 Good evening, friends of the creaking door. This is your host to welcome you once again in the Vienna Sanctum. Come on in and never mind looking back over your shoulder. Whatever it is that's behind you can't be half as bad as what's in front. As the man whose throat had just been made the scene of an experiment with a razor while he slept said, I'm going from bed to hers. Settle down now, it's coming and there's nothing you can do about it. Just keep a good hold on yourself and your wife if your life insurance paid off. Joe Harris, 21, wearing a cheap blue surge suit and a thin top coat. Cold and wet on a cold and rainy night decides to make a change. Kansas City's okay but there's nothing there for me. I've got to get out. My wardrobe ain't built for a hard winter so I figure it could be more comfortable on the coast. California. But I ain't paying for rail transportation this year so I head for the KC freight yards. And I pick me out a nice long freight job that happens to have an empty car. And pull the sliding door over. Leaving just a crack for air and finger hole for when we reach the land of oranges. The old boiler up front's got the steamer. And we're off. Relax. All I got to do is let a couple of days slide by and sunshine. Hey, what? I didn't notice nobody else was in the car. Didn't you know, Pally? No. That's too bad. He leaned back into the darkness of his corner so I couldn't see him very good. He was a young guy, maybe my age, maybe a couple of years older. My size too. Same color hair and eyes. Almost close enough to be brothers but there was something in his eyes that had never been in mind. I was scared. You know, something funny. You look like me. Yeah, I kind of noticed that myself in that. Why? Well, lots of guys look a little like each other, you know what I mean? Huh? Nobody looks like me. Well, okay, so I don't. You're trying to. That means you must be one of... One of what? There are ways of changing their appearance. You're one of them. You can't fool me. Look, I don't know what you're talking about. It's no use. You can't fool me. You don't have to punish me. Watch out with that knife and I've got the resemblance away and find out what you really look like. You're crazy. Stop it. Let go of my hand. I've got to get you away. No. I got you wrong. Twist it. And the knife is pointing at your heart. Now drop it on. No. Nobody is stopping me. Stop it. I warn you. Stop it. No. Then I gotta do this. No. I told you. I told you. I... He's dead. I gotta get out. The door. Slide it open. What? The oddboast. No. Why don't they snap him proper? Give me a hand, Charlie. Okay. You locked it. No, I can't get out. Locked in with him. In the dark, he was dead so I wasn't afraid of him. At first. I... I even gave him a going over. His eyes were open but I... I flopped him over. And I went through his pockets. Just a couple of bucks and some small change and his draft card. Funny. He was 4F, just like me. His name was Martin Pell. That's a laugh too. Finding out who a guy is after you kill him. Yeah. I was a murderer. I just realized it. They'll hang me for that. No. No, it was self-defense but... But what chance have I got a proven that? Me with a record too. But... Maybe I can lose that record. Maybe. Yeah. So I switched draft cards with him. And now he's Joe Harris. And I'm Martin Pell. Martin Pell out that says on his card. Of Wysey, Oklahoma. And the hours go by. And I'm there with him locked in a boxcar. And the wheels keep pounding underneath. And he's dead. I... I gotta get out. There's gotta be a way. I gotta think. Think. We'll stop. Now what? We'll stop. Yeah, he's covered up. Maybe they won't spot him. Anyways, I gotta get out. I'll yell. I'll yell and I'll pound on the door. Yeah, that's the way. That's the way. Yeah, sure. Sure. Right. Yeah, yeah, I know. Or maybe this will help you remember. No. As fast as I could, I got away from there. The Yard Bowl took a quick look into the car but he didn't spot the body under the sack. And the train started up. And it began moving away. With Martin Pell lying under a pile of dirty sack. With a knife in his heart. And a funny look in his eyes. Martin Pell. There's only a water and stop where the train stopped so I walked across the prairie. Not knowing where I was going and not caring much. Well, I keep walking across the dark face of the land until I spot a light. A couple of lights. A small town it looked like. A small town, somewhere. Where? Right on the edge of town, there's a lunch wagon and it's open. And there's a light shining on it and I'm hungry. So I go into the lunch wagon. Hi. How about some to eat, huh? Sure thing, Martin. Sure thing. What? What did you say? I said sure you're going to have something to eat, Martin. What it be? Martin. What town is this? Well, you ought to know, Martin. This is Wysey. Wysey, Oklahoma. Wysey, but that's the same place he... It can't be. Oh, that's no way to talk about your own hometown. Of course, you've been away quite a few years. You look good now. Well, wouldn't you say I've changed? Oh, no, Martin's not true. Of course, you're only around 16 when you left. Kind of an advanced 16, though. Yeah? Hey, many kids of that age would have stuck up the bank, knocked off the night watchman. I... I'd kill him. Oh, don't get modest, fella. Sure. Old man Henshaw. Hey, hey, I was near forgetting. You said you're hungry. Not anymore. Oh, come on. Have something to eat. Don't you believe in putting anything in your stomach before doing a job? Doing a job? Me? Why do you think I sent for him? Why should I promise you a grand? I... I don't remember. Oh, for Pete's sake, Martin, how many men have you killed that you don't remember a job like this? Never mind the acts. Play it straight, huh? Okay, okay. Don't get nasty. It's too late to talk business anyway. Come on, I've got a room fixed up for you in back. Get a good night's sleep. We'll talk in the morning. About an old man that's lived way past his time. Hmm? About how you were going to take care of that. Martin, I sent for you because I need money. I ain't got any. My uncle has. Old man Karoo. Well, get it from him. When