 Adventures by Morse. Carlton E. Morse presents Dead Men Proud, 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. In the tiny coast village of Holman, death stalked everywhere with grinning lipless gums and outstretched claws. Dr. Jamie Croft had prevailed upon Captain Friday to permit him to spend a weekend at the Captain's summer cottage in Holman. They had no more than arrived on the scene when the heavy hand of death struck three times. Three deaths in a little seaside resort where death had been unknown for twenty years. Doc Sims had been found on the beach dead, apparently of natural causes. His rival for control of the village, Andrew Waters, was found hanged in his home. The village half-wit, young rich Hartley, was found with a bullet through his heart. Even in death these three have apparently become the most active citizens in Holman. They have been handcuffed, tied and locked in the village morgue, but to no avail. Captain Friday has been appointed village constable by the people of Holman. Yes, I've been made constable, all right, but the three dead men still prowl the streets of the town. There are some angles to the case that just don't seem to add up. Carmel and Andres Ruiz's cousins came here to visit their uncle Andrew Waters. A few hours after they talked with him, he was found hanged. Gail and Martin Stanley came to Holman to investigate the death of their uncle Doc Sims. There's a funny thing about that. They were notified of his death before he died. And about the only thing I've uncovered so far is that Andy Waters was masquerading under an assumed name. He and Doc Sims are, or were, brothers. The two rich men of Holman were feuding. Now they're both dead. It wouldn't be so bad if I could keep track of their bodies. I've tried everything. A few hours ago I locked all three in the refrigeration room of the morgue. Seems to me a frozen corpse should stay put, but even that didn't hold them. Captain Friday had very definitely locked the three prowling dead in the refrigeration room of the morgue. Several hours later, Dr. Croft heard a woman screaming in the night. So leaving the doctor and Martin Stanley with the two girls in his cottage, the captain set out with Andres to discover the trouble. Nothing was uncovered in the heavy black fog until suddenly there came a terrific explosion from the morgue. Quickly the two men dashed to the death house to discover that the door to the refrigeration room had been burst or blown open from the inside. Furthermore, the bodies of the three prowling dead were found outside the refrigeration room in positions indicating that they had made an attempt to escape, but had become suddenly inactive. Andres suddenly came upon a cord under the dead hand of Doc Sims, which ran along the floor to a far wall. He picked it up and jerked. There was a deafening explosion and the whole wall rose up and toppled in upon them. Andres! Andres, where are you? Are you hurt? Oh, Captain Fryder. What's the matter, fella? Oh, we... we are not dead then, senor? I'll say we're not. Game mighty near joining the prowling dead, though. Speaking of our dead, I guess they've done their last prowling, buried underneath all that rock and cement. Look here, Andres, how are you feeling? Well, now I have got that big stone off my leg, I am all right. Nothing broken, huh? Well, if there is, I do not feel it. But, senor, how will we get out of this place? We are in this cellar and all the morgue has tumbled down on top of us. Yeah, I know. Just the same, there's a lot of fresh air coming in down here. We'll just have to scramble around and see if we can't find a hole to crawl out of. But are we not liable to bring more rock down on top of us? I guess we'll have to take that chance. Oh, I do not like these business. We'll go slow and feel our way. If we're careful, perhaps we won't dislodge anything. Well, I will follow close behind you, senor. Ah, here. Here's what I've been looking for. Right over my head. I'm pulled big enough to get my body through. Come on, Andres. Give me a boost. Well, is the edges solid? Yeah, part of the foundation. Ready? All right. Let me put my foot in your hand. All right. Now, then, I am ready. OK. We go. That's good. That's good. I'm all set. Now, then, I'll reach down and give you a hand. Oh, please, I will pull you back down in this hole with me. No, you won't. I can brace myself. Well, very well, if you think so. Now, then, here's my hand. Well, I cannot find it in the dark. Swing your arms around. Oh, there, there. I find it. OK, now. Now, then, up, here