In the previous episode, Cindy Paulson was describing her “sexual relations” with Robert Hansen. She revealed that her captor wanted her to say “nasty things.” That their forced liaison was brief — Robert Hansen was a three-minute man who reached orgasm quickly — but the aftermath lasted five hours, while Hansen slept and Cindy was chained to a post in a vain attempt to keep her docile.
But Cindy’s haunting recollections were interrupted by a phone call. When they went back on tape, Cindy had to remind Flothe of what they’d been discussing. Soon, they were on to other things.
Purchase Butcher, Baker
Cindy Paulson
FLOTHE: Time now is 9:06 pm. Had a phone call and used the restroom and we’re back on tape. (Pause) What were we talking about?
CINDY: We were talking about what this dude had did. And (inaudible) the house.
FLOTHE: OK. (Pause). Can you describe the chain to me? The chain that was around your neck?
CINDY: It was a big ol’ chain. The kind you use to tow cars with.
FLOTHE: How heavy was it? I mean…
CINDY: Real heavy.
FLOTHE: A heavy chain?
CINDY: Uh huh.
FLOTHE: Was it… What kind of condition was it in?
CINDY: Really good condition.
FLOTHE: What color was it?
CINDY: Silver.
FLOTHE: Did it look like it had been used outside?
CINDY: No.
FLOTHE: How long was it?
CINDY: Well from my neck to the thing in the floor on the wall, it was probably maybe two and a half feet.
FLOTHE: Um hmm.
[Tape goes silent, then resumes.]
Robert Hansen, the hunter, December 1969 (Anchorage Times)
FLOTHE: What did he do when he woke up?
CINDY: He came over to me. And sat down and just stared at me. And I started crying and told him all I want to do is go home to my mom.
FLOTHE: To your mom?
CINDY: Yeah.
FLOTHE: What did he say to that?
CINDY: He just said, well, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ You know, ‘Everything is going to be OK. I’m not gonna hurt you.’ And then he actually told me about the other girls.
FLOTHE: What did he say about the other girls?
CINDY: That there were seven… that he had seven other girls there before. You see, when he said that, I knew he had killed them. What girl is gonna go and do this? You know, would let this man do this to them? Well, I knew he killed them. He said that he had seven other girls and that usually he keeps them about a week.
FLOTHE: How long was he gonna keep you?
CINDY: He said that… Well, he didn’t say. He told me that since he liked me so good he would take me to his cabin and make love to me one time. And then, we would be back, so I would be back by around 11 o’clock in the afternoon (sic). And you know, I said, ‘OK, fine, that’s good.’ And I acted like I wanted to go.
FLOTHE: What if you would have acted differently? What would have happened?
CINDY: I don’t think he would have took me.
FLOTHE: What would have he done?
CINDY: Probably would have killed me in the house. Nobody would have known. It was downstairs… quiet.
As Robert Hansen’s flight map shows, the killing fields were actually in The Bush, north and south of Anchorage. The fact that he had a wife and kids at home proved to be the one (not always effective) restraint on Bob Hansen’s murderous rampage. The following image shows one of Hansen’s kill sites, north of Anchorage, in a gravel pit near the old Knik River bridge.
Hansen Murder Site near the Knik River Bridge (courtesy Alaska State Troopers)