 Adventures by Morse, Carlton E. Morse presents The City of the Dead, featuring Captain Friday. If you like high adventure, come with me. If you like the stealth of intrigue, come with me. If you like blood and thunder, come with me. But first, listen to a word from our sponsor. The City of the Dead. There are 10,000 citizens in the City of the Dead, each with a white marble slab indicating each residence. The gates of the City of the Dead have long been closed to newcomers. It is a city whose population has remained unchanged for the last 10 years. And the mayor of this city is Joshua Friday. Some call him caretaker of the old cemetery in the valley. But anyone who knows Joshua Friday at all calls him mayor. He is the only living person in the City of the Dead. That is, unless you care to include Lamy Fink, a slow-witted fellow who does kitchen police duty, and a little gardening in the city during the day, and retires beyond its precincts at night. The City of the Dead lies in a tiny valley 25 miles from the suburb of a great city. It is off the main highway and completely isolated from the world. But now it's 9 o'clock on a moonlit, windy night in October. Come on, come on, get out of that car. You heard me. What do you want? You want me to plug you? Oh, Jimmy, do what he says. You too, girl, get out. You let go of me. You let that girl alone. Then get out of the car, both of you. Yeah, I'll start walking. No, the other way. But that's toward the graveyard. You heard me. And don't look back or they'll pick up your bodies in the morgue wagon in the morning. Now get moving. Jimmy, what's happening to us? Keep walking. Don't look around. They've stolen your machine. I know it, fellas. I couldn't tackle two armed men. Well, of course you couldn't. You shouldn't have parked way out here in the country. But it was nice. It was so still in the moonlight. Who do you suppose they were? Probably Car thieves. They didn't touch us. Jimmy. A church bell. But there aren't any churches around here? Oh, sure there is. That little old church down at the other end of the valley. Well, but that's all falling to pieces. It hasn't been used for years. That's right. Funny, isn't it? Jimmy, I'm scared. Do we have to go on? Oh, look, fellas, there's a lot ahead of us. You know what it is? No. Oh, Jimmy, what's that? Quick, get off the road. Behind those bushes. Get down. Oh, Jimmy. Jimmy, what was that? What was... Shh, shh, shh, shh. Oh, I wish we were home. Don't talk so loud, fellas. I've been acting as though you were being chased. Chased? Listen. Don't hear anything, do you? No. Come on. Keep on the grass. Where are we going? You saw that light. I just remembered that the caretaker of the city of the dead lives around here somewhere. That must be his place. Well, what? I don't like that name. What? The city of the dead? Yes. Graveyard's bad enough. Well, anyway, we'll get him to let us use his phone and call the police and have a car sent out for us. Oh, there, you can see the outline of the house among the trees. See it? Uh-huh. Looks awfully lonesome, doesn't it? Look. What are those? We're inside the city of the dead. Those are the tombstones glistening in the moonlight. I don't like it, Jimmy. Oh, here's the door. Well, Jimmy, don't leave me. I'm right here in the shadow. He doesn't answer. It's funny. What do you want? Hold on. No. Hey, where did you come from? What do you want? Are you the caretaker? Supposing I am. Oh, what made you sneak up on us from behind? Did you make in that crazy noise? What noise? Oh, you mean the man crying? Oh, so twice you... Oh, no. No, it wasn't. He passed us down the road. He was scared. What are you doing here? What? My car was stolen from us. Stolen? Hi, Doc. Open the door. Yes. Two men held us up. We want a phone to the city for help. Do you hear, Doc? They're coming, ma'am. What have you there, ma'am? Go on in, you two. Yes, sir. Lock up again, will you, Doc? Sure. Were they the ones who came up to Ruffus? Hmm. Tell a queer story. Hear you two sit down. I said the car was stolen, Doc. Who stole it? Well, I don't know. Just two gunmen. Yes. Not here, ma'am. You better let me do the questioning. We'll get further. Hmm. Go ahead. What's your name, son? James Parker, sir. And this is Miss Phyllis Carroll. How do you do, Miss Carroll? Oh, Mr. Parker, as I understand, you and Miss Carroll were out riding this evening. Uh-huh. We were parked down the road near your house. Parked? What for? No, no, ma'am. Ah, it looks suspicious to me, Doc. With all these other goings on. No, you just don't understand modern young folk, ma'am. You'd better let me do the talking. Now then, you were parked on the edge of the road, I take it? Yes, sir. And then what happened? Well, two men suddenly appeared. One on each side of the car and told us to put up our hands and get out of the car. They were armed, you say? Yeah, both of them. When we got out, they told us to keep walking in the direction of the graveyard. What's that? Oh, son, don't ever say that word again in front of the Mayor Friday. This is the city of the dead. Oh, yes, sir. Sorry. Now, go on. Well, just as we saw the light in the caretakers... There's Mayor, son. Mayor. Yes, sir. Just as we saw the light in the Mayor's house, we heard someone coming down the road as hard as he could run. He was scared. Hysterical, huh? Yes, sir, he was. Crying and sobbing. Oh, Jimmy, you forgot about the bell. Bell? Yes, the church bell. It seemed to come from down at the other end of the city of the dead. I guess it was from the old church down there. You hear that, Mayor? There ain't been no bell in them ruins for 10 years, Doc. No bell? But we heard it. But I tell you... Never mind, Mayor. Now then, son, what happened after that? Well, after the man ran by, we waited a few moments, and we came to the door and knocked. That's all. Oh, I see. What do you make of it, Mayor? Don't like it. Think they're lying. But we're not. Listen, let me call up the police. Police? The police? I'm Mayor of the city of the dead. And what I say goes... Yes, sir. And I ain't never had any police in this city and I ain't never gonna have. And besides, there isn't any telephone here. But I saw telephone, sir. One of you heard me say there was no telephone here. But I've got to let my mother know. I'm sorry, Miss Carol. It seems to be fate. What are we going to do? No one ever comes by this way? Well, Mayor Friday will put you up for the night. I think he has a couple of extra rooms, eh, Mayor? Oh, sure. Sure. But I've got to get home tonight. No, no, Miss Carol. You better just take it all as an adventure and make the best of it. Isn't that right, son? Yeah, I guess so. Maybe if we started to walk back, we could pick up a ride when we hit the main highway. No, no, no. We couldn't think of letting you do that. You simply must accept Mayor Friday's hospitality. Now, I'll tell you what. While the mayor is fixing up your rooms, I'll brew a cup of coffee. But I don't want any coffee. Of course you do. Eh, there's still a fire in the kitchen stove. And the kettle's almost too boil. We'll have coffee in a jeffy. But I want to go home. Don't say any more for us. Jimmy, what does it mean? I don't know. Something's up. I don't get it, but we better play up to him. Pretend like you thought nothing was a matter. Laura, are we prisoners? It looks like it. Now, don't worry, though. I can take on these two old deffers if I have to. Well, but who is this, this dock person? Oh, shh, here he comes. Coffee's all ready. Eh, there you are, Miss Carol. Thank you. Eh, and there you are, Mr. Parker. Oh, thank you, sir. Here's some buns. Better if they're hot, but they'll do for the service night. No, thank you. I'll just have coffee. Sir, I thought that Mr. Mayor Friday lived here alone. And you wonder who I am, eh? Well, I'm what's your city doctor's and call an old codger, I'm afraid. Just an old country doctor. A doctor's tuner is what they call me. But I wouldn't think they'd need a physician in the city of the dead. Oh, no, no. The city of the dead isn't my seat of practice. That is, I should say it wasn't my seat of practice. You see, son, I'm retired now. All my patients are dead. Dead? All of them? Well, it's this way, young folks. I was a family doctor and had my little practice and was like a member of each family that a doctorate. I knew all the little troubles and every pain of each of my patients. Never seemed a hanker to add new patients to my clientele, especially as I grew older. Eh, more coffee, Miss Carol? It does taste good. Well, as time went on, I found myself laying more and more of my patients to rest in the city of the dead. But there hasn't been anyone buried in the city of the dead for the last, you know, 10 years. Well, this was years ago, son. Well, finally, about 10 years ago, I discovered that all the families I had doctored were either dead or had moved away. I said I hadn't added any new patients. I was a doctor without a practice. But couldn't you have got more? Oh, I suppose I could, but I never made a practice of it, so I didn't hanker to begin trying at my age. I was getting well along, and I had enough to live on. I see. Which means that you don't see it all. Well, son, as I said, I lost the last of my patients about the time they closed the city of the dead as a burying place and opened up a new fangle cemetery over on the other side of the city. My last patient just slipped in under the bar, as you might say. Last person to be buried here. Your patients are buried in this grave, the city of the dead? Everyone of them. So you can see the city of the dead has a very soft place in my heart. I often come down here and stay as well with the mayor. It's kind of like being with old friends. Going down there among those little white headstones brings back all the old days to me. And you just happened to be here on a visit tonight? Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, here comes the mayor. Your room's just ready. Now, that's good. I suppose, Miss Carol, you'd better take the first room. Mr. Parker, you take the one right next to it. Is that right, Mayor? Don't make no difference. Well, good night. I hope you both sleep well. I'm calling from breakfast. Good night, Dr. Tuner, and you too, Mr. Mayor Friday. Good night, son. You, Miss Carol. Yes, good night. Night, Phil. Remember, I'm right next door. Night, Jim. And now you, son. Yeah. Hi. Hi out there. Oh, Phyllis! Phyllis! Jimmy, is that you? Yes. Phyllis, they've locked me in in the windows bar. Out of the night come two youngsters. Into the web of intrigue, woven by two strange old characters they fall. Prisoners of Dr. Tuner and Mayor Friday. Just who are? But before we go into that, a word from our sponsor. Having locked Jimmy Parker and Phyllis Carroll in adjoining bedrooms in the caretaker's cottage, old Dr. Tuner and Mayor Friday are out among the gravestones investigating. We don't care, Mayor. We won't be able to find anything down here among the graves this time of night. Yeah, moon's good. Anyway, I know we're sticking stone in the city of the dead. I'll know if anybody's been prowling around. Good morning will do just as well. No, it won't. I'm going to look, and if I catch anybody prowling around, well, I got my gun. But if the men got away, as those youngsters said... Rosenley ain't telling the truth. All that nonsense. It's about here in a church bell. Well, the girl was telling the truth, Mayor. I know the truth when I hear it. Dang funny. Ain't no church bells within 20 miles of here. I tell you, Doc, I'm just going to raise old Ned. If I catch anybody bothering any of my citizens, they come to the city of the dead to rest, and I'm going to see that they get it. No, of course, Mayor. But what gets me is why anyone should want to rob a 10-year-old grave and let... find Joe, Mayor. Huh? Well, never mind now. This is going to take some thinking over. I'll tell you when we get back to the house. Look, look, Yonder, there was a fog among the stones. Yeah, yeah. There was a first bit of fog sweeping down the valley. Now, the couple of hours in the whole city will be so thick you can cut yourself a hunk. Hmm. Strange how I love this old place. Those wisps of fog remind me of rays, nice friendly phantoms. Mm-hmm. I reckon you have the same feel about this place as me. Oh, listen. Hmm, Mayor, there's your church bell. But they ain't any bell, I tell you. I seen them take it out of the tower 10 years back when they quit using it. Yeah, maybe your ears are deceiving you, but personally, I hear church bells. He's a fellow that creeps, don't he? Mayor, it seems to me they're all together. Too many mysterious things happen in the city of the dead if you can get what I mean. I don't. Well, for a city of quiet, decent folk that are supposed to be at their last resting place, there's a beastly lot of nocturnal activity. Hmm, listen. They all stopped. Say, I got a thought, Mayor. Yeah? Why don't you put old Lammy Fink to keep a look out at night? If he saw a prowler... If he saw a prowler, he'd have a fit. Hmm, Lammy Fink. That adult brain wouldn't stay in the city of the dead after dark for anything on earth. Well, to be honest about it, Mayor, it looks to me like the kids are telling the truth. In the morning, we'd better feed them and send them on their way. And have them go home and tell a long rigmarole about Otto Bandit and hysterical men and phantom church bells and us locking them up for the night? Well, you can't keep them locked up indefinitely. Better turn them loose before any more harm is done. Mighty funny, they should show up right at this time. Looks queer to me. Somebody's been monkeying around in the city of the dead for the last week. Then we up and catch a couple. Won't seem natural to me that they should be innocent. Well, then I lied to them about the telephone. That's something else for them to talk about. Guy's sake, Stark. If they went to the police with all that, the city of the dead would be run over with police and thrill hunters for weeks. I ain't gonna have it. What's this? Look here. Man's cap. Yes, it's a cap, all right. Recognize it? Yes. It belongs to Lamy Fink. Don't tell much. Might have left it here yesterday while he was working. No, he didn't. I was by this way after he left last night. Wasn't here then. Anyway, he was working down at the other end of the city. And again, I seen him when he left after work and he had it on his head then. Well, those are three pretty definite reasons to make us believe that Lamy Fink isn't so afraid of the city of the dead after dark as you thought. Likewise, it rather indicates that Lamy was down here tonight. Oh, Lamy, he wasn't down here. Not if he could help it, he wasn't. You're a stubborn fellow, Mayor. You deny their church bells even when you hear them. Now you admit that a man's cap has arrived on the scene without reason or assistance. Things ain't like they should be, Doc. Something's a matter. Somebody's desecrating the city of the dead. Well, the thing to do is to question Lamy tomorrow. Shh, wait. Listen. Hmph. The church bell again. Say, I'm beginning to think you were right about investigating that old church. I'll be with you tomorrow. I ain't gonna wait till tomorrow. I'm going down there now. Come now, Mayor. It's getting foggier in the douche. You won't be able to see anything. Go on anyway. If there's anything there, I'll see it. What's the use of chasing phantom church bells this time of night? Don't come if you don't want to. I'm going. If you're going, I might as well go, too. You ain't fidgety at your age, are you, Doc? Who, me? Blamed old fool. Come on. Now that we're here, what are you gonna do about it? Can't see a blame thing. Got a flashlight, Doc. Always carry one. Delapidated old ruin should have been torn down long ago. Come on. I'll lead. And look out for your staff. Every board's full of rottenness. Floor's lively collapse and lets you through. I ought to know that. Been in here often enough. Hey, what in tongue could stand? Nothing but the rafters creaking. Can't you feel the whole building sway when the wind blows? It's that old. Man, you hold your bangs like there's a crash down on us. I don't reckon so. Keep quiet. What to do is for. You don't expect to run anything... into anything here, do you? Most folks have better sense in the rest of their neck than this kind of a place. If a bell rungs, somebody rung it. But you said there wasn't any bell. Mm-hmm. Last time I was in here is when we buried old man Burton. He was born ten years back. Do you remember old man Burton, Mayor? Yeah. Walk down this very aisle behind his coffin. Oh, Lord of Mighty, Mayor. Yeah, just to screech, our Doc. That's to blame this noise. Hold it. I told you we should have waited till morning. It ain't nothing. Come on. Where are you going now? We're going to climb up this here ladder into the bell frame. No, we're not. I am? Like it's not one of the rungs will give way and you'll break your neck. I'm going to chance it. Then let me go first. No, this here's my funeral. You'll be careful, Mayor. Listen to those rungs squeak under your weight. Yes, of course. Hold that light down here so I can see what I'm doing. All right. Right behind you. All right, Doc. Wait for me at the top of the ladder. If there's anything doing, I might as well be in on it. All right, Doc. Except for a bad case of goose pimples. No, I'm going to turn on the flashlight. Better crouch down in case there should be anything. I'm crouching. Look out! What's the matter? See what? Whatever made that noise. There was pigeons. Scared the pie out of them. I saw a shape, shadows. Just a pigeon flying around. I don't believe it. I saw something big. Where is it then? Couldn't have gone down the ladder. Couldn't have jumped out of the bell frame without busting its neck. Have your own way. Anyway, there isn't any bell up here. Exactly like I told you. So you see, we had all this monkey business for nothing. Satisfied now? I heard a bell tonight. Of course you did. Sold it out. Mayor, where did it come from? Ain't no other buildings around for 20 miles. Looks to me like you deepened your mystery rather than sold it. Yeah. Look, look. Cowboy, it's