Original subtitles

"Beyond Belief--

Fact or fiction."

Hosted by Jonathan Frakes.

Tonight, your challenge is to separate what

is true from what is false.

Five stories-- some real, some fake.

Can you judge which are fact and which are fiction?

To find out, you must enter a world

of both truth and deception.

A world that is beyond belief.

Sometimes truth and illusion

are one in the same. For example, this simple spiral.

It measures precisely 13 inches.

Now, watch as I stretch it out.

What does it measure now?

Exactly the same.

The truth is that it only appears to be stretching out.

Nothing about its measurements are changing.

Truth and illusion side by side, just as in tonight's stories.

We'll tell you which are true and which are

false at the end of the show.

And keep in mind, what appears true may in fact be false.

And what appears to be a fabrication

may not be a stretch at all.

Does your computer ever seem to have a mind of its own?

Does it ever hide a file from you

or sometimes print a file you didn't ask for?

And if the communication between your computer and your printer

breaks down, this can be the result.

Valerie Simms was going to take some time

off to be alone with her thoughts,

her hopes, and her computer.

But what's about to happen to her,

no computer could possibly program.

I had been happily

married for the past 18 years.

I had a supportive husband and a great son.

And then one day out of the blue,

I was hit with a full blown midlife crisis.

Something was missing, I was feeling terribly unfulfilled.

I had always wanted to be a writer

but I never seemed to have the time.

There was always something else to do.

And the writing just kept getting pushed to the next day.

I finally decided to take a stand

and commit myself to my writing.

I knew I couldn't do it at home, so I rented a small house

on Moonstruck Beach to try and knock

out the great American novel.

It was the perfect setting--

quiet, and inspiring.

I was just having a little trouble getting started.

It was amazing, when I was at home,

I always had a million stories running through my head.

Now I couldn't think of one.

I'd been working on a couple of ideas for about a week

but I wasn't getting anywhere at all.

My husband, Joe, called almost every day offering

words of encouragement.

Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.

The name's Jerry--

Jerry Corbin.

I'm the caretaker around here.

Valerie Simms.

I know, I got about a half dozen houses

that I take care of.

You must keep pretty busy.

I do, there's always something.

You need anything done?

Uh, no, no.

No, no everything seems to be fine.

Cool.

I live in that little house right up the hill.

If you need anything, anything at all just give a holler.

Thanks, I will.

VALERIE SIMMS I took

a long walk hoping to break through my writer's block.

Then suddenly, I saw it.

It was gone.

I could have sworn I saw a woman's body

lying in that same exact spot.

There was nothing there.

I must have seen a shadow but it looked so real from up there.

I needed to relax and figure out why I was seeing things.

But then things kept getting stranger.

I hadn't written anything and I wondered

where it had come from.

As I caught the reflection in the glass,

I clearly saw the name Deanna Lindsay.

It was everywhere on the page.

I kept asking myself over and over

again, who was Deanna Lindsay?

I didn't know anyone by that name.

What was going on here?

I was feeling very uneasy, even a little afraid.

It's just me, Mrs. Simms.

Oh, hi Jerry.

I was going to make a run to the market,

and wondered if you needed anything?

- No thanks. - All right, I'll see you later.

Jerry, have you ever heard of a woman called Deanna Lindsay?

Deanna Lindsay?

Yeah, sure.

She rented this house about a year ago.

She was a writer just like you.

Oh.

It was terrible, I mean she committed suicide.

She jumped off the bluff and they found her on the rocks.

Why do you ask?

Um, well I just remember reading something

about it in the paper.

Oh yeah, it's a big story around here.

It was pretty sad, she was a real nice woman.

So are you sure can bring you back something?

No, thanks.

VALERIE SIMMS I could

not get the image of that woman's

dead body out of my mind.

I wondered if this was where they found Deanna Lindsey.

Was it her I saw?

But how could that be.

Nothing was making any sense.

All I could think about was getting in my car

and driving as far away from that beach house

as I possibly could.

Come on!

Come on!

Why won't you start!

Having a little car trouble Mrs. Simms?

Get out of the car!

I told you, get out of that car!

I told you, get out of that car!

VALERIE SIMMS The Sheriff

found Jerry Corbin lying in the driveway unconscious.

He eventually admitted to pushing Deanna Lindsay

off the bluffs and to the murder of two other women in the area.

I went back home after that and wrote my first novel.

I called it, "Moonstruck Beach."

Was it really the ghost of Deanna Lindsey

who visited Valerie Simms?

Could the printout have been some sort of psychic connection

from one writer to another, or were the messages

typed by Jerry Corbin?

