The Girlfriends S5/E1: Shark Bait

2%.

“That's a number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available.”

On Michael Easter, and on my podcast, 2%.

I break down the signs of Neville toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern worry. Put yourself through some hardships. And you will come out on the other side, a happier, more fulfilled healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's TWO% on the iHeart Radio app.

Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Jacob Odin. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!

My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, "Just give it a shot." But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall, and it doesn't feel fine anymore, it's okay to quit. It's not written down.

It would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar. You know, the cat just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that.

There's a lot in life. Listen to things, dad, on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, Bachelor Star Clayton Eckard was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax.

“You doctored this particular task twice in silence, right?”

I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Regulaspianne, Michael Manchini. My mind was blown.

I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scott Stelpoise.

As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Nora Jones. And my podcast playing along is back with more of my favorite musicians. Check out my newest episode with Josh Groben.

You even though it's for me.

“Yeah, I was definitely the Phantom of that.”

That's so funny. Shall we step with each night, each morning. Listen to Nora Jones is playing along on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts. Or wherever you get your podcasts. Novel.

Hey, girlfriends Anna here. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up about what you're here in this season of the girlfriends. The series touches on themes of coercive control. And they'll obviously be a little bit of swearing here in there too.

But the women at the heart of this series are so funny and powerful and voracious.

And there's a great payoff at the end. For the full story, listen all the way through. If any of the themes feel difficult, you'll find links to mental health and support organisations in the episode description. Wendy is sitting poor side in a luxury hotel resort. Listening to the sounds of waves crashing against the nearby beach.

It's 2013, around the end of August, and Wendy, the lucky devil, is in Hawaii. Wendy's in her early 40s, a single mom with a busy job. By the time she arrives, the sun has set over the Pacific and it's dark, except for the glow of the teaky torches. Wendy's expectations for the evening have been pretty low.

She's wearing yoga pants, and it was too warm to bother with makeup. But now, the Barbie night air is alive with the buzz of possibility, because Wendy is on a date. And it's going well. Sitting across from Wendy is a successful businessman, Derek.

There was something about him. He was very charming, very attentive, very, very smart, and very engaging. He's explaining that he's on Maui for a little while to look at investment properties. He comes over regularly from San Francisco, hence the dating. He's in finance, and he's a scuba diver, and he loves to travel.

He sounds like the perfect match for me. Wendy hasn't got the total hots for Derek. Looks wise. He kind of blends into the wash of faces that appear on dating apps. Short brown hair, slightly boarding. Through absolutely no fault of Derek, he is an entirely average middle-aged white guy.

But the conversation is flowing.

A well-shocked sighting is rare on Maui. Derek is a lucky man.

“Taking his cue from Wendy's absorbed expression, he continues his story.”

There he is, just off the coast, flapping his flippers on yet another unremarkable dive. When suddenly this gentle, speckled, flat-headed sea giant glides past him. It was amazing. Amazing. As the Tiki torch is flicker around them, Wendy is gripped.

I would die to see a well-shocked. That is, until Derek ruins it. He tells Wendy that he was scuba diving that day with a particular well-conservation group. A local, not-for-profit. Pacific well-foundation. He didn't know this, but my daughter's best friend,

parent's own Pacific well-foundation. And I said, "I'm sure you didn't go on Pacific well-foundation because they only do well-watching and snorkeling. They don't have scuba diving boats." It's such a small detail.

“And had he said, "Oh, you know what? I must be confused.”

It must have just had Pacific in the name.

I would not have thought a second thing about it."

But he would not let it go. No, it was Pacific well-foundation. He was adamant. So then he said he kept swimming down to try to spend more time with the well-shock and didn't do a safety stop. A safety stop.

To release all the nitrogen, his body had stored up while diving. Derek, our experienced diver, forgot. He ended up getting the bins and he had to go to a decompression chamber. The only decompression chamber in Hawaii at the time was on a wahoo. They don't have one on Maui or they didn't have the time.

I have not known a single person that ever got the bins or that ever had to go to a decompression chamber. I didn't call them out on that, but I thought, "This is kind of weird." And I've been scuba diving all over the world. Not to say it couldn't happen, but it really sounded a bit fantastical.

