 Lipton Tea and Lipton Soup present in Her Sanctum Mysteries. Good evening, friends of the Innersanctum. Welcome. Come right in. It's room enough for everybody. As a matter of fact, the more bodies, the better. Don't be surprised by the gloom. It's our new paint job. In black, so the blood stains won't show. Why, Mr. Host, that's an awful thing to say. Giving all these nice people the wrong impression about our program. Oh, on the contrary, Mary, you know very well that our proceedings here are rather... terrifying and our little family a bit on the gruesome. Of course it used to be different in the old days of Innersanctum, but since then we... gruesome. We have indeed, Mr. Host. But now while you're busy making last-minute arrangements, I'm going to enjoy a chat with our Lipton listeners. When you tip up the teapot and pour yourself out a cup of Lipton tea, what a lively, inviting fragrance curls up from the cup to greet you. And above all, what sheer delight there is in Lipton's delicious taste. You say to yourself, there must be a reason why Lipton tea is so much more... enjoyable than any tea I've ever tasted. And friends, there is. It's Lipton's brisk flavor. Briskness in a tea is what folks like. And brisk is the very word that tea experts themselves use to describe... Lipton's hearty, more flavorful goodness. So no wonder tea drinkers love Lipton so much. Unlike ordinary dull tasting teas, Lipton's has a world of fresh, lively, full-bodied flavor. And because it's brisk tasting, more people buy and enjoy Lipton's... than any other brand of tea in the world. Chances are you'll prefer it too. Try this tangy, more flavorful tea soon. It's Lipton tea. Brisk flavored Lipton tea. And now, friends, draw up your chairs. Dim the lights and listen to a story designed to freeze the spine... and set the teeth on edge. It was written by Michael Sklar and Richard Manoff. And it's called The Confession. Our star is Santa Sotega, who plays the role of Alex. The last thing I remembered... was the gunshot. The thought of the bullet... and the burning pain in my stomach. And everything got black. When I regained consciousness... my impression was of blinding whiteness. There, and don't try to move, Mr. Sturgis. Where... am I? This is the emergency ward of the General Hospital. I felt no pain. Just an overall numbness. And a desire to sleep. Am... am I going to die? Yes. How much time have I got? A couple of hours. Doctor, I... I want to make confession. I want to confess to... word. I told the doctor about the money. And to know... she was much younger than I. And she thought because I owned a little drugstore... I must be prosperous. And I suppose that's why she married me... in spite of the difference in our ages. But there wasn't any money for fun or nice clothes. So she became restless. But I loved her. And I did my best. Until the other night, in the drugstore. It's 12 o'clock, thank heaven. Time to close up, Alex. Five more minutes, dear. Another customer might come along. Just like an old man chasing pennies. Never getting anything out of life. Be reasonable, dear. I'm trying to make a living for us. Is this your idea of a living? Is this what you promised me before we were married? I know it's not what you deserve, Lenore, but someday... Oh, you make me sick. You must have been crazy when I married you, Lenore. I'm going to say something I've had on my mind for a long time, Alex. Rather than go on this way, I prefer to be dead. Look at you. I don't have to put up with you. I'm still young, Alex. So there it was. Out in the open. An old man with money would have been acceptable. But because I had no money, she was going to leave me. I wanted to plead with her. I would have gotten down on my knees. But before I could say anything, this street door opened. And the man stumbled into the store. Quick, I'm wounded. I helped the man to a chair. He'd been shot in the chest and the front of his coat was covered with blood. His breathing came hard. That bullet, my chest, patched me up. I'm only a pharmacist. Do you need a doctor? I'll call Dr. Jones. No, no, I don't want any doctor. I want you to help me. Is it because doctors must report bullet wounds? No, but my reason, I've got plenty of do. I'll give you $500 to take care of me. I'd better call the police. No, lady, no. Look, mister, take care of me. Keep it quiet. I'll give you $1,000. $1,000? Let me see the money. Here's a $1,000 bill, but I've got plenty more. Lenore, help me take them into the back room. Oh, but Alex... No, I'll take them myself. You get busy and wipe the blood off the floor. Oh, no, no, you can't. Wipe up the blood. Do as I say, Lenore. What's taking you so long? I'm looking for a certain medicine among these bottles. See me? Something will stop it bleeding. Hurry. I'll be ready for you soon. All in all, did you get the floor clean? Yes, it's clean. How is he? He's in bad shape. Weak from loss of blood. Alex, you haven't done anything for him yet. Be quiet. You've been in here five minutes and he's just like he was before. Alex, you're stalling him. Let him lay there. But he's dying. I know. Alex, call the police. No. Are you going to let him die? Yes. But that's as bad as murder. I didn't shoot him. It's not my fault if he dies. Lenore, he's got money, thousands of dollars. No one knows he came here. This is our chance, Lenore. What do you mean? I'm going to let him die. Take his money and then get rid of his body. It is still... I stooped and went through his jacket. There was a wallet containing a few one dollar bills and a driver's license, which I handed to Lenore. His name is James Kirk. He lives in Hillsborough. His pockets were crammed full of bills of large denominations. Lenore watched, fascinated as I counted. How much is it, Alex? A little over seventy-eight thousand dollars. We're rich, Lenore. I'm frightened. There's nothing to be afraid of. All we have to do now is wait until he dies and get rid of the body. Do you need me to help you? No, I can manage alone. This body is heavy. It's through the door. He's still alive. What are you going to do now? It would be dangerous to wait here until he dies. What difference does it make? He'll be dead when he goes into the water. No, that's murder! We've gone too far now to stop. You wait in the car. I'm going to carry him to the edge of the pier and drop him over the side. He's gone, just Kirk's body sinking into the water. I knew the current in the bay would carry it out to sea. One doesn't picture a middle-aged drugist committing a perfect crime. But I felt sure that I'd done it. For I had Kirk's money and it seemed that no one could connect his death to me. I rejoined Lenore in the car and started for home. After I'd driven for a few minutes, I noticed she was strangely quiet. What's the matter to you? Nothing. Nothing at all. Something's troubling you. What is it? Nothing. You act as though you're afraid of me. No. You are afraid of me. Lenore, why? I never saw you act this way before. Something's happened to you. You're different. Oh, nonsense. Don't you feel it, Alex? You're a murderer. You wouldn't even wait until he was dead. Listen to me, Lenore. Whatever I did, I did for your sake. I wanted the money for you, so you could be happy. How can I be happy with this thing hanging over us? We had breakfast the next morning in absolute silence. Lenore went to open the store while I wrapped the money in a parcel, took it to the bank, placed it in my box in the safe deposit vault. No one paid any attention to me. Although the bank was swarming with police detectives, from the bank I went directly to the drugstore. And found a man there waiting for me. Sturges? Yes? Bigirt is my name. Mark Bigirt. What can I do for you? I'm an insurance company detective, Mr. Sturges. I'm investigating the first national bank robbery for my company. I want you to tell me everything you know about that robbery. Don't say I didn't warn you about Alex Sturges at the beginning of our story. He's quite a guy for an oldish man, a real killer. He thinks death begins at 40. Mr. Host, I think Alex Sturges is a perfectly dreadful person. But he's a good drugist, Mary. Just the man to go to if you have to fill a prescription for murder. Well, we've certainly had plenty of prescriptions for murder, mayhem and arson on our program, Mr. Host. But now I've got something different, a prescription for enjoyment. The directions are pleasantly simple. First, just stretch out an easy chair in front of the fireplace. Then make sure there's a cup of brisk flavored Lipton Tea at your side. And your pleasure will be complete. There's just nothing more delightfully good than the zestful flavor of Lipton Tea. It's so bright and refreshing and satisfying. Its familiar welcome fragrance seems to fill the whole room with summer. And how beautifully its deep amber color fits the scene. A color as warm and cheery as the flames dancing on the hearth. Now there's a real prescription for enjoyment. Try it tomorrow with a piping hot cup of delicious brisk flavored Lipton Tea. Well, that should be a very pleasant prescription to take, Mary. And now friends, let's get on with our story. Lying on a hospital bed, Alex Sturges has confessed to the murder of a bank robber who went at his drugstore in much the same manner as the fly who went at the spider's parlor. Alex pocketed the robber's loot and dumped him still alive into the bay. An insurance company detective has just come in to question him. He was a big man, but not fat, this detective. And although he didn't appear to be very intelligent, he had a look of cunning. His clothes were rumbled. And he rolled an unlit cigar around in his mouth as he spoke. Suppose you start from the beginning, Sturges. There's nothing to talk about, bigot. I don't know anything about the robbery. You don't, eh? No, I don't. Why should you come here annoying me with silly questions? I'll tell you why I'm here, Sturges. And then maybe you'll see your way clear to talk. You know the bank was robbed last night and the cook got away with better than $78,000? Yes. The night watchman was shot. He's in a coma now, but before he was shot, he shot one of the crooks. What does that have to do with me? I'm coming to you, Sturges. I'm a slow man, but I'm thorough, which is more than you can say for the harness bulls and the police force. Take those harness bulls. They didn't spot the trail of blood that wounded crook left when he ducked on the alley behind the bank. Funny thing, they clean missed it. But I noticed it, Sturges. I followed it through the alley and straight up the street. And here's another peculiar thing. The