Dead Man's Holiday | Portrait of Death - Inner Sanctum Mysteries

[00:00:07] [SPEAKER_10] Lipton Tea and Lipton Soup present Inner Sanctum Mysteries.

[00:00:14] [SPEAKER_11] This is your host of the Inner Sanctum, welcoming you to another half hour of mystery and terror. Guaranteed to take ten years off your life. Don't just stand there, come on in.

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_11] We've been fixing up the place, making it more homey. Yes, you see that beam over there with the rope hanging down? You just stand on the table, put your head through the noose and... That's right. It's for the convenience of anyone who feels like hanging around after the broadcast.

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_08] I wish you wouldn't say things like that.

[00:01:06] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, you're right, Mary. I'm a bad host. Here, I invite everybody to hang around and there's only one rope. I guess we'll have to hang together instead of hanging separately. Now, please. Unless, of course, we want to hang ourselves with a black ribbon that comes with that Lipton sterling silver medallion. We've got plenty of them, haven't we, Mary?

[00:01:25] [SPEAKER_08] Well, I don't know. Thousands of women are writing in every day for that special sterling silver medallion. So I'd advise all of you ladies who want to own one to send in for it tonight. Yes, they're going mighty fast. Because this medallion is made of solid sterling silver. And it's decorated with the Chinese symbol for good luck. The medallion is just the right size, too. About an inch in diameter. You can wear it as a necklace or a choker because it's hung on a narrow black rayon satin ribbon.

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_08] Or if you wish, you can simply add it to your charm bracelet. And here's how you get this handsome medallion. Listen. Just send 25 cents and the box top from a package of Lipton's, the tea with the brisk flavor, to Lipton Tea, Box 92. That's Box 92, New York City.

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_11] All right, Mary. Today I write down the address on the cuff of my shroud. And now her friends tell me, Do you like holidays? Well, you won't after you hear tonight's story. It's called Dead Man's Holiday. And it's an original radio play by that scriptic mystic Robert Sloan. Yes, and our star tonight is Myron McCormick, who plays the role of Eric. Not far from the waterfront.

[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_11] In a gloomy shack where death hovers near, a man stirs uneasily on a bloodstained cot. As he struggles for the last breaths of life, his tortured mind forces words to his lips. They...

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_03] They don't have to tell me. I know I can't live more than a little while longer. But I don't want to live. I want this nightmare to end. As it should have ended. Long before that day I was hurt on the train. So clearly, sitting in a coach, looking out the window and then

[00:03:27] [SPEAKER_03] suddenly

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_14] the train shuddered to a violent start. The job left to take care out of my seat. It threw me against the glass window, which broke as I hit him. For a moment, I was stunned. But in the back of my mind, I could hear the conductor quietly in the passage.

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_15] It's all right. It's all right, please. It's all right, I tell you. Nothing serious has happened. You struck an empty car on the grade crossing. The engineer had a jam on the brakes. Is there anybody hurt? Anybody need a doctor around here? Are you all right?

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_03] The conductor was coming down the aisle, questioning passengers, looking them over. My head was clear now. And immediately, I thought of my wife in the seat next to mine. I turned to see if she'd been injured. But there in the seat which she had occupied was a man I'd never seen before. He spoke to me. You all right?

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_09] Yes. I was shaking up a bit, but I'm all right now. You've got a nasty cut on your lip. All right.

[00:04:35] [SPEAKER_03] I guess it was the glass. Will you excuse me, please? What's the matter? My wife. I'm looking for my wife. She was sitting right next to me.

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_14] Eleanor? Eleanor, where are you?

[00:04:48] [SPEAKER_15] What's wrong, sir?

[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_14] My wife. She's gone, conductor. She's gone.

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_15] No, no, no. Don't get excited.

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER_14] She was sitting right next to me,

[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_09] right where this man is sitting now. You must be mistaken. What? There wasn't any woman sitting next to you.

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_15] What are you trying to tell me? My wife was sitting in that seat. All right, all right, sir. If she's on the train, we'll find her. In the meantime, you'd better come with me and have that lip of yours attempt to go. Until I find out what's happened.

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_09] Nothing's happened, mister. You're just a little dazed, that's all. Your wife isn't on this train.

[00:05:18] [SPEAKER_14] That's a lie.

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_09] Why would I want to lie to you?

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_14] I don't know what your reason is, but you're trying to hide something from me.

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_09] I'm willing to swear you bought of this train alone. How do you know that? Because I've been sitting next to you ever since you got on.

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_03] Taken to a hospital and given an anesthetic. When I came to, the doctor was standing over me. He said I was well enough to get dressed and leave, but... When I mentioned the disappearance of my wife, he acted strange.

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_15] You had a severe shock, Mr. Keating, and sometimes an accident like this has a way of playing tricks on the mind. You don't believe that my wife was on that train? I don't see how she could have been. Any number of the passengers were questioned. They all told the same story. You got on the train alone.

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_14] So you're in on it too.

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_15] I beg your pardon?

[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_14] You and the railroad and the man who was sitting next to me, you're all in on it.

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_15] What are you trying to do to me? I don't know what you're talking about. Don't you? Are you sure this isn't some kind of a plot to try and drive me out of my mind? I think you need a rest, Mr. Keating. Just look at yourself in the mirror there. You see how drawn you are? I'm all right.

[00:06:46] I...

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_15] Good heavens. Doctor. What's the matter? My face. What have you done to me? What happened to my face? Why nothing. I had to put a few stitches in your lip. It's not my lip.

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_03] It's my whole face. You've done something to it. It's different. Mr. Keating. It is, I tell you. You've changed my face. I went straight to my house on Pine Street. I had no keys, so I rang the bell.

[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_03] Hoping against hope my wife would be there to answer it. But when the door opened, face to face with a gaunt, little-aged woman I'd never seen before.

[00:07:45] [SPEAKER_13] Yes? I beg your pardon.

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_03] Come on, answer me. Who are you?

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER_13] I'm the housekeeper.

[00:07:53] [SPEAKER_03] Don't lie to me. We don't have a housekeeper. What are you doing here?

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_13] I don't see why I should answer your question.

[00:08:01] [SPEAKER_03] You'd better answer them. I'm Mr. Keating.

[00:08:04] [SPEAKER_13] Who?

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_03] Mr. Keating, I live here. Where's Mrs. Keating? What have you done with her?

[00:08:09] [SPEAKER_13] You must have the wrong address.

[00:08:11] [SPEAKER_03] What do you mean?

[00:08:12] [SPEAKER_13] Nobody by the name of Keating lives here.

[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_03] What?

[00:08:16] [SPEAKER_13] I work for Mr. and Mrs. Drury. Don't you see the nameplate on the door?

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_03] Yes, I see it. When did you put it there? Last night?

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_13] You got the wrong address, Mr. Keating.

[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_03] Oh, I have it. You see that picture over there? The one on the hall table?

[00:08:33] [SPEAKER_13] Yes.

