 Inner Sanctum Mysteries Good evening friends of the creaking door. This is your host to welcome you in the Inner Sanctum. Into a gay little world of homicidal maniacs, vampires go, werewolves and assorted forms of sudden death. Friends, if you ever walk through a cemetery at midnight and see a girl whose hair is on fire and who's carrying her head under her arm, you know what to tell her don't you? We'll just say, keep a cool head on your shoulder and run like crazy. Right fellow ghouls, you know what's going to happen now don't you? That's right, you're going to scream your little heads on and love it. Ready? Go. And let's hear our star Agnes Smallhead in the role of Claudia tell us the story in her own words. At exactly midnight I saw him for the first time. My headlights picked him up when he hailed me along a lonely stretch of road near my home. I wouldn't have stopped, but the storm was so fierce I felt sorry for him. I drew up to the side of the road. Thank you. Going far? No, not far. Where to? I'll let you know. Where? There on the side. Tombstone. Oh, there's a cemetery where I picked you up. Yes. Birch lawn. He said nothing for a few minutes. In the reflection of the dashboard light I saw his face for the first time. Sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, mouth set in a queer grin, a skull barely covered with a thin layer of milk white flesh. I realized he was staring at me. I've seen you before. I don't think we've met. I know you. Are you sure? Yes. I'd never forget someone so beautiful. Really? Your Claudia Dale. Why, yes. You're married to Howard Dale. Yes, that's right, but I don't seem to place you. No, you wouldn't. I know quite a lot about you. Do you really? Your first husband was Willard Banks. How do you know that? He died eight years ago. A suicide. Who are you? Don't know me. Be careful, you're speeding. I'm sorry, I didn't realize. You're trembling. How do you know so much about me? I just know. Really? I suppose you have second-sight or some such rubbish. It's not rubbish. Well, then tell me where I'm coming from. Pittsfield. You dare. You went there to visit a sick friend, Martha Waltz, Tom. You couldn't get that. Would you care to know more of yourself? No, I... I don't find your little trick particularly amusing. Besides, what else do you think you can tell me about myself? Your future? No. Your present husband is dead. Howard! Murdered. Oh, you're lying. You'll find his body on the floor near the piano of your living room when you get home. There are two bullets in his head. You get out of this car. You hear me? Get out. I suppose that this is where I wanted to go. Good night. And thank you, Mrs. Dale. He vanished in the shadows on the side of the road. And then I noticed something white and shining clearly at the spot where he disappeared. I looked closely. It was another tombstone in another cemetery. Madly for home fighting the hysteria that seized me, the night light was burning in the living room. Nothing he had said could be true. Howard would take me in his arms and kiss me when I stepped into the house. Somehow I managed to get my key in the lock. I ran into the living room. Behind you, I've got a gun. A gun? Get away from the body. Sit down. Don't touch me. I said sit down. You're losing control. You don't have to scream for the police. Here's my badge. Detective Sergeant Quinn, homicide. Yeah, drink this. What is it? My husband. You sure? About 20 hours ago? Four yesterday morning. Oh, you know. One of the bullets went wild, hit that clock on the metal. Where were you yesterday morning? Pittsfield. I stayed with a sick friend, Mother Walstone. Look at these things. I took them out of his pocket. They all his? It was a snake ring. There were no rings. But he had one. It was quite valuable. He was never without it. I gave it to him. All right. Now look. Did he wear it on the third finger of his left hand? Yes. Yes. There's a mark, but no ring. When did you come here? I drove in behind you. You left the front door open. I think I know who killed him. Who? A man I met on the road coming here. He knew my husband had been murdered. He did. He even said his body would be near the piano. Why did you see this guy? Or 20 minutes ago, I picked him up on the road. Where? At Birchland Cemetery. What's his name? I don't know. But he looked like a human cadaver, like a man who's dead. I never... You don't believe me. Why did you kill your husband? You heard me. I told you I was in Pittfield. Why did you go there? Martha was ill. Were you there at four yesterday morning? Of course. Don't lie. Stop shouting at me. I told you who killed him. What are you trying to do to me? Isn't it enough to come home and find Howard like that without you? Have a scotch landing. I'm leaving. Sit down. Don't go yet. You? Yes. But you please sit down. Yes. Are they making it difficult? Oh, it's a nightmare. Who are you? I'll tell you later. Why'd you come here? To talk to you. I knew I'd find you here. Oh, yes. If you knew. You're not