The Girlfriends S4/E1: No Place Like Home

Summary

The Girlfriends: Untouchable – Season 4, Episode 1: "No Place Like Home"

Release Date: November 17, 2025
Host: Nikki Richardson
Publisher: iHeartPodcasts and Novel

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Episode Overview

The premiere episode of The Girlfriends: Untouchable introduces the harrowing journey of Niko Quinn, whose life is shattered when she witnesses the brutal public murder of her cousin, Donyell ("Little Don"). As she seeks justice, Niko unearths a legacy of police corruption and violence, centered on Detective Roger Golubski, who abused his position to terrorize and exploit Black women across Kansas City, Kansas. This season follows Niko and a resilient circle of women as they challenge systemic injustice when those sworn to protect them turn out to be the greatest threat.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Niko’s World and Family Roots

• Introduction to Niko Quinn: A Kansas City-native, over-the-road truck driver who finds solace and freedom on America’s highways (03:10–05:03).
  • Notable Quote:

    “I've always said if I came back as another creature, I would want to be an eagle… Just like I weathered the storm that I've been through.”
    – Niko Quinn, 04:55 & 05:03

• Quindero Community: Niko describes her vibrant, close-knit, predominantly Black neighborhood, recalling both the warmth and social challenges of her youth (05:09–06:13).
  • Memorable Description:

    “Both sides of the street was filled with either houses or black owned businesses. The Wilsons had a pizza shop right at the corner of 18th Street. We had one restaurant called C S that was the best burgers. They used to sell the hand packed ice cream. Oh my goodness.”
    – Niko Quinn, 05:28

2. The Murder That Shattered Everything

• The Shooting: On April 15, 1994, Niko’s cousin Donyell is murdered in broad daylight, leaving the family in shock (07:22–10:11).
  • Niko’s Experience:

    “My legs turned to mush. I just fell and started screaming.”
    – Niko Quinn, 08:00
    “It's like your best friend, that person that you confided in. I can save him. That day was the worst day of my life.”
    – Niko Quinn, 09:20

• Community Impact: The incident upends Niko and her family’s life, highlighting the ever-present tensions of drugs, violence & economic hardship in their community.

3. Suspects, Police, and Corruption

• Questions Around the Killer:
  • Niko suspects drug dealers "Cecil" and "Monster" due to recent violent encounters with Donyell.
  • The police, led by Detective Roger Golubski, push Niko to look at photos and implicate others, but never show photos of her main suspects. They repeatedly present Lamont McIntyre, whom Niko denies as the shooter (15:22–17:46).
  • Notable Quote:

    “I said no, his ears was too big. And the person that did it, the ears didn't stick out like his did. I said, no, he didn't do it.”
    – Niko Quinn, 17:17

• Early Signs of Corruption:
  • Detective Golubski’s responses grow increasingly odd and aggressive, foreshadowing his deeper involvement in the systemic abuse to be revealed.

4. The Wrong Target: Lamont McIntyre

• Introduction to Lamont: A 16-year-old described by friends and family as funny, hardworking, and entrepreneurial—cutting hair, mowing lawns—suddenly finds himself accused of murder (23:13–27:50).
  • Notable Quote:

    “My grandmother called me and said, what did you do?... They was looking for you like you killed somebody.”
    – Lamont McIntyre, 25:32
    “I started laughing because I didn’t know these names… My name is Lamont McIntyre. I don’t know who y’all looking for.”
    – Lamont McIntyre, 27:14

• Police Intimidation and Coercion: Lamont recounts his interrogation, the racist abuse he receives, and the terror of being falsely accused of double homicide.
  • Memorable Moment:

    “...They started screaming at me, you know, calling me a nigger killer, saying, I know you did it. I was scared because he's really going through with charging me with two counts of first degree murder.”
    – Lamont McIntyre, 27:14

5. Threats, Relocation, and Escalating Fear

• Niko Under Siege:
  • Following the murder, Nico’s home is repeatedly targeted by the very men she suspects, forcing her to relocate (32:58–38:16).
  • Police, specifically Golubski, refuse to protect her or investigate her leads—instead issuing cryptic threats and warnings.
  • Notable Quotes:

    “He said, I just want to let you know we found his ex-girlfriend. Body remains out behind Washington High School at a park... I wouldn’t be saying his name, saying Cecil’s name, because he’s a dangerous person.”
    – Niko Quinn, 37:01/37:17

• Unsafe New Beginnings:
  • Niko is moved to ‘scatter site’ public housing—only to find herself living near the very people she was trying to escape (38:34–39:07).
  • When Monster shows up outside her home, Niko learns she narrowly escaped death by keeping quiet:

    “Rumor was that if she'd mentioned Monster's connection to her cousin Donyell, I would have been killed that night.”
    – Niko Quinn, 39:56/40:01

6. Systemic Betrayal—And the Fight to Expose It

• The True Danger:
  • Niko observes Golubski surveilling her new neighborhood and interfering in the community in ways that disturb and frighten her (40:40–40:51).
  • Key Takeaway: The first episode makes clear that the greatest threat isn’t just street-level violence, but a police system willing to destroy lives—including targeting innocent people like Lamont McIntyre.
  • Teaser for the season: Niko is drawn into a far more complex and sinister conspiracy than she imagined, forced into impossible choices to protect her children and her own life.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Niko on the loss of her cousin:

  “We was two peas in a pot. Ever since we was kids, Donyell was like my brother from another mother… If he was still alive, you wouldn’t even be able to interview him. He would have you in tears, just cry, laughing.”
  – Niko Quinn, 11:57

• On police abuse of power:

  “He was a chunky white guy that thought he was Rico Suave… He made sure you seen his badge.”
  – Niko Quinn, 15:35

• Niko on pressure from police and possible repercussions:

  “If I didn’t say Lamont killed my cousin, I would not see my kids again. They cover up everything.”
  – Niko Quinn, 41:42 & 41:48

• On fear and systemic betrayal:

  “This dude is the devil. He’s a snake. He’ll hurt you.”
  – Niko Quinn, 41:57

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:10] – Introduction to Niko, her life, and her morning ritual
• [07:22–10:11] – The murder of Donyell and Donnie Ewing, and the immediate aftermath
• [15:12–17:46] – Police present photos and pressure Niko regarding suspects, focusing on Lamont McIntyre
• [23:13–28:15] – Lamont McIntyre recounts getting swept up by police and accused of murder
• [32:58–41:42] – Niko describes ongoing intimidation, struggle to find safety, and disturbing interactions with Detective Golubski

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Tone and Language

• The episode maintains a raw, first-person narrative—balancing nostalgic warmth with vivid portrayals of trauma, loss, and courage.
• Niko and Lamont’s voices are authentic, frequently laced with humor, pain, and resilience, adding emotional weight to their stories.
• Nikki Richardson’s narration is direct yet empathetic, emphasizing the stakes and injustice without sensationalism.

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For Next Episode

• The closing tease forewarns deeper revelations about Detective Golubski’s corruption and its catastrophic effects on women in Kansas City, setting up the season’s central investigation and the sisterhood of survivors determined to bring truth to light.

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Resource Reminder:
If you or someone you love has been affected by violence, sexual assault, or needs support, episode notes provide US and international crisis resources.

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Listener Takeaway:
No Place Like Home offers a visceral look into how personal tragedy can pull ordinary people into extraordinary struggles against systemic abuse—and how one woman’s pursuit of justice triggers a movement that will shake an entire community.

Transcript

[Nikki Richardson]

This is an iHeart podcast. Hey Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day. Yeah, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront.

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[Ed Helms]

I'm Ed Helms.

[Kal Penn]

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[Ed Helms]

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[Kal Penn]

Listen to Earsay on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow Earsay and start listening on the free iHeartra radio app today.

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[Nikki Richardson]

Hey, I'm Nikki, the host of the new series of the Girlfriends Untouchable. It's a story that takes place in my hometown, Kansas City, Kansas, and over the next eight episodes you're going to meet a lot of incredible people, including some of the truly inspiring women I get to call my friends. But it's also a tough story, one that will dive into topics including sexual assault, violence and murder. There will also be some strong language. If you or someone you love has been affected by any of the themes in the show. We've left some links in the description that offer resources and support. Take care of yourself. When Nicco Quinn gets up in the morning, she heads straight over to the truck she's driving that day, an 18 wheeler with a cabin up top.

[Nico Quinn]

Y' all pray first. Touch the wheels and everything on the truck and pray for a safe trip.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico works as an over the road truck driver hauling 50 to 80,000 pound freights across the country for hundreds or sometimes thousands of miles a week.

[Nico Quinn]

I love traveling. I have been to Canada, I've been all the way up to Maine and Maine is so beautiful and even Oregon, I mean it's just beautiful, just so green and you seeing all kind of animals like elk and rams and I'm like wow. You know, because something you never seen before.

[Nikki Richardson]

She never feels more free than when she's out on the open road.

[Nico Quinn]

I've always said if I came back as another creature, I would want to be an eagle.

[Nikki Richardson]

Because eagles are pretty good at weathering storms.

[Nico Quinn]

Just like I weathered the storm that I've been through.

[Nikki Richardson]

For Niko, the storm began not on the open road, but in the city where she grew up. Nico was raised on the northeast side of Kansas City, Kansas, in a neighborhood close to the banks of the Missouri River. Named Quindero, it was a village over there.

[Nico Quinn]

Both sides of the street was filled with either houses or black owned businesses. The Wilsons had a pizza shop right at the corner of 18th Street. We had one restaurant called C S that was the best burgers. They used to sell the hand packed ice cream. Oh my goodness.

[Nikki Richardson]

Quindera was rich in community. But by the 90s, decades of economic neglect had put a cap on the neighborhood's growth. And while Nikko tried to stay out of trouble, she found herself pulled into what was going on around her. She had four young kids to support and did what she needed to do to put food on the table.

[Nico Quinn]

I was in the streets, I was selling drugs, and I don't agree with my lifestyle. But you know, being young, selling drugs was a thing back then. I felt like if I can make money off of it, that's what I'll do.

[Nikki Richardson]

But she and her family were also trying to create a better future for themselves by getting an education.

[Nico Quinn]

It was like about five or six of us going to school to get our GEDs. My cousin Don, my sister, we all used to get up, get ready, get in the car. We all used to ride together. We get up there to Donnelly College and be acting a fool. We was just having fun and trying to get our lives intact.

[Nikki Richardson]

By April 1994, things are looking up. It's one of the first days of that year that feels like spring.

[Nico Quinn]

It was nice that day. The sun was out.

[Nikki Richardson]

As she walks down the familiar tree lined street near her mother's house, Nico notices an unusual car parked on the side of the road.

[Nico Quinn]

I seen a blue Cadillac sitting there. I'm like, who the heck is that? And I said, oh, they must be waiting on somebody. And I seen this guy coming across the field, black hat, black shirt, black jeans, black tennis shoes. And I said, oh, maybe they're waiting on him. And then I heard the first pow.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico heard the man fire three shots into the car.

[Nico Quinn]

My mama ducked behind her truck. My sister came out and started jumping up and down screaming, saying, oh my God, it's Little Don't. Oh my God, it's Little Don. My legs turned to mush. I just fell and started screaming.

[Nikki Richardson]

Niko's favorite cousin, Little Don, has just been shot. He's only 21 years old.

[Nico Quinn]

My legs felt like I was in mud or something. I couldn't move. Everybody is at, you know, chaos.

[Nikki Richardson]

The shooter turns around and disappears into a field. One of Nico's neighbors, Ruby, gets a good look at him.

[Nico Quinn]

She said, oh my God, that's Lamont. I said, I don't know no Lamont.

[Nikki Richardson]

Niko's family Members run out of their houses and onto the street. She follows them.

[Nico Quinn]

I went to the car, and Don was looking over, trying to talk. This whole side of his face was gone.

[Nikki Richardson]

The man in the passenger seat, another cousin named Donnie Ewing has been shot, too.

[Nico Quinn]

We was asking him what happened and who did it. And we're asking him to hold on. And he was just looking at us, trying to speak. And my mom had walked around, and she put her hand on him and she started praying for him, and she said, he's gone. I seen him take his last breath, but I was hoping he was still alive. It's like your best friend, that person that you confided in. I can save him. That day was the worst day of my life. The worst day of my life.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nikko's cousins were dead, murdered in broad daylight. But the quest to find out who had killed them and why would go way beyond this murder investigation. There was a dark scandal at the heart of Kansas City, Kansas, A story of violence and corruption spanning decades. And it would take my friend Nico, along with a band of incredible women, on a journey to speak up, reveal the truth, and fight for the city we love.

