Dead Quiet - Episode 1

About Dead Quiet - Episode 1

The true crime podcast that steps into the silence left behind. In the dead quiet, the silence is louder than you think. My name is Emily, and I present you with true crime stories. Each episode unearths the secrets, lies, and unanswered questions left behind in the wake of crime. This podcast may not be suitable for all listeners and discusses some pretty jarring topics. If you need support at any time, please contact your local support line or center. Dead Quiet pays respect to all victims, and those affected by crime. Sources for each episode can be found in the show notes. Follow us on socials: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583194797236) Support the Pod: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ (https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ) Get in touch: deadquietthepod@outlook.com (mailto:deadquietthepod@outlook.com)

Publisher

Emily

Category

true crime

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

9 Jul 2025

Latest episode

9 Feb 2026

Latest episodes

12 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Feb 2026

   The West Memphis 3 - Part Three

   Part Three West Memphis, Arkansas, sits along the eastern edge of the state, separated from Memphis and Tennessee by the Mississippi River. In 1993, it was a small, working-class city with a population of approximately twenty-six thousand people. The area was economically depressed, with limited employment opportunities and high levels of poverty. Public services, including law enforcement, were under-resourced, and many families lived pay-cheque to pay-cheque. The city was socially conservative. Church attendance was high, and religious values shaped daily life. Alternative belief systems, nonconformity, and subcultures associated with heavy metal music or the occult were often viewed with suspicion. In this episode, the investigation into the murders of three little boys continue. This is part two, in the story of the West Memphis 3. Sources: Documentaries: Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) West of Memphis (2012) Books: The Devils Knot – Mara Leveritt (2002) How Does a Body Decompose in Water? - Biology Insights (https://biologyinsights.com/how-does-a-body-decompose-in-water/) West Memphis 3 (https://www.westmemphis3.org/) What Sparked the Satanic Panic of the 1980s? (https://www.history.com/articles/what-was-satanic-panic-1980s) West Memphis Three | Background & Trial | Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/event/West-Memphis-Three) Broader DNA and genetic testing to be requested in West Memphis Three case - Talk Business & Politics (https://talkbusiness.net/2024/05/broader-dna-and-genetic-testing-to-be-requested-in-west-memphis-three-case/) M-Vac to be Used on Evidence from West Memphis Three Murders (https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/620709-M-Vac-to-be-Used-on-Evidence-from-West-Memphis-Three-Murders/) West Memphis Three: What You Should Know About Their Wrongful Conviction - Innocence Project (https://innocenceproject.org/news/who-are-west-memphis-three-damien-echols/) The West Memphis Three Trials (1994) (https://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/memphis3/memphis3home.html) West Memphis Three Trials: The Transcripts (https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2243-transcripts) The Jesse Misskelley Trial (January 26 - February 4, 1994): Verdict (https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2264-verdictjesse) The Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin Trial (February 28 - March 18, 1994): Verdict (https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2286-verdictbaldwin) Follow us on socials: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583194797236) Support the Pod: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ (https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ) Get in touch: deadquietthepod@outlook.com (mailto:deadquietthepod@outlook.com)

2. 

