Sam pursed his lips, nodding. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Present Day
All my life people have underestimated me. Thought they were better than me. Tried to control me. So once I earned my place, understood the power I had, I wasn’t going to let it go. I was finally going to use it. It felt so good—almost euphoric—to take back control. Be the one holding the power. But then it was almost taken from me. Because I was careless.
Stay away. Stay out of it. The words still echo in my mind.
But I didn’t listen. I let my guard down and then it was too late. If I wanted to keep my secrets safe, I needed to act. I figured I was already going to hell, had already sold my soul, so it made my decision easy.
You probably sensed it, but I’ve always had a darkness in me. I just hadn’t fully embraced it.
Chapter 32
According to the theorists, Paul McCartney died in a car accident in 1966 and the band—and allegedly British intelligence services—replaced him with an imposter. The first article on the conspiracy was published in an Iowa university’s student newspaper in September of 1969, but public interest peaked the following month when a caller told a Detroit radio host to put on the Beatles’White Albumand to spin the intro from “Revolution 9” backward. When the host played it, he confirmed that he heard the words “Turn me on, dead man.” After that, the rumor quickly spread across the nation, prompting other radio hosts to discuss the theory on air as fans searched for even more clues in the band’s music, especially in the newly releasedAbbey Road.
And now, fifty-five years later, there are detailed articles, subreddits, social media threads, videos, and even entire websites dedicated to the topic.
Naomi knows about Beatlemania—who doesn’t—but she’s still shocked to see how deep the theory goes. As she continues to read about it, she discovers that some fans believe the album cover forAbbey Roadis symbolic of a funeral procession, with John as the preacher in white, Ringo as the undertaker in black, Imposter Paul as the barefoot corpse, and George as the gravedigger in denim. Fans point out that Paul is holding a cigarette in his right hand, even though the “real Paul” was a lefty, and they also reference the license plate of the Volkswagen in the background as a sign, saying “28 IF” is how old Paul would have beenifhe were alive.
Diving deeper, Naomi learns that it’s not justAbbey Roadthat holds clues, butSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Bandas well. Naomi studies an image of the cover shot, which features the four members of the Beatles in colorful band outfits. Behind the quartet is a crowd, made up of various cut-outs and images of celebrities and other notable faces, like Marilyn Monroe and Edgar Allan Poe. Red flowers in front of the group spell outBEATLES. According to some fans, though, the cover includes a treasure trove of clues from the band, hinting that Paul is in fact dead. A fansite’s blog post breaks it down, claiming that the black color of Paul’s instrument represents death, while the wood represents a coffin. Then, there is the fact that Paul is facing straight, while the others are angled toward him, almost like they’re propping him up—like a corpse. Finally, there are the flowers: Red hyacinths aka the mythological flower for death, which are reminiscent of a memorial, inferring that the entire album cover could be symbolizing a burial ceremony… Paul’s burial specifically, since the yellow hyacinths next to the red ones spell out the letter “P” when turned sideways.
Naomi laughs in astonishment. She knows it’s ridiculous to even consider whether it’s true or not, but the incredibly specific details make the theory hard to dismiss. She also knows the more she digs online, the crazier and deeper the conspiracy will get, so instead she decides to call someone who she trusts. Someone level-headed and logical.
“Naomi?” Joel answers. “Everything alright?”
“All good,” she says, her face flushing as she thinks of their conversation earlier this morning. She pitches her voice higher than usual, feigning innocence. “I just wanted to quickly ask you about something if that’s okay? It’s nothing to do with… you know…” She doesn’t dare speak Harlow’s name to him.
“Okay…” She can hear the trepidation in his voice.
“So I’ve been doing what you said, taking a break and trying to forget about the case…” She clears her throat, hoping he can’t tell she’s lying. “And in my quest to distract myself I’ve stumbled across something really interesting. Something you actually mentioned to me before, to do with the Beatles…”
“Oh yeah?” He sounds intrigued.
“Yeah, you briefly mentioned the ‘Paul is dead’ theory a few days ago, and then today I met a street artist who truly subscribed to the conspiracy. That then prompted me to research it a bit more, which then made me think an article on it could be of interest to our readers. I already did some research but wanted to see if you think I’m missing anything and if it sounds like a good piece.”
Her heart thumps wildly in her chest as she waits for him to respond, hoping he doesn’t see through her half-truths.
“Hmmm, that could work as a feature piece… what do you want to know?”
After exhaling a sigh of relief, Naomi explains everything she’s learned and pauses for Joel’s reaction.
“I’m impressed,” he says. “You got most of it.”
“What am I missing?”
“Okay, well at the end of ‘I Am the Walrus,’ you can hear ‘O, untimely death!’ from a broadcast of King Lear.”
“Interesting…” Naomi’s eyes widen, intrigued, as she quickly jots it down.
“If you think that’s good,” Joel continues, “you’ll have a great time with this one… So it sounds like you’re aware of most of the clues from the front of the iconicAbbey Roadalbum cover. But did you also know that if you hold a butter knife to the back cover, you can see a reflection of a human skull?”
Naomi’s head spins as a memory comes to her. One of her mom doing something with a butter knife and an album in the kitchen.
“Oh, and you can’t forget about ‘Strawberry Fields Forever,’ where at the end of it John Lennon mumbles ‘I buried Paul.’”
“Seriously?” Naomi laughs. “I can’t believe I never heard all this before.”
“Well, it’s just a conspiracy theory, obviously. He’s not actually dead…”
