 Inner Sanctum Mystery, starring Peter Lorre, brought to you by Carter's Little Liver Pill. Before we open the squeaking door on Inner Sanctum this evening, here's a message the government would like to have passed on to you. Women are urgently needed now in war plants and essential industries. There are all kinds of war jobs which don't involve machinery or tools, such as driving a bus or taxi, working in a laundry, restaurant, school or day nursery. And in filling these jobs, women are relieving men for heavier work. Ladies, if you live in an area where there's a shortage of war workers, go to the office of the United States Employment Service nearest your home at once. The address is in your local telephone book. But remember, do not move to a crowded war center in search of a job. It will only add to the housing and living problem already existing there. Your first and only necessary step to volunteer your services in a war job is to visit your local United States Employment Service office. Get yourself a war job and hasten the day of victory. And now we open the squeaking door. Good evening, friends of the Inner Sanctum. This is Raymond, your host. I'm glad you came tonight because we have a very special guest of horror with us. I'd like you to meet the late Johnny Gravestone, the most celebrated member of the Inner Sanctum Ghost Society. He is the best haunter of them all. Johnny is the tall figure in the white sheet wearing the blue ribbon. He's haunted everything from a palace to a telephone booth. And if you're very nice to him, he'll be glad to consider giving your house to once over. Who knows? He may even haunt you. Tonight's Inner Sanctum story, The Black Seagull, is an original radio drama by Sigmund Miller and stars Peter Laurie in the role of Richard Blake. It's produced under the direction of Hyman Brown. Inner Sanctum mysteries are brought to you by Carter's Little Liver Pills. When you feel dull, headachey, sluggish, take Carter's two-way treatment to, first, start your liver bile flowing quickly, second, get comfortable relief from irregularity. Well, we're about to begin our story. I forgot to warn you about the tremblings. They're those pesky, invisible cousins of the gremlins. They sidle up to you, give you quick little shoves, and create the false impression that you're trembling. If you're being troubled by a tremble, just grab him by his invisible little horns and stick him into the nearest pincushion. Dusk is settling fast along the Carolina coast. A few miles out at sea, a motorboat rides through the choppy waters. Dr. Griffin and Richard Blake are fantastically scanning the horizon looking for Richard's wife, Barbara. He's lost himself. Getting dark, Richard? We've got to find her before night falls. Perhaps she's gotten back home by now. We've been gone for over an hour. The mast was loose in the sailboat. It would never hold out in that wind. Barbara is in a disabled boat. We haven't much gasoline left. I am not going back until we find her. The only thing we can do is call the coast guard. Dr. Griffin? Yes. Seagulls. Sounded like a human cry. Oh, no. It's only the gulls, Richard. Listen. It's the same sound. No. This is no bird cry. That was Barbara. That was the cry of a seagull. See? He's right above us. A black seagull. A black gull. Completely black. It's an ominous sign. Something has happened to Barbara. Come now. I hope you don't believe in that superstitious nonsense. Look. Over there. Do you see it? It looks like a boat. It's Barbara. The mast. The mast is down. We'd better get over there fast. Here. Help me put her on the couch. Dr. Griffin, please. You've got to do something. I'll do everything I can. Pretty bad. Concussion. The mast. It must have come loose and struck her. Please, Dr. Griffin, you've got to bring her back. She may come to any second. Or she may never come out of it. No, no, no. It isn't true. I wish it weren't. The skull is crushed. The injury is a fatal one. No, no. It's only a surface wound. Perhaps an operation. We can get her to the hospital. Look. Look, she's coming too. Please, Richard. That isn't a chance. Richard. Yes, darling? Oh, it wasn't my fault. The mast. It broke in the wind. Don't talk like that, darling. I'm so sorry, Richard. Don't be unhappy. You're going to be all right. Dr. Griffin says you're going to recover. No. You've got to hold on, darling. We'll get you to the hospital. You've been so good to me, darling. We've been very happy together. You can't leave me, Barbara. I won't live without you. You mustn't say that. You die, Barbara. I don't want to live. I'll always be near you. I'll come back if it's possible. You must. You must come back. You must. If you don't, I'll come to you. No. No, I'll return, Richard. I'll return. Richard, I... She's gone. Lower the coffin, Richard. You wish to pay your final respect. Final respect? This isn't the end. It's the beginning. Do you understand? The beginning. Barbara isn't gone. She'll come back. She said so. No, Richard. No one comes back from the grave. It's dangerous to believe that. Dangerous for your sanity. She'll come back. She didn't lie. All right, men. Lower the body. Did you hear that? Yes. The seagulls again. That wasn't the seagull. I told you. That was Barbara's voice. Please, Richard. It's only a gull. It's her. She's calling to me. She promised to return. You see? Barbara didn't fail me. You must stop this, Richard. You'll wind up in an asylum. We are a fool, Dr. Griffin. Lower the coffin, men. That was her voice. No, no, no. Don't lower it. That sound came from her coffin. She might even be alive. She's dead, Richard. Don't let that coffin open. We can't do that, Richard. There's no way of opening it now. We'll try it open. Don't try to stop me, Dr. Griffin. All right. We'll open it. Here, one of you men. Break the seals at the top of the coffin. For heaven's sakes, hurry, hurry, hurry. It would only be worse for you, Richard, if you look at poor Barbara again. Will you tell the man to hurry? The coffin's opened, Richard. That's all you can see for your sin. Look. Look at her face. Her face? You wouldn't believe it. Look at her mouth. As if she had just called my name. Dr. Griffin. Come in. The door is open. Oh! You took me by surprise, Richard. I didn't expect you to be sitting so close to the door. And sorry I startled you, Dr. Griffin. I just thought I'd drop in before I went to bed. Or, uh... Are you waiting for someone? Yes, I am. What are you sitting in the dark for? Where's the light switch? I don't quite see any light. I prefer sitting in the dark. Richard, you're becoming very morbid. Don't you think you ought to get to bed? It's nearly midnight. It's midnight. Yes. That's the time she'll come back. You really believe Barbara will come back? I'm sure she will. Will she? She'll come. If she does, it will only be in your mind. Take your time. Barbara, you've come. She's here. I know she's here. Oh, darling, you've kept your promise. Richard, stop it. Where's the light switch? Put that light out! It was nothing. The wind opened the door. It was just a coincidence it happened at the stroke of midnight. I didn't close the door properly when I came in. She was here. I felt her cheek on mine. You imagined it? Imagined it. Looked at the window. Look at my cheek. My cheek. A teardrop. Well, I'm not sure. It's not a teardrop. It's the rain. The wind blew some rain in through the open door. It wasn't the rain. Barbara was here. If you hadn't put down the lights, I would have seen her. People do come back on the grave. I... I heard about such cases. Barbara, it's you. It's me. I... I was about to give up. I was beginning to lose hope. Hope would have just to see you again. Yeah. Can you quiet your walk in the door if you'd like? And you quiet your tears. Because I'm not you. It wasn't the rain. I was about to break myself. Yeah. We're two. We're two. But I couldn't see you no more. I just felt your cheek. It was very hard to return at all. What is that noise? I don't hear anything in your cheek. That sound disturbs me. It makes me uneasy. I can see you much more clearly. And the sound? That's very nice. So good to be here again. Get me out of your hand. Wait. Why? How do you say that? What do you mean? Hear the banging. Oh, it's just a little. Barbara, don't go away. I can't. I'm striking you away. Don't let him. I don't want to go back. I'll try. I don't want to go back. I want to stay with you. Goodbye, Richard. Richard. Richard. Wake up. Wake up. Good thing I heard a shot as banging. I came in to see what was making all this noise. You... You shouldn't have awakened me. Hmm. This box of pills. You took an overdose of these sleeping tablets. I hadn't awakened you. You would have slept on until eternity. Barbara came for me. She was just about to take my hand. Perhaps if she had, you'd never have gotten up. I didn't want to get up. I wanted to be with Barbara forever. Well... Dr. Griffin should be awarded the Order of the Inner Sanctum for saving the life of Richard Blake. If it weren't for the good man, our story would have come to an end in the middle of the program. And that would have been very inconvenient for all of us. As a reward, perhaps we'll just wound Dr. Griffin a little bit instead of polishing him off. But until we make up our minds, here's a gentleman with an important message for you. To keep you feeling on top of the world, medical knowledge proves that nature should produce about two pints of liver bile, the vital digestive juice your liver makes, each day. Otherwise, your food may not digest properly and leave you feeling dull, headache-y, sluggish. Scientific facts show it takes a two-way treatment to get the vital digestive juice flowing quickly and to relieve sluggishness without disturbing digestion. Therefore, do as thousands now do. Take Carter's little liver pills. First, because Carter starts the vital digestive juice flowing, usually within 30 minutes. Second, because Carter's gently help you to that glorious feeling that goes with regularity. Remember, many ordinary simple oxidives don't, but Carter's little liver pills do give this two-way treatment. So take genuine Carter's little liver pills as directed tonight. Tomorrow, see if you don't wake up feeling glad to be alive. Get Carter's at any drug store, 25 cents. We're ready to continue with our strange story. I hope you've all made yourselves comfortable. If it's too warm for you, we'll be glad to chill you a bit. Or if it's too cold, we'll be glad to make it hot for you. As a matter of fact, from now on, you'll get it both hot and cold. The following evening, Barbara, you must come back to me. Barbara. Barbara. Can you hear me? Perhaps she can't get in. She said it was hard for her to come back. I opened the door. Barbara! For a moment, there was a shadowy figure to do. I did see him suddenly. She's here. It's you, Kitty. Barbara's pet. I haven't seen you since Barbara died. Come here, Kitty. What are you looking at? Barbara! Your voice is so faint. I can see you. It's still crinkled. Like it always did. What are you? Please don't go away. Run at the table. For heaven's sake, Barbara. Let me see you again. He has been touched, darling. Please don't go. Where are you? I can't see you. No, not yet. Just another moment. Barbara! Barbara! She's gone. She's gone. No, she was here. Who is there? Oh, it's you, Dr. Griffin. I came back to see how you were. I don't need any help. I heard you shouting Barbara's name. You were mistaken, Dr. Griffin. Barbara's dress. It's lying over the chair. Could you take it out of the closet? No, Dr. Griffin. The perfume's in the air. It's a bottle of perfume over-turned on the vanity table by old Heather. That was Barbara's favorite, wasn't it? Yes, Dr. Griffin. You think Barbara was here? Don't you, Richard? She was here. I spoke to her. And she'll come again. She said she would. And maybe the next time, I'll be able to see Barbara, see her as she was when she was alive. I know you don't want visitors, Richard, but you shouldn't be alone. I brought Miss Driscoll with me to look after you. How do you do, Mr. Blake? Barbara will be here soon. You haven't been eating. You've lost a lot of weight. Richard! Yes, Dr. Griffin? You've got to listen to me. There's nothing you can tell me. You won't last at this rate. Look at you. Pale and lifeless. You're still alive, but you're living among the dead. Well, you've got to stop this. You don't, you wind up in an asylum. An asylum? You still don't believe Barbara had come back. Richard, she hasn't come back. You saw for yourself the other night her dress, her perfumes. She came back. I spoke to her. You took the dress out of the closet yourself, and it was you who overturned the bottle of perfume. You are lying, Dr. Griffin. It wasn't me. You're trying to come between us. I won't let you. I won't... Barbara! I can see you. I'll drag him to the hall, Miss Driscoll. Hurry. I can see you very clearly now. You're even lovelier than ever. Richard. We've got to meet each other halfway. Yes, darling. I've been trying. I tried very hard. You remember him? I'm afraid, but you're... you're dead. He was your neighbor once. Miss Driscoll Field. The girl you went to school with. Barbara. Barbara, watch out. The mast. It's falling. It's falling. Richard, help me. It's Barbara. She's out there in a boat. The mast is gone. I've got to save her before it's too late. You're not going anywhere. There's no one calling you. Nurse, help me get him back into bed. Let me go. Let me go. Come back, Richard. I'm very far in this short time, Dr. Griffin. I've got sight of him. Just a moment to go. Oh, there he is. Yes, I see him. Yes, but he's going down. He's going up. Yes, he's gone down. But he was holding someone. I... I could see her long black hair. It's no use. We'll never... You say he was holding someone? It looked like a woman. She had long black hair. It must have been seaweed. You see things in this twilight. But don't exist. Imagination is like fire. A good servant, but a bad master. I guess we'd better get back. Dr. Griffin lost a good fight. He was gull crazy. But there was no gull. That was Richard's wife. Anyway, the Innocent Ghost Society is mad at Dr. Griffin because he's interfering with the drive for new members. Say, by the way, if... you should hear the wild cry of birds in your next dream, don't be alarmed. It's just the spring is on its way. Be sure to read this month's Innocent to Mystery Novel, The Smell of Money by Matthew Head on sale at all bookshops. It's enough to make you shudder when you see what a boy or a girl can put in his or her stomach. Things you know would lay you low. Yet they bounce out of bed in the morning just a raren to go. That's youth for you. Yet thousands of people who should feel terrible tomorrow morning considering the way they've insulted their digestive systems this weekend may feel like a million tomorrow morning because tonight they're going to act on a piece of advice from the book of medical knowledge. For medical knowledge proves that nature should produce about two pints of the vital digestive juice your liver makes each day. Otherwise your food may not digest properly and leave you feeling dull, headachey, sluggish. Scientific facts show it takes a two-way treatment to get the vital digestive juice flowing quickly without disturbing digestion. Therefore do as thousands now do. Take Carter's Little Liver Pills to get this two-way treatment you may need. First, Carter start the vital digestive juice flowing, usually within 30 minutes. Second, Carter's gently help you to that glorious feeling that goes with regularity. Remember many ordinary simple accident don't, but Carter's Little Liver Pills do give this two-way treatment. So take genuine Carter's Little Liver Pills as directed tonight. Tomorrow see if you don't wake up feeling glad to be alive. Get Carter's at any drugstore, 25 cents. Be sure to listen next week. For lovely Judith Evelyn we'll be back with us again in a sweet little story just for a beautiful murder. Well, now it's time to close the squeaking door of the Inner Sanctum until next week. So, good night. Good night. Well, dream. Inner Sanctum comes to you from New York. This is the Blue Network.