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_03] That's a picture of my wife.

[00:08:37] [SPEAKER_13] I beg your pardon, sir, but that's a picture of Mrs. Drury.

[00:08:43] [SPEAKER_03] I didn't know anybody by the name of Drury. I couldn't imagine why he or anybody else would go to so much trouble to keep me from my wife. I walked down to the corner drugstore to phone the police. But just as I got there, the car drove up and stopped. In it was the man who sat next to me on the train. I hurried over to speak to him.

[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_14] Do you remember me?

[00:09:15] [SPEAKER_09] Why, yes, of course. Did you find your wife?

[00:09:19] [SPEAKER_14] No.

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER_09] Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Can I be of any assistance to you?

[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_03] I work for the railroad, you know. Yes, I had a feeling you did. What's your name? Drury. Drury? Uh, you live in the white house around the corner? The one on Pine Street?

[00:09:41] [SPEAKER_09] That's right. How did you know?

[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_03] I was just over there. I thought it belonged to a man named Keating.

[00:09:48] [SPEAKER_09] Well, it did originally. You knew him?

[00:09:53] [SPEAKER_03] Knew him? Yes. Why do you speak in the past tense? You sound as if the man were dead.

[00:10:00] [SPEAKER_09] Well, didn't you know?

[00:10:02] [SPEAKER_03] He is dead. You can't imagine what it was like to have him tell me that... Eric Keating was dead. I was Eric Keating. I hurried away from him. Kept walking toward the center of town. But it wasn't long before I realized that I was being followed by a man in a gray hat. I waited until he caught up with me.

[00:10:31] [SPEAKER_03] Then, as he started to pass, I stopped to purposely. To get a good look at his face. Excuse me. Yes? Can I trouble you for a match? Certainly. Thanks. Mr. Lynch. Wait a minute. Why are you following me? Who says I am? It's pretty obvious.

[00:10:50] [SPEAKER_02] Now, you'd better tell me what your game is or I'll call a cop. That wouldn't do much good, mister. I'm on the force. The enclosed man. Connors is the name. Why? I don't understand. Why are you watching me? That's my business, watching people. Your face looked kind of familiar to me. What's your name? Eric Keating. Try again, mister. You better tell me the truth this time.

[00:11:17] [SPEAKER_03] I am telling you the truth. Why don't you believe me?

[00:11:20] [SPEAKER_02] Because I happen to know where Eric Keating is right now. Saw his grave. Just the other day. Is... Gray? Yes. He's buried in the same cemetery as my sister. Been buried. For six years.

[00:11:39] [SPEAKER_03] I had a feeling that Connors was lying. When he let me go a moment later, without proving my identity, I could have sworn he wasn't a detective. But I had to make sure. I had to catch him in a lie. I took a bus out to the cemetery. It was dark by the time I got there. I had a flashlight.

[00:12:07] [SPEAKER_03] And with it, I saw the very thing I hoped I wouldn't find. The tombstone. With my name on it. The shock was like a blinding light in the darkness. And for a moment, I lost my senses. Insanely, I dug into the earth with a piece of sharp stone, determined to see the empty coffin...

[00:12:35] [SPEAKER_03] Or the bones of the man who had been buried in my place. What are you doing, mister?

[00:12:41] [SPEAKER_02] Connors. You better come with me, mister. Why? What's wrong? What have I done? Killed a man, maybe? What? Here. Look at this police circular. For murder. That's right.

[00:12:56] [SPEAKER_03] The picture underneath those words is yours or your twin brother's? No, I'm not this man. I may look like his picture, but I'm not the man.

[00:13:05] [SPEAKER_02] Your fingerprints are settled as... We've got his on the circular. Now we've got to get yours. Any objections? Yeah.

[00:13:13] [SPEAKER_03] I won't go with you.

[00:13:14] [SPEAKER_07] Don't you fool!

[00:13:15] [SPEAKER_11] Keating wanted for murder, dead or alive. And this guy Keating seems to fit both conditions very well. I'd hate to see him get killed though. It'd be like killing two birds with one stone.

[00:13:42] [SPEAKER_08] I'm really sorry for that poor man. He's so confused.

[00:13:45] [SPEAKER_11] I should say so, Mary. Imagine digging up a grave and finding yourself in it.

[00:13:49] Hmm?

[00:13:51] [SPEAKER_11] Well, that proves that a man can be two places at the same time.

[00:13:54] [SPEAKER_08] Nonsense. That's impossible. But you know, as far as killing two birds with one stone is concerned, that's easy. Any lady can do that just by sending in for the Lipton sterling silver medallion.

[00:14:05] [SPEAKER_06] What?

[00:14:06] [SPEAKER_08] Yes. You see, this sterling silver medallion is not only lovely, but it's a very useful piece of jewelry as well. It's just the thing to brighten up a simple silk dress or a dressy suit. And it can be worn as a necklace or a choker, or simply by removing the narrow black rayon satin ribbon on which it's hung, you can add it to your charm bracelet. And the medallion makes such a smart appearance. It's made of real sterling silver, and it's decorated with the Chinese characters that stand for good luck.

[00:14:34] [SPEAKER_08] So you might say the medallion is a Chinese good luck charm. And best of all, ladies, the Lipton people are making it easy for you to own one of these handsome medallions. All you have to do is send 25 cents and the box top from a package of Lipton's. The tea with the brisk flavor. To Lipton Tea, box 92. That's box 92, New York City.

[00:14:57] [SPEAKER_11] Well, Mary, if the medallion really brings good luck, I hope our friend Eric Keating sends for one because he's going to need it. When we left him, he was telling us how a detective named Connors was about to arrest him for murder. Eric resisted and they struggled at the cemetery. Connors fired a shot.

[00:15:15] [SPEAKER_03] A bullet went through my left arm before I could reach Connors with the stone I had in my hand. I pounded it against his temple. He dropped to the ground, unconscious. Then I ran as fast as I could, holding one arm with the other, losing blood all the time. Somehow, I got away. I was exhausted by the time I staggered into the doctor.

[00:15:43] [SPEAKER_15] Well, I guess you'll be all right now, Mr. Keating. Thank you, doctor. Tell me, how did you happen to get this wound? I, uh...

[00:15:52] I, uh...

[00:15:53] [SPEAKER_02] I was carrying a jar and I fell. You'd better not lie to me, Mr. Keating. The bullet was still in your arm.

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER_15] Who shot you? I... I, I don't know his name. It would help a great deal if you did. I have to report this, you know.

[00:16:08] [SPEAKER_03] So you'd better tell me the truth. I will in a moment, doctor, but... First, I'd like to ask you a favor. What is it? Do you know anything about fingerprints? No, not a great deal. But you must know something. Here, take a look at the ones on the circular.

[00:16:25] [SPEAKER_15] Why is the circular torn in half?

[00:16:27] [SPEAKER_03] Never mind about that. Just look at the fingerprints. Mm-hmm. Now... Look at the ones on my hand.

[00:16:36] [SPEAKER_06] Yeah?