comes the, oh. Grab something, Andres. I'm slipping. I have it. I have it. Ready to go on? See, all this is most terrible. All the time, I think we're starting to line slide down on us. All right, come on now. Be careful. Oh, I feel the fog. We must be very near out, eh? Yeah. It's a broken wall alongside of us. Is there a roof over us? I can't reach the top of the wall to tell. Here, give me another boost up the side of the wall. Very well. Let me step in your hand. No, no, no. Put your back against the wall. Hm? Not like this? Uh-huh. Now then, link your hands together. And don't boost me too fast. You'll throw me over backwards. I will try. OK, let's go. All right, up you go. Higher. No, higher. There, I got my fingers on the top. It is high as I can lift. Now come on. Come on. I can help you a little. If I have this strength, that's well, I'm up. We'll get over this and we'll be out of it, I think. But, Tom, am I going to get over? Well, that's easy. I'll let my legs down. You grab a hold and climb right up. But that would pull you down. No, you won't. Come on. Well, if you wish. Hurry up. Hurry up, I can't hold you all day. I climb as fast as I can. Grab hold of the top. Pull yourself up. You got it? See. Oh. Senor, I never do these before. OK, ought to get down the other side. Well, if it is bad as going up, I think I will stay right here. Come on. You hang yourself over the outside of the wall like I did. I'll slide down your legs to the ground. Then I'll help you down. Well, if we only have a rope. Well, we haven't, so come on. Ready? Be sharp edges of wall cutting. Well, it'll only be for a minute. Here I go. Oh, Captain, look out, I'm slipping. Hang on, Andres, hang on. Oh. That was a swell thing to do. What? Captain, I could not help it. We made it anyway. You hurt? I skin my stomach, I think. Do it good. Anywhere we're outside, come on. We go somewhere else? Back to the cottage as fast as our legs will carry us. This is good. But, Captain Prydey, who would blow up a morgue? Whoever it is that would like to get rid of us. We'll see, but who is it? Funny thing, this is the first direct attempt to get rid of me before the attempts have only been made on you four. Well, maybe it was a mistake that you were caught in this trap. I got a hunch it wasn't a mistake at all. Here's the path across the lot. Is it not strange there is nobody around? You know, if I hear a big explosion like that, I would go see what it was. Not Holman's citizens. They're not much on going out on foggy nights for any reason. They'll wait until it gets light. Well, but the people at your cottage, McCos and Carmell and the Stanley. Yeah, and Dr. Croft. That is kind of funny. Still, the cottage is right on the ocean. Might have drowned out the sound of the explosion. Oh, I had not think of that. Hold it, Andres. What is it? Listen, it's funny. I thought I heard a motorboat. I hear nothing, senor. Neither do I now. There must have been a mistake, and yet, here we are. Got plenty of lights on in the cottage. Maybe the doctor thinks it's safer with the lights on. Shut the door after you come in, Andres. See? I... Captain! The doctor! Luke, the doctor! Hey, what in thunder's been going on here? Dr. Croft, he is bound and gagged. Yeah, stand out of the way, Andres. Will you? Why don't I cut him loose? Well, his eyes are open. He's not dead. No, no, of course not. Wait till I get this gag out. There you are, doctor. Now, what happened? Captain! Captain Quick, go off to Mount and stand in his sister. Motor launch. Trying to escape. What's that? In heaven's name, honey. I'm all right. Andres, quick. We got business outside. Senor, senor, what is it this time? Stanley's gotten hold of a launch somewhere. I knew I heard a motorboat. But where is he going? I don't ask so many questions. Run faster. But where, senor? Where? Down to the wharf, of course. Here, down this way. Got a revolver? No, senor. I do not shoot very good. Yeah, well, young Stanley has. You think he will shoot? Oh, but, senor, his sister will not let him shoot us. Oh, yeah? Neymar Pig, you do not need this. Here, here's the wharf. But I do not hear any motorboats, senor. Now, wait a minute, wait a minute. You want to run off the end of the wharf into the ocean? Oh, I could not see where the wharf ended in this dark. Well, the launch is gone all right. But why would they take the motorboat? How do I know? Come on. We haven't got any time to wait for you. But if this is warped, why? Where are you going? Don't fall in. All the time, we run, run, run. Never do we get any planes. Go on