The Girlfriends S5/E2: The Busted Nut

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Girlfriends S5/E2 – "The Busted Nut"

Podcast: The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe
Host: Anna Sinfield (for iHeartPodcasts and Novel)
Episode: Season 5, Episode 2
Date: April 20, 2026

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Overview

This episode of The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe continues the unfolding story of Derek Alldred, a prolific romance scammer, through the voices and lived experiences of his targets—strong, witty women who become unlikely detectives and allies. In “The Busted Nut,” host Anna Sinfield guides listeners through two parallel timelines: Cindy’s discovery and pursuit of justice on the West Coast, and Lisa’s dangerously escalating romance with “Steel Aldridge” (Derek) in Minnesota, culminating in a roadside rescue worthy of a thriller. The episode digs into themes of gut instinct, friendship as a lifeline, and the real-life obstacles victims face with law enforcement and trust.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Cindy’s Story: How the Web Unravelled (02:31–07:39)

• Cindy Connects with Wendy
  Cindy cold-calls Wendy to share, “Hi Wendy. You don't know me, but my name's Cindy and we both dated Derek.” (02:31)
  Emotional resonance: Both are reeling from financial and emotional devastation.

• The Scope of Derek’s Scam
  Cindy recounts how Derek “took her computer and looked up all of her finances... ordered credit cards in his name... stole a lot of money.” (03:38)
  Cindy discovers Derek used her own resources to buy gifts for other women, including Wendy.
  Quote: “He took a picture of her dog... that dog had not died.” — Cindy (05:10)

• Law Enforcement Letdown
  Cindy tries to report Derek to police, who dismiss it as a “domestic squabble.” (05:25)
  Despite detailed files, “it was very apparent they were not taking any of it seriously. She felt very alone.” — Cindy (06:37)

• Determination
  Cindy vows: “He is not going to get away with this. I am going to find him and bring him to justice.” (06:57)

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Minnesota: Lisa’s Turn in the Web (07:39–42:00)

Meeting Steele (Derek): Red Flags and Friendship

• Hockey Night and First Impressions (08:44–12:29)
  Lisa, a nurse and hockey fan, introduces her boyfriend ‘Steel Aldridge’ to friends after a game.
  Michelle observes: “He was carrying a backpack, a pretty full backpack, and I just thought that was so weird... He just looked disheveled.” (12:10–12:26)

  Tammy grills him: “What do you do for work? Where do you live?” Lisa adds, “She was starting to grill him... he’s being very defensive with her.” (13:08–13:16)

  Michelle: “It was almost like a rehearsed line... I'm going to use the word weaselly.” (13:22)

• Creepy Behavior Escalates
  After being confronted, Steel turns cold and controlling.
  “It's the first time I ever can say I got scared of him. He just had this look in his eyes. His demeanor was creepy.” — Lisa (14:17)

• Possessiveness and Manipulation (15:01–17:36)
  Lisa receives a barrage of texts from Steel and his “family” asking her to forgive him after erratic behavior, excused as a reaction to taking pain medication.
  Lisa: “Sometimes you have such a big heart that you believe people, and you're very forgiving and very caring. I wouldn’t listen to my gut. I’d listen to my heart. So you forgive them.” (17:23)

The Illusion of Wealth: The Hawaiian Honeymoon Set-Up

• Promises and Paperwork (18:04–19:50)
  Derek/Steel presents himself as a lottery winner wanting to buy a house for them.
  “It was going to be ours. But he was going to pay for it.” — Lisa (18:45)
  He fills out real estate paperwork on the spot, deepening Lisa’s emotional and financial investment.

• Big Gesture: The Busted Nut and the Trip (23:23–25:36)
  At the bar “The Busted Nut,” Lisa reveals she and Steel are back together and he’s taking her to Hawaii to check on his surf business.
  Friends are skeptical but concede: “Maybe there’s something about him that I don’t know, that she really likes about him.” — Michelle (25:23)
  Friends insist on safety checks: car photos, location updates, etc. (26:10–26:29)

Friends Mobilize and the Scammer Slips

• Hawaii: Control and Gaslighting (27:10–35:07)
  Lisa enjoys romantic moments but is disturbed by blackouts she’d never experienced before:
  “I remember being down at the pool. And then I also remember waking up... like, how the hell did I get here?” — Lisa (34:45)

