[mysterious music playing]
[man] Neil!
[woman] Neil!
[dogs barking]
[man] Neil Spencer!
[woman] Neil Spencer!
[man] Neil!
Anything more on the parents?
[man 2] Background checks
dug up nothing new.
Dad's AWOL, mom's in rehab,
grandma's been taking care of the boy.
All right.
I want all interviews
with immediate family in the area
complete by the end of the day.
[man 2] Yes, Detective.
[man 1] Neil!
-Neil!
-[woman over radio] This is not a race.
Take your time.
We're looking for a missing child.
All right, people.
Listen up!
All right, Neil Spencer was put to bed
around 8:00 p.m. last night.
His grandmother reported him missing
at 10:29 p.m.
Be prepared to call your families
and let them know you won't be home.
[man 3] Detective! We found something.
[tense music playing]
[somber piano music playing]
This isn't Neil Spencer.
[music fades]
["Shiny Happy People" by R.E.M.
playing over radio]
Meet me in the crowd
You know, I'm excited.
It's a fresh start, right?
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
You know, your mom always wanted us
to move back to the town we grew up in.
You know, it's cool. You'll be going
to the same school she did. Right?
-Yeah.
-[dad] Yeah.
Plus, we found a house with a swing.
I mean, it's just like the one
you guys loved at the shore.
You've said.
Like a thousand times.
No, no, no. No, that's incorrect.
I've only said it 936 times.
-[chuckles]
-[dad] So get your facts straight.
I miss her.
Me too, buddy.
Up! Get your legs up.
Get 'em up. Come on. Up, up, up, up, up!
And we are in Garretton.
Everyone around
We did it.
Love them, love them
Put it in your hands
Take it, take it
[radio turns off]
[indistinct chatter in background]
There it is.
-Wanna go check it out?
-Yeah.
Go ahead.
-Hey, guys.
-[man 1] What's up?
[man 2] Hey, how you doing?
Uh, where do you want these, sir?
[dad] Yeah, you know what?
Those can go in the kitchen. Thank you.
-[kid] Hey, Dad! Look at this!
-Be right there, buddy.
I hope this place is
big enough for you, Jake.
[mysterious music playing]
All right, come on, kiddo.
We got a new house, new stairs.
What did we say we were gonna be?
[whispers] Brave.
That's right.
Just like your mom when she was sick.
Come here.
All right. Let's go upstairs.
Yeah.
And
Go find your room.
What's wrong?
Why are you so scared?
It's gonna be fine.
[dad] No, not No! Wait a second.
You can't take him.
Okay, Saturn's going
Do-do-do-do-do-do!
right up to the sun.
Do-do-do-do!
-[Jake] No!
-[dad] Chain reaction.
No!
Oh no!
[excited chatter in background]
All right. Uh
-Okay. You ready?
-[Jake] Yeah.
Good? It's gonna be great. Okay?
You warm enough?
Yeah? Wanna hang onto that?
You sure?
Yeah?
Okay. All right.
Come here.
All right. Have a good day, okay?
I'm gonna be right here
when school gets out, all right?
-Okay. Okay?
-Hmm.
[thunder rumbling]
[slow tapping]
Oh f*ck.
Jesus.
[rain dripping slowly]
[tapping on keyboard]
[unsettling music playing]
If your window's left unlatched
You'll hear him tapping at the glass
[kettle whistling]
[unsettling music building]
[somber music playing]
[man whispering on tape]
What kind of fish were they?
[Tony] I don't know.
There was a pink one. And a blue one.
[Whisper Man] Do you think
they'll miss you?
[Tony] My fish?
[Whisper Man] You fed them, right?
Like your daddy fed you.
Do you think they'll miss you
feeding them?
-[Tony mumbles] I don't know.
-[Whisper Man] Speak up, boy.
What if they get hungry
and you're not there?
Do you think they'll eat each other?
When one fish is sh1tting out the other,
will they be thinking of you?
[unsettling music]
[man] Good.
Good. I think they're going to love this.
That's for later.
[banging on door]
[thunder rumbling, rain pattering]
[woman] Hi, Mr. Willis.
Uh, Detective Amanda Beck, Garretton PD.
May I come in?
I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner.
Uh, a boy went missing
in Hillcrest a couple of days ago.
Neil Spencer.
We've cleared locations,
family, and friends.
We found something, and I don't know
if it's a lead or a distraction.
Another body. A boy.
Been out in the woods about a month.
Not every kid
who disappears in North Jersey
is connected to Frank Carter, Detective.
But that's his signature, right?
Well, Frank Carter's doing life
in Rahway now.
That's not what I asked.
I know you need to find him, of course,
but I don't know if I can help you.
[Beck] The other boy who went missing,
Neil Spencer,
told his grandma he heard a strange voice
outside his window
whispering to him.
Well, you know,
kids have active imaginations--
Yes, that's what Carter preyed on.
That's what you said.
I did, but, you know,
I'm not on the job anymore.
It's been a long time.
I'm retired at least 25 years.
I just, you know
And there's only one Frank Carter.
Your case file mentioned an accomplice
to Carter who was never identified.
I did. I did.
It was a theory, and it went cold.
They often do.
Frank Carter still declines all interviews
via his lawyers.
You remain the only one
he's ever agreed to speak with
since his, uh, incarceration.
Got any advice interviewing him?
Yeah, I'd say don't.
I I hope you find your kid.
With all due respect, sir,
hope does nothing for me.
[unsettling music playing]
Can I put this
in my Packet of Special Things?
Let me see.
Sure.
What's that?
We made our hands be in paint
on the wall at school.
Oh, yeah? Handprints, huh?
-[Jake] Mm-hmm.
-Cool.
