Acquitted but Not Free: "Justice Is..." (Dark Legal Suspense Audio Drama)

0:00 Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. It lies in wait amidst your dreams, where nothing is ever how it seems. It is a portal to a terrifying world beyond the doorway. Nightmare. Come in. Welcome. I'm Artemis Black. Justice is a temporary thing that must at last come to an end. But the conscience is eternal and will never die. So said Martin Luther. And at some point, one must answer to his or hers own conscience.

1:10 Speaker 2: I do believe you heard me, Counselor.

1:12 Speaker 3: I heard what you said. But why would you say it? And especially to me.

1:19 Speaker 2: Greg, you've been a great friend, and even better, attorney. The jury may have found me not guilty, but I wanted you to know.

1:29 Speaker 1: The truth. Our mystery drama, Justice Is, was based on a documented case file and adapted especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Our cast includes Darren Mahler, Winslow Swan, Annie Mick, Raven Adams, and William Stafford. I'll return shortly with Act One.

1:58 Speaker 4: There.

2:00 Speaker 3: Underneath your bed, there is some thing, and it's waiting, waiting for another story. No one is afraid of monsters anymore, and other stories to read to the thing under the bed by Winslow Swan. Paperback editions available at Amazon.com. Audiobook edition available at Spotify. Eight terrifying tales for you to enjoy and to read to the thing under your bed. Get it before the thing gets you.

2:36 Speaker 1: The story that you are about to hear is based on a documented case. Whether you want to believe it or not, to coin a phrase, is entirely up to you. With that in mind, allow me to introduce Mr. Martin Graves, who is currently sitting in the law office of his best friend and attorney, Greg Sanford. He is smiling, as he has a lot to be happy about. I can't tell you how grateful I am, Greg.

3:24 Speaker 3: Oh, it's no trouble at all, Martin. The DA had very little evidence to go on, and they knew that they would lose.

3:30 Speaker 2: But they indicted me anyway? This is what gets my blood boiling.

3:36 Speaker 3: Well, unfortunately, the media made such a big deal out of it, the DA had no choice. Your case, well, it became a political hotbed. More is to pity.

3:49 Speaker 2: So, the jury finds me not guilty of murdering my wife, and now I'm just supposed to what? Just go on living like nothing ever happened?

3:58 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's usually how it works.

4:02 Speaker 2: I did it.

4:05 Speaker 5: Did what?

4:06 Speaker 2: I killed her. Coldly and with malice aforethought.

4:11 Speaker 3: Martin, what are you saying?

4:15 Speaker 2: Don't be so naive, Greg. You must have suspected that I.

4:18 Speaker 5: Martin, my job is to defend you.

4:21 Speaker 3: To the best of my ability, regardless of whether you are innocent or guilty, why would you be telling me this now?

4:29 Speaker 2: Because you are my best friend, and I felt that I had a duty to you.

4:35 Speaker 5: But why, Martin? Why would you kill her?

4:40 Speaker 2: She was ten years older than me and very wealthy. I simply wanted a better life for myself.

4:47 Speaker 1: Martin.

4:51 Speaker 3: You know as well as I do that there isn't anything I can do with this new information. The DA cannot try you again on the same charge.

5:02 Speaker 2: Especially since I was found not guilty. Man, you're good at your job.

5:07 Speaker 3: Double jeopardy. And by the standards of client privilege, I cannot divulge anything that you tell me to anyone.

5:14 Speaker 2: Gee, that is quite a quandary that I have put you in.

5:19 Speaker 3: To say the least. And since you have decided to tell me, I'm only going to give you one bit of advice.

5:33 Speaker 1: Which is? Go away. Far, far away.

5:40 Speaker 3: And never, ever contact me again. For anything.

5:48 Speaker 2: Don't be so upset, Greg. I plan on doing exactly that. The media has made it almost impossible for me to live in this city. I can't go anywhere without somebody recognizing me from the news and pointing fingers. It's tiresome.

6:02 Speaker 3: You do understand that the story was carried in almost every major news source there is. I'd be surprised if you did find somewhere that no one has ever heard of you.

6:14 Speaker 2: That is a puzzle. Ah, well, I'll find someplace.