• Friends' Concern Peaks
  Back in Minnesota, nurse friend Steph cross-references info and discovers Derek’s real identity: “My heart just sunk. Oh my God, this is the same man. I remember saying, ‘I knew it.’” — Steph (29:12)

• The Rescue Plan (35:14–38:41)
  Friends carefully text Lisa, trying not to alert Derek, asking for flight details and location to plan a safe return.
  “At one point I called her just to see what was going on... I said, ‘where’s Steele?’... I couldn't say anything to him that would lead him to know that we knew.” — Michelle (37:05)

The Return: The Take Down

• The Great Getaway and Confrontation (38:41–41:35)
  Derek manipulates return flights, delays, and excuses. Lisa finally returns to Minnesota, only to be intercepted at the airport by police.
  Quote:
  Lisa (at the airport, stunned):
  “I have them. What the hell is going on? They have them. And the one guy goes, are you Lisa? I go, yes. The other cop goes, are you Derek Aldridge? And I look at him like, what the hell? And he goes, yes.” (41:13)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Cindy on being dismissed by police:
  “She's finding out this guy is a serious con artist, and nobody is listening to me.” (05:39)

• On Derek’s manipulation:
  “It was almost like a rehearsed line... I'm going to use the word weaselly.” — Michelle (13:22)

• Lisa's self-reflection on forgiveness:
  “I wouldn't listen to my gut. I'd listen to my heart.” (17:23)

• The crucial break:
  “My heart just sunk. Oh my God, this is the same man. I remember saying, ‘I knew it. I knew it. That's him. I knew it.’” — Steph (29:12)

• Airport confrontation:
  “Are you Lisa?... Are you Derek Aldridge? ... Yes.” (41:13)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:31 – Cindy connects with Wendy, revealing the scam.
• 05:25 – Cindy’s failed attempts with police.
• 06:57 – Cindy’s vow for justice.
• 08:44 – Lisa and friends at the hockey game.
• 12:10 – Michelle’s bad first impression of Steel/Derek.
• 14:17 – Lisa expresses fear for the first time.
• 18:04 – Derek’s fake backstory about lottery and property hunt.
• 23:23 – Announcement of the Hawaii trip at The Busted Nut.
• 29:12 – Steph learns Derek's true identity.
• 34:45 – Lisa’s blackout and growing unease in Hawaii.
• 37:05 – Michelle’s cautious check-in call.
• 41:13 – Police confront Lisa and Derek at the airport.

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Episode Tone

The episode balances dark intrigue with moments of warmth, humor, and deep female friendship. The voices of the women—sarcastic, vulnerable, determined—ground the investigation in lived emotion and resilience. The host’s narrative style is relatable, at times irreverent (“As a lesbian, I wouldn’t be caught dead in a pub without a well packed, ready to hike backpack”), keeping listeners engaged and invested in the journey.

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Conclusion

“The Busted Nut” advances both the individual and collective stories of Derek’s victims, expertly weaving tension, heartbreak, and camaraderie. Through tenacious friendship and determination, these women uncover—and start to unravel—the complex web of lies. The episode ends on a cliffhanger: Lisa and Derek (Alias Steel) intercepted by police, setting the stage for confrontation, truth, and the next steps in seeking justice.

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For listeners affected by romance scams or relationship fraud:
Resources are available at NO MORE and FightCybercrime.org.

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Transcript

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novel. Last time on the Girlfriends Trust me, babe.

[Cindy]

Hi Wendy. You don't know me, but my name's Cindy and we both dated. Derek.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Wendy gets a surprise phone call and I was like I was so excited

[Cindy]

to talk to her.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

After weeks of DIY investigations, Wendy had finally given up on finding out the truth about who Derek Allred Alldred really was. But now, standing on the busy shopping strip of Front Street, Lahaina The Pacific Ocean stretching out by her side. She might finally be on the cusp of real answers.

[Cindy]

I remember ducking around kind of an alleyway so I could try to hear her a little better. I'm passing all these people. I'm sure I looked a little crazy.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

The woman on the other end of the line introduces herself as Cindy.

[Cindy]

She was a little bit frantic. She was in the middle of finding out how much money he had stolen from her.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Derek really was a con artist.