My friend helped me.
Oh, yeah? You make a friend?
The girl in the blue sweater.
Well, do you remember
we talked about that?
How some friends are pretend and
What's up, bud?
Are you sure she won't wake up?
[Tom] Mommy?
I am.
You know, Mommy loved you
more than anything, you know,
and that's that's never gonna change.
But it doesn't mean
that you can't make room for new people,
you know, new new friends.
I don't like the boys at school.
You know,
I never told you this,
but when I was your age,
I had a friend, just like you have.
I did.
He'd visit me when I was going to sleep,
and we'd go on adventures.
At the end, every time,
he would kiss me on the forehead,
right here.
And then
I'd wake up the next morning
back in bed like magic.
I called him Mr. Night. [chuckles]
[chuckles]
It's okay to imagine things, Jake.
You just You gotta
give real people a chance, too, okay?
[high-pitched eerie music playing]
[softly] What is your name?
[man whispers] It's okay.
They need to hear this.
[low thrumming]
[eerie music building]
[tense music playing]
[indistinct background chatter]
[music fades]
[excited background chatter]
[Tom] Hey! Sorry! Sorry, I'm late.
-You're Jake's father?
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hi. How you doing?
Buddy, what's wrong?
[woman] You wanna tell your dad
what happened?
I got put on yellow.
You On what?
We have a traffic light system
for bad behavior.
What'd he do? Uh, what'd you do?
Owen tried to take
my Packet of Special Things.
He scratched a boy. Badly.
Okay, well, that's
You can't do that, Jake.
Um, sorry. It's this packet.
Um, it's full of stuff that,
like, belonged to his mom.
That's no excuse.
We'd like him to write a note apologizing.
Uh, isn't that excessive?
We have zero tolerance
for kids hurting kids.
What's your tolerance for bullies?
'Cause that other kid
sounds like kind of a d*ck.
-[woman] Excuse me?
-You know what? We'll pass on that note.
Come on, buddy.
You can put me on yellow.
[Beck] Where is it?
[Neil] I didn't like being there,
that house.
[man whispering] Your grandmother's.
Was she mean to you?
[Neil] No. Sometimes
she was sick.
I was afraid.
[man] It's okay.
They need to hear it.
[Neil] I was afraid she'd die.
She'd be dead in the house with me
while I slept.
[man] If you could talk to your mommy
right now,
what would you say?
[Neil] Why did you leave me there?
Why don't you love me?
[man] I love you.
[on tape] Free your mind
And the rest will follow
Be color blind
Don't be so shallow
Free your mind
And the rest will follow
[song ends]
[wind howling]
[soft thud]
[tapping]
[tapping]
[wind continues howling]
[soft thud]
[thud]
[ominous music]
[Jake quietly]
If you leave a door half open
Soon you'll hear the whispers spoken
If your window is left unlatched
You'll hear him tapping at the glass
Jake?
What are you doing?
[sinister music]
Jake!
No!
[dramatic music playing]
Who were you talking to?
Nobody.
[wind howling]
[slow tapping]
[rattling]
Back to bed.
[tapping and creaking]
[wind continues howling]
[soft mysterious piano music playing]
[thud]
[sighs]
[Tom] Hey!
Hey! What are you doing?
Hey! Hey! Hey!
[grunts]
[groans]
[man] We've had reports of a squatter
since the place went vacant.
Kids sneaking in to drink
and do other things.
This wasn't a kid.
What's back here?
I don't know.
-Holy sh*t.
-[officer] Ooh.
-Whoa.
-Previous owner?
Um
[Tom] So now what?
Well, he didn't attack you.
He just bolted for the door
unless there's something else.
He's most likely just a squatter.
Left something here.
Didn't realize the place was rented.
Change the locks,
set up a security system,
and donate this stuff to the Goodwill.
And don't forget to bolt your back door.
So that's it?
[officer] Fresh coat of paint
on the outside might help ward people off.
[wind howling]
[Jake] If you're lonely, sad, and blue
The Whisper Man will come for you
[soft pulsing music playing]
[Jake talking softly on video]
[Jake quietly] If your window's
left unlatched
You'll hear him tapping at the
Jake, what are you doing?
Nothing.
[Tom sighs]
[wind howling]
[Tom] Okay.
Who are you talking to?
Is it the girl in the blue sweater?
She's scared of it here.
She's scared of it here?
She's scared of this house? Why?
She's scared of the boy who lives here.
You?
Who?
The boy in the floor.
The boy in the floor. Good God.
Jake, you have to stop this.
Stop what?
Well Ow! Goddammit!
Pretending. I need you to grow up.
You never believe me.
[Tom] I can see you.
I can see everything,
and I know there is no one in here, Jake.
You are just talking to yourself.
[sighs]
[high-pitched eerie music playing]
[silence]
[soft pulsing music playing]
[Tom] Jake?
Wha
[tense music playing]
Jake?
[yelling] Jake!
Jake!
Jake!
Jake!
Jake!
Jake!
Jake!
Jake!
Jake!
[sirens wailing]
I'm Detective Beck.
Tell me a little bit about Jake.
Okay.
[Beck] I know.
-It's terrifying.
-[Tom moans softly]
[breathes unsteadily]
He's quiet.
[Beck] It's hard.
But we don't know which detail
is gonna help us find him.
Okay.
He, uh
He's a collector, you know, of
just, like, scraps of of odds and ends.
You know, like, um,
ticket stubs and and and ribbon
and rocks even.
It it all has meaning to him.
-That's nice.
-Yeah, he's a nice kid.
What about his friends?
[over radio] Stand by.
We just moved, and, uh, you know,
school is just getting started, so
From where?
-The Shore. Uh, Manasquan.
