 present inner sanctum mystery this is your host to the inner sanctum welcoming you to another half hour door galore come in won't you sit down no no no not there you will sit under his heel he wouldn't like that besides you probably find him pretty cold we've been keeping him on ice for about six months now that noise oh that's just a teeth chatter no not because he's cold but because he's just finished going over tonight's story and I guess you could call him a scared good the story really going to be so scary you mean that lots of people are going to be murdered yes Mary but don't worry we're only killing people who've never been killed before well I guess then that all the characters in the story will need plenty of hoes to it oh so what's that Chinese for a lift and tea well you're half right it's Chinese oh so it means good luck and that's what it says in Chinese characters on the sterling silver medallion that the Lipton people are offering to the ladies yes ladies the medallion is a Chinese good luck charm but more than that it's a really lovely piece of jewelry it's made of solid sterling silver and it's hung on a narrow black rayon satin ribbon that's the fashion this year you know yes this handsome medallion is the kind of jewelry you find at those smart shops on Fifth Avenue in New York and to get it all you have to do is to 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 9 to New York City all right friends now get ready for a surprise tonight's story is called death across the board it's an original radio play by Robert Newman and our star is that famous dramatic actor of stage and screen Raymond Massey will play the role of John Strange you like to play game your life with even your soul on one throw of the dice for the turn of a car you don't care for the choice take say well if it ever occurred to you by living you're playing such a game and that your opponent was dead tonight I'm going to tell you a story about a man who sat in debt play playing with human life and of what happened to him it is about 10 o'clock and a cell for his summer evening and Dr. John Strand is standing in front of the window of corn shop in the oldest part of the city on the sudden impulse he pushes open the door good evening good evening anything I can do for you no thank you you don't mind I'd just like to look around I just thought it there was something in particular I really didn't have anything special now I just thought hello my chest said yes a very interesting set and a very interesting game you're playing my dear sir you have no idea how interesting whose move quite then why should win in six moves that's a very much open to question well perhaps we can play some time and how much of this set not for sale oh too bad yes well if you're interested in chess and chessman I know the set that I think might appear to you in Arabian said 12th or 13th century ivory white pieces of Saracen warriors the black pieces are crusaders do you have it here unfortunately now not very far away you thought you'd like to see it well if it's not too outrageously expensive and you're sure it's no bother my dear sir don't give it another thought I'd be most anxious for your reactions even if you don't buy the address is 23 well in place down two blocks one do you write go up one flight and ask for feelings tell him that rafial sent you 23 valid place up one flight as a Felix I'll phone him tell him to expect you your name is strand Dr. John Strand very good Dr. Strand so I have the feeling we should see each other again perhaps we should even have the chance to play that game you mentioned before Felix my name's strand Rayfield sent me over here he said he'd phone you in just a second how do you do I hope I'm not disturbing you come on in stick them up what I'm afraid it must be some mistake sure is Bob and you made it thinking you could come here and take me this way well this is ridiculous I come up keep them up or I'll let you have it right now what for because I said so that's what you want I'll get up and tell me what this is all about I said get up and Felix dad I'm sorry but he can't come to the phone right now find out what it's all about a wallet keys and Mr. Rayfield I think perhaps I'll take you up on that I will go back to your shop sir can I help you yes where's Rayfield oh I'm sorry he's not in right now but are you Dr. Strand I am I'm Alice Hines he must have been expecting you he asked me to give you this what is it I don't know but I another chessman a white knight oh yes Mr. Rayfield is quite a chess player he's more than mad he's a murderer what what do you mean he sent me to see someone a man named Felix to look at a chess set when I got there he pulled a gun on me and well and I tried to get away from him went off and killed him oh don't look so surprised and innocent you work for him you must know what it's all about it there must be some mistake some horrible mistake a mistake and then why did he phone Felix's while I was there how did he know he'd been killed why did he laugh about it tell me to come here well I I don't know but I can't believe that about him I won't know well we'll see what the police have to say about it where's the phone back there but if you're serious about it you don't have to bother calling them Riley just went past here a few minutes ago there he is up at the corner fine that'll save some time officer oh officer would you shot him that woman hiding you on that car there the woman in black she's coming in here don't just stand there get inside and shut the door you should have Riley you killed her six months I've been trying to find out who got been now I can rest in peace with Rayfield Rayfield he's the one that kept the dope for me told me I'll knock the cop told me to come in here afterwards well this is fine while you're looking so funny who's side are you on anyway that's it I just took it for granted you were working for rape okay get him up and keep him up what do I do with him Rayfield well you anyway I repeat Miss Hines well fantastic what are you going to do to us you can't be that dumb baby face six months I've been wearing black for the only guy I ever loved I finally get the guy that got him you think I'm gonna leave the two of you around to put the finger on me you're going to kill it you can I I did a pretty neat job on that flat foot after all I can't burn