A Tentacular Affair | 6

Summary

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Podcast Summary – The Mystic and The Mayor

Episode 6: "A Tentacular Affair"

Date: August 5, 2025
Presenters: Anna Richardson & Leo Chic
Production: Audio Always

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Overview

In this gripping episode, Anna Richardson and investigative journalist Leo Chic dissect the extraordinary downfall of Gilles d’Ettore, mayor of a small French coastal town (AGD), and his entanglement with professional mystic Sophia Martinez. The exposé traces how supposed spiritual communications spiraled into psychological manipulation, potential corruption, and eventual criminal charges, unraveling the sleepy town’s façade and propelling it center stage in a national scandal.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “Archangel Michael” Calls and Their Spread

• (00:06) Leo reveals that for years, Gilles d’Ettore has been receiving phone calls that claim to be from the Archangel Michael—first with messages from his late father, then increasingly requests to shield Sophia, and finally, demands for material favors.
• (01:38) The phenomenon escalates when Gilles’ ex-wife, Geraldine, starts receiving similar anonymous, menacing calls at her workplace, displaying a deep level of personal knowledge about her and Gilles.

Memorable Quote:
“Geraldine walks into the local police station and approaches the counter. She tells the police Gilles de Torre has been bewitched. And she suspects that Sophia, the mystic... is masterminding these calls.” – Leo Chic (02:08)

2. Police Investigation and Astonishing Breakthrough

• Authorities wiretap Gilles and Sophia, uncovering that Gilles receives up to ten calls a day from Sophia.
• In a dramatic police interview, Sophia confesses to being the voice of the “Archangel Michael” and demonstrates her ventriloquism skills, revealing that she’s behind the ruse.

Memorable Quote:
“Sofia Martinez is a ventriloquist. She can manipulate her voice in a seemingly impossible way... no one knew that she could do this with her voice.” – Leo Chic (03:46, 04:42)

3. The Web of Deceit Expands

• (05:40-06:40) The investigation finds that others, including town hall employee David M, received similar calls, particularly after hypnosis sessions with Sophia.
• Some victims recognize Sophia’s voice, but Gilles appears deep in denial, possibly due to cognitive dissonance and sunk cost fallacies.

Memorable Quote:
“You want to believe, don’t you, that this is clearly not Sophia. I am getting these phone calls. They’re meaningful to me.” – Anna Richardson (07:23)

4. Arrest and the Material Trail

• In March 2024, both Gilles and Sophia are arrested.
• (09:00 – 10:21) Leo outlines the long list of gifts and perks Sophia and her entourage received: a €45,000 veranda, remodeled kitchen, lavish holidays, wedding expenses, cash gifts up to €35,000, luxury birthday party, family internships and job promotions.

Memorable Quotes:
“This woman has just made hundreds of thousands of euros.” – Anna Richardson (09:31)
“If the charges against Gilles stand, then clearly he was using public funds to fund Sophia’s lifestyle.” – Anna Richardson (10:21)

5. The Wider Impact on the Town and Council

• A local construction firm director is implicated and imprisoned for 12 days for his role in providing Sophia’s veranda, allegedly under pressure from Gilles.
• Gilles’ political rivals, including Thierry Nadel, demand his resignation and the dissolution of the municipal council.

Memorable Quote:
“The investigation is trying to uncover who or what the octopus is.” – Thierry Nadel (12:41)

6. Who—or What—is the 'Octopus'?

• Anna and Leo debate whether Sophia, Gilles, or both are the metaphorical octopus choking the town.
• Anna leans toward Sophia as the manipulator, while Leo highlights the mayor’s duty and greater accountability as a public official.

Memorable Exchanges:
“It’s got to be Sophia, hasn’t it? It has to be... Because here’s a woman who knows how to manipulate people...” – Anna Richardson (13:29)
“If either of them are conning on whatever scale, it’s much worse if Gilles is doing it than if Sofia is doing it.” – Leo Chic (15:53)

7. Psychological Motivations, Trauma, and Addiction to Power

• Louise Colcombe (Le Parisien) hypothesizes that Sophia’s actions stem from her troubled upbringing and a “narcissistic failure,” leading her to seek validation and security through manipulation and money.
• Police interview excerpts suggest Sophia herself felt “spiraled out of control” by Gilles’ generosity and the trappings of “glitter and appearance.”