-[Beck] Hmm.
Jake's mom grew up here, so
She's gone.
She was sick.
[indistinct chatter over radio]
Any other family nearby?
My father.
He's, uh somewhere.
I don't know. He's never met Jake.
What's his name?
Peter Willis. He was a cop.
And have you called him? Your father?
No.
We looked at the nanny cam,
and he left on his own.
There was no one else.
[Tom breathes shakily]
[unsettling music playing]
Detective.
What the f*ck?
Jesus.
[unsettling music building]
[indistinct chatter over radio]
[sniffs]
[unsettling music continues]
[phone ringing]
[music fades]
Hello?
[Tom] Dad?
[door opens, bell jingles]
[footsteps approaching]
[server] What can I get you?
Uh, I'll just have a coffee, yeah.
You want coffee?
-[server] Two coffees?
-[Pete] Yeah.
How you holding up?
I just need to know
they're doing everything they can. Okay?
I'm doing everything I can.
Sure.
At the department,
you still have friends there.
I mean, you still have pull.
I was young. I I don't remember much.
But I remember the Whisper Man,
and I remember you found him.
I found him. I did do that.
[server approaching]
[Tom] So
He's a good kid, Jake.
He's smart, and
They got any leads?
Well, yeah, I mean,
if they'd f*cking follow 'em.
That's why I need you.
Well, I'm sure they've got
a good detective working the case.
No, you were a good detective.
You're a shitty father,
but a good f*cking detective.
They will listen to you,
and they will tell you things
they won't tell me.
I, um
Well, uh
Listen, I I
I wanted to reach out earlier,
especially after Rebecca had passed away--
Don't.
Don't do that.
-Sorry it took this to get us together.
-We're not. This isn't us together.
This is me asking you for help.
Do you understand that?
Sure, I understand that.
I don't know what I can do, Tom. I
I haven't carried a shield in forever.
I'm sure they don't wanna hear from me.
But I am here for you, whatever--
Excuse me. I don't need
your emotional f*cking support, okay?
I need you to find my boy!
No? Great.
[door opens]
[sighs]
[indistinct chatter, phones ringing]
[Beck] Why'd Carter do that?
The T-shirt. Cover their faces.
[Pete] Didn't want them looking at him.
He didn't wanna look at them.
There's, uh, not much new here.
This is all you have?
We're still playing catch-up.
And Tom said he gave you a lead?
Yeah. We have a loose description
of a vagrant he saw
rummaging around his basement.
Haven't found a match yet.
Uh, you should listen to the Spencer tape.
[Pete] This is from the boy?
Blaming the parents.
-Same as Frank Carter's Whisper Man.
-[Pete] Yeah, I've heard this.
These kids aren't the only
intended victims.
Forensics?
The package was mishandled
at the TV station. It's tainted.
Obviously, with the tape drop,
we know time is short.
Tom said you never met him. Jake.
May I ask why?
Any connection between the two boys
other than they were found missing?
Jake was new to town.
Uh, different elementary
as the Spencer boy
who went to Catholic school.
Stevie Grant was in foster care.
We're looking
at a few local sex offenders.
You speculated in the Carter case
that the boys somehow
walked out of their homes on their own.
That Frank Carter somehow summoned them.
[Pete] Carter knew how to find
the ones who wanted to go.
[unsettling music playing]
[banging on door]
From your house.
What if my boy comes back home
and I'm not there?
It's a crime scene.
Right now, this is best.
Unless you have someone you can stay with.
[tense music playing]
[cell phone ringing]
Beck here.
The man who used to live in my house
did time at the East Jersey State Prison.
[Beck] Mr. Kennedy?
[Tom] Yeah, I have his mail right here.
Dominic Barnett,
assaulting a police officer.
-He got out f*cking seven years ago.
-[Beck] Slow down.
You're saying he lived at the house
that you're renting?
It could be him.
Look, they were both at Rahway.
And if he knew Carter
while they were inside--
[Beck] Uh, send me what you have,
okay, and I'll look into it.
Uh, Dominic Barnett, you say?
This could be the guy.
I said I'll look into it.
Okay? Thank you.
Are you are you f*cking kid
-[phone clatters]
-f*ck!
Barnett, I know that name.
He was a runner for the Brick Squad g*ng
back when I was on the job.
[Beck] Yeah, they deal
out of the Wrigley Projects now.
And how long between the time
when the kids were put to bed
and when they disappeared?
For the Spencer boy, not long.
Ninety minutes.
Jake?
Six hours before Tom woke up.
He was drinking, maybe drunk.
I could smell the alcohol.
[Pete] I never met her.
She called once,
wanted to tell me that she was pregnant.
We talked for a bit.
He was in good hands.
Drawing wars.
Tom did these too.
You never know what gets passed on.
[wind chimes tinkling]
[dog barking]
[woman] Hey!
Mrs. Shearing.
I'm the guy renting your house.
Tom. Tom Kennedy.
You said you'd clear that sh*t out!
-I'm not doing it for you!
-No!
-Mrs. Shearing, please! My son is missing!
-f*ck off, Randall.
[Tom] Please!
[Beck] We should still interview him.
Carter. He won't see anyone
unless you're there.
[Pete] Yeah, all that b*stard will do is
make you nauseous and want to throw up.
When we zeroed in on him,
Carter had managed
a day and a half on the run.
And when we finally did get him,
there was evidence that the fifth boy
he took, Tony Smith, was still alive.
I did everything I could to find him.
Everything.
I interrogated Carter's wife
at least six hours.
And then I went to see Carter himself
to appeal to what little bit of humanity
might be left in him.
There was nothing.
Nothing.
Dominic Barnett. You rented to him?