Was he playing some sort of twisted game?

Whatever happened, three murders were solved

and one was prevented.

Is this story a garbled work of fiction or does

it actually reflect the truth?

We'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a dying woman is visited by a mysterious stranger on,

"Beyond Belief-- Fact or Fiction."

Hospital rooms can be drab depressing places.

That's why it's a thoughtful and helpful gesture

to send patients gifts to cheer their spirits.

In fact, many psychologists believe there's a healing

power in gifts like these.

Along with, of course, personal visits.

Ruth Atkins is seriously ill in a room at Mercy Hospital.

Nobody's sending anything to her room.

Right now, nurse Peyton is concerned.

She's about to be astounded.

NURSE PEYTON I never

wanted to work in one of those sprawling medical centers

where the patients were only referred

to by their room number, or by their insurance

company billing ID.

So I was glad to find a job at Mercy

Memorial where I could give my patients personal attention.

One of those patients was Ruth Atkins.

She had arrived at the hospital in a comatose state

due to acute blood acidosis--

a potentially fatal condition.

Sadly, she had no visitors in the three days

since she'd been admitted.

How's Mrs. Atkins doing?

Oh, she's not getting any better.

Her blood pH levels are down and her blood

pressure is extremely low.

Well it's likely she'll never come out of that coma.

It's just sad that she has to be alone at a time like this.

It's not like she'd know if anyone was here.

I-- I really believe that comatose patients can sense

the presence of a loved one.

Well, then you'll be glad to know the hospital's been

able to locate Mrs. Atkins son.

Oh really, is he going to come see her?

Well, he's in the Navy stationed

on a ship in the Bering Sea.

But he is trying to arrange a leave.

Well, I just pray that he gets here in time.

It was later that same day when I

saw a man visiting Mrs. Atkins.

He's not on this floor.

Yes but oddly doctors don't report their whereabouts to me.

Well, it looks like Mrs. Atkins finally has a visitor.

I hadn't noticed.

The hospital community liaison might have

notified Mrs. Atkins church.

Yes?

Yeah he must be her minister.

Huh, it looks like Mrs. Atkins blood pressure has improved.

With Mrs. Atkins particular illness,

it was unheard of for a patient to experience

such sudden improvement.

The doctors couldn't explain it but I

was grateful just the same.

It may have bought enough time for her son to see

his mother one last time.

As it turned out, Mrs. Atkins improvement had been temporary.

Her vital signs dipped back down during the night.

Prognosis wasn't promising and her son hadn't arrived yet.

Joanie, I know how much you wanted

Mrs. Atkins to pull through.

I know how much you root for all your patients

but it's going to wear you down if you keep

getting this emotionally involved with every patient

that you care for.

I didn't become a nurse so that I could be

disinterested in the outcome.

But, you have to realize that for Mrs.

Atkins to pull through this, it would take a miracle.

Well I happen to believe in miracles.

Deep down, I knew

the senior nurse was right--

I shouldn't hold out hope.

But then, just as before, Mrs. Atkins condition

suddenly improved.

The man continued to visit her regularly and with each visit

Mr. Atkins seemed to get better.

Eventually, she came out of her coma,

baffling the doctors once again.

When her son arrived, we were able to greet him

with the best possible news.

His mother was headed for a full recovery.

They want to keep an eye on me a little longer but they say

I'll be able to go home soon.

Well, looks like you fooled all those doctors.

They didn't know my mother was made of such tough stuff.

With her condition stabilized,

Mrs. Atkins moved out of intensive care

and into a private room on a lower floor.

Thank you for taking such good care of my mother.

Joanie, come in.

Hi, I just finished my shift so I thought I'd drop by.

Wow, your room looks so cheery!

My son brought some things from home to make

me feel more comfortable.

What beautiful flowers.

Some people from the church brought those by yesterday,

when they looked in on me.

Oh, that reminds me, I stopped by because I found

your Bible in your room in ICU.

How on earth did it get there?

Oh, I think that your minister left it there.

My minister?

Your visitor.

It's a beautiful Bible.

My husband gave me this Bible.

We used to go to church every Sunday.

Here's a photo of us taken on Easter a few years back.

Oh, this is your husband.

He has such a warm and comforting smile.

I thought he was your minister.

Oh, heavens no.

Martin was never in the clergy.

He was a building contractor until he

passed away two years ago.

But, that man who was just here--

You're the first visitor I've had today, dear.

After questioning her coworkers,

Joanie learned she was the only person who ever saw the man

at Mrs. Atkins' bedside.

Did Ruth Atkins' late husband actually return as an angel

to visit her every day?