“Ever got that feeling in your gut, like you're being lied to?”

Wendy has that feeling right now. I'm one of those people I just can't let it go. Well-shocks, the bends... ...is such inconsequential things. Why would you lie about that?

It'll be five years, many more first dates,

a federal investigation spanning states and decades, and a determined group of pissed off girlfriends raising hell before Wendy gets a satisfying answer to that question. My name is Wendy, and I dated a carn artist named Derek, and it completely changed my life.

I'm Anison Field, and from the teams at Novel and I Heart Podcasts, you're listening to the Girl Friends Trust me, babe. (Music) Episode one, shockbait. (Music)

When Wendy was young, her mum, Sherry, would share stories with her. Tales from her youth about her own dating experiences. (Music) It's a Friday night, in 1964,

on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Sherry and her two housemates are at home,

in their first floor apartment,

the smell of citrus blossom from the surrounding groves floats in the air. There are no older than 22, recent college grads. And tonight, one of them has a date. (Music)

He's here. On date nights, these three friends have a bit of a routine. One of them, tonight, it's Sherry,

Distract him with aimless conversation.

“While his date pretends to put the finishing touches to her hair.”

The third friend, with a bag full of trash from the kitchen,

sneaks out the door, and notes down the make, model, and license plate of their guests car. Safety protocol, complete. The friend on the date leaves, glammed up to the nines.

Her two friends watch her, cruise into the sunset with a stranger. Safe in the knowledge that while they're probably just going to use for some dark beer and warm pizza, if God forbid something bad were to happen, they're prepared.

(Music) That was a thing, even back in the 60s, to keep each other safe. Just in case. That's Lori. She heard the story growing up too.

We couldn't stand each other because, you know, sisters. Lori is Wendy's older sister. Our dad told us one of these days, you girls are going to be best friends.

And we would gag and you brose. He was right. He was so right.

Wendy always called me her safety net.

And I love that. I love being her safety net.

“Wendy got married young to her college sweetheart.”

And they did the whole nine yards. At a kid, got the white pick at fence. And it was a great marriage, but it ran its course. By 35, Wendy is newly single, and making a home for herself on Maui with her daughter.

Everything feels new, especially dating. I'd never even been to a bar to have a guide by me a drink. They didn't know about online dating. I didn't know about match.com. Will you regal me with one of your dating stories?

Oh, I have so many broke bone body and Gilbert Ryan and the cuticle picker. And I just have so many friends like it's insane. As Wendy dives into the dating game head first, she tells her big sister Lori all about it over long phone calls.

Wendy and Hawaii, Lori in Texas. He did not look like his photos at all. He was trying to take pictures with a sense that he kept using his flash. I get a letter from the county jail asking me to come visit him.

I'd never told anyone that I was remotely interested in seeing a dick pick.

Hordes of them. So many of them. That's when I started realizing she needs a little backup. So, in steps, big sister Lori. She allowed me to have her location on Google. A first, it doesn't all run as smoothly as their mother's trash run

reconnaissance strategy. I had to call her one time in state. Your W is out in a lake. Wendy's Google Maps icon is surrounded by water. I'm sorry, forget to tell you it's a houseboat.

The more Wendy dates, the more the sisters fall into a kind of rhythm. Every guy that she went out with, I'm going to see what I can find out about him. I told him, I said, "I'm okay to come to your home, but I'm having my sister look up and he goes, "Oh, try it.

She's not going to find anything." Challenger accepted. Here's the picture of his house. He's got these two kids and it looks like he flies back and forth for these two cities.

I'm like, "Oh my God." Eight years and hundreds of first days later, Wendy has perfected her own strategies. And he's even planning to turn her bizarre dating stories into a book. It's the end of summer 2013.

And it's been just two days since her first date with Derek, the whale shark guy. And while she's still none the wiser as to why he'd lie about scuba diving, she's also kind of into him.

He's successful, adventurous, and attentive. Perhaps two attentive. He's been a prolific texture and emailer. Just two days after their first date, Derek offers to fly Wendy to San Francisco to meet his mother.

He signs off his message, "Love you more than this morning with two exclamation marks." I said, "You couldn't even name 10 facts about me. And he then sent me an email. A hundred reasons why I love you."