That nephew of mine ain't worth f*ck all.
Wait, you're related?
Little sh*t up and cleared out
without paying six months' rent.
Okay, is there anything you can tell me
about where to find him now?
He had a girlfriend
at the Wrigley Park Projects.
Okay, do you know her name,
the girlfriend?
Tina Tiffany.
I do remember she lived [laughs]
in Building C.
For "c**t."
[siren wailing in background]
-[music playing over speakers]
-[indistinct chatter]
[man shouting] Hey, yo, my peeps!
Everybody out here!
[indistinct voices in background]
[door slams]
[dog barking]
[indistinct shouting]
[man] How the f*ck you don't hear me
when I'm f*cking talking to you?!
Look at me when I'm talking to you!
[man continues shouting]
[tense music playing]
-Help you?
-Uh, no. No, thanks.
What are you looking for?
Dominic Barnett.
Don't know no Barnett.
-[woman] Nah.
-Okay.
Are you buying, m*therf*cker?
Apache, m*rder 8.
Ten for one. Three for twenty.
Fentanyl, b*tch.
Oh, uh, no. No, thanks.
[both grunt]
Beat your m*therf*cking a*s.
The f*ck you think you doing? Huh?
[man grunts]
Both of you, get the f*ck out of here.
I'll blow your head off, m*therf*cker.
All right. Get up.
[tense music continues]
-What about my car--
-Get in. Get in.
[man 2] Yo, get the f*ck outta here.
Give me the keys. I'll get somebody
to pick up the car. Just give me the keys.
[Tom] Jesus f*cking Christ.
What the f*ck? How are you here?
You were right to wanna look at Barnett,
but you gotta trust these detectives.
Let 'em do their job.
And that Detective Beck?
She's not gonna let this go.
-You talked to her?
-[Pete] Yes--
-You talked to her?
-I was with her when you called.
-You were?
-[Pete] I was.
[Tom] You were?
No, somebody else was.
I was with her, yes.
I'm on it.
Okay.
You know, when I heard you wrote novels,
I wasn't surprised
'cause you were always creative.
Can we not do this right now?
What are you talking about?
[Tom] Can we not talk about
my f*cking novel?
-What are you talking about?
-Jake is who I want you to focus on. Jake.
Not us, not me. Jake.
I checked on Barnett. Nowhere to be found.
Not a word from him
in the last six months.
Okay, so what? We're back to nothing?
Just a tape, and then a body,
and then another tape?
I remember how it went with Carter.
He's irrelevant.
He's doing life in prison. Doesn't matter.
Tell that to my boy.
What if whoever took Jake
knows he's your grandson?
A different last name.
There's no connection to the Spencer kid.
Absolutely no connection whatsoever.
Yeah, but someone could find out.
I mean, Carter could be directing them.
No, that's that's going too far.
Okay, but you're gonna go
talk to him, right?
He'd just steer us in another direction,
in the wrong direction.
So go, outsmart him.
You've done it once before.
I didn't outsmart anything.
I just got lucky.
So go get lucky again. What's the problem?
-What, are you afraid of him?
-That man destroyed my life, my family.
-You're damn right I'm afraid of him.
-No. You can't blame that on him.
That was you.
[door slams]
[scribbling]
[lock clicks, door opens]
[door closes]
[foreboding music playing]
[Pete on tape] Your husband threatened you
when you started asking questions.
Did he ever give off any hints
about what he was doing before that?
Behaviors out of step with his routine?
Places he'd go? Objects in the house?
Even days he smelled different,
or his clothes were soiled
in a way that couldn't be explained?
I'm asking all this
because there's still another boy missing.
Tony Smith. He might still be alive.
[door opens]
[Pete] Frank put him somewhere,
and he's not talking.
Maybe you can help us find him.
[cell phone buzzing]
-I've told you everything I know.
-Yeah.
[tense music playing]
-[Pete] I'm here to see Beck.
-[man] Need some ID.
[Beck] Let him through!
Neil Spencer.
No cameras?
No. Not in the park.
Could you check his nails, please?
His fingernails.
Thank you.
Carter would
He'd always cut their fingernails
before he strangled them.
He didn't want them scratching his face.
[Beck] Jesus.
[camera shutter clicking]
[indistinct chatter over radio]
[over radio] Copy that. Stand by.
What?
Um
The shirt, the tapes.
That was all pretty much out there.
It was all public.
But not the cutting of the fingernails.
That wasn't public.
Your accomplice theory, then.
Somebody who helped him back in the day.
Well, why wait all these years
to get back to work?
[sobbing]
[stirring music playing]
[music building]
[stirring music continues]
[door buzzes]
[music fades]
[Carter] You're a good man, Henry. Thanks.
[door clangs]
-Frank.
-Hi, Pete.
Looking good.
Thank you, Pete. Thank you.
You know, 20, 30 years in the cage.
Well, that'll keep you lean.
Yeah.
You still on the wagon?
Good.
That's very good. Really.
I'm proud of you. If that means anything.
'Cause, you know, whatever it is
[inhales, exhales sharply]
you know, your vice,
you can try to lock it away,
you can try to burn it
to the f*cking ground,
but it can't be k*lled.
I mean, you can't k*ll it. You can't.
Because it's like this guide or something.
Right?
I mean, it kind of takes hold of you
and controls you,
and it becomes really
the only thing in the world that exists.
Everything else is just
window dressing.
Kind of sad, really.
How's that, Frank?
Well, it's sad for you, isn't it?
When you can't do the very thing
that you were meant to do.
I don't know.
Might be better to just end it all.
You could try that. Nobody'd miss you.
A fair point. That's a fair point.
I mean, yeah.