all over the place. Ain't nobody else been up here for years. Anybody could tell that. Mayor, let's go back to the house to do our coyotating. I'm not what you'd call comfortable perched up here in this old bell free. Yeah. I reckon we might as well go down. That's over. I'd make a blame for a monkey at my age. Come along. Now, where do you think you're going? As long as I'm here, I might as well look over the whole place. You sure are anxious to break a leg. You feel how springy these floorboards are? We'll have to give away any minute. We'll take a look behind the altar. What's back there? It used to be the preacher's study. It was never used, though, after the old bell ringer committed suicide in there. Oh, Mayor, I'd forgotten about that. Old Sammy Martin hanged himself, didn't he? Yeah. Locked the study off and never used it after that. Of course I remember now. 15 years ago, if it was a day. It ain't locked no more, I don't reckon. Look here, Mayor, I'm not so certain I like this. Like what? We've got a dead bell ringer. Yeah? You think there's any connection? No. You? I hope not. Whoever heard of a doctor being scared of ghosts? Don't recollect saying anything about being frightened. I'm just putting two and two together. Mayor! Where are you? Where's the light? Are you hurt? I'm all right. It just broke through the floor. Hurt? Have you got the light? No. The skin machine blasts this rotten place. But the light? Yes. Here it is. I hold on to it. My soul, what was that? Come from your study, didn't it? Yes, sounded so. It's only the rafters. Here, help me put my leg out of this dang hole. Wait a minute until I turn on the light. No, no, no, no, leave it off. We'll sneak up on the study. What do you mean, sneak up? Here, give me your hand. There you are. Look here, Mayor. I've had enough for one night. I'm going to see what made that noise. No fat chance of sneaking up on anything after the Christ you made when you failed. We'll sneak up to the door and throw it open. Yeah, and get shot for our trouble. No, no, we won't. We'll be lying flat on the floor. Yes. Then we'll wriggle into the room. Now, listen, I'm no snake. Then we'll wait until we hear a noise. You're crazy, Mayor. So anyway, as soon as we hear a noise, we'll flash on the light and nab whoever's there. Just as easy as that. Come on now, don't make a sound. Here's the door. Lie down flat. Right in front of the door? Yes, it swings in. I'm right alongside you. Who's going to open the door? I am. I've unleashed it. All I've got to do is give it a push. Well, push. Jumping seizure, what was that, Don? Whatever it was, it ran the full length of me. Stepped on you? Stepped on me and dang near ground me into the floor. I stepped smack on my head. Are you hurt? Well, I don't feel any too good. Can you walk? Of course. Well, our ghost seems to have gotten away. Turn on the light. Let's get into the room and look around. Yeah, I could do with some light. Mayor, I haven't told you the worst yet. The worst? Yes, the worst. Mayor, whoever it was that ran over me didn't have shoes on. Look where his nails scratched my face. Gosh, you're a mighty dog. Wasn't it a man? I'm not telling you he was barefooted, if it was. Gee, Rushi. Did it take claws to make scratches like that? Here. Here, tie your face up with this. It's handkerchief. It's bleeding. I hope you're satisfied. Now, just a minute. Just a minute. I want to look around this study. Give me the flashlight. No limit to your curia. Shh. There it is again. Whatever it is, it's hanging about outside. Look. Look there, dog. It's a bell row. Bell row? I see it. That claw-footed man or whatever it is has been ringing the bell from in here. Look where it disappears through the ceiling. It's a new row. Mr. Mayor, what are you going to do with it? I'm going to ring that dang bell. Now, you want to prove to yourself that there is a bell, huh? Of course there is a bell. I always knew there was. Well, go ahead. Pull it. My face hurts. I'll give it a yank, then it'll pull the whole contraption down. Well, pull. Pull. Yeah. Here goes. Mayor. Mayor. What? It wasn't a bell. It was a trap. You have just heard the opening episode of The City of the Dead, especially written and produced for your sponsor by Carlton E. Morse. What is this claw-foot thing? What is the meaning of the Phantom Church bell? Why are Jimmy and Phyllis held prisoners? And finally, who shot Mayor Friday? And how and why? The mystery grows deeper and creepier next week with chapter two entitled Dug Up Something Gastly.