3:22Karen Kilgariff?

  "I had put both kids in the bathtub, covered them in cushions, and panic called their mom from the landline." No answer, of course. Why would she answer when she had just entrusted her tiny children to a 10-year-old in the middle of tornado weather?

• 3:33Georgia Hardstark?

  Jesus.

• 3:34Karen Kilgariff?

  "I picked up the phone to call my own mom and boom, the electricity cut out."

• 3:38Georgia Hardstark?

  Ah.

• 3:39Karen Kilgariff?

  "The landline was dead. At that moment, I looked out the window and saw the tornado touching down in the distance." Saw it.

• 3:47Georgia Hardstark?

  Have you ever seen... I would... That would be so incredible.

• 3:50Karen Kilgariff?

  I made my sister and Adrian and my cousins Stevie and Kim were down visiting and I made everybody watch one of those like... We have the video of the moment it, this crazy thing happened. An episode of that, which is, I wish I could remember the title, I have absolutely no idea. But one episode was dedicated to tornado stories and those kinds of things where it's like, people yelling at each other to get inside or get downstairs while it hits.

• 4:15Georgia Hardstark?

  It's not even like, yeah, it doesn't even, like, I can't even picture that. That's why I'm like, this is like the first time I thought, oh, that must be really fucking scary because it doesn't even cross my mind.

• 4:24Karen Kilgariff?

  And the distance is like, it's moving at like, what, 50 miles an hour, 20 miles?

• 4:29Georgia Hardstark?

  And who knows which way it's going. It's like it follows a thing.

• 4:32Karen Kilgariff?

  Nope, it's all crazy.

• 4:33Georgia Hardstark?

  Like earthquakes, I love watching like tsunami flooding videos, but a fucking tornado?

• 4:39Karen Kilgariff?

  They're so big.

• 4:40Georgia Hardstark?

  It's so far away from my mind. Okay, go.

• 4:42Karen Kilgariff?

  They're so big.

• 4:43Georgia Hardstark?

  They're so big.

• 4:43Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay. Saw the tornado touching down in the distance. Absolutely not. I refuse to go out in a basementless house with two random children. Here's the thing. I knew the nearest neighbors half a mile away and they had a basement. My mom was friends with them. I'd been to their house, so my 10-year-old logic decided the safest course of action was to, all caps, run through a soybean field with two children during a tornado.

• 5:10Georgia Hardstark?

  As a 10-year-old.

• 5:12Karen Kilgariff?

  They had to make a call. I scribbled a note for the mom, stuck it on the door, grabbed the infant, took the toddler's hand and started running. The wind was so strong, I genuinely thought we'd blow away. I could see the funnel cloud getting narrower in the distance and I was positive we were all about to get sucked into the sky like Wizard of Oz extras. After what felt like an eternity, we made it. I knocked on the door and the poor woman opened it to find me crying, the baby crying and the toddler crying.

• 5:40Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, yeah. Everyone's fucking crying. Oh my God.

• 5:46Karen Kilgariff?

  I asked if we could use the basement.

• 5:49Georgia Hardstark?

  Hi, can we use the basement?

• 5:51Karen Kilgariff?

  She let us in, wrapped us in blankets and I curled up with the kids on the floor of their basement, fully believing I'd just saved all of our lives. The power came back. She called the kid's mom and told her to get home. Once the storm passed, we walked back across the field and I realized the tornado had actually touched down a couple of miles away, not even close to the house.

• 6:10Georgia Hardstark?

  It doesn't matter.

• 6:11Karen Kilgariff?

  We don't care.

• 6:12Georgia Hardstark?

  Nope, doesn't matter where it touched down.

• 6:13Karen Kilgariff?

  Visible.

• 6:14Georgia Hardstark?

  Yes.

• 6:14Karen Kilgariff?

  Is close.

• 6:15Georgia Hardstark?

  Yes.

• 6:16Karen Kilgariff?

  Wind. These Midwesterners, they are made of different material.

• 6:21Karen Kilgariff?

  All that dramatic sprinting for nothing. No, it wasn't.

• 6:23Georgia Hardstark?

  No, cuz you, cuz, mm-mm.

• 6:26Karen Kilgariff?

  Anyway, the mom came home, handed me $15 and asked if I could babysit again next week. I immediately said yes. I'm now a career nanny and can confidently change a diaper. So I guess this experience didn't traumatize me that much.

• 6:39Georgia Hardstark?

  I guess.

• 6:40Karen Kilgariff?

  Stay sexy and answer your phone. S.

• 6:42Georgia Hardstark?

  Holy shit. I think my mom would have been like, that's not happening. Like, she would have come in and been like, you can't babysit a fucking infant.

• 6:50Karen Kilgariff?

  Yes.