Quotes:
“She’s someone who has been abandoned when she was a child... there’s something very intimate for her... a weakness and money and love... she couldn’t stop.” – Louise Colcombe (19:44)
“It spiraled out of control when Gilles started to spoil me.” – Anna Richardson voicing Sophia (18:27)

8. Aftermath and Where Are They Now?

• Gilles adapted well to pre-trial prison, was released on judicial supervision, has to stay out of AGD, and cannot contact former colleagues (20:57).
• Sophia endured a harder prison stint, including solitary confinement for her safety after being labeled a 'witch'; now, she’s barred from practicing any “mystical” services and has moved closer to family (21:52).

9. Presumption of Innocence and Hopes for Closure

• Leo attempts to contact both protagonists for their perspective; both decline.
• The episode wraps with the reminder that all accused are presumed innocent until judged.

Memorable Quote:
“Gilles and Sophia await trial along with a handful of local businesses tangled up into their messy and mysterious relationship.” – Leo Chic (24:51)

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|---------------------|---------| | 02:08 | “Geraldine walks into the local police station... Gilles de Torre has been bewitched.” | Leo Chic | | 04:07 | "She’s a fucking ventriloquist." | Anna Richardson | | 05:20 | “He must have genuinely thought... he was getting messages from an archangel.” | Anna Richardson | | 09:31 | "This woman has just made hundreds of thousands of euros." | Anna Richardson | | 12:41 | "The investigation is trying to uncover who or what the octopus is." | Thierry Nadel | | 13:29 | “It’s got to be Sophia, hasn’t it? It has to be... Because here’s a woman who knows how to manipulate people...” | Anna Richardson | | 15:53 | "It’s much worse if Gilles is doing it than if Sofia is doing it." | Leo Chic | | 18:27 | “It spiraled out of control when Gilles started to spoil me.” | "Sophia" (via Anna Richardson) | | 19:44 | "There’s something very intimate for her... a weakness and money and love that would feed her." | Louise Colcombe | | 24:51 | “Gilles and Sophia await trial along with a handful of local businesses tangled up into their messy and mysterious relationship.” | Leo Chic |

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• (00:00–02:08) – The spread of “Archangel Michael” calls and police involvement
• (03:43–04:53) – Sophia’s ventriloquism revealed to police and public
• (07:48–11:49) – Arrests, list of gifts, municipal corruption
• (12:04–13:59) – Political fallout, "the Octopus" metaphor introduced, debate on culpability
• (17:14–19:44) – Louise Colcombe’s psychological analysis, Sophia’s background and motivations
• (20:18–22:11) – Prison experiences, legal restrictions, updates on Gilles & Sophia
• (23:19–24:31) – Reporters’ efforts to reach Gilles and Sophia
• (24:31–24:51) – Presumption of innocence and next steps

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Tone and Style

The episode blends investigative rigor with empathetic discussion, balancing sympathy for the psychologically vulnerable with a clear-eyed assessment of manipulation and corruption. Both hosts maintain a conversational, candid, and at times lightly irreverent tone, particularly as shocking revelations come to light.

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Conclusion

“A Tentacular Affair” is a story of how personal needs, trauma, and spiritual longing collided with small-town politics, resulting in a scandal emblematic not only of individual failings, but systemic cracks in governance and trust. The tangled fates of Gilles and Sophia invite debate on responsibility, vulnerability, and the dangerous dance between belief and abuse of power.

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Transcript

[Leo Chic]

The mayor of AG has been getting calls from the Archangel Michael for years. They've gone from messages from his beloved father to the voice asking him to protect his trusted mystic, Sophia Martinez. And finally, asking for favors. And now someone else in his life is getting calls.

[Anna Richardson]

I'm Anna Richardson.

[Leo Chic]

And I'm Leo Chic. And I've been investigating a mysterious story in a quaint French coastal town all about people, power and persuasion. Now I'm sharing it with Anna and you. This is the mystic and the mayor. Episode 6 Gilles has a lot of family and friends in AGD, including a close relationship with his ex wife, Geraldine. They separated in 2017, but are still in each other's lives. In 2023, Geraldine was at work, sitting at her desk in a local government building. Her phone vibrates. The screen reads no caller id, and she feels her stomach drop. Not again, she thinks. She steps into a quiet hallway and answers.

[Louise Colcombe]

Bonjour. What is it?

[Leo Chic]

What do you want?

[Anna Richardson]

Geraldine? I am the Archangel Michael. I need you to do something for me.

[Leo Chic]

Geraldine's pulse quickens. This is her third call from the voice, and she's already had enough.

[Anna Richardson]

I need you to do something for Sophia.

[Leo Chic]

Geraldine has known for some time that Gilles has been getting these calls, but now she's getting them. The voice on the line knows so many personal details about her life and her life with Gilles, and she wants them to stop. Geraldine walks into the local police station and approaches the counter. She tells the police Gilles de Torre has been bewitched. And she suspects that Sophia, the mystic that has been his friend, confidant and spiritual guide for so long, is masterminding these calls. An investigation begins. Authorities take the rare step of listening in to Gilles and Sophia's calls and monitor what's going on in their lives. They discover that for the past year, Gilles has received up to 10 calls a day from Sophia, according to the public prosecutor, and she's brought in for questioning. As evidence mounts, the police bring Gilles in for questioning too. But they also want to tell him something. In an interview room at the station, Gilles is shown a video. In the course of their investigation, police have made a discovery. On the screen, Gilles sees Sophia. She's talking to the police about Gilles. They ask her about the no caller ID that's been calling Gilles for years. She looks around the room, then reveals she is the Archangel Michael.

[Anna Richardson]

This is unbelievable.

[Leo Chic]

The officer asks Sofia to demonstrate how this deep, gravelly voice can possibly emanate from her. Sophia Martinez is a ventriloquist. She can manipulate her voice in A seemingly impossible way, in a way that makes it sound like the voice of someone entirely different.

[Anna Richardson]

Okay, this has just completely blown my mind. So the pair of them have been arrested. The police say, what's been going on. Sofia says, the voice, the Archangel Michael was me. And then she demonstrates it, and she's a fucking ventriloquist.

[Leo Chic]

Did you see this coming?

[Anna Richardson]

I could see that there was something, well, dodgy going on. I could see that. Hold on a minute. The guy Archangel Michael's gotta have something to do with Sofia. Of course, I didn't think that it was her doing the voice. And the fact that you've now said she's a ventriloquist has just blown my mind.

[Leo Chic]

So according to Louise Colcombe, the journalist for Le Parisien, Sophia kept her ventriloquism hidden from everyone in her life. No one knew that she could do this with her voice.

[Louise Colcombe]

She has a special gift that nobody knew about, even her previous husband's. That's how she managed to do the whole thing, the whole scam, because nobody knew that she could do this. And actually, Gilles Detours wouldn't believe it until a policeman showed him a demonstration that she did, because he couldn't believe that such a voice could come out from a woman.

[Anna Richardson]

I mean, do you know, I feel so sorry for Gilles because he must have been so shocked by this news, but also he must have genuinely thought that. That he was getting messages from an archangel. I'm just thinking, God, this guy must have just been so gullible. I mean, obviously this isn't the Archangel Michael calling him.

[Leo Chic]

The way I understand this is they both had really profound needs. And he, I think, really needed to believe her. I think he really needed this for his own. Is it cheesy to say soul? He needed it to be true. And I think she really needed to create this world for him. I think that that was also a really deep need. So I think they just kind of met each other at the right time and really fit into each other's lives in that way. Police also discovered more people who had been receiving calls. A man identified as David M, a colleague of Gilles, filed a second complaint. According to Le Monde, he claimed that he had also been contacted by the voice of the Archangel after attending a hypnosis session with Sophia. He had received 20 calls, but he realized the archangel was Sophia.

[Anna Richardson]

Surely if other people were getting phone calls from the Archangel Michael and this other guy stepped forward saying they're worried. Did nobody say to Gilles, I'm really clearly, this is Sophia? Yeah, you're being scammed.

[Leo Chic]

I mean, the fact that Geraldine went to the police station and raised a complaint, that suggests to me that she has spoken to him saying, you know, this is fake. But perhaps he was so deep in it that he. He couldn't believe it. Yeah. You know, when you're really deep into. Well, when you're obsessed, it's sunk cost as well. Once you've. Once you put a lot of money into something, say, then you don't want to believe that it's not true because then you've lost your money.

[Anna Richardson]

Yeah.

[Leo Chic]

So maybe there's some kind of cognitive dissonance.

[Anna Richardson]

Exactly. And you're able to just suspend your disbelief about this. You want to believe, don't you, that this is clearly not Sophia. I am getting these phone calls. They're meaningful to me. Okay. Okay. I mean, this is troubling, isn't it? Because you would have thought people would have said, mate, this is a total scam. You are being just utterly manipulated here. So again, you know, I feel really sorry for him.

[Leo Chic]

In March 2024, Gilles Detour and Sophia Martinez were arrested.

[Jean Claude Cooper]

The day it all broke out, I was going to a meeting which Gilles was supposed to attend.

[Leo Chic]

That's Jean Claude Cooper, a local political campaigner in Ague.

[Jean Claude Cooper]

The meeting was supposed to start at 3pm, but around midday I heard rumor that Mr. Detour was in police custody. But people say all sorts of things, so I decided to go to the meeting anyway to see if he was there. When I arrived, one of his colleagues pretended to receive a phone call. He said, oh, Mr. Detour has called me. He has a last minute issue. He will not be able to attend. So that seemed to confirm it. But I wasn't completely sure until we found out what happened in the media.

[Leo Chic]

Sophia was charged with embezzlement, concealment of corruption and not declaring income or gifts. Gilles was charged with embezzlement by a person holding public authority, illegal taking of interests and corruption. I've compiled the following list from coverage from Le Monde Midi Libre and press releases from the public prosecution. In the four years that Gilles had sessions with Sophia and was receiving phone calls from Papa, Sophia and those close to her received the following. A new veranda was built in her home, which she used to see clients in, valued at more than €45,000. A new Jacuzzi, A remodel of her kitchen, estimated to be worth more than €10,000.

[Anna Richardson]

Oh, my God.

[Leo Chic]

A private chauffeur takes her kids to their school holidays, to Paris and Tahiti holidays with Gilles for her and her family. With Gillespie, part of her lavish wedding buffet. Cash gifts at her wedding, estimated to be between 25,000 to €35,000. Payment for her wedding venue, the Wedding DJ, the Wedding Photographer, the wedding bands from Cartier.

[Anna Richardson]

I mean, this is just crazy. This woman has just made hundreds of thousands of euros.

[Leo Chic]

It's not over.

[Anna Richardson]

Oh, my God. Go on.

[Leo Chic]

Her 44th birthday party at a fancy restaurant was also paid for. Her daughter was given an internship at the town hall. Her daughter's friend was promoted to the coveted job as the toll booth operator of the nudist beach.

[Anna Richardson]

I mean, now you say that. I mean, it's highly appealing. I'd go for that, yeah. So if the charges against Gilles stand, then clearly he was using public funds to fund Sophia's lifestyle.

[Leo Chic]

And he knew that that is one of the biggest questions of the investigation. It involves public funds. It's really, really important. So we don't yet know and only really they can decide whether that's the case. What is interesting is that lots of other people have been implicated in all this.

[Anna Richardson]

Oh, really?

[Leo Chic]

Yeah. And charged. You remember thy desert. He was the director of a construction company and Gilles allegedly hounded him to build Sophia a €45,000 veranda, which he did, hiding the cost in another job. He's been charged, spent 12 days in pre trial prison and has lost his job. In an interview he said, I was never seeking any personal enrichment. I didn't steal anything. The world is falling down around me. I'm in a hellish spiral.

[Anna Richardson]

I can absolutely see that. I mean, effectively this bloke was getting loads of phone calls from Gilles saying, build a veranda, build a veranda, build a veranda. And ultimately he's had to sort of cave in and now he's finding himself. He's done 12 days in prison because he's built this damn veranda. And actually he thought he was just doing a favour for the mayor because this is a very powerful man.

[Leo Chic]

Yeah. And the extraordinary details of the case had hit the press and Gilles political opponents seized this moment. Here's rival Thierry Nadel talking about a council meeting when the story was front page news.

[Thierry Nadel]

The atmosphere was very electric. There was the media, the room was packed, there were people in the aisles, there were people standing, there were people outside. From the outset, I was clear and precise. I demanded one, the resignation of the mayor, two, the resignation of the municipal council, and three, that early election be held in order to give the people a voice again, to give the people of AGD a voice. Two, Investigating judges have been appointed, and the prosecutor has announced that this is a ton killer affair. To reference Jules Ver Nautilus, AGD is a bit like a submarine caught in the tentacles of a giant octopus. The investigation is trying to uncover who or what the octopus is.

[Leo Chic]

So since I spoke to Thierry about that, I've been wondering, who is the octopus? Is it Gilles? Is it Sophia? Is it some other power at play?

[Anna Richardson]

Wow. I think that is a really good question. And actually, while you were describing that, you know, you could see AGD as this wonderful town with this spotless mare of the last 20 years, and then this squid is taking it down. If you are pushing him into a corner for who is that squid? It's gotta be Sophia, hasn't it? It has to be. It has to be. Because here's a woman who knows how to manipulate people, who knows that it's highly seductive to be able to tell people their fortunes, their future, and also speak to their loved ones, who has a fantastic way of getting money out of people, who knows how to get the influence that she needs. It's gotta be Sofia. And I think that Gilles fell for it. Now, I've got a caveat to this. Right?

[Leo Chic]

You can see me about to interrupt. Yes. What's your caveat?

[Anna Richardson]

I do have a caveat to. Because I can understand how people go there, and I dare say that I've been there myself in terms of. Because I've produced a lot of paranormal shows. I know a lot of mediums, I know a lot of psychics. And I think I've probably become Gilles at some point and been on the receiving end of being manipulated. So I think that Sophia is the octopus. And I think that there are really corrupt psychics and mediums out there. And it's a shame, because some of them have got tremendous skill. And in a way, you just think, why do you need to trick people? Why would you need to do this? Does that. I don't know if that makes sense. It makes sense.

[Leo Chic]

I would. I was expecting a different caveat.

[Anna Richardson]

Okay.

[Leo Chic]

I was expecting the caveat that. So we obviously don't know the extent of either of their guilt. It's for the justice system to determine.

[Anna Richardson]

Yes, that's true.

[Leo Chic]

But if Gilles is corrupt, and if Gilles was, for instance, leveraging town contracts for personal gain or for the gain of friends, there's a possibility that there was already a corrupt system in place. We don't know if there was or there wasn't. And that she was able to leverage that system, which makes them Both the octopus. Because if just because she sniffs out a corrupt system doesn't make her corrupt. It just means that she is.

[Anna Richardson]

Makes it clever.

[Leo Chic]

Yeah, a good opportunity.

[Anna Richardson]

Yeah, that's a really good point. And you're right. So then they're both. I mean, it just becomes a kind of like underworld sea hell where these two people have together found each other and brought down the reputation of agd. They're both as bad as each other.

[Leo Chic]

I don't think they're both as bad as each other because one of them is a private individual and the other one is an elected official. So if either of them are conning on whatever scale, it's much worse if Gilles is doing it than if Sofia is doing it.

[Anna Richardson]

True.