[Nico Quinn]

I got you. I got you. I got you.

[Nikki Richardson]

I'm Nikki Richardson from the teams at Novel and I Heart podcast. This is the Girlfriends Untouchable.

[Nico Quinn]

I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. Got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you.

[Nikki Richardson]

Episode 1 no Place Like Home April 15, 1994, turned Nico Quinn's life upside down. Her favorite cousin, Donyell, had been shot, murdered right in front of her. It was a devastating loss. Just like that, her soulmate was gone.

[Nico Quinn]

We was two peas in a pot. Ever since we was kids, Donyell was like my brother from another mother. He was my best friend. He was a jack of all trade, master nun. He could dance, he could fix things. He can sing, he can dress. He was Mack Daddy of the year. Let him tell it. And he was a comforter. He was a giver. If he was still alive, you wouldn't even be able to interview him. He would have you in tears, just cry, laughing. Because he is. He was that much of a fool.

[Nikki Richardson]

But like so many other people in Quindero, he lost his way. In his teenage years.

[Nico Quinn]

Donyell ended up getting on drugs on crack cocaine. Started dealing with the wrong people.

[Nikki Richardson]

Hours after witnessing his murder, Nico began to wonder, were those wrong people involved? Two weeks earlier, a group of men had shown up to Punish Donyle for a debt he owed, allegedly stealing drugs from their stash house.

[Nico Quinn]

About six or seven people jumped on him, beat him with poles, and he was beat up real bad. And he ended up coming down on my house, sitting on my mother's porch. So I started talking to him. I went and got some bandages and stuff and started attending to his wounds.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico says that Donyell claimed the attack had been instigated by a drug dealer named Cecil Brooks and a local guy everyone calls Monster. Nico says that after the attack, she decided to help Danyell pay off his debts.

[Nico Quinn]

So I sent my sister and somebody else up there to ask the person, can I pay the debt for him? They said it was okay. It was cool.

[Nikki Richardson]

A few days later, the men came back and tried to take Danielle away. But Nikko's family intervened and told them to back off. The next day, Danielle showed up at Nico's house. His mood had changed.

[Nico Quinn]

Don came in and he was singing. He was singing Christian songs. I have never seen him. His spirit just so happy. He came back and he told me, say, I just want to take a shower. I'm about to go see my baby and. Cause I'm going to check myself in. I'm about to get myself right. I can't go down this road again.

[Nikki Richardson]

Danielle had a young son. He wanted to go to rehab, get himself clean, and start afresh.

[Nico Quinn]

He kissed me on my cheek or maybe my forehead, told me he loved me, and then he walked out the door.

[Nikki Richardson]

A few minutes later, Danielle was dead.

[Nico Quinn]

I wasn't okay. I had all types of emotions. Everywhere I went that day. I kept seeing my cousin in the state that I had last seen him in, and it's horrible. The police came over.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico opened her front door.

[Nico Quinn]

I came out, and I was asking them, you know, what did they want?

[Nikki Richardson]

They had come to investigate the murders of Danyell Quinn and Donnie Ewing. The lead officer was a detective named Roger Golubski.

[Nico Quinn]

He was a chunky white guy that thought he was Rico Suave. He had black hair, slick back, wore these glasses, a ring on his pinky finger. He had a couple of chains on his neck. He made sure. You seen his badge. He had his badge on his belt, his gun on his side.

[Nikki Richardson]

Detective Galupski wanted Nico to take a look through a list of suspects.

[Nico Quinn]

When I'm going through the pictures, I said, I know he didn't do it. Oh, I know he didn't do it. I said, I don't see the person in there that did it.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico hadn't seen the shooter's face clearly enough to say for sure. But she thought she knew who her main suspects were. Speaking to the police in a community as tight knit as Quinderous was risky. But Nikko didn't care. This was about family.

[Nico Quinn]

I said, we know who did it was the person that tried to pick him up the night before, who kept trying to get him, who jumped on him?

[Nikki Richardson]

Cecil and Monster, the guys who allegedly jumped Danielle. But they weren't included in the photos the police showed her. Nico didn't identify any of their other suspects, so the cops left.