6:18 Speaker 1: When are you leaving?

6:19 Speaker 2: Tonight, on the 9 p.m.

6:20 Speaker 1: Train.

6:21 Speaker 2: I figure the newshounds will probably be at the airport thinking I'm going to leave that way. Or they'll be camped out at my house again for the, what, 108th night in a row. Those guys just never get enough.

6:35 Speaker 3: So you planned it all out?

6:37 Speaker 2: Naturally. I knew that justice would be on my side.

6:41 Speaker 3: In my almost 10 years of being a lawyer, I have seen all kinds of justice. It doesn't always come out of a courtroom. You, Martin, you may want to remember that little bit of information.

7:20 Speaker 6: Yes?

7:22 Speaker 2: I understand from the manager of the hotel that you have rooms to rent?

7:26 Speaker 6: Only got one room left.

7:28 Speaker 2: That's fine.

7:29 Speaker 6: It's on the third floor, towards the back. Not much of a view.

7:33 Speaker 1: No matter.

7:34 Speaker 2: I need a room regardless, so I'll take it.

7:36 Speaker 6: Come on in.

7:42 Speaker 2: Wow. You have a gorgeous home, Mrs... I didn't catch your name.

7:48 Speaker 6: Mrs. Rayford. Mrs. Alice Rayford. You must be Martin Graves.

7:54 Speaker 2: But, well, how did you know my name?

7:58 Speaker 6: We get the news here as well, Mr. Graves.

8:01 Speaker 2: Oh, I understand. Well, it's still a nice house. And what a beautiful grandfather clock.

8:09 Speaker 6: Been in the family for over a hundred years. As well as this house.

8:14 Speaker 2: And it keeps perfect time, too. According to my watch, it's exactly three o'clock.

8:18 Speaker 6: This way. I'll show you the room. Bathroom's down the hall. One other room on this level, so you'll have to chair.

8:32 Speaker 1: Oh, well.

8:33 Speaker 2: That's the way it is. I don't mind.

8:35 Speaker 6: I serve a simple breakfast at eight and dinner at seven, if you want any. Need to know by noon if you're going to be here. Several places in town to eat, so don't think you'll hurt my feelings.

8:48 Speaker 2: That sounds perfectly reasonable, Mrs. Rayford.

8:50 Speaker 6: Any idea how long you may be staying?

8:54 Speaker 2: I haven't given it much thought, to be honest about it.

8:57 Speaker 6: Well, it's 50 a day for room and board, or 300 for a week. You can settle up when you check out.

9:10 Speaker 2: That sounds like we're in for a storm.

9:12 Speaker 6: Nothing about a storm on the news.

9:20 Speaker 2: That's odd.

9:21 Speaker 6: What is, Mr.

9:22 Speaker 4: Graves?

9:23 Speaker 2: Well, the clock struck the hour of three. That's what my watch reads.

9:27 Speaker 6: And what is odd about that?

9:30 Speaker 2: Didn't you hear it? It's a few minutes later, but it just now struck again, and it struck two o'clock.

9:37 Speaker 6: Sorry, Mr. Graves, but I didn't hear anything.

9:46 Speaker 1: Mahatma Gandhi once said, there is a higher court than courts of justice, and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all conscience.

9:57 Speaker 1: I'll return shortly with Act Two. The only witness to her murder cannot speak. Until now. Click. A Tale of Revenge by Winslow Swann.

10:19 Speaker 7: Now available on Amazon. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

10:41 Speaker 1: You read or hear about it all the time. How someone is truly guilty of a crime but is acquitted. Yet somehow, at least I like to think so, justice prevails.

11:00 Speaker 4: I thought I told you that I didn't want to hear from you. Ever again.

11:04 Speaker 2: Whoa, hey! Hey, you asked where I was going before I left. I'm just calling to let you know I did find a place to, you know, relax for a while.

11:12 Speaker 4: Well, good for you. What would you like? A medal? Or a letter of commendation?

11:18 Speaker 2: Oh, for crying out loud, Greg. I had to call you eventually. You are the executor of her estate.