you more than once okay open that door and go on down allow me madam never mind wise guy you could answer it and baby face not very good man no I'm not going to let you do it give me that you're trying to get the gun but she's trying to get the strength why she's lying there so funny her head let's see her neck's broken she's dead means I kill her not any more than it means I kill feelings look they are lying next to her in that another chest piece the black queen what he gave me one just like that when I first came to work for him when he was a white one what black queen white queen white knight and now it's impossible and still you thought of something it's too incredible I've had a certain nightmare vision that come on we're going to the police maybe it's on move now I always had an idea that I wouldn't like chess but it was a pretty slow game but here we've only been playing for about 15 minutes and we've chalked up three corpses already this kind of chess is just like a divorce why what do you mean well it's a good way to get rid of your wife that is if she's a stale made well I assure you most men don't want to get rid of their work is that so didn't you tell me that a man had written in to ask for that Lipton sterling silver medallion on the black ribbon yes and didn't he say he wanted to put it around his wife's neck as a choker oh dear you don't understand a choker is just one of the ways in which you can wear this medallion of course you can also wear it as a necklace or well here's what one of our listeners says she does I put the medallion on my charm bracelet I just took it off the now a black ray on satin ribbon on which it's hung and then flipped it on my bracelet the medallion was just the right size yes ladies and no matter how you wear it the medallion is really a smart piece of jewelry it's made of solid sterling silver and it's about an inch in diameter so send for your medallion tonight the Lipton people are making it easy for you to own one just send 25 cents and the box top from a package of Lipton the tea with the brisk flavor to Lipton tea box 92 that's box 9 to New York City it's better right now friends while your hands are still steady enough to address the envelope well let's come back to our game of chess and our star Raymond Matthew who's playing the role of John Strand it's about a half hour later now Dr. Strand and Alice Heinz are sitting in a bare quiet room the chief's office the police had courted for the past 10 minutes strand has been talking steadily describing everything that happened so you each bump someone off and and you've come to give yourselves up we certainly did not come here to give ourselves up chief I told you that in both cases it was self-defense we're here because of the madman loose a homicidal maniac it just came to me a little while ago there was something strangely familiar about this Rayfield and did you ever hear of Rayfield Norbert now he was one of the greatest chess players the world has ever known about five years ago he disappeared well he's playing another chess game now the maddest game that ever was is there a map of the city around right there on the wall and see here's Rayfield sharp and yes this would be it this section of the city here eight blocks each way this is his chessboard and human beings people like Alice and I are his chessmen I know it sounds fantastic but I think it's true when he sent me to Felix's he told me to go down two blocks and one to the right that's the move of the night in other words he had cast me as one of the white knights in his crazy game Alice was the white queen himself was the black king and so on he just lined up all these people said you play this piece you play that man that was the beauty of the game the fascinating exciting part to him no one knew that they were playing in it but he for instance Felix didn't know that he was a black look any more than I knew I was a white knight but his black pieces were all criminals of some sort who wouldn't hesitate to kill and it was by killing that one piece took another you see that was the ultimate refinement the thing that made this the greatest game Norbert has ever played he could plan a move but he had no way of telling which piece would take which for instance I killed Felix instead of his killing me in other words he was not only playing his game against law and order against society but he was matching his brains against that of every piece in the game against law and order I got this in the mail a couple of weeks ago without any letter or anything I would fit in with your theory the white king of course he's cast you in the role of the white king in other words he's playing this game principally against you now do you believe it's Mr. Adams do you I don't know it's possible I suppose we've been having a funny kind of crime wave lately killings without any apparently said there was something screwy on and then well sounded like somebody got him I'll make sure about this before you answer but would this be part of what you were talking about let's look at the map again bird and sycamore that would be in the area that's Rayfield's chessboard yes I think it is okay come on we're going down there next the call box dead staff look they're lying next to him another chess piece a pawn a white pawn of course if you're the white king then all your men would be pawns pawns they're the pieces that get pushed around they well they're the ones that are usually sacrificed two of my men Riley and plenty okay strand you're a chess player you think you can figure out what this radio character is going to do next tell me how I can meet him I might I only got a very quick look at the board if I can remember the location of the piece you mean he's actually got a board set up showing where all the pieces everybody is there's one set up in the little table right next to his desk no one's allowed to touch it that's the one and it was because I noticed it commented on it that I got involved in this nightmare I think I do remember the position of all the pieces that were left because some moves may have been made since I saw it last well what are we fooling around for let's go to that shop and make sure locked on you got a key haven't you Alice no we feel never gave me one he always locked up himself well what do we do two of my men killed and you ask me something like that