“Hearts of it were, "I love that you have to have a coffee”

first thing in the morning. I don't drink coffee." He literally didn't even read it. He just Googled a hundred reasons to love someone

Derek is a little carried away with his feelings, sure.

“But Wendy thinks maybe he's just kind of clumsy with it.”

We've all been a little cringy when we've had a crush. I was excited to meet someone that was very interested in me and was very open to me that was very refreshing. Something just didn't feel completely right, but I wanted to like him.

And so Wendy picks up the phone, and makes a call to her sister in Texas. Can you check out Derek? Wendy and Laurie have been in the game for a while now. I had so many details.

His name, how old he was.

She said, "Oh, he has a daughter. It's same age as my daughter."

How long he said he'd been divorced. The college that he went to. What year he graduated?

“She did get the name of the company he was working for.”

I don't even know that much information about some of my close friends. Well, Laurie gets to work online slew thing. Wendy and Derek keep seeing each other. And one of those dates is in an upscale neighborhood. Where Derek is viewing a luxury condo.

He had told me he's on Maui because he's looking for investments. It's been less than two weeks since they met. He said, "Do you want to go with me to look at some of these properties?" So I'm like, "Yes, absolutely." Their walking through a place Derek is considering investing in.

It's a three-bed property with all the amenities. Ocean views, built in lighting fixtures for hanging your own art collection. It's classy. Wendy's real-to-friend is showing them around.

“Oh, wow, he seems like such a great successful.”

Nice guy. But before long, Derek fumbles into weirdo behavior again. He started acting like, "Oh, this could be our home." Uh-huh. And I'm like, "I thought this was a real estate investment thing."

He started saying, "You know, I really see this as our house." He's like, "Let's put our, both our names on it." I'm like, "What?" He goes, "I want to make sure you and your daughter are taken care of." I'm like, "Well, then put me in your will."

I'm never signing anything with you.

This is the moment at which Wendy's interest in Derek as a possible boyfriend really takes a turn. Whatever his charms he is coming on too strong. It's not just the real estate business. He's sending shared calendar invites for upcoming family visits.

Now they call it love bombing, but I didn't know the term back then. Wendy's big sister, Laurie, is starting to question Derek too. In a small narrow room of her bedroom, Laurie's at a cluttered desk. She's sitting on one of those ergonomic backless chairs, where you rest your weight on your knees.

She's looking at the website for Derek Orrard's real estate investment company. The one who sent Wendy. Scrolling to the bottom of the page, she notices the site was only created that year. Could be something could be nothing.

I started noticing things that were static. They weren't clickable. It's full of testimonials, generic stock images. But the links are dead. Are these real people?

For that matter, is a business real? Laurie finds the company's address on the website. I went to Google Earth and I went down to the street level. In in that building, you could see the directory of what companies were in that building. Derek's supposed company wasn't there.

Other than the stuff Derek's provided to Wendy himself. Laurie can't find any detail whatsoever on the guy. This puzzle was missing a lot of pieces. I just was not finding the normal things that I could find. Why am I stuck?

Why can't I find more on this guy? As she sits alone at her desk, a new thought occurs to Laurie. Maybe the lack of information, the very existence of so many strange gaps, is the enormous, frantically waving red flag she's been looking for.

She looks up a name and number that she hasn't thought about for years.

Give some a call. I recognize that voice immediately.

“Laurie's old college pal Pat is now a private investigator.”

Private, investigator, Pat. He said, "Of course I will do this. Of course I will do this for you." PI Pat gets to work right away, pulling off his own research tools, while the two old friends sit on the phone. And in almost no time at all, the computer spits back some results.

He said, "Just from looking at this report, tell your sister to run. Tell her to run." 2%.

That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available.

I'm Michael Easter, an on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. We'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts and more. To look past the in-practical and the way to complex pseudo science that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory.

We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships. And you will come out on the other side, a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%, that's TWO% on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Jacob Odom, my next guest. You know from stepbrothers, anchor man Saturday night live and the big money players network.

It's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever.

“I went and had a lunch with him one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot.”

