The Last Chance Detectives

Chris: Hi, this is Chris. Welcome to a special presentation of Adventures in Odyssey, The Last Chance Detectives. Please keep in mind that Last Chance is aimed for a little older audience than Odyssey and may be intense for younger listeners under the age of 10. So kids, make sure your parents are listening with you, okay? And now, sit back and enjoy The Last Chance Detectives.

Mike Fowler: Previously on The Last Chance Detectives. 40 years ago, Buddy Lewis and the Cats, a hugely successful rock band, got on a plane and vanished, never to be heard from again. With the help of Buddy's former manager, Ray Barnett, the Last Chance Detectives discover the plane's wreckage in the desert.

The case takes a strange turn when Mike, Spence, Winnie, and Ben encounter a hoax and a desert hermit named Crazy Carl with mysterious ties to the band's disappearance. Hi, my name is Mike Fowler. When I was six years old, my dad was my hero. As a fighter pilot, Dad went on dangerous missions. One night, he didn't return. They never found him.

So now, I work on my detective skills, and one day, I hope to find my dad. My clubhouse is a B-17 bomber. My three friends and I solve mysteries in the town of Ambrosia. Together, we're the Last Chance Detectives.

Bobbin' Bill Brannon: It really honestly is an electrifying moment. I am here on the edge of a small lake where we've got a huge crane over here to my left, which is lifting up after 40 years of silence. A small, white private plane is finally resurrected.

Yes, this is it, the Aztec twin-engine plane that carried the legendary band of Buddy Lewis and the Cats. Earlier today, divers recovered the remains. Authorities have yet to make positive identification, but with very little doubt, we are gathered on the spot where Buddy Lewis and his band so tragically, tragically died. This is Bobbin' Bill Brannon. We'll be right back.

Winnie: Wow, hard to believe it's over.

Mike: Hey, kids.

Winnie: Well, look who it is. Mr. Barnett.

Spence: Can't believe he showed his face to us again.

Mr. Barnett: Hey Winnie, Ben, Spence, Mike.

Mike: Hello. What's up? I thought you were...

Mr. Barnett: I'm out on bail. I came here to pay my last respects to a guy who changed my life. Look, Mike. I know you and the rest of the gang think I'm a class-A jerk. But I was just wondering if...

Mike: Yes?

Mr. Barnett: Well, I was wondering if you could forgive me for what I did to y'all.

Winnie: A Last Chance Detective always forgives.

Spence: He doesn't deserve it.

Mike: I don't think forgiveness is something you deserve. Mr. Barnett, yes, I forgive you. I was guilty myself for letting my own ambition get out of hand. How about the rest of you guys? Spence?

Spence: Forgiveness granted.

Winnie: I forgive you. I guess I can, too.

Mr. Barnett: Thank you. This means a lot to me. I guess y'all know I'm facing fraud charges. I just hope I have the chance to clear my name somehow. But I really appreciate you forgiving me.

Mike: You're welcome.

Sheriff Smitty: Hey, Mike! Mike!

Mike: Sheriff Smitty, over here! Be right back, guys.

Sheriff Smitty: I need you to do me a favor.

Mike: Really?

Sheriff Smitty: Well, nothing official. Just tell me what you find.

Mike: What are you looking for?

Sheriff Smitty: Well, we were able to identify all the bodies on the plane. Both of them.

Mike: One was missing?

Sheriff Smitty: Guess which one.

Mike: Buddy Lewis? His body is gone?

Sheriff Smitty: We combed this lake from top to bottom, one end to the other, not a trace.

Mike: That's weird.

Sheriff Smitty: Well, to be honest, there's a lot of things I'd rather be doing right now than tracking down a so-called star.

Mike: You don't sound like much of a Buddy Lewis fan.

Sheriff Smitty: Oh, I like his music all right. But some folks actually call this guy a hero. For what? He sang some catchy songs, went to the top, and he disappears. I'll tell you a hero. You know what else happened that day, February 20th, 1962?