11:23 Speaker 4: I can always pass on that, you know. The court would assign someone- But you.

11:27 Speaker 2: And I both know that you will never back out of something that's going to pay you so, uh, handsomely.

11:35 Speaker 4: Just why are you calling me?

11:37 Speaker 2: Well, I understand that her brother is also mentioned in the will.

11:41 Speaker 4: So, what of it?

11:42 Speaker 2: I was just curious if you were able to get in contact with him.

11:46 Speaker 4: The last I heard, he was somewhere in the Australian outback. There's very little phone service in that part of the world.

11:53 Speaker 2: So, he doesn't even know what happened to his sister?

11:57 Speaker 4: As far as I know, he doesn't. Besides, why do you care?

12:02 Speaker 5: The End.

12:36 Speaker 2: Well, that's funny. My watch says a quarter to eleven. What the hell is wrong with that clock?

12:50 Speaker 8: What the hell.

13:02 Speaker 2: Is going on? Hey, just who are.

13:09 Speaker 1: You?

13:10 Speaker 2: Now, wait a minute. What are you doing? Bartender. Hey, bartender. Give me a shot of.

13:34 Speaker 5: Of what?

13:38 Speaker 2: Scotch. Any brand will do.

13:51 Speaker 5: Last time I saw a guy drink like that, He was almost hit by a bus.

13:57 Speaker 2: Kind of what I feel like. Make this next one a double.

14:04 Speaker 5: That'll be ten bucks.

14:08 Speaker 2: Here, you can keep the change and give me another bottle.

14:11 Speaker 5: Listen, I don't mean to pry into something that is none of my business, but you don't look so well.

14:20 Speaker 2: After what I saw? believe me i look better than i feel.

14:24 Speaker 5: What did you see car accident someone get well you know killed.

14:32 Speaker 2: Kinda like somebody got killed all right but that someone was me.

14:38 Speaker 5: Come on you're putting me on you don't look like a ghost.

14:43 Speaker 2: No you don't understand i it was like how do you describe it uh like like a A vision of some kind.

14:52 Speaker 5: So what happened?

14:53 Speaker 2: Here, have another one.

14:55 Speaker 1: On the house.

14:56 Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks. It was just weird, you know? I heard the clock strike two, and then thunder. I heard a dog howling after that, like somebody had died. And then the door just burst open and there was a man standing there.

15:10 Speaker 5: What did he look like?

15:12 Speaker 2: Uh, well, I don't know. Tall, brownish hair, thick eyebrows. Just a hint of a mustache. So what did he do? He pulled out a gun and he shot me six times.

15:27 Speaker 5: And yet here you sit. And you don't appear to have any extra holes. Yeah, I noticed that.

15:34 Speaker 2: It's weird. He just vanished after we pulled the trigger. So what do you think it was? I don't know.

15:41 Speaker 5: A vision, I guess.

15:44 Speaker 9: Excuse me, but are you Martin Graves?

15:49 Speaker 1: What? What?

15:50 Speaker 2: Hey, it's you.

15:52 Speaker 5: It's him.

15:53 Speaker 2: The guy I was telling you about. I'm sorry.

15:55 Speaker 9: I don't mean to disturb you, but.

15:57 Speaker 2: No. It can't be you. Tall, brown hair. Thick eyebrows.

16:02 Speaker 9: I was just wondering if you were Martin Graves.

16:06 Speaker 4: No!

16:07 Speaker 2: You want to kill me?

16:08 Speaker 1: Get away!

16:08 Speaker 5: Get away!

16:11 Speaker 9: Bartender, was that a Mr. Martin Graves?

16:15 Speaker 5: Said that you killed him earlier tonight.

16:19 Speaker 9: That's absurd.

16:21 Speaker 5: Why do you want to know if he was this Martin Graves?

16:25 Speaker 10: Because he's my brother-in-law. I understand that my sister was murdered a couple of months ago.

16:30 Speaker 9: I just need to... talk to him.

16:42 Speaker 1: Sophocles once said, There is no witness so terrible... no accuser so powerful as conscience which dwells within us. I'll return shortly with our final act. Meet Jerry Connors. Family man. Business man. Psychopathic killer. The Convincer by Winslow Swan. Now available on Amazon. Jerry Connors, he can convince you to do anything, even die. The novelist Harper Lee once said, the one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience. Ah!