[Cindy]

He took her computer and looked up all of her finances, changed the passwords, ordered credit cards in his name. So he's taking her out to dinner and paying for it, and she had no idea it was actually on her account. He stole a lot of money.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Unlike Derek, Cindy has an actual successful career. When they meet in 2013, she's working in tech in San Francisco. But he spins her a good yarn, too. He tells her he's a luxury hotel developer. And over the course of about a month, not quite two, she alleges that he stole $178,000, spent $26,000 on her credit card, and stole 660,000 airline miles. When Cindy goes through her finances in more detail, she finds some interesting charges.

[Cindy]

The flowers, Sherry's berries, and. And the candy and the giant teddy bear.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Dinners, drinks, $4,000 earrings, prescription glasses. All the stuff Derek had been buying for Wendy.

[Cindy]

I saw all the evidence that he was using her credit card to do that.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

And that's not all. Remember the video Derek sent to Wendy to prove where he lived?

[Cindy]

He was in her house.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

And Maxwell, Derek's beloved dog, sadly taken from this world too soon.

[Cindy]

The dog was not his. He took a picture of her dog and took a picture of that dog's bed. And that dog had not died.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Once she discovers the truth, Cindy goes straight to the police.

[Cindy]

They just wanted to brush it off, like, oh, it's just a domestic squabble.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Wendy believes the police didn't investigate the claim seriously because Cindy couldn't prove that she didn't authorize the card herself.

[Cindy]

She's finding out this guy is a serious con artist, and nobody is listening to me.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

The police don't seem to be prioritizing Cindy's case, so she's hoping Wendy can help.

[Cindy]

I had a file. Derek Aldred.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Wendy was writing a book. Of course she's kept her research.

[Cindy]

I had printed out some of the emails that were crazy, all in this file folder. I was so happy I had kept so much of this information. She asked if I would please call this San Francisco detective that was assigned to her case. And I did. I called multiple times.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

As far as we can tell, Cindy's hope that the San Francisco police would do their job would ultimately go nowhere. Even with Wendy in her corner, it

[Cindy]

was very apparent they were not taking any of it seriously. She felt very alone.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

And while the San Francisco police are twiddling their thumbs, Derek just disappears. But Cindy doesn't plan to fade quietly into submission.

[Cindy]

She was relentless. He is not going to get away with this. I am going to find him and bring him to justice.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

And before long, Cindy will learn that it wasn't just her or Wendy that Derek fucked over. Because it turns out he's been wrecking women's lives all over the United States. And soon he'll be thousands of miles away in the land of 10,000 lakes, Minnesota, reeling in his latest target.

[Michelle]

Something's off about this whole thing. Something's fishy.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

I'm Anna Sinfield and from the teams at Novel and I Heart Podcasts, you're listening to the Girlfriends. Trust me, babe. Episode 2 the busted nut. In a huge stadium in downtown St. Paul, the Minnesota Wild hockey team are gliding into an ice rink lit up by neon lights.

[Lisa]

I believe we were playing Chicago.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

It's October 2015. The energy is high in the stadium. I can't be certain, but I just like, know in my bones that let's Get It Started by the Black Eyed Peas was playing. Commentators crooning Are we ready? As the two teams squeak their skates onto the rink. The lights, the sounds, they're loud and rowdy. And so are the fans. Among them sitting in the upper levels is Lisa.

[Lisa]

You know it's dangerous to be around me when we're playing.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa is a die hard Minnesota Wild fan. She's a divorced mom of two and a nurse at a children's hospital. Sitting next to Lisa at the hockey game are two of her closest friends, Tammy and Michelle.

[Lisa]

We are just three girls that love hockey.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Yelling, having fun. But all through the game, Lisa's phone is buzzing. Texts from her boyfriend. They've only been dating for a short time and they've really clicked. Except tonight, Lisa's trying to enjoy watching an ice hockey game with her girls. Only her suddenly whiny boyfriend is not reading the room.

[Lisa]

You don't have time for me, you

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

know, why are you with them this evening? He's being a little controlling, but Lisa's having none of it.

[Lisa]

I love hockey and I wanted to be with my friends.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Game finishes. Minnesota beat Chicago 5 4. But the girls aren't done.

[Lisa]

Let's go to McGoverns.

[Michelle]

We'd get popcorn and wind down the night.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

That's Michelle, Lisa's bestie. They're talking about a local bar they sometimes go to.

[Michelle]

McGovern's is more of a older, deep, rich wood bar with great home cooking, food, big outdoor patio in the back.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

As Lisa moves through the crowd to grab a drink, she stops in her tracks.

[Lisa]

All of the bar, and he's sitting at the bar. And I was like, whoa.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa's boyfriend has made a surprise appearance.

