In order to get answers, and with only nine days left until Fincher’s execution, Julien must come to terms with his past actions.
The Manowa Caves is intended for mature audiences. It contains strong language and depictions of bullying, violence, and sexual assault that some may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised. Also, this is an extremely immersive experience and headphones are recommended. You're listening to The Manawat Caves, a production of iHeartRadio, Blumhouse Television, and Psycopia Pictures. J August fifth. I woke up in the pool of my own sweat this morning. It was three thirty three am, exactly three thirty three. The hotel room was sweltering. The acunit had been blown out in hot air all night. I took my mind a minute to catch up to where I was, to realize that I wasn't still back in my New York apartment, that I was back home. I thought this had all just been an elaborate dream. But it wasn't a dream. I had to listen back to my tape, the recordings from yesterday, to find out where I'd been and what I'd done. And his biological father was Deacon Hadley. There is if you remember what the detective was looking for when he stopped by that last time back in July two thousand and seven containers records. I hopped in the shower. The school off water was ice cold, never got hot, And as soon as I stepped into that cold shower, the nightmare came back to me. There were bats, thousands of bats, shifting blotches against other shades of darkness, a cavern, deep and strange. I was staring into the whirling black on black. Then I heard deaconheading. He was calling out further back in the void, I heard him crying. That's how I followed the voice, straining to hear over the cacophony of bats swirling around me, anguished please, for forgiveness. Then he stopped, and all I heard was the flutter and chirp in of those bats. They seemed to converge around me, and then they exploded out worth the whole colony, thousands and thousands of them, leaving the cave in a funnel, carrying Thomas Hadley's final anguish cries with them across the forest, over the ramshackle trailer homes and cabins, over the Chapel Wall River into Pottsville, all the way into my own bedroom. And then suddenly I was back there in the house. I grew up in my own bed, and the gray Man was there too, in the room with me, silhouetted in the doorway. I couldn't move. He looked down upon me. Maybe he was able to the ground. Who else might a going out to the caves that day? Someone always knows something. I wanted to stand up for him, but I couldn't. Not the time Deacon Hadley threw a couple of warrant pists on his head from the second story bathroom, and not the time Thomas Hadley locked him as a locker. I wanted to stop it, but I knew it would just make matters worse for me. This is why he came home, isn't it. James Fancher's executions coming up in your anguish too, Angel. There's no small thing to stand up to a bully. When you do, you become the target. I've been bullied quite a bit when I was a boy. Wasn't until I befriended Tyler Wilson in the ninth grade that had stopped. Tyler was from a different neck of the woods. He was quiet and kept to himself, but he was tough. No, the Hadley gang didn't want to fuck with Tyler. It was too much trouble. They might actually have to fight, and they knew Tyler would fight for real. But after my battle on the bus with Duley Tapper trying to stand up for Finch, the bullying started again for me. I don't look who where's the pants? I told you they was gay livers, didn't I you're gonna get it in half? Faget. I don't even get that. Next week, my dad had to pick me up from school. He saw the Hadley gang laughing and throwing threats. As I walked past, he comes, I fag it, you're gonna get it soon or not. Fucker A time's coming, little bitch scate. Yeah, I'm whip his ass and gain I'm gonna whip your ass again. Those your friends not exactly forget a dad best just to adoring on. Those are Bobby Handley's kids. Yeah, it's it's not a big deal. My dad ran the mechanic shop at the Hadley dealership and it was no secret in our house that he despised Bobby Hadley. H get messing with you again? What this is? This is high school. It's it ain't like that, dad, Really, those guys are just pricks. It's not worth the energy. He was livid. Things were beyond his control. It was less than a year since Mom died too. Anyway, A couple of days later, I was reading in the library during lunch. That's when they got me. I was sitting between the rows of bookshelves in the back with Thomas, Deacon Dually and the rest of them. They cornered me. Thomas held me in a headlock. Due we hit my face and box. That wasn't so bad, but then Deacon gotta para scissors off the librarian's desk. They pulled my pants down to my ankles. Hey what He scissored the blades in front of my face to show them off, before he pressed a cold, sharp metal blades against my bass. What are you anyway? Boy or a bitch? Hey? You know what? I'll tell you what a man? Maybe name send me? He's such a pussy, Just get off. Then he grabs stress full of my hair and it was loan. Then he scissored it off and tossed it on the carpet. Just then the library