COOPER: Saturday. March 18th. About half past two in the afternoon. Lunch today was homemade macaroni and cheese, brought into the station by a neighbour down the road. Harry and I split a rather stale donut for dessert, but you won't hear me complaining—a stale donut is better than no donut at all. (Pause) At this point, since my suspension is still in place, these tapes are a formality. A habit I've grown accustomed to, and which I can't bear to part with just yet. I hope you don't mind. (Deep sigh) The vagrant killed by Windom Earle suffered the safe fate as Caroline—that much I knew the moment I saw him, but it was confirmed by the county morgue today. The position of the body in relation to the chess board was such that the meaning is absolutely crystal clear: it relates precisely to Windom's next move. It's a sick game we're playing. I need to be sharp. Sharper than sharp. It's why I need help. I must find a way to win a game against a foe I never once managed to best in all the years we played together. (Pause) It feels a gargantuan task. And added to that is the mystery surrounding Josie and the murder of a Chinese businessman in Seattle. Harry asked me to investigate this personally. It's not an easy task, I imagine, to face the possibility that the woman you love is also a murderer. Regardless, I'll be sending you evidence as I collect it. Please see to it that Albert and his crew get it. I don't need to tell you the ramifications were I to get caught using Bureau resources to investigate a murder possibly committed by the girlfriend of a dear personal friend, all while still under a suspension from that self-same Bureau…if this is too much to ask of you, I will understand. (Pause) Major Briggs has confessed to us his doubts about the sincerity and moral righteousness of his Air Force compatriots in their search for the White Lodge. He suspects they may have ulterior motives. I am eagerly awaiting the Project Bluebook materials you have compiled for me. This mystery—like all others in this town—seems to be bottomless. (Pause) I have also seen Audrey for what I feel might be the last time in a long while. Her hurt and disillusionment with me knows no bounds. If only she could understand…this is the best way I know of to keep her safe…
COOPER: Diane, it's not quite midnight on Sunday; I'm heading back to the Great Northern for some sorely missed mattress time—and I don't mean that in the purple sense, so get your mind out of the gutter. I have been subsisting on cat naps and shut eye taken wherever there's a horizontal surface on which to rest my head. I desperately need a shower, a shave, and though I imagine I will sleep fitfully, it will be nice to be "home," so to speak, to do it. (Deep breath) Today was eventful, as all our days have been lately. Leo Johnson is missing, having awoken from his catatonic state before trying to murder his wife Shelly with an axe. Her lover, Bobby Briggs, insists that Hank Jennings was the one who shot Leo, which brings up questions about parole violations. I'm sure it won't be long before Hank is back behind bars. (Pause) On a more serious note, I won't need to be sending you any evidence collected regarding Josie Packard's case, as I gave fibres pulled from one of her coats directly to Albert for analysis—he arrived today, in one piece and bringing with him a nice fat stack of Project Bluebook materials. Thank you, Diane. (Pause) The fibres were a perfect match. Albert is convinced Josie was the one who shot me, and is the one who shot the Asian man—Jonathan—in Seattle, and he'll be doing forensics tests on her gloves and the bullets from both crimes. Truman doesn't know any of this, and I'm afraid of how he'll take it if that's what the evidence points to. (Pause) While I was glad to see Albert today, his presence brought with it more troubling news that sticks in the forefront of my mind: the links in the Windom Earle case to Caroline. The articles of clothing sent to police stations: all pieces of Caroline's wedding attire. The locations of those police stations: mapping out the letter 'C' on the continental United States. The fact that the vagrant's last name was Powell: that was Caroline's last name. This means Windom has put much more thought and effort into this than we would have expected from someone in his professed mental state. He clearly harbours resentment towards me for the part I played, however inadvertently, in Caroline's death. That kind of madness doesn't just go away. I fear this will be a long fight…(Pause) We have enlisted Pete's help to see this chess game through to its conclusion. One thing Windom always used to say was that any game's conclusion is foregone the moment the first piece is moved on the board. You know how I feel about fate, Diane. I'm hoping that the outcome of this match is favourable to us and that if it's not...well, that there's still time to make it right.
COOPER: As predicted, I have been unable to find the repose my body craves, but not for the reasons you might believe. Diane, Windom Earle was in my room tonight. (Softly) He left Caroline's death mask on my pillow, along with another cassette. I'm shaken to the core, Diane. I don't know if I will—or even if I can—get any sleep tonight.
COOPER: Diane, Josie Packard is dead. Possibly from fear. And while I am absolutely certain that she tried to take my life, I feel both sadness and even sympathy at the loss of hers. Sheriff Truman is suffering terribly as a result. (Pause) When Josie died, I saw a vision: BOB, and the midget from my dream. Windom Earle...BOB...the midget...is there a connection, Diane? Do these events foretell BOB's return? I hope not...for all our sakes. (Pause) Harry, as I mentioned, is beside himself. I know only too well what he is going through. Caroline has been on my thoughts often over the course of these last few days, and now even more so as I watch Harry go through what he's going through. (Sigh) I suppose now would be the time to bring you up to speed on the other recent developments in town: Nadine Hurley persists in the belief that she is a high school senior, and has fallen in love with Mike Nelson, football star and All-American poster boy. Word has it that Bobby Briggs is shacked up with Shelly the waitress. At the same time, Shelly's husband, Leo, is still somewhere in the woods. Ben Horne has suddenly become an environmentalist, and enlisted the aid of one John Justice Wheeler to help him save the pine weasel. (Chuckle, then a pause) Meanwhile, Pete Martell and I continue formulating a stalemate game. I can only wait for Earle's next move…