[Nico Quinn]

They came back again the next morning, early in the morning. They were like, we need you to look at these pictures again.

[Nikki Richardson]

They showed her a picture of a boy named Lamont McIntyre. This name took Nikko straight back to the moment her cousin was shot. After the gunshots, her neighbor had shouted out a name. Lamont. But when she examined the photo, she shook her head.

[Nico Quinn]

I said no, his ears was too big. And the person that did the ears didn't stick out like his did. I said, no, he didn't do it.

[Nikki Richardson]

As one of the few witnesses to the shooting, Nico hoped the police would take her at her word. But Galupski seemed insistent that Nikko look again. So he pushed the photo of Lamont McIntyre towards her.

[Nico Quinn]

So I took the picture again and I'm like, no, he didn't do it.

[Nikki Richardson]

They reached a standstill, waiting each other out. Eventually, the officer left her house. But Nico's part in the investigation wasn't over. What she didn't know was that the man in blue leaving her front porch had already chosen his lead suspect. Because Roger Golubski was no regular detective. He was a dangerous man with enough power to destroy lives, starting with that of a boy in handcuffs on the other side of Kansas City.

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[Ed Helms]

Hey everyone, Ed Helms here and hi.

[Kal Penn]

I'm Kal Penn and we're the host of Irsay The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.

[Ed Helms]

This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Jenny Garth, host of the iHeart podcast. I choose me to discuss the new Audible adaptation of the timeless Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. This is not a trick question. There's no wrong answer. What role would I play?

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You know what?

[Nikki Richardson]

I can see you as Mr. Darcy.

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[Ed Helms]

Okay, that's really sweet. I appreciate that. But are you sure I'm not the dad? I'm not Mr. Bennett.

[Lamont McIntyre]

Here.

[Ed Helms]

Listen to Earsay the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Nikki Richardson]

Spring of 1994 was a season that would irreversibly change dozens of lives in Kansas City, including that of a 16 year old boy raised in Quindero.

[Lamont McIntyre]

My name is Lamont McIntyre. Growing up where I'm from was it was fun times. We didn't notice poverty because we had each other. Like we was really tight with my family.

[Nikki Richardson]

Lamont didn't live that far away from the Quinn cousins, but he was younger and had his own group of friends.

[Lamont McIntyre]

We was hip hop heads. I was into hip hop. I had the car main like the flat top with the eye in it. I was really into fashion and clean shoes and gold chains, my rings.

[Nikki Richardson]

He liked to keep up with the latest styles so one day he decided to experiment with his brother's hair.

[Lamont McIntyre]

So my mother was at work one day and I got some clippers from Kmart and I cut my brother's hair and I messed it up bad. My mother was mad at me. But after that I learned how to get it right and then from my brother's hair I started cutting everybody in the neighborhood's hair, my cousins them hair and I became the barber. So I was cutting hair back then for like $3 a haircut. I was a hustler so I would cut grass, I would paint, I would do anything I could to get some money just to go get some fresh shoes or something like that.

[Nikki Richardson]

Those side hustles were reserved for the afternoons and weekends because Lamont spent his days at school.

[Lamont McIntyre]

My mother was a strict parent and wanted Me to be educated.

[Nikki Richardson]

He was a good student. He showed up to class and loved science. He would occasionally get in trouble for talking too much though.

[Lamont McIntyre]

I was a popular kid, I guess, but only because I was funny. I had big ears and I was skinny. So they made fun of me and that's how I became good at making fun of other people. I was just a class clown.

[Nikki Richardson]

He did his best to stay out of serious trouble, but he didn't always stick to the rules. On 15 April 1994, Lamont decides to skip school. He decides to spend the day going back and forth between his uncle and auntie's houses, kicking back and hanging out with his family. It's a pretty regular spring morning in Kansas City until he gets the call.

[Lamont McIntyre]

My grandmother called me and said, what did you do? And I said what do you mean what did I do? She said, what did you do? Where did you been? I said, I haven't been nowhere. I said it's early. It was like still, it wasn't even 11 o' clock yet. So I said I ain't been nowhere, grandmother, what you mean? So she said, well, the police just left my house. They'd been all over my house looking for you and they looked serious. They was looking for you like you killed somebody. I called my mother, I said, mom, they looking for me at grandma's house. So take me to the police station so I can see what's going on. She called them and told them they can meet us at her job.

[Nikki Richardson]

Lamont's mother, Rose, isn't going to let her son meet the police on his own. So she picks him up from his auntie's house. Sitting in the backseat, Lamont racks his mind trying to figure out why the police are looking for him. He's gotten in trouble in the past for selling drugs and being in the wrong place with family members caught up in the street life. But when he arrives at his mom's workplace, it's clear that the cops mean business.

[Lamont McIntyre]

It was three detective cars and like four or five patrol cars. They asked me do I know anything about a gang related activity today or something gang related today? And I said no. They told my mother, well, he's not under arrest. We want to take him down for questioning and then he'll be able to go then. But we just want to ask him a few more questions.

[Nikki Richardson]

Lamont complies and says goodbye to his mother.

[Lamont McIntyre]

So they put me in a police car, took me to the police station. When I get to the police station and I got into the room where I was being interrogated. That's when everything kind of changed.

[Nikki Richardson]

They clearly haven't called him in to talk about drugs or hustling.

[Lamont McIntyre]

They start screaming at me, asking, do I know Donnie Ewing and Darnell Quinn? And I said, no, I don't know. They said it was funny because one of them lived long enough to say, you was the person responsible for killing them. And I started laughing because I didn't know these names. Like, man, I'm getting up, I'm telling him I'm going to go to my mom. I'm like, I don't know. Y' all got the wrong person. My name is Lamont McIntyre. I don't know who y' all looking for. And that's when they got real serious and they started screaming at me, you know, calling me a nigger killer, saying, I know you did it. I was scared because he's really going through with charging me with two counts of first degree murder.

[Nikki Richardson]

Lamont had begun the day as a regular teenage boy skipping school. But now he is in handcuffs being escorted around the police station. In a whirlwind of accusations he doesn't understand, two officers march him down the stairs to an underground area.

[Lamont McIntyre]

My mother was parked at the police station.

[Nikki Richardson]

By the time he sees his mother, Lamont is in tears.

[Lamont McIntyre]

She seen me come out of handcuffs and I said, mama, they charged me two counts of first degree murder. And she said, what do you mean? I said, they charged me two counts of first degree murder and I don't know nothing about it. And that's when it dawned on me that they were serious.

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[Kal Penn]

Hey, audiobook lovers. This week on the podcast I'm sitting down with musician, producer and walking encyclopedia Questlove. We're talking about Mark Ronson's memoir, Night how to be a DJ in 90s New York City. All right, like we talked about before, Mark Ronson found sanctuary in the DJ booth. What's a tool or piece of equipment in the studio or on stage that gives you the most control?

[Lamont McIntyre]

So I have two microphones on stage.

[Ed Helms]

We have the microphone that you hear as the audience. Then we have a second microphone in which we communicate with each other. I feel like that second microphone kind of saved all of our friendships. No, no band likes each other after.

[Lamont McIntyre]

20 years or 25 years.

[Ed Helms]

Like the Beatles broke up in seven.

[Lamont McIntyre]

And a half years and we're going on 35.

[Kal Penn]

Listen to earsay the Audible and iheart audiobook club on the iheartradio app or wherever you get your podcast.

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[Nico Quinn]

Did.

[Nikki Richardson]

You ever play a game called Ding Dong Ditch when you were a kid where you knock on someone's front door and then run away before they can answer? Nico Quinn and her sisters played it together as kids growing up in Quindero.

[Nico Quinn]

We call it nigga knocking. When somebody come and knock on your door, you go to the door, ain't nobody there.

[Nikki Richardson]

But this childhood game is about to take a dark turn. It's the night after the shooting. She's sitting at home with her children when she hears a sound.

[Nico Quinn]

It was a boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

[Nikki Richardson]

First it's at her front door and.

[Nico Quinn]

Then the back door, the side. And then when I go look, there's nobody there. And that's what happened to me. For maybe the next week after Don was killed, somebody was knocking on my door. Normally it'd be a house full of people down in my house. Nobody had been down there after Don had got killed. Not like that.

[Nikki Richardson]

So she knows it's not her friends or family coming to visit her. Nico peers out of her window.

[Nico Quinn]

And I see this car sitting outside. A dark color four door look like a Caprice or a Cutlass.