Mike: Oh, boy.

Sheriff Smitty: John Glenn became the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth. Now, there's a hero for you. And if you ever want to look...

Mike: Hold on. Who did you say?

Sheriff Smitty: John Glenn.

Mike: The Senator?

Sheriff Smitty: Well, he was an astronaut before that. Circled the Earth three times and splashed down.

Mike: Whoa! Yeah! Sorry, got to go. Thanks!

Sheriff Smitty: What's gotten into that kid?

Mike: Nothing, it just keeps ringing! Alright, Ben, see if you can catch Mr. Barnett before he leaves town. Go!

Ben: Yeah, but I was thinking...

Mike: Why pick now to start thinking? Don't think, go!

Ben: Okay, okay!

Mike: And the rest of you, come with me.

Winnie: Where?

Mike: We're going to El Dorado.

Spence: And they call Carl the crazy one.

Winnie: Yeah, I still don't get it.

Mike: Okay, think back to the very first broadcast that Bobbin' Bill did at the diner. What did Carl say when Bobbin' Bill put him on the air? Remember?

Bobbin' Bill Brannon: We certainly have a die-hard fan of Buddy Lewis right here, don't we?

Crazy Carl: John Glenn!

Bobbin' Bill Brannon: John Glenn the Senator?

Crazy Carl: John Glenn, he splash down!

Bobbin' Bill Brannon: Yes, he sure did. So, stick around everybody because...

Crazy Carl: John Glenn splash down!

Bobbin' Bill Brannon: Oh, made a big old stain out of it. Now, we are going to be spending more...

Winnie: So, Carl likes John Glenn. Nothing wrong with that.

Mike: And when we asked Carl where he got the leather jacket and the guitar from, he said...

Winnie: John Glenn! But that was all fake, wasn't it? Didn't Mr. Barnett plant the stuff?

Mike: I'm not so sure. Don't you see? John Glenn splashed down the same day Buddy's plane crashed into the lake. I think Carl has two events mixed up. He keeps saying John Glenn splashed down. Carl might have seen Buddy's plane hit the water, and he thought it was John Glenn splashing down.

Spence: So, the John Glenn he keeps talking about may actually have been Buddy Lewis?

Winnie: Wow!

Mike: Okay, I'll go one step further. We've got a body missing, right?

Winnie: Right.

Mike: What if Carl wasn't just there as a witness to the plane crash? What if he was in the plane when it crashed?

Winnie: What are you saying?

Mike: What if Crazy Carl was in fact the real Buddy Lewis?

Spence: Whoa, too weird for me.

Mike: It's logical. Major head trauma is known to be the cause of long-term mental problems, which would explain a split personality disorder.

Winnie: Wait, so you're saying that Buddy survived the plane crash, but he's got amnesia or something?

Spence: So, he thinks he's Carl sometimes, but he mixes it up in his mind with the news about John Glenn.

Winnie: Bizarre theory.

Mike: And we're going to test it in two ways. First, Ben's tracking down Mr. Barnett right now.

Winnie: Our friendly con artist?

Mike: Look, Mr. Barnett knew Buddy better than anybody, right? He could tell us instantly if Carl's the real Buddy Lewis or not.

Winnie: What's your second idea?

Mike: I think it's time for us to talk to Crazy Carl ourselves.

Brian: Find fun for your kids just a click away! And now, Adventures in Odyssey.

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Crazy Carl: Oh, oh no. Go away. Go away, kids.

Mike: No. Look, I just want to ask you a few questions.

Crazy Carl: Oh no, no questions.

Mike: But Carl...

Crazy Carl: No, leave Carl! Leave now, please!

Mike: Carl, you put that tape on our quad runner, didn't you? Carl?

Crazy Carl: No questions, please.

Mike: That was you, wasn't it?

Crazy Carl: John Glenn told me to!

Mike: Uh-huh. And where did you get the tape?