• 6:50Georgia Hardstark?

  Like, maybe a three-year-old, cuz that's what it was like back then in the 80s, but like-

• 6:54Karen Kilgariff?

  Not an infant.

• 6:55Georgia Hardstark?

  Not an infant.

• 6:55Karen Kilgariff?

  They're so new.

• 6:57Georgia Hardstark?

  They're so brand-new and their head's so soft, squishy.

• 7:00Karen Kilgariff?

  Like, they do stuff and then you don't know what to do and then you try doing things and like-

• 7:05Georgia Hardstark?

  And they shit their pants and then you're like, I don't know how to change your pants. Diapers, whatever. Okay.

• 7:11Karen Kilgariff?

  You're slack.

• 7:12Georgia Hardstark?

  You're slack. Okay.

• 7:13Karen Kilgariff?

  I think S made the perfect decision.

• 7:15Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, I agree. You were right. Okay. Hi, gals. Thought you would enjoy this story from 1979. I wanted to share an event that happened on New Year's Eve, 1979. My older sister, Mary Beth, and I were both in college at the University of Arkansas at the time. The Arkansas football team was in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, 1980, against Alabama. And as outgoing, partying, fun-loving people do, Mary Beth and her roommate Jane went out to Bourbon Street to ring in the new year. The night was going well. Thousands of college kids were wall-to-wall, shoulder-to-shoulder on Bourbon Street, partying with the usual revelry until around midnight, when Mary Beth was knocked to the ground. Sounds like a fucking nightmare.

• 7:55Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 7:56Georgia Hardstark?

  Mary Beth was a little stunned from suddenly finding herself on her behind, but started to laugh it off. People filled the balcony surrounding Bourbon Street, drinking and throwing things, enjoying the brand-new year. Mary Beth assumed she'd been hit by a bottle, giving her a nasty cut on her head. She tried to shrug it off and keep the night going. However, a persistent headache and learning that her head was indeed bleeding soon ended Mary Beth's night, as she and Jane turned to a local police officer for assistance. The officer drove the women to Charity Hospital, which was typically busy, given the festivities and influx of tourists in town for the- Football game set to start in a few hours. Back home in Arkansas around 2 a.m. as my brother and I were getting home from our own night of activities, the phone rings.

• 8:40Georgia Hardstark?

  The old landline. My mother got a call from Jane to get Mary Beth's health insurance information for the hospital since she was being admitted for the night. I cannot imagine my mother's sheer terror. Hearing about Mary Beth's injury, my mother packed us up and started the drive down to New Orleans to make sure that Mary Beth was really all right. This was before cell phones, so staying in contact was much more difficult. The rest of the early morning was a whirlwind as my mother gathered my brother and myself up and drove us seven hours straight to New Orleans.

• 9:09Karen Kilgariff?

  Wow.

• 9:10Georgia Hardstark?

  When we finally arrived at the hospital, we found Mary Beth sitting up in the hospital bed with her head all wrapped up from surgery, happy to be alive but fuming. The bottle that had struck Mary Beth was actually a 45 caliber bullet.

• 9:24Karen Kilgariff?

  Fuck.

• 9:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Apparently fired into the air during the celebrations of the new decade.

• 9:29Karen Kilgariff?

  So it goes up and comes down into her head.

• 9:31Georgia Hardstark?

  You can't shoot guns in the air.

• 9:33Karen Kilgariff?

  You can't. Not over a crowd of people.

• 9:35Georgia Hardstark?

  I mean, not at all. That happens like every year, I feel like.

• 9:38Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, it does.

• 9:39Georgia Hardstark?

  The bullet had caused a three inch diameter fragmentation in Mary Beth's skull, but miraculously had not penetrated her brain.

• 9:46Karen Kilgariff?

  That's a huge hole.

• 9:47Georgia Hardstark?

  But how did it not penetrate her brain with that size of that hole?

• 9:51Karen Kilgariff?

  Maybe it was like came and did.

• 9:52Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, my God. According to Jane, after the call around 2 a.m., the doctors had performed an X-ray of Mary Beth's head, revealing the bullet still lodged in her scalp. Mary Beth had apparently gotten rather upset at the revelation, since it now required surgery, quote, ruining her good time.

• 10:08Karen Kilgariff?

  She thought she was going to get out of there with a Band-Aid and be like, woo.

• 10:13Georgia Hardstark?

  Bottle hit me, since she was not allowed to attend the game in person as planned. That night, there were six other gunshot victims brought into the charity hospital's emergency room, and of the seven, only Mary Beth was shot in the head. And only Mary Beth walked into the ER under her own power.

• 10:30Karen Kilgariff?

  Wow.

• 10:31Georgia Hardstark?