[Nikki Richardson]

She believes it's Cecil and Monster, the men she suspects of being involved in her cousin Danielle's murder.

[Nico Quinn]

I was always thinking that they were watching me, they were after me. I was scared they would do something to my kids.

[Nikki Richardson]

Fearing for her family, Nikko packed up her things and moved out. She and her kids went to stay with different friends and relatives for a while. But it wasn't a long term solution. She needed stability.

[Nico Quinn]

Me and my boyfriend was talking. He said, well, won't you see if the police, they can do something for you, you know, they can move you, relocate you.

[Nikki Richardson]

So she called the man who had been assigned to her cousin's case, Detective Galupski.

[Nico Quinn]

I was telling him, hey, these people keep knocking on my door, you know, they taunting me. I don't feel safe in my home.

[Nikki Richardson]

Detective Galupski agrees to see Nico, but he doesn't want to meet at the police station.

[Nico Quinn]

He asked me to meet him at Wyandotte High School.

[Nikki Richardson]

Weird. But Nikko needs to move, so she agrees.

[Nico Quinn]

I asked my boyfriend would he take, but he said, yeah, I'll take you.

[Nikki Richardson]

It's not a long drive, but Nikko spends the journey deep in thought.

[Nico Quinn]

I was nervous, anxious at the same time because I went to tell him what I knew and I was scared a little bit. But I had my ex boyfriend with me.

[Nikki Richardson]

When they parked up next to the high school, her boyfriend tenses up.

[Nico Quinn]

He told me to keep the door open or the window down because he didn't trust him.

[Nikki Richardson]

Most people in Quindero know at least one person who's had a bad interaction with law enforcement. But Nico is on a mission. So she walks across the road and over to the police car.

[Nico Quinn]

It was a dark blue detective car.

[Nikki Richardson]

Detective Galupski is in the driver's seat. His police badge is on show and there's a loaded pistol on his belt. Nico sits in the passenger seat as Galupski starts talking.

[Nico Quinn]

He was like, what you doing with him? You brought your bodyguard with you?

[Nikki Richardson]

It's an odd comment, but Nico ignores it, telling him about the door knocking instead.

[Nico Quinn]

And I said, I know that this is Cecil Nim knocking on my door. I know this is them.

[Nikki Richardson]

She explains her theory about the guys who beat Danielle up. Chalubski watches her as she speaks. But there's a strange look in his eyes.

[Nico Quinn]

He sat there and he had this little smirk like look on his face.

[Nikki Richardson]

Something isn't right. Suddenly the car feels smaller.

[Nico Quinn]

He kind of like, well, you need to quit saying Cecil's name.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico looks over at him. She doesn't understand. Golubski carries on.

[Nico Quinn]

He said, I just want to let you know we found his ex girlfriend. Body remains out behind Washington High School at a park.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico hadn't seen any evidence Cecil had killed his ex girlfriend. But when Nico spoke to Galupski, he.

[Nico Quinn]

Said, well, I'm just telling you, I wouldn't be saying his name, saying Cecil's name because he's a dangerous person.

[Nikki Richardson]

That moment felt like a warning, almost a threat. But she's determined to get answers and insists she knows who killed Danielle.

[Nico Quinn]

I said, I don't care what you found. I know what happened. I know who killed him.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico leaves the car feeling shaken and confused. Danielle has been murdered. There's scary men knocking on her door, and the officer who's supposed to be investigating her cousin's murder is acting strangely. She doesn't know what's going on, but she knows she she needs to get out of Quindero.

[Nico Quinn]

A few Weeks later, I get a call from public housing. Me and my kids sleeping in hotels. Cause I did not want to go back to that house. So I go down, fill out the application. Maybe a week or two later, they moved me down on 437 Cleveland, right off of 5th Street.

[Nikki Richardson]

Niko was put into social housing in another area of Kansas City, Kansas.

[Nico Quinn]

They called them the scatter sites because there was really nothing down there.

[Nikki Richardson]

It's not perfect, but it's a fresh start.

[Nico Quinn]

I had a little bit of normalcy, but I found out that I was down the street from who I was trying to get away from.

[Nikki Richardson]

Cecil and Monster have direct links to the scatter sites Nico has been relocated to.

