Fox Files with Stripe Mclachlan
I'm not sure how I keep doing this, but I keep meeting with reporters and writers. One of these days, my lie that I'm also a reporter (maybe not a lie...stretch?) is going to fall through. Luckily, today wasn't that day.
In my travels, I met with an interesting character named Stripe. Her father was murdered by a serial killer and it inspired her to be this amazing, strong woman who finds the truth about people. She was very cool to meet with.
I found her in a little cafe with a baby sitting next to her and she was typing away on her laptop. I know I shouldn't have approached her, but if I could describe the feeling I get when I find these people while I travel...I don't know. It's like I have no choice. And, in as much of a defense as I can muster, she'd stopped typing and was looking around the room in that way that people only do when they need a break.
Let's get into it!
Cali: Hi. I know this is so rude, but I was hoping I could talk to you.
Stripe: What?
Cali: I do small pieces for an online blog about people out in society living their lives. It's kind of my thing to ambush them in the wild and talk to them about their life.
Stripe: Ambush?
*Something in her tone made me understand immediately that this was the wrong word, though nothing in her face gave it away. I'm still not sure what it was, but it felt like fear.*
Cali: Probably a poor choice of words. It's like a slice-of-life type interview and I like them to be as candid as possible so I don't schedule anything in advance or even know who I'm going to talk to.
Stripe: And that works?
Cali: Better than one would expect actually.
*I was starting to think this would be the one time it didn't.*
Cali: I know you're busy, but it is a short interview. Would you be willing to help me out?
Stripe: I'm not usually on this side of the interview.
Cali: You interview people?
Stripe: For work.
Cali: I should probably get some pointers from you when we're done. That is, if you'll talk to me.
*She closed her laptop and gestured for me to sit.*
Stripe: Sure.
Cali: Thank you so much. I appreciate your time. What's your name?
Stripe: People call me Stripe.
Cali: Stripe?
Stripe: My legal name is Susan McLachlan. Stripe was a nickname my dad gave me as a kid and it just stuck.
Cali: That's really cool. My last name is Fox, so that's the only nickname I've ever really had. Anyway, What’s your favorite color?
Stripe: Simple. Blue.
Cali: Most people are weird about that question. You were really on it. Why is it your favorite?
Stripe: My fiancé and my children have beautiful ice blue eyes.
Cali: Oh, that's lovely. My husband has blue eyes too, but blue was my favorite color before we met.
Stripe: Ice blue?
Cali: Nah. More like a robin egg blue.
Stripe: I see.
Cali: So, tell me about where are you from.
Stripe: Washington D.C
Cali: Oh how cool. I don't meet a lot of people from D.C.
*She screwed up her face and looked around.*
Stripe: Even here? In D.C?
Cali: I've only just arrived. I'm visiting from Colorado. I suppose if I ask people here where they are from, more will be, you know, from here.
Stripe: Right.
Cali: I'm sorry, I think I might be a little jet lagged. Forgive my weirdness. Anyway, what do you like to do for fun?
Stripe: I love being outside, hiking, walking, with my family. I spend a lot of time inside thinking so it’s a relief to get out.
Cali: I totally get that. Being outside is very cleansing for me. So, Stripe, tell me about the people in your life.
Stripe: I have my fiancé, Isaac. He’s an IT engineer and runs his own website for the creative types. We met in unusual circumstances, he hired me for an article and while I was interviewing him, I felt an immediate connection. A few years later, we have two children. We have an amazing nanny and I keep in contact with most of my former clients. They are great friends.
Cali: Well that's very sweet.
*Something in her eyes sparkled and it made me wonder what she was hiding about their meet-cute, but I didn't want to press it.*
Cali: What’s going on in your life now?
Stripe: I’m working on a project with a client who suffered severe cyberbullying. A jealous ex-boyfriend leaked naked, embarrassing, and pornographic pictures, he even sent them to her employer and she lost her job. It enraged me when she told me about it. Her story needs to be heard. The dangers of social media need to be addressed in big bold letters. I don’t have Instabam, Tweeter, whatever you call it and I’m happier for it. I’m getting married soon, I didn’t realize there was so much to for planning a wedding. I’ve also heard that there are talks to make my memoir into a movie. My fiancé and I are dead against it. Not all books should be movies.
Cali: I love watching movies based on books and then getting mildly enraged at the small, or sometimes large, changes made. It's really stupid. My husband isn't a reader and just loves movies for what they are. I think you're probably right though. I try to be really careful what information of mine is put online. My best friend had a baby not long ago and she posted his full name, birthdate, and picture after picture. While I love seeing him, it also kind of scares me that all that info is out there. I try to explain it to her but Stacey is very strong-willed.
Stripe: I get that. I think most people don't see the problem with putting everything online and it takes some reframing for them to see why it might be an issue.
Cali: Exactly. But I'm getting sidetracked. Umm, do you have any goals for the future?
Stripe: Continue to tell client stories. Continue to talk about subjects which make people uncomfortable.
Cali: Like your story?
Stripe: Yes. Like my story.
Cali: Interesting. What are you doing to get there?
Stripe: I like to challenge myself, challenge others. Protect my family.
Cali: I like how passionate you are about your family. so what's standing in the way of your goals?
Stripe: There are people out there who do not like me for what I write or the clients I support. They disagree with it, that’s fine, they can dislike me all they like but I will not stop. I’ve been accused of riding on the back (or the dead back) of my father, I wouldn't have the journalist opportunities if it wasn’t for my tragic childhood of being fatherless and the gruesomeness of his death. Well, they are wrong and those critics will not stand in my way.
Cali: What happened to your father?
Stripe: He was murdered by a serial killer. Have you heard of the Nightscrawler?
*I shook my head. I love true crime but I'd never heard of this one.*
Stripe: He was a crazed axe wielding mad man who chopped their way up and down the country.
*I think she was still talking when I woke up. I cursed so loud, I woke up Dustin. I didn't really explain what was happening either (he's familiar with my traveling by now) and I hopped out of bed to look Stripe up.*
I found some interesting stuff when I got out of bed and looked Stripe up. I was able to read several things she'd written for Titan News.
And I found some info about her ordeal with the Nightscrawler. And, some interesting stuff about how she met her fiance, Isaac.
A secret video tape. A painful truth. A quest for revenge.
Investigative journalist Susan "Stripe" McLachlan is constantly hounded by eager documentarians for interview requests about the Night Scrawler murders. One of the victims of the mysterious serial killer was a member of her own family: her father.
At the peak of her career, her services are sought by Isaac Payne, who commissions her to write an article for his website. Usually, her projects delve into more uncomfortable, questionable topics, but there’s a deep, almost hauntingly familiar pull about her new client that intrigues her.
As she learns more about Isaac, Stripe digs up fresh secrets about the murders, arousing her suspicions. After an awkward confrontation, she wakes up in Isaac’s bed — with a chain around her ankle.
Isaac shows her harrowing footage on an old VHS tape. The contents hits close to home…closer than Stripe ever imagined. Now, she has to wrestle with her own moral compass and unpick the truth from the web of lies that turn into a crescendo where memories created from misery and suffering cannot be silenced.
Will Isaac ever lay the past to rest? And how will Stripe cope with the revelations that challenge everything she has ever known?
There is even a book about the whole thing by Kateri Stanley. I've read it. I enjoyed it. You can get your copy HERE!
You can also check out Stanley on her WEBSITE.
Or any of her socials:
