1185 - January 8, 1971

[bunniefuu]

[eerie music]

NARRATOR: The great house of Collinwood in the year ,

a time when the deposed master of Collinwood,

Quentin Collins, is on trial for his life.

The charge, witchcraft, the penalty, beheading.

On this night, Gerard Stiles,

hoping to seal Quentin's fate has committed a m*rder

for which he knows Quentin will be blamed.

Just moments ago, the body of Mordecai Grimes

was discovered by a horror-stricken, Carrie Stokes.

No.

No!

[sobs]

Carrie, what are you doing here?

Jeremy.

Listen you can't stay here my father will find you.

Jeremy, your father.

Carrie, what's wrong?

Jeremy, your father is dead.

He's what?

CARRIE: I came here to talk to him.

Hoping he'd understand about me and you

and I found him over there.

[intense music]

[eerie music]

Father, Father!

He's dead.

He's dead.

Jeremy I'm so sorry.

How did it happen?

He was never sick one day in his life.

CARRIE: When I first came in,

I thought he had just fallen, the way he was moaning.

You mean he was alive when you came in?

CARRIE: Yes, he was.

Did he say anything before he d*ed?

Carrie, did he say anything to you?

Yes.

He did.

[wind blowing]

Well, the police have been at Grimes's house

for several hours now.

Soon you shall be getting the coroner's report.

An important witness for the prosecution m*rder*d

to keep him from telling what he knows.

And will this finally finish off Quentin?

I don't see how we can lose, Gerard.

Oh by the way, who discovered the body?

Carrie Stokes.

[Charles laughs]

I was saving that as a bonus for you, Charles.

Oh I like that, I like that very much.

I only wish that I could say

that I had planned what it turned out.

Oh, it's no matter.

I'll have the subpoena prepared at once.

You know it's curious, just the other day,

I was talking to Mordecai and telling him

how useless his appearance in court would be.

And now, in death, it would appear

that he is going to win the case for us.

[intense music]

QUENTIN: Barnabas, what's wrong?

[door slams]

Quentin, I have bad news for you.

What?

Mordecai Grimes is dead.

Dead?

How did it happen?

No one knows.

The coroner hasn't completed his report yet.

The body was discovered late last night by Carrie Stokes.

How's this going to affect my trial?

As far as anyone knew,

Mordecai Grimes was in perfect health.

Suddenly on the eve before his appearance in court, he dies.

This is going to be a field day for Dawson.

What do you mean, Grimes was the last witness for him,

who else is he going to call to the stand?

I have no idea.

I know one thing is certain.

He's going to do his best

to attribute his death to witchcraft.

Mordecai Grimes could have dropped dead of a heart att*ck.

Perhaps the coroner's report will even show that.

Or it may say that cause of death is unknown.

That's all Dawson needs.

Well even if that happens,

I don't see how he could prove it.

Neither do I.

We both know how Dawson cherishes the

QUENTIN: Well, we've overcome his other surprises,

we'll do the same with this one.

Let's hope so.

All we can do is wait, the next move is his.

[intense music]

[gavel banging]

Court will come to order.

Mr. Dawson, you may resume the case for the prosecution.

Your Honor, I believe that the court

has been informed that Mordecai Grimes,

whom I had intended to call as a witness this morning

suffered an untimely death last night.

Are you saying, Mr. Dawson,

that you are prepared to rest your case?

I most certainly am not, Your Honor, quite the contrary.

I, in fact, intend to call two entirely new witnesses

because I feel I can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt

that Mordecai Grimes met his end

at the hands of a whim of sorcery,

and that the m*rder*r sits in this courtroom.

I object, Your Honor.

This court is not a forum for Mr. Dawson's opinions.

JUDGE: I agree completely, Mr. Collins.

Now we will get on with the case, Mr. Dawson.

Are you prepared to call your first witness?

I am, Your Honor.

Prosecution calls Miss Carrie Stokes to the stand.

[intense music]

Miss Carrie Stokes, raise your right hand, please.

Do you swear that the testimony

you are about to give this court shall be the truth,

the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

CARRIE: I do.

Miss Stokes, were you acquainted with Mordecai Grimes?

Yes, I was.

CHARLES: Will you tell the court

when you last saw Mordecai Grimes.

Last night.

CHARLES: Where?

CARRIE: At his house.

And will you tell the court what you saw

at the Grimes' house last night?

Well, at first I didn't see anything.

I called for Mr. Grimes but he didn't answer.

I heard a moaning sound and I looked around,

and I found Mr. Grimes on the floor.

CHARLES: And did you realize at that point

that he was dying?

No, at first I thought he had a bad fall but then--

CHARLES: Then what, Miss Stokes?

Then I saw the look in his eyes,

and I knew I never saw anything like that before.