so skeptical now. No. What did you want to tell me? That you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. That I love you. I've loved you since I first saw you seven years ago when you came here to live with your husband. Is that why... Why I killed him? Is that what you were going to say? Yes. I'm not an ordinary man, Mrs. Dale, but I'm not a fool. On this card you'll find my name, address, and telephone number. Do you really believe I'd phone you? Oh, yes. There'll come a time when you'll want love. Good night, Mrs. Dale. Get me a police headquarters. Hurry, please. Thank you, Mrs. Dale. Would you mind coming down to headquarters, Mr. Bagman? Not at all. Did she tell you I murdered her husband? Yes, because I thought she would. I didn't sleep a wink that night. Twice I got out of bed and drove to police headquarters. The lights were blazing in Quinn's office, but I didn't go in. The third time, I couldn't bear waiting. I went in. Oh, Mrs. Dale. Well? I'm glad you stopped by. We checked everything Dragman said. Seems he was in the same bar and grill where you met him tonight when your husband was killed. What about the things he said to me in the car? How could he know about the murder before you or I? I don't know. Perhaps he does have second sight. He's an odd-looking fellow, isn't he? But you can't arrest a man for murder because of that. He's criminally insane. I know he is. My dear Mrs. Dale, I... He is! I know... What's the use? I had loved Howard. I was determined to find the man who murdered him. I went to Darth Dragman's home. I was about to ring the doorbell when... Don't ring, Mrs. Dale. The door is open. You... You were expecting me? Yes. I was expecting you. Do you still think I killed your husband? I don't know what to think anymore. Do you want me to find the person who murdered him? Yes. More than anything in the world. I have strange gifts, Mrs. Dale. I'll... I'll find your murderer for you... On one condition. What's that? That you marry me. I felt my body turned to ice. I knew I was talking to a man. I was sure I was talking to the man who had murdered my... Or maybe you think that Claudia doesn't have the courage to trap this... Homicidal Romeo. Well, we'll let our star Agnes Morehead on the roll of Claudia tell you. Go ahead, Claudia. Shock him into the shakes. Two weeks later, I married Darth Dragman. He was the strangest man I ever knew. He would disappear for days at a time and then suddenly turn up without warning. He had all the money he wanted, yet I never knew where it came from. There was a closet in his room which was always kept locked and bolted. I knew from the way he acted about it that the closet contained the answer to all the things I wanted to know about him. One night, while he was away, I obtained tools and tried to force the lock. Good evening, Claudia. You didn't expect me back, did you? No, I... I knew you'd try to open that closet someday. Why do you keep it locked? So that no one but me could know what's in there. Not even me? You in particular. I won't attempt to open it again, will you, Claudia? No. Forgive me for striking you. But I'm not quite myself tonight. I sometimes do things I regret when these moods come upon me. Yes, of course. It's something few people know, but a person who has extraordinary powers carries an extraordinary burden. You mean your gift of prophecy? Yes, yes. I didn't care to mention it. It seems to upset you so. I said it doesn't frighten me any longer. Did you read any newspaper about a woman's body being found in the river? She'd been murdered. Yes, it was. In this evening's paper, they don't know who she is. I can tell you who she is. Josephine Ford, a stupid girl, Claudia. I could have told you three days ago that she'd be murdered. How do you know these things? I see them in a sort of vision. Just now I'm seeing another vision. It's a house three, four, six harbour street down near the waterfront. A young woman lies in bed reading. She's very attractive. In an hour, she'll be dead. And when the police come, they'll find her body decapitated. God! While you were gone, Martha Wallstone telephoned. She asked me to come up immediately. Why didn't you go? I was waiting for you to get home before I left. You want to leave immediately? If you don't mind, it's really an emergency. It took only a few minutes to get to the waterfront. I found the house of three, four, six harbour street. I went in. The lamp in the bedroom was burning. I looked at the bed. All right, Mrs. Dale. They can sit up now. Detective Quinn? Yes. I hardly expected to find you here. I came because God's dragon predicted this would happen. No, Mrs. Dale. You still don't believe me. You're a strange woman, all right. You accuse this man of killing your husband, and then you marry him. Now I suppose you're going to accuse him of this murder, too. Yes, this, and heaven only knows how many others. Mrs. Dale, don't you realize that you haven't got a single piece of evidence to back up your contention? Well, I'll