But but, I mean, for you, really, I mean
mostly it was endings, really.
You know?
Right? I mean, marriage, career,
fatherhood. That didn't
Yeah, it's kind of like one long
dirge on the road to your grave, right?
Well, I'm hoping for a resurrection.
Yours is unexpected.
-[Carter chuckles]
-[Pete] Friend of yours?
Friends? No.
Men like you and I
don't have friends, Pete.
We're meant to be alone.
What else is there?
-It speaks.
-[Beck] The work.
It's all that's left, what you've done.
This copycat, whoever he is,
he's showing you up.
And if he keeps getting lucky, k*lling,
what happens to your myth?
You'll be replaced.
She's pretty eager.
What do you think, Pete?
How do you think she'll fare?
As well as you?
You should have seen him. Oh boy.
Back then,
so vital, so much life to live.
He Now, you know
you're all alone,
cooking up your little dinners
in the dark.
You know? I don't know.
What do you think?
Did it all turn out the way you'd hoped?
You're here.
Yeah.
You gonna take credit for that?
-Yes, I am. And comfort.
-[Carter] Okay.
Okay.
The k*lling stopped.
The k*lling has stopped. [chuckles]
But they haven't, have they?
You know who's doing this, don't you?
I'll tell you what.
You bring me my family, I might remember.
Your family?
My family. Tell her.
Go ahead. Tell her, Pete.
Tell her about my f*cking family,
how they sold me out.
[breathes heavily]
I'll tell you what.
Why don't you bring me my wife
and my son?
Just bring them to me for
five minutes.
Just leave me alone with them.
Go ahead. Five minutes.
I'll tell you everything you wanna know.
I'll whisper it
right in your really cute little ear.
Five minutes alone. Me and them.
Hmm, don't worry about clean-up.
Clean-up's easy.
Just hose down the room.
[Pete] Okay, we're done.
[Carter] You don't wanna hear about
the sixth victim?
-Come on!
-Tony Smith?
Tony Smith was five.
Come on, keep up. Tell her.
You know, this guy's
still out there chasing him.
He's on the ball.
He's out there chasing him still.
I'm not playing your games this time.
Yeah, well, your son is.
Boy, he is all in.
How about those books of his, huh?
The detective character.
Boy, he is trying to be you.
Oh, he wants to be daddy.
But, you know, that's how it goes.
'Cause when you're denied
your father's love,
of course you mythologize him.
She'll find out who we're talking about.
Who you've become.
[door buzzes]
What did he mean back there?
His sixth victim?
I asked you a question.
First week Tony Smith was missing,
a thousand cops were searching for him.
A month later, a hundred.
A year after that, a dozen.
Now there's only one.
Me.
[tape crackling]
[whispering] Is there anything else
you want to say to your daddy?
[foreboding music playing]
[Jake] Why didn't you believe me?
[man] Visitor rolls
for East Jersey State Prison.
Checking for repeats.
Cross-referencing criminal records,
connections to Carter.
Good. I want every match released
in the last five years,
and someone needs to reach out
to the FBI's field office in Phoenix.
I'm sorry, what's in Phoenix?
Carter's wife and kid are in
the witness protection program there.
So if Carter is having someone else
do his killings for him,
we need to let them know
as soon as possible.
-You find something?
-[Pete] Maybe.
Norman Collins visited Rahway last March,
a few times last year.
I think you should take him.
Mr. Collins, Detective Amanda Beck.
Garretton PD. Can I come in?
-Absolutely.
-[Beck] Okay.
[lively operatic music playing
over stereo]
[Beck] You recently went to see
an inmate at Rahway Prison.
Victor Tyler, yes.
May I ask why?
[operatic music continues]
He's a fascinating man.
Life for kidnapping and m*rder.
You find that fascinating?
This was worn by
a fairly notorious m*rder*r in the 1960s.
It cost me a small fortune,
but it's such a handsome piece.
And the provenance is inviolable.
[music continues playing over speakers]
All completely above board.
[music stops]
I'm very well respected in my field.
What field is that?
I'm a collector, like you.
You have your perps,
your cases, your obsessions.
When ugly things happen to nice people,
you want to know why and where and who.
For me, the interest is more
in the "how" and the "what."
No, thanks.
Come on. We're humoring each other.
Can you feel that?
What?
What it must have been like
stabbing your husband 46 times
in front of your best friends
over a lost hand of bridge.
[Beck scoffs]
[screwdriver clatters]
Where were you the night of April 10th?
-Traveling.
-To?
[Collins] Boston for an exhibition.
[Beck] Do you have anything
to substantiate that?
I didn't have anything to do with
those children being taken, Detective,
if that's what you're here about.
Well, well, well.
What the f*ck you want?
Mr. Tyler, a man named Norman Collins
visited you about six months ago,
twice in one week.
I got no say who comes to see me.
Obviously.
You r*ped
and you m*rder*d a 12-year-old girl.
[Tyler] Hmm.
I think you got a pretty good situation
here for doing something like that.
Yeah.
It's my winning personality.
Did you ever pass anything
between Norman Collins and Frank Carter?
Who's Frank Carter?
[laughing]
Maybe this will jog your memory.
Hmm.
Hmm?
Why don't you two little piggies
take your bullshit deal
and cry wee-wee-wee-wee all the way home?
It's not a deal.
It's an interstate
prisoner transfer order.
[Pete] I don't know what life's gonna
be like for you in Lewisburg, Mr. Tyler,
but I don't think it's gonna be very good
for a child r*pist.
But you're gonna need someone
like Frank Carter to protect you.
Otherwise,
you're gonna have a big problem.
[Beck] You feel like talking now?
[cell phone buzzing]
Dyson, talk to me.
