 Inner Sanctum Mystery Good evening friends of the Inner Sanctum This is your host to welcome you in through the squeaking door to another half hour of horror Come in, won't you, and sit down? I hope you'll forgive me if I don't get up, but I'm terribly tired. I spent last night with a friend who's a book collector Specializes in best-sellers. He certainly showed me some interesting ones. In fact, he tried to bury me in one Because all the very best sellers have corpses in them. And now friends, if you're willing to gamble with your peace of mind Put out the lights and listen to Death by scripture It's an original radio play by that old grave digger Robert Newman Yes, and our star tonight is Stefan Schnabel, who plays the role of Stefan This is China, somewhere near the outskirts of Shanghai, a man made wasteland ravaged and devastated by war Driving through an abandoned village on his way to a camp for displaced persons, is Major Roger Mason Suddenly the glare of his headlights picks out a strange wild-eyed figure Who stares and then scuttles into the shelter of an alley Mason hesitates for only a moment, then stops his jeep Hello there! Come back here for a minute, will you? Hello! If you want to make a game out of it Please, master, please, I mean no harm Easy, easy, no one's going to hurt you, certainly not me I'm an American on my way to camp 14 Camp 14? The camp of refugees, displaced persons I know, I was there Was I thought so? How was it they let you leave? They did not let me I ran away Oh, why? Because to stay would have meant death It seems to me it would be a lot more dangerous to go wandering around here Suppose I take you back there with me No, no, no, please I tell you, there's nothing to be afraid of You think not Very well What can man do against fate? I tried Your witness that I tried But I warn you, if I go back It will mean death, not just for me But for others Many others I'm very happy to meet you Welcome to camp 14 I'm very glad to meet you too I've had a great deal about you The job you've been doing here Oh, dad, there was not much I could do When we were all prisoners But now that we have been freed And are beginning to get food and medical supplies It is almost like a holiday May I present Miss Mia Singh Who has been assisting me Made you a misson? A sing? I brought someone here with me Someone I picked up on the road Stay fun I did not want to come back He made me Well, then it does come from the camp here Yes, of course A curious case We have never been able to discover his last name Or even his nationality We have many kinds here, you know Wide Russians, Korean, Siamese, Burmese Stay fun Why did you do it? Why did you run away? Because I was afraid Because of this Another one That same paper What is it? We found about a dozen of them Scattered around the camp this afternoon Read it You have not escaped There is no escape Do you recognize this symbol here? Japanese Black Dragon Society It says there is no escape But it's true I tried to escape And what happened? He brought me back Our benefactor Our savior I told you there was nothing to be afraid of, Stefan Afraid? Is death something to be feared? It is the one escape They cannot take from us Sleep Rest Rest It's really in a pretty bad state Couldn't you put him up in the administration building? That might be exactly what they want What do you mean? It is not like the Black Dragon Society To want someone they mean to kill But suppose they don't know exactly who they do want Wouldn't they do what they seem to have done Make a general threat And see who should fear Who did run away The war is over, corner The major is right, doctor Are we still living in the past? And we do have a room here Where we can put Stefan They went down the hall Very well But remember, I warned you I too think it will mean death It's not locked, major Come in I didn't know whether I'd be disturbing you Whether you were asleep Sleep? I never sleep Never You're feeling better though, aren't you? Safer? It is at least quiet A man can think I was lying here Trying to remember Trying to remember what? If I knew I would know everything But I don't know There is much that I can remember Such as what, Stan? The first one The greatest one Many lifetimes ago The garden with a wall around it The torchlight bright on their breast Plates and helmets And hills face Then the hill The place of skulls And the earth shaking Stop it, Stefan Every day you're talking about it It's hard Horrible, yes But true Those I can remember I can't ever forget But what I can't remember is now Who I am What I must do And why It will be horrible too As bad as the others But look, Stefan You're a sick man You've got to rest You've got to stop thinking I'm going to get you something Some medicine That will help you to sleep Then when you're strong again We'll take you away from here Sleep I told you I do not sleep