 Good evening friends. This is your host to welcome you through the creaking door into the inner sanctum. Say, let me tell you about the new soap opera I heard the other morning. It's a slippery little stanza called John's Other Coffin. This program poses the question, can the murderous husband be happy with the spirit of his dead wife? It seems everything went fine with his marriage till one night at dinner his wife asked him to pass the knife, which he did, right through her. Then he hit her body at the town bell. That's where he made a big mistake, because the next morning she told on him. Tonight's inner sanctum mystery, only the dead die twice, is written by Ed Adamson and Bob Sloan and stars Larry Haynes and the role of Johnny with Alice Reinhardt as Vera. Well folks, sit right down and make yourselves uncomfortable. If you don't see any murder you want, just ask for it. Ready for tonight's cataleptic continuity. Okay then, let's get to Johnny Bryce as he tells his story. It was only four hours ago when I put the wagon away for the night. Ask me how I took a job like that, driving the hearse? Well ask me and I'll tell you I needed a job, any kind. But it's a job you never get used to. All the time there's that box riding in back of you. Four hours ago I got out of the wagon and started to head for Joe's Grill. But I never got to Joe's. Hello. She was standing at the door. Even in the bad light of the garage, she did things to address it, knocked your eyes out. So I picked up my eyes and looked again. I've been waiting for you. All your life? An hour of it anyway, Johnny. Hey, you know my name. Johnny Bryce. I know a lot about you. I'm Vera Craig. I've got something that might interest you, Johnny. Vera, you've got plenty that interests me. I've got a thousand dollars. See? Hey, that stuff almost looks real. It is real and it's all yours, Johnny. All you have to do for it is use that hearse. What? There's a body I want you to take away. Whose body? Alex. And who is Alec? My husband. He's in our apartment. It's 23 Grove Street. Well, the parlor handles the orders. Why didn't you call them? I couldn't. Why not? My husband has been murdered. Oh. Then you call the cops. The cops like to know about things like that. I can't call the police. You see, I murdered Alec. You killed him? Yeah. I murdered my husband. You say that like you say past me this sugar? It wasn't hard. He was rotten mean. I'm not sorry. I've got to get rid of the body. All you have to do, Johnny, is to get it out of the apartment and bury it. Take it out? A dead body? That should be easy enough for you. Uh-huh. I'm not touching anything dead. But you're used to death. It's around you all the time. Yeah, it's around me. That's the trouble. You think I like it? You won't do it for me. Not for anybody. Not even for this. I told you. Not even for a thousand dollars, a thousand, Johnny. Ten, one hundred dollar bills, see? Look, will you stop sticking that toe into my nose? You can do a lot with a thousand dollars, Johnny. Will you stop it? Think of what a thousand can do for you, Johnny. You say you don't like your job. I hate it. And you won't have to be sick with your work anymore. You can get away from it forever. Forever? This will be the last time you'll have to drive a hearse. All you have to do is get rid of Alec's body. A thousand dollars all for you. It'll free you, Johnny. What do you say? One thousand bucks. What do you think I say? I drove the wagon to the address sphere. It gave me and parked it in the side alley. The house was one of those broken down brown stones. The halls were dingy and creepy. I was trying to find the door with the name Craig on it. The hall was so dark I didn't see him standing there. You're looking for something, mister? What? What's the matter, I'm scared of you. What are you doing here? This is what I was going to ask you. I don't like people sneaking around these halls. I'm just super. Oh, super? Yeah. What do you want here? Nothing. What are you looking at the doors for? I've been following you. I'm trying to find a friend's apartment. Yeah, who's your friend? I can tell you the apartment. No, thanks. You don't have to bother. I can find it. Look, mister, I don't like the way you act. Maybe I should call a cop. A cop? Yeah, you heard me. Oh, look, you don't have to call a cop. I told you I'm looking