 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. Eight o'clock on the third night in the City of the Dead. In the afternoon of the second day in the old abandoned cemetery, Captain Friday had locked Jimmy Parker and Phyllis Carroll together, and had taken his father, the mayor, and old Dr. Tuner to Lammie Fink's cabin on the edge of the cemetery. They had found three bodies in the cellar. One was the strangled body found in old Ernie Morton's grave. The second was the body of the man whom the claw-footed phantom had killed at the back of the mayor's cottage. The third was Lammie Fink. According to Captain Friday, he'd been scared to death. That's right. And while we were in the cellar examining the bodies, the cabin mysteriously burst into flames, and we barely escaped with our lives. The bodies were completely consumed. After this experience, the old mayor, my father, complained of being tired, and returned to his cottage inside the gates of the City of the Dead. Dr. Tuner and I went down to the deserted ruins of a church for the phantom church bell. In the musty rectory where the bell-ringer had hanged himself ten years before, we found old claw-foot, amusing himself with a human skeleton. But the queer creature with flowing beard and flowing robes got away from us. Returning to the caretaker's cottage, we found my dad upset, and Phyllis Carroll with a stab wound in her back just under the shoulder blade. Jimmy Parker had been locked in the room with a girl at the time, but he denied the deed. Then Phyllis regained consciousness and sobbed out, oh, Jimmy, why did you stab me? That was at two in the afternoon. Now at eight in the evening, Dr. Tuner is with his patient. Dr. Tuner, am I going to die? I reckon you aren't even going to be very sick, Miss Carroll. Just lost a mind of blood, and the wound won't even leave its car. Feel much better after a little sleep, don't you? I've been asleep? Sure you have. Here, let me fix that pillow. Lie on your left side just a little. That leaves that sick shoulder yours. Look, might have put you in that outfit, Miss Carroll, with a fair light playing on you. I must look terrible. I've been crying so much, but... Not a bit of it. You look like a young girl should look. Oh, Dr. Tuner, what would make Jimmy do a thing like that? Oh, no, you'd better let Captain Friday figure that out. That's his business. By the way, he wants to bring Parker in here as soon as you feel like it. Oh, no, please. I can't face Jimmy after... I reckon that'll be necessary, Miss Carroll. Do I have to see him? Can't be helped, I'm afraid. Well, all right then. Good. We'll have him in now and get it over with. Captain Friday and his father have Parker in his room giving him a go-and-over. I'll just call him. Yeah, Captain. That's you, Dr. Miss Carroll's ready to see you next door. Good. Come on out, fella. Come on, Mayor. I'd rather not see fellas tonight. You know, what you want hasn't got anything to do with it. Go on in there and sit down. Okay. Have it your way, then. No. I want you facing the girl, sitting in that straight chair. Yeah, if I didn't know when there's going to be all this rumpers, I'd have said take him to the city and lock him up from the first. Never mind, Mayor. We'll get things straightened out for you in the city of the dead. I know the reason why. Aren't you ashamed of yourself, Parker? No, I'm not. I suppose you only regret that you didn't kill Miss Carroll outright, huh? Oh, Jimmy. You look here. I didn't stab Phyllis. How many times do I have to tell you? Miss Carroll says you did. Well, I didn't. You said he did, didn't you, Miss Carroll? Yes. You see, Parker? I'd like to hear her tell how I did it. I haven't any objection to that. Miss Carroll, do you mind? How could you, Jimmy? And all the time I thought it was you and me against everyone. Phyllis, how can you even say that? Never mind, Parker. Tell your story, Miss Carroll. Well, we were talking... Tell us what you were talking about. I wanted to tell you everything we know about all of it. I wanted to take a chance that you would help us out of a bad situation. Jimmy said no. He said that we... Go on. He said the circumstantial evidence was too strong against us. That we might... You might what? We might be found guilty of murder by our own words. Oh, I see. And you wanted to take a chance and tell anyway. Yes. I thought if we told everything now, we'd have a better chance than if we waited for you to find out for yourself. Good deduction, Miss Carroll. Well, then what happened? Well, we talked and talked. And then I got angry. I turned my back and walked toward the door. Then, Miss Carroll? And then Jimmy stabbed me and I fainted. No. No, Phyllis. No, I didn't. But it must have been you, Jimmy. We were locked in the room alone. It had to be. Just a minute. Miss Carroll, is that your only reason for believing Parker stabbed you? Why, yes. Did you see a knife in the room previous to the attack? No. Did you see Parker walk toward you or know that he was approaching you before the blow was struck? No. Did he say anything just before you fainted? Why, no. Of course not. Then all you know is that you were stabbed