Crazy Carl: John Glenn gave it to me! No more questions now, please.

Mike: Carl, I'm sorry, but I've got to. You were there the day the plane went down, weren't you?

Crazy Carl: John Glenn, John Glenn splashed down!

Mike: Right, right, the splashdown. Look, can you tell me what John Glenn looks like?

Crazy Carl: John Glenn, John Glenn looked like... like me.

Winnie: He really is Buddy Lewis! Wow!

Mike: Listen, Carl. I'm sorry I made you feel bad. We just want to help you. That must be Ben and Mr. Barnett. Now, I want you to tell me the honest truth.

Buddy Lewis: Carl doesn't lie. John! You okay, Carl?

Spence: No way! It's another one! Another Crazy Carl!

Winnie: I feel like I'm seeing double.

Crazy Carl: John, John, they make me tell. I'm sorry.

Buddy Lewis: It's okay, Carl. It's okay.

Mike: Are you John? As in John Glenn?

Crazy Carl: Oh yes, yes, he John Glenn.

Mike: Then that would make you the real Buddy Lewis.

Spence: Ben's tracking down Ray's phone again. Maybe it's working now. Give me that!

Mr. Barnett: Hey! You're not calling anybody.

Mike: Easy, mister. Just let us out of here, okay?

Mr. Barnett: You're not going anywhere.

Crazy Carl: I'm sorry, John. They make me tell. I don't want to tell them, but they make me. Are you mad at me?

Buddy Lewis: Hey, hey. I'm not mad at you, Carl. It's okay. Everything's alright, okay?

Spence: The cell phone! Don't worry, I hit redial just before he grabbed it.

Winnie: Redial? It'll dial the last person you called.

Spence: And that would be...

Bobbin' Bill Brannon: Hello? Hello? Hello? I can hear people talking, but nobody's on the phone itself.

Mr. Barnett: It might be Spence trying to reach us. Here, I'll put it on speaker.

Mike: Mr. Lewis? What are you going to do with us?

Buddy Lewis: What did you call me?

Mike: Mr. Lewis. As in Buddy Lewis.

Buddy Lewis: Don't you ever call me that again.

Mr. Barnett: It almost sounds like him.

Mike: But isn't that your real name?

Buddy Lewis: Buddy Lewis was nothing but an arrogant fool with nothing on his mind except himself. I pray I'm never that man again.

Mr. Barnett: That's him! I'd recognize that voice anywhere! Buddy! Buddy, it's Ray! Answer me! Guess he can't hear you. Why'd you hang up?

Ben: Got some important phone calls to make, kid. My name is Ben.

Mr. Barnett: Bill? Bill? Ray! Yeah, yeah, I know. But hold on. You're not going to believe this.

Buddy Lewis: It's okay. It's okay, Carl.

Crazy Carl: They say I Buddy Lewis!

Buddy Lewis: No, Carl. Buddy Lewis is long gone.

Mike: But John Glenn survived, right?

Buddy Lewis: I pulled him out.

Mike: Will you leave Carl alone? If you leave him alone, I'll tell you everything you need to know.

Buddy Lewis: Okay.

Mike: So, what's the deal with John Glenn?

Buddy Lewis: Well, that was the big news then. Radio, newspapers, TV, you know. John Glenn, America's first astronaut to orbit the Earth. Everybody was talking about it. I guess Carl had heard about it, too. He was fishing at the lake that day.

Bobbin' Bill Brannon: John Glenn Jr. has become the first American to orbit the Earth. His spaceflight now comes to a close as he's set to splash down in less than five minutes. His last...

Crazy Carl: Oh! John Glenn, he splashed down today! Come, fish. Come on. I make you a nice fish dinner. Hurry before it rains, please. Come on. Here, fishy, fishy, fishy. Here, fishy, fishy, fishy. John Glenn! He splashed down! John Glenn, I help you!