[Dyson] Another package.
The address was recognized
before it was pulled from a box.
I don't want anybody knowing about this.
Already on it.
Jake's tape just dropped.
[tense pulsing music playing]
[Beck] We have confirmation Carter's
been talking to someone on the outside.
What?
I'm so sorry.
[tense pulsing music building]
[through headphones] I love you
So what am I so afraid of?
I'm afraid that I'm not sure of
A love there is no cure
No. Jake was made to say those things.
[sobbing quietly]
He's alive.
That's the most important thing.
Yeah, but
for how long?
[Pete] Come on.
Let me take you home. Come on.
Hmm?
[sniffles] Okay.
[microwave beeps]
[door opens]
[Tom] What's with that crack?
Keeps opening up, no matter how many times
I try to plaster the damn thing.
[Tom] Uh-huh.
Thank you. Um
-Tom, we spoke to Frank Carter.
-You did?
[Pete] He's had contact with someone
on the outside through another inmate.
Someone named Victor Tyler.
He's a pedophile.
And there was a burner phone found
in Tyler's cell.
Forensics is on that now.
Pedophile?
Jesus f*cking Christ.
What are you doing?
That's not gonna help.
There's no booze in this house.
Okay.
I know. I know. I know.
It's unbearable, I know.
Jake's gonna come home,
but it has to be to a safe home.
And his dad has to be all right.
[Tom] I was drinking the night
We had an argument.
"We had an argument."
I f*cking yelled at him.
To walk out that door into the dark,
he had to feel so alone.
[somber music playing]
When Rebecca died,
he found her at the bottom of the stairs,
and now he can't even
climb a f*cking flight of stairs.
I mean, I thought it would be
a good change moving here.
He held on to his mom's stuff.
Photos and notes and old diaries and
In this satchel.
He called it his Packet of Special Things.
Hey, when you left us,
didn't you want to reach out?
Of course I I I [sighs]
Every day.
Why didn't you? Weren't you curious?
You know, she never spoke badly
about you, not once, Mom.
Even after everything.
There were times before you guys
moved away where your mother would say,
"Look, you can see him,
but you can't be drinking."
And so I would see you,
and I'd read you stories
when you were about to go to sleep.
And I would tell you how much I love you,
kiss you on the forehead.
And she gave me that.
Mr. Night?
You're Mr. Night?
You?
That was you?
[Pete] There's an extra bed
if you wanna stay.
It's all made up.
[rattling]
[dog barking]
[ominous music playing]
They were pen pals.
Did you know about this?
What the f*ck else is my dad not sharing?
This isn't the place.
What?
Oh, is is God listening to us right now?
[cell phone buzzing]
Maybe that's him, with some leads.
[Beck] Tell me we have a search warrant.
[Beck talking quietly on phone]
[Beck continues talking quietly]
Where the f*ck is this guy going?
Anything else you're not telling us?
Carter sent those letters to hurt my son,
but I kept them secret to deny him that.
You still kept them.
Norman Collins would be impressed.
f*cking prick.
You
[tires squeal]
-[dramatic music playing]
-[kids clamoring]
-[Tom] Where is he?
-[Collins] What are you doing? My God!
m*therf*cker! Where is he?
Where's my boy?
Oh God!
-[Tom grunts]
-[Collins whimpers]
Help! Help!
-Where is he?
-Help!
-[man] Hey! Come on!
-No!
That guy kidnapped my son!
You're letting him get away!
That's the Whisper Man!
That's the Whisper Man!
Back inside! Let's go! Now!
[all clamoring]
[teacher] Back inside!
That's the Whisper Man!
[Beck] What were you doing
in the basement of 13 Garholt Street?
Uh, I don't know that address.
-[Dyson] Norman, stop bullshitting us.
-[Beck scoffs]
[Dyson] The owner saw you.
If you're referring
to the man who just attacked me,
I've never seen him before in my life.
[Beck] My guys just searched your place.
This is underlined. So are the others.
[Collins] I like his stories.
[Dyson] What do you like about them?
Well, he's got this dark mind,
sort of like his daddy's.
[Beck] We talked to Victor Tyler.
We know that you used him
to pass on a private note to Frank Carter
and a burner phone so he could communicate
with someone on the outside.
And now children are disappearing
and turning up dead.
I don't know, but it all points to you.
-No. No, no, no, no, no.
-[Beck] Then what?
Were you just getting his autograph?
Another souvenir
for your sicko collection?
I wouldn't hurt those kids, any kids.
-Where the f*ck is he going?
-[Pete] There's not enough to hold him.
[Beck] He's accounted for both nights
the boys were kidnapped.
In Jake's case,
that man was in another state.
-So he couldn't have taken them.
-Not by himself.
Collins wanted to press as*ault charges.
Still might.
I hurt him? Are you kidding?
Garretton PD will
only let you walk out of here tonight
if you go home with your father here
and promise not to do anything stupid.
[Tom] This man
knows who has my boy.
Please don't leave me.
I was just trying to protect you.
Yeah, well
Maybe that's the original sin
of fathers everywhere.
We can't.
I'll be right back. [sighs]
[sighs]
[liquid pouring]
[dogs barking]
What was Norman doing in the basement?
If it really wasn't for Jake,
what was he looking for?
Dad.
[mysterious music playing]
[music building]
Boy in the floor.
[line ringing]
Beck here.
Yeah, we're at Garholt Street.
We just found Tony Smith.
Thirty years.
Collins knew.
What are we doing sitting here?
Hey, we got another body over here.
[dramatic music playing]
Some kind of blunt instrument.
[music fades]
["The Mikado: Behold
The Lord High Executioner" playing inside]
You better have
a very good excuse for harassing
Hey! Hey!
We found Tony Smith's remains
on the Garholt property this morning.
[Pete] And another body.
[Beck] Provenance.
That's what you collectors call
where a thing comes from, right?
What's the provenance behind this?
Um, that was, uh, acquired off-market.
All aboveboard though, right?
Dominic Barnett. That name ring a bell?
He was found stuffed
in the wall of the basement.
His skull bashed in.
I don't know.
DNA will tell us if it's a match.
["Behold The Lord High Executioner"
continues playing over speakers]
Um, I want a lawyer.
You wanted in this game? You're in it.
I didn't hurt any children.
[sirens wailing]
Okay.
I paid Frank Carter for access.
Access? Access to who? Tony Smith?
-Maybe grab something for your collection?
-Okay. Yes.
So he pointed you to Dominic Barnett?
Yeah. Um, they they were friends
back in the day.
Friends? They weren't friends.
They were accomplices.
What happened between you and Dominic
when you got to the house?
-He, um
-[Pete] What happened?
He said, uh He
[breathing unsteadily]
[Pete] What happened?
In the basement,
he made me feel very small,
saying that I was a tourist
and that I was a Peeping Tom.
That I could jerk off but never f*ck.
So you k*lled him?
[Pete] You k*lled him, didn't you?
And that I don't care about.
All I care about is
finding Jake Kennedy alive.
Do you understand?
[panting]
I can't
-I can't go to prison.
-[Pete] You can't?
Well, that's too bad.
You're going to prison.
For a long time.
So you tell us everything
we need to know right now.
You just said you paid Frank Carter
for access to his last victim, Tony Smith,
who was never found.
Is that a fair statement?
-Yes.
-[Beck] Paid with what?
Carter's in prison for life.
No use for money.
No family anymore. What did you trade?
I connected him with someone.
Who? Norman, who did you connect him to?
[Beck] Who, Norman?
I was the only one who ever saw it.
In the eyes.
The eyes? Who are you talking about?
[whispers] I just thought that, you know,
they'd wanna get to know each other.
I never thought that
that it was gonna start again.
Norman, we need a name. Who is it?
[Beck] The eyes.
The eyes. Who are you talking about?
[Beck screams, pants]
[Beck yelps]
We need a bus!
-Help! We need an ambulance!
-Where's Jake? Tell me, where's Jake?
That's the one thing you can do.
Tell me, where's Jake, please?
Where is Jake? Where's Jake?
-[man] Sir!
-[Pete] Just tell me where he is, please.
[officer] Please stand back!
Come on.
Stay with me.
[ominous music playing]
[music fades]
Tom was right. We should have beat
whatever the hell we needed out of him.
Norman said that he thought
Frank Carter would be interested
in getting to know this person. Why?
Why invest in someone
he'll never know, never meet?
Makes no sense.
Who is more important to Frank Carter
than you?
[indistinct background chatter]
What did Carter say to us
when we were leaving?
[Beck] The sixth victim?
[Pete] No.
About my son's novels.
He's trying to be you.
Pull up the interview
with Frank Carter's wife.
That's the one. Play it.
I was afraid for my son.
[Pete on video] You don't have
to be afraid anymore, Mrs. Carter.
You're safe now.
There's another boy still missing, though,
and he might still be alive.
You can help us find him.
He's somebody's son too.
I've told you everything I know.
[Beck] "When we're denied
our father's love,
we mythologize him."
It's him.
Do you ever feel like a boy in the floor,
underneath everyone's feet,
who no one knows is there?
I do.
Did the boy in the floor
go to sleep forever?
He did.
Are you going to make me
go to sleep forever?
I'm going to bring you home.
[Beck] After Carter's conviction,
the family moved out west
and assumed new identities.
We have no name, no ID.
We're negotiating with the FBI
to release whatever records they do have
because, technically, Francis Jr.
is still under their protection.
In the meantime, we need to canvas
anyone and everyone
in Hillcrest
and the surrounding neighborhoods.
If Francis Jr. is here,
someone knows where to find him.
Let's go.
[sirens wailing]
[over radio] All units be advised.
The suspect has been identified
as Francis Carter, Jr.,
residing in Garretton.
We'll conduct a block-by-block canvas
in an attempt to locate the suspect.
Car 431.
Cover the 400 block of Lafayette,
heading east.
Car 595. Cover Maple Avenue
on the 200 block, heading south.
[door buzzing]
[door locking]
How's your grandson, Pete?
Good afternoon.
Detective Amanda Beck, Garretton PD.
I'm looking for Richard Sharmatz.
Ah, Dr. Sharmatz, uh, passed away
about a year ago.
Oh, his name's still on the title.
His family rents the house to me.
He was a mentor of of mine.
-[Beck] Oh.
-I'm George Carringdon.
-Hi.
-Hi.
You a child psychologist as well?
Teaching assistant.
Where?
-Rose Terrace.
-[Beck] Huh.
Do you know a Jake Kennedy?
He was a student there.
Not until they announced what happened.
I I probably saw him
running through the halls out at recess,
but, um, I work with
the special needs kids.
-Oh.
-So I wouldn't have known him by name.
Do you want to come in?
[door closes]
Did you, by any chance,
know the Carter family back in the day?
Frank and Jane, their son Francis Jr.
Of them.
My parents tried to keep me away
from all that stuff. Didn't work.
We know you've been in communication
with your son,
prodding him with these killings.
Boy left home, and now he's back.
Got lost.
He's back home now.
That surprise you?
Not really, no.
I mean, Francis has always been weak.
Look how he
how he f*cked up the first try.
[Beck] I guess it's hard with kids.
Well, scary stories are like water.
They always find their way
through the cracks.