18:19 Speaker 2: Ah! No, it can't be. Who are you?

18:42 Speaker 9: Martin Graves?

18:43 Speaker 2: Yes, but who are you?

18:46 Speaker 9: I'm Jason. Jason Presley. I'm Evelyn's brother. I'm your brother-in-law.

18:57 Speaker 2: Oh, you're Jason. Sorry that we weren't able to get in touch with you.

19:02 Speaker 9: So am I.

19:04 Speaker 2: How did you know where to find me?

19:06 Speaker 9: I spoke with your attorney. He told me where you were.

19:09 Speaker 2: But why do you want to see me?

19:12 Speaker 9: Oh, I have something I want you to see.

19:14 Speaker 2: Is that a gun?

19:19 Speaker 5: Yes, it is.

19:21 Speaker 9: When traveling in the outback, it comes in handy. Now, where did I put it? Ah, here it is.

19:30 Speaker 5: What?

19:31 Speaker 2: What is it?

19:33 Speaker 9: It's a letter that Evelyn sent me about three months ago. Before her death.

19:37 Speaker 1: A letter?

19:39 Speaker 2: What sort of letter?

19:40 Speaker 10: One that I think you will find very interesting. Hey, be careful with that.

19:47 Speaker 2: No, you won't take me... She wrote you and she knew everything, didn't she?

19:53 Speaker 9: What are you talking about?

19:55 Speaker 2: She knew that I was planning her death. She told you everything, didn't she? Don't deny it. She knew I was going to kill her.

20:03 Speaker 9: Please, Martin, if you would only listen to the letter.

20:06 Speaker 1: No.

20:06 Speaker 4: No.

20:07 Speaker 2: I've worked too hard. I've planned it all. Nothing and nobody is going to take what I worked so hard to get. And not even you.

20:15 Speaker 4: Woo!

20:15 Speaker 8: Woo!

20:20 Speaker 1: Woo!

20:55 Speaker 6: Right in here, Mr. Sanford. That poor man was sitting over there when Mr.

21:00 Speaker 3: Graves.

21:01 Speaker 6: Oh, it's just too horrible to even think about.

21:05 Speaker 3: Yeah, I still don't understand it. You know, I spoke with that bartender. He gave a completely different account. Said that Martin was going to be murdered.

21:15 Speaker 6: And instead, it was the other fellow. What was his name?

21:21 Speaker 1: Oh, Mr.

21:22 Speaker 3: Presley, Martin's brother-in-law. He had a letter from his sister that he wanted to show Martin.

21:28 Speaker 6: What did it say?

21:29 Speaker 3: He read it to me over the phone. It simply said that his sister was happier than she had ever been. How Martin had taken such good care of her.

21:39 Speaker 1: She was so grateful that she was.

21:41 Speaker 3: Ready to sign over all of her holdings and money to Martin. If Martin had only waited a little longer and held his tongue, he would have had everything.

22:47 Speaker 1: Martin Graves was tried, convicted, and eventually executed for the murder of Jason Presley. Greg did his best to defend him, even claiming temporary insanity. But in the end, justice prevailed. I'll return with a final word.

23:10 Speaker 7: If you'd like to support us, visit our merchandise store, T-shirts, caps, mugs, and so much more. Visit doorwaytonightmare.com today.

23:22 Speaker 1: Clarence Darrow once said, Justice has nothing to do with what goes on in a courtroom. Justice... is what comes out of a courtroom. Our story represents only one kind of justice. Some may call it karma. Something to ponder as you, perhaps, look at your own conscience. Our cast included Darren Mahler, Winslow Swan, Annie Mick, Raven Adams, and William Stafford. The story was edited by Crimson McKenzie and directed by Winslow Swan. Music was provided by Kevin MacLeod.

24:26 Speaker 1: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. This is Artemis Black, inviting you to return with us to the Doorway to Nightmare website for yet another adventure into the world of your own terrifying imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue. Shh.

24:54 Speaker 5: The butler did it.