we're out right here there's a chessboard over there I know let's take a look at it this song there is to place except for the seller she must still be down there that woman down there later well strand well the moment black seems to have the edge on several moves have been made and we've lost several pieces but we still got a fair chance winning that game where's this right field guy the black king what are you going to do next just give me another minute or two will you a black king is still in his own square which would seem to mean that right field still here someplace the thing is I'm not sure whose move it is now him speaking over some kind of loud speaker system maybe from the cellar on the cellar now I'm going to must have had to place mind or set a booby trap and when Adams went to open the cellar Dory where is that I'm not sure but I think he's over there I must have some magic something here under that beam later help me lift it off he's pretty badly hurt just let me get a few tourniquets tied on him we better get him to a hospital the emergency wards right in there how do you know I want to my interned here funny there's no one around let's put him right there on a table I gently that's here this is Dr. Stan speaking from the emergency ward I've got a very severe accident case here is anyone around who can take care of it but what surgery crowned oh oh fine we want him to get down here as soon as possible thanks chapter I used to know just finishing an operation he'll be down a few minutes will they still be time yes I think so we'll have to give him a transfusion once we get him patched up I'll start scrubbing up myself in case Crandall needs a hand is there anything I can do just keep your eye on him attorneys particularly it'd be too bad if you lost any more blood right I'm conscious but no hello Crandall that was quick I'll be glad you were here it's pretty serious case Adams with cheap police explosion we don't work fast may lose him shock possible concussion right axillary archery severed I got a good on I'll be finished scrubbing up in a minute give you a hand take your time no hurry I was just what are you doing removing the turnig it wait I'm not ready with the ligatures yet oh you're not Crandall you're you're right strength very few Norbert Dr. Crandall is still in surgery that finish a matter of fact I put on this mask and gown that because I thought it would fool you because somehow it just seemed appropriate it can't be you you were in the shop no you're thinking of my voice coming over a loud speaker system from next door if you're thinking of my position on the board you forget I hadn't made my move very few I don't know why you've done all this and I don't care why but you've got to let us do something about chief Adams all that blood is yes Rachel for heaven's sake move either of you well I have to shoot I can say they hope it won't be necessary after all the chief of police died the game will be over and the most interesting game it's been but haven't there been enough you're very sentimental I'm afraid you never would make a good chess player pieces have been taken that's all right you suppose we just give up say you've won that's right right you will see to the game but let me do something about Adam there's still time I've got everything ready here all the instruments no this is one game I won't have seated that I insisted on having played out to the last more that's the way you want it all right if I'm not mistaken it's my move now the formaldehyde won't help them any this is gone Alex watch him while I get these tentacles back on Adam you think you can still see this pulse is weak but I think we can still say that's for you Rachel you made one bad mistake you forgot the three of us came to your shop the white king white queen and white knight that would put you in check I bow strand I felicitate and congratulate you if I'm to lose I prefer to lose in my own way through the window as a railroad underpants right outside a drop of about 60 feet I think that's game match and and you mean the games over already but that's impossible we still got some characters left at least three of them that haven't been killed off we've been robbed and I think we ought to call for a turn match let's take a vote on it there all those in favor one two three that's funny it came out just the way it is for our friend Rachel the I got it let's not have another game of chess yes Mary now do you see why they call the pieces chess men instead of women all this games too rough for women it certainly is rough oh do you feel worn out and tired why don't you rest a while then you can slip into something comfortable like a winding sheet and if you want to be really fancy you can put on your sterling silver medallion well you have no money well here's how you get one just never mind I'll tell them things ladies if you want to own a handsome sterling silver medallion just send 25 cents and the box top from a package of Lipton the tea with the brisk flavor to Lipton tea box 92 New York City before I say goodnight a word of advice if you should ever get into a chess game with a stranger and you happen to notice that he's got a meat ax on his lap don't get up and run just make sure that there's someone else around to help pick up the pieces oh by the way this month in a thank-you mystery novel is lay that pistol down by Richard Powell and oh yes let me tell you about next week in a thank-you story directed by Hyman Brown and brought to you by Lipton tea and Lipton soup next week's story is about a picture that kills everyone who wants it's a masterpiece of murder yeah just as soon as the man hangs up his picture the vice versa happened the picture hangs him and now it's time to close the squeaking door until next Tuesday the next time you send a box of food to your boy overseas be sure to include a package or two of Lipton's noodle soup makes you see Lipton's is just like a taste of home yet it has the same homemade chicken he tasted the soup you make yourself the soup your boy's always been so fond of that's why it's such a thoughtful welcome little gift to send Lipton and as you know yourself Lipton's noodle soup makes a grand snack so remember send the package or two to your boy and remember to tune in next Tuesday night for another inner sanctum mystery this is CBS the Columbia broadcasting system