mother came back in and put mencim Thomas and the rest of them all bring off. Was laughing there were a few other kids in the library who did nothing but gawk at me while I pulled my pants back up. Well, my father picked me up that afternoon. He saw my hair and my swollen face, and there was no deny at it anymore. His son was the target of the town police, and there was nothing he could do. August fifth, on my way to meet Joe Campbell again, up the road, halfway to Nashville. I'm late. I can't seem to wake up all the way. She just stopped at the Myrtles for a coffee. It's a little diner we used to go to when I was a Kid's still standing. Not so sure about missus Myrtle though. I feel like a ghost in this town. Lots of familiar faces from my past, everyone older and heavier. They make eye contact with me and their real spin. Some recognize me of familiar face registers in their mind, but they can't quite place me, so they stare. Others remember me, and I'm guessing by their looks. You recall certain feelings, feelings associated with the Hadley Brothers murders, especially now. You can feel the energy just driving through town. James Fincher, the monster and Man of war County is going to be put to death next week, and that seems to inform every interaction. It's an added tension that's come with this fog, the air tingling like a mom on a timer tick tick boom, a county judge ordered, and no knock worn on the trailer that James Fincher shared with his sister Dina, and Buck's elder lane over in splinter gap, you can see from the only available footage a state trooper's body camp, that it's complete chaos, with county and state officials working in tandem and flooded in the small space with light and the noise and the terror. At three o'clock in the morning, Dina's face seemed briefly mouth opened to scream, hair swept across her face as she spirited out. Bally swollen with child tells the tale. In the motion blur, you can see a streak of red a nose bleed. What's perhaps more chun is how calmly we see Finch rise from the couch that he slept on, hands up, eyes dead, mouth a grim line, and then slowly turned and sink to his knees like it was inevitable, like he knew they were coming, like he always knew that they would come for him. Eventually, he was brought to the county jail in the middle of the night, and the town at large was completely unaware of the developments. Even Detective Silomon Smith was left in the dark and would have remained so if he didn't decide to pay the Fincher home and visit himself two days later to find broken windows and a very terrified Dina trying to put things back in order. Jill Campbell explained it best. That's per usual. People have a complicated relationship with the law out here. People here liked to be left alone. Think what happens behind closed doors are on their property is their business and theirs alone. I mean, most of it is a run of the male constitutional rights and individual freedom stuff. Deah, my dad, it was that way. Yeah, well most people are. Then you got your griff Washingtons, the dog fighting rings, the meth cooks, the real criminal element, people who have something to hide. But Buddy, there ain't nothing that changes the patriots mind about authority like an outsider coming in and making trouble. L Finch, I'm talking about Detective Smith. Now, I don't want to say it was a race thing. But it was absolutely a race thing. I mean by default. Look, Share Hooper, born and raised here all his life, getting ready to close this case against a kid who allegedly murdered two of Mani Wak's favorite sons, and the moment he announces it incomes some former big city Atlanta cop to defend the alleged murderer. At the time, I was caught up in all the excitement. I was there at the raid. It was the most badass thing I'd ever done. Didn't matter that Dana was screaming or that James gave up without a fight. I was young. I got to play hero. It didn't even occur to me that we may have had shit wrong until the article came out. The article What an article? Detective Smith went to the local press. A couple of days later, a story printed about James Fincher with Solomon owned records suggesting ulterior motives for the rest of Finch no shit. Other publications picked it up to Smith publicly called out the sheriff, the mayor, the reverend, basically torturing every bridge he ever crossed in manu Wake County. What was the last time you saw him Detective Smith. Well after the news piece broke, I wrote with Hooper out to the old fowl or place where Solomon was living and had that go. Hooper made me wait on the porch. There was a lot of shouting and then it got quiet, and then and then Hooper came out. His face was flushed and sweaty. He wouldn't make eye contact. He was visibly mad as hell. Anyway, last I saw Solomon Smith was as we were pulling out. He was standing on the porch, hands on his hips, just to find as hell to Hooper SAE what had happened. Hooper told Smith he was no longer welcome and man of walk count in that if he knew what was good for him, he'd leave quietly. But I don't think Detective Smith left because of Hooper. I think he knew who the killer was before he disappeared. He