  She was discharged after a few days of observation. Mary Beth went on to live another two decades before she passed in 1999 at age 40 from something unrelated, but she never forgot the time she survived being shot in the head.

• 10:44Karen Kilgariff?

  God.

• 10:45Georgia Hardstark?

  Stay sexy and don't let a little old bullet ruin your New Year's Eve celebration. A beloved fan of you both, Becky. P.S. So many more Mary Beth-isms to share, maybe in the future. She was a unique and awe-inspiring girl that I got to call my big sister. I've missed her every day for the past 25 years, but boy, was I lucky to have her.

• 11:04Karen Kilgariff?

  I'd love a series of Mary Beth stories.

• 11:06Georgia Hardstark?

  Let's get more Mary Beth stories.

• 11:08Karen Kilgariff?

  Please just put in the subject line, "Another Mary Beth Story for You."

• 11:11Georgia Hardstark?

  Hey, it's Becky. Here's a Mary Beth story.

• 11:13Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, because God...

• 11:14Georgia Hardstark?

  She could have hit the fucking head with a bullet.

• 11:17Karen Kilgariff?

  It would change your life dramatically.

• 11:19Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 11:20Karen Kilgariff?

  And your decision-making if you're like, "I survived basically being shot in the head."

• 11:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Sure, yeah.

• 11:25Speaker 01

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• 11:55Karen Kilgariff?

  We've all had moments where dealing with healthcare or insurance feels completely overwhelming.

• 11:59Georgia Hardstark?

  You're sick, worried about someone you love, trying to understand what comes next, and suddenly you're spending hours on hold, filling out paperwork, and trying to figure out who to call.

• 12:08Karen Kilgariff?

  Research shows patients spend the equivalent of an eight-hour workday every month coordinating their own care.

• 12:14Georgia Hardstark?

  Nobody hands you a roadmap when you're dealing with a diagnosis or ongoing health issues.

• 12:18Karen Kilgariff?

  That's why there's Solace Health.

• 12:20Georgia Hardstark?

  Solace provides personal healthcare advocates who average 16 years of healthcare experience and can help you get answers fast.

• 12:26Karen Kilgariff?

  Think of them as someone in your corner who understands the healthcare system and can handle the logistics while you focus on your health.

• 12:32Georgia Hardstark?

  They can help with appointments, insurance denials, medical bills, treatment options, and understanding doctor recommendations.

• 12:38Karen Kilgariff?

  Research shows 92% of patients report a positive impact on their care from working with an advocate.

• 12:44Georgia Hardstark?

  Advocacy and... Approves outcomes and solace advocates are covered by insurance nationwide.

• 12:48Karen Kilgariff?

  Eligibility varies by insurance plan.

• 12:50Georgia Hardstark?

  Advocates do not provide medical or legal advice or services must be 18 years or older.

• 12:55Karen Kilgariff?

  Go to solacehealth.com/murder to see if you qualify.

• 12:58Georgia Hardstark?

  It takes about two minutes and it's covered by insurance.

• 13:01Karen Kilgariff?

  That's S.O.L.A.C.E. health.com/murder.

• 13:04Georgia Hardstark?

  Goodbye.

• 13:06Karen Kilgariff?

  You know a favorite M-word? Magnesium.

• 13:08Georgia Hardstark?

  Like the kind that's in Dr. Teal's magnesium spray.

• 13:11Karen Kilgariff?

  Made from a proprietary blend of topical minerals powered by pure Epsom salt and natural dead sea salt, it's designed to help you relax and get in the right state of mind for a good night's rest.

• 13:21Georgia Hardstark?

  If you need a reset after a crazy day, make Dr. Teal's magnesium spray part of your nighttime routine. It's an effortless way to get a boost of topical magnesium that can help you relax your body and mind before bedtime.

• 13:32Karen Kilgariff?

  Dr. Teal's magnesium spray comes in a lightweight, fast drying formula.

• 13:36Georgia Hardstark?

  Just shake it up and generously spritz onto the soles of your feet and massage until absorbed.

• 13:40Karen Kilgariff?

  I was kind of blown away the first time I used this spray because I do have problems sleeping. And when there's something this simple, you just sprayed on your feet and suddenly you're asleep and the next morning you're like, wait, what happened? Did my problem just get solved? Like, it actually is that easy.

• 13:56Georgia Hardstark?

  And your stinky feet now smell like lavender. Like, what more do you want?

• 13:58Karen Kilgariff?

  How dare you call my feet stinky?

• 14:01Georgia Hardstark?

  For wellness, you can feel, find Dr. Teal's magnesium spray online or in your local bath aisle.

• 14:06Karen Kilgariff?

  Goodbye.

• 14:09Karen Kilgariff?

