 Good evening friends. This is your host to welcome you through the creaking door into the inner sanctum. Come in and let me introduce some new guests. Now first, here's Merwin, the mathematical murderer. Merwin says that the shortest distance between two ears is a straight cut across the throat. This geometric goon divided three victims with his knife. But to me it just doesn't end up. Now meet Edgar, the electrical killer. At school this character was voted the most likely to shock him dead. Edgar's wife was a dull dame so he plugged her into a wall socket. Now you should see the way she sparkles. Yes sir, now she's the light of the party. Tonight's inner sanctum mystery, the unburied dead, was written by Ed Adamson and Bob Sloan, and stars Miss Leslie Woods in the role of Claire with Everett Sloan as Max. Say folks, if you hear a blood curdling scream it's just our pet vampire Oscar howling outside. But don't worry, you may be lucky this evening because some nights Oscar just doesn't give a hoot. Well, now I'll take my spade and uncover tonight's terrible treasure. A short distance from the railroad tracks the man and the woman stand in the rain looking down into the grave. The woman searches her mind diving deep into the past for the strange unremembered events. If I could only remember, if I could only go back beyond that day on the ship, then I would know who I am, who I really am. He stands here next to me and says I buried a man in that grave, a man I murdered. That day on the ship that's the day I woke up and found myself in this nightmare. That day on the ship I was on the promenade deck resting in a steamer chair. I must have fallen asleep and when I woke up I had an odd dizzy feeling. I started to get up out of my chair and then I heard her voice for the first time. May I help you dear? What? May I help? I've been watching you seem to be ill. Oh well I was feeling a little under the weather but I'm all right now. Are you sure? Yes, yes thank you. I'll just have my... Well what's the trouble? Oh my husband, he's gone. Now you mustn't excite yourself. Well he was sitting right here next to me where you are now. You're mistaken. I wasn't any man sitting next to you. I've been in this chair since this morning. Well you know that's just not true. Ralph was here. Look, you're ill. I'd better take you to the ship's doctor. No please. But you're not well. I know what I'm saying. My husband was sitting in that chair and I've got to find him. Your husband isn't on this boat. That's a lie he is too. Now why would I want a lie to you? Well I don't know but you're trying to hide something. He's disappeared and you're trying to hide it from me. You're just upset. You don't remember. Remember? What are you talking about? You don't remember me do you? You don't remember that my name is Mrs. Ferris. Ferris? I never saw you before in my life. You don't remember that we met on the pier. That we came aboard the ship together Mrs. Danson. Danson? My name isn't Danson, you're mistaken. My name is Cramer. Claire, Cramer. And excuse me I've got to find my husband. He isn't on this boat. He is. Mrs. Danson, look at the dress you're wearing. This isn't my dress. It's black. I never wear black. Don't you remember telling me that your husband is dead? My head started to spin. And then I felt a sharp pain as I tumbled into a bottomless pit. When I came to I was lying in a bed in a room that was all white. And next to the bed there was a table with surgical instruments on it. All right, here, drink this. Who are you? I'm the ship's physician, Dr. Ferris. Ferris? Her name was Ferris. My wife, she brought you here, you had an accident. An accident? Yes, you fainted upon deck. You're in it too, you and your wife. Let me out of here. No, first you must read. No, no, let me out of here. I've got to find my husband, Ralph. Your husband is dead. You told my wife he died six months ago. No, I didn't. This is a trick you're trying to... Now, Mrs. Danson. My name isn't Danson, it's Cramer. What are you two trying to do to me? Why don't you let me find my husband? Please take this medicine. It will... Oh, no! Oh, no, I am not going to take it. I'm not. Now, try to understand, Mrs. Danson. I only want to help. I know you don't. You're lying just like your wife did. You're trying to keep me away from Ralph, but he's on the ship someplace. I can prove it. He was with me when we came aboard in New York. It's just your... In New York? It's just your... This boat didn't sail from New York. It left Liverpool five days ago. Oh, no. That isn't true. We duck in New York tomorrow. Here. Here's your passport book. Look at it. Your passport with your name. Well, there. There. That proves it. That picture, that's not me. That's another woman. Here. Look in this mirror. You see? My face. What have you done to me? What happened to my face? Well, nothing. When you fainted upon seeing me, nothing. When you fainted upon deck, you fell and cut your chin. I had to put in a few stitches. Oh, no, no. It's my whole face. It's different. You've changed. You've changed my whole face. I was lost. A woman with a different face. Lost in time and identity. I found out that the ship was to arrive in New York. Well, then where had I been? What had happened to me and where was my husband Ralph? The questions hammered against my brain until it ached. The next day, the ship docked in New York. I went straight to my house. I had no keys so I rang the bell. And waited. The door was opened by a large red-faced woman. A woman I had never seen before. Yes? Who are you? What is it your business? Answer me. Tell me who you are. Wait. Why, I'm the housekeeper. Don't lie to me. We never had a housekeeper. Now, look. What are you doing here? Who hired you? Oh, just a moment. It was Dr. Ferris and his wife. They had you come here, didn't they? I don't see why I should answer your questions. Well, you better answer them. If you don't, I'll call the police. The police? Huh? That's a good idea. Why don't you call them? I will. But first, you're going to tell me where my husband is. Your husband? Well, you must have the wrong address. Well, this is 29 Pine Street, isn't it? That's right. And Mr. Ralph Kramer lives here. Oh, now they'll believe me. Now they'll see that he isn't dead. Are you talking about that? Now I can prove it was all the trick to keep me away from him. Look, I don't know who you are. Well, I'll tell you who I am. I'm Mrs. Ralph Kramer. What? That's right. Mrs. Kramer. Where's my husband? Maybe you'd better call the police after all. Hmm? The police can settle a thing like this. Settle? What are you trying to say? Just this. Mr. Kramer is being married Tuesday. What? He's being married Tuesday. Mr. Kramer doesn't have a wife yet. I left the house and walked blindly down the street. She said Ralph was being married Tuesday. She said he didn't have a wife. Well, if he didn't have a wife, then who was I? Who was this person who wore black? This person with a different face? This person with my brain? When I came to the corner of the block, the car stopped suddenly in front of me. Hey, lady, you ought to look where you're going. Oh, what? It's not a wrench. Now I would have hit. Are you all right? Yes, I'm all right. Now you're looking. You look kind of funny like you were sick. I'm all right. Can I give you a lift? Oh, well, I'm going downtown, yes, to the Wentworth building. Hop in. I'm going right past it. Thank you. Wentworth building, huh? Yes, my husband's office is there. I see. What were you doing at 29 Pine Street? 29... How did you know I was there? I was watching you. What? Just keeping my eyes open. You were following me. You purposely tried to run me over. Oh, no, no, I just wanted to get you in the car. Go in with them, with Dr. Ferris and his wife. Dr. Ferris? Never heard of him. If you don't stop this car and let me out, I'll scream. Go ahead, scream your lungs out. There's a policeman down at the next corner. He'll hear me. You don't need the cop on the corner. You're talking to one right now. What? Plain clothes, homicide division. Keith is the name. Are you a policeman, really? Uh-huh, really. Well, then why were you following me? Following certain people is my business. Your face looked kind of familiar. Oh, then you know me. I think I do. Oh, thank heaven you know who I am. Now I can prove that I live at 29 Pine Street. You live at 29 Pine? Who are you kidding? That's Ralph Kramer's place. Yes, and I'm Claire Kramer. How's that? I'm Ralph Kramer's wife. Try again, lady, and this time no line. This time I want to hear the truth. But I am telling the truth. Why don't you believe me? Why? Because I happen to know where Claire Kramer is right now. I'm Claire. I saw her grave just the other day. Her grave? Mm-hmm. She's in the same cemetery as my brother. Claire's been buried there for six years. Keith was too glib. His remarks were too sure. As if he'd been hired to say them. They were all in it together trying to frighten me. Trying to keep me away from Ralph. I was almost sure Keith wasn't a detective, but I had to be positive. I had to catch him in a lie. By the time I got out to the cemetery, it was dark. I walked along the deserted path, flashing my light as I passed the gravestones. Hello? I've been waiting here for you. I turned my flashlight on his face. It was Keith. His lips were twisted in a sly smile. Is this what you were looking for? I sent the beam of light in the direction he pointed. The shock ripped through me like a knife of fire. What I saw wasn't believable. Well, there it is. You're satisfied now, lady? It was a tombstone. And the letters carved on it said, Clare Cramer died May 13, 1943. That Clare Cramer is kind of dumb, isn't she? Doesn't know herself from a corpse in the ground. Still imagine though, it's rugged to come face to face with your own tombstone. Yeah, it's enough to kill you. Clare's what you might call a real dead-end doll. And hey, talking about her face, looks like somebody cut up her nose despite her life. You think Clare's been having a tough time, do you? Hold on to your coffin handles and see how things can go from bad to hearse. I stayed at the tombstone, not