Or was it Joanie's own faith that

permitted her to see a miracle?

But how do you explain that it was

only after Joanie saw Mr. Atkins that Ruth started to recover?

If you're looking for truth here,

can you walk right in or are visiting hours over?

We'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a biking trip turns into a disaster.

On "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

Ever gone mountain biking?

Bikes like these are not only great exercise,

they're made to go over rough terrain--

hills, gullies, and streams--

wherever the adventures lie.

Peter and Gary Vollard are a father and son pair

who love to go mountain biking.

In fact, it's a family tradition.

But as we all know, sometimes family traditions

can turn into disasters.

JONATHAN FRAKES Gary Vollard

was a marketing executive for a successful sports equipment

company in Denver, Colorado.

Every summer for the past 16 years,

Gary had accompanied his father, Peter, on a mountain

biking trip to Aspen.

This was the first time since he was 12 that Gary

wasn't joining his father.

And although he was stuck behind the desk,

his thoughts kept drifting towards Aspen.

Gary?

Gary, are you with me here?

Yeah sorry, I just spaced out for a second.

So what about that shipment of snowboards?

I just told you, they left yesterday, right on schedule.

I'm sorry Kathy, my mind is somewhere else today.

You should have gone trail biking with your dad.

I wish I could have but all these orders came in,

I had to be here.

Well you're not exactly here.

I think it's great how close you two are.

I bet they're flying down Monument Trail, right now.

JONATHAN FRAKES At that moment,

Gary's two boyhood friends, CJ and Kenny,

were leading the way.

But Gary's dad wasn't far behind.

Can you believe last drop?

Came jamming down that thing so fast.

My hip!

I hit those rocks.

Yeah, I almost bought it.

Oh looky, looky here comes Peter.

Hey, was that incredible or what?

I hate to admit it guys, that trail is getting

tougher and tougher every year.

If Gary heard you say that, he'd be all over your case.

Yeah well, don't tell him.

He still thinks I'm indestructible.

Sure wish he was here.

It's not the same without him.

It sure isn't.

But, some people have to work.

Unlike you two bums.

How about last one down to Sunnyside buys the beers?

Tell you what, you guys go ahead,

I'm taking Loggers Line Loop.

Loggers Line Loop, it's going to take you an extra two hours.

I'm in no hurry.

Well, see you at Sunnyside and uh, you know where we'll be.

JONATHAN FRAKES Peter

was feeling empty without Garry and wanted

some time to himself.

But his decision to travel a separate trail

would prove to be an important one.

That's weird, what happened?

I don't know.

JONATHAN FRAKES Peter Vollard

knew that he'd never be able to climb

out of the ravine on his own.

He could feel that he had shattered

his left leg on impact and had probably broken several ribs.

Gary.

Gary, your waterfall just stopped.

It's still plugged in, the pump must have burned out.

Something's wrong with my dad.

He's in trouble, I can feel it.

I'm sure everything's fine.

No, it's not.

I've never felt this way before Kathy.

Book me on a flight to Aspen, I need to leave right away.

It's been almost two hours.

Peter's sure taking his time.

You know that trail, could be another hour

before he gets down.

Hope he makes it before dark.

Peter was using all

his outdoor experience to survive.

He knew he must be going into shock

and he couldn't see how anyone would ever find him in time.

I gotta hit the john.

CJ, CJ over here.

Gary-- Is that you?

Peter is in trouble.

What?

He went off the trail and he's hurt.

Get a search party together, now.

How do you know this?

Just do it or Peter will die.

Hey man, get me a phone.

Come on, man, get me a phone.

Hello?

Dad, are you OK?

I'm all right Gary.

Thank God.

I'd still be here if you hadn't come to Aspen.

What do you mean?

I didn't come to Aspen.

I couldn't get a flight out of Denver because of the weather.

CJ Mattson, the man at the bar,

swears it was Gary who told him that Peter was hurt.

Gary insists he never went to Aspen that day.

Did Gary's love and concern for his father subconsciously

transport him to the scene?

Or was it someone else who told CJ to organize a search party?

If so, who was it and how would he know that Peter was hurt?

In telling this story of the mountain bike trip gone bad,

have we stayed on the trail of truth,

or have we gone off road again?

We'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, ghoulish secrets of the people next door.

On "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

Are you careful with your personal records?

Many people have taken to using shredders, like this one,

to destroy the papers they don't want lying around.

Thieves and con artists can use discarded ATM receipts

and utility bills to steal from you--

even to assume your identity.

Wade Harris is an expert in such crimes.

He's never been stopped.

But even the most cunning crook can pick the wrong victim.