  This email, I'm not going to read you the subject line. This email starts, "Hey, aunties," in all caps, and then in parentheses it says, "Karen, is this an acceptable greeting?" Yes, it is. "I've written in a few times, but I was recently listening to a minisode where you called for more stories of storming off drunk. And while this isn't exactly that, I thought, it's my time to shine. Back in 2016, I was a 22-year-old fresh out of college and working my first big-girl job as a research assistant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Think MIT, Harvard, lots of big brain shit. Living in my shitty sublet away from my hometown and all my friends, I turned to the apps to chat and find cute boys to buy me a beer. Most nights, I would grab a box of wine and swipe till my thumbs hurt. I would have some

• 14:52Karen Kilgariff?

  interesting conversations and occasionally make tentative date plans that I would solidify in the morning once I sobered up. Well, this Friday night, I was feeling especially bold. A young suitor invited me to a house party in Dorchester."

• 15:04Georgia Hardstark?

  Dorchester. Dorchester.

• 15:06Karen Kilgariff?

  Dorchester, another city surrounding Boston and connected to Cambridge via the Red Line subway. Despite the fact that it was close to midnight, I quickly got dressed and ordered my Uber. The car picked me up and brought me to my destination, or so I thought. It certainly was Dorchester, a residential area. Multifamily homes of every color lined the street. The sidewalks were illuminated by copious street lamps, but that was the only light in sight. It was quiet, dead quiet. No parties, just roommates and families fast asleep, lights off, curtains drawn. Suddenly, I began to sober up. Either I mistook the address in my drunken state, or something much more sinister was afoot. I pulled my phone out to call back the Uber, but as quickly as it unlocked, it died.

• 15:51Georgia Hardstark?

  No.

• 15:52Karen Kilgariff?

  I truly had been swiping all night and failed to notice my dwindling battery. In a panic, I looked around and spotted a sign for the Red Line. If I could just get back to Cambridge, I'd be able to walk. But it was too late, the Red Line had already shut down. Still, I knew I needed to get away. I began walking until I found an open sign, an Irish pub. "My people," I screamed, as a one-quarter Irish New Englander.

• 16:19Karen Kilgariff?

  Surely, I was safe now. I stumbled in begging for a charger or help calling a cab, but I was turned away. To this day, I wish I knew what the bar was, because I would like to give them a stern lecture about not helping a drunk girl wandering around by herself.

• 16:32Georgia Hardstark?

  What the fuck?

• 16:33Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, that's bullshit. Although, how drunk was she? Where did she walk in like?

• 16:37Georgia Hardstark?

  That's the point, though. They kicked her, they kicked someone out who couldn't function. They, you know what I mean? Like, you kind of have like an obligation then to make sure she doesn't just wander away.

• 16:47Karen Kilgariff?

  Well, do you?

• 16:48Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 16:49Karen Kilgariff?

  I mean, societally, you do. One would hope.

• 16:51Georgia Hardstark?

  Yes.

• 16:52Karen Kilgariff?

  But, yeah.

• 16:53Georgia Hardstark?

  Who knows what the rules are?

• 16:54Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, okay. "Hopeless and ready to turn myself in for stupidity." And then in parentheses, it says, "Can you actually get arrested for being drunk in public?"

• 17:03Georgia Hardstark?

  Yes.

• 17:05Karen Kilgariff?

  I walked back out into the street by the grace of God I do not believe in. There was one other establishment open, a Chinese food restaurant. I couldn't believe that they were open that late, but soon I realized that those were not patrons in the window, but the family that owned the place. And here I was, an obnoxious drunk girl, interrupting their family meal.

• 17:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh.

• 17:25Karen Kilgariff?

  Desperate, I banged on the door anyway. They let me in, helped me charge my phone and get a ride home, all while they finished dinner.

• 17:32Georgia Hardstark?

  That's what you're supposed to do.

• 17:33Karen Kilgariff?

  That is what you're supposed to do.

• 17:34Georgia Hardstark?

  Especially if you're a bar, like you should know that.

• 17:36Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, you're right. That family quite literally saved my life and I always wish I could thank them for it, but I cannot emphasize enough, I was, all caps, very drunk.

• 17:45Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, God.

• 17:46Karen Kilgariff?

  I shudder to think what could have happened to me if I had stayed on that street looking for my Tinder dude or even asked the wrong person for help.

• 17:53Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 17:53Karen Kilgariff?

  Nine years later, I can proudly say I'm over one year alcohol free, thanks in no small part to my sweet baby angle husband. Where did I meet such an amazing man, you ask? Bumble, of course. Thank you for the pod. I've been listening since day five-ish.

• 18:08Georgia Hardstark?

  Wow.

• 18:09Karen Kilgariff?

  Wow. I promise the advice about not wandering off drunk and the dangers of alcohol abuse finally sunk in. Stay sexy and just stay home, especially when you're inebriated. Callie. P.S. If this gets read on the podcast, I'd like to say, fuck Trump, fuck ICE, immigrants make America great.

• 18:27Georgia Hardstark?

  Hell, yeah.

• 18:28Karen Kilgariff?

  Good girl, Callie. That's right.

• 18:30Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, my God. That's just the thing about, like, we just did another story about a girl who did the exact same thing and got murdered. Like, that's what, like, true crime feels like so fascinating to, like, think women, especially because that's what we do and that's what happens. Like, those are the consequences of what happens to us sometimes and it just fucking sucks and it's not fair and it's so random and, like...

• 18:55Karen Kilgariff?

  And you're right.

• 18:55Georgia Hardstark?

  By the grace of fucking God, it didn't happen to us.

• 18:57Karen Kilgariff?

  Right, exactly. And also, you're so right. It's like, there is a social contract to look out for each other, that somewhere along the line, we got started to get told, well, you made that decision, so it's your fault, because you're drunk. And that's like, me carrying on that idea, where it's like, no, no, no, it doesn't matter how the person got there.

• 19:16Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 19:16Karen Kilgariff?

  Charge their phone, help them get home.

• 19:18Georgia Hardstark?

  Right.

• 19:19Karen Kilgariff?

  Be a part of it. Because that's how people get roofied at these fucking bars, and wander off, and no one sees them again.

• 19:25Georgia Hardstark?

  Exactly.

• 19:26Karen Kilgariff?

  That kind of thing, where it's, yeah, people just being like, oh, well, I guess you're morally bad if you drank alcohol.

• 19:32Georgia Hardstark?

  Right. Because we've all been there.

• 19:34Karen Kilgariff?

  Yes.

• 19:34Georgia Hardstark?

  And we're just fucking lucky.

• 19:35Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 19:38Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay. This one doesn't have a subject. Dear Karen in Georgia, long time listener, first time writing in. Let's get started. Not too long ago, you requested stories of crazy coincidences, and I have one for you. When I was four years old, I started preschool and instantly became best friends with a little girl named Angelina. We ended up going to the same elementary school and continued to be best friends for years, doing all the normal BFF activities, sleepovers, riding around the neighborhood, watching movies that were too mature for us, etc. When we were maybe around 10 years old, her big sister, who was a freshman in college, developed leukemia. It was devastating. She was a smart and accomplished young woman with so much life ahead of her, but the disease progressed rapidly, and she passed away not long after her diagnosis. I remember going to the funeral,

• 20:22Georgia Hardstark?

  my first experience of grief and loss up close. Did I ever tell you that there was, like, the boy I had a crush on in 4th grade died of leukemia in 4th grade? Like, during the school year? I always think about that.

• 20:33Karen Kilgariff?

  We had a little girl with cystic fibrosis who died, and that she was dying the whole time we were in grammar school.

• 20:39Georgia Hardstark?

  So funny.

• 20:39Karen Kilgariff?

  And then she fi- it was just the saddest

• 20:41Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 20:42Karen Kilgariff?

  kind of reality.

• 20:43Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah. Just weeks after this horrific loss, Angelina's family packed up and moved several hours away. They left quickly and quietly, likely in an effort to remove themselves from some of the grief. Because of this move, I never saw Angelina again. I think we spoke on the phone a few times, but this was years before social media and cell phones, and we completely lost touch. It left me feeling a little empty for a long time. No closure, no natural end to the friendship, just one day here, and the next day, gone. That is, until 14 years later, when I sit down at my boyfriend's, now ex-husband, lol. Boyfriend's brother's college graduation. I look to the person sitting on my right and my heart stops. Angelina, I say.

• 21:25Georgia Hardstark?

  We recognized each other instantly and finally had the chance to hear from each other after more than a decade. We sat there in disbelief, talking about our lives and the beginning of our careers. She was there for her boyfriend's graduation. Somehow, we ended up in the same place at the same time, sitting next to each other.

• 21:42Karen Kilgariff?

  That's wild.

• 21:43Georgia Hardstark?

  Probably not even the same, I don't know if the same state, probably not the same city even.

• 21:47Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 21:48Georgia Hardstark?

  I still can't understand how we ended up next to one another when we could have gone to any of the hundreds of available seats. I think it was God, or the universe, or whatever energy you believe moves through this world to push us towards our fate. Deep down, my inner child needed that resolution to know where she had been and what had become of her after that tragic loss. Anyways, this has nothing to do with murder, but it was something I will never forget. An amazing moment of kismet. I love you guys and all that you do. With love, Emily.

• 22:17Karen Kilgariff?

  That's crazy.

• 22:18Georgia Hardstark?

  Right next to her, not even like at a party or something.

• 22:21Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah. Just like, oh, what's your ticket say? Here's my ticket.

• 22:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 22:26Speaker 05

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• 22:54Karen Kilgariff?

  We've all had moments where dealing with healthcare or insurance feels completely overwhelming.

• 22:59Georgia Hardstark?

  You're sick, worried about someone you love, trying to understand what comes next, and suddenly you're spending hours on hold, filling out paperwork, and trying to figure out who to call.

• 23:07Karen Kilgariff?

  Research shows patients spend the equivalent of an eight-hour workday every month coordinating their own care.

• 23:13Georgia Hardstark?

  Nobody hands you a roadmap when you're dealing with a diagnosis or ongoing health issues.

• 23:18Karen Kilgariff?

  That's why there's Solace Health.

• 23:19Georgia Hardstark?

  Solace provides personal healthcare advocates who average 16 years of healthcare experience and can help you get answers fast.

• 23:26Karen Kilgariff?

  Think of them as someone in your ...who understands the healthcare system and can handle the logistics while you focus on your health.

• 23:32Georgia Hardstark?

  They can help with appointments, insurance denials, medical bills, treatment options, and understanding doctor recommendations.

• 23:37Karen Kilgariff?

  Research shows 92% of patients report a positive impact on their care from working with an advocate.

• 23:43Georgia Hardstark?

  Advocacy improves outcomes, and Solace advocates are covered by insurance nationwide.

• 23:48Karen Kilgariff?

  Eligibility varies by insurance plan.

• 23:50Georgia Hardstark?

  Advocates do not provide medical or legal advice or services, must be 18 years or older.

• 23:54Karen Kilgariff?

  Go to solacehealth.com/murder to see if you qualify.

• 23:58Georgia Hardstark?

  It takes about two minutes and it's covered by insurance.

• 24:00Karen Kilgariff?

  That's S-O-L-A-C-E health.com/murder.

• 24:04Georgia Hardstark?

  Goodbye.

• 24:05Karen Kilgariff?

  You know a favorite M-word? Magnesium.

• 24:08Georgia Hardstark?

  Like the kind that's in Dr. Teal's magnesium spray.

• 24:11Karen Kilgariff?

  Made from a proprietary blend of topical minerals powered by pure Epsom salt and natural Dead Sea salt, it's designed to help you relax and get in the right state of mind for a good night's rest.

• 24:21Georgia Hardstark?

  If you need a reset after a crazy day, make Dr. Teal's magnesium spray part of your nighttime routine. It's an effortless way to get a boost of topical magnesium that can help you relax your body and mind before bedtime.

• 24:32Karen Kilgariff?

  Dr. Teal's magnesium spray comes in a lightweight, fast drying formula.

• 24:36Georgia Hardstark?

  Just shake it up and generously spritz onto the soles of your feet and massage until absorbed.

• 24:40Karen Kilgariff?

  I was kind of blown away the first time I used this spray because I do have problems sleeping, and when there's something this simple, you just spray it on your feet and suddenly you're asleep and the next morning you're like, wait, what happened? Did my problem just get solved? Like, it actually is that easy.

• 24:55Georgia Hardstark?

  And your stinky feet now smell like lavender. Like, what more do you want?

• 24:58Karen Kilgariff?

  How dare you call my feet stinky?

• 25:01Georgia Hardstark?

  For wellness you can feel, find Dr. Teal's magnesium spray online or in your local bath aisle.

• 25:06Karen Kilgariff?

  Goodbye.

• 25:09Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay, here's my last one. I'm not going to read you the subterfuge line. It says, "Hello, MFM crew. So I didn't start listening from day one, but in 2019, I did start all the way back with episode one. Not sure what category that puts me in, but I've had the best six years with you two in my ears. I was catching up on minisodes recently, and I heard you ask for trash kid stories, and I figured this was the perfect time to tell you about how I grew up to be the exact opposite of a trash kid."

• 25:35Georgia Hardstark?

  It's a bragging email?

• 25:38Karen Kilgariff?

  I've always had a very black and white sense of right and wrong, to the point where I once made my college boyfriend sleep in his car in my driveway while my parents were out of town because I didn't want to get in trouble.

• 25:47Georgia Hardstark?

  Wow.

• 25:48Karen Kilgariff?

  I credit a lot of that extreme honesty to something my parents invented called the lie dot. According to them, the lie dot was a special mark on your forehead that only grownups could see, and it appeared when you were lying. I have such a vivid memory of sneaking an extra cookie, my parents asking to check my forehead, and me immediately bursting into tears and confessing everything. From that day on, I was honest to the core, basically the dictionary definition of a goody-two-shoes. Just so you know, my mom does this exact same thing to me, and I can still remember when she told me.