Come on! Oh, my head. Oh! Oh, John Glenn, please come. I take you to my home. You on my neck. I swim. You be alright, John.

Buddy Lewis: Next thing I knew, I was here in Carl's cabin.

Crazy Carl: Oh, John Glenn, get better now.

Buddy Lewis: Where... where am I? And who are you?

Crazy Carl: I Carl. Nick! Maybe you hear Nick? Andy? I look for your friends. Yeah, yeah, I not, I not find them. I'm sorry. But I, but I find these two wheels by the water.

Buddy Lewis: These aren't wheels. They're reel-to-reel tapes. One more time, guys.

I drifted in and out for weeks, but Carl slowly nursed me back to health.

Crazy Carl: The Lord he my shepherd. I don't want nothing but him. He make me lie down in the green pasture, and then he take me through the water. He bring back my soul and lead me down the path of right for his sake. Even though I walk through the shadow and in the valley of death, I not afraid because he right there.

Buddy Lewis: Carl became my teacher. He taught me how to put others ahead of myself, taught me how to love unconditionally. Well, he taught me what life was really all about. And I had a lot to learn.

Winnie: So, does Carl know you're actually Buddy Lewis?

Crazy Carl: Oh, you John Glenn! John Glenn, my buddy!

Winnie: So, you dressed alike, grew the same kind of beard?

Buddy Lewis: Yeah. I became like Carl, you know. I was more than happy to take on a new identity. And you might not understand this, but I'm happier and more fulfilled now than I ever was as Buddy Lewis. I've really enjoyed the peace I found. When I heard the news about Ray, I knew he was up to another scam.

Spence: So, that's when you planted the real tape on our quad runner?

Buddy Lewis: Right. I figured it would point to the truth and expose Ray.

Mike: Well, it worked.

Buddy Lewis: Yeah. I only hope you kids understand. And please, don't tell anyone. This place would be crawling with fans and it would ruin Carl. So, please? Don't worry.

Winnie: We'll keep it to ourselves.

Mike: Spence? You don't agree?

Spence: I agree, but we've got a slight problem here.

Mike: What?

Spence: The open phone.

Mr. Barnett: I'm telling you, Bill, that's Buddy. I was his producer. I know the guy better than his mama did. Look, I'll get back to you. Hey, kid!

Ben: Ben!

Mr. Barnett: Yeah, whatever, Ben. Looks like we're going to have to part ways.

Ben: But wait, I can help you!

Mr. Barnett: Oh, yeah? Well then, how about telling me where Buddy is?

Ben: He, he's at Crazy Carl's.

Mr. Barnett: Crazy Carl's. Hey, thanks for your help. I'll take it from here.

Ben: But!

Mr. Barnett: This story's mine! No hard feelings, kid.

Ben: My name is Ben!

Mike: Mr. Barnett's phone is still giving me a busy signal.

Winnie: Maybe the redial never went through.

Spence: Yeah, maybe we don't have anything to worry about. Uh-oh. It looks like a news chopper. Oh no!

Bobbin' Bill Brannon: And this is truly a remarkable story. We're circling above what used to be a silver mine, a tiny little town unto itself, now abandoned. And down below, it's an old, weather-beaten shack. This is supposedly where Buddy Lewis has been living for 40 years now.

There's a quad runner parked out back, no sign of any movement that I can see in the shack itself. Wait, the door is open! Go, go, go! Keep going, go! And it looks like four people are emerging. Two boys, a girl, and what I can only describe as an old desert rat. He has a guitar slung on his back, and he's making a run for some quad runners nearby. That's him! I know that guitar! That's Buddy!

Wow, we've got news vans and satellite trucks from almost all the major networks, and they're converging on the scene. Completely surrounding them, in fact. There is no escape. We're going to land. We'll be right back at you after this word.

And he's wearing ratty clothes and a large floppy hat with this long gray beard. He is certainly not the dashing young man he used to be. And it appears Buddy is ready for his moment in history. Not only that, but the very first thing we will hear is his music. You ready? He's nodding his head. And now, ladies and gentlemen, in his first performance in over 40 years, I give you the legendary Buddy Lewis!