[Lisa]

One friend goes, oh, that's kind of creepy. So I kind of go up to him. He's like, oh, babe, I just wanted to surprise you.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa's friends have heard a lot about her boyfriend. His name is Steel Aldridge. He's kind, outdoorsy, very family orientated. He's told Lisa about his sister, who's married to a pilot, and also about his twin brother, who's a bit wayward. He's got his own business running a surf shop, Steel Fins, in Hawaii. He's studying at the local university. He even volunteers at a homeless shelter.

[Lisa]

Knowing that someone's taken time out to do that just really made me feel, you know, just like, God, this guy's great.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Despite his behavior during the game, Steel and Lisa have been getting on great. But now he's turned up at the bar out of the blue.

[Michelle]

He was kind of a thinner, smaller guy than I pictured. It surprised me that that's what he looked like.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa's bestie, Michelle, watches from afar. This is the first time she's met Steele in person.

[Michelle]

He was carrying a backpack, a pretty full backpack, and I just thought that was so weird.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

As a lesbian, I wouldn't be caught dead in a pub without a well packed, ready to hike backpack. But that's by the by.

[Michelle]

He just looked disheveled.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

As far as first impressions go, it's not a great start.

[Michelle]

I got a bad vibe about him. I don't like him.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Michelle and Tammy approach the bar where Steel and Lisa are talking. And so commences that best friend rite of passage. The classic first meet interrogation.

[Michelle]

He was kind of like, well, what do you want to know? Tammy started right in, right away, so what do you do for work? Where do you live kind of thing.

[Lisa]

She was starting to grill him.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa is standing a few paces away, watching her friends and her boyfriend go head to head.

[Lisa]

Questions like, I want to see your license. I want to see this and that. And he's like, why would I have to show you it? Like being Very defensive with her.

[Michelle]

Everything that Lisa told us, he told us almost four word. It was almost like a rehearsed line. I'm going to use the word weaselly. He just seemed weasley to me. There was just something bad about him just being around the guy and looking at his mannerisms. I couldn't even stand even talking to him. I had to walk away.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Michelle retreats to a table, keeping an eye on things. She's known Lisa since they were teens, and she's very protective of her best friend. Michelle can see Lisa and Steele are having a.

[Lisa]

He was drinking, and he was just getting kind of really weird. He came up to me and says, hi, I'm going to go home with you.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Steel is annoyed about being grilled and he wants to leave.

[Lisa]

It's the first time I ever can say I got scared of him. He just had this look in his eyes. His demeanor was creepy.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa doesn't want to go home with Steel, so he stalks off alone. Soon after, they all call it a night.

[Lisa]

I get to my car, you know, it's raining out, and I'm driving away and my friends, you know, following me out. And we pull out of the parking lot and he's across the street in the pouring rain, just staring at me like, oh, my God. Like, this is just not good.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Arriving home from that night, Lisa's phone is blowing up again.

[Lisa]

It's him texting me, then his sister's texting me, you know, then his friend's texting. They're saying, oh, no, please forgive him.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

He has an excuse for the poor form.

[Lisa]

He claimed he took a pain pill and that he was drinking too much with the pain pill and he was just not him.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

And to forgive him, she doesn't know what to think. Lisa was really falling for Steele. Their first date had been magical.

[Lisa]

I just felt at peace when I saw him.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

And their relationship had progressed quickly. Lisa was recently divorced. She had two kids. She was a busy nurse. She wasn't really looking to get married again, but she did want real companionship.

[Lisa]

He made you feel so at ease. He made you feel so comfortable.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

And in the few weeks they'd been dating, they'd even developed a routine together.

[Lisa]

He would come over to my townhouse, we'd make dinner. I'd sit on the loveseat, he'd sit on the chair. Periodically, his phone would ring. It would be his sister or his daughter, and I'd sit and listen to him talk to them.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

But it's not all been perfect. Steel's got a habit of going awol. And when Lisa asked him, panicked, where he is, if he's okay, his reactions escalate fast.

[Lisa]

He would text me, like, lisa, you need to calm down or I'm going to get my lawyers after you for harassing me. And I'd be like, what the hell?

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lawyers is crazy. And the ridiculousness of it all was so confusing, so up and down, that instead of making Lisa run, she starts to feel like maybe she's the one losing it. And besides, he always has an excuse.