while locked in the room with Parker and for that reason you supposed it was he that had done it. But how could it have been anyone else? Didn't you ever hear of a knife throw on Miss Carroll? You mean... You mean somebody threw a knife at me from the window? Why not? It wouldn't have been the first knife tossed through a window. Well, then it wasn't, Jimmy. Then you didn't. Oh, Jimmy, I'm so ashamed. Phyll, I didn't do it. Honestly, I didn't. Why, of course not. I know you didn't. Oh, Jimmy, can you ever forgive me? Of course, Phil. It's all right. Here, take my handkerchief. I've been such a fool. Forget it. But I've been so miserable. Oh, Jimmy, I felt so bad I could die. It made me sick, Phil, when I found out you thought I'd done it. I just couldn't believe it. Oh, I didn't want to think it, Jimmy. Well, I didn't see any other way out. All right now, Parker, come on back to your chair. Your hands aren't clean in this business yet. Of course he's innocent. It's silly even to think of it anymore. Silly, huh? Well, listen to what the mayor has to say on the subject. Go ahead, Dan. Don't want to be dragged on murder trials. Come on, Dan. Don't get temperamental. Don't sass me, young fella. Care if you're already detective. Use my son first. Look, Mayor, do you want this business cleaned up or don't you? I was coming up on the porch after returning from Lamy Fink's cabin, where I left you folks. Yes? Heard a scream. Girls' voice? Naturally. Seein' how does Miss Carol. All right, then what? Well, I ran into the house and unlocked the door with him. Two youngsters had been locked up. Yes? And there was this fella, Parker, standing over the girl with both his hands bloody. And he was holding the knife. Well, what of it? Naturally, my hands would be bloody from pulling the knife out of Phyllis' shoulder, wouldn't they? That sounds pretty thin. Why wasn't you doing something for the girl instead of just standing over her with the knife in your hand? Well, I was... I was so stunned by what had happened, I... I didn't know what I was doing. It looked mighty funny to me. Well, I can tell you some other things that looked mighty funny too. Why did you lock Phyllis and me up the first night? Where were you last night when old Clawfoot was roaming around? Why did Dr. Tuna here say you didn't have a telephone the first night we came? There's plenty for you, Phyllis, to explain to if you ask me. Captain, take that kid out of here. Take him out. Out, Dad. Take him away, I say. Lock him up down at the city. Do anything you got of mine to. But get him out of my house. You all fired presumption of kids in this day and age. Now, look here, Mary. You haven't any call to be belligerent. You've been picking on him all evening. Hicking on him? Hicking on him? He's guilty, ain't he? I'm not so certain myself, Mayor. Well, I am. After all, Mayor, you haven't explained to us where you were while the Phantom was murdering that fellow at the back of the house last night? I don't reckon I'm beholden to any of you. I'm Mayor of the city of the dead. And if I take it on myself to go down into the city among my citizens, it ain't anybody's business but my own. Of course not, Dad. Now, let's just forget all this quarreling and see if we can't untangle some of these threats. I'm agreeable, Captain. In the two days I've been here, one thing stands out. There's some force at work in the city of the dead. What do you mean, force? Some group of groups of people acting in their own interests down among the graves. And I'd just like to lay my hands on them. Yeah, I am. Well, there are three possible places from which this force may originate. Three? Yes, Dr. Tuner, three. First, there's this cloth foot Phantom of ours. You know he's a murderer. Didn't we see him kill the fellow at my window? He killed him all right. What we don't know, however, is whether or not he's the force working against us. If he is against us, why did he attack the man who was trying to break in and disturb us? But, Jasper, Captain, you mean cloth foot's working with us and against the enemy? I don't know. Now then, the second source of this dangerous force may originate outside the city of the dead. Yes. That's it. That's it. It's an outside force that wants something here in the city of the dead and is willing to murder every one of us to get it. Wait. I'm pretty sure of it. Why? Well, why don't know I? I just think so. No, never mind now. That'll keep. Let's get back to the original question, the source of our danger. I've named two cloth foot and an outside gang. I suppose I don't have to tell you the third source from which this force may be emanating. Well, I reckon you'd better. I don't follow you, Captain. Yes. Go on, son. Quit your intimating and come out straight. I see you get what I mean anyway, Dad. All right, here it is. There's a fine chance that this malignant force where fighting originates right in this little group. You mean someone here is a murderer? It's quite possible. Of course, Feathers. Why do you say that, Parker? Well, if you're trying to put the blame for all this business on Phyllis and me, you're out of luck, that's all. What do you think I was