   26 Jan 2026

   The West Memphis 3 - Part Two

   Part Two West Memphis, Arkansas, sits along the eastern edge of the state, separated from Memphis and Tennessee by the Mississippi River. In 1993, it was a small, working-class city with a population of approximately twenty-six thousand people. The area was economically depressed, with limited employment opportunities and high levels of poverty. Public services, including law enforcement, were under-resourced, and many families lived pay-cheque to pay-cheque. The city was socially conservative. Church attendance was high, and religious values shaped daily life. Alternative belief systems, nonconformity, and subcultures associated with heavy metal music or the occult were often viewed with suspicion. In this episode, the investigation into the murders of three little boys continue. This is part two, in the story of the West Memphis 3. Sources: Documentaries: Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) West of Memphis (2012) Books: The Devils Knot – Mara Leveritt (2002) How Does a Body Decompose in Water? - Biology Insights (https://biologyinsights.com/how-does-a-body-decompose-in-water/) West Memphis 3 (https://www.westmemphis3.org/) What Sparked the Satanic Panic of the 1980s? (https://www.history.com/articles/what-was-satanic-panic-1980s) West Memphis Three | Background & Trial | Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/event/West-Memphis-Three) Broader DNA and genetic testing to be requested in West Memphis Three case - Talk Business & Politics (https://talkbusiness.net/2024/05/broader-dna-and-genetic-testing-to-be-requested-in-west-memphis-three-case/) M-Vac to be Used on Evidence from West Memphis Three Murders (https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/620709-M-Vac-to-be-Used-on-Evidence-from-West-Memphis-Three-Murders/) West Memphis Three: What You Should Know About Their Wrongful Conviction - Innocence Project (https://innocenceproject.org/news/who-are-west-memphis-three-damien-echols/) The West Memphis Three Trials (1994) (https://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/memphis3/memphis3home.html) West Memphis Three Trials: The Transcripts (https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2243-transcripts) The Jesse Misskelley Trial (January 26 - February 4, 1994): Verdict (https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2264-verdictjesse) The Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin Trial (February 28 - March 18, 1994): Verdict (https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2286-verdictbaldwin) Follow us on socials: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583194797236) Support the Pod: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ (https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ) Get in touch: deadquietthepod@outlook.com (mailto:deadquietthepod@outlook.com)

3. 

   12 Jan 2026

   The West Memphis 3 - Part One

   Part One West Memphis, Arkansas, sits along the eastern edge of the state, separated from Memphis and Tennessee by the Mississippi River. In 1993, it was a small, working-class city with a population of approximately twenty-six thousand people. The area was economically depressed, with limited employment opportunities and high levels of poverty. Public services, including law enforcement, were under-resourced, and many families lived pay-cheque to pay-cheque. The city was socially conservative. Church attendance was high, and religious values shaped daily life. Alternative belief systems, nonconformity, and subcultures associated with heavy metal music or the occult were often viewed with suspicion. This type of social environment would later become significant as an investigation into the murders of three little boys unfolded. Sources: Documentaries: Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) West of Memphis (2012) Books: The Devils Knot – Mara Leveritt (2002) How Does a Body Decompose in Water? - Biology Insights (https://biologyinsights.com/how-does-a-body-decompose-in-water/) What Sparked the Satanic Panic of the 1980s? (https://www.history.com/articles/what-was-satanic-panic-1980s) West Memphis Three | Background & Trial (https://www.britannica.com/event/West-Memphis-Three) West Memphis 3 (https://www.westmemphis3.org/) Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/event/West-Memphis-Three) Broader DNA and genetic testing to be requested in West Memphis Three case - Talk Business & Politics (https://talkbusiness.net/2024/05/broader-dna-and-genetic-testing-to-be-requested-in-west-memphis-three-case/) M-Vac to be Used on Evidence from West Memphis Three Murders (https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/620709-M-Vac-to-be-Used-on-Evidence-from-West-Memphis-Three-Murders/) West Memphis Three: What You Should Know About Their Wrongful Conviction - Innocence Project (https://innocenceproject.org/news/who-are-west-memphis-three-damien-echols/) The West Memphis Three Trials (1994) (https://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/memphis3/memphis3home.html) West Memphis Three Trials: The Transcripts (https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2243-transcripts) The Jesse Misskelley Trial (January 26 - February 4, 1994): Verdict (https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2264-verdictjesse) The Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin Trial (February 28 - March 18, 1994): Verdict (https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2286-verdictbaldwin) Follow us on socials: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583194797236) Support the Pod: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ (https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ) Get in touch: deadquietthepod@outlook.com (mailto:deadquietthepod@outlook.com)

4. 

   18 Nov 2025

   Dear Listener...

   Listen here for a 2026 look ahead! Follow us on socials: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583194797236) Support the Pod: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ (https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ) Get in touch: deadquietthepod@outlook.com (mailto:deadquietthepod@outlook.com)

5. 

