 Lipton Tea and Lipton Soup presents Inner Sanctum Mysteries. Good evening, friends of the Inner Sanctum. This is your host, welcoming you in through the squeaking door. Come in, see my latest collection of corpses. I've dug up some very interesting pieces, but of course I had to pay a stiff price. This petrified man, for instance, he's over a hundred years old. They found him in a forest. That's right, aged in the woods. My goodness, do you expect folks to believe nonsense like that? Oh, but it's true, Mary. Look over here at this artist's model. The last time she posed for a sketch, she was drawn and quartered. The artist wanted to paint her with her head in her hands, but he didn't have the nerve to axe her, so he sold her in half. What an imagination you have. You don't believe me, all right? I'm not going to show you my corpse collection anymore. This is the last time. Well, I don't believe that either. But talking of last times, folks, this is the last time on Inner Sanctum that the Lipton people are offering to send the ladies that special sterling silver medallion. Yes, ladies, this is your last chance to own a really lovely piece of jewelry without spending a lot of money for it. Now, let me describe the medallion to you. It's made of solid sterling silver. It's about an inch in diameter. Yes, and it's decorated with the Chinese symbol for good luck. You can wear the medallion as a necklace or a choker. You see, it's hung on a narrow black ray on satin ribbon. Or if you wish, you can simply add it to your charm bracelet. And here's how you get this handsome medallion. Listen. Just send 25 cents and the box top from a package of Lipton's, the tea with the brisk flavor, to Lipton Tea Box 92. That's Box 92, New York City. All right, friends, better write that address down in a dry piece of paper. Why do I say dry? Because everything will be wet by the time we're through here. Wet with gore. Tonight's story is called Dead Man's Debt. It's an original radio play by Robert Newman. And our star tonight is Joseph Julian, who plays the role of Danny. The corner cell in the courthouse jail. Stone walls, stone floor and a hard cut. Lying on the cut huddled under the blanket is Danny Gorman. His eyes are closed and his breathing is regular. But even he is not sure whether he's asleep or awake. For he's listening to a voice. A voice he's heard quite often during the past few weeks. And a voice he shouldn't be able to hear. A voice he shouldn't be able to hear. A voice of a dead man. Are you sleeping, Danny? Don't. It's a waste of time. A real waste. You'll be sleeping for a long, long time. Very soon. When you're dead like I am. Yes, Danny. Did you think you were going to get away with it? You'll pay. No, it's a no. What's the trouble in here? What are you making all that racket for? Better put yourself together and get moving. Waiting for you downstairs, courts and session. Don't rush me. I'm coming. I'm not rushing you. Glad I'd be rid of you. Glad you won't be coming back here again. What? What do you mean? Do the one they do it without leaving the jury box. And ten to one it's guilty. Gentlemen of the jury. Have you reached a verdict? We have. Prisoner will rise and face the jury. Go on, Danny. Stand up. What is your verdict? Not guilty. You mean? What a riot. I should have taken him up on it. Ten to one he wanted to give me the jury. He was going to send me up. I know it, I know you. Order, order, Mr. Russell. Have you quiet your client? I apologize your honor, but as you can imagine, he's been under considerable strain. Take it easy, Danny. Oh, Danny. I knew it too, Danny. I knew they'd let you go, they had to. I'm coming here to celebrate. It's not very fancy, but this is where they pick me up, put the cups on me. I'm kind of sentimental about it. Perfectly all right. Well, you did a swell job getting me off. Thank you. I'd probably done better if I didn't have a conscience. How come? I was assigned your case. I had to defend you. I did the best job I could. But it was a little hard to put my heart in it. When I knew you were guilty, not of the murder you were charged with, but another one. If that's supposed to be funny, Mr. Russell. It's not, Gail. Danny was charged with a murder of Carson, a well-known jeweler, in the house. Danny was seen in the vicinity in the company of Stack Allen, a man with a long criminal record. Now, if you remember, there were just three things that saved Danny. One, the fact that Carson was thought to have a valuable diamond on him. Danny didn't have the diamond and it hasn't been found yet. Two, Carson was shot with a 45. Danny's gun was a 38. And three, Stack Allen has disappeared. Now, on the basis of these three facts, I was able to convince the jury that there was a diamond. And as a matter of fact, that's what I think did happen. Well? The DA made one mistake. He charged you with a wrong murder. I don't believe you killed Carson, but I do think you killed Stack Allen. That's ridiculous. Danny, tell him it's not true. Tell him. What are you going to do about it? Nothing. I'm not a policeman. You're lying. No, no. You see, basically, I have great respect for the law. I believe that even though it sometimes makes mistakes, it generally corrects them. I think it'll catch up with you. In the meantime, well, there's the matter of my services. Since