back to the cottage, if you'd rather. No, no, no, senor, I stay by you. But my breath, it's not very good. We've got to make speed. See that old shed down the beach on the water's edge? See? That's the swellest little police motorboat launch you ever saw in there. Careful now. But you have said there is not launch here. Yeah, I don't tell everything, I know. You know, through this little doorway, stoop down or you'll bump your head. See? I am all right. Now you stand still till I get her lights turned on. If I can help. Stand still or you'll break your neck. There. Oh, it is beautiful. See that chain hanging by the outer wall? See, senor? Go over there and haul away. It lifts the outer door. Very glad to do anything to help. I'll get the motor started. We'll be off in a jiffing. Come in, senor. Yeah? What did you expect? That's high enough, Andres. Come on and get in. See, senor? Oh, but it made big noise. All in. See? Here we go then. Oh, but this is big ocean. Where is it we were looking for at this other boat? All right, sissy. Neither Stanley nor his sister knows the Bay region. They're bound to head straight for San Francisco. They came over to Holman by boat and have a general idea of the direction of the city. Otherwise, they'll be lost, especially in this fog. But perhaps we will not be able to catch up with them. This little crap can run circles around anything Stanley be able to lay his hands on. Oh, well, I do not know very much about boats. You just hang on and I'll do the work. But I do not understand any of these business. Why should these two wish to escape from Holman? I can think of plenty of reasons. Could you please tell me what you want, maybe? Yeah. Bad consciences. You mean me, Stanley, have bad conscience? Why not? She wouldn't be the first female with one. Oh, no. No, senor, you are mistaken. Yeah, well, maybe you know. I never could get the straight of how a woman's conscience works. Sometimes it does, and most of the time it doesn't. But, senor, this girl, Stanley, she's very nice, senorita. She thinks to me, I... The captain, our engine is stopped. Be quiet. I cut it off. But why you do this? Shut up and listen, will you? Oh, oh, see. You wish to hear other motherboard, maybe, eh? Don't hear anything. We saw a big ship. No, you didn't. That was just a foghorn. Oh, I did not know. Senor! Senor Captain! Now what? Senor, what had become of Camel? She was also in your cottage. Huh? What did they do with Camel? Hit the tie up, Dr. Croft. What did they do with my little cousin? Oh, probably left her asleep in her room. Oh, no, no, I do not think so. Well, we can't worry about everything at once. We'll catch this pair of runaways with him. Well, I suppose they have harmed Camel. I suppose they have done terrible things to her. Cutting out, Andres. What's in yours? I cut it out, I say. Just letting your imagination run away with you. Oh, if they have so much as lay hands on Camel, I will kill this pig, Stanley. Andres, get a hold of yourself. I do not care if Stanley is my own cousin. I will kill him. Dr. Jamie Croft, the weekend guest of Captain Friday, was found bound and gagged and tossed on a lounge in the captain's cottage. They ripped a gag from his mouth, and Dr. Croft gasped out the information that Gail and Martin Stanley were trying to escape from Holman by motor lawn. In their haste to recapture the standlies, neither Captain Friday nor Andres Ruiz thought of Carmel, alone in the cottage. Were she bound and gagged also? Or has she met up with a prowling dead? While Captain Friday and Andres Ruiz searched San Francisco Bay in the police launch, Andres threatens to hold Martin Stanley responsible for his cousin Carmel. I tell you, Captain Friday, I will kill this Stanley if anything has happened to Carmel. Take it easy, Andres. Where do we find Stanley? Oh, please, could you not make this boat go faster? The quicker I get my hands on these five feet. Down, Andres. I'm going to turn off the motor again. See, and I will listen with every bit, I'll be. I do not hear anything. Be quiet. Hey, did you hear it? Yeah, over in that direction. Take off for help. Recognize the voices? Sir, senor, it is them. A darn two minutes, them. Roll up front, Andres, and hang your ears out. Can't hear much back here at the wheel. Sir, senor, I will do good job. Can't be more than 50 yards from us. Blast this fog. Senor, senor, I lead it to the right. I hear them. Right, huh? How's that? See, not so fast, senor. OK. There, do you hear them? Yeah. See anything? Not yet, senor. Oh, see, see, there they are. They're drifting in boat. Drifting where? Oh, I see them. I'm going to kill the motor and glide up alongside, Andres. Tell us then. Well, now isn't that generous. Grab hold as we drift alongside, Andres. See, senor. Thank you. We thought we were lost. All right, Miss Stanley, give me your hand. But it's Captain Friday. Say, how'd you get out here? Do as I tell you, Miss Stanley. Get into this boat. Yes, sir. Easy. Easy. There now. Sit down. OK. Now you, Stanley. I can get along without you. Give me your hand. All right. Hey, what are you doing? I want that gun you're carrying. I haven't got a gun. No? What's this in your hip pocket, then? Nothing. You won't need it anymore. Hey, what'd you throw out the ocean for? So it wouldn't go off and hurt somebody. Now sit down. Well, that's what I call it. Sit down. We had a right to leave home. Be quiet, Stanley. Andres, can you reach the launchers line? See, senor, you are a habit. We'll carry it to the back end of our craft and give it a turn around one of those hooks. We'll tow it back to Holman. Oh, do we have to go back there? That's right, Miss Stanley. Who did you steal this boat from? Oh, please. I never did a thing like this before in all my life. Ready, Andres? See, senor. Well, you admit stealing the boat, huh? We don't admit anything. Oh, Martin, please. Let's not try to carry this thing out. Let's tell Captain Friday how it happened. What good would that do? You tell me, senor Stanley, what you have done with my cousin, Carmel. What's it in you, Ruiz? You tell me what you'll do with Carmel or I will kill you. Well, what are you talking about, Andres? Carmel. It is Carmel who I talk about. What have you done with her? Well, we left her asleep at the cottage. You did not touch my cousin? Of course not. Why? Is she gone? I do not know. But I say to myself, if any has harmed my cousin, I will kill him like a dog. You better find out what it's all about before you start getting homicidal. Well, you are very bad fellow to my cousins, senor Stanley. I'll go take a jump in the ocean. Please, Andres, Martin's upset. You just don't understand it. No, this I do not wish to do. I can tell you plain. Come on, Miss Stanley, what's it all about? It's pretty plain that you did steal this boat. Yes. Yes, we stole it. Sissy, you crazy? Oh, Martin, I think it's right to tell the truth. I'm going to tell. Leave it to a girl. Well, we had no intention of running away. And until Dr. Croft told us there was a boat tied down at the dock. Yeah? How did he know? Well, after he'd gotten Carmella's sleep, he went out to get some fresh air. When he came back, he just remarked that there was a boat tied up at the dock. And yes, then what? Well, that gave us the idea of trying to get back to the city. It wasn't Gail's idea at all. It was all my doing. Oh, please, Martin. Well, it was my idea. I suggested it. And I kept after her until she agreed to go with me. But I didn't have to go. And she didn't know anything about me hitting Dr. Croft over the head and binding and gagging me. Martin, Stanley, you didn't do that. Yes, I did. Did it while you were in the bedroom getting your things together. Oh. But what I want to know is what you think you'd have accomplished if you had escaped. Police in the city have picked you up in a minute. Well, but we weren't trying to run away from the police. Oh, no. Really, we weren't. All we wanted to do was get away from that awful place with all those dead bodies. Well, you're going back. Yes, I know. I'm sorry we attempted it now. Well, I'm not. I only wish that engine hadn't conked out. Say, where'd you get this boat, anyway? Just a little ace in the hole, Stanley. Your detectives made me sick. Yeah, they'll probably be a lot sicker of them before they're through with you. They can't do anything to me. I haven't done a thing. Well, we'll know more about that when we get back to the cottage. And that won't be very long now. There's the wharf right up ahead. Yandres, see Senor. Here, take these handcuffs. But Senor, take them and handcuff the two together. Oh, no, please. Senor, never. I will not put handcuffs on Miss Stanley. Oh, yeah? And suppose you handcuff yourself with Stanley there. I'm not taking any chances of losing him in this fog. Oh, but please, Martin won't run away, will you, Martin? Do what I tell you, Andres. Either handcuff Stanley with his sister or do yourself. Well, to his sister I could not do at all. To me, if you wish, yes. That's OK with me. Here, Stanley, hold out your left arm. Sure. Put my fist on the end. Martin, why did you do