[Leo Chic]

Because if Sofia is conning, then she is harming clients, and that has a limited scope. But if Gilles is doing it, then he's harming democracy as well as the citizens that he should be protecting as mayor.

[Anna Richardson]

Well, I mean, we're now going macro, micro, aren't we? If it's true. If it's true he was elected, you know, what does it say about democracy? What does it say about abuse? But actually, I still want to go back to the personal and the micro and just say, well, if Sophia was abusing her clients, then that's kind of unforgivable, you know, on a moral level, an ethical level, just in terms of abuse. And we know that hurt people. Hurt people. And the fact that she's come from this chaotic childhood and then she's potentially gone on to repeat that is incredibly sad and damaging, I think. So I guess it's how you look at this. We're looking at it on the macro level, aren't we, with Gilles? But then when you actually telescope down into it, here is a woman who's potentially doing a vast amount of damage to individuals.

[Leo Chic]

I spoke to Louise from Le Parisien about this, and she had a theory about how all these pieces fit together.

[Louise Colcombe]

Everybody says that after 23 years at the head of that very wealthy town, it would be very surprising that there was not already somehow of a system. And most people think that there was a system and that she got aware of it because she someone very intelligent and that at a certain point she felt that she could benefit from it. She couldn't stop because she knew which button to press. And every time she would push on the button, money would fall out. Like new kitchen, the veranda, the wedding. He was in control of the power of the money because he had so many friendships. I mean, and most of the people were obliged to say yes to him.

[Leo Chic]

We also have Sophia's words from her police interview, reported by Midi Libre. This is voiced by an actor. When you see so much money, it.

[Anna Richardson]

Brings a great inner joy.

[Leo Chic]

It spiraled out of control when Gilles started to spoil me.

[Anna Richardson]

Before that, there weren't these delusions of grandeur.

[Leo Chic]

I entered into a world of glitter and appearance. It was restaurants, trips.

[Anna Richardson]

I lost control. Do you know what? I kind of get it. I get it. And this is where I swing back to sympathy for Sophia. Because here is a woman who's had a troubled childhood, a difficult adulthood by the sounds of things as well, who has had to use all of her resources to get what she wants. And suddenly she meet this guy who treats her, who gives her the finer things in life. That is seductive. I mean, in a way, I'm kind of like, I guess you would use whatever ability you've got to try and get more out of this guy. I kind of understand it.

[Leo Chic]

And her lawyer says something to that effect. He told the press she was not born under a lucky star. With her mother, who had major psychological problems and a deviant father, she was mistreated and lived in darkness for several years. She found herself in a world of glitter and money. When she met Gilles de Torch, she was showered with gifts. She took advantage of them. She slipped. Here's Louise's take on this.

[Louise Colcombe]

She's someone who has been abandoned when she was a child. And there's a narcissistic failure here. There's something very intimate for her. There's a weakness and money and love that she would get from her supposed powers that would feed her. So I think she got also addicted to that love and that money and many. Maybe she took money for love too. And that's how she described it, that's she couldn't stop.

[Anna Richardson]

Where are Sophia and Gilles now?

[Leo Chic]

Well, let's start with Gilles. One night, coming back to my room in ags, I actually met someone who was in pre trial prison with him. And so I got some intel about Gilles prison stay. And it turns out that Gilles did quite well in prison. He got along well with other people who were imprisoned and apparently was doing what he could to help them out.

[Anna Richardson]

I mean, that makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Because, I mean, he was the mayor of Agda for 23 years. He was very well respected. People loved him. So I guess it makes perfect sense that if you're in an enclosed community like a prison, he's gonna do whatever he can. He's Gonna be resourceful to be liked by people.

[Leo Chic]

Yeah, yeah, it made a lot of sense to me too. And then according to the public prosecutor, Gilles d' Etat was actually released from prison on 26 June 2024, about a month after he had resigned as mayor of AGD under judicial supervision. He then moved in with a friend in Dordogne. He's not allowed to leave France or contact former colleagues and he's also not allowed to step foot in agd.