for a friend. Yeah, but you still didn't tell me your friend's name. Okay. Okay, uh, he's Alec Craig. Oh, Mr. Craig, huh? Well, why didn't you say so? That makes things different. Mr. Craig's apartment's up on the next floor. Rear of the hall. Uh, rear of the hall. Thanks. Hey, wait a minute. Yeah? Well, what is it? No, you're scoring up there. Mr. Craig ain't home. But I am. Yeah, he ain't home. He ain't been home all evening. If he was home, I'd have seen him come in, sure. Okay, then I'll talk to Mrs. Craig instead. Missy, you can't do that, mister. He ain't married. There ain't no Mrs. Craig. What kind of a guy it was, this? The Super said there wasn't any Mrs. Craig. But who was Vera? Well, after the Super walked away, I went upstairs. The door to Craig's apartment was part open. I pushed it the rest of the way and walked in. The living room was as cold and gloomy as a morgue. I wanted to turn and go out, but something kept pulling me. I asked me and I'll tell you it was death. You couldn't see it, but you knew it was there and you couldn't make it let go of you. Put me right through to the next room. Mrs. Craig was there just as Vera said. On his white shirt, there was a big red circle. And on the floor next to him, a carving knife. Stained with the same red. I walked out of the room, a thousand bucks and a thousand bucks. I couldn't touch him, not for a million. I got to the front door and opened it. Hello. He was standing there in the hall right in front of the door. A big guy in a black hat and coat. I was just going to ring the bell. My name is Steve Maxson, detective, first-grade, 16 precinct. You want a Craig? No, I'm a friend of Craig's. Oh, I want to see Craig. Well, he's not home. Who are you? Johnny Bryce. You're sure Bryce is Craig isn't home? I just told you it wasn't. Nobody's in there. Okay, then suppose you come inside with me. We'll wait for Craig. Well, he's not coming back tonight. Go on, do like I tell you, get inside. What is this? What do you want with me? I just got a call to get over here. A murder. A murder? That's right. He said that Ali Craig was here in his apartment. Dead. If I had gotten out of that apartment a minute before, this never would have happened to me. But now I was stuck. I warn you, Bryce, don't try any phony moves. Oh, you got this wrong, Maxson. Somebody's playing a gag guy. Maybe. Craig isn't here. You can see nobody's here. Well, look in the next room. There wasn't a thing I could do. When we went into the room where Craig was, I kept my eyes straight ahead. I looked down and see him again. I guess you were right, Bryce. Somebody was playing a gag on me. It wasn't possible. I couldn't believe it. There wasn't a body on the floor. There wasn't a murder knife. There wasn't a single trace of death. Maxson went out and left me there alone. I stood right on the spot where Craig's dead body had been. My head spinned around like one of those kids' tops. It makes that whirling sound. The sound was my own voice, asking myself a hundred questions. Questions that didn't have any answers. The whirling sound got worse and worse. Hello, Johnny. Aren't you glad to see me? How'd you get here, Vera? How'd you get into that closet? There's a back entrance to the apartment. Look, what's going on here? There was a body right here on the floor. I saw it with my own eyes. Yes, Johnny. You saw Alex's body. I put it in the closet to save you. If that detective Maxson had found it, then you'd be in trouble, wouldn't you? You said Craig was your husband. He was. You're a liar. The Super told me Craig wasn't married. He wasn't. Your husband was he. Was he? All right, he wasn't. Why'd you lie to me? Because I wanted to make sure you'd help me. What kind of a game are you playing? When I told you I killed Craig, that was the truth. Why'd you kill him? Because he deserved to die. He was blackmailing me. Johnny, you've got to get him out of here quickly. Oh, no. I'll meet you out at Mount Crescent Cemetery. I'll carry him down the back stairs to the hearse. Nothing doing. I'm not going to touch him. I couldn't put my heads on him. A thousand dollars, Johnny. It's still waiting for you. I don't want the thousand anymore. Here, Johnny, I'll give you half of it now. No. When you're finished out at the cemetery, you'll get the rest. No, I said. Here, take the five hundred. I told