that? You pig of a pig! I will show you how good Spanish fellow can fight now! You dirty, effing, you're dead for you! I guess I will show you I'm not so bad a fighter, eh? Well, for gosh sakes, at least get off my stomach. You're breaking my back. Well, then, hold out your left arm for the handcuffs. There, there. That is good. Good boy, Andres. That sounded like a swell fight. Too bad it was dark. Got a more light, Andres? Sister-in-law, Captain. Great. Well, here we are. Now, now, stop crying, Stanley. Your brother had it coming. As soon as I pull up alongside, climb up that little ladder to the wharf. But it was all so unnecessary. And, uh, climb up. Yeah, you give me your hand, Stanley. Now walk around after you get up. You're liable to fall in the ocean. No, but how are Stanley and I to climb up the ladder together? You go first, Andres. You can make it if you keep close enough together. Up you go. Oh, this is not kind of business I like. I'll just tie the launch to the dock here for the present. Little holder. She'll ride there till morning. You are coming, senor. Andres, I'm going to make you deputy constable uphold. No, no, no, senor. I do not wish it. Well, turn on a job with a title like that? Well, I think this is most deplorable business. It'd make everybody feel bad. All right, come along. I'll take your arm, Stanley. You might stumble in the dock. If you wish. You better take Stanley's arm, too, Andres. Keep you from stepping on each other in the dock. Leave my arm alone. See, I was only trying to be helpful. Or if you'd only understand, Captain Friday, that Martin and I really haven't done anything. I think you've done plenty. Well, you'll be plenty sorry for putting handcuffs on me. I can tell you that much. 10 to 1, you were thinking about making a break for it as soon as we landed. Supposing I was. I mean. Martin, you weren't. No, of course I wasn't. One good thing about Holman doesn't take any time to get from one place to another. There's the cottage. Please, I hope we find everything all right with Carmen. Oh, sure we will. Now, look, the doctor must have worked himself free. He's turned on more lights. Oh, I hope this is good sign. Well, it won't be long now before we know all about it. You've been saying that ever since we arrived, and we don't know anything about anything. You're some detective. Just enough of a detective to pick you up in the middle of San Francisco Bay, Stanley. Come on. Here we are. Andres, you and Stanley go in first. I'll follow with Miss Stanley. That you, Captain? Hmm. Got him, eh? Yeah, we got him. I say, Stanley, whatever possessed you to tie me up. I wouldn't have stood in your way if I'd known you were determined to go. The heck you wouldn't. You threatened to lock me up if I made a move to leave the house. Perhaps so, but you never entered my head. You'd be so savage about it. Dr. Croft, I'm terribly sorry that Martin. Oh, there, there now. I know the stress you young people have been under. Captain, where's Carmel? Well, isn't she here? Carmel? Then your doctor is not Carmel with you. With me? Why? See here, Carmel's room is empty. I thought you would take her with you. Carmel, she is gone. Well, something had happened to Carmel. Shut up, Andres. See here, doctor. She wasn't here when you got loose. Why? Captain, I- Quick, I want to see your room. You haven't touched anything, have you? I haven't laid my hands on a thing, Captain. Oh, Carmel. Here, now, you folks stand back. Keep out of the room until I've made an examination. Lay back out into the hall. Stanley, if you had done anything with my cousin, you'd better tell me. Honestly, I haven't got your cousin, Andres. Jevenny, I'm not that kind of a guy. Well, somebody has. All right. Hi, doctor. Come here. What is it? What have you found? Look at these tracks. Somebody tramped across the wet sand, climbed into the window, and came in here beside the sleeping girl's bed. Oh, no. Do you recognize those tracks, doctor? I haven't say, Captain. No. Do you? Yes. Those are the same tracks made by Andrew Walters the night he buried Miss Stanley in the sand. Oh, no. No. My Carmel buried in the sand. Oh, no. Once more, the prowling dead have made an appearance at Captain Friday's cottage. The last time these sinister figures appeared, Gail Stanley was buried alive in the sand. Is that the fate of Carmel? Listen next week at this same time for the 10th and final episode of Dead Men Proul, titled The Prouling Dead Introduces Himself. The murderer is at last revealed by Captain Friday. You are listening to Adventures by Morse.