CHARLES: Will you describe that look?

Something had changed in his eyes.

His pupils were like half moons.

It reminded me of a frightened animal.

And it was at this point that you realized he was dying.

CARRIE: Yes.

Miss Stokes, how much time passed before Mordecai d*ed?

Not more than a minute.

And in that time, did he say anything to you?

Well, Miss Stokes, did he or didn't he?

Will the court please direct the witness

to answer the question?

Miss Stokes, you are obliged

to answer the counsel's question.

Yes, he did speak to me before he d*ed.

Will you tell the court the dying words

of Mordecai Grimes?

No, I can't, I can't.

CHARLES: Miss Stokes, you have taken an oath

to tell the whole truth, do you remember that?

Yes.

CHARLES: Then you must tell us

what Mordecai Grimes said just before he d*ed.

He said,

he said,

Quentin Collins.

Quentin Collins.

Quentin didn't k*ll him, I know that.

CHARLES: Miss Stokes.

Quentin isn't guilty of anything, he

You must believe that.

I want the witness's remarks

stricken from the record, Your Honor.

JUDGE: They shall be stricken.

I have no further questions.

Your witness, Mr. Collins.

The defense has no questions, Your Honor.

JUDGE: Then Miss Stokes, you may step down.

Your Honor, I call the court's attention

to this autopsy report prepared by the county coroner.

It establishes the fact that Mordecai Grimes

was in excellent physical health.

There were no visible marks on the body,

and the cause of death is officially stated as unknown.

The prosecution submits that a mysterious death

such as this can be caused only by one thing, Your Honor,

an act of sorcery.

Objection!

This is pure conjecture on Mr. Dawson's part.

JUDGE: Objection sustained.

Get on with your case, Mr. Dawson.

CHARLES: I call Jeremy Grimes to the stand.

Place your hand on the Bible, raise your right hand.

Jeremy Grimes, do you swear that the testimony

you're about to give this court shall be the truth,

the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

I do.

CHARLES: Do you recognize this letter, Mr. Grimes?

Yes sir, I do.

Will you tell the court what it is.

It contains a note my father wrote last night,

before he d*ed.

And to whom did he write this note?

To you, sir.

And after he'd sealed the envelope,

he asked me to deliver it to you at your home.

CHARLES: And did you do that?

JEREMY: Yes sir, I did.

Your honor, I will now read the contents

of this most urgent message,

written by the deceased before he d*ed.

Dear Mr. Dawson, it is imperative I see you at once,

for I have uncovered new evidence of a

Evidence which I am convinced will prove

beyond all doubts the guilt of Quentin Collins.

I feel we must discuss this matter

before the resumption of the trial tomorrow.

Please come as soon as possible.

Mordecai Grimes.

Mr. Grimes, is this your father's handwriting?

Yes sir, it is.

When your father handed it to you to bring to me,

did he seem to be in good health to you?

Yes, he was.

CHARLES: Was there ever a time within your memory

when your father was anything but physically fit?

Never.

CHARLES: Your witness.

Mr. Grimes, when your father gave you

that letter last night, was it sealed?

Yes, it was.

So you never knew the contents of that letter?

JEREMY: No, I didn't.

Did your father tell you the contents of that letter?

No, he didn't.

So, the only two people that had any knowledge

of that letter at all were your father and Mr. Dawson.

Now one of those men is dead.

Your Honor, I resent these implications.

I only want the court to take note

of how conveniently the course of this trial

has been altered in the past hours.

And I would like to have the court take note

of the fact that counsel is out of order.

JUDGE: Agreed, now that last remark

will be stricken from the record.

Go on.

I have no further questions, Your Honor.

Then you may step down.

Call your next witness, Mr. Dawson.

CHARLES: Your Honor,

the case for the prosecution rests.

Mr. Collins, you may present the case for the defense.

Your Honor, there is only one man here

who can tell the complete truth

as to the matter of guilt or innocence

and I refer to the defendant himself.

Will Quentin Collins come to the stand?

[intense music]

You say you argued with Mordecai Grimes.

QUENTIN: Yes, but everyone did.

Mordecai was one who loved to disagree.

And when he refused to sell you his land,

did you thr*aten him?

No, I did not.

BARNABAS: Did you have anything to do

with Mordecai Grimes's death?

Absolutely not.

One last question.

The prosecution has made much ado

about your interest in the occult.

Has this interest ever motivated you to practicing

what is known as black, the black arts?

I have never practiced witchcraft in my life.

As a matter of fact, I wouldn't even know how.

Thank you.

Your witness.

Mr. Collins, it has already been established

that Desmond Collins returned to this country

with the legendary head of the warlock, Judah Zachary.

Isn't it true that he searched all over the world

for that head and brought it here at your request.