[00:16:37] [SPEAKER_03] Would you say they... belong to the same man? Unquestionably. Of course, I'm not an expert. No, neither am I. But I can see that those are my fingerprints, all right. Somebody's done a perfect job of framing me. Either that... or I'm a murderer. Mr. Keating, suppose I just report my work to the police and let it go at that. I can't let it go at that. Don't you understand?

[00:17:06] [SPEAKER_03] I've been framed every possible way. And if I let it go, I'll...

[00:17:11] [SPEAKER_02] be sent to the chair. No, no, not if you're innocent. I can't take the chance. Well, I'm very much afraid you'll have to.

[00:17:17] [SPEAKER_03] I reached with the paperweight on his desk, and then... Keating!

[00:17:24] [SPEAKER_02] Put that down!

[00:17:25] [SPEAKER_03] You fool! I struck him hard, on the side of the head. His body dropped to the floor and I bent over him. My heart was pounding against my chest. Something in the back of my mind kept driving me on. A voice kept saying, kill him!

[00:17:40] [SPEAKER_06] You're a murderer! Kill him!

[00:17:41] [SPEAKER_03] I don't know why, but I struck him again. And again. Until his lifeless body choked out its last breath. And then... I knew I was a murderer. I hurried away in the darkness. Took a bus to a neighboring town. I had a room in a boarding house. I stayed there three days. Hiding.

[00:18:10] [SPEAKER_03] Not going out on the street. Then, on the fourth day... The landlady paid me a visit.

[00:18:18] [SPEAKER_01] You'll have to get out of here. I can't take a chance of having you around anymore. Killing that doctor. Weren't you in enough trouble already?

[00:18:25] [SPEAKER_03] Shut up, I gotta think.

[00:18:26] [SPEAKER_01] I gotta get out of here. They'll be searching this place before you know it. Why? Because you were here before. I never should have let you come back.

[00:18:34] [SPEAKER_03] Come?

[00:18:36] [SPEAKER_01] Now get your coat and beat it. Where'll I go? Take it easy. I never let anybody down yet. Here. This is the address of a shack I own over near the waterfront. You can hide out there for a while.

[00:18:48] [SPEAKER_03] Any food in that shack?

[00:18:49] [SPEAKER_01] Never mind about that. I'll get in touch with Ruth and tell her where you are.

[00:18:52] [SPEAKER_03] Ruth?

[00:18:53] [SPEAKER_01] Yes, go on now. Get out of here before it's too late.

[00:19:03] [SPEAKER_03] She waited in the shack for two days. When she did get there, the first thing she said was...

[00:19:12] [SPEAKER_13] Gosh, you look terrible.

[00:19:14] [SPEAKER_03] Yeah, I know. I've been through a lot.

[00:19:15] [SPEAKER_13] Well, stop working on these groceries. You must be starved.

[00:19:18] [SPEAKER_03] Yeah, thanks. I am.

[00:19:19] [SPEAKER_13] I never thought I'd see you again.

[00:19:22] [SPEAKER_03] Huh?

[00:19:23] [SPEAKER_13] Why'd you do it?

[00:19:24] [SPEAKER_03] I couldn't help myself. He was going to turn me over to the police.

[00:19:27] [SPEAKER_13] I don't mean the doctor. I mean Richie. Who? Richie. Who are you looking at me like that for?

[00:19:34] [SPEAKER_03] I... I'm just trying to think.

[00:19:38] [SPEAKER_13] Huh. You should have done something before you buried his body where you did. They found it the next day.

[00:19:44] [SPEAKER_03] Stop it! Stop it, will you? I'm going out of my mind! What's the matter? Richie, Ruth, Drury, the landlady. When is it going to stop?

[00:19:51] [SPEAKER_13] Hey, take it easy.

[00:19:52] [SPEAKER_03] I gotta get out of here. I gotta get out of here right now.

[00:19:54] [SPEAKER_13] Don't be crazy, you'll get cars. I don't care. Have you got a car? Yeah, but... Come on! Let go of me! Let go of you! Come on!

[00:20:01] [SPEAKER_03] Where?

[00:20:02] [SPEAKER_13] Where do you want to go?

[00:20:03] [SPEAKER_03] Back to my house! I've got to find my wife. In the dark. We drove to my house on Pine Street. Ruth waited for me in the car as I sneaked into the garage and came up through the cellar entrance. The house was dark, except for a light in the study. My wife was sitting there, alone, reading a book. I tried not to frighten her. Eleanor?

[00:20:34] [SPEAKER_03] Eleanor?

[00:20:35] [SPEAKER_01] That you, George? No, dear.

[00:20:37] [SPEAKER_03] It's Eric.

[00:20:39] [SPEAKER_01] Good heaven!

[00:20:40] [SPEAKER_07] Do you recognize me, Eleanor? No! I've got to make you understand.

[00:20:50] [SPEAKER_03] I'm your husband, Eric.

[00:20:52] [SPEAKER_07] You're insane! Eric is dead!

[00:20:54] [SPEAKER_03] No, no. You mustn't believe what they've been telling you. It's all part of a scheme I can't understand, but... They're against us, Eleanor. They're trying to keep us apart.

[00:21:07] [SPEAKER_01] Eric is dead!

[00:21:07] [SPEAKER_03] Don't say that, darling.

[00:21:08] [SPEAKER_01] He died six years ago!

[00:21:11] [SPEAKER_03] And you're in on it, too. You want it this way.

[00:21:16] [SPEAKER_07] What do you mean?

[00:21:17] [SPEAKER_03] You and Drury want to be together. That's why you framed me.

[00:21:19] [SPEAKER_07] George Drury is my husband. Is he? Yes, we've been married for three years.

[00:21:23] [SPEAKER_03] You can't get away with this, Eleanor. I won't let you have it! No! I tied her to a chair and gagged her so that she couldn't scream or call the police. Then I left the house and got back into the car with Ruth. We waited there about ten minutes. And then I saw the man I'd been waiting for. George Drury. He was walking down the far side of the street on the sidewalk. And I knew he'd have to cross over to get to the house. So I started the car.

[00:21:51] [SPEAKER_13] What are you doing?

[00:21:54] [SPEAKER_03] Getting ready. He's got to cross the street. He's got to.

[00:21:57] [SPEAKER_13] What are you gonna do?

[00:21:58] [SPEAKER_03] Run him over!

[00:21:59] [SPEAKER_13] No!

[00:22:00] [SPEAKER_03] Let go of me, you fool!

[00:22:01] No!

[00:22:04] [SPEAKER_03] I had a long ride that night. Ruth, his body, and myself.

[00:22:33] [SPEAKER_03] Automatically, I seemed to know where I was heading. Even though I had no destination in my mind. I made one turn after another unconsciously almost until at last I came to a dark stretch of road along a railroad track. I stopped the car.

[00:22:49] [SPEAKER_13] I think you're doing...

[00:22:52] [SPEAKER_03] Don't ask any questions. I'm burying the body here.