[Lisa]

He would apologize, like, I'm sorry, you know, I shouldn't have done that. You know, I was stressed at school, stressed about the business. He always made me feel bad. I, you know, misunderstood things, or I took things out of context. He'd always bring me something that he knew I loved. I loved purple roses. He'd bring me purple roses. He'd bring me a box of chocolates.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

After that night at the bar, meeting Lisa's friends, it's just the same. She's angry about Steele's creepy behavior.

[Lisa]

I didn't talk to him for a day or two.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

But then sympathy begins to creep its way in. She feels bad.

[Lisa]

I guess the sad thing about me, or I think, like, healthcare people in general, sometimes you have such a big heart that you believe people, and you're very forgiving and very caring. I wouldn't listen to my gut. I'd listen to my heart. So you forgive them.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa's friends, though they aren't convinced. In the couple of weeks that pass after that disastrous performance, Amber governs. Steele is making every effort to prove that he is someone Lisa can rely on. One evening, they're sitting in Lisa's townhouse, straight back in the same cozy routine they had before the McGoverns incident, when Steele reveals a secret he's been keeping.

[Lisa]

He says, well, I don't like telling women I'm dating or seeing that I have a lot of money because I want them to like me for who I am. He said he had won a lottery and he invested really well. It was like $2 million, I think, at least. It was like a stock page. This guy's got this kind of money. He's down to earth. He's sweet, he's got his stuff together.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

And not only that, he wants to show her in a real way that he has committed to her. He tells Lisa he wants to spend his astronomical wealth on setting up a home in St. Paul, somewhere they can one day live together, Somewhere their families can become one.

[Lisa]

It was going to be ours. But he was going to pay for it.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

She even attends some of the viewings and then they find the perfect one.

[Lisa]

It was three levels. It was just beautiful. You walked in and the kitchen was just all steel appliances, cherry wood inside for all the cabinets. It had a two car garage. You know, this could be your son's room. This could be your daughter's room. This could be our room. You know, he's like, oh, I could put my books here for school. It was beautiful. I mean, it was just the colors were gorgeous. It was very elegant. I remember they had a candle in there. I think it was like a vanilla flavor. It was just beautifully staged.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Walking around the property, the realtor makes an aside to Lisa.

[Lisa]

Oh, your husband's, you know, really nice. I'm like, no, he's my boyfriend. He's looking to buy it for us. It's not me, it's just him.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Steele starts filling out the paperwork there and then. He couldn't be more ready to commit.

[Lisa]

I really at that point felt like I was falling for him. And I just thought, wow, I really hit the jackpot on this guy.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Because Steele had another surprise in store for Lisa, one she can't wait to tell her friends about.

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[Lisa]

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[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Less than two weeks after the McGoverns disaster, the girls are back out. No hockey this time.

[Michelle]

We are eating at a little place in Hastings called the Busted Nut.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

That's Michelle. Lisa is there too, and so is Tammy.

[Michelle]

It is a little bar in a little old fashioned town. Old pictures, tin ceilings.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

There are photos on the wall from that era. Horses, carriages hooked up to posts outside old brick buildings.

[Michelle]

They have a barrel full of nuts, these roasted peanuts that you can scoop out and bring them back to your table and you just crack them and drop them on the floor. We were having a good time.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Eventually bolstered by a few handfuls of pre Covid communal barrel peanuts, Lisa says she has some news. She was back dating Steel after their disastrous first meeting. Lisa had stopped mentioning Steele to her

[Michelle]

friends because she wasn't talking about him. We thought that she wasn't seeing him

[Lisa]

anymore, but she was.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

And Steel's made a big romantic gesture that Lisa wants to tell her friends about. Not the house, something else.

[Michelle]

He wants to take me on a trip to Hawaii. What do you guys think about that?

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

It turns out Steel needs to go check in on his surf business. And he knows Lisa's always wanted to go to Hawaii, so he's bought the two of them flights on him for a romantic holiday.

[Lisa]

He's like, pack your bakes babe, we're going. I was so excited.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

But she knows she can't fly so far, without asking the advice of her friends,

[Michelle]

we said, lisa, what are you doing?

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

They're still reeling from the news that Lisa and Steele are even together and now they're going on holiday.

[Michelle]

Half the group said no. And she looked at me and I

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

thought, oh, my gosh.