get the evidence tonight. Will you let me have a gun? No. Well, will you be near my house? I'll need protection. Now, after all... Look, look, I do to convince you what he is. I've risked my own life, and I'm willing to risk it again. He's a monster. Are you going to wait until he murders me before you believe what I say? All right. I'll give it a try. I'll come back to your house with you. If you want me for an emergency, smash the windowpane. We drove back together. I dropped Detective Quinn on the corner. The house seemed deserted when I came in. I wasn't taking any chances. I went to the kitchen, got a knife, hid it in the folds of the long sleeved gown I was wearing. I went into Garth's room. He wasn't there, but the closet door was open. What I saw in there nearly made me ill. Clothes. Garth's clothes. Some of them bloodstained. I forced myself to examine them. Then I found something that made my heart beat faster. A little jewelry case. I'll take that case. Give me that jewelry case, please. No, no, don't take it. I get away from that window, Claudia, do as I tell you. Oh, no, don't, don't shoot Garth. You were so anxious to see what's in that closet. Well, now you have. Sit down. What are you going to do? Tell me who killed your husband. You? No. You. You're insane. I've written out a confession for you to sign. What will happen if I don't sign it? I credited you with more imagination. Would you like to hear us? Yes. Yes, read it, please. Sit over here away from that window. Yes. I, Claudia Dale, murdered my first husband, Willard Banks, for his insurance by administering poison. My first husband? Yes, Claudia. I mean to make this document strong enough to send you to your death if I wish. I've got all the details here. Just how you murdered your first husband and how you killed your second. Shall I go on? No, you know it's a lie. Will you sign it? Of course not. Just what is your game anyway? If you want to kill me, why don't you shoot? You've been very successful before. There's no reason why you shouldn't succeed again. Go on. Go on. Shoot. You put me in a very difficult position, Claudia. You see, you have found out certain things about me, things that would cost me my life. I should prefer to see you live. Because I love you. But I shouldn't hesitate to murder you. You love me? Yes. Yet you haven't taken me in your arms once since I've known you. The right time hasn't arrived. And what do you consider the right time? When I feel that you understand me. When I feel that you who murdered two men would understand my deep and strange desires. You really believe I'm a murderer? Yes. But that's why I love you. Then the time is now. The time? To take me in your arms. Claudia. He still held a gun. It wasn't more than two inches from me. I turned my lips up to him. I twisted my body to get out of the range of his revolver. When I felt his lips touch mine, I slowly let the knife slip into my hand. Slowly, caressingly, I drew my hand up toward his neck. Then I plunged the blade in. Claudia! Bring that was missing from my almond body. Now do you believe me? Realize that you with the district attorney must know all the facts. And there they are. Thank you. There are a few points in the story that interest me particularly. First, the confession that he asked you to sign. What about it? The confession says that you were not in Pittsfield at 4 a.m. when your husband was killed. That you gave your friend Martha Waldstone a sleeping pill, drove down here, shot your husband, drove back to Pittsfield, turned Miss Waldstone's bedside clock to 4.15 and wakened her. Then you gave her some medicine to impress the time on her. She thought it was 4.15 and went back to sleep. Well, God was very clever at things like this. He had the extraordinary brilliance of the insane. Just one question. Was that the way that you murdered Howard Dale? Ah, murdered him. The ring from him. He never had the ring. You put it in the jewelry box. I can't believe what you say. God was a homicidal maniac. He predicted the death of the people he murdered. Mrs. Dragman. Don't you know yet... Know what? God, Dragman was a detective working out of my office. That's how he knew about those deaths. He was put on the case because we suspected you of murdering your first husband as well as your second. Yes. And you are going to die for killing him. It's extremely daring and clever of you to murder him. And you never would have gotten away with it if he hadn't kissed you. He kissed you because he fell in love with you. The poor fool. Well, friends, that just goes to prove you should ever pick up hitchhikers who come out of cemeteries at night. I'll bet you'll guess tomorrow for our story. Well, it's taken from a famous quotation that Harry the Hangman uttered during a nightmare. Quote, Never steal the rings of people you murder on a condo. That's robbery. 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. You'll be sure to listen, won't you? Until next week, then. Good night. Pleasant dreams.