I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings, I'm working my way up through and I know it's a place they come. Look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you. Which is really sweet. He goes, but there's so much lock and ball. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know,

the cat just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot in life. Listen to thanks dad on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, former Bachelor Star Clayton Eckard found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story.

This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctor this particular test twice in selling stretch. I doctor the test once.

“It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case.”

I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Some like the greatest disinfectant. They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Olesby and Michael Marancini.

My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is LoveTrap. Laura Scott Stelpoise.

As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at AmeriCorps County, as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until Justice has served in Arizona. Listen to LoveTrap podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Laura Jones, and I love playing music with people so much that my podcast called Playing Along is Back. I sit down with musicians from all musical styles to play songs together in an intimate setting. Every episode is a little different,

but it all involves music and conversation with some of my favorite musicians. Over the past two seasons, I've had special guests like Dave Grohl, LaVe, Mavis Staples, Remy Wolf, Jeff Tweedy, really too many to name.

And this season, I've sat down with Olesia Cara, Sarah McLaughlin, John Legend, and more. Check out my new episode with Josh Groben. You even did the Phantom at that point. Yeah, I was definitely the Phantom and that.

That's so funny. So coming out with us in the studio,

Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

“Laura is just got off the phone with PI part,”

who has told her in no uncertain terms to get her sister the hell out of her weird dance with Derek Orrid. With Pastor Paul sitting in her inbox, Laurie reaches for the phone again. In her panic to tell Wendy the news, she nearly falls off her chair. I was really disappointed that there wasn't more information about this.

There wasn't anything really big and I kind of my shoulders dropped. You see, the report PI part sent over didn't really answer Wendy's questions. Just gave her more. Firstly, Derek had been lying to Wendy about the spelling of his name. Derek Orrid was Derek Orrid.

That's helping I part had found him.

Secondly, Derek Orrid had a long list of previous addresses, oddly long, and across states. As well as that, a larger than average number of evictions. And that's pretty much it. I thought for sure we're going to find out there's something going on here.

For Wendy, it doesn't seem like much. For PI part and Laurie, reading between the lines, it says a law. There were no felonies, but PI part's going to explain that. He said, I can't see certain reports because states don't share the information. But it was enough to know he's not a good guy.

But Wendy's moved beyond wanting to date Derek. She has other ambitions. She has this thing she considers herself a karma warrior. Okay, meaning in her mind, this is a guy that needs to be put in his place.

“The toxic masculinity guys go for it, Wendy, say what she needs to say, do what you need to do.”

This guy was totally different. Attractive, friendly, helpful, all these things. Those are the ones that scare me. And I think she thought, I'm just going to play with him a little bit. Just because she could.

Wendy, with a punch on for poking the bear. And the final chapter of a book about online dating to write, sets out to find the truth. Wendy meets up with Derek, armed with evidence from PI part and deputy PI Laurie. But it doesn't really go according to plan. Because Derek, cops to none of it.

The long list of previous addresses? Oh, I'm in real estate investment. Those are properties I've owned and printed. The eviction notices? I've had to evict other people.

“Derek even calls Maui Memorial Hospital while Wendy is on speaker phone beside him.”

To prove he really was in hospital around the time of his story about getting the bands. He did not own up to anything that was remotely off. He had an answer for everything. Without cold hard proof, all she has is gut instinct. And in the face of Derek's confidence, self-assuredness.

It's not the satisfying confrontation she had hoped for. Wendy just has more questions. Why is he coming after me? I kept thinking maybe there's something to do with buying a house. But I don't have a lot of extra cash sitting around.

It's not like I was super wealthy or anything. It's only been a couple of weeks. But Wendy is clear on one thing. Derek is not investing in the Maui property market. That whole deal fell through because he didn't have money.

My friend was the realtor. She's like, there's no money in that account. I'm a super curious person. So I kept agreeing to meet with him now and then. I would go with him to look at condos.

And he would talk about how much money he had. One time he said, I know you don't believe me.

And he had pulled up an investment account, like 1.2 million.

First of all, it looks like a PDF. And then I also noticed that there was a typo in the word checking. The most basic word. And yet all the while he's lavishing her with attention and more. One, two, three dozen roses, cherries berries, Tiffany jewelry, prescription sunglasses, a giant teddy bear.