you no. Now, look what you've done. You only have to pick it up. I'm not going to pick it up. I don't want any party allows you to keep it. The deal's off. Oh, no, Johnny. The deal isn't off at all. Not a bit. You're going to do exactly as agreed. Money or no money, you've got to. Now. Now? What do you mean? You told me you spoke to the super. He saw you here. They'll find Craig's body if you don't take it out. So they'll find it. So what? That detective, Maxden, he knows you now, Johnny. The detective remembers a face. They're good at that. If Craig's body is found, you'll be blamed for the murder. Why, you dirty little... So that's it. Yeah. And there's nothing you can do about it, Johnny. Absolutely nothing. Craig hung over my shoulder like a warm rag doll. With each step down those dark stairs, he bounced. His face touched mine. With each step, a screen broke loose down deep inside. I mean, I had to bite my tongue to keep the screen from coming out. I finally got him to the wagon. I dropped him into the box. Then I closed the lid. He was there in the box, but I could still feel his weight on my shoulder. His face is brushing against mine. I shut the back door and walked to the front of the wagon. Where you going, Bryce? What? Maxden. I said, where you going? What are you doing here? You still didn't answer my question. To the garage, I'm putting the wagon away for the night. You didn't tell me you drove a Hurst. You didn't ask me. Didn't I? No. Then I guess I didn't ask. I was waiting out front. You didn't come out that way. Oh, they're back stairs. I had my wagon parked here in the alley. Then why didn't you go in through the back? Huh? You went in the front way. How did you know? Maybe I was outside when you got him. Maxden, who are you? You saw my badge. I'm a cop. What do you got in that Hurst? Just a box. What's in the box? Nothing. Sure. It's empty. And you wouldn't mind if I had a look. Let go of my eyes. I tell you, the box is empty. Why are you so nervous about your hands shaking like a leaf? Look at the box. I swear, there's nothing in it. That's what you said. What are you going to do? Nothing, Bryce. Like you said, the box is empty. I'll see you around sometime. Soon. Maxden walked out of the alley and got into a car and drove off. What was the game they were playing? Vera, Maxden. Why did Maxden let me off so easy? I drove the wagon out of the alley and headed for Mount Crescent Cemetery where Vera was supposed to be waiting. When I got to the river drive, I started to breathe again. Well, I was lucky after all I steered Maxden off. And I noticed there was a car behind me. I knew who it was. Maxden. That's why he let me off so he could tell me. I slammed the gas down all the way. He stayed right behind the same distance. It was a curve ahead. I rounded the turn and then cut off to the side of the road. I killed the lights and waited. Took a back road for my date with Vera at the cemetery. What took you so long, Johnny? Maxden told me, Vera, but I shook him off. What is it, Johnny? The way you look. Even the moonlight. What's the matter with the way I look? There's something about you that reminds me. Remind you of what, Johnny? Death. You're not something alive or real. Here's the shovel. You'll dig the grave over there near that tree. No, I can't do it. I can't do it anymore. This way, Johnny. Stay where you are, Bryce. Maxden. You got rid of me, eh? Maxden, believe me. There's nothing to do with it. It was all her idea. I didn't want to come out here. You picked a Lulu this time, Vera. Now you've found out, Steve. What are you going to do? What is this? A nice yellow Lulu. He tries to pin it all on you. What are you two talking about? This is the spot where you two have been meeting. Meeting? Cut the act, Bryce. I don't get this. You're wasting your breath. That's not going to save you. I told my wife that I have a quarter. Your wife. Vera's your wife. Now you, Johnny, there's nothing we can do about it now. Now you'll find out everything about us. Maxden was holding the gun level at Vera. She was right. He'd find out everything. Craig's body was a few yards away in that wagon. I couldn't let Maxden find that body. I waited a second, and I jumped out. I saw the gun fly out of his hand. I held him by the coat collar. He brought us right all the way around, but he ducked just the time. