MFM Minisode 511 - The Halloween Minisode

This week’s Halloween hometowns include ghost bullying and a French costume fail. 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 Send your hometown stories to [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

  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.

• 0:42Karen Kilgariff?

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• 0:46Georgia Hardstark?

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• 0:48Karen Kilgariff?

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• 0:54Georgia Hardstark?

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• 1:00Karen Kilgariff?

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• 1:01Georgia Hardstark?

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• 1:05Karen Kilgariff?

  Goodbye.

• 1:07Speaker 01

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• 1:54Karen Kilgariff?

  Hello and welcome.

• 1:55Georgia Hardstark?

  To my favorite murder.

• 1:57Karen Kilgariff?

  The minisode.

• 1:58Georgia Hardstark?

  We read you your spooky stories.

• 2:02Karen Kilgariff?

  Good job. That was improvisation, ladies and gentlemen. I was just following.

• 2:07Georgia Hardstark?

  We're bewitched.

• 2:08Karen Kilgariff?

  I mean, okay, you want me to go first?

• 2:11Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 2:12Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay. The subject line is "Most epic Halloween fail ever." It says, "Hello, MFM team. Hope you are well. Happy spooky season." Pumpkin emoji, which I realize is my favorite emoji now.

• 2:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, cute.

• 2:25Karen Kilgariff?

  It's just so good.

• 2:26Georgia Hardstark?

  It is.

• 2:26Karen Kilgariff?

  Perfectly designed. "Do I have a great Halloween horror story for you? I moved to Paris a couple of years ago and got a job as an events manager in a French company. It was coming up on Halloween, so I decided to organize a party. Now, I did not realize that the French do not take Halloween seriously."

• 2:44Georgia Hardstark?

  That's true. One of my friends who's French, super French, Melissa, loves coming to give out candy at our house for trickery, like for kids, because they don't do it there at all.

• 2:53Karen Kilgariff?

  It's the most non-French thing in the world.

• 2:55Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, she loves it.

• 2:56Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah. In the parentheses, it says, "I'm Irish, so we've always gotten into it."

• 3:00Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 3:01Karen Kilgariff?

  That's right. I think the Irish are the first...

• 3:05Georgia Hardstark?

  Right. What is it called?

• 3:06Karen Kilgariff?

  The first jack-o'-lantern. The Irish just carved a face into a turnip, which makes it look like the eyes and mouth are bleeding. So anyway, hooray for us. "On the big day, I noticed no one was yet in their outfit, and I thought, they must just be shy. So I'll put mine on and everyone will get involved." So off I go, putting on my aggressive costume, complete with face and body paint to really add to the vibe. Well, let me tell you. I ended up sitting in the office for two hours as the only one dressed up, and it was so embarrassing.

• 3:44Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, my God, what is it?

• 3:47Karen Kilgariff?

  She's a fucking pumpkin.

• 3:48Georgia Hardstark?

  A huge pumpkin.

• 3:50Karen Kilgariff?

  In France.

• 3:51Georgia Hardstark?

  And everyone else is in, like, drab work clothes.

• 3:54Karen Kilgariff?

  She is.

• 3:55Georgia Hardstark?

  That's hilarious.

• 3:56Karen Kilgariff?

  Face painted, bright orange pumpkin.

• 3:58Georgia Hardstark?

  I love her. I love her.

• 4:01Karen Kilgariff?

  I know, right?

• 4:03Georgia Hardstark?

  I bet she gives the best presents.

• 4:04Karen Kilgariff?

  I bet. She's supposed to be like an events coordinator. She's like, let's make this thing happen.

• 4:08Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally. And I'm cool being the first one to do it. Like, let's get everyone out on the dance floor. I'll go first.

• 4:14Karen Kilgariff?

  The problem is there will be no second person to do it, because we cannot do this with you. It is humiliating. Also, this is the Katie Depal dress as the Bobbi picture.

• 4:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally.

• 4:25Karen Kilgariff?

  En français.

• 4:26Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally.

• 4:27Karen Kilgariff?

  It's so great.

• 4:29Karen Kilgariff?

  My colleague, so just she has a little more of it. My colleagues were so confused, I'd actually gotten dressed up and went to such an extreme. One of the bosses saw me and felt so bad, he went out and bought some outfits for people, so I wasn't alone.

• 4:44Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, that's nice.

• 4:45Karen Kilgariff?

  And there's this ha-ha-ha. "Honestly, I was so mortified, but also I was happy to influence them to get more into Halloween. And now the company has an annual Halloween party where people get dressed up."

• 4:57Georgia Hardstark?

  Yes.

• 4:58Karen Kilgariff?

  And then there's applause emojis.

• 5:01Georgia Hardstark?

  I love that.

• 5:02Karen Kilgariff?

  That's how... This was such a dire situation that the French took pity and started a yearly party.

• 5:08Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally.

• 5:09Karen Kilgariff?

  She thinks it's a Halloween party, but it's the French making fun of her.

• 5:12Georgia Hardstark?

  It's a pity party, truly.

• 5:14Karen Kilgariff?

  It's a mocking behind her back.

• 5:16Georgia Hardstark?

  It's a pity party with costumes.

• 5:18Karen Kilgariff?

  Congratulations once again. You've done it. It's the worst. Okay. And sure, look, it made for a really funny story, so it's worth the humiliation.

• 5:27Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally.

• 5:27Karen Kilgariff?

  Love you guys. Been listening since day one. Have listened to all episodes three times over.

• 5:32Georgia Hardstark?

  Wow, thank you.

• 5:34Karen Kilgariff?

  Sitting in that office, can't talk to anybody, just listening to this podcast. We're with you. What you did was fine. Stay sexy and always dress like a pumpkin, Eileen.

• 5:44Georgia Hardstark?

  Eileen.

• 5:45Karen Kilgariff?

  Eileen.

• 5:46Georgia Hardstark?

  That's adorable.

• 5:46Karen Kilgariff?

  You're the cutest. That's the best. Everyone else just laughing behind their French hands.

• 5:56Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay. This one's called "Part-time Realtor, part-time paranormal investigator." "Hello, my favorite people and furry friends. I'm writing to you from my hometown of Rumson, New Jersey. It was the early 2000s, and my Realtor mom was excited to show her childhood best friend Cindy," with an I, "houses within our neighborhood. It didn't take long for Cindy to fall in love with one of the first houses she saw. Cindy's family of four were all settled in and excited to start their new lives. After a month or so, Jenna, Cindy's youngest daughter, began telling her mom that she had a new friend, a man that lived in the house too. At the time, Jenna was only three years old, so Cindy began to brush it off as it being an imaginary friend. Jenna became obsessive over this friend.

• 6:41Georgia Hardstark?

  She would talk to him constantly and play with his invisible friend in her room. Toys started to go off randomly when the kids weren't home, and eventually it all started to scare Cindy," with an I. So she decided to call her paranormal-loving friend, my mother, Dana. My mom came over and sat down with Jenna, asking her all about her new friend. My mom's first question was, "Is your friend nice?" Jenna responded, "Yes, but he's very sad. He misses his family." Dana then says, "What do you two talk about?" Jenna replies, "He talks about the house, the boys, and we play games." Lastly, my mom says, "What does he look like?" Jenna tells him, "He has a scary face, like he got hurt real bad."

• 7:25Georgia Hardstark?

  At that moment, my mom's jaw dropped. She turned to Cindy and immediately knew who Jenna was talking to. The family that lived in the house before them were a mom, dad, and three boys. The dad had recently passed away in a horrible fire. The family needed a fresh start and sold their house, and it didn't take long before Cindy and her family bought it. And her mom didn't say anything about it, but he didn't die in the house. Her best friend, like, wanted her to live in the neighborhood so bad. She's like, I'm not even going to tell her this, her Realtor."

• 7:55Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, because she knew it. She must have known.

• 7:58Georgia Hardstark?

  She was the Realtor, yeah.

• 7:59Karen Kilgariff?

  You've discovered the true horror of this email. Because I'm just like, what happened to that guy's face?

• 8:05Georgia Hardstark?

  I think he was in a fire and died. And then the family, like, didn't want to stay in the house where they used to live with him. It was too sad.

• 8:10Karen Kilgariff?

  Right. But Jesus.

• 8:11Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 8:12Karen Kilgariff?

  Disclosure.

• 8:13Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah. My mom and Cindy were freaking out. My mom located the previous family's new address and told Jenna to pass the message along. And sure enough, the man was no longer in the house, and Jenna had stopped talking to her new friend. He found his family, because they weren't there anymore.

• 8:27Karen Kilgariff?

  I mean, I don't want to hear a sad ghost story.

• 8:30Georgia Hardstark?

  I know.

• 8:31Karen Kilgariff?

  Just like, come at me with a razor blade or something. But Jesus, it's like...

• 8:35Georgia Hardstark?

  My sad, imaginary ghost friend.

• 8:37Karen Kilgariff?

  He's a little burnt, and he has clinical depression. And I'm three. Can anybody help me with this burden? What a true horror story that is.

• 8:47Georgia Hardstark?

  "Stay sexy and don't sell your friends a haunted house." It literally says. "Lots of love, Kelly."

• 8:55Karen Kilgariff?

  So true. So true.

• 8:58Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally. Yeah, that's like a discount. That's like you don't get your Realtor fee from the Cindy with an I. "October is the month when being scared is supposed to be fun."

• 9:10Karen Kilgariff?

  Terrified in a haunted house? Sure. Your actual house? Absolutely not.

• 9:14Georgia Hardstark?

  Feel safe in your home with SimpliSafe.

• 9:16Karen Kilgariff?

  SimpliSafe is designed to help stop intruders before they get inside.

• 9:20Georgia Hardstark?

  I recently got an alert from my camera outside that there is, like, someone prowling around late at night. And of course, I got freaked out. I opened my camera, and it was a big spider dangling in front of the camera, which was terrifying in itself, but such a relief. And I love that I know that it works. You know what I mean? Like, it's so much better a spider than an actual person, but I'll be prepared.

• 9:43Karen Kilgariff?

  All the answers are on your phone. You don't have to worry and sit there and wring your hands.

• 9:47Georgia Hardstark?

  Join the more than 6 million people who entrust SimpliSafe with their home security.

• 9:51Karen Kilgariff?

  Right now, save 60% off with professional monitoring when you visit simplisafe.com/fave.

• 9:57Georgia Hardstark?

  That's simplisafe.com/fav.

• 9:59Karen Kilgariff?

  And when you order, please write in "my favorite murder" in the checkout survey. It lets them know that we sent you, and it really helps support the show.

• 10:05Georgia Hardstark?

  SimpliSafe, ahead of crime in real time.

• 10:07Karen Kilgariff?

  Goodbye. Between work, school, family obligations, and the endless Halloween hustle, it often feels like there's never a good time to slow down. The costumes, the parties, the planning? It all adds up. But no matter how busy life gets, even a small break can help us recharge, reset, and actually enjoy the moment we're in. Because breaks don't have to be big to matter. They can be the 15 minutes in your car before pickup, or the two minutes while your little pumpkin ties his shoes, the pause between one task and the next, when you finally get a second to yourself. Kit Kat gives people permission to take the break they've earned and make it a better break, a real break. Because when you stop, even briefly, you don't fall behind. You come back a little lighter, a little clearer, a little more ready for whatever's next.

• 10:53Karen Kilgariff?

  While the world tells us to keep going, Kit Kat reminds us that the best time for a break is now. Have a break, have a Kit Kat. Goodbye.

• 11:02Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay, here's my email. I'm not going to read you the subject line. It says, "Hi, Karen in Georgia. I worked at Spirit Halloween one year while I was in college."

• 11:10Karen Kilgariff?

  Amazing.

• 11:11Georgia Hardstark?

  Our favorite. "One opened in the same mall where I already worked at Hollister."

• 11:17Karen Kilgariff?

  Fucking Hollister. And I thought, perfect, more hours. Huge mistake. Within the first week, I realized I'd made a grave error, pun intended. The nonstop screeching goblins, cackling witches, and relentless squeak of animatronics for six hours straight nearly sent me into an overstimulated coma.

• 11:36Georgia Hardstark?

  Never thought about that. I would go crazy.

• 11:38Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah. That's, that's every possible sense.

• 11:41Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 11:43Karen Kilgariff?

  That you have. Maybe not smell, probably smell. They wouldn't even let me ring people up because I was new. So I spent my shifts cleaning up the wigs that roving packs of tweens had just destroyed.

• 11:54Georgia Hardstark?

  Gross.

• 11:55Karen Kilgariff?

  They're the ones in the plastic bag. You have to re-bag the wig. Then one day, my manager came up to me and said, I had to go out into the mall in costume to attract customers.

• 12:07Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, no.

• 12:08Karen Kilgariff?

  I said, uh, I guess. She handed me a full Where's Waldo outfit, hat, glasses, everything, and sent me out there. Now, keep in mind, this was my mall. I knew tons of the other mall workers. All my friends worked here too. And I am not exactly the person you pick to hype up a crowd. I'm a quiet and shy girl. After what felt like an eternity of awkwardly holding a Spirit Halloween sign and praying no one I knew would walk by, my manager came out and told me that I needed to be a little more enthusiastic.

• 12:40Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, God.

• 12:40Karen Kilgariff?

  I rolled my eyes, lifted the sign a little higher, and accepted my fate.

• 12:46Georgia Hardstark?

  That's so embarrassing.

• 12:48Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, so, it's so bad. That's, I had to be the greeter at the Gap every once in a while. And I truly, it was soul crushing.

• 12:55Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah. I can't imagine.

• 12:57Karen Kilgariff?

  Very bad. It's the reason I tried so hard in standup comedy. Cause I was like,

• 13:00Georgia Hardstark?

  It's not great.

• 13:01Karen Kilgariff?

  I can't go back. The next shift, she asked me to do it again. I said, fine, but this time I'm picking my own costume. I chose Gumby because it would cover my face.

• 13:12Georgia Hardstark?

  Nice. So smart.

• 13:13Karen Kilgariff?

  And in parentheses, genius, right? Except I didn't realize how much attention a cartoon character gets in public.

• 13:20Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, no.

• 13:21Karen Kilgariff?

  Within minutes, kids were hugging my legs, teenagers were taking selfies. One guy actually hugged me and yelled, oh, my God, it's a small person in there.

• 13:31Karen Kilgariff?

  They thought it was the real Gumby. That was the final straw. I begged to work the registers, but they wouldn't let me, and I was over it. Luckily, it was just a seasonal job. And honestly, I can't even remember if I went back after Halloween to help pack up. To this day, 12 years later, I still think about that Gumby costume dragging under my shoes. My favorite thing to ask new friends is, what's the worst job you've ever had? Because for me, without a doubt, it was Spirit Halloween.

• 13:59Georgia Hardstark?

  Wow.

• 14:00Karen Kilgariff?

  Stay sexy and don't get a job at Spirit Halloween. Paige.

• 14:05Georgia Hardstark?

  Damn, that's good.

• 14:07Karen Kilgariff?

  So good.

• 14:07Georgia Hardstark?

  What is your worst job? Murderinos.

• 14:10Karen Kilgariff?

  Yes.

• 14:10Georgia Hardstark?

  Right? I sent my favorite murder at Gmail.

• 14:12Karen Kilgariff?

  That was actually a combination of a Halloween email and a bit of a welcome to shame town.

• 14:16Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally. So let us know. Tell us.

• 14:19Karen Kilgariff?

  We just want to hear all about the worst things that have ever happened.

• 14:22Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, you know, how we do it. My favorite murder Gmail. Okay, this is called spooky goodness. Hi, MFM fam. Love all your faces. Tell your cats, dogs, and critters I say hi. Spooky story time. A few years ago, I was up in Placerville, Idaho, on a day drive with a good friend of mine and her four-year-old daughter. When you think of Placerville, think of a middle of nowhere mountain town, tons of trees, blissfully quiet, with a population of less than 4B. And that says, no, I didn't forget any zeros.

• 14:49Karen Kilgariff?

  Wow.

• 14:50Georgia Hardstark?

  We decided to go to the old Pioneer Cemetery to look around. Because who isn't fascinated by old gravestones and the stories they tell? As we walked past moss-covered headstone after headstone, we read the names and dates to ourselves, only commenting out loud if we found a certain marker particularly beautiful or interesting. Sounds amazing.

• 15:08Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, you love stuff like that.

• 15:09Georgia Hardstark?

  In the plot, there were several headstones that were for children that had passed away far too soon. My friend's daughter was oblivious to all this. She spent her time skipping around, happily collecting wildflowers. But then, in an instant, the little girl's mood changed. She ran over to her mom, wrapped both her arms around her leg, and hung on for dear life. Her smile was gone and she was near tears. My friend bent down and asked her what was wrong. And her daughter replied quietly, tell the other kids to stop picking on me.

• 15:43Georgia Hardstark?

  And it says, we were the only ones there.

• 15:47Karen Kilgariff?

  Jeez.

• 15:47Georgia Hardstark?

  So good.

• 15:48Karen Kilgariff?

  Also, the way you read that weirdly, like, made my shoulders tingle.

• 15:51Georgia Hardstark?

  I would like to thank my mom, Janet, for being such a good reader when I was a kid. She was so good at, like, voices and like creepy pauses and the good stuff. So good at it. Needless to say, my friend and I shared an instant wet-in-the-actual-fuck look, hastily made our way back to the car, and left. Stay sexy and don't let the ghost children bully you. M.

• 16:13Karen Kilgariff?

  She had enough of an experience with ghosts that she got bullied, that little girl.

• 16:17Georgia Hardstark?

  Let me say it one more time.

• 16:18Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, really.

• 16:19Georgia Hardstark?

  Tell the other kids to stop picking on me. Tell the other kids to stop picking on me. They're like, get out of here, you living creature.

• 16:27Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, really.

• 16:28Georgia Hardstark?

  You can't sit with us.

• 16:29Karen Kilgariff?

  You don't understand how it is. It's always cold.

• 16:32Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, man. We're living in the afterlife? Fuck that.

• 16:35Karen Kilgariff?

  Fuck that. Also, some, this was like a thing that was online long ago, but it was like, the outfit you die in is the outfit you wear as a ghost.

• 16:44Georgia Hardstark?

  Right.

• 16:45Karen Kilgariff?

  And that, I'm obsessed with it. I'm obsessed with that idea.

• 16:49Georgia Hardstark?

  Or is it like your favorite outfit?

• 16:51Karen Kilgariff?

  You'd like to think it was your favorite outfit.

• 16:54Georgia Hardstark?

  And like, are you the age you wore when you died always?

• 16:57Karen Kilgariff?

  I think so. Well, I'm just thinking of that sitcom where all the dead people are haunting somebody. And it's just like, and you just have a thing in your head or whatever.

• 17:05Georgia Hardstark?

  I love that. Okay.

• 17:06Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay.

• 17:06Georgia Hardstark?

  I love that. October is the month when being scared is supposed to be fun.

• 17:10Karen Kilgariff?

  Terrified in a haunted house? Sure. Your actual house? Absolutely not.

• 17:15Georgia Hardstark?

  Feel safe in your home with Simply Safe.

• 17:17Karen Kilgariff?

  Simply Safe is designed to help stop intruders before they get inside.

• 17:21Georgia Hardstark?

  I recently got an alert from my camera outside that there is like someone prowling around late at night. And of course, I got freaked out. I opened my camera and it was a big spider dangling in front of the camera. Which was terrifying in itself, but such a relief. And I love that I know that it works. You know what I mean? Like, it's so much better a spider than an actual person, but I'll be prepared.

• 17:44Karen Kilgariff?

  All the answers are on your phone. You don't have to worry and sit there and wring your hands.

• 17:48Georgia Hardstark?

  Join the more than 6 million people who entrust Simply Safe with their home security.

• 17:52Karen Kilgariff?

  Right now, save 60% off with professional monitoring when you visit simplysafe.com/fave.

• 17:57Georgia Hardstark?

  That's simplysafe.com/fav.

• 18:00Karen Kilgariff?

  And when you order, please write in my favorite murder in the checkout survey. It lets them know that we sent you and it really helps support the show.

• 18:06Georgia Hardstark?

  Simply Safe, ahead of crime in real time. Goodbye.

• 18:10Karen Kilgariff?

  Between work, school, family obligations, and the endless Halloween hustle, it often feels like there's never a good time to slow down. The costumes, the parties, the planning, it all adds up. But no matter how busy life gets, even a small break can help us recharge, reset, and actually enjoy the moment we're in. Because breaks don't have to be big to matter. They can be the 15 minutes in your car before pickup, or the two minutes while your little pumpkin ties his shoes. The pause between one task and the next, when you finally get a second to yourself. Kit Kat gives people permission to take the break they've earned and make it a better break, a real break. Because when you stop, even briefly, you don't fall behind. You come back a little lighter, a little clearer, a little more ready for whatever's next. While

• 18:54Karen Kilgariff?

  the world tells us to keep going, Kit Kat reminds us that the best time for a break is now. Have a break, have a Kit Kat. Goodbye.

• 19:03Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay, here's my last one. I'm not going to read you the subject line of this Halloween mini, mini email. It says, hello to all and happy Halloween. Love the show. Let's get into it. My husband and I love everything fall. Pumpkin carving, apple picking, leaf peeping, the whole shebang. The only thing my husband does not enjoy is the haunted houses. The super scary ones with the actors covered in blood or swinging machetes at you. Never go to them.

• 19:28Karen Kilgariff?

  No way.

• 19:29Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 19:30Karen Kilgariff?

  And in parentheses, it says, I love them. So it says, when we were dating, we went to a nighttime corn maze in Rhode Island, right near our college, that was the most adorable thing ever. You parked your car along a row of hay bales and walked along a path decorated with squad gourds and scarecrows to a charming little red barn. In that red barn, you would buy your tickets from the cutest couple in their 70s who would hand you a flashlight and then tell you to watch out. I hear there are ghosts in the maze tonight, with a wink and a smile. Then you would hop on a hayride to the maze and make your way through. Inside the maze were cute jack-o'-lanterns with smiling faces and corn facts. Yes, facts about corn.

• 20:13Karen Kilgariff?

  An example. An example. Did you know the corn grown on this farm is used to feed 70% of the cows in Rhode Island?

• 20:20Georgia Hardstark?

  Wow.

• 20:21Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, so like teaching about the farm you're at.

• 20:23Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, that's adorable.

• 20:24Karen Kilgariff?

  And then it says, and the ghosts, they were two teenagers dressed in old clothes with their faces painted white. They wore Crocs. And then all caps, Crocs. The least scary footwear ever. I disagree. Now, for the good part. My husband and I convinced a few friends of ours to go to this corn maze with us the following year. We had a couple of friends who are scaredy cats like my husband, but we assured them it was not at all scary. So we arrive and it's the same as the year before. Scarecrows, gourds, the cute red barn. The old couple in the barn still sold us tickets and warned us about the ghosts with a little smile. Then we all hop on the hayride. Everything was fine until I saw a face from over my right

• 21:07Karen Kilgariff?

  shoulder. The face had a white bloody mask on it. I soon realized this person was climbing over the side of the hayride and was wielding a chainsaw in his hand. He leapt onto the hayride right next to me and started to pull on the cord that started the chainsaw. I was convinced this was some maniac who was going to murder us all. All of our friends screamed, and my fight or flight kicked in. I stood up, screamed as loud as I could in his face, and punched him in the stomach.

• 21:37Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, my God.

• 21:39Karen Kilgariff?

  What the hell? The guy said, I'm an actor.

• 21:44Karen Kilgariff?

  My response, not, oh, sorry, but I yelled, "You weren't here last year."

• 21:50Karen Kilgariff?

  It turns out the cute old couple hired professional haunted house actors for their maze this year, but there was literally no signage that told you of this big change.

• 22:00Georgia Hardstark?

  No.

• 22:01Karen Kilgariff?

  When we finally got to the maze, a creepy little doll girl told us, "Please don't touch the actors and they won't touch you." Too late. Stay sexy and don't trust the cute old couple. Yes.

• 22:14Georgia Hardstark?

  I don't know what's scarier. I don't know. The fake axe thing still freaks me out. Get away. You probably don't know how to use a chainsaw. I mean, it's terrifying.

• 22:25Karen Kilgariff?

  Yes.

• 22:25Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 22:26Karen Kilgariff?

  These are-

• 22:26Georgia Hardstark?

  You're an actor. Have you ever held a chainsaw in your whole freaking life?

• 22:29Karen Kilgariff?

  Exactly.

• 22:32Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay, this last one is a haunting story.

• 22:34Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay.

• 22:34Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay. Hey, friends. I've been listening since the beginning and I've actually gone back and started from the beginning again because I'm a mom and apparently listening to murder while my children watch Blippi for the thousandth time is what self-care looks like now.

• 22:48Karen Kilgariff?

  Hey, we're her Blippi.

• 22:49Georgia Hardstark?

  That's right.

• 22:50Karen Kilgariff?

  Hi.

• 22:50Georgia Hardstark?

  Hi. I was listening to episode 385 where Georgia talked about coming back as a ghost and leaving a sign. And I immediately thought, yes, I finally have a story for you. My mom died in June 2023 after being diagnosed with cancer earlier that year. She was only 67.

• 23:07Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, terrible.

• 23:08Georgia Hardstark?

  She was hilarious, loved music and food, loved her grandkids, and most importantly for this story, apparently took instructions for haunting very seriously.

• 23:18Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, shit.

• 23:19Georgia Hardstark?

  Toward the end, my mom moved into our suite so she could be close to us and to my two kids, who were two and five at the time. On the afternoon, she was going to die through MAID, Medical Assistance in Dying. Thank you, Canada. Amazing. We were sitting together and because I'm a murderino and incapable of letting an incredibly emotional moment remain appropriately emotional, I said, "Hey, Mom, you know, you could come back and haunt me, right?" She looked at me like, "Rachel, what the fuck?" So I clarified, "Okay, not haunt me, just give me a sign that you're okay, you know, from the other side." She looked genuinely concerned. What? How would I do that?

• 23:57Karen Kilgariff?

  You're giving your mom a job as she's dying. Hasn't she done enough?

• 24:01Georgia Hardstark?

  I don't know, Mom. I've never been dead. Maybe slam some doors or something. Immediately. "No, I can't do that, Rach. You teach the kids not to slam doors. What if I scared them?" Of course. My mom was preparing to cross into another dimension and was still concerned about undermining my parenting.

• 24:17Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay, sorry. Let me just stop you there. You, this is your fault. What are you doing giving your dying mother an assignment?

• 24:25Georgia Hardstark?

  Everyone grieves differently.

• 24:26Karen Kilgariff?

  At the person dying? It's not fair.

• 24:30Georgia Hardstark?

  It says fair.

• 24:33Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay. Then it says, quote, "Okay, no doors. Mess with our music or something." We were always playing music in our house, so this seemed reasonable. She smiled, chuckled, waved me off, and that was that. My mom died peacefully later that night, surrounded by loved ones and grandkids. This is how we should have the respect to die with dignity when we're ready, if necessary.

• 24:55Karen Kilgariff?

  And then, on the other side of that, we should have the respect to have a little fucking health insurance that's universal so that we don't have to fucking die.

• 25:03Georgia Hardstark?

  Why are we in charge?

• 25:05Karen Kilgariff?

  Why are?

• 25:06Georgia Hardstark?

  Aren't we in charge?

• 25:07Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you said, "Why are we in charge?"

• 25:10Georgia Hardstark?

  I hate universal healthcare. Okay. Loved ones and her grandkids, who were old enough to get what was happening, and her dog, Charlie. The next day, all caps, my sisters and I were sitting in my living room, trying to decide how to honor her life. We decided to do it in my backyard and have really good Lebanese food. She was Lebanese and food was her love language. When completely out of nowhere, our speakers turned themselves on and started blaring jazz. My mom loved jazz and apparently the afterlife has no concept of indoor volume. We all froze. My sister immediately said, "It's Mom." Cue three grown women simultaneously losing their shit. But wait, Nana was just getting started. When my mom died, we played a couple of her favorite songs.

• 25:54Georgia Hardstark?

  One of them was "River" by Leon Bridges. And it says, "You know the one. Take me to your river." Later that same day, after the spontaneous jazz concert, my sisters and I took the dogs for a walk. We turned a corner and could hear music playing somewhere nearby. As we got closer, I realized I knew the song because, of course I did, there was a woman sitting on her front step absolutely blaring "River" by Leon Bridges. We stopped dead in our tracks and then all three of us burst into tears while staring at this completely innocent stranger. This poor woman was probably thinking, "Jesus Christ, I was just trying to enjoy Leon Bridges." At this point, we were like, "Okay, Mom, message received." Except apparently Mom was thinking, "No, no, I want to make absolutely fucking sure."

• 26:37Karen Kilgariff?

  You decided to stop me right before I died. I'm going to deliver this.

• 26:41Georgia Hardstark?

  You're gonna get what you asked for.

• 26:43Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 26:43Georgia Hardstark?

  That evening, I was rocking my two-year-old son, Hayes, to sleep. The house was quiet and suddenly, all caps, the speaker turned on again. And what started playing? Fucking "River." At this point, I'm assuming my mom had located the celestial Sonos password and was having the absolute time of her afterlife. But then my two-year-old smiled, snuggled into my shoulder, and very casually said, "Bye, Nana," and went straight to sleep. All caps. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.

• 27:14Georgia Hardstark?

  So apparently my mom figured out the whole "send me a sign" thing approximately 12 hours after dying. Honestly, very on-brand.

• 27:21Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 27:21Georgia Hardstark?

  Give that woman a task and she will complete it. And the music thing still happens. Every once in a while, our speakers will randomly turn on or music will start playing when no one has touched anything. Sometimes it happens when I really need it. Sometimes I think my mom just finds our house too quiet. Either way, now, instead of freaking out, someone in our family will just yell, "Hi, Nana."

• 27:43Karen Kilgariff?

  That's so sweet.

• 27:44Georgia Hardstark?

  That's so sweet. So, Georgia, if you do come back as a ghost someday, my advice is to establish your haunting parameters in advance. Apparently, you can request specific methods of communication. Just maybe don't choose slamming doors. It sets a bad example for the children. Thank you both for making me laugh for so many years and for giving me somewhere to send my dead mom DJ story. P.S. Sorry this is so long. I get it from my mom. We talk a lot. Apparently even death couldn't stop her. Stay sexy and give your dead loved ones haunting instructions. They might actually listen. Rachel.

• 28:17Karen Kilgariff?

  Fucking Rachel, you're a legend.

• 28:20Georgia Hardstark?

  Legendary email.

• 28:21Karen Kilgariff?

  That's an unbelievably beautiful story.

• 28:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah. Like, I love that.

• 28:26Karen Kilgariff?

  I love it. Like, what a great feeling.

• 28:28Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 28:29Karen Kilgariff?

  Well?

• 28:30Georgia Hardstark?

  We did it. You guys-

• 28:31Karen Kilgariff?

  Perfection.

• 28:32Georgia Hardstark?

  Spooky Halloween.

• 28:33Karen Kilgariff?

  Spooky Halloween. Thanks to your emails.

• 28:36Georgia Hardstark?

  Thank you so much for writing in and listening and watching for years and years.

• 28:40Karen Kilgariff?

  For years and years. And stay sexy.

• 28:44Georgia Hardstark?

  And don't get murdered. Goodbye.

• 28:47Karen Kilgariff?

  Elvis, do you want a cookie?

• 28:56Karen Kilgariff?

  This has been an Exactly Right Production.

• 28:58Georgia Hardstark?

  Our managing producer is Molly Smith.

• 29:00Karen Kilgariff?

  Our consulting producer is Kate Schellbach.

• 29:02Georgia Hardstark?

  Our creative lead is Allison Agosti.

• 29:04Karen Kilgariff?

  Our associate producer is Tessa Hughes and our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

• 29:08Georgia Hardstark?

  This episode was mixed by Leona Scolacci.

• 29:11Karen Kilgariff?

  Email your hometowns to [email protected] and follow the show on Instagram at MyFavoriteMurder.

• 29:17Georgia Hardstark?

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

• 29:22Karen Kilgariff?

  Or watch new episodes every week on Netflix. Search for My Favorite Murder, add us to your list, and hit the double thumbs up button.

• 29:29Georgia Hardstark?

  Goodbye.

• 29:36Karen Kilgariff?

  Calling all amateur detectives and podcast obsessives.

• 29:40Georgia Hardstark?

  Virgin Voyages' second True Crime Voyage sets sail March 20th, 2027, for a five-night escape to Grand Turk and the Beach Club at Bimini.

• 29:48Karen Kilgariff?

  As part of the On Air at Sea collection, this immersive sailing brings together fan favorite podcasts, including Disgrace Land, Buried Bones, and Wise Crack, for live recordings, behind-the-scenes access, exclusive meet and greets, and crime-themed programming that you won't find anywhere else.

• 30:04Georgia Hardstark?

  All aboard our award-winning, kid-free ships.

• 30:07Karen Kilgariff?

  Head over to virginvoyages.com/truecrime to secure your spot.

• 30:11Georgia Hardstark?

  Goodbye.

• 30:13Speaker 04

  Halloween's almost here and I've got plans. My first stop is Total Wine & More for cold beer, ready-to-drink cocktails, and a bottle of wine to share. And I know I'm getting the lowest prices. Get the fun started at Total Wine & More. Spirits are not sold in Virginia and North Carolina. Drink responsibly. Be 21.

• 30:28Speaker 00

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• 31:12Speaker 00

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