[Michelle]

But I thought, you know, maybe there's something about him that I don't know, that she knows, that she really likes about him.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

It's hard when you're outside the bubble of someone's relationship, looking in to ever really see what they see, you know,

[Michelle]

give it a shot. It's a vacation, you know, it's Hawaii. She was, I think, going through a lot of stress and she kind of did need a break. And I thought, you know, just go, let us know how it goes. Check out this business that he says he has over in Hawaii.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa's friends weren't going to wave her off without first putting in place some safety checks.

[Michelle]

You need to let your friends know where you're staying, what kind of car you're driving. We asked her to take a picture of the car, the license plate, just to make sure everything was on the up and up.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

With her friend's cautious blessing, Lisa touches down in Hawaii and it's just like she imagined.

[Lisa]

We drove around the island a little bit. You can see the ocean. I was in awe, like, oh, my God. I can see why he loves this place. It's beautiful. And I'm like, I can see why he loves to come out here, you know, Multiple times a year, they hire

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

a Jeep, which Lisa drives through the streets of Maui to their hotel.

[Lisa]

The pool was gorgeous, palm trees and just the beautiful, you know, Hawaiian flowers. I remember taking pictures of us. I sending them to my friends and they're like, oh, my God, I'm so jealous.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Unbeknownst to Lisa, back home, her friends are actually feeling a little concerned, especially Michelle.

[Lisa]

He was getting a little angry about, like, why does she keep calling you? Like, why does she keep bothering us? And doesn't she know you're on vacation? I'm like, oh, she's just checking in and seeing if I'm having fun.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

While Lisa is blissfully gallivanting around Maui in a Jeep, another friend, Steph, is on shift at the children's hospital back in St. Paul. Steph and Lisa work together. They carpool together.

[Steph]

We leave for work every day at 6:20.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

They're good colleagues, but even better friends.

[Steph]

Dinner, winery tours, girls, trips. We have had some really fun times on some of these girls trips.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Sometimes Steele is in the Back of Lisa's car in the morning, getting a lift to the homeless shelter he volunteers at. So Sef's met him a few times, and just like Michelle, she's got a bad vibe about him. She's been searching his name online, but it's showing up nothing. And it's starting to gnaw at her. Looking around at her nattering colleagues propping up the nurses station, Steph pipes up,

[Steph]

you guys, I'm worried about Lisa. She's in Hawaii with this guy who I don't even know who he is.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

And then one of her colleagues interjects,

[Steph]

oh, my God, the same thing happened to my friend. It sounds so familiar. She kept saying she had a friend that she met online. He took her to Hawaii, too, and he was scamming her.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

This friend had met a man who sounded exactly like Lisa's current boyfriend, and he turned out to be a total con man.

[Steph]

I said, can you text her and see if you can get a picture of him? And she did. She texted her friend right away.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

An answer comes back. Before their shift is done, she brought

[Steph]

her phone over to me and showed me the picture of the. And I remember vividly his image. My heart just sunk. Oh, my God, this is the same man. I remember saying, I knew it. I knew it. That's him. I knew it.

[Cindy]

All.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Steph's fruitless Googling makes sense now. The reason she can't find anything about Still Aldridge is because that's not his real name. His real name was Derek Alldred.

[Steph]

He was on probation for this scam of the St. Paul Hotel.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Now they have Derek's real name. The details of who this guy really is are easy to find. Just the year before, Derek Alldred had attempted to swindle the St. Paul Hotel, a swanky historic hotel right in the heart of the city, just a couple of blocks down the road from the hospital. He'd falsely claimed to be a doctor, skipped out on an almost $1,000 bill. And the woman he was with. Once the police caught up with him, he'd been convicted and imprisoned for eight months on top of the time he'd served awaiting trial, and then he was released on probation. Within a fortnight, he'd met Lisa, and that means he shouldn't have left Minnesota at all. If he gets discovered, it's straight back to prison. And now Lisa is off in Hawaii, alone with this guy and none the wiser. The news spreads like germs in a nostalgic pioneer peanut barrel. A rescue mission plan is drawn up and the emergency services team in charge.

[Steph]

I'm sure I wasn't very productive at work the rest of the day.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

A group of hockey loving nurses.

[Michelle]

Of course we need to get our friend home safe.

[NFL Announcer]

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[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Back in Hawaii, things are going swimmingly. Lisa and Steel, Derek Aldridge, Allred Alldred are blissfully unaware of the storm brewing back home in Minnesota. After two nights at the first hotel, they move to a different resort. Their room is on the top floor with ocean views, but Still's bank card seems to be on the fritz. He tries to book them a sunset cruise, but the payment won't go through. Same sitch when he takes her out for a fancy breakfast and when he needs to visit a local doctor for his eye pain. Steele is supposed to be paying for everything, so Lisa is feeling pretty salty about having to hand over her own Amex.

[Lisa]

So he's like, writing down how much he owes me, like, on a piece of paper, like, don't worry, babe, I'll pay you back. I got everything written down.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Reassuringly, she hears him on the phone with Wells Fargo, arguing about his card.

[Lisa]

He shows me on his phone like, I'm calling Wells Fargo. Gives him my name, my date of birth. So he's like, see, I told you I'd pay you. And kind of got a little snotty with me. Like, how dare you question me? So I'm thinking, fine.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

In their new hotel, there is not one, but two pools with bars to get poolside cocktails with umbrellas in them. So it's kind of easy not to worry too much.

[Lisa]

He would always go up and get them. So then he'd bring them to me. And I remember being down at the pool. And then I also remember waking up and I'm in the condo room. I'm like, how the hell did I get here? Like, I don't remember going from the pool all the way up. And he's like, oh, you're fine, baby. You just had one too many to drink. And I thought, well, maybe I had more than I thought. I was outside in the sun.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa's never blacked out like that before.

[Lisa]

But I trusted him. I didn't think nothing of.

[Steph]

I would check her Facebook endlessly to see if she have any postings on there.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, Lisa's friends are worried. They want Lisa to send them details they can use to track her exact location, but they need to do it subtly.

[Michelle]

He posted a picture of her sitting by the pool on her Facebook page, and we thought, oh, he knows her passcode on her phone and he has access to her phone.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

They can't risk tipping Steele slash Derick off to the fact that they're onto him.

[Steph]

I kept it very social, like I was doing things like, how's Hawaii? I see you're really tan. Where are you staying?

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

But none of the messages they're getting back from Lisa are helping them pin down a precise location.

[Steph]

We're going on a sunset cruise tonight. We rented a convertible.

[Michelle]

We kept on saying, I'll take a picture of the car, take a picture of the license plate, and she wasn't doing it.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa's been gone five days now. Her girlfriends know she's coming back soon because she's got a shift coming up. But when is her flight? What time will she be landing? None of them seem to know.

[Michelle]

She didn't see what the urgency was.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa has no idea what her friends have just discovered Steph has been awake for days. Searching Derek Alldred online endlessly. She tries contacting the police. She contacts a probation officer she knows.

[Steph]

I was advised by them to just keep in touch with her and try to find out what flight she was coming back on.

[Michelle]

So at one point I called her just to see what was going on.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Michelle's name flashes across Lisa's phone.

[Michelle]

I said, where's Steele? And she says, oh, he's right next to me. I couldn't say anything to him that would lead him to know that we knew stuff was going on behind the scenes.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

None of the friends know what Steele is capable of, what he might do if he realizes people back in Minnesota are onto him. Michelle has to think fast.

[Michelle]

And I said, well, I got some really good news. She said, you got engaged? I can't tell you. She says, oh, you know, I gotta know. But I gotta know when you're coming home. Lisa, when are you gonna come home? Cause I got something to show you.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

This is an ingenious move, but it doesn't work. Not because Lisa is evading her, is because Lisa doesn't know when her flight

[Michelle]

home is because he kept on changing it.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Steele is supposed to have organized their return flights, but she gave me a

[Steph]

flight that I looked up which didn't exist.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

He claims they keep getting canceled because of a storm in Colorado.

[Lisa]

You need to find a fricking way for us to get home. I need to be home.

[Steph]

She was supposed to be at work the next morning. I'm like, Lisa, are you coming to work tomorrow?

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

After the storm, the delays to the non existent flight, eventually Lisa finally boards a real plane. A few hours later, she wakes up to an announcement.

[Lisa]

Welcome to LAX. It's 5:00am and I'm like, Holy crap.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

5:00am in LA.

[Lisa]

It's 7:00 clock in Minnesota. I'm like, I'm supposed to be at work.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa was so relieved to finally be on a flight that she hadn't done the maths on what time they'd be landing. By the time she finally lands in Minnesota, she'll get to work hours late, well past the time her shift was supposed to start. Hustling into the LAX arrivals, Steele marches off to the airline desk to see if he can get them onto an earlier flight. And while he does that, Lisa sits by the gate and calls her friend and colleague Steph, who'll be waiting for her on the ward by now.