Buddy Lewis: Three-tasseled Charlie...

Bobbin' Bill Brannon: Sir, I don't mean to interrupt like this, but I think we've heard enough. Plenty enough. Ladies and gentlemen, there's nothing wrong with your radio. We've just been scammed once again by our good friend Ray Barnett. We'll be right back here on the National Radio Network. Ray!

Buddy Lewis: Good girl. You just stay right here. Winnie ought to be along any minute. And thanks for the ride. That's right. So long now.

Mike: Well, that's it. Last box.

Ben: Hard to believe we had all that stuff in the plane. 47 boxes.

Mike: Going to miss this old plane.

Winnie: Me too. Well, at least we're all still together. That's the most important thing.

Spence: Group hug!

Sheriff Smitty: Hey Mike! Everyone!

Detectives: Hi, Sheriff!

Sheriff Smitty: Just wanted to let you know that we never did find that missing body from the plane wreckage. Strangest thing.

Mike: Yeah, sure is strange alright.

Sheriff Smitty: Well, I guess I'll do some moseying back to the... oh, almost forgot. Pop asked me to drop off this little package to you, Mike.

Mike: Oh, thank you, Sheriff.

Sheriff Smitty: You're welcome. Now, you guys stay out of trouble.

Detectives: Okay, Sheriff! Bye, Sheriff!

Mike: Well, time to say goodbye to the Lady Liberty.

Winnie: Can we have one last meeting inside?

Mike: Yeah. Good idea, Winnie. And that wraps it up. Our last meeting in the Lady Liberty is hereby adjourned.

Ben: Hard to believe it's over.

Spence: Yeah, lots of memories in this place.

Winnie: Oh, hey Mike, what's in the package?

Mike: I don't know. Let's see. Hey, it's from Buddy Lewis!

Winnie: Buddy! What's it say?

Mike: Dear Mike, Winnie, Ben, and Spence. I wanted to send this package to you as my way of saying thanks for all you've done. Carl arrived safely. I took your advice, Mike, and I've been selling some Buddy Lewis memorabilia online, anonymously. Got enough to afford Carl some new teeth.

He told me your predicament, by the way, about the B-17. I hope the enclosed package helps you. Again, thanks very much. Buddy.

Winnie: What is it?

Mike: A reel-to-reel tape! Track one! I think I'm in love!

Spence: No way!

Winnie: Can you believe this?

Mike: Remarkable!

Winnie: Remarkable? I'd say it's a miracle! It's the most sought-after tape in music history! And he gave it to us!

Spence: Wait, so this means...

Mike: We'll have enough money to save the plane!

Brian: So, how'd you like today's show? I'm Brian and we'd like to know. Just drop us a note in the mail. Send it to The Last Chance Detectives, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995. In Canada, that's P.O. Box 9800, Vancouver, B.C., V6B 4G3. You can also log on to lastchancedetectives.com.

And if you'd like a copy of today's show, just mention the title, Mystery of the Lost Voices, Episode 8. What will the Last Chance Detectives do for an encore? All I can say is, there's a huge explosion, a strange message, and a mysterious encounter with the FBI.

The Last Chance Detectives is a presentation of Focus on the Family, created by Robert Vernon. Mystery of the Lost Voices was written by John Fornoff and Robert Vernon. Directed by John Fornoff. Mike was played by Adam Wylie. Winnie was Mae Whitman. Spence was AJ Noel, and Ben was Daryl Sabara.

Our cast included Jess Harnell, Steve Kanaly, Townsend Coleman, and Daran Norris. Engineered by Jonathan Crow. Sound design by Gap Digital. And our producers were John Fornoff and Bob Hoose. Hope you enjoyed today's show. You're always welcome back for another mystery adventure of the Last Chance Detectives.