I never held an honest job in my life.

I figured, why should I if I didn't have to?

It was always a new scam, something

to keep the cash flowing in.

I knew that most people are lazy,

they never take the time to shred their credit

card and bank statements.

They just throw them in the trash without a second thought,

like they were leaving them there and just for me.

I knew the garbage pickup days of all the best neighborhoods

in Los Angeles by heart.

It was easy work and if I stayed smart,

I figured I'd never get caught.

I was doing well enough to rent a nice house up

in the Hollywood Hills.

All I needed was your canceled check or a credit card receipt

and I became you.

At least long enough to transfer some of your money

into my bank account.

I was good at what I did but I still

hadn't made that one big score.

And then they moved in across the street.

They'd been living there for over two weeks

but I only saw them come and go late at night--

just like me.

She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

At first I thought they were father and daughter

but then, it was Hollywood.

I had a strict rule never to hit the garbage in my neighborhood,

but I had to find out who they were.

Oh wow.

I was pretty sure

that even if the woman did see me,

the darkness would have hidden my identity.

I found out that the man was a baron.

Baron Stokely Vradma, and he was loaded.

I traced his account number to a Swiss bank.

There were hundreds of thousands of dollars in the account.

The only problem was cracking the access code.

But, it didn't take me long.

I transferred a bundle out of Vradma's accounts,

so I decided to go out the next night and celebrate.

I finally hit a big score.

What are you celebrating?

Oh, don't worry about it.

I picked this girl up

at a bar in Hollywood.

I think her name was Brady.

Here's to, um, other people's money.

Are you expecting someone?

No.

Good evening.

My name is Marta, I'm your neighbor

from across the street.

OK, I'm a little busy right now.

I have a business proposition for you.

A business proposition.

Look--

I know what you've done.

You've stolen money from Baron Vradma.

Come on in.

What's going on?

Nothing, party's over.

Come on.

Come on, let's go.

This really sucks.

You're not so great.

So, are you going to turn me in or what?

Quite the contrary.

I want to be your partner.

What?

Baron Vradma's a horrible man.

He thinks he owns me.

I want to get back at him and I want my freedom.

Right, so where do I fit in?

I know where all his money is.

And you can help me break him.

I kept thinking,

who is this woman, what was she up to?

It all seemed too good to be true.

This is Vradma's main account.

There's $25 million in there.

Give me your account number and I'll make the transfer.

That's it.

Congratulations.

You're a millionaire.

That's incredible.

Come here.

WADE HARRIS Everything

was happening so fast, I know we were kissing

but that's all I remember.

I woke up on the floor feeling like I'd been drugged.

I've decided to forget about the partnership

and gain full control of the business.

What?

You took everything.

WADE HARRIS The police

showed up the next morning and arrested me for grand larceny.

I knew Marta had turned me in.

But that was not all that she did.

Oh my God.

WADE HARRIS I told them

how Marta had bit me on the neck and how

I knew that she must have turned into a bat flew out my window.

Judge said I was insane but he was wrong.

I know what they really are and what they made me into.

Is it possible that Wade Harris had vampires

for neighbors, or were they just better con artists than he was?

Wade did have those two puncture wounds on his neck

but maybe they were self-inflicted.

And what about Wade's fangs--

were they real or porcelain caps?

Maybe Wade had one more con up his sleeve,

to cop an insanity plea so he wouldn't do time in prison.

In presenting this vampire tale, have we put the bite on you

or is there a shred of truth?

We'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, two hippies are wrongly accused

of murder on "Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction."

Ah, the '60s.

The time of Woodstock, love beads, peace rallies.

They say if you can remember the '60s you weren't really there.

But two young people who were definitely there

are Jared Evans and Jenny Wakefield.

In fact, as we join them, they're hitchhiking

their way around the country.

And these two flower children are about to find

a path strewn with thorns.

All right.

Thanks a lot, man.

Peace.

Back in 1967,

I'd known Jenny Wakefield for about a year.

It was the summer of love and we were crazy about each other.

We were on our way home to Petaluma, California

after spending the weekend in Haight-Ashbury,

where it was all happening.

Oh come on, stop!

Peace, brother!

I loved Jenny,

she was such a free spirit.

We didn't care about anything.

The future was now.

We hitched everywhere, to love ins, to peace rallies,

to rock concerts.

But on that day we were having a lot of trouble getting a ride.

Why don't they stop?

There's bad vibes in the air, everyone

must be a little uptight today.

Oh.

Hey baby, I am starving, you got anymore of that granola left?

Actually, we ate it all.

Finally!

Hey, what's happening?