I'd call this bad daddy.

If he would have been just any other person, I would have stopped.

But because I had already started writing a book about online dating. I kept going with it. She doesn't just want Derek to admit that he's a liar. She wants him to explain why he's lying.

“Who in the right mind would spend so much time and effort trying to cond someone?”

It just didn't make any sense to me. Wendy's starting to doubt whether anything Derek says is true. Does he really have a dog named Max? Is he even from San Francisco? And if so, where does he actually live?

In response to Wendy's questions, Derek sends Wendy a video tool, having around the inside of a home. We start off in a living room and there's some red walls. He walks through a doorway into a kitchen, lots of pictures and nicely made up. There's a dog bed in the living room and the name on the back says Max well.

But what does a random video really tell you? It's like if someone said to me, Anna, you're not really a vegan. And to prove to them that I am, I send them a video of a salad. Everyone eats salads. Who's to say it's even my salad?

Who's to say I even took the video?

“But whenever Wendy pushes too hard with questions or challenges about Derek's metaphorical salad,”

he seems to find ways to derail things in his favor.

There was always some tragic thing that was happening.

When Tammy told me his dog died, he would have drama in his life. He just wouldn't let it go, he still kept trying. Wow. He just would not quit, right? Did he like it, you know?

The rejection. I don't know. Wendy, I've been nothing but transparent with you. And I love you and it really is so hurtful that you're saying these things about me. Once I knew he was a pathological liar, I really just wanted to catch him in a way that he couldn't get out of it.

It isn't until mid-October that Wendy gets her next opportunity to try and figure out what Derek's really up to. And this time, it's on his home turf. Wendy has to travel to San Francisco for a biopsy following a breast cancer scare. When Derek hears about it, in classic Derek style, he makes a big fuss. Offering to buy Wendy's plane ticket, and then sending details for a flight, that doesn't exist.

Didn't he think you'd find out about the flight? You would think so, I have no idea why he would do some things and not others. She gets there anyway, under her own steam. The biopsy results come back negative within a couple of days, and Wendy's feeling good. Then, Derek pops up again.

He invites her to dinner. Wendy can't resist the opportunity to do a bit of sleuthing on Derek's patch. They go for the dinner, and not only does he rock up in a BMW. He actually pays for everything. He even takes Wendy to a Brian Adams concert.

Merch, drinks, all paid for by this strange man. I'm sitting there going, well, he looks like what he told me he was.

“I was trying to figure out, like, where did he come in to money?”

Wendy looks at the man beside her. And also self, for maybe the hundredth time. What kind of con is this? It's a Tuesday evening in the very middle of October. Wendy's back on Maui, and the Prosecco is flowing.

A medley of Dan's pop albums play in the background. Brittany, Madonna, Lady Gaga. There are pop-luck snacks on Wendy's living room table.

It's been a month and a half since Wendy's first date with Derek.

And, it's girls' night. There are eight women crammed into Wendy's small living room, gawping at the giant TV on the wall. The show, Wendy's love life. She's hooked the TV up to her phone,

and is doing a full class report of her latest dates. With supplementary screenshots and selfies.

and they were all invested. There's nothing quite as intoxicating as being the headline act at Girls' Night. And the last few weeks have given Wendy a lot of material to work with. As she regales them with her latest tales, the girls speculate about Derek's motives.

What is this guy's deal? What is he after? Until finally, one of Wendy's girlfriends says the thing with all been thinking. Wendy, he does sound like he is a psychopath,

“and what if he physically hurts you? What if he hits you? What if he kidnapped you?”

Up until she said that, it had never crossed my mind.

It's the same worry Wendy's sister had quietly all those weeks earlier. It really made me open my eyes. It's been two months of exchanges with Derek. And despite all the evidence, all the difficult questions, Wendy is no closer to learning the truth about who this man actually is.

But now she realizes, really realizes. This is clearly an unhinged person, and maybe I'm not safe. I'm just never going to figure this out.

I need to get him out of my life before he does do something really crazy to me. [music playing] That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available.

I'm Michael Ester, an on my podcast, two percent.

I break down the signs of mental toughness, fitness,

“and building resilience in our strange modern world.”

While speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the in practical and way to complex pseudo science that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress.

Put yourself through some hardships. And you will come out on the other side. A happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2 percent. That's TWO percent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever.

You get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Agobot and my next guest. You know from stepbrothers, anchor man, Saturday night live, and the big money players network.

It's Will Ferrell. Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had a lunch with him one day.

“I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot.”

I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place they come. Look for up and coming talent. He said, "If it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you." Which is really sweet.

He goes, "But there's so much lock and ball." And he's like, "Just give it a shot." He goes, "But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall, and it doesn't feel funny anymore, it's okay to quit." If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration.

It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat just hanging in there. Yeah, it would not be... Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot in life. Listen to thanks dad on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, former Bachelor Star Clayton Eckard found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story.

This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctor this particular test twice in selling stretch. I doctor the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for.

Some like the greatest disinfectant. They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Olespiand, Michael Marancini. My mind was blown.

I'm Stephanie Young. This is LoveTrap. Laura, Scottsdale Police.

As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at America, for County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until Justice has served in Arizona. Listen to LoveTrap podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Laura Jones, and I love playing music with people so much that my podcast called Playing Along is Back.

in an intimate setting.

“Every episode is a little different, but it all involves music and conversation”

with some of my favorite musicians.

Over the past two seasons, I've had special guests like Dave Grohl, Lavey, Mavis Staples, Remy Wolf, Jeff Tweedy, really too many to name. And this season, I've sat down with Olesia Cara, Sarah McLaughlin, John Legend, and more.

Check out my new episode with Josh Grobin. You even did the Phantom at that point. Yeah, I was definitely the Phantom and that. That's so funny. So coming out with us in the studio,

and listen to playing along on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's only been a couple of days since Wendy's girls told her gently to leave Derek well alone. When he reaches out again wanting to meet up,

Wendy does decide to go. Maybe this is her chance to end it in person. He asked me to come meet him because he wanted to get his mother a birthday gift. Wendy meets Derek at the jewelry store in a busy shopping centre.

And at first, she brows his solo while Derek does his own thing.

“And then he's like, "Oh, hey, I think I found the gift for my mom."”

Derek shows her a pair of diamond stud earrings, $4,000. And he goes, "Would you try them on?" They're just diamond studs. Everybody knows what they look like on ears. But I put them on, and then he goes, "Well, let's look out in the light."

And he was trying to pull me outside of the store. Wendy looks over at the salesperson for help, but they just nod. I imagine with the patience of all underpaid retail workers who are unwillingly roped into romantic gestures. Outside the jewelry store, under the bright lights of the shopping mall, Derek makes his reveal.

I've already paid for them. They're for you, not my mother. I want to do it to show you that I'm committed to this relationship.

She comes in here to end it.

And now, he's throwing earrings out her. And I'm thinking, "Where is this coming from?" I gave him back those earrings.

“I said, "I do think that you are a con artist."”

And even though I can't put it all together, I don't ever want you to contact me again. A few weeks later, Wendy gets a text. Hi, Wendy. I'm on island. My dad doesn't want me to contact you, blah, blah, blah.

It's from an unknown number. And the taste it claims to be, not Derek. But Derek's daughter. I started laughing. I knew right away it wasn't her because it's texting like adults think teenagers text. No word is written out.

Wendy even shows them to her own daughter. Do you think this is actually from a teenager? Oh, gosh, you know, we don't really text like that. The unknown number sends a follow-up. Oh, my dad would be upset if he knew I was reaching out to you,

but he's in the hospital. Wendy resolutely broke up with Derek. But this is too good of an opportunity to pass up. I call the hospital. He is registered as the patient. I'm like, what?

Wendy's own daughter wants answers now too. She goes, you gotta go down there. You can catch him because you know his daughter's not there. I drive to the hospital. And I go in the room and I see him,

and I'm thinking, where's your daughter? Oh, my friend on island took her. They went to Starbucks. And I'm like, oh, Starbucks closes in like 20 minutes. It's Maui.

Everything closes by 9pm if not earlier. Derek has taken off to get a scan. Wendy sits in his room. Waiting. 20 minutes go by.

