A listener note. This story contains adult content and language.

The private detective instructed Debra Nuel to take certain precautions.

She should change hotels every few nights. She should study the crowd when she entered a room.

She should look behind her to see if she was being followed. Find new places to eat,

change her routine, sell her car, get a dark wig to cover her conspicuous blonde hair.

Did your stylish outfits for bland ones? Blend in.

She had more than 300 pages of document she'd taken from her husband John's home office,

and during the frantic weeks of early 2015, she was pouring through them trying to

determine the scope of his criminal past. Every line deepened her fear.

John was in the hospital, but she feared he might get out any day and come after her.

So she followed the private eyes instructions on making herself a difficult target.

But one suggestion she didn't follow. One thing she refused to do. That was to arm herself.

She hated guns. 31 years earlier, her only sister had been killed by one.

From the Los Angeles Times and Wondery, this is Dirty John. I'm Christopher Gofford.

Part 4. Forgiveness

Right after the bat, we knew this guy was a professional. I was scared for myself.

I was scared for my aunt. I was scared for my family. That once he got out of the hospital,

that he was going to, you know, take some physical retaliation for us catching up on him.

This is Deborah's nephew, Shad Vickers, who helped her hide. Shad studied John's record.

To him, it had the look of a man who had managed again and again to avoid punishment for his crimes.

You could see how case to smith, case to smith, case to smith, case to smith.

Probably when we just said, forget it. I don't want to deal with it. If I can just get it dismissed.

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