I cannot sleep No We'll see about that I'll be back in a few minutes He does not believe That it is not for me Not even the final one Which is dreamless What's that? That's a door This door But who Who is that? Down at the end of the hall there Stefan's room Come on, quick It's your Mason Make shots as if Must have been fired right from the door What is it? It's Pulse Still there Where's your searcher? Right next to the office What there is of it Help me carry him in there We'll operate immediately Steady Not a swamp Even holes out for a couple of hours I believe anything I don't believe it either But he is better His pulse is still strong And there are no signs of shock I'll stay with him for a while You go get some sleep No, I... I'm alright I'd like to stay until we are sure that Major, look He is coming too No Don't make me come back Don't make me do it again Because you have no right To be alive now And you wouldn't be If it were not for him I never had any right To be alive But I am And I won't die I told you I wouldn't I couldn't Until I do what I have to do What's that? It is coming to me Slowly I'm beginning to remember I do not see it all yet But I know what it will mean Vultures and blood Coffins and death Yet somewhere But I wish our friend with a bad memory Do and do it Only one shooting And no corpses Things don't pick up I'm going to get in there myself And show them how to Porg About ten o'clock at night The dust laden wind Still wails around the lonely camp And the refugees from many nations Sit huddled in their room Stefan, his face gaunt and drawn Is sitting propped up in bed In the administration building I'm sure you feel well enough to talk, Stefan There is pain, but that does not matter What is it you wish to know, major? You were shot, Stefan You know that Did you see who it was that shot you? Yes, I saw But that is not important It does not matter What do you mean it does not matter? Just that, doctor You see, much has come back to me Not who I am, but what I must do And I know now that I have nothing more to fear That I was shot by a mistake Mistake? What the doctor said last night About the Black Dragon Society Was quite true There are two men here in the camp For whom the Japanese have been searching for years Men who have been leading the resistance movement In their own countries Even now the Black Dragon Society Feels that those two men must die Do you know who they are? Yes Do not mention their names Do not even think them You know who they are Don't you, Mia? One of them is your own father Ram Singh And the other is Pao Tung Is that true? Yes It is true And I think we ought to go see them at once Make provisions to get them away from here As the situation, gentlemen And I should like to have you escort at Shanghai as soon as possible You are very kind, Major We felt that our best protection lay in anonymity We may have been wrong As for the danger, even though Japan has been beaten Not all the members of the Black Dragon Nor their agents have been rounded up Not since Ram Singh You always were too cautious The Major is right We should have declared ourselves Returned to our countries at once I, for one, will be happy to do so now Good There are a few things in my room I would like to get first It will not take but a moment I will meet you back here Fine You still look worried, Father Do I? Perhaps I am After all these years Waiting, working, suffering To be so close to what I waited and worked for But what is there to be afraid of? The Major has promised you protection I know And I am profoundly grateful But I keep wondering how Stefan knew What was that? Heart on the compound In a town of like Poutung Stay here, both No, I am coming with you Father, you stay here Lock this door and do not let in anyone Unless you know who it is Who's that? Gornov You heard it too? Yes Sounded as if it came from... There he is Poutung Ear to ear No No, he... He just left us He was only gone a minute That minute Was all somebody needed Dr. Gornov, Ram Singh Major Mason asked me to take you up to the administration bill Just a second Let's scream out in the compound Was it... Yes Poutung And... And was he... Yes That is why the Major wanted me to come and get you To put you somewhere where you would be safe You are ready? Yes Poor Poutung To have lived through so much Waited for so long Then... Is it known who did it? No, not yet But they are closing the gates Whoever it was will find it difficult to get away Will they? I wonder In this dark Where the dust so thick you can hardly see Besides... Suppose it is not someone from outside Suppose it is someone from the camp here Someone who has been here for a long time Dr. Gornov, where are you? Dr. Gornov Must have lost him as we came through the alley With his wind Dr. Gornov Is that you? Who is it? Answer me! Where are you going to put him? They are closed now No one will