trail ended right smack at the door of this drug store. Are you implying... Two and two makes four, Sturges. As I said, I'm not a fancy pants detective, but here's how I figure it. This yag was wounded, so he came in here and asked you to fix him up, which you did. In exchange, he gave you a nice big piece of the tape to keep your mouth shut. Am I right, Sturges? You're 100% wrong. If you were smart, you'd talk now and save yourself a lot of grief. I've got nothing to tell you. Suit yourself, Sturges. But here's my business card. In case you change your mind, you can reach me, the Hotel Empire. By the way, the company is offering a $5,000 reward for the return of that money. I'm not interested. Good day. Okay. It's your next, Sturges. I'll be seeing you. Alex. Alex, I heard what he said. He knows. I should have thought of the blood outside. How can you stand there and act so calm about it? He knows, I tell you. Take all of yourself in an awe. He only suspects. And his suspicions aren't worth two cents unless he can produce evidence. Believe me, we've got nothing to worry about. I was cocky then. Too cocky. An awe was right. I was a changed man. That money had put iron into my spine. And then, that afternoon, I got the first of the phone calls. Hello? Sturges drugstore? This is Will's genius. This is he, speaking. Where's your address? Yes, yes, of course. Negative snooping around, but marvelous telegram. Oh, don't take any more chances. Alex, send the money. Alex, please. I'm frightened. Listen, Lenore, calm yourself. It's perfectly clear what happened. One of the bank robbers came with Kirk as far as the store. He must have been frightened away by the police. Now he's using this method to get the money. But he won't get it. Why? What are you going to do? I'm going to put a water blank paper in an envelope and mail it to that post office box. Then I'll stand watch at the post office and see who claims it. And then what? That money means everything to us, Lenore. I've already killed one man for it. If necessary, I'll commit another murder. I placed blank strips of paper in an envelope and mail the envelope to that post office box. The next morning, I went to the post office and stood near the window, and claimed the envelope in box number 11. I was fast. I got hungry. My legs began to shake from exhaustion. But I couldn't leave that spot. I meant to stay there until... What are you waiting here for, Stoges? A voice cut through my thoughts. I looked up. It was Kelly, the policeman. He was suspicious. Kirk noticed you hanging around and called for a cup. It's nothing, Kelly. I arranged to meet my wife here. She's late. I saw your wife through the drugstore window as I came up the street. You must have forgotten all about your appointment. You'd better get back to the store, Stoges. I couldn't stay there after that. I walked around the block. When I came back, the policeman disappeared. I entered, went to the window, and asked the clerk if anyone had claimed the mail in box 11. He nodded. The letter was gone. I had planned to discover the identity of Kirk's confederate. There was nothing to do but go back to the drugstore. It was empty. I felt a sense of danger as soon as I entered. So I closed the street door quietly. I walked as silently as I could to the door at the back room. It was open. And I know I was at the telephone. Hello? Hello, Empire? Hotel? Hello. Connect me with Mr. Biggart, please. Yes, Mr. Mark Biggart. Hang up, Lenore. Hang up the receiver. Alex! You were calling that detective. Suppose I was. What of it? You were going to tell him about the money. You were going to double-cross me for the reward. You're so smart, Alex. What are you going to do about it? Lenore, don't you understand? I don't want the money for myself. I took it for you. I'll give you the things that will make you happy. Big hearted, unselfish, Alex. What are you laughing at? I'll tell you why you took that money, Alex. You thought you could buy me with it. Well, you're wrong. I wouldn't stay with you if you had all the money in the world. Lenore, would you leave me after all that's happened? I'm packing up right now. You can't stop me. I love you, Lenore. I did my best to hold you. If I can't have you, no one else will have you. What do you mean? Alex, stay away from me. I'm going to kill you, Lenore. Alex, no! I'm going to kill you, my darling! Let go of my throat! Alex! Let go! All men kill the thing they love. And I've killed you, Lenore. I felt empty. Drained all emotion. I buried her body in the cellar of the drugstore. I was even a bit glad that it ended in this fashion. But now, Lenore, would be with me. Did I say it was ended? I was wrong. I found no peace. But the very next morning, Biggit came to the drugstore. Morning, Sturges. Nice morning, isn't it? What do you want? Just stopped by to have a chat, Sturges. I've been giving a lot of thought to the First National Bank robbery. You know, that night watchman came out of his coma this morning. Why tell me about it? I thought you might be interested. He is an angle, Sturges. The watchman says the robbery was pulled by only one man. One single crook, and he was shot. Nice angle, isn't it? Is it? Yes, it gave me a new idea, Sturges. I'm not sure about the coma, but I figure it this way. That crook came in here and asked you