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This episode originally aired in 2020.

A listener note, this episode contains references to suicide and may not be suitable for younger audiences. It's late at night in mid-March 1996, several miles outside Lincoln, Montana, two men creep

through a forest.

Their boots crunch on the snow and leaves, and their breath rises in clouds. One of the men stops and squints at the trees ahead.

The man's name is Max Noel, and even though he's dressed in camouflage,

he's not looking for deer.

He and the other man are FBI agents and right now they're searching for something

else, tripwires, booby traps, anything that could lead to an explosion.

Noel scans the forest. It's nearly pitch black. Their only help is the pale moonlight that breaks through the trees.

Still, from what he can see, nothing stands out. So Noel turns to the other agent and the two exchange nods. They continue creeping through the snow.

Soon they stop next to a tall pine tree. From here Noel can see a small wooden structure about a hundred yards away.

He exhales deeply. The cabin belongs to Ted Kaczynski, the man they suspect to be the

Unabomber. Noel quickly scans the tall tree.

Then he turns to his partner and gives a thumbs up.

This is where they'll set up the microphone and motion sensor.

These tools will give them unparalleled access to Kaczynski, and that's something they need

right now, because for the past week the FBI hasn't made enough progress.

They've been spying on Kaczynski, but they've been staying far away and the trees of the forest

have interfered with their sight lines. Now they need to get closer and they need to gather

more hard evidence. After 17 long years of hunting the Unabomber, they're not about to let

...