Thanks for stopping.

This is a far out car.

Is this the right road to Petaluma?

Yeah, straight ahead.

That's where we're going.

Hey!

That's a real bummer.

We forgot about the Mustang

and caught a ride with a truck driver.

He dropped us off at a general store

on the outskirts of Petaluma.

Hey, you two need some help finding something?

No, we're cool.

JARED EVANS Jenny and I

were starving and broke so I decided to liberate

some food for the cause.

I didn't notice that the owner was watching

us in the security mirror.

Hey, hippie!

You going to pay for that stuff?

Jenny, look!

Jared, he's got a gun!

Get in, it's running!

JARED EVANS The owner

of the store called the cops and 20 miles down the road,

they caught up with us.

Being arrested for shoplifting and stealing a car

was bad enough.

But what happened next changed our lives forever.

We got a dead body in here.

What?

We had nothing to do with this, I swear.

All we do is lift some food and the guy

had a shotgun, so we took the car but we didn't kill anybody.

You freaks are in a lot of trouble.

We told the police

about the blonde woman with the lady luck tattoo,

but they didn't care.

Lots of people hated hippies back then

and we were found guilty of murder in the second degree.

Jenny and I spent the next five years in prison,

while we appealed the case.

We were finally able to get a new lawyer

and he got us a new trial.

Because of the lack of evidence, the verdict was overturned

and we were freed.

Jenny and I never stopped loving each other.

As soon as we got out of prison, we

got married and opened a small health food restaurant

with money from our parents.

We'd been in business for about five years

and we were doing pretty well.

So we splurged and bought ourselves

a used Mustang convertible.

Jared, what are you doing?

We're late.

Oh come on Jenny, you remember how hard

it is sometimes to get a ride.

You're right.

Where are ya headed?

Just down the road a few miles.

Well, get in.

Great.

Get out of the car!

Take it easy, we don't want any problems.

Shut up!

Just get out.

It was her.

I can't believe it.

Jenny and I walked to a pay phone

and called the police.

They caught the woman that same day and we got our car back.

After we gave testimony at her trial,

the old murder case was reopened.

Fingerprints were found on a tire iron that

matched the tattooed woman's.

She finally confessed that she had stolen the car

and killed the owner all those years ago.

Could this really have happened?

Could the same woman have shown up again years later

and encountered the same couple?

Was some force of fate making sure that the right person

was found guilty of the crime or was it all

just an amazing coincidence?

Do you reject this segment as just another lie,

or will you give this piece a chance?

Next, you'll find out which of our stories are facts

and which are fiction, when "Beyond Belief" returns.

Now let's look back at tonight's stories

and find out which ones are inspired by actual events

and which ones are totally false.

What about the woman whose computer

seemed to channel the spirit of a murder victim?

Was this a true story?

It's an exercise in creative writing--

it's false.

How about the story of the patient who

was visited by the ghost of her dead husband?

Well it looks like Mrs. Atkins finally has a visitor.

I hadn't noticed.

The hospital community liaison might have

notified Mrs. Atkins church.

Yes?

Yeah, he must be her minister.

Huh, looks like Mrs. Atkins blood pressure has improved.

You think you've heard a story like this before?

You might have, it's true.

According to our research a similar story

happened in the Pacific Northwest in the late '80s.

Let's look again at the son who saved

his father through an out-of-body experience.

CJ.

CJ, over here.

Gary-- is that you?

Peter's in trouble.

What?

He went off the trail and he's hurt.

Get a search party together, now.

How do you know this?

- Just do it or Peter will die. - Hey, man, get me a phone.

Come on, man, get me a phone!

Is this story true?

Yes-- it was based on a similar event

that took place around Colorado about 20 years ago.

How about the con man who met his match in a couple

of neighborhood vampires.

You took everything.

Did a similar story to this one to take place?

Could be, but we made this one up.

Let's have one more look at the strange story

of the '60s couple who encountered their nemesis

again, years later.

Where ya headed?

Just down the road a few miles.

Well, get in.

Great.

Get out of the car.

Take it easy, we don't want any problems.

Shut up!

Just get out.

It was her.

I can't believe it.

Did you guess it was true?

You're right.

The story spans a five year period,

covering locations from Northwest

California to Eastern Canada.

So were things black and white tonight,

or did they seem to be varied shades of gray?

And when the truth is shaded, can we still call it truth?

Or is the search for truth a complex pursuit

where we're certain to encounter things that are beyond belief?

I'm Jonathan Frakes.

The true stories on tonight's show

were based upon firsthand research

by author Robert Tralins.

For "Beyond Belief," this is Campbell Lane.