[Nico Quinn]

Matter of fact, right up around the corner from me. Had two or three houses over there, and they knew where I stayed.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nikko tries to tough it out, ignore the paranoia that comes from being surrounded. But it becomes impossible to ignore when one night, Monster turns up outside her house. Monster hasn't gotten back to us with his side of the story, but this is how Nico remembers it.

[Nico Quinn]

He was asking me, do I know who he was? And I said, yeah, we all grew up together. And this, that, and the other, because I was playing it off.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico plays it cool, pretending their only connection is their childhood in Quindero. Eventually, Monster leaves with a bunch of other guys. Later on, Nico bumps into someone who witnessed the encounter.

[Nico Quinn]

That's when he told me what was supposed to happen that night.

[Nikki Richardson]

Rumor was that if she'd mentioned Monster's connection to her cousin Donyell, I would.

[Nico Quinn]

Have been killed that night.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico knows that as one of the few witnesses to her cousin's murder, she might be called on to testify about what happened that day. But the lead investigator, Detective Galupski, is refusing to investigate the men she believes are responsible. He's relocated her to a dangerous place and charged another boy, Lamont McIntyre, with the double homicide. Nico notices something else about Detective Galupski. He's hanging around the scatter sites a lot.

[Nico Quinn]

He passed my house every day, all day, even at night. He would just sit there.

[Nikki Richardson]

The police are supposed to be finding the truth, getting justice and protecting the community. But nothing Detective Galupski is doing makes any sense. Niko wants answers, justice for her cousin Daniel's murder. But she's about to be drawn into something much more sinister. Be faced with an imperial possible decision that could change her children's lives. And discover what has really been happening to the women of Kansas City, Kansas, at the hands of the police officer who is supposed to be protecting them. Coming up on the Girlfriends Untouchable. The corruption is so deep it's ridiculous.

[Nico Quinn]

If I didn't say Lamont killed my cousin, I would not see my kids again. They cover up everything.

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It just got worse as it went along.

[Nico Quinn]

They won't tell you nothing.

[Nikki Richardson]

If it was your mom that got killed in the 80s, what would you had have done?

[Nico Quinn]

This dude is the devil. He's a snake. He'll hurt you. I got you. I got you.

[Nikki Richardson]

The Girlfriend's Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart podcast. For more from Novel, visit Novel Audio. The show is narrated by me, Nikki Richardson. It was written and produced by Rufaro Mazarua. The editor is Joe Wheeler. Our assistant producer is Mohammed Ahmed. The researcher is Zayana Youssef. Production management from Cherie Houston and Joe Savage. The fact checker is Fendal Fulton. Sound design, mixing and scoring by Daniel Kimson with additional engineering by Nicholas Alexander. Music supervision by Rufaro Mazurua, Nicholas Alexander and Joe Wheeler. Original music by Amanda Jones. The Girlfriends theme was composed by Amanda Jones and Louisa Gerstein. The series artwork was designed by Christina Lempool. Story development by Olivia Smart and Nell Gray Andrews. Novel's director of development is Selena Mehta. Willard Foxton is Novel's creative director of development. Max o' Brien and Craig Strachan are executive producers for Novel. Katrina Norvell and Nikki Itor are the executive producer producers for iHeart podcast and the marketing lead is Allison Cantor. Special thanks to Will Pearson and a special thanks to Carly Frankel and the whole team at wme.

[Kal Penn]

Hey, audiobook lovers, I'm Cal Penn.

[Ed Helms]

I'm Ed Helms.

[Kal Penn]

Ed and I are inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with our new PodC Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.

[Ed Helms]

Each week we sit down with your favorite iHeart podcast hosts and some very special guests to discuss the latest and greatest audiobooks.

[Kal Penn]

From Audible, listen to Hearsay on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow earsay and start listening on the free iHeartradio app today.

[Nico Quinn]

You know what a girl's best friend is?

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[Nikki Richardson]

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[Lamont McIntyre]

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[Ed Helms]

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[Nikki Richardson]

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[Ed Helms]

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[Nikki Richardson]

For bundle subscribers terms apply.

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[Nikki Richardson]

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[Kal Penn]

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[Nikki Richardson]

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[Nikki Richardson]

Well, almost almost anything.

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[Ed Helms]

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[Nikki Richardson]

This is an iHeart podcast.