Starbucks is closed. Where's your daughter? He just kept saying, oh, well, they must be doing this or that or whatever. And she just didn't come. And so I'm like, okay, you know what?

Whatever. I gotta go home. Wendy doesn't go home because it's time for a good old fashioned steak out. I went and I parked my car across the street.

Eyes trained on the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital main entrance and whites.

“He got discharged and I saw him come out of the hospital.”

He didn't have a vehicle. He didn't have anything. There was nobody to pick him up. Wendy was right. Derek's daughter is nowhere to be seen.

But as she watches him retreat into the distance, she's no closer to finding out the truth. It really was a bummer because nothing made sense. It killed me to not have answers. And to just, I don't know what I'm going to say. But I don't know what I'm going to say.

It really was a bummer because nothing made sense. It killed me to not have answers.

And to just say that I'm never going to have correspondence with him again.

Back in San Francisco, Derek takes a little longer to drop it. He keeps sending emails which Wendy doesn't reply to. He even tries one last sympathy play.

“Telling her that he, in fact, has cancer.”

That she's the love of his life. That he loves her forever. Attaching copies of his ultrasound as proof. I did a Google image search. The ultrasound picture that he sent me was one of the first ones that came up.

Oh wow. So he didn't even try hard. He wasn't trying hard. He wasn't putting in the effort like he used to. I just felt like that was his attempt to lure me back in.

And I didn't take the bait. Instead, she resolves not to respond to Derek ever again. To close the chapter without answers. She sits down at her computer and changes her Wi-Fi password to the immortal words. Derek sucks my one ass.

Wendy is done. Months later, Wendy is walking down Maui's busiest street when her phone rings. Hi, Wendy. You don't know me, but my name's Cindy and we both dated Derek. And I was like, I'm just like that.

Wendy's back in, baby. I'm going to figure out what's going on. Coming up on the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. Something's off about this whole thing.

Something's fishy. She was relentless. He is not going to get away with this. It sounds so familiar.

“She kept saying, can you text her and see if you can get a picture of him?”

And she did. I can tell you neither one of us had any idea what he really was. A terrible, middle-aged, nearly-boulding boyfriend pops up in Minnesota. Bad news. We love like him.

He kind of gave me creepy vibes and runs into a group of known-onsons hockey-loving nurses. We still talk about it.

We always say that trust your girlfriends.

The girlfriend's trust me, babe, is produced by novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from novel, visit novel.ordio. The series is hosted by me, Anison Field. It's produced by Leonahamid. Our assistant producer is Valeria Rocker.

Our editor is Joe Wheeler. Production management from Shree Houston. Joe Savage and Charlotte Wolf. Fact-checking by Daniel Sulayman. Sound design, mixing and scoring by Daniel Kempson and Nicholas Alexander.

The girlfriend's theme was composed by Daniel Kempson and Louise Aguersting. And performed by Daniel Kempson with vocals by Louise Aguersting. Music supervision from Daniel Kempson and Anison Field. The series artwork was designed by Christina Lemcool. Story development by Susie Baker and Olivia Smart.

Novel's director or development is Selena Mehta. Max O'Brien is the executive producer for novel. Katrina Norvel and Nikki Eto are the executive producers for iHeart Podcasts. And the marketing lead is Alison Cantor. Special thanks to Carrie Lieberman and Will Pearson at iHeart Podcasts.

Julie Sensulo and Langston. Carolyn Shrelevin, Katie Gillis, Kelly Hunt. Music Two percent.

On Michael Ester and on my podcast two percent.

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Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up everyone.

I'm EcoBoat and my next guest.

It's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes just give it a shot.

“But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it does”

and it doesn't feel funny more, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar. You know, the cat just hanging there. Yeah, it would not be.

Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot in life. Listen to things that on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, Bachelor Star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax.

“You doctor this particular test twice in silence, right?”

I doctor the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Olespie and Michael Manchini. My mind was blown.

I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura Scott Stelpoise.

As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Nora Jones and my podcast playing along is back with more of my favorite musicians. Check out my newest episode with Josh Grobin. You even know it.

The fans know it that's perfect. Yeah, I was definitely the Phantom of that. That's so funny. Charlie Stelpoise with me tonight. It's morning.

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