 friends of Ian Sankton. This is Raymond, your host of the Squeaking Door. They come right in. What are you staring at? Oh, him. Oh, he won't hurt you. He's been dead for years. He came here with our first program. Said nothing could scare him. I've been using him for a doorstop ever since. Have you ever gotten new one, though? His bones are showing through. My friends, did you know that this is a bad winter for our ghost friends? Oh, my yes. There aren't enough sheets to go around and lots of them have horrible colds. They float around just coughing and coughing their heads on. Now, you all said, the coast of Maine Express is already an hour out of Boston. It's noon of a windy November day as the New England landscape flashes past. On the train, the crowds of servicemen building mothers, babies, salesmen, and a man who was this day acquitted of murder because the police couldn't find a body. Richard Fenner sits alone, the suspicion of a smile tugging at thin lips that whisper of what his eyes follow on the paper. His body of only centaur color chemist at Satan's Point, Maine, still unfound. Centaur was known to be developing a pink formula, making it possible for colorblind people to see reds and greens as normal people see them. It is believed that the chemist had the final notes for his successful formula on his person. Richard Fenner, useful assistant on whom Centaur tested his pigment, admitted he may have killed Centaur in a fit of temporary insanity induced by the experiments. He was found in a dazed condition with blood on his hands on the day of the chemist's death. Hello, friend. Anybody sitting here? No? Good. Have a peanut. No, thank you. Best food in the world, peanut. Always eat them. Name's Bot, friend. That's the Bot. Travels for Goodman's textbook. Don't be like Dawson, huh? What's I'm thinking to do? Well, that's all right. I'll just read a while. I've done my thinking. So many things to think about. So much for Anna and me to remember. It had been hard to convince Ann at first. Easy enough for me to say we have to get rid of Oli. But Oli was Anna's brother. We talked it over on the cliff near the land. We have to, Anna. We have to go through with it. Oh, Richard, there must be some other way. The way things are now, everything's hopeless. You know that. With the paint formula cleared, we can be married. Richard, I love you so much. I'd do anything for us. But this, this is... Murder? Well, you needn't look at it that way, darling. So far as you're concerned, Oli will just disappear. But suppose something goes wrong. Suppose you're convicted. Not a chance. You can't convict a man for murder until you find a bride. And they'll never find Oli. We must, Anna. We must. Very well, Richard. When, when will you... The moment Oli finishes the formula. It's almost ready now. I'll have to do it that instant to make my alibi whole. Today, tomorrow, soon, eh? Everything else is ready. I love you about everything else in the world, Richard. I love you enough for even... Ever been a friend? No. Well, I'm suing her. Travelling on trains makes some people sleepier. Not me. Been on trains all my life. Never get sleepy. So far? Satan's point, me. Satan's point? Never heard of it. I'll be a devil of a small place. It was I, Satan's point. Devil of a small place. Good, eh? Ever been up? Devil of a place. Devil of a place. Devil of a place. Devil of a place. Devil of a place. Devil of a place. Devil of a place. We went over every detail again and again until our story was perfect. A lot depended on the story we constructed. A lot depended on telling it well. To the police in Maine and to the A units in Boston. I thought of the story with the morning of October 11th in Oli's laboratory. It'll be ready in a few minutes. I want your eyes to be well rested. Think you've got it this time, Oli? No, that's no longer any doubt. In these pigments I make, I will paint a square board. It will look like a dirty green to my eyes. And to mine? To yours and those of millions of others who are colorblind. Red. Red that you have only imagined. Red of the road. Red of a sunset. Red of fire. Put the blindfold on. I could sense Oli's tenseness. It worked 15 years to make this moment alive. This is the moment I can see. A miracle is about to take place. To one great fear. What's that, Oli? I'm not afraid the formula is wrong. I'm afraid for you. For me? Have to warn you, Richard. I don't know. No one knows. What mental reaction takes place when a person has never seen color before. But when it does, you mean that I could be affected? You could be. You see, red excites even normal people. It vibrates from the brain with you. Let's have a look, Oli. Now, Richard, when you take the blindfold off, look straight ahead of you. The boat is right before your eyes. Look, Richard, when you do stop talking right away, I want your immediate reaction. Okay, here it goes. It's hard enough to recall a little as I do. I was staring straight ahead of me at a square board. Nothing happened for a brief instance. And then I caught my breath sharply. My eyes dried. They burned. I closed them, but the packs of exquisite color seared my brain. A single hot flashing stab of pain pierced my head. And then I felt a surge in power, a physical power gripping. And Oli, with voice, reached me. Dabbing at me. My whole being seemed to focus on his voice. I had to choke it off. No. I didn't believe a call reaching for him across them. No. It's my day is broke. No. And then, then nothing more. Nothing but the breaking of glass. And a sensation of violent action. Motion and action that lasts as long as little voice stops. Then I felt cold air, Max. I was carrying something limp and heavy. There's a point of rock outside the house. It juts over the seat. I stood there for I don't know how long. The first clear thing I recall is identifying Anna's voice coming. I sang to the ground, moral. Anna. And I'm afraid. I'm afraid. That was my story. That's what I told them all. They didn't believe me so far. They didn't find Oli. Anna told her own story as well. About coming back from town in the station wagon, finding me on the rock with blood in my nose. In the time they searched the house and the ground, they came close, too close, just once. It was the day they gave up the search. I was standing in the yard with the guard when the inspector called me over to the little meat house near the cliff. Oh, they'd been through it before, but the inspector held something in his hand. You were sure in your days, Mandarin? You didn't come near this meat house, Fennel? Well, I can't be sure of anything, Inspector. I don't think so. Why? There's no Fennel over there before. But the initial is O.F., Fennel. Holy fag. I guess the house was our whole plan going to be upset by a hat. Fennel? It's Oli. He always wore it out here when he worked on his meat. You know? And the vet and the bem? Well, look around you for the answer to that one. Oli was proud of his larder. He just hung two quarters of deep the other day for aging. Right over there, see? It was fresh-killed stock. Blood probably came from that. Hmm. Well, I know the blood test is in the house. All right, Fennel, you can go back now. I walked away a little late. Yeah, but the funny thing, it plays tricks. Even hard-detected. People are used to thinking of bodies as being so many feet long, with two legs, two arms, and a head. Oh, friend, this is your son, I guess. Yes, this is it. I'm sorry I was such a poor traveling companion. Oh, that's all right. Feel that way myself sometimes. Have some peanuts? No, they... That is so long. Anna! Oh, you little darling friend. Oh, I'm so glad to see you. Everything went just as you said it would, didn't it? And now you're free. Free, but not safe yet, baby. Don't talk yet. Let's get in the station wagon for a second. None of the papers believed our story, do they? No, it's just as well. It makes tonight's work easier. But there are so many things I don't understand. Isn't there some other way we can... No! And it's just as well you don't know everything, Anna. There's less chance of you making a slip. It seems to me that I'm in this as deeply as you. All right, all right, I'll tell you this much. The papers played up the fact that Oli had the final formula on his person when he was killed. The formula we thought was on the lab table, right? He hit me. Well, that leaves two things I have to do. I have to search Oli's clothing for the thing and... Well, the other thing should be obvious. Oh, don't, Mr. Duke. You talk about such things so coldly. Well, it's a cold subject, isn't it? Now, I see the house now. Put your lights off. Did you make the phone call I told you to? Yes, the man said all arrangements had been carefully made. He said the rest was up to you. You're the spirit. Okay, pull up by the garage. Look around you as we walk into the house. Oh, and it's not as calm as I thought I'd be. And you've got nothing to be afraid of, darling. Unless you believe in spirit. Well, Duke said let's do what has to be done and go. Did you have that expertise made for the meat house? Yes, yes, we did. Good. Now, do just as I tell you, my life depends on it. You stand at the kitchen door with the lights off, and you won't take your eyes off the meat house for one second. That's right. The meat house door will be open for you to see me working on. The liner will make it light enough. Right now, I'm going to stand in front of the only window in the room we left to blind up on. While I'm there, you go get the dummy we had made to look like you. Put it in a chair in the position you're in now. That's it? Yes. All right, get the dummy. It's in the linen closet. Same as naturally. It looks a lot more natural and comfortable than I am. Good. Now crawl below the window level into the kitchen. Bossette. Here's the revolver. Now stay in the shadows while I light the lantern and leave. Then stand in the door as I told you to, and remember to watch the meat house. Yes, but I'll do my part. Don't worry. Just be careful enough. And hurry. Well, this cruise and business will be over soon, baby. And it's worth it. What are a few days of this compared to what's in store for us? I know. I know. Let's hurry. It seems heavier than when I put them up. Yes, here it is. Here's the ****. You were on. That's because you did. And I got off. Yes, isn't it? Let's see. Didn't you say your name was Zephyr Botts? Yeah. Good memory you've got. I see you finally remembered where you hid poor Svintog's remains. What do you want, Botts? Yeah. I can crack three notes with one hand. Good, huh? Just telling him in case you think it might spoil my am. Boy, a little partner in crime sitting comfortably back in the house. Waiting for you to finish your business here. What do you want, Botts? You and the formula, my friend. I followed your case very carefully. And I first read about you in the papers I said to myself. Now, there's a very clever young operator. He's spitting when he says he threw Svintog's body into the sea. So? So. You wouldn't take a chance and it's turning up on some shore. Nobody. No murder, eh, Fenneth? You're right, Botts. Then when I read that Svintog's formula was on and when you murdered him, I knew you'd have to get it from the body before throwing the corpse to Nick Dyer. Simple. All right, Botts. Put the cuffs on and let's go. I see you don't understand. I am not a detective and you're not going anywhere. Anymore. What is the formula? Oh, that's how it is. That's how it is. Why? Why what? Why am I going to kill you? Of course, that's nice insurance for him. My business. Why do I want the formula? I tried to buy it from Svintog about a month ago. We knew we had it just about finished, but he turned me down. So, you read about the murder, figured out that I was after it, and now you want to take it away from me. Pretty low, Botts. Yeah. Well, you see, I can get a much better price for it than you can. Some friends of mine think it would be a value of an asset in counter-chemifrage, taking targets in this country. Clever, huh? Don't move a muscle, Mr. Botts. That little wrong thing in your neck is the muzzle of a 38. Just open your fingers very slowly and drop for the... Good girl. Now, I'm taking over, Botts. Nice looker your friends gave you. That is a nice guy. I, uh, I hope you won't hang on me on those hooks and all that. Oh, no. No, I've got other plans for you. Annie, are you all right? Yes, I'm all right. Just a thing. I'm slower. I know. We're going back to the house now. And look, Botts, no brakes, please. You'd make a heavy corpse to drag from here. Very cozy little room. I had an everything, huh? Okay, darling, make your phone call. Hello, Mr. Walsh? Yes, we've been watching. You got him? Yes, you can tell your men to close in on the house now. That was Mr. Walsh of the FBI, friend. Who is he to work all the way through, Richard? Yes, sir, my first and last case, Walsh. Well, we don't usually call on outsiders for help, you know, but this is such a natural. The Botts is apparently the man who's been dodging it so successfully. He's one of the Nazi's best men over here. Slippery fellow. Yeah, when you and Mr. Fentore came to us a month ago about the suspiciously high offer you'd had for the formula, it sounded like our man. He's got lots to go to play with. But why the elaborate story of murder and intrigue? Well, making Richard here out to be a murderer, it took away the suspicion of a trap. We knew Richard would be released, no matter how foamy the story he gave, because the police wouldn't find Mr. Fentore's body, of course. We knew the man we wanted. We'll follow Richard here as soon as Richard was free to get the formula. But we didn't have the slightest idea of what he looked like or who he was. Now you know. That was clever. And the son of a gun sat next to me on the train for eight hours. And the old trip wasn't it. But what about the, um, in a meat house angle? The facts. That beef. Just good, prime beef. In fact, it looks a little like... I planned it always closed there. Oh, Richard, stop. I had enough. By the way, where is Mr. Fentore? Oh, my gosh. He came up here from the hotel this afternoon. I'm so used to thinking of him as dad that I forgot all about him. He's probably lost an indication. Ah! And are you all right? All right, Richard. Yes. Give me that back. Richard! Well, hold on to him. I'll take a look in the lab. Go ahead, Turner. Put my leg. The light on that... I'm holding it. He's all right, Anna. Bring him out now. He's all right, yes. But never again to see the red of a rose. The red of fire. The red of a sunset. The red of light. Please, form me of a bright color to millions. Now, be blind. My, no, cork. Well, a cork, man. But I passed to Peanut. Listen, you. Yes, you over there. Are you sometimes green with envy? You ever go into a purple raid? Are you yellow? You are. Oh, well, don't worry about it. You've got what the writers call a colorful personality. Or maybe you're just a rainbow. By the way, this month's inner sanctum mystery novel is Puzzle for Puppet by Patrick Quenton. We're now at really time to close that there squeaking door until next week at this same time. So, uh, good night. Pleasant dream. For now, we brush off Raymond, a friendly host of inner sanctums for tonight's bedtime story. Yes, let's shake that inner sanctum dust from our hands and point them in the direction of the green room and a quick listen at the door. Yes, our players are there by rehearsing the next performance in a mystery playhouse. Follow me.