As we venture into the final few episodes of CBS’s Ghosts Season 2, we’re getting closer to uncovering what happened to Alberta and how she was murdered. We went back and rewatched the entire series so far and tried to get as many notes as possible to break down who we think killed the jazz singer in the 1920s and why the murder happened.
The murder hasn’t been bought up a ton throughout the series, but the few mentions it has gotten have provided small clues as to what could’ve happened that night. We don’t know who killed Alberta, but that’s what this post is for. So, let’s dive into what we know about the murder.
Was It A Heart Attack Or Murder?
When we’re first introduced to Alberta in the first couple of episodes of Season 1, we’re led to believe she died of a heart attack. Hetty groans about this in episode 2, entitled “Hello”, when the jazz singer says she could convince Sam to look into her “mysterious” death, insisting she was poisoned.
As the ghosts try to get Sam to acknowledge them, Alberta insists that she is a “beloved jazz singer” and doesn’t understand who would want her dead. She then remembers that one such person would include a woman whose husband Alberta had been sleeping with. She then adds that there are a few people.
When Sam finally acknowledges the ghosts, she asks what they each want. Alberta says she wants her to invite the descendants of her associates to a dinner party to enact revenge. Sam declines. The conversation of whether it was murder comes up again when a historian arrives at the Woodstone B&B.
The Bootlegger And Todd
One of the funniest episodes of Season 1 revolves around Alberta finding out she has a diehard fan named Todd Pearlman, a historian with a weird obsession with her. He has a large tattoo on his back of her and a toenail clipping of hers that he found online. Eww!
Alberta mentions in episode 5, “Halloween,” that she dated a bootlegger when she explains that she knows that Thorfinn, Isaac, Hetty, and Sas were lying when they framed the local kids for burning down Sam and Jay’s Gazebo.
Returning to Todd, his first appearance happens in episode 9, “Alberta’s Fan,” after he shows up at Woodstone inquiring about Alberta’s death on the property. He explains to Sam and Jay that the singer’s demise is a source of academic debate, but he believes in the murder theory. But, of course, this only causes Alberta to become thrilled that someone believes her thought process.
Alberta And The Dramatic Turn With Todd
However, she becomes weirded out when Todd starts obsessing over her and revealing the toenail clip he carries everywhere. This also freaks out Jay and Sam. Things take a dramatic turn when Todd drinks from an old bottle of moonshine and is poisoned. As they wait for the ambulance, Sam asks Isaac how often people become ghosts, to which he responds it’s pretty low.
If Todd dies on the property and becomes a ghost, he’d be stuck there and potentially collect everybody’s toenails. Alberta mentions that she does not want to spend eternity with her stalker. Todd recovers from his poisoning and tells the reporter to interview him that he drank the moonshine on his own accord and outs himself as obsessed with a dead woman. He also brings up that the doctors confirmed that the moonshine was poisoned, much to the surprise of the Woodstone residents.
Pete Reveals His Feelings, And Alberta References Todd And Her Murder
Jumping forward a few episodes and Pete reveals to Sam before she and Jay leave for the weekend to find out if her mother is a ghost (episode 11, “Sam’s Mom”) that he has feelings for Alberta. This leads to Sam telling him that Alberta’s type is generally mob bosses and bootleggers.
In the second last episode of Season 1, “Attic Girl,” Alberta mentions Todd during the aftermath of what happens with Stephanie when Sam and Jay give her a U2 poster which brings Alberta to reference the YouTube viral video of Todd at the hospital from episode 9, thinking its the same thing.
During the Season 1 finale entitled “Farnsby & B”, Alberta mentions her murder when Sam attempts to break Thor’s curse on her and Jay to prevent them from opening the B&B. She says if Sam can no longer see the ghosts, she wants her to stand in the middle of the room and tell her if she has a breakthrough in the case.
The Podcast And The First Murder Suspect
In the Season 2 episode “Alberta’s Podcast”, Todd returns to the story as the expert on Alberta that Sam is forced to use for her podcast about the singer’s death. However, the ghosts, inspired by a murder mystery podcast they’ve been listening to with Sam, beg her to create her own.
Sam pitches the idea to the magazine editor she regularly contributes to, and he loves it. However, there is one small thing issue. He wants her to have an expert on the podcast, and he chooses Todd. Sam tries to talk him out of it. But he says, “No Todd, no pod” if she refuses to have Todd on board.
Reluctantly, Sam is forced to agree to take him on as her co-host. After a series of strange events, Todd turns against Alberta. Jay finds an old diary in a chest of drawers that Todd has dragged up from Altoona because his mother’s boyfriend needed space in the garage. The diary mentions that Alberta ratted out Clara. Clara was a singer that was her rival, which resulted in Alberta getting the top singing gig.
Alberta Frets Over What She Did
Alberta frets that her fans will hate her because she ratted Clara out. Sam explains that she was in an unfair situation after it’s revealed that, given Alberta’s size, she wasn’t treated fairly. However, Sam tells her that it is a different time now and that people will love her even more.
It surprises Alberta that people would see her as relatable. Once the situation thaws out, Todd shows Sam a picture of Clara. This occurs while recording the podcast. Isaac and Sas immediately recognise her. They explain she was present the night Alberta performed and died. She was wearing a big hat.
Moreover, they have their first official suspect in Alberta’s murder.
The Letter
Now, the final clue so far that we have in Alberta’s murder mystery is that of a letter that is found in a crate of old alcohol hidden in the wall. Sam and Jay are forced to conduct an illegal speakeasy when a woman comes to inspect the house for their liquor licence.
Alberta suggests giving him booze her bootlegger boyfriend, Earl, hid in the wall. Jay hits a slab of meat in the kitchen to hide Sam breaking open the border. This happens while the liquor licence lady works on her evaluation.
The letter is addressed to Earl from a mystery person named “T,” who wants to run off with Earl. But they have to eliminate “you know who,” likely implying Alberta. Now, this does not mean Alberta was the intended target. However, given that she drank the poison moonshine in her possession, her being the one they were trying to kill was possibly the case.
The Evidence
To end this post, we want to review the evidence that exists currently briefly.
We have two objects, one being the murder weapon. The first is the bottle of poisoned moonshine. This is the murder weapon. The second piece of evidence is the eyewitness account of Clara in the big hat from Sas and Isaac.
We’re unsure if this counts, but Todd’s photo of Sam of Clara could also count. The same goes with Jay’s diary, which says Alberta was the rat.
Who We Think Killed Alberta
Given our little evidence, we think it was a mix of people. Let’s take a look at what we have. So, we have Clara, who would’ve Alberta for stealing the limelight from her. Then, we have Earl and the mysterious “T.”
What are the odds that these three teamed up to eliminate Alberta? Also, we need to consider that she probably made a ton of enemies while she was alive. Remember earlier when we mentioned the woman whose husband Alberta slept with? She could be a suspect too. As could all the mob bosses she dated.
“T” Is…
The mysterious T was Thomas Woodstone, Hetty’s son who was having an affair with Earl.