[00:22:56] [SPEAKER_07] Are you crazy? Why? Don't this place look familiar to you?

[00:23:03] [SPEAKER_03] I think it does. I can't remember why.

[00:23:07] [SPEAKER_13] You lost your mind completely.

[00:23:09] [SPEAKER_03] Will you stop talking like that and tell me what's wrong with this place? Why can't I bury the body here?

[00:23:15] [SPEAKER_13] Because it's the same place you buried Richie.

[00:23:18] [SPEAKER_03] Oh, Richie, Richie, Richie. Who is Richie? Why am I wanted for his murder?

[00:23:24] [SPEAKER_13] You're wanted because you killed him in cold blood just the way you killed Drury. Only Richie was your partner. You pulled all your jobs together.

[00:23:33] [SPEAKER_03] It couldn't have been me, Ruth. Not me. I didn't know Richie. I'm Eric Keating.

[00:23:41] [SPEAKER_13] Is that your real name? You never told me the real one.

[00:23:45] [SPEAKER_03] All right, but I... What's that?

[00:23:48] [SPEAKER_13] Sounds like... It's the police.

[00:23:51] [SPEAKER_03] Quick! We've got to get out of here. We left Drury's body near the railroad track and drove back to the hideout on the waterfront, where Ruth had met me earlier in the evening. There I began to sew the threads of a horrible story which had been my life for the past six years.

[00:24:14] [SPEAKER_13] The first time I saw you was about five years ago.

[00:24:17] [SPEAKER_03] And I... I looked as I look now.

[00:24:20] [SPEAKER_13] Yeah, more or less. You just did a plastic surgery job done. You told me it was because your face was burned, only I didn't believe you.

[00:24:27] [SPEAKER_03] Yes, that was true. My face was burned, badly.

[00:24:31] [SPEAKER_13] How?

[00:24:32] [SPEAKER_03] Yes, I... I'm beginning to remember. A road accident just about six years ago. The car I was in caught fire. I struck my head trying to climb out of a window.

[00:24:45] [SPEAKER_13] You mean you lost your memory from that, Lord?

[00:24:47] [SPEAKER_03] I must have. I must have wandered away from the scene of the wreck, not knowing who I was.

[00:24:53] [SPEAKER_13] And you began a new life with people like Richie, huh? Yes.

[00:24:57] [SPEAKER_03] I began to steal.

[00:24:59] [SPEAKER_13] But your wife and the railroad company give you up as dead.

[00:25:02] [SPEAKER_03] I can understand that. There were charred bodies in that wreck, charred beyond recognition. When I didn't show up, they must have listed me as one of them and buried another man's remains in my place. I wish it had been me.

[00:25:18] [SPEAKER_13] Oh, Eric, that's awful. All the while you were suffering from amnesia, your wife thought you were dead. What?

[00:25:24] [SPEAKER_03] I didn't believe her when she said she'd married this fellow Drury.

[00:25:27] [SPEAKER_13] Oh.

[00:25:30] [SPEAKER_03] Funny how I sat next to him on the train that day. The joke sent my mind back six years. And I thought I was Eric Keating. Coming home from a trip. With my wife. Who's there?

[00:25:46] [SPEAKER_02] Come out with your hands up, Keating. Please. You better do what he says, Eric.

[00:25:52] [SPEAKER_03] What for? Why prolong the agony any more than I have to? Eric. Don't call me Eric. Eric Keating is dead. Now let this other man die the way he should have died.

[00:26:03] [SPEAKER_01] Eric, don't be a fool. You can't get out there. When did the cops got in carpet?

[00:26:07] [SPEAKER_07] I know it, Ruth. I know it!

[00:26:08] [SPEAKER_11] And this time they'll give him a grave he can call his own.

[00:26:37] [SPEAKER_11] I just hope he stays put this time instead of wandering as a ghost. A guy like that might not remember where he was buried.

[00:26:44] [SPEAKER_08] I'm glad he's finally at rest now. Oh, don't be so sure, Mary.

[00:26:47] [SPEAKER_11] That guy needs a tag on him. Maybe you ought to send him one of those sterling silver medallions. Yes, and we'll get all his aliases engraved on it too, so the other ghosts will know who he is.

[00:26:58] [SPEAKER_08] Don't be silly. There aren't any ghosts. And besides, that sterling silver medallion has just one purpose. It's simply a lovely piece of jewelry that the ladies will enjoy wearing. And ladies, to get the medallion, all you have to do is send 25 cents and the box top from a package of Lipton's, the tea with the brisk flavor, to Lipton Tea, Box 92, New York City.

[00:27:28] [SPEAKER_11] Time now to button up my shroud and start combing the catacomb. If you insist on a moral for tonight's story, try this. The evil that men do doesn't always live after them. Sometimes it catches up with them. Oh, by the way, this month's inner sanctum mystery novel is Lay That Pistol Down by Richard Powell. And oh yes, next week's inner sanctum story,

[00:27:57] [SPEAKER_11] directed by Hyman Brown and brought to you by Lipton Tea and Lipton Soup, next week's story is a real chiller, dear. It's about a man who owes a debt to society and he tries to pay it in blood, only to discover that in so doing he has to pay a stiff price. Try. Well, now it's time to close the squeaking door. So, good night.

[00:28:27] [SPEAKER_11] Pleasant dreams.

[00:28:38] [SPEAKER_08] Here's a modern food with an old-fashioned, homemade flavor. It's Lipton's Noodle Soup. And now especially when the weather's so warm, try serving Lipton's as the one hot dish in a cold meal. Your family will love Lipton's famous chickeny taste. Yes, it tastes just like the chicken noodle soup you make right in your own kitchen. And Lipton's has got the same good herbs and flavorings too, the same tender golden egg noodles. But listen, Lipton's Noodle Soup comes in an envelope and it only takes a few minutes to prepare.

[00:29:07] [SPEAKER_08] Of course, sometimes it's hard to get in some stores these days, but there's lots of good things scarce in wartime. So, remember to ask for Lipton's Noodle Soup. And remember to tune in next Tuesday night for another Inner Sanctum Mystery.

[00:29:21] [SPEAKER_02] This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.

[00:29:40] [SPEAKER_11] Lipton's Soup presents Inner Sanctum Mysteries. This is your host of the Inner Sanctum inviting you in through the squeaking door. Come on in, have your picture taken with the corpse.

[00:30:10] [SPEAKER_11] You'll look good next to him. Poor fellow was a photographer. Passed on last winter while taking a picture. Yes, died of overexposure. Awful, isn't it? Enough to make your camera shutter. Well, let's gather around the coffin now for a nice happy picture. Watch the body. Watch the body. Oh dear. We'll have to take that again. Someone moves.

[00:30:39] [SPEAKER_11] And I think it was the corpse.

[00:30:42] [SPEAKER_08] Why, that's downright silly.

[00:30:44] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, hello, Mary. You're just in time. Come on, get in the picture.