I saved your life, I figure you owe me a good deal. Don't worry about that. I'll pay you. Yes, how? I know that. If you wanted me too, I could probably help you. I don't want any help from you or anyone else. I said I'd pay you and I will. Come on, Gayle, let's get out of here. You're stacked with all linear loans. I can't, Danny. Not until you pay for what you did to me. Who? Who's that? Who's there? It's me, Danny. Okay, just a second. Hello, Danny. I'm starting to get a little worried about you. Are you all right? Sure, I'm all right. What is there to worry about? Well, it's been a week since I saw you. I've been hearing things that you were hanging around with the old gang again, with Frankie. So what? You mean it's true? Danny, you shouldn't. You know what almost happened would have happened if it hadn't been for Mr. Russell. Russell? It wasn't for him. Danny, you said you were going straight in instead. He wanted to help you, remember? How are you, Danny? Russell. What are you doing here? Look, if you're worried about your dough, I told you I'd pay you. I never said anything about money, Danny. And I'm not worried about being paid. I'm a firm believer in balancing accounts. We pay for everything we do. What are you driving at? You killed Stack Allen for the diamond you took from Carson. That diamond. Suppose I help you find it. What? How do you know where it is? I don't know. I'm only guessing. But if you show me where you buried Stack's body, I think maybe we can find it together. You're just trying to trap me. Tag me with Stack's murder. I told you I was an attorney, not a policeman. Okay. Okay, I'll take a chance on it. Get your car, I'll show you. Easy now. Turn off there to the left. Into the woods? Yeah. Just a little further. All right, go slow. Okay, now stop. I think you'd better stay here, Gail. It's not going to be very pleasant. No, tell her I'll come. Just as you like. Now, tell me again just how it happened, Danny. Well, we drove down here after we knocked Carson off to decide just what we're going to do. I had a feeling Stack was going to plug me so he wouldn't have to split with me and I decided to beat him to it. He went over there. He sat down on that log and he was playing with his ear the way he used to pulling on it. I let him have it. I searched him but I couldn't find a diamond. What did you do with the body? I dug a deep hole right there. He dumped a minute and I piled wood on it and then built a fire. And after it burned down, I covered it up. Okay, let's get the shovels out of the car and start digging. Hey, my shovel hit something. I think it's him. Gail, will you go back to the car? No, no, I'm going to stay. I just won't look. There, there he is. At least his bones. Put your shovel under his skull and lift it carefully. Hey, the diamond. The diamond is lying right underneath him. How did you know? I didn't. I told you I was guessing. You saw him take it from Carson and knew he had it with him but you couldn't find it when you searched him. You mentioned that when he was thinking he had a way of playing with his ear. His ear, of course. That was Eddie headed in his ear. Maybe he figured I was going to stick him up with something, maybe. Anyway, I got it now. We're rich, you hear, Gail? We're rich. Yes, I hear. What are you looking at me for that way? Danny, I loved you for a long time. Even when I knew there were things wrong with you. I stuck with you through the trial because I thought you were innocent. That you hadn't killed Carson. Now I hate you. I stood trial, I got off, didn't I? I paid for the diamond. And now it's mine. Yes, Dan, but you haven't paid for it. You're only going to start paying for it. There's our friend Mr. Bones again. You know, I don't mind his talking from the grave but I wish he'd stop heckling Danny and not sound so much like a bill collector. After all, he didn't do so badly. He not only got buried, he got cremated, too. Yes, he paid the penalty for his crime. Yeah, but what right has he got to be so moral after he's dead and so vain, too? Wearing a diamond in his ear. Next thing you know, we'll see a skeleton walking around wearing a Lipton sterling silver medallion. That will never happen, I assure you. Is that so? Well, let me tell you about a skeleton who could fly. Now stop, that's enough. You let me tell you about a real flyer, an American pilot whose life was saved by the original of that sterling silver medallion that the Lipton people are offering to the ladies. Now listen, folks, because this is a true story. It seems that a year or so ago, an American flyer had to bail out over enemy territory. Fortunately, he was rescued by Chinese gorillas and they gave him a medallion with Chinese letters on it. They said that this medallion would bring him safely through the lines. Well, he did get through and only then did he learn that the letters meant good luck in Chinese. Now, there's a story to tell your friends when they're admiring your sterling silver medallion on its narrow black ray on satin ribbons. And to get this Chinese good luck charm, just like the one the flyer carried, all you have to do is send 25 cents and the box stop from a package of Lipton's, the tea with the brisk flavor, to Lipton Tea Box 92. That's Box 92, New York City. And now friends, back to the story of Danny Gorman who was tried for