accusing you? There are others in the room. Well, you wouldn't be likely to accuse your own father of a murder. No. And you've known Dr. Tuner all your life. Closing I have. And that leaves only Phyllis and me. You can easily remove yourselves from the suspected group. How? Talk. How do you know it wouldn't put us in deeper than ever? Oh, Jimmy, no, it won't. Captain Friday will understand. We ought to tell. Honestly, we should. I don't think so. Don't be stubborn, Jimmy. Please let me tell. I don't like it. Please, Jimmy, please. Can't keep a thing, can you? Jimmy, you know better than that. You know I'll never say a word until you give me permission. But it's the same as... I'll go ahead and tell it after all it's your story. Jimmy, don't be angry. I've thought and thought about it. And any way I look at it, we'd be better off than we are now. You know what would happen to us if they found us guilty. But they couldn't do that. I know they could. How do you know what a jury would do? Very well, Jimmy. That's how you feel. Oh, go ahead and tell the whole thing. Maybe I'm all wet. It doesn't make much difference anyway. They're bound to find out if they keep looking. That's right, Miss Carol. We're bound to find out. Oh, I don't know what to say now. Supposing I get us into a... into a lot of trouble. Well, go ahead, Phil. Anyway, we're in up to our neck as it is. Well, please, could I have a glass of water first? Of course you can. Shoulder hurting you? Not too much. Just a numbing. Here's a glass. Thank you. Now, we're ready when you are, Miss Carol. Well, I guess I should tell you first that I've known Jimmy Parker since I was six years old. He lived right across the street from me for 10 years. You should know each other pretty well. Oh, yes. We went to grammar school together and then to high school. In his senior year, his folks moved back east and Jimmy went with them. I didn't see him for a year then until he came back out here to attend the University of California. That explains how he happens to be living in a hotel. Yes. Well, now that you know about Jimmy and me, I guess I'd better go still further back to my grandfather, my mother's folks. His name was Dr. Theodore Beverly, and he was... What? What did you say? Well, I said my grandfather was Dr. Theodore Beverly. Well, I swan, you hear that, Mayor? You mean Ted Beverly? Beverly that used to live on Van Ness Avenue before the San Francisco fire in 1906? Oh, yes. Yes, do you know him, Mayor Friday? What are you doing down here in the city of the dead? Why? I said, what are you doing down here? Captain, Captain Knees Young is erupting no good. No good, do you hear me? Packed thieves and cutthroats, that's what they are. If you just told your horses, Mayor, you'd hear the reason why Phyllis and Jimmy are down here. Or would you? Are they, after all, the thieves and cutthroats the old caretaker wants us to believe? Personally, I have my doubts, but we'll know better in just a minute. Hold on, Dad. Give Miss Carol a chance. I don't like it. I don't want her down here. I don't want her and her nobody else. Never mind that, Mayor. Now go ahead, Miss Carol. Well, before the 1906 fire in earthquake, my grandfather was a very wealthy man. He had a beautiful home on Van Ness Avenue with lawns and shrubbery and servants and... Oh, just everything, I guess. You're right there, Miss Carol. I've seen your grandfather's place and it did have everything. All this part is just hearsay to me, you know. It was all over before I was born. Well, anyway, I learned just lately that grandfather Beverly had a yen for collecting black pearls. Yeah. Listen to that, Doc. You hear what she says? Black pearls. Yeah, I can hear it all right, Mayor. Yes, black pearls. Before the fire, he had one of the finest collections in the world. It was worth about a half a million dollars. That's a lot of money, Miss Carol. It wasn't for my grandfather, Captain Prowdy. He was very wealthy. Anyway, the fire came and destroyed his business and wiped out his home and left him just a little bit out of his mind. He never quite recovered from the shock. What happened to him? Oh, he lived for a long time after that. I remember him when I was a very small child. He was austere and gruff, and he walked with a kind of stoop. He always acted as though he had something awfully important on his mind. Yeah, I remember that characteristic. He used to have the habit of staring right through, folks. Give a person a creep. Yes, well, what finally became of him? He was drowned. At least he disappeared and about a week later, a body was taken from the waterfront and the police identified it as my grandfather. But mother was never sure. Wasn't sure? No. She kept looking for him for two years. It was no use. The body was finally buried out here in the city of the dead and things settled down to normal again. Your grandfather left you and your mother quite wealthy, I take it. Oh, no. Hardly anything. Only a little insurance. Well, what became of his business? All his money? I don't know very much about it. I was too little to understand while he was alive and everyone's awfully vague about it now, but everything