was looking into the school attendance records from Carter High. He was tracking whoever else was absent from school that day. You think he would have submitted those records as evidence had it not. If it was after he was off the case. He couldn't exactly trust the sheriff's office. He was basically a private investigator. At that point, he'd set a meeting with James's defense attorney, but he never showed up. So whatever Solomon Smith knew, he took that intel with him to wherever it is he went. Where was you last seen? I'm not sure they found his car though, about a decade ago, just north of here. I think I don't remember. Maybe I can dig up the police report, or maybe you can talk to the guys at the newspaper. August fifth, two forty five pm. I took Joe's advice. I'm on my way to the Pottsville Press to talk to a guy named Ian Spanks, the editor in chief. Maybe Detective Smith told the press something, something more than what they decided to print. Mister Spinks, Julian Solace, mister Slace, come in. You can call me Jolian. Looking a little rough around the edge since the last time I saw you. The last time, Yeah, I doubt you'd remember me. I was just a facing the crowd the courthouse back then. You were there for that. Okay, Well, thanks for seeing me. How could I know? I'm hoping you'll be the skyline I was Sunday's front page about James Fincher and the fourteen year anniversary of the Heathy Brothers murders. Prodigal Son returns right the wrongs he himself contributed to hell of a story. Interested to see where it goes. Well, you're not serious, I am. I think we can help each other out here. Well, I just need the tapes. The tapes, they're of interest in my research. The press interview with Detective Smith from two thousand and seven. Oh oh, I thought you were interested in the other ones. What's other ones? Well? The ones are you? What are you talking about? This is Sheriff Hooper's and tear gage of you. Can I please go to the bathroom, sir? Just top more questions? All right? So, okay, you're not in trouble yet, all right, Okay, look at me. Yeah, what you say here now there's just between you and me. Nobody's gonna find out. Nobody's gonna be mad at you for saying what you know. And I think it's safe to say that you do know things. Now. Earlier you said that James Fincher hated the Hadley Brothers. Is that right? Well, yeah, but because of what they did to his sister, what they did to Dina but you weren't there for that, were you? No? But yeah? Moving on, moving on the point is James Fincher had it out for the Hadleys? Is that right now? You really need to be straight with me, Son, Yes, sir, you could say he hated them enough to want to hurt them. Couldn't you that he wanted revenge? I couldn't say all that was true. It's simply based Look at these photos, Son, Look at him. Blunt forced trauma to the head, multiple stab wounds. Hell, Deacon Hadley was bashed so hard in the head that his left eyeball was hanging out of his eye socket. Thomas's throat cut. Can you imagine the type of hatred you would have to feel, Julian, to relentlessly bash a human body to the point where it is almost unrecognizable? Well? Can you, Son, I don't need Can you defend the kind of person that could do that? Could you feel this sort of hatred? Well? I no, I don't know. I need to go to the bathroom. But do you know that James Fincher hated them? Don't you? You can say that? I need you to say that. Say what what you want me to say? Say? What that James Fincher hated them, that he wanted to hurt them now, that he wanted revenge, that he obsessed over them. He made up stories about them to wreck their lives. Didn't That's just not true. No, he didn't. He did. You know he did? He didn't just because they picked on him. No, he didn't. Julian, have you heard the phrase accessory after the fact? It means that if you know something, something crucial to my investigation of the murder of Thomas and Deacon Hadley, and you withhold it, well, then you're guilty too. And I think you know something, boy, And if you don't tell me now and I find out later, there ain't no jury in the world gonna let you be free. I don't. They always used to bully in And he knew it too, didn't you. You knew what he was planning because you boys were going down there at the caves all the time. Hell, you showed him the place yourself, didn't you. I didn't. You didn't what, Julian? You showed James Fincher the ins and outs of it. And that's okay, son, There's nothing wrong with that. Everybody likes a little frill I'm not suggesting you knew that you were dealing with a psychopath, did you? You're not a bad kid he used you, didn't he No, he got in your head, he tricked you. No, no he didn't. He could plan no revenge, No, no, I just we went there to hang out. We were just It wasn't the Hadley's idea to go down there that night, was it? No? Because if they wanted to hurt James, they do it right out in the open, right, They've been doing it for years. But James wanted to play for keeps and he knew just the place. James wanted to take them out to the caves. That now, you better tell me the truth, son. You know we got your buddy Tyler here too, right. Oh yeah, yeah, he's