   17 Nov 2025

   Secrets of the Aradale Lunatic Asylum and J Ward

   On the outskirts of Ararat, two imposing sandstone buildings still stand as relics of Australia’s mental health past. Aradale Lunatic Asylum, formerly known locally as mad mans hill — was once the largest psychiatric hospital in Victoria. Just down the road, J Ward confined the state’s most violent and “criminally insane.” Behind their thick stone walls, treatments blurred with punishment, and the line between care and cruelty disappeared. Sources: Book your visit — Aradale, Lunatic Asylum (https://www.aradale.com.au/book-your-visit/) Books: The J Ward Story – Graeme Burgin Aradale, The Making of a Haunted Asylum – David Waldron, Sharn Waldron and Nathaniel Buchanan Yarra Bend (Asylum 1848-1905; Hospital for the Insane 1905-1925) (https://researchdata.edu.au/yarra-bend-asylum-1905-1925/492374) vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/search/nattrust_result_detail/67299 (http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/search/nattrust_result_detail/67299) Public Record Office Victoria Collection | PROV (https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/CABA9543-F4EE-11E9-AE98-A52B8581B966?image=1) VPRS 7446/P0001, Ararat Asylum Public Record Office Victoria Collection | PROV (https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VA2841) VA 2841 Lunacy Act, 1903, No. 1873 - Legislation - Australian Psychiatric Care (https://www.ahpi.esrc.unimelb.edu.au/biogs/E000111b.htm) Aradale Lunatic Asylum History (https://archive.internationalinsurance.org/GR-8-03/pdf?dataid=JTr10-1790&title=aradale-lunatic-asylum-history.pdf) Dr Eric Cunningham Dax | Mont Park to Springthorpe (https://www.montparktospringthorpe.com/profile-dr-eric-cunningham-dax/) report.pdf (https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/22993/download-report) LLIFS - The story of Mr Bill Wallace - J Ward's oldest inmate | (https://www.llifs.com.au/blog/the-story-of-mr-bill-wallace-j-wards-oldest-inmate/)llifs.com.au (http://llifs.com.au) Aradale: A Historical Overview 1867-1994 | Making History (https://makinghistoryoz.wordpress.com/2018/10/18/aradale-a-historical-overview-1867-1994/) Follow us on socials: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583194797236) Support the Pod: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ (https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ) Get in touch: deadquietthepod@outlook.com (mailto:deadquietthepod@outlook.com)

6. 

   3 Nov 2025

   The Disappearance of Patrick "Paddy" Moriarty

   There are places in Australia where silence feels heavier. Where the air hums and even the birds seem to whisper. One of those places is Larrimah — a speck of a town on the Stuart Highway, 500 kilometres south of Darwin. Population in 2017: less than 15. A pink pub, a tea-house, a scattering of homes, and a lot of red dirt. Sources: 2021 Larrimah, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics (https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/SAL70160) NT Police vow to continue investigations into suspected murder of Paddy Moriarty - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-07/coronial-inquest-reaction-paddy-moriarty/100973320) New Page 5 (https://australianmissingpersonsregister.com/ampr/PaddyMoriarty.htm) 'A pink pub, a blind croc and an empty bar stool': What happened to Paddy Moriarty? | NT Independent (https://ntindependent.com.au/a-pink-pub-a-blind-croc-and-an-empty-bar-stool-what-happened-to-paddy-moriarty/) Reward offered - Missing person - Paddy Moriarty | NT Police, Fire & Emergency Services (https://pfes.nt.gov.au/newsroom/2021/reward-offered-missing-person-paddy-moriarty) D00742018-Paddy-Moriarty.pdf (https://agd.nt.gov.au/media/docs/inquest-finding-pubications/2022/D00742018-Paddy-Moriarty.pdf) Paddy Moriarty: Major development announced in Larrimah missing person case made famous on Netflix show | The Nightly (https://thenightly.com.au/australia/northern-territory/paddy-moriarty-major-development-announced-in-larrimah-missing-person-case-made-famous-on-netflix-show-c-14929564) NT coroner believes Paddy Moriarty was killed because of a neighbourly dispute in Larrimah - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-09/larrimah-man-paddy-moriarty-inquest-findings/100977686) Follow us on socials: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583194797236) Support the Pod: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ (https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZVB4D7FFZ2JXJ) Get in touch: deadquietthepod@outlook.com (mailto:deadquietthepod@outlook.com)

7. 