I remember growing up in Fair Lawn.
There was this rhyme.
If you leave a door half open
Soon you'll hear the whisper spoken
-[both] If your window's
-[George] left unlatched
You'll hear him tapping at the glass
-If you're lonely
-[both] sad, or blue
[clock ticking]
The Whisper Man will come for you
Been a long time
since I've heard that one.
[kettle whistling]
I was making tea. You want a cup?
I get now
why you always covered their faces.
I thought it was 'cause you couldn't look
at 'em or didn't want them looking at you.
Nah, I could look at their faces
just fine.
[Pete] Oh, that's bullshit. Come on.
You know there was someone
you were imagining
you wanted to get a hold of
but you couldn't really get your hands on.
It was too painful, too messy,
too close to home.
Well home is where the heart is, Pete.
[George] Is there some sort of connection
between Frank Carter and Dr. Sharmatz?
He counseled Carter's son,
according to records.
[ominous music playing]
[George] Police must be stretched
pretty thin.
No partner, I see.
Everybody has their ground to cover.
I know the parents will be relieved
that you're chasing down some leads.
Yeah. Kids, too, I'm guessing.
Francis is learning his own lessons
right now.
Yeah. Like you did with your father?
The way he taught you.
Whispering to you in bed
while he was f*cking you up the a*s?
[laughs] You better shut up.
How'd you handle those situations, Frank?
Did you wish you were somewhere
like the kids you took did too?
-f*ck you.
-[Pete] Ah.
Your father whet his appetite
with his own son.
-[Carter] f*ck you.
-But you, you were the weak one.
I actually respect you, Frank.
You know that?
You tried to stop yourself from doing
what you really wanted to do to your boy.
Yeah.
So you preyed on others.
When we catch your son,
and we're gonna catch him very soon
-Yeah?
-You're never gonna hear from him again.
Oh, really? So
So there's another possibility.
Jake.
You can tell me where he is.
[laughs softly]
Why would I do that before the deed?
Because the Whisper Man,
the real one, isn't done yet.
Because there's only one child
in this whole world
that he truly, really wants.
And I can deliver him to you.
[Carter] My son?
Here?
A father does what needs to be done.
Wouldn't you agree?
[Beck] If you think of anyone
that might know the Carter family,
especially Francis Jr.,
please have them call me, okay?
-Of course.
-[cell phone chimes]
[clock ticking]
-[George grunts]
-[Beck] Oh f*ck!
[Beck panting]
[running footsteps]
This is Beck. I need backup.
59 Hellerman Street. I found our suspect.
-[man] Copy that.
-[thud]
Jake Kennedy?
This is the police.
[tense music playing]
[Beck panting]
[air hisses]
Scream.
[Jake yelling] Help!
[pulsing tense music building]
-[George grunts]
-[Beck screams]
[George grunts]
[Beck groans]
[door unlocks]
[yelling] Get up! Come on!
-[Beck grunts]
-[George yells]
[Jake whimpering]
[panting] Run!
[whimpering]
[Beck] Run!
[George groans]
Help!
Stop!
Help! Help!
[engine turns over]
[car pulls away]
[buzzing]
[sirens wailing]
Detective Beck. Leave a message.
Beck. Yeah. It's me.
I spoke to Carter.
They have a plan for Jake.
[unsettling music playing]
[tapping on phone]
[line ringing]
[operator] Garretton Police.
What's your emergency?
I just saw the missing boy, Jake Kennedy.
He was with a man,
Route 23, south of Sussex.
Dispatch 10-17. We have units en route.
Can I please have your name
and a callback number?
[siren wailing]
[Jake panting]
-[line ringing]
-What the hell?
[cell phone buzzing]
-[line continues ringing]
-Come on, Tom. Please pick up.
[line continues ringing]
[Tom] Dad?
[unsettling music continues playing]
[George] Sh.
[eerie music playing]
[alarm blaring]
-[Jake] I can't breathe!
-Jake!
[Jake] Dad, help!
[both grunt]
[Jake yelling]
[both grunting]
[Jake yells]
[Jake] Help!
[grunts]
-[Jake yelling]
-[Tom] Jake!
[Jake continues yelling]
[Jake panting]
Oh, Jake. It's okay.
[grunts]
Come on. Come on. Go.
[dramatic music playing]
-[Tom moans]
-Dad!
[Jake] Dad!
No!
Dad!
Dad!
Dad!
[Pete] Jake!
-[Jake] Dad!
-Jake!
Run! Run, Jake!
Run!
[groans]
Tommy, Tommy. Get Jake.
-Go get Jake.
-Dad! What?
-I love you.
-I love you.
[both grunt]
[both grunt]
Daddy!
Daddy!
[music calms]
[Jake panting]
[Tom] Jake.
Just stay. Stay there.
Jake, close your eyes.
[George] Agh!
[groaning]
[George breathing heavily]
[mysterious music playing]
[door unlocks, opens]
[man] Just make it quick, Carter.
Skin to skin,
like they said in the hospital,
to bond you to me.
[unsettling music playing]
[gasping]
[George choking]
[unsettling music building]
[music calms]
[solemn music playing]
[music fades]
What's Pearl Jam?
What? A band!
Clearly failed as a father.
It was our first concert, your mom and me.
She saved me.
Mommy?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, me too.
[kids shouting outside]
Can I go play?
Yeah, dude.
Get out there.
-What are you doing in here?
-[chuckles]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[Jake] Hey, guys!
[kids continue shouting]
[gentle ethereal music playing]
[ethereal music continues]
[music fades]
[haunting music playing]
[somber music playing]
[music fades]
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Whisper Man, The (2026)
Moderators: Maskath3, sidolanters, GabrielAlejo2341