seemed to meld away without him to handle it. That might easily happen to a man's business, Miss Carol, but it couldn't happen to anything as substantial as a half a million dollars' worth of pearls. What became of them? We never knew until quite recently. Then you know now? Well, we... I... Well, answer, answer. What's the matter with your tongue, young woman? Look here, you don't have to talk to her like that. Mind your own business, Parker. See, what's the matter with you anyway, Mayor? You act like you were sitting on a keg of dynamite. I reckon your Mayor's just a mite interested in Miss Carol's story, that's all. I've got a mighty funny way of showing it. Now then, if everyone has had his say, we'll go on. Miss Carol, you do know where the black pearls are now. Well... Well, I know what became of them. Who told you? What? Well, no one told me. Then how did you find out? Is that the reason you're down here in the city of the dead? Yes, Miss Carol, how did you find out about the black pearls at this late date? I had a birthday the 6th of last month. It was my 20th. Yes? On my birthday, I received a little package from Cartwright Hobson and Cartwright, the lawyers in the city, you know. And in the package was a letter from the firm saying that they were delivering a sealed package given them on the date of my birth, by my grandfather. Yes? Were the pearls in the package, Miss Carol? Well, I know, Mayor Friday. It was much too small for that. It was just a big letter of instructions. Instructions for what? Telling where the black pearls actually were. Oh, I see. Oh, I was awfully excited. I called Jimmy at his hotel over in Berkeley and had him come over right away. Just how many persons did you let in on your secret? I didn't tell anyone but Jimmy. What about your mother? No, not even her. I wanted to keep it from her until I could be sure it was true. So Parker here was the only one you can fight it in? Yes. Well, what did your grandfather's letter say? It said that this letter was written to protect my future in case of his... my grandfather's death before I reached the age of 20. It said that my mother was his favorite relative and that he'd always intended that the collection of black pearls should go to her first child. That's you? Yes. I was the only child born to my mother. How many children were there in your grandfather's family? Three. Two boys and my mother. Are they living? Uncle Robert may be alive. He disappeared after grandfather's death and we haven't heard from him since. Uncle Franklin and his wife are both dead. Did they leave any children? Yes. One son. What's his name? Bert Arnold. Where is he now? What? Listen, the only known living relative that might dispute her ownership of the black pearls? That's what I said. No wonder you didn't want to tell. The three of you down here in the city of the dead alone at night, one of the three found strangled in an old grave, another of you with fresh blisters on your hands, and the motive, a half a million dollars worth of black pearls. You see, Phyllis, it's just as I said, try to make a detective see light with all that evidence against us. Oh, but Captain Friday, we didn't do it. We didn't. What could your cousin have wanted in the city of the dead? Well, I suppose he came for the same reason we did. And what was that? To find the black pearls. In the city of the dead? Yes. Where? Phyll, don't tell him. That isn't necessary. I'll let that go for now. But look here, son. I think you ought to make him tell where those pearls are hidden. I thought so. I'll bet you've known about them all along. That's why you're so anxious to keep everyone out of the city of the dead so you could hunt for them by yourselves, you and the doc. No, no. Don't you go bringing me into your ruckus. I'm sitting on the sideline. Captain, if you don't make that young and stop accusing me of things, I'm going to lambast him. Leave the mayor alone, Parker. No. He's started. Never mind. Now, Miss Carol, did you bring Bert Arnold down here with you the night he was murdered? Well, I don't know what night he was murdered. Didn't catch you, did you, mister? No. Now I'll put it this way. Did you bring him down to the city of the dead with you the night Parker's car was stolen? No. Did you know he was down here that he was coming down? No. Honestly, we didn't. Now then, you say the black pearls are buried here in the city of the dead. Yes. Oh, no. That was a rotten thing to do. Let the pearls alone. They belong to Miss Carol. Well, well. So the pearls are buried in one of the graves in the city of the dead. She didn't say that. She didn't need to. Now, one of the city of the dead has come alive by night. I wonder how many people in the world know about this? Well, probably a very few, Captain. The whole city of the dead had been dug up and redugged by now. Half a million dollars ain't to be sneezed at. Those pearls belong to Miss Carol no matter who finds them. That can they belong to the one who has them. Well, Mayor Friday, if you want the lowest old car here. Quiet, Parker. Miss Carol, that letter of instructions from the law firm. Where is it? What? We burned it. That's a