   20 Oct 2025

   The Moorhouse Murders

   Perth, 1986. A quiet street, a house like any other. Curtains drawn, a car in the driveway, a life that seemed unremarkable. But behind closed doors, a darkness was growing—two lives entwined, feeding a secret that would soon terrify an entire city. Sources: Catherine, David Birnie: The macabre, sadistic Moorhouse murders | (https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/david-and-catherine-birnie-the-macabre-and-sadistic-moorhouse-murderers/news-story/d1937accb6dfdbb6cc89074e7eb7c241)news.com.au (http://news.com.au) — Australia’s leading news site for latest headlines (https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/david-and-catherine-birnie-the-macabre-and-sadistic-moorhouse-murderers/news-story/d1937accb6dfdbb6cc89074e7eb7c241) David Birnie’s daughter still haunted by ‘caring’ father’s evil deeds | The West Australian (https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/daughter-still-haunted-by-caring-fathers-evil-deeds-ng-b88377642z) Serial killer found hanged in cell (https://www.theage.com.au/national/serial-killer-found-hanged-in-cell-20051007-ge10d7.html) APA_DSM-5-Paraphilic-Disorders.pdf (https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM-5-Paraphilic-Disorders.pdf) Books: Psycho Girl : The True Story of Catherine Birnie by Jena Dickens | Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32188392-psycho-girl) Documentaries: Crime Investigation Australia:Season 1, Episode 6.

8. 

   6 Oct 2025

   Episode 5

   They were supposed to come home with sunburned cheeks and sandy feet. The Beatles were topping the Australian music charts with their hit, "We can work it out". It was the era of the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones and the Bee Gee’s . The Beatles were a cultural phenomenon, the Vietnam war was in full swing, Prime Minister Robert Menzies retired and was succeeded by the now missing Harold Holt. In January 1966, Australia was a country that thought it was safe, until its innocence was stolen broad daylight. Three children were playing with a tall man on a beach, starting one of Australia’s most enduring mysteries. Sources: Beaumont Children - Crime Stoppers South Australia (https://crimestopperssa.com.au/case/beaumont-children/) Beaumont children: Marking the 50th anniversary of Adelaide's enduring unsolved mystery - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-26/the-beaumont-children-disappearance-timeline-50-years-of-mystery/7104032)https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/the-fishermen-2004/18461/ (https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/the-fishermen-2004/18461/)The Satin Man | Stuart Mullins (https://www.stuartmullins.co/product/the-satin-man/) Books: The Satin Man by Alan Whiticker and Stuart Mullins Documentaries: The Fishermen Additional: National Library of Australia Digital Archives

9. 

   22 Sept 2025

   Episode 4

   He smiled at neighbors and stood in line at the shops. Maybe he once stood in your midst. He spent time in the Gosford boys home, and later prison, where he adopted the nickname Lenny the Loon. Streets would quieten in his wake, leaving an echo of the psychopath who once walked along them. Sources: Leonard John Fraser | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers (https://murderpedia.org/male.F/f/fraser-leonard.htm) Natasha Ryan's story — Her bizarre disappearance - TheNetline (https://thenetline.com/natasha-ryan-story/) Things A Killer Would Know: The True Story Of Leonard Fraser. Is He Australia’s Worst Serial Killer? By Paula Doneman Prison-based correctional rehabilitation: An overview of intensive interventions for moderate to high-risk offenders | Australian Institute of Criminology (https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi412) Natasha Ryan, former teen runaway whose 1998 disappearance sparked years-long search, found dead in Rockhampton - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-02/natasha-ryan-girl-in-cupboard-body-found-rockhampton/103925530) cif-fraser-lj-20120320.pdf (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/138456/cif-fraser-lj-20120320.pdf) Leonard John Fraser, Australia Serial Killer and Rapist - The Crime library (https://www.crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/predators/leonard_fraser/1_index.html) Couriermail.com.au (http://Couriermail.com.au) | Subscribe to The Courier Mail for exclusive stories (https://www.couriermail.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=CMWEB_WRE170_a_BIN&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.couriermail.com.au%2Fnews%2Fqueensland%2Fmackay%2Fpredator-the-revelations-that-shocked-a-jury%2Fnews-story%2F75b38123bbf5a1be664a9ef82f5343c3&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=HIGH-Segment-2-SCORE) Pendulum: Man questioned over Margaret Kirstenfeldt's death linked to serial killer | 7NEWS (https://7news.com.au/podcasts/pendulum/pendulum-man-questioned-over-margaret-kirstenfeldts-death-linked-to-serial-killer-c-481046) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-05-09/fraser-convicted-of-qld-serial-murders/1851222?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-05-09/fraser-convicted-of-qld-serial-murders/1851222?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web) https://www.bing.com/search?q=what+does+acute+myocardial+infarction%2C%2C+coronary+thrombosis+and+coronary+atherosclerosis.&cvid=c53e3668dd5448f6b4058b7d15754078&gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgYIABBFGDkyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQ6wcYQNIBCDI0MzhqMGo0qAIIsAIB&FORM=ANAB01&PC=ACTS (https://www.bing.com/search?q=what+does+acute+myocardial+infarction%2C%2C+coronary+thrombosis+and+coronary+atherosclerosis.&cvid=c53e3668dd5448f6b4058b7d15754078&gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgYIABBFGDkyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQ6wcYQNIBCDI0MzhqMGo0qAIIsAIB&FORM=ANAB01&PC=ACTS)