[00:30:47] [SPEAKER_08] What? Do you think I'd stand next to a corpse?

[00:30:49] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, please, Mary. You can wear your Lipton's sterling silver medallion. Then I'll send the picture to my friends in the graveyard. Why, Mary, with your figure, your symmetry, they'll probably elect you Miss Cemetery of 1945. Wouldn't that be nice?

[00:31:09] [SPEAKER_08] Thank you. But I can do without that honor. And as far as the sterling silver medallion is concerned, it's mighty popular right now. I've been getting hundreds of letters from ladies all over the country telling me how much they appreciate it. You see, the medallion is made of real sterling silver. It's about an inch in diameter, and it's decorated with the Chinese symbol for good luck. You can wear the medallion as a necklace or a choker. You see, it's hung on a narrow black rayon satin ribbon.

[00:31:39] [SPEAKER_08] Or you can simply add it to your charm bracelet if you wish. It's just the thing to brighten up your simple silk dresses and your dressy suits. And ladies, here's how you get this handsome medallion. Just send 25 cents and the box top from a package of Lipton's, the tea with the brisk flavor, to Lipton Tea, Box 92. That's Box 92, New York City.

[00:32:03] [SPEAKER_11] You paint a pretty picture, Mary. Now let me paint one for you. Mine is called Portrait of Death. It's an original radio play by that ghastly ghostwriter Robert Sloan. And our star tonight is Miss Leslie Woods, who plays the role of Miss Snyder. And listen, if you've never sat for a portrait, you'd better not sit alone for Portrait of Death.

[00:32:32] [SPEAKER_11] In the dim light of a misty old art dealer's gallery, a somber portrait has just been sold at auction to a man by the name of Mason.

[00:32:44] [SPEAKER_05] Magnificent painting, isn't it? There's never been anything like it, Mr. Mason. But if you don't mind my saying so, I think you've paid a stiff price for it. I couldn't let that woman in the black dress outbid me. Look at those colors. Expression on the girl's face. Yes. The detail on the background. Really is a work of art. Technically speaking, yes. But the portrait has a strange history, Mr. Mason. Strange and sinister.

[00:33:14] [SPEAKER_05] What do you mean? Well, people say it's brought bad luck to every one of its owners. Oh, come now, Fleuron. Well, it may be just a story, but at least this much of it is true. The day this portrait was finished, the artist died by his own hand. And the model who posed for him died too. By her own hand. So that's why he painted her in black. Yes. He knew she was going to die. He even painted two graves into the background of the picture, you see.

[00:33:43] [SPEAKER_05] One graves for him, one for her. Now you know why the painting is called Portrait of Death, Mr. Mason. It meant death for the artist, the model, and oddly enough, for many of its owners. I'm sorry you bought it, Mr. Mason.

[00:34:01] [SPEAKER_12] I'm sorry you bought it too, Mr. Mason. You shouldn't have taken it away from me.

[00:34:08] [SPEAKER_05] I beg your pardon.

[00:34:11] [SPEAKER_12] Don't you remember me?

[00:34:14] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, yes. Yes, of course. You're the woman I was bidding against.

[00:34:17] [SPEAKER_12] I still want the painting, Mr. Mason. And I beg you to sell it to me at a price I can afford. I warn you, it can only bring you harm.

[00:34:25] [SPEAKER_05] I'm sorry, Miss Snyder. The painting is not for sale. Really, Mr. Fleuron, you didn't have to drive me all the way home with this painting. I could have managed it alone. Oh, no trouble at all, Mr. Mason. Here, let me help you carry it into the house. Oh, no, I'll get one of the servants. Oh, Parker.

[00:34:57] [SPEAKER_05] Parker.

[00:34:59] [SPEAKER_11] I'm afraid I'll have to go in. Will you wait for me?

[00:35:01] [SPEAKER_05] Oh, Parker.

[00:35:08] [SPEAKER_04] Mr. Mason?

[00:35:09] [SPEAKER_05] Yes, Parker. Tell Mrs. Mason to come down, will you? I've got a surprise for her.

[00:35:13] [SPEAKER_04] Mr. Mason, I think you'd better come in. Why, what's the matter? I have some very bad news for you, sir. Terrible news.

[00:35:20] [SPEAKER_05] Mrs. Mason is dead. What? It was her heart, sir. She died this afternoon while you were at the art gallery. Oh, I can't believe it. I tried to reach you, but you'd already left, sir.

[00:35:36] [SPEAKER_04] Dr. Simpson said... Excuse me, sir. Hello? Mr. Mason's accidents?

[00:35:43] [SPEAKER_12] Just a moment, please.

[00:35:48] [SPEAKER_04] It's for you, sir.

[00:36:25] [SPEAKER_05] You haven't had any sleep for days. I'm all right, Parker. But it can't do any good to sit in this room and stare at that painting. Parker, doesn't the portrait look a little different today? Than it did when I brought it into the house? I don't think so, sir. The expression on the girl's face is a little deeper. A little more understanding. The background...

[00:36:56] [SPEAKER_05] Good heavens, Parker. What is it, sir? Look. The graves in the background. Weren't they there, sir? When I bought it, Parker, there were two. Now there are three. I'm so glad you could come out here, Mr. Planoi. I had to speak to you. I came as soon as I could. Did you bring the catalog? Yes, I did, Mr. Mason. What is it? What's wrong? Let me see a picture of that portrait, please. Of course.

[00:37:26] [SPEAKER_05] Here it is. A portrait of death. There. I was right. There were only two graves in the original painting. Well, of course, Mr. Mason. I told you there were two the day you bought it. But now there are three, Planoi. Three graves. The what? Come. I'll show you. Oh, Mr. Mason, please. There are three, I tell you. The third one's been there ever since my wife died. But that's impossible. You must be imagining... Give yourself Planoi. Here. One, two, three. Mr. Mason. Why are you looking at me like that?

[00:37:55] [SPEAKER_05] You need a rest. A rest? What are you talking about? Don't you understand? There are only two graves in that portrait. The third one is in your mind. You mean... There isn't a third grave on this painting? I know. You've been under such a strain these past few days. I must be losing my mind. Oh, no. I'm sure it isn't as serious as all that. It's only natural for you to be upset about your wife.

[00:38:20] [SPEAKER_04] I want to get rid of the portrait.

[00:38:21] [SPEAKER_05] I want to sell it. Right away. Well, I don't know how soon I can dispose of it for you, Mr. Mason. Under the circumstances, it might be hard to arrange a sale.

[00:38:29] [SPEAKER_04] That woman will buy it, won't she? Who? That woman who's been pestering me for it. Why don't you get in touch with her? I will, first thing in the morning. No, no, I won't wait until morning. I want that portrait out of this house tonight.

[00:38:38] [SPEAKER_05] Where are you going with that painting?

[00:38:51] [SPEAKER_04] Why, I... I was taking it to the garage.

[00:38:56] [SPEAKER_05] What for? You said you didn't want it in the house tonight. I thought I might return it to the dealer. Mr. Flora hasn't called back yet? No, sir.

[00:39:06] Well...

[00:39:07] [SPEAKER_05] I'll take it to him myself. Is the car ready? Yes, sir, but I hardly think you ought to go alone, Mr. Mason.

[00:39:14] [SPEAKER_04] You're in no condition. I brought that portrait into this house and I'll take it back... Alone!

[00:39:32] [SPEAKER_05] What the devil is the matter with this car? The garage for me.

[00:39:37] [SPEAKER_04] I'll get that painting out of here if I have to carry it out with my hands.

[00:39:45] [SPEAKER_11] Portrait of death. You are a portrait of death.

[00:39:51] [SPEAKER_05] You... With those searing eyes. That faint half smile. I'll never see your face again. Not as long as... No! No! No, no, no, no!

[00:40:05] [SPEAKER_12] Strange time of night to go calling for a painting, Mr. Flournoy.

[00:40:24] [SPEAKER_05] Mr. Mason told me to get in touch with you right away, Miss Snyder. He was determined to have you pick up the portrait tonight.

[00:40:30] [SPEAKER_12] Well, I hope he isn't asleep.

[00:40:31] Yes.

[00:40:32] [SPEAKER_12] Nobody seems to be answering the door. Oh! Wait a moment. There's a lion in the garage.

[00:40:36] Oh!

[00:40:37] [SPEAKER_12] Oh, good heavens! What was that? It sounded like a scream from the back of the house.

[00:40:40] [SPEAKER_05] Come on, we'd better hurry. Come on, Miss Snyder. There's somebody in the garage. Why... Parker! Yes, sir. What's the matter, Parker? Why'd you scream? It's Mr. Mason, sir.

[00:40:50] [SPEAKER_04] He's dead. What? I just found him, sir, slumped over on the floor of the car. How awful. Maybe he was asphyxiating.

[00:40:58] [SPEAKER_12] No, the motor wasn't running, sir. It's the portrait. The portrait killed him. Just as it did the others. It does seem strange.

[00:41:06] [SPEAKER_04] He came to the garage about an hour ago, carrying the painting in his arms. Well, didn't you help him? He wouldn't let me, sir. He insisted on being alone.

[00:41:16] [SPEAKER_05] That... That's strange. But these marks on his neck. As if he'd been strangled with a fine chain. Or... A woman's necklace.

[00:41:29] [SPEAKER_12] What do you mean by that?

[00:41:30] [SPEAKER_05] Nothing. Did you think I was accusing you, Miss Snyder? I don't know. Good heavens, Mr. Flurnow.

[00:41:37] [SPEAKER_04] Look at the portrait. What's wrong? The necklace, sir. The necklace that was painted on the girl's throat. It's gone!

[00:41:54] [SPEAKER_11] Well... You can breathe a little easier now. Unless you happen to be wearing that girl's necklace. If you are, just write a note to the artist that painted the portrait and he'll answer you from the grave. Honest. He wrote to me from the grave the other day. You know what he said? Having wonderful time. Wish you were here.

[00:42:16] [SPEAKER_08] I suppose you think that's funny.

[00:42:18] [SPEAKER_11] Why, Mary, it must be funny. The dead artist was smiling when he wrote it. Oh, but then he's always smiling. You see, he's a grinning skull. It's quite a story how he got that way. Let me tell you...

[00:42:32] [SPEAKER_08] Now, stop. I don't want to hear any of your morbid stories.

[00:42:35] [SPEAKER_11] Well, that's the only kind I know.

[00:42:36] [SPEAKER_08] Well, then you listen to me. Because I know a story with a happy ending. And it's true, too. It's the story behind that sterling silver medallion that the Lipton people want to send the ladies. It seems that the original of this handsome medallion was given to an American flyer who was rescued by Chinese guerrillas after he'd bailed out over enemy territory. The flyer was told that the Chinese letters on the medallion would identify him and bring him safely through the lines. Well, he did get through.

[00:43:06] [SPEAKER_08] And only then did he learn that the inscription said, Good luck in Chinese. Now, there's a story to tell your friends when they're admiring your medallion on its smart black rayon satin ribbon. And to get this Chinese good luck medallion, all you have to do is send 25 cents and the box top from a package of Lipton's, the tea with the brisk flavor, to Lipton Tea, Box 92. That's Box 92 in New York City.

[00:43:34] [SPEAKER_11] Well, let's get back to that there cover girl on the portrait of death. It's six months now since she strangled old man Mason with that necklace of hers and put the Indian sign on his late wife. Parker's still around, though. And so is that character, Fleur Noy, who at the moment is disposing of the ill-fated portrait for Mr. Mason's estate.

[00:43:59] [SPEAKER_05] Mr. Davis, I believe you're the only man in the world who wants this painting, and I really can't see why you want it, knowing its history. Mr. Fleur Noy, that kind of history doesn't mean a thing to me. Oh. May I take it with me now? Oh, certainly. Parker. Yes, sir? Would you be good enough to help Mr. Davis with the painting? If you don't mind, sir, I'd rather not touch it. I haven't seen it since Mr. Mason died, and I don't care to see it now, sir. All right, Parker. I'll help you, Mr. Davis. Thank you very much. It's a very heavy frame, you know.

[00:44:28] [SPEAKER_05] It's really too heavy. What? That's incredible. What is it, Mr. Fleur Noy? What's wrong? Parker, do you say you haven't touched this painting since Mr. Mason died? No, sir. Well, look at it. The girl is wearing her necklace again.

[00:44:55] [SPEAKER_12] Miss Snyder, how do you do?

[00:44:56] [SPEAKER_05] We haven't seen you here at the gallery for some time.

[00:44:58] [SPEAKER_12] What's the meaning of this, Mr. Fleur Noy?

[00:44:59] [SPEAKER_05] I beg your pardon?

[00:45:00] [SPEAKER_12] Why did you let that painting go without telling me it was for sale?

[00:45:02] [SPEAKER_05] Well, I tried to tell you, Miss Snyder. I called you home several times to let you know about the auction. I was never able to reach you.

[00:45:08] [SPEAKER_12] Didn't you know I was away on a trip?

[00:45:10] [SPEAKER_05] No, no, I didn't.

[00:45:11] [SPEAKER_12] Then why didn't you find out, you stupid fool? How many times have I told you I must have that painting?

[00:45:15] [SPEAKER_05] Well, I'm sorry, Miss Snyder.

[00:45:16] [SPEAKER_12] Never mind, never mind. Who is this Mr. Davis? Where does he live and where can I find him?

[00:45:20] [SPEAKER_05] Well, I imagine you'll find him at his home. Here's his card.

[00:45:24] [SPEAKER_12] Give it to me.

[00:45:24] [SPEAKER_05] I don't think you'll gain anything by going up there, Miss Snyder.

[00:45:26] [SPEAKER_12] You keep out of this, Fleur Noy. I want that painting. And this time I'm going to get it.

[00:45:38] [SPEAKER_02] I'm very sorry, Miss Snyder, but nothing you can say will persuade me to part with the painting.

[00:45:44] [SPEAKER_12] Mr. Davis, your stubbornness may cost you your life, you know.

[00:45:49] [SPEAKER_02] I'm afraid I'll have to risk it. I'm very anxious to find out exactly how he died. And if he was murdered, I'm going to see that the killer is brought to justice.

[00:46:01] [SPEAKER_12] The killer is the painting, Mr. Davis. And you will find that out very soon, just as the others did. Are you, uh, threatening me? I am giving you one more chance to live. One more chance to sell me the portrait at the price you paid for it. Hmm.

[00:46:21] [SPEAKER_02] If I refuse?

[00:46:23] [SPEAKER_12] If you don't sell it to me now, Mr. Davis, I will buy it. After your death.

[00:46:30] [SPEAKER_04] Forgive me for not showing it to the door, Miss Snyder, but I hardly think...

[00:46:34] [SPEAKER_12] Never mind, I'll go myself.

[00:46:35] [SPEAKER_05] No, you don't have to. Parker.

[00:46:38] [SPEAKER_12] Yes, sir? Parker, what are you doing here?

[00:46:40] [SPEAKER_05] Oh, uh, didn't you know, Miss Snyder? I'm Mr. Davis' new butler. Hey, in our company, Mr. Fleur Noy speaking.

[00:46:59] [SPEAKER_12] Mr. Flurnoy?

[00:47:00] [SPEAKER_05] Yes, this is Mr. Flurnoy.

[00:47:01] [SPEAKER_12] You had better come over to Mr. Davis' house right away. And don't tell anyone you're coming.

[00:47:05] [SPEAKER_05] What? Who's this?

[00:47:06] [SPEAKER_12] It's important, Mr. Flurnoy. Don't ask a lot of questions. Just come over.

[00:47:09] [SPEAKER_05] But who is this?

[00:47:09] [SPEAKER_12] Don't you know? The girl in the portrait.

[00:47:13] [SPEAKER_05] What? You... Hello? Hello, hello, hello.

[00:47:23] [SPEAKER_12] Come in, Mr. Flurnoy.

[00:47:26] [SPEAKER_05] I thought it was you on the phone. Why didn't you tell me?

[00:47:29] [SPEAKER_12] I didn't want to mention any names. Come in, will you? All right, all right. What's the hurry? What's this all about? I'll tell you in a minute. Does anyone know you came here?

[00:47:36] [SPEAKER_05] No, I don't think so. Good. What are you doing here? And where's Parker and Mr. Davis?

[00:47:42] [SPEAKER_12] Parker's left. He's gone away. I found a note from him on the foyer table there.

[00:47:45] [SPEAKER_05] What about Mr. Davis?

[00:47:46] [SPEAKER_12] He's in the library. Wait a moment. Don't go in there yet. He's dead. Mr. Davis? Yes, Mr. Davis. It's horrible, Flurnoy. His head has been cut off. What do you mean? What happened? I don't know. I found him lying there on the library floor when I got here. He must have been killed with the axe from that suit of armor, you see. The armor's toppled over and the falling axe must have landed on his neck.

[00:48:17] [SPEAKER_05] It would have to fall from a good height to sever his head, Miss Snyder.

[00:48:22] [SPEAKER_12] Well, the armor was mounted on a pedestal. And you can see for yourself how heavy that axe is.

[00:48:28] [SPEAKER_05] Yes. I see.

[00:48:32] [SPEAKER_12] You don't think I killed him, do you?

[00:48:34] [SPEAKER_05] I don't know. What are you doing here?

[00:48:38] [SPEAKER_12] I received a strange phone call telling me to meet Mr. Davis. When I got here, the door was open and everything was just as you see it.

[00:48:46] [SPEAKER_05] Have you called the police?

[00:48:47] [SPEAKER_12] No, not yet.

[00:48:48] [SPEAKER_05] Why not?

[00:48:48] [SPEAKER_12] I wanted to speak to you first.

[00:48:50] [SPEAKER_05] You wanted to speak to me with a murdered man lying there on the floor?

[00:48:52] [SPEAKER_12] He wasn't murdered. It was an accident. The portrait killed him.

[00:48:55] [SPEAKER_05] I'll let the police decide that.

[00:48:57] [SPEAKER_12] Now, wait a minute, Mr. Flurnoy. You are not going to phone the police until you've heard what I have to say.

[00:49:02] [SPEAKER_05] Go on, say it.

[00:49:03] [SPEAKER_12] I called you because I wanted you to help me. I want that portrait before it's passed on to Mr. Davis's heirs.

[00:49:10] [SPEAKER_05] What do you mean?

[00:49:12] [SPEAKER_12] I may never be able to buy it if it becomes part of his estate. But if you tear up his check and take mine, it doesn't have to become part of his estate. It will be mine, once and for all.

[00:49:39] [SPEAKER_05] Mr. Flurnoy! What? Mr. Flurnoy! Why, Parker! What are you doing outside Miss Snyder's house? I've been waiting for her, sir. Have you any idea where she is? Why do you want to know? She left a photograph at Mr. Davis's house last night and I've come to return it. Oh, I'll take it to her, Parker. If you don't mind, sir, I'll return it myself. Is it that important? The photograph is a picture of the woman in the portrait. And if Miss Snyder can explain why she's been carrying it around, we might have an answer to this mystery.

[00:50:09] [SPEAKER_05] You suspect her, don't you, Parker? Not any more than I suspect you. What's that? You've got the portrait in your car, Mr. Flurnoy. Yes. Don't try to conceal it. I recognize that frame anywhere. I'm not trying to conceal it. I'm trying to find out what your game is. I have no game. Then why did you leave that note saying you were going away? What note? Oh, don't lie to me, Parker. I saw it myself on the foyer table. You must be mistaken, sir. Today is my day off.

[00:50:36] [SPEAKER_05] I left the house early this morning and I didn't write a note. Well, if you're telling the truth, then I know who did write that note. And I've got to prove it before I can take your word. Wait a moment, Mr. Flurnoy. Where are you going? I'm going into the house with this painting. I'm going to set a trap for Miss Snyder. I'll go with you. What for? To help you carry the painting. Of course. But you'll spoil everything if you're seen, Parker.

[00:51:06] [SPEAKER_05] Then I won't be seen. I'll hide. What's the matter, Mr. Flurnoy? You are not afraid of me, are you? I don't know. Every time this painting has brought misfortune to anyone, you've been alone in the house with the victim. Is that you, Miss Snyder?

[00:51:35] [SPEAKER_12] Yes, where are you, Mr. Flurnoy?

[00:51:36] [SPEAKER_05] I'm in your living room, hanging up the painting.

[00:51:38] [SPEAKER_12] I didn't ask you to do that. Take it down.

[00:51:40] [SPEAKER_05] Why?

[00:51:40] [SPEAKER_12] Take it down, I say. I don't want it in my living room. I don't want it in this house. Well, I don't understand. Then why did you buy it? Mr. Flurnoy, I have been after that portrait for years. And now that I've got it, I'm going to destroy it. You're going to do what? There is a curse on that painting. There really is. You see, I know. Because I'm related to the girl who posed for it.

[00:51:59] [SPEAKER_05] Well, you never told me that.

[00:52:00] [SPEAKER_12] I never saw any reason to. That girl was a sister of my grandmother. And ever since her death, my family has been haunted by that portrait. But now we'll be haunted no longer.

[00:52:12] [SPEAKER_05] But, but you can't destroy a work of art like this. It isn't fair to people who admire it. It isn't fair.

[00:52:17] [SPEAKER_12] Nobody wants it, Mr. Flurnoy. Nobody but me. Oh, but you're mistaken.

[00:52:22] [SPEAKER_05] There is somebody who wants it. Wants it very much.

[00:52:27] [SPEAKER_12] Parker?

[00:52:28] [SPEAKER_05] Oh, no. Oh, Parker's dead.

[00:52:32] [SPEAKER_12] Dead? How do you know?

[00:52:36] [SPEAKER_05] I know. Because I killed him. Right here in the living room. I'm awfully sorry I didn't have time to dispose of the body. But I'll take care of him before I go.

[00:52:45] [SPEAKER_12] Oh, no, no, Mr. Flurnoy. You, you didn't kill him. You couldn't.

[00:52:50] [SPEAKER_05] I had to. You see, he discovered the painting and the car as I drove up. He would have ruined all our plans.

[00:52:59] [SPEAKER_12] Plans? Plans? Do you think I'd go through with any plans knowing what I know now?

[00:53:06] [SPEAKER_05] Well, I'm going through with mine, Miss Snyder. And I dare say I won't be suspected.

[00:53:12] [SPEAKER_12] What are you talking about?

[00:53:14] [SPEAKER_05] Nobody knows you stole this painting from Mr. Davis. Nobody knows but you and Parker. And I can trust Parker to keep the secret.

[00:53:25] [SPEAKER_12] You stay where you are.

[00:53:27] [SPEAKER_05] Don't be afraid. I've become an expert at the art of murder. It is an art, you know. Just as delicate as retouching old portraits. Which happens to be a specialty of mine.

[00:53:40] [SPEAKER_12] You, you killed Davis and Mason and Mrs. Mason. Oh, no, no, no. Not Mrs. Mason, no.

[00:53:49] [SPEAKER_05] No. Our death was only a coincidence. But it did give me the idea for the others. You see, I needed a series of deaths to completely destroy the value of that portrait. The legend was already there. All I had to do was help it along. Why? I wanted the painting, Miss Snyder. I wanted it more than anything else in the world. An art dealer's clerk could hardly afford to pay for it.

[00:54:17] [SPEAKER_12] You're insane. You're...

[00:54:19] [SPEAKER_05] Well, we're all a little bit insane, aren't we?

[00:54:22] [SPEAKER_12] Don't you come near me. Don't! Shut up, you fool. Don't! Shut up.

[00:54:27] [SPEAKER_05] My life is cut. Shut up. But if you struggle, don't struggle. You make me miss my mark. You're crazy devil.

[00:54:35] [SPEAKER_06] Be still.

[00:54:48] [SPEAKER_05] My sheep? My...

[00:54:57] [SPEAKER_12] Now, we'll be haunted no longer.

[00:55:13] [SPEAKER_11] Still, it's better than being boiled in oils. But Davis is the guy who really had an interesting death. Yes, that armored axe did a smooth job. And the police might have thought it was purely accidental.

[00:55:27] [SPEAKER_08] That terrible picture, it was always changing around. I guess it wasn't what they call a still life. In fact, I'm surprised there's still life left in any of the people in the story.

[00:55:38] [SPEAKER_11] Well, well, drown me in a cup of Lipton tea if Mary didn't make a joke.

[00:55:43] [SPEAKER_08] So I did. But now, I want to talk about something serious. Because this is a real occasion. A mighty important one, if you ask me. You know, folks, I heard just the other day that this coming Saturday, June 16th, is an anniversary for some people in the United States Army that deserve all the credit we can give them. They're the Quartermaster Corps. They make delivery under fire on all fronts. And they're 170 years old. Yes, think of it.

[00:56:13] [SPEAKER_08] The Quartermaster Corps was created in 1775 by the Continental Congress. You know, I'm a woman, not a businessman or a soldier. But I know what it is to keep every single little thing on hand that's going to be used by a whole army. It's hard enough to get food and matches and things for a family. But when you have to take care of a shopping list that has things on it like 11 million field jackets,

[00:56:38] [SPEAKER_08] and 10 million blankets, 100 million pairs of shoes, trucks, and all of the good wholesome foods that keep our men in fighting trim, well, that's a real job. And the men of the Quartermaster Corps not only do all that work, but they do fighting, too. That's why these men are called the Fighting Quartermaster Corps. That certainly is a name to be proud of.

[00:57:08] [SPEAKER_11] Well, it's time to go back to my slab now and swap a few stories in the smoker of the crematorium. Oh, before I leave, this month's Inner Sanctum mystery novel is Lay That Pistol Down by Richard Powell. Yes, and next week's Inner Sanctum story, directed by Hyman Brown, and brought to you by Lipton Tea and Lipton Soup, next week's story is just your meat.

[00:57:37] [SPEAKER_11] That is, if you like human meat. It's about a man who's been dead for six years. So, of course, his wife doesn't recognize him when he comes home. In fact, nobody recognizes him. So he goes around killing people to refresh their memory. I guess he figures that if they can't remember him, they might just as well remember nothing. Now it's really time to close the squeaking door, so...

[00:58:06] [SPEAKER_11] Good night. Pleasant dreams.

[00:58:10] Mm-hmm.

[00:58:12] [SPEAKER_08] Folks, it's wonderful how simple cooking is these days. When I was a girl, my mother used to spend a good many hours making a pot of noodle soup. But now, we have Lipton's noodle soup mix. When you use Lipton's, you just empty the contents of the package into boiling water, and in no time at all, soup's on.

[00:58:40] [SPEAKER_08] And what delicious chickeny-tasting soup it is. Yes, Lipton's has an old-fashioned homemade flavor, and it's brim full of tender golden egg noodles. Of course, sometimes it's hard to get in some stores these days, but there's lots of good things scarce in wartime. So, folks, don't forget to ask for Lipton's noodle soup. And don't forget to tune in next Tuesday night for another Inner Sanctum mystery.

[00:59:04] [SPEAKER_11] This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.

[00:59:18] [SPEAKER_00] This has been a Cryptic County podcast. To listen to our other storytelling podcasts, like Let's Not Meet and Odd Trails, visit crypticcountypodcasts.com. We'll see you next time.

[00:59:32] [SPEAKER_14] You know what ought to happen next? If this was a horror story? That's what ought to happen next. It did.