lie, Parker. Prove it. You'll be glad enough to bring it out when you go before a jury for murder. You don't think I killed Bert Arnold? You know you don't. And what's more, you don't think I stabbed Phyllis? You'd be surprised what I think. Do you know of anyone else who might have reason to stab her? There's somebody else mighty anxious not to have her tell what she knows about those pearls. Who? If I knew, there wouldn't be any mystery. By the way, Mayor Friday couldn't throw a knife, could he? Why are you, young whippersnapper? Hold it, Dad. That's enough out of you, Parker. Go on into your room. But what about Phyllis? Never mind about her. You get into your room before you get yourself in more trouble. Afraid to look into your own father's actions too closely? Is that it, Captain? Get into your room, Parker, now! Okay, okay. Never mind the strong-arm stuff. Dad, I want to talk to you and Doc Tune around in the kitchen. Miss Carol, you'll be all right here for a few minutes. Yes, I'll be all right, I guess. Well, if you feel uneasy or need anything, you just sing out. Come on, Dad, in the kitchen. Yeah, what for? What's this all about? I think you know. Close door, Doc. You and Doc Tune have got to face it. Let's get it over with. You think I was your prisoner instead of your father? Now then, Dad, what's it all about? Huh? What's what all about? Come on, come on. Why all this mystery with me? Don't know what you're talking about. Oh, yes, you do. You know plenty. And if it's on the level, why can't you trust me? Ain't nothing to trust you with. You and Doc Tune here have known about those black pearls all along. I knew Doc was making a mistake when he confided in you. Oh, you did, did you? Don't you suppose I know why you haven't been down in the city of the dead to look for graves that might have been tampered with? I wouldn't stick my nose in where I didn't want it if I was you, son. You've been opening the graves yourself, you and Doc. Fine pair you are. You, with your talk about being mayor of the city of the dead and aiming to see that none of your sleeping citizens will be disturbed. No, no, Captain. And you, Doc, with your pretty talk about coming down here to visit your old friends and patients, then all the time you've been digging into grave after grave for those black pearls. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves? You ain't got no right to talk to your father like this, Captain. I suppose you both know you could be sent up for the rest of your natural lives for this? I don't reckon you'd do a thing like that, Captain Freddy. I ought to. Captain, you're hurting your father mighty deep, talking that way. Well, what's he doing it for? Good heavens, man. He's got a trust here. He was put here to see that these sacred mounds of earth were not violated. And what has he done? Broken faith. Opened the graves himself. I reckon you see now, Doc Tuner, why I didn't want to bring nobody else into the city of the dead. Captain, don't you reckon you better go a little easier on the mayor? Why should I? Well, after all, he's your father. Of course, I know you didn't have any part in the things young Parker keeps hinting at. Thanks. Grave robbing is bad enough in itself without adding murder to it. I reckon, son, if that's all you got to say, I'll be turning in. Now, listen here, Dad, there's something more behind all this. You aren't disturbing the dead just for those pearls. There is something else, isn't there? I reckon your head is lined up about right at the beginning, son. Doc and me are just a pair of skunks. Look here, Doc. I reckon your dad is right, Captain. Ain't no more used to discuss this. That's Miss Carol. Something's happened. Come on, you two. Miss Carol, what is it? What's the matter? Oh, look! Look there by the door! Well, I'll be a son of a gun. Look, Doc, a visitor. A skeleton. Captain, what's that thing doing here? Where did it come from, Miss Carol? Miss Carol, I don't reckon a skeleton can hurt you much. Supposing you tell us how it got there so we can do something about it. Well, the door just suddenly opened and the skeleton walked in and collapsed on the floor. And then the door was full closed. You're going to have a skeleton to do that if you ask me. Hey, Doc, come here and look at this. What in the name of Sam Hill are you doing to it, Captain? Look, the bones are joined together with pieces of wire. Now, what sort of monkey business is this? Here, look. A message tied about its neck. A message? What is it saying? It says, I have come to you out of the grave marked Theodore Beverly. But I do not belong in his grave. I am not his skeleton. Theodore Beverly? Why, that's Miss Carol's grandfather. My grandfather? Trevor, Doc, she's fainted. Now, the very skeletons in the city of the dead are coming up out of their graves to identify themselves. But what does the message mean? I am out of the grave marked Theodore Beverly. But I am not his skeleton. And what is all this to do with the phantom church bell and old clothwood? Many of these things will be revealed to you next week when you hear Episode 6 of Carltony Morse's City of the Dead entitled, The Ghoul in the Grave.