the wrong murder and who's found, so far at least, that crime does pay and very nicely too. It's about an hour later now and a car with three very silent people in it has just reached the outskirts of the town. It's a matter with you two anyway. What are you sitting there like a pair of mummies for? Why don't you say something? I said everything I had to there in the woods, Danny. I've got nothing to say. No, nothing at all. I'm trying to pull a lily act now, Russell. Oh, forget you're in this as deep as... Hey, wait a minute. Stop right here. Yeah, that's right, in front of that hawk shop. Where are you going? Inside to see a friend. Might just as well get the dough to pay you off right now and they won't have to listen anymore. You're doubled to it. Well, well, Danny, I haven't seen you in a long time and I didn't think I'd ever be seeing you again. How come? I thought that anybody who'd just beaten a murder app would have sense enough to keep it clear, not get mixed up with anything hard. Or is this a social visit? Not exactly. Take a look at this. It's a very nice diamond. Very nice, indeed. What's it worth? You really want to know what it's worth? You want to know what I'll give you for it. What's the difference? A great deal. It's worth, let me take another look at it. It's worth ten, maybe twelve thousand dollars. I'll give you two thousand for it. What? Why, you old... What's the idea? It's very simple, Danny. You were tried for Carson's murder and you got off because you had a good lawyer and because there wasn't enough evidence. But if you had tried again, right now, you wouldn't do so well because this is the very best kind of evidence right here. You see, I happen to know that this is Carson's diamond. Yeah? Yes, Danny. We're even to take it out of this shop. And that's why it's very generous of me to offer you fifteen hundred for it. Fifteen hundred? But you just said... Okay, Finney. Take the diamond, give me the dough. It's very sensible of you, Danny. Come back tomorrow, about the same time. I'm taking a pot out of town. I want the dough right now. All right, Danny. Wait out there and I'll get it for you. Seven, twenty-one, five, Finney. You... I'm taking a chance with a gun now with my friends outside. Shouldn't have driven such a hard bargain because now I'm not only going to take the diamond back, I'm going to take every cent you got in the safe. After all, I won't do you any good anymore. All right. Yeah, let's get going. You seem quite pleased with yourself. I shouldn't I be. Get rid of the diamond and I finally got my hands on some real dough. I can pay you off now. What do I owe you? I told you, Danny, a great deal. Your life. Okay, don't build it up. What do you want in cash? I never said anything about money, Danny. There is something I want. When the right time comes, I... I think I'll get it. Me, Danny. Frankie. Just a second. Hi, Frankie. How are you? Me? How come? That little job last night. Said you wanted to get in on it and you never showed up. So maybe you were sick of something. Oh, that... No, no, no, it was just that... Well, I changed my mind. Yeah? Yeah, I kind of thought it over. I decided I better stay on the clear. Let's go straight from now on. It's smart, Danny. Real smart. How'd it go? Smooth as silk. We ended up with stuff where... Well, three or four G's anyway. Yeah, that's swell. Yeah. So the answer was all over that we ran into something kind of funny. What was that? Well, the stuff was kind of hot and we thought we ought to unload right away so we went down the finish, you know, the fence. We got there. It didn't seem like there was anyone around. I took again in the back room and he won't believe this. But the safe was open. Cleaned out. It was Finney. Dead. Well? Well, you have any idea who did it? I don't know. It was a knife. Well, regardless, I'm left in such a hurry they forgot to take the knife with them. I got it right here. Let's see it. No, don't touch it, Danny. It's not bad. I said don't touch it. I'll try any market tricks or I'll bash it for keeps. So you were going straight, eh? You merely a mild double crosser. Where's the diamond? What are you talking about? Don't get me that. Do you think I know your knife when I say it? It's only one reason you'd go to see Finney. To cash in on that diamond you and Stack took from Carson. Well, I wanted. Okay, Frankie, you can have it. I haven't happened nothing but tough luck ever since they first laid eyes on it. It's over there in my bureau hidden under my socks. I'll get it for you. You start and it shows some sense. I think so. More sense than to let you leave here knowing what you know. Now, get my friend a lawyer down here. Everything will be hunky-dory. I sure got down here fast, Russell. Hey, what's the idea? I thought she might be interested in anything you might have to say to me. You said something about another case? Yeah. Look over there in the corner. Oh. You killed him? Yeah, it was self-defense. He came down here to get me to go out in a job with him. I told him I wouldn't and I was going straight and he pulled a gun. There it is in his hand. I got my own rod in the bureau and, well, that was that. Sound okay? Fine. You know, it ain't going to be easy. I know, me coming up for a second murder rap. But you can get me off. I got plenty of dough this time. I can really