• 26:21Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 26:22Karen Kilgariff?

  It was like, we were like in front of the refrigerator, and then she was like, like she was gonna break it to me. Like, oh, okay. I know when you're lying. I can see it. I can see it in your face when you're lying. And I'm like, really?

• 26:34Georgia Hardstark?

  How? I can just imagine going like, no, Mom, I didn't do it. And then that's like covering your forehead to be like, that didn't happen.

• 26:41Karen Kilgariff?

  The whole thing.

• 26:42Georgia Hardstark?

  And that's how I know.

• 26:42Karen Kilgariff?

  It's so easy to manipulate children.

• 26:44Georgia Hardstark?

  Children are so stupid.

• 26:45Karen Kilgariff?

  So it says, "Eventually, they told me the truth. There was no magical dot. They could just tell when the kid was lying. To this day, I can't decide if that was an incredible parenting hack or a mild case of trash parenting. Either way, I truly lucked out with the best parents in the world. My mom, Christie, left my biological dad when she was 23 with one-year-old me while pregnant with my sister. About two years later, she met the man I call Dad, John, and they've been the cool parents ever since. Even now, they are fan favorites of all of my friends and have gotten invited to several of my friends' weddings."

• 27:18Georgia Hardstark?

  Aww.

• 27:18Karen Kilgariff?

  That is a great sign of great parents.

• 27:20Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally.

• 27:21Karen Kilgariff?

  Stay sexy and don't lie to your parents. Hayden.

• 27:26Georgia Hardstark?

  The dot on the forehead. What's the biggest lie you've said to your children or that your parents have said to you?

• 27:32Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 27:32Georgia Hardstark?

  I want those.

• 27:33Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, like Adrienne saying to her kids, like she was scared, "Be careful, the man's gonna see you."

• 27:38Georgia Hardstark?

  That's right.

• 27:39Karen Kilgariff?

  When they were misbehaving in public.

• 27:40Georgia Hardstark?

  The man's gonna see you.

• 27:42Karen Kilgariff?

  The man's gonna see you. Not technically a lie.

• 27:45Georgia Hardstark?

  No, there is the man, and he is going to see you.

• 27:48Karen Kilgariff?

  That's right.

• 27:48Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay, here's my last one. I'm not going to read you the subject. What up, bitches? Let's do this. Hell easy, let's do this. About five years ago, I went to a friend's place for a lesbian poker night because the girls love to gamble and gossip.

• 28:01Karen Kilgariff?

  When they say, "Let's do this," they mean, "Let's do this."

• 28:05Georgia Hardstark?

  When I arrived, I knew everyone except for one woman, Kelly, a friend of the host from down the block. The host excitedly greeted me and said, "For the game, I sat you next to Kelly because she doesn't know anyone and you are a yak mouth who can talk to a brick wall." That would never happen to me. You? That being totally true, I felt lovingly seen and sat down for the game. Couple of hands in, I had lost plenty of money, but was really enjoying chatting it up with Kelly. Midway through the night, she leans over to me and says, "So, I don't want to freak you out, but I'm a medium and your grandmother, Mary, has been bugging me all night. She is a very persistent woman."

• 28:40Karen Kilgariff?

  Holy shit.

• 28:41Georgia Hardstark?

  "I grew up with a lot of Italian superstition slash woo-woo slash Catholic hocus-pocus, but am a pragmatist at the end of the day, so I was cautiously intrigued." Kelly continued, "She wants you to know she is with your grandpa, Joe. They are together and happy, so you don't need to worry about them. But your grandmother is very worried about your brother's heart because of the way grandpa Joe passed, so he needs to go to the doctor."

• 29:03Karen Kilgariff?

  Holy shit.

• 29:03Georgia Hardstark?

  I would have just punched her in the face and run. Like, I don't even care if it wasn't true, just like...

• 29:08Karen Kilgariff?

  Just freaking out?

• 29:08Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah. My eyes widened and my mouth fell open. How the fuck did this woman know my grandparents had both passed? Their names, my grandfather's cardiac issue, and that I had a brother?

• 29:20Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah. All of it.

• 29:21Georgia Hardstark?

  All of it. The next day, I called my brother, who was 28 at the time, and recounted the story. He said, "Well, I'll be honest, I didn't think this was how the call was going to go when I picked up the phone, but I guess I'll make the appointment."

• 29:32Karen Kilgariff?

  Please.

• 29:33Georgia Hardstark?

  My brother got a full run-up, and it was discovered his blood pressure was dangerously high, especially for being so young. The doctor put him on medication and instructed him to have a blood pressure monitor in his home so they could keep an eye on it. The doctor said, "We need to get this addressed immediately, so it's a really good thing you came in today. We typically don't get people your age coming in for this, so out of curiosity, what made you come in?" He simply shrugged and said, "My grandma told me to." "See you at your 11:15 Brooklyn show. Stay sexy and listen to your grandma, even if it's from beyond the grave, Jen."