It was a request.

CHARLES: Just answer the question yes or no,

Mr. Collins, did you ask him for it or didn't you?

Yes, I did.

But why Mr. Collins?

Will you tell the court why you wanted that head?

No specific purpose, was it merely curiosity.

CHARLES: Oh, it was merely curiosity.

You hadn't heard that the head

was said to have certain powers?

Yes, I had heard that.

But you weren't interested in those powers

at all, were you, Mr. Collins?

You were motivated simply out of curiosity.

QUENTIN: That is all.

Oh come on, Mr. Collins.

Isn't it true that you longed to have such powers?

No, I did not.

Well, I submit that you did.

I say that Desmond Collins brought that head to you

and that you used the powers of the warlock, Judah Zachary

as a convenient way of disposing of your enemies.

I say those powers were used as an instrument of m*rder,

they were responsible for the deaths

of Lorna Bell and Randall Drew.

They also struck down the jailer's wife

and you cannot deny it.

I do deny it and I do deny it.

Furthermore, I am sick and tired

of your lies and insinuations.

The defendant is out of order, Your Honor.

The only person who is out of order here is you.

You're not a lawyer, you're an executioner.

And that will take more than your vicious lies

to strike me down.

And when I get through with this, I'll deal with you.

All right, all right.

You're out of order, Mr. Collins.

Now one more outburst like that from you

and you will be held in contempt.

Go on, Mr. Dawson.

Well, Your Honor, I believe that the defendant himself

has given a more adequate demonstration

of what I was trying to prove.

I have no further questions.

JUDGE: The witness may step down.

Does the defense wish to call another witness?

The defense rests your honor.

Very well, I assume that both counsels

are prepared to give their closing remarks.

Mr. Dawson.

Thank you, Your Honor.

The defendant is here charged

with the practice of witchcraft.

And not opinions, but facts support

the prosecution's contention that he is guilty as charged.

Quentin Collins was the last person to be seen

with Lorna Bell before she was found m*rder*d.

He was discovered standing over

the dead body of Randell Drew.

Both of the victims bore the brand of the devil's mark.

The same symbol found on Quentin Collins' own ring.

It has been established that Quentin Collins

actually believed that he held some power over time itself

by the construction of a strange staircase

capable of leading one into the past or into the future.

It is an incontrovertible fact

that he possessed a mysterious pagan head.

The prosecution contends that he has used the powers

of this head of Judah Zachary for his own evil purposes.

In fact, we are dealing here with a living embodiment

of the warlock, Judah Zachary,

a man who swore eternal revenge against all of his enemies

just as Quentin Collins swore revenge towards me

in this courtroom a moment ago.

Finally, I submit that he is guilty of the m*rder

of Mordecai Grimes who had found evidence

that he intended to use against the defendant.

Using the considerable powers at his command,

he struck that man down

as one would strike down a helpless animal.

I ask the court to find the defendant guilty as charged.

JUDGE: Mr. Collins.

Your Honor, what Mr. Dawson claims is fact

has either been hearsay

of the crudest sort of circumstantial evidence.

Not one of his witnesses is truly a witness

in the strict sense of the word.

Yes, the defendant was the last person seen

with the dead body of Lorna Bell.

Yes, he was discovered over the body of Randell Drew.

Yes, he did argue and fight with Mordecai Grimes.

But this man did not k*ll any one of them

and no one alive can say with any conviction that he did.

Now, that is the only incontrovertible

And on the basis of that fact alone,

the defense fails to see how the tribunal can return

with anything but a verdict of not guilty.

Thank you, gentlemen.

The tribunal is ready to begin its deliberations.

Court is recessed until such time

as this tribunal is ready to render its verdict.

[gavel banging]

Jeremy?

I thought that you might want to know

that the judges have gone in to make their decision.

I don't see what there is to decide.

CARRIE: What do you mean?

Quentin Collins is guilty.

How can you say that?

JEREMY: Because he k*lled my father.

You don't really believe that, do you?

My father said so himself, just before he d*ed.

That's what you told the court, and me.

But your father was wrong in what he said.

How could Quentin harm your father from the jail cell?

He could if he's what they say he is, a warlock,

and I believe he is.

I never heard you talk like this before.

You sound just like--

Just like what?

CARRIE: Like your father.

Maybe I should have started listening to him

a long time ago.

If I had, then maybe he'd be alive now.

CARRIE: You can't blame yourself.

I'm not, I'm blaming Quentin Collins

and I hope they execute him.

I can't believe you mean that.

I don't wanna believe it.

[dramatic music]

[gavel banging]

The court will come to order.

Gentlemen, the tribunal has deliberated

and arrived at a verdict.

The defendant will stand and hear the verdict of the court.

[intense music]

[eerie music]