to fix him up. We've gone through this before. I'm going to take a little further, Sturges. The crook asked you to fix him up, but you've got to peek at all that money. So you let him die, took the money and disposed of the body. How's that for a theory? Very clever. Can you produce the body? No, the police haven't been able to locate it. But I'm not discouraged, Sturges. Those harness bulls aren't very smart. I'll find that body. And when you do? I'm an insurance company, Dick Sturges. I want that $78,000. When I find that body, I'll come around here and you'll cough it up. I've told you before I know nothing about that robbery or the money. Now I've got work to do. Suppose you run along. Okay, Sturges. So long. Hello, Sturges drugstore. Is the C speaking? Read it to me, please. Is... is there a signature? No. My head was really... But out of the confusion in my mind, one thought emerged. The night watchman had said Kirk had no confederates in the bank robbery. There for the person sending me the telegram must be Kirk. The salt water of the bay must have revived him. Kirk was still alive. I found Kirk's wallet on a shelf while I know I had placed it the night all this began. From the driver's license, I copied his home address. I waited till afternoon night and drove to Hillsborough, where I found Kirk's apartment in an old tenement building. The door was unlocked. I drove out my gun to kill Kirk. No one was in the bedroom. The gun, Sturges. Dr. Gunn, quick. I'm not taking any chances with you. How did you know? How did I know you were going to come here, Sturges? Sit down in that chair by the table and I'll tell you. Hugh, you sent the telegram? Yes, I sent them. Hugh, got me to think that Kirk was still alive. That's right. It's all clear now, isn't it, Sturges? You take two and two and add it up and it comes out four. Now, where's the money? The money? We're going to cut out the cute stuff, Sturges. How about that money? Now, where is it? It's in a medicine jar on a shelf in the back room of the drugstore. All right, let's go, Sturges. First you'll give me the money, then I'll take you down to police headquarters. We drove to the drugstore. I'll add them into the back room. I knew exactly what I was going to do. And one of the shelves was a bottle of hydrochloric acid. Bigger thought it was the bottle containing the money. I reached up and caulked the bottle and flung the burning liquid into a... No! I'm blind! I'll kill you for this, Sturges! If I can only see you, where are you, Sturges? Sturges! Sturges, where are you? I was huddled against the wall. He stood between me and the door, screaming in pain and firing his gun blindly. The first three shots missed, but the fourth bullet struck me in the stomach. The last thing I remember is Biggett running out of that room, shouting for help. I lost consciousness soon after. When I came to, I found myself here in this hospital. You know the rest of the story, Doctor. That's your confession, eh? That's my confession. Did you get all that down on paper, Mr. Bigger? I got every word of it, Doctor. Big... you... how did you get here? I thought... I had a clark acid. You thought you blinded me permanently, but not enough for the stuff to get into my eyes to do any real damage. I... oh... no... no... He's dead, Biggett. I've seen a lot of funny cases in my time, Doc, but this speaks them all. He's a man who commits murder to get a lot of stolen money for his wife. Then, he kills his wife. And finally, he gets killed himself. And the money... The money is safe and sound in the bank's safe deposit vault. What a pity. Exit Sturges. Yes, Biggett smoked him out just like a poor fish. Smoked Sturges. Think of it, a respectable farmer standing up that way and all because of his wife. Now, there you go again, Mr. Host. Always blaming it on a woman. Oh, come, come, Mary. You know very well that was Lenore's fault. If you ask me, Alex should have tossed her oxide and tended to his bismuth. He never would have been nabbed by the copper, but the fool, he didn't think of it. Now, the world is aridium. Goodness, Mr. Host. Well, after all that, I... I hope you won't mind if I get serious for a moment because I have a very important message for our listeners. Friends, the 1946 March of Dimes is now in its final week and your contribution is needed as never before. Every year, thousands of children are stricken by infantile paralysis. Your dimes and dollars guarantee expert medical treatment and continuing care for these children, so give generously. Send your dimes and dollars to your local March of Dimes headquarters. Join the March of Dimes. And now, friends, a word of advice to all prospective murderers. Never fall in love with your victim because, as Oscar Wilde found out, it's so embarrassing to kill the thing you love. Oh, by the way, this month's Inner Sanctum Mystery novel is The Pavilion by Hilda Lawrence. Next week, the makers of Lipton Tea and Lipton Soup will bring you another Inner Sanctum Mystery directed by Hyman Brown and called... The Blood of Cain. It's a grim little story of a New Orleans family with a final tradition of murder. Yes, this family tree casts a shadow of death. So, if you're able, tune in next Tuesday and we'll all raise cane. Until then, good night. Pleasant dreams? The Pavilion by Hilda Lawrence