10. 

    8 Sept 2025

    Episode 3

    Some Crimes leave a trace. Fingerprints, footprints, a whisper of who was there. He moved silently in the shadows, watching, waiting. They Called him Mr Cruel, and decades later, we still don’t know who he is. Mr Cruel 1 – Overview of Case – Melbourne Marvels (https://melbinmarvels.wordpress.com/2021/01/26/mr-cruel-serial-rapist-and-murderer-overview-of-case/) Mr. Cruel — Unresolved (https://unresolved.me/mr-cruel/)PM with Samantha Donovan - ABC listen (https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/pm)Herald Sun (https://www.heraldsun.com.au/404.php) Fairfax Syndication - Detective Inspector David Sprague heads police taskforce Operation Spectrum to investigate the disappearance of Karmein Chan, 1991 (https://licensing-publishing.nine.com.au/archive/Detective-Inspector-David-Sprague-heads-police-taskforce-Operation-Spectrum-to-investigate-the-disappearance-of-Karmein-Chan--1991-2ITPN4UY9Y9Y.html)The Age Newspaper Archives – 1988 to 1997

11. 

    9 Aug 2025

    Episode 2

    They came chasing freedom, Backpacks, smiles, youth and time on their side. Deep in the Australian bush, someone was hunting. 7 bodies, 1 monster, and for years he walked among us. Strands of hair in murdered Welsh backpacker's hand finally solve mystery | Wales Online (https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/strands-hair-murdered-welsh-backpackers-14916055) https://www.smh.com.au/national/on-the-trail-of-a--serial-killer-20140414-36m7u.html (https://www.smh.com.au/national/on-the-trail-of-a--serial-killer-20140414-36m7u.html) Serial killer who murdered Hexham backpacker Caroline Clarke on his 'death bed' | Chronicle Live (https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/serial-killer-who-murdered-hexham-17133238) Ruger® 10/22® Autoloading Rifle (https://ruger.com/products/1022/overview.html) On the trail of a ... serial killer (https://www.smh.com.au/national/on-the-trail-of-a--serial-killer-20140414-36m7u.html) Australian serial killer Ivan Milat dies in Long Bay prison, aged 74 - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-27/ivan-milat-dies-in-sydney/11342686) https://crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/predators/milat/15.html (https://crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/predators/milat/15.html)

12. 

    9 Jul 2025

    Episode 1

    It’s just after 8pm in the Australian outback — pitch black, dead quiet. A van pulls over on the Stuart Highway… and one of its passengers is never seen again. Sources: STORY - Colleen Gwynne (https://www.spunstories.net/colleen-gwynne) Timeline: Peter Falconio murder | UK news | The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/dec/13/australia.world) https://supremecourt.nt.gov.au/ (https://supremecourt.nt.gov.au/) Peter Falconio’s murderer Bradley John Murdoch moved into palliative care | 7NEWS (https://7news.com.au/news/peter-falconios-murderer-bradley-john-murdoch-moved-into-palliative-care-c-19138568)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

14

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Podcast Authority Score: 14 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

3

Social presence

0

YouTube

63

Engagement

0

Contact Dead Quiet - Episode 1

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.