get out But what are you doing up? You should not be out of bed I heard something outside I was crying I had to see Which one is it? Poutung Dead? And the other? Your father, Mia Dr. Gornov went to get him He is bringing him here where he will be safe Now go back inside to bed Father? Dr. Gornov? Gornov Where is your father? Isn't he here? I know You were going to... Can't you go get him? Yes, yes, I did We started across the compound together But it was so dark The dust was so thick I lost him I called to him, looked for him And when there was no answer I thought he had gone on ahead Stay here all of you, I'll go I'm sorry, Mia Why? Why are you looking at me that way? And what are you sorry about? I am sorry that we became separated That I lost him I am sorry That he is dead Dead? How can you say that? Because he must be dead Because it's part of the pattern The cycle of... That's enough, Stepan Come on I will take you back inside You're a very sick man Yes, yes, I'm sick Not as sick as some But sick enough I won't go back though Not yet I must wait I'm not sure for what But I know I must wait for something Listen Major Mason? You found him? Yes, yes, I found him I told you I knew he had to be dead Yes, he had to be dead I think I knew it too I knew it was hopeless from the very beginning How? How did that happen? Strangled Dying out there in the darkness Two of them killed within a few short minutes And we still do not know Not completely true, Mia You... You mean... You know? Your father and Pao Tung were around here for a long time They died because Stepan revealed their identity That means the murderer had to have access to that information He had to know precisely where they were And when they were going to be alone And he had to be able to get at the medical supplies here The medical supplies? Because Pao Tung's throat was cut with a scalpel And your father was strangled with a cat-cut suture That means... Don't move, Connoff Had you covered since I came in? Dr. Connoff? I do not believe it Thank you, my dear I am sure that there will be quite a few others who will feel that same way Stepan, you saw who shot you? Who was it? He Connoff You do, Ace, Stepan Well, I have a little something here I'd like to show all of you Something... Major, look out! Quite fast enough, Connoff At least you saved us the trouble of a trial As for you, Stepan Do not blame him, Major It was not his fault Not his fault? It was he who exposed your father in Pao Tung I know But I think I also know Why he did it, you know Then tell me in Heaven's name Here This should not come from me, but Take it Money? You are giving me money? Yes Silver The amount may not be exactly right, but Now do you understand? Yes, yes Thank you And bless you I do understand Everything What I have done Is what I must do What does he understand? Why did you give him that money? There was once someone else Who betrayed a friend And was paid for it with silver Thirty pieces to be exact You mean? Yes In the Bible One Judas Iscariot That's mad, insane Are you implying that he That that's why he didn't die when he was shot? That he's eternal, immortal? I do not know Perhaps he is not always the same Perhaps in each crisis in every period of history There is always one who must play the role of the betrayer Even against his will But this much I do know But he is not immortal Wait a minute I just remembered The story of Judas in the Bible Come on, quick What's that? The money I gave him on the floor Yes Matthew 27, as I recall And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple And departed And went And hanged himself A kind of character We like to have on this program A little slow getting started But he did deliver in the end Two corpses Plus his own A nice down-to-earth sort of chap Who wound up high in the air And the rope round his neck Yes, we'll have to see that he's back with us again next week Rope and all Use the rope? Of course we will You know our motto? No news is bad news I don't like it when people fight Especially grown-ups like Mommy and Daddy Mommy always told me it was a nice T.L. at people Or saying mean things But most of all She said you should never hurt people She said hurting people is a crime And if you don't believe me You can just go ask my daddy But you'll have to wait for visiting day to do that Physical abuse is a crime Stop abuse See your family advocacy program office for help Before you hurt someone you love Now here's a word of advice If you should be invited to spend the weekend With a friend in the country And he should wake you at midnight Carrying a lantern and shovel And invite you to go burying with him Make sure he doesn't mean burying with a you And when I say you I do mean you Oh, by the way, this muscle center sanctum Mr. Novel is The Whistling Leg By Roman McDougal Now it's time to close the squeaking door So good night Pleasant dream