[Lisa]

Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I can't make any work today. I Said, but I can work evening shift. I'm like, I can come in. I will be home in time. She goes, no, if that works out, that's fine. She's like, well, where's Steel? She goes, is he with you right now? I said, no, he's up at the desk.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

This is the first time Lisa's been alone pretty much all holiday.

[Lisa]

She goes, how are you? I said, oh, I'm fine. She goes, are you okay? I said, I'm good. I'm just upset, you know, I don't want to miss work.

[Steph]

I took care of her not being at work.

[Lisa]

She goes, yeah, don't worry about it. We got your shift covered. Everything's good.

[Steph]

At that point, I stopped worrying about him. Seeing what I was saying, she says,

[Lisa]

do me two things before you get on the plane. I said, why? She goes, send me your flight information and where you're sitting. Because she goes, I just want to make sure you're home safe.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

When still returns from the ticket desk with newer, sooner flights, Lisa takes him with her into the bathroom. She snaps a picture and sends it to Steph.

[Steph]

And that's what I gave to the authorities.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Steph follows up with one quick, almost stern text.

[Steph]

You need to text me when you land. I don't think I said much more than that.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

It's Saturday when Lisa finally, finally touches down in Minneapolis. It's not the same airport they took off from, so home is still a shuttle bus and then a car drive away. But they've made it, and both of them are in for a surprise.

[Lisa]

I still have PTSD when I walk down that concourse because of what happened.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

As Lisa and Steele disembark the plane, they're stopped in their tracks by two cops riding in hot on Segways. One of the cops looks them up and down before reaching for his walkie talkie.

[Lisa]

I have them. What the hell is going on? He's going on like they have them. And the one guy goes, are you Lisa? I go, yes. And the other cop goes, are you Derek Aldridge? And I look at him like, what the hell? And he goes, yes.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Coming up next on the Girlfriends. Trust me, babe.

[Lisa]

She's like, I need to talk to you. I'll be at your townhouse once you get home after work. And I said, oh, hell no.

[Narrator / Host (Anna Sinfield)]

Lisa fights back. The girlfriend's trust me, Babe is produced by novel for iHeart podcasts. For more from Novel, visit Novel Audio. The series is hosted by me, Anna Sinfield. It's produced by Leona Hamid. Our assistant producer is Valeria Rocker. Our editor is Jo Wheeler. Production management from Cherie Houston, Joe Savage and Charlotte Wolf Fact checking by Dania Suleiman Sound design, mixing and scoring by Daniel Kempson and Nicholas Alexander. The Girlfriend's Theme was composed by Daniel Kempson and Louisa Gerstein and performed by Daniel Kempson with vocals by Louisa Gerstein. Music supervision from Daniel Kempson and Anna Sinfield. The series artwork was designed by Christina Lemkul. Story development by Susie Baker and Olivia Smart. Novel's director of development is Selena Mehta. Max o' Brien is the executive producer for Novel, Katrina Norvell and Nikki Etor are the executive producers for iHeart podcasts and the marketing lead is Alison Cantor. Special thanks to Carrie Lieberman and Will Pearson at iHeart Podcasts. Julie Sensullo, Anne Langston, Carolyn Shirlevin, Katie Gurney Ellis, Kelly Hunt, Rachel Munro, Tom Oldag and Tad Vesna.

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[NFL Announcer]

The countdown is on for the 2026 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light. Catch all seven rounds three days live from Pittsburgh, April 23rd through 25th. Watch every pick live on NFL Network, ESPN and ABC. NFL Network is also streaming with NFL Plus. It all starts Thursday at 8pm Eastern. Visit NFL.com draft for more information. Subscription required for NFL plus, visit Plus.NFL.com for terms.

[Sunday Lawn Care Advertiser]

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[Oestra Advertiser]

Getsunday.com if you're feeling off fatigue, mood changes, skin shifts and yet your labs say everything's normal. You're not alone. Meet Oestra from Inner Balance, the first all in one prescription strength bioidentical hormone cream that's natural and effective and only takes one drop, 10 seconds a day. Oester replaces five to six products women typically use to treat symptoms and is third party tested to ensure the highest quality. Visit innerbalance.com today to start feeling like yourself again. That's innerbalance. Com.

[Lisa]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Cindy]

Guaranteed Human.