pay. The thing is, what do we do first? We don't do anything, Danny. There are a lot of things you can do. My suggestion is that you call the police. Give yourself up. What? You mean you're not going to take this case? No, Danny. I was assigned the case, couldn't turn it down. Besides, you were being tried for the wrong murder. But this time, it won't be the wrong murder. It'll be the right one. This is the one I said was finally going to catch up with you. I see. Is your car downstairs by any chance? Yes, why? I'm starting to feel a little restless. Let's go places. Go ahead, March. Danny, what are you going to do? Are you kidding? You know about Stack and about Freddy. Somehow I don't think I'd sleep so good knowing that you knew. Besides that, there's one more you don't know about Finney. I got him yesterday while you were waiting in the car. After your first three, they started to come easy. Even Dames. We're going to take a little ride together. But I got a feeling we're not all of us coming back. Take drive until I tell you to stop. Right. Taking this awful quiet, the two of you. Maybe you don't think I'm going to go through with it. Oh, I think you intend to all right. Whether you will or not is another story. So is the reason I'm taking it this way. Maybe this is as good a time as any to tell you a few things. Why I took your case in the first place. Well? It was because of Carson. He was my father's best friend. Kind of a second father. He who put me through law school. When he was murdered, I made up my mind to get to the bottom of it. Find out who killed him. I didn't think it was you and it wasn't. You were involved. And I knew that if I helped you get what the murder was committed for, the diamond, eventually you'd pay for the murder you committed. Well, you've got not one, but three murders. What are you stopping for? Railroad crossing. There's a train coming. Can't you hear the bell? I told you to keep going until I said for you to stop. Okay. Hey, what's the idea? You stole the car. Make sure it stays still. I'll just take these keys. Stanley, we're right on the track. Yeah, this is it. You fell in love, see? You ran away together, smacked into the train. I don't try to do it. They're locked. I'll just wait over here and make sure everything goes the way it should. Well, Gail. Somehow I'm not frightened. And I don't care. Hey, my foot! My foot! It's caught in the train. It's not coming down your track. It's coming down this way. Hey, Russell! Get out of here! Yes. It was on the wrong track. Danny... been on the wrong track for a long time. John... What was it you said before? About why you took the case? Yes. But you always talked about payment, about... something you wanted. I... I wanted justice. And I also wanted something else. Someone Danny headed first and then lost. Someone he didn't deserve. John... Yes, yes. That's right. What is this anyway? Inner sanctum or love's old sweet song? You'd better get yourself another tune, professor. Or I'd better get myself another program to haunt. That's right. One more sappy ending like that and they can get themselves another host. Well, what was the matter with that ending? I thought it was the nicest one we've had this year. But it was sweet the way those two people discovered they loved each other. Listen, Mary, there's only one kind of sweet stuff that goes on this program and that sweet essence of cyanide. Oh, good gracious. This is the last show of the season. Can't you be human just this once? All right, Mary. I'll tell you what I do. When Gail and that lawyer get married, I'll send her a Lipton sterling silver medallion for a wedding present. Well, they'll have to get married real soon then because this is the last time on Inner sanctum that certain people are offering to send that special medallion. Yes, ladies, this is your last chance to get a solid sterling silver medallion hung on a narrow black ray on satin ribbon. A lovely piece of jewelry to wear with your simple silk dresses and with your dressy suits as well. So you'd better send for your medallion tonight. Just send 25 cents and the box top from a package of Lipton's, the tea with the brisk flavor, to Lipton Tea, Box 92, New York City. And now a word of advice, friends. Don't let tonight's story or this business about dead men's debts prey on your mind too much. If you should wake up at about two in the morning and hear strange footsteps coming up the stairs toward your room. Don't worry. It won't be a homicidal maniac. It will probably be the ghost of a bill collector coming to collect I.O.U. By the way, this month's Inner Sanctum mystery novel is Lay That Pistol Down by Richard Powell. Well, now it's time to close up shop until the end of August. Much too hard to go around murdering people. And down at the morgue everybody's planning to stay on ice for the summer. So we'll be back to haunt you on Tuesday, August 28th with more Inner Sanctum stories directed by Hyman Brown. Better have that date tattooed on your chest. Tuesday, August 28th. Until then, remember to serve Lipton. The tea with a brisk flavor, iced as your summertime beverage. And be sure to serve Lipton's noodle soup as the one hot dish with a cold meal. And now it's time to close the squeaking door. So, good night. Pleasant dreams. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.