[Anna Richardson]

I mean, that is a huge thing for him. This is a town where he was hugely respected and he ran effectively for 23 years and was much liked and respected. So, God, that's a trauma, isn't it, that you can't step foot in act.

[Leo Chic]

It's a big loss of identity, I'd imagine. Yeah, well, huge.

[Anna Richardson]

It's absolutely central to your identity and personality that you know, what a fall from grace. And what about Sophia?

[Leo Chic]

So we know from newspaper reports that Sophia found her time in pre trial prison much harder. According to Midi Lieb, she was attacked by an inmate and she was called a witch and she was placed in solitary confinement.

[Anna Richardson]

Wow, put in solitary confinement. Why?

[Leo Chic]

Apparently for her safety. That's what was reported in Media Libre.

[Anna Richardson]

What was really on trial here? Was it the fact that she was conning and defrauding? Or was she on trial for potentially being an inverted comm as a witch? In other words, somebody that had some kind of psychic ability. That is intriguing, isn't it, that here we are now with her in prison and she is being castigated and outcast as a witch and put into solitary confinement. Extraordinary.

[Leo Chic]

Since then she's similar to Gilles, been released from prison. She was initially in Strasbourg, which is closer to where she's from. And then, according to Miri Lieb was able to move closer to her family. Though she's also not allowed back to agd. She's also currently unable to practice a very long list of activities that includes personal development, coaching, astrology, hypnotherapy, tarot reading, and of course being a medium how.

[Anna Richardson]

To say all of the things that I do in my spare time. That's very interesting to me. Okay. I could literally do this all day. But what I'm dying to know, and I'm dying to hear, is Gilles and Sophia's take on this whole thing.

[Leo Chic]

Yeah, I mean, so am I. I would really love to hear their point of view. I've reached out to both of their lawyers, I've been to one of their lawyers office, I've chatted on the phone to one of their lawyers. I've reached out to family members.

[Anna Richardson]

You got so close, Leo.

[Leo Chic]

I've got really, really as close as I could. And I'm really hoping that as the investigation evolves, someone will come out of the woodwork and come and speak to us and give us a whole new perspective on all of this. How amazing.

[Anna Richardson]

Wouldn't that be amazing? Let's put it out there. I tell you what, if that happens, then I really do believe in the paranormal. That's amazing good journalism and yes, good old fashioned journalism. But let's put it out there that somebody's gonna come back and we're gonna get even more on this story. A different perspective.

[Leo Chic]

I'd love that.

[Anna Richardson]

Please. I am just desperate to hear more about this. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could actually speak to one of them?

[Leo Chic]

It would be really, really brilliant. And ideally both, you know, to get a full understanding of what was going on. So if there are any developments, if people get in touch with us, we will come back with another episode and we'll make sure to get that out there so that all the listeners can know exactly what's going on.

[Anna Richardson]

Obviously, we are all waiting with bated breath for justice to take its course, as it should do. But in the meantime, will say it one last time. Gilles de Tour, Sophia Martinez and all of the defendants in the case are presumed innocent until judgment.

[Leo Chic]

Gilles and Sophia await trial along with a handful of local businesses tangled up into their messy and mysterious relationship. So for now, this is the end of the mystic and the Mayor.

[Anna Richardson]

I've been Anna Richardson and I've been Leo Chic.

[Leo Chic]

If you have thoughts on the mystic and the Mayor, please email us at themysticandthemareudioalways.com.

[Anna Richardson]

The mystic and the Mayor was presented by me, Anna Richardson, and presented.

[Leo Chic]

Researched and produced by me, Leo Sheikh.

[Anna Richardson]

The series was written and produced by Palama Kaufman. Our executive producers are Kelly windsorbergin and Elsa Rochester.

[Leo Chic]

Sound design is by Craig Edmondson.

[Anna Richardson]

The mystic and the Mayor is a co production between Audio Always and Bite youe Tongue Productions.

[Leo Chic]

I made multiple attempts to contact Gilles de Torre and Sophia Martinez through their lawyers, but they did not wish to speak on the record. The invitation to speak remains open to both of them.