he dies, I will. So? So I want him to die. Oh. I got a grand in cash. That's yours. For what? For my uncle. Dying a little earlier than expecting. No dice. No dice? Martin, you take care of old man Karoo. Well, sir, help me. I'll turn you in on that bank job. Go ahead. Turn me in. I can prove that I... And then I shut up quick. Blitz was watching me with those little pig eyes in his fat face. Sure, I could prove I wasn't Martin Pell. That I'd never been in wisy Oklahoma before in my life. Sure. But to do that, I'd have to admit I was Joe Harris. And when they found that corpse in the box car with my draft card on him, that'd be fine. A lot of attention the jury had paid to my plea of self-defense. No witnesses and me on the lam and me switching draft cards and panic. Sure, even the hangman had burst out laughing when he slipped a noose around my neck. I shut up quick. Blitz was watching me close. And then I said, Okay, Blitz, it's a deal. What's the layout? Trees will cover the car in case anybody happens to be out late on the highway. Can't be too careful. Ain't that so, Martin? That's so. It's only a short walk. Let's get going. Oh, uh, here. You better take this. What? Oh, a tire iron. I picked it up in a junkyard. They never trace it to me. It's for an old man crew. They bother him? I ain't used to him. Anymore, huh? Old man crew never bleeding behind curtains for the windows. There he is. Rockin' in his chair. I watched the porch step. It's busted. I guess we knock. It's polite. What's it now? Uncle crew. It's me. Just to come in. I brought a visitor. An old friend of yours. Man, set what you like. Set my rocker. Ain't nobody setin' it with me. Who's the man with you? Don't you recognize him? Looks like a pal boy. That's who it is. Martin Pell. It wasn't a good. Like you, bliss. All right, you visited. Goin' home now. Kinda cool, lad. Gives a chance to warm up, huh? I don't care what you do. I don't care what you do. Just do us an offer a bit. Go on, Martin. He ain't lookin' this way, now's the time. All right. I ain't gonna. He's an old man. Give me the iron. Why don't you give it to me? All right, here. Yeah. Uncle. Uncle. It was carried quite a bit of dough on him. Martin. Here. Huh? Here, take the money. It's your payment. No. I'll put it in your pocket myself. That's very important. When they find you here, knocked out, trippin' over that busted porch step, they'll know why you killed old man Karoo. What are you talkin' about? Karoo or a knowin' your reckon, Martin. They'll never look for anybody else. Now, when they find you on the premises with the old man's dough in your pocket and your fingerprints on the tire, they'll know. That's right. I was walkin' up a long flight of stairs with nothin' at the top, but more stairs and more stairs and my head was hurtin' and then I woke up. Woke up, lyin' outside of old man Karoo's house with a bloodstained tire iron in my hand. I let go of it. I pulled myself to my feet, and then I heard cars. They were comin' and there I still was. I had to get away fast. I didn't know the country, but I was hunted and a hunted animal's got an instinct to hide the run and to hide from the killers. Find me that day because I fooled them. I didn't try gettin' out of the county, gettin' away from the town. Oh, no, that's where they were watchin' for me. So I stayed put close to town, which fooled them, and also I had a job to do. Who is it? Me. What are you doin' here? I got paid for a killin' I didn't do. So I figure maybe I better do a killin' now for no pay at all. Stay where you are. No, we're alone here. I got this knife. Liz, you got a pencil? A pencil. Yeah, sure. Then sit down and write a little note about how you killed old man Karoo. I got the knife against your heart. Sit down and write. All right. Just write, I killed... I killed my uncle because I wanted his money. You got it? Good. I got it. Now sign your name pretty. I... I signed it. Take that knife away. Sure. After I... Yeah. Goodbye, Mr. Bliss. Now I better put the knife in your hand like this. Too bad your nerves went back on you. You committed suicide, Mr. Bliss. That's what you did. And now they'll stop lookin' for me. I hold in and waited until they found Bliss. So the law was called off. There was nobody to look for her. So I headed for the water and stopped in the frates because it was cold and I was headin' for sunshine. There was a train gettin' ready to head for the coast so I sneaked close to it on the far side. There was a couple of bulls around, chewin' the rag but they didn't see me. I spotted an open box car and I climbed in. I got away from the door. The bulls were comin' along checkin'. One of them sounded like the guy that had thrown me off the night before. Ah, this time I didn't care. I was hopin' he'd locked the door on me. So I curled up in a corner and waited. That was quite a wreck to head up ahead. Quite a wreck. Held up the line for 24 hours. This freight here had already pulled out when word came into the wreck up ahead so they backed her right back here and let her stand. Right, she's on her way now. Uh-uh, one of them slidein' doors is open. Give me a hand with that. Hey, wait, wait, wait if this is the same train. It can't be. This car. If it's the same train. This sack of wood be over there. Let me see. Yeah, it's the sack. And under it. I got a seat. Yeah, it's him. Martin Pal. Ha-ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha. And I liked it with him. Lee and Martin. The killer. We... We go into the sunshine together. And that's how the cops will find us. Last for poor Joe, who couldn't keep out of boxcars. He was a nice boy, but he couldn't stay put. I guess they'll give him the order of the rolling stone. Tombstone. And believe you with a happy parting thought. Whenever you hear a freight train whistling in the night, think of Joe and one there. Is he still in it? With Martin rattling? Well, friends, it's time once again to close that creaking door. Until next week at the same time, when we'll be back with a little hunk of horror. Ha-ha-ha. You'll be sure to listen, won't you? Until next week then. Good night. Pleasant dreams.