right across the hall, and he's already told us the truth. So what's it going to be your story or his? Now? Talk? James Fincher wanted to take them out to the caves, didn't he answer me? Maybe? Yeah? I guess what? What? What's that? Yeah? I didn't get that James Fincher had the idea to bring the boys down there. Yes, yeah, yes? Did you hear him when he suggested they go down there and settle the score once and for all. Where is he? Where is my son? Oh? Shit, now, Paul, you know you can't be in here. What the fuck up? This is between me and my boy? What did you say? What did you tell off? When I ask you a question? What did you say? Hi, Paul, that's domestic confused. I'm gonna rest your ass too. Now you better call the fuck you better back the fuck off. You understand me. This is between me and hand easy. I got a feeling. I got a feeling. We're on the same side here. Anyway, sit down out to speak a little louder Son, right into the mic. There, go on, Son, unburden yourself James and sure, absolutely and without any doubt, go on. Now murder TKT and Thomas Hadley in those games. There you go, Son, You've done the right thing. You know that that wasn't the real story. Well it certainly helped get James Fincher the death sense, didn't you, But it wasn't the truth that was coerced. Well I don't doubt that. What was the truth? Then you might if I here record, I'd rather you not. This could really help your case. I mean having a news story out there, you never know who might come for. Do you think that could work? Maybe that's what was the truth? What truth about James Fincher telling the Head Brothers to meet him at the caves? He wouldn't have off the record, Okay, off the record? Why not? Because he wouldn't have. And why did you say he did? Just listen, he didn't kill him? Okay, Well it sounds like you know something. No, Detective Smith knew something, which is why I'm here. He was onto something and this paper interviewed him before he disappeared. He was following up on a lead, which I am kind of lead, that kind of lead that would exonerate James Fincher and then lo and behold he vanished, fucking gone. His car found somewhere just north of town. Did you guys run a story on that. I'd have to look into the archives. Yeah, you do that. In dig up that interview with Smith and their information, you can about his involvement with to have the murder case from two thousand and seven, and I'll give you an interview, how about that on the record, you bet? And while you're at and find out where they found miss Carr, will you, you have myself. The truth is, I don't remember James asking to have the brothers to meet him up at the case. It doesn't make any sense. I knew Finch better than anyone in the world outside of Dina. Maybe he was my friend, him and Tyler and him asking Tacon and Thomas to go out to the caves alone. Nah, I don't think that's what happened that night. I never thought that's what happened. When you think of the fairytale version of Appalachia, my early childhood was pretty much. It would smoke and gray blue winter mornings, trumping with my father and the snow to see the icicles hanging off the eaves of our little home. Apple picking and drives to look at leaves changing in the fall, Tomato sandwiches the swimming hole, and roadside boiled peanuts in the summer. Dad worked for Hadley Pontiac. He tolerated the job because he loved my mother, and when I came along, I'd like to think he loved me too. I could never really tell. When I was young, he was a little hard on me. When I was eighteen, my mother died. Of course, everything changed. When my mother died a family is like a mobile danglet from the ceiling. It's a balancing act. You never have any idea how much a single person can hold together a family until they are no longer in the position to do so. She got sick. It was sudden stage four sophageal cancer. After the test, they gave her four months. She lasted three the end. It was horrible. When she went, she took the best parts of my father with her, and the Idella claugh we shared. Dad started drinking again. Of course, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that because of his drink, and he faded into the background or neglected me. Nope, not my father. He wasn't a neglectful absent your father. He watched me closer, became increasingly obsessed with my safety, micromanage my existence. Always wanted to know my eggs whereabouts, wanted precise details about where I was going and with whom. Wanted me home immediately after school every day, and would go bat shit when I didn't. He hated my friends, called Tyler common trash, which of course made me want to spend more time away from home, more time in the woods with Tyler. I only wanted to escape my childhood and the house that felt forever empty and haunted after my mother's death. And that's when he became violent when I started lying once I told him I was going with the debate team to a nearby town for a tournament. Instead, I set out to the caves with Tyler. There were lights in the rear view following us out past the edge of town. I thought maybe Griff Washington was patrolling his property, maybe following us to make sure we didn't trust pass. But when we pulled over for gas, hoping whoever was following us would pass on by, they didn't. They pulled in right behind us. Turned out as my father. He had been tailing us. He dragged me by the back of my neck out of Tyler's car and threw me into his. When we got back home, he locked me in the basement for twelve hours. It was only a crawl space with a small cinder block room for the furnace. I remember while I was locked down there, I found an old chest filled with my mother's clothes. It was freezing, so I put him on. They almost fit an old sweater and that scarf she was knitting for me when she died. That red scarf. It was that same week I met Finch. I know it was that week because the first thing he said to me was that he liked my red scarf. Wilson repair he Tyler's. Julian, Well, oh, Julie, what a while with the pleasure. I know it's late. I hate to pass to you, Grace and me with your presence twice in forty eight hours. I mean, after what fourteen fucking years radio silence? Oh well, I don't mean to be caused. After a little visit to the cave, I got to thinking about how you ain't changed. Bad man? How's that you're one of those top pigle only ever call when you need something? So go on? What can I do for you now, Julian? Damn, Well, you got me bagged. I guess I'm just I'm just fucking with your man. Hell, none of my friends ever called me anyway listening need something? Oh you've got friends? Oh high fucking high. So what's a Well? I just um the AC unit my piece of shit motel. I'd call maintenance, but I don't want to deal with Did you check the filter? No, I'm nine percent it's just a clock. Pull the face off and take the filter out. You can run it without for the night, but sooner or later you should probably just come and take my spare room like I told you. O. Man, I mean, well, if my company's not good enough for wait second, you're doing that thing? Yeah? Got you again? Listen. That isn't the only reason I called I Else. I wanted to say it was good to see you the other day. Man, it's been way too long. I know, I know that. I look you there. Can I ask you something? What? Why'd you come back? What do you mean? I mean, Julian, there is a lot you don't understand here. This is bigger than bigger than what exactly I'm trying to help you here, Julian, things are in a delicate balance, all right. What what thinks my ass and reflux? What the fuck you think I'm talking about? Man, you don't understand. Oh, I don't understand. I had to come back to what you should resent to that earth. You're playing with fire here. You have no idea what you're mess It's not just for me. I'm trying to do the right thing here for Fish. I'm trying to help him. Don't you think I mind? He's on death row Tie's part to play all right here, I'm gonna well, I'm not gonna sit on my ass watching Jeffard and smoking cigarettes. Did you know there were others other kids who were absent from school that day other than Thomas and Deacon. What you know, Tyler? Tyler? Tyler, Tyler? Can you hear me? Tyler? I lost you man? What the hell? What the fuck? Fuck? H M A ghost in the mirror. In the Hounds of Dancing The Manowat Caves stars Jonathan Tucker as Julian Salis, Eddie Gatheggie as James Fincher, Clark Peters as Detective Solomon Smith, Nick Sercy as Sheriff Kirby Hooper, Justin Wellborn as Tyler Wilson, Jill Jane Clements as Jill Campbell, Brad Carter as Dooley Tappard, Scott Poythress as Reverend Perkins, Samantha Ashley as Deana Fincher, Justin Matthews Smith as Paul Salace, Tara Oakes as Laura Salis, Jonathan Horn as Deacon Hadley, Alden Kronovitch as Thomas Hadley, Mike w Anderson as Griff Washington, Bodie Walter Roth as Jimmy Fincher, Brian McClure as Ian Spinks, Larry Clark as Bobby Hadley, Peyton Fallis as Ed le Blanc, Vic Polis Says, William Fowler, Nick Dakosky as Richard Rydell, and Aileen Loy as The Darkness, with additional performances by Clint McGown, Dina Dill, Edward Howard, Henry Foster Brown, Jamie Joseph, Juan Manzalez, Christopher Curry, Bailey Hyneman, David Mitchell, and Bernard Sataro Clark. Created by Connell Byrne and Dan Bush. Written by Dan Bush, Zoe Cooper and Nicholas Dakaski featuring our theme song Killer Inside, written produced and performed by Lear Lynn. Our executive producers are Matt Frederick, Alexander Williams, Michael Monte, and Courtney Dufrees. Our executive producers at Blumhouse Television are Jeremy Gold, Chris Dickey, and Noah Feinberg. Produced by Dan Bush, music by Ben Lovett. Additional music by Alexander Rodriguez, edited by Dan Bush, Chris Childs, Stephen Perez and David Chen. Sound designed by Benjamin Malcolm. Dialogue, editing and sound mixing by Wan Campus. Recorded at Studio Awesome in Los Angeles, Sound by Studio in Atlanta and Echo Mountain in Asheville. Casting by Sunday Bowling, Kennedy and Meg Mormon. Our dialect coach is Linda Bassesti, Assistant director, Michael Monte second assistant director, script supervisor and production coordinator Sarah Klein. Supervising producer Josh Thine. Special thanks to Mary Ellen and Jason Davis, Jonathan Deeter, and Joe Rickman. The Manoel Caves is a production of iHeartRadio, Blumhouse Television, and Psychopia Pictures.