believing what I saw. The words on it said I was dead. But I died six years ago. I turned to the man who called himself Detective Keith. You satisfied now, lady? It can't be. I'm alive. Can't you see that I'm alive? I'm not buried there. That's someone else in that grave. Come on, you're going with me. Where are you taking me? You'll find out soon enough. But what do you want with me? What have I done? Killed a man, maybe. What? Here. Look at this police circular. Found it in my car a minute after I let you go. But... I knew I saw you someplace before. Now go ahead, look at it. Wanted for murder? Mm-hmm. And the picture there is yours, or your twin sisters. That's not possible. Come on, let's go. Wait, wait. Can't you understand? I'm not this woman in the circular. Pictures don't lie. I'm not her. I may look like her, but I'm not. Your fingerprints don't settle it. We've got her fingerprints on the circular. All I have to do to check is get yours. Now let's go. Hey, wait! I wrenched myself loose from his grip. I started down the path between the graves. I kept running. One of his bullets burns through my left arm with a terrible tearing pain. In a moment Keith was standing over me. I wasn't smart. The next shot, I would have killed you. But come on, get up. The flashlight was still in my right hand. When he bent over to pull me up, he pounded it against the side. He tumbled sideways to the ground unconscious. Then I got up and ran. I ran as fast as I could. I took the side roads back to town. I ran and then I walked. I walked and walked, holding my wounded arm with the other, losing blood all the time. Then I saw the shingle outside of the house. Dr. Bennett. By the time I staggered into his office, I wasn't any fainting. But I was lucky the doctor was alone. There you are, Mrs. Kramer. You'll be all right now. Thank you, Dr. Bennett. You still haven't told me how you happened to get that wound. Oh, no, I didn't. Well, I was carrying a jar. No, Mrs. Kramer, it wasn't a jar. The bullet was still lodged in your arm. Who shot you? I don't know his name. I have to report this, you know. You better tell me the truth. I am telling you the truth, doctor. Do you know anything about fingerprints? A little, why? Well, look. Look at the fingerprints on this circular. And now, look at the ones on my hand. Would you say they're the same? Yes, I would. Of course, I'm no expert. They are my... But I can see now those are my fingerprints on the circular. The same scar on the right thumb. Somebody's done a perfect job of making me look like a murderer. Mrs. Kramer, I'm afraid I must report this to the police and let it go with that. I couldn't let him do it. He had his back to me. I lifted the paperweight from his desk. Just as I raised my hand, he turned. Mrs. Kramer, don't! I dropped the floor and I bent over. I listened to his uneven breathing. A roaring sort drove through my mind. Kill him, the sort thundered. You are a murderer. Kill him! Kill him! I brought the paperweight up and I struck him again. Now I really was what they made me. A murderer. I had to hide. I couldn't go to see my husband Ralph until I was sure I'd be safe. I went to a town across the state line and I hired a room in a cheap hotel. For three days I only left the room to eat. It was on the fourth day that it happened. I had just come back from dinner and closed the door behind me. Hello? As he got up from the chair and came toward me, I reached for the gun in my purse. You all need that gun, Claire. There isn't a cop within a mile of this place. Who are you? Don't you remember little old Max? You know, Claire, I never thought I'd see you again. Then when I read about it in the papers, Flea bagged the hole up. Why did you do it? I couldn't help myself. He was going to turn me over to the police. Oh, you got me wrong. I'm not talking about the doctor. I mean Steve. Steve? Hey, what's the matter with you? You act like you're off your rocker. I don't blame you for knocking off Steve. That louse had it coming. Steve? Yeah, he had it coming to him. Good. Hey, what are you looking at me that way for? I'm just trying to think. Why, you should have done some thinking before you buried Steve's body where you did. They found it two days later. I've got to get out of here. Don't be a chump. You'll get nabbed. I've got to take that chance. Have you got a car? Yes, sure I got a car, but you take advice from little old Max. If you're my friend, really my friend, you'll help me. Well, I was always on your team, Claire. Name it. Where do you want to go? Back to Mason City. I've got to see my husband. We drove back across the state line to Mason City. To my house on Pine Street. I waited in the car. The house was dark except for a light in the study. I stood on the terrace outside the French doors and Ralph was sitting in the room alone, reading a book. I opened the doors quietly. I tried not to frighten him. Ralph? Ralph? Who's there? So dark here I can't... It's Claire. I've come back. Who are you? What are you doing here? Darling, darling, don't you recognize me? Get out of this house. Get