Hello friend. This season of foul play is going to be different. If you've been a listener for a long time, you might remember Wendy from helping me narrate the map season.

She has a British accent, if that helps ring a bell.

The first time I met Wendy was at CrimeCon in Nashville, Tennessee.

It was 2018, and Jimma Hoskins and I was there to speak about the Netflix series The Keepers.

In a huge room, full of hundreds of people, there was a British lady with bright red hair

sitting in the middle of the front row.

Later when she came up to me, she introduced herself as Wendy,

and immediately we became friends.

In time, Wendy started to help manage the Foulplay social media accounts, and that eventually led

into her helping me work on cases.

I remember the first time we thought, maybe she could give writing a script a chance.

After all, I told her.

If I could do it, anyone could.

And boy did she turn out to be one hell of a script writer.

Together, Wendy and I have used storytelling and

podcasting to weave together many crime stories. But for this story, on this

season I'm going to let her take the wheel and weave it herself.

Wendy, I'm proud of you.

And I always knew the day would come when you'd be ready to share this story.

Listener, I hope you don't mind if I take a seat next to you on this one, as we hear the story

together. You're going to be. Are you hoping I die so that you can use the insurance money to sort out your mess?

These words were scribbled on a scrap of paper that was found by police as they searched the house of Sharon Birchwood for clues following her murder.

...