• 30:05Karen Kilgariff?

  That was amazing. You know my Aunt Kathleen did that. My sister, Adrienne's family got a psychic for like a holiday.

• 30:12Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 30:13Karen Kilgariff?

  And there was like, one of them had to drop out. So Adrian's like, do you want to come?

• 30:17Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 30:17Karen Kilgariff?

  And the first thing he does is like Kathleen, who knows Kathleen, my Aunt Kathleen had just died. So my, everyone's like, it's Laura. And she's like that. She's like, your Aunt Kathleen needs you to be careful of gluten.

• 30:29Georgia Hardstark?

  Right.

• 30:30Karen Kilgariff?

  And all she talked about was gluten.

• 30:31Georgia Hardstark?

  It's such a random thing to pull, like to, if you were making it up, it's such a random thing to make up.

• 30:36Karen Kilgariff?

  And then it turns out Nora has celiac.

• 30:39Georgia Hardstark?

  Right.

• 30:39Karen Kilgariff?

  And they find out like three or four years later, which is just like, you can say what you want. But I'm like, yeah, if it's a person who actually has the gift.

• 30:47Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, we should, we should do, we should make like, we should get a psychic in to talk to us. To sit there and hold our hands.

• 30:54Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 30:54Georgia Hardstark?

  And read, show us, read our, our.

• 30:56Karen Kilgariff?

  That's a good idea.

• 30:57Georgia Hardstark?

  Read us our tarot. I don't know how it works.

• 30:59Karen Kilgariff?

  I mean, well, it would be like, a psychic would be like what they're seeing.

• 31:03Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 31:04Karen Kilgariff?

  And feeling about us.

• 31:05Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah. But I guess at the same time though, we've said every single thing about ourselves on this podcast. Like every single fucking thing. They'd be like, it's your dad's ex-boyfriend. I'm like, I wrote that in the book. So you fucking knew that.

• 31:14Karen Kilgariff?

  You're like, Karen's told this celiac psychic story literally four times. So if you don't know it, you're not a real listener.

• 31:21Georgia Hardstark?

  That's right. Oh, no, that, we know that one. No, no, no. What's next?

• 31:24Karen Kilgariff?

  We'd have to get somebody that's like from a foreign country that doesn't, I don't know.

• 31:29Georgia Hardstark?

  People from foreign countries listen to this podcast. Do you know that?

• 31:31Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, that's true.

• 31:32Georgia Hardstark?

  Not a lot.

• 31:33Karen Kilgariff?

  We went to Sweden once.

• 31:35Georgia Hardstark?

  We did. Well, thanks for listening. Happy 2026, everyone.

• 31:39Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah. Congratulations. You're here. It's the lesbian poker night. Get used to it. And stay sexy.

• 31:45Georgia Hardstark?

  And don't get murdered. Goodbye.

• 31:49Karen Kilgariff?

  Elvis, do you want a cookie?

• 31:58Karen Kilgariff?

  This has been an Exactly Right Production.

• 32:00Georgia Hardstark?

  Our senior producer is Molly Smith and our associate producer is Tessa Hughes.

• 32:03Karen Kilgariff?

  Our editor is Aristotle Lasevedo.

• 32:05Georgia Hardstark?

  This episode was mixed by Liana Scolacci.

• 32:08Karen Kilgariff?

  Email your hometowns to [email protected].

• 32:10Georgia Hardstark?

  Follow the show on Instagram at MyFavoriteMurder.

• 32:13Karen Kilgariff?

  Listen to My Favorite Murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 32:17Georgia Hardstark?

  Or watch us on YouTube. Search for My Favorite Murder and then like and subscribe.

• 32:21Karen Kilgariff?

  Goodbye.

• 32:29Karen Kilgariff?

  Vacation planning should feel like a breeze, not a deep dive into countless travel sites searching for the best deal.

• 32:34Georgia Hardstark?

  With CheapCaribbean's Budget Beach Finder, you can search every destination and every date all in one search.

• 32:40Karen Kilgariff?

  You'll save time and money with the Budget Beach Finder.

• 32:43Georgia Hardstark?

  Say goodbye to endless scrolling and tab hopping and hello to budget beach bliss at your fingertips.

• 32:48Karen Kilgariff?

  Go to CheapCaribbean.com to try out the Budget Beach Finder and see just how stress-free vacation planning should be.

• 32:54Georgia Hardstark?

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• 33:39Georgia Hardstark?

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• 33:56Speaker 00

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• 34:24Speaker 06

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