out before I call the police. Ralph, listen to me. I said get out. I've got to make you understand I'm your wife. My wife is dead now. Either you get out or... Ralph, listen to me. You mustn't believe what they've been telling you. They wanted you to think that I was dead, but believe me, I am your wife. I'm Claire. Claire is dead. I've never seen you before. Never in all my life. Claire Kramer died six years ago. Oh, then you're in on it, too. In on it? What are you talking about? Tomorrow is Tuesday, isn't it? The housekeeper told me. That's the day you're being married. That's right. What about it? Now I know. Now I understand. You never did love me. Never really. Now I know who's to blame for all those terrible things I've been through. You! Put that phone down. I never argue with a lady. Especially when she has a gun in her hand. It's all so funny, isn't it? You had it all planned, didn't you? You wanted to marry someone else. You wanted me out of the way. Well, then why didn't you have them kill me? It would have been better for me to be dead than to be like this. It would have been wonderful to be really dead. I don't know. What's in your mind? What's in my mind? I'll tell you. Thank me, Ralph. Thank me for being kinder than you were to me. Max came into the house when he heard the shots. I had him carry the body to the car. As we headed out of town, a heavy rain started to fall. I had no destination in mind, but an unseen force seemed to control my hand on the wheel. It guided me around one turn after another until at last we came to a deserted stretch along the railroad track. I stopped the car and drove to the other side. Then I took the jack handle from the trunk and started to dig up the soft dirt. Hey, Claire, what do you think you're doing? There's no time for questions. Help me. I'm going to bury the body here. Are you nuts? We've got to hide his body, Max. What's not here? Don't you remember this place? Don't it look familiar to you? Familiar? Yes, I... I think it does, but... I can't quite remember. If you don't remember this place, you really blew your top. Stop talking like that and tell me what's wrong with this place. Why can't I bury him here? Because if you remembered, you'd know it was the same place you buried Steve. If I could only remember, if I could only go back beyond that day on the ship, then I wouldn't know who I am, who I really am. He stands there next to me and says I buried a man in that grave. A man I murdered. Oh, if I could only remember. Come on, Claire, we've got to get out of here. Max, you've got to tell me about Steve. Why did I kill Steve? You killed Steve just the way you knocked off that other guy tonight. Maybe he had it coming to him, too. That's your business. But you didn't tell me why I killed Steve. Steve, Denson was your husband. Oh, Max, when did you kill Steve? Denson was your husband. Oh, Max, when was the first time you saw him? The first time? Oh, let's see, five years ago. And I looked as I looked now? Sure, you told me you just had a plastic done because your face was burned. Only between you and me, little old Max didn't fall for your gag about the burn. Burned? Burned, that was true. My face was burned. Okay, so it was burned. Remember, the boat was one day out of New York. Ralph and I were up on the deck when the fire broke out. I lost him and then something struck my head. I remember the name of the boat, too, the Tragonia. Hey, that's that ship that was sunk a way back. Yes. Yes, a way back, Max. Six years ago. Well, then somebody must have picked you out of the water. A charred body's in that water. Charred beyond recognition. They listed me as one of the dead. Oh, I guess you had what they call out amnesia business, huh? That day I woke up from that nap in the deck chair. That's the day I stopped being Claire Denson and became Claire Kramer again. I was a murderer and I never knew it. Ralph thought I was dead. He really thought so when I killed him. Hey, Claire, the cops, come on, we've got to get out of here. I've already gotten out, Max. I'm dead. Dead and buried. Stop talking that crazy talk. Come on, before it's too late. It's already six years too late, Max. Hey, you can't skip the cops by going over to tracks. Come on, back, Claire, and get in the car. Claire, you can't make it that way to train. Look out! Oh, the cops finally got Claire on those railroad ties. Dead in her track. Now she'll have a grave she can call her own. You see what happens, though, when you get amnesia? You forget the people you leave around. Dead. Oh, by the way, for you forgetful wives, there's a moral to tonight's untidy tale. It's from the pen of that absent-minded philosopher, scattered bad brains. Always remember, the quickest way to a man's heart is through his chest. With a bullet. Inner Sanctum was heard in the United States over CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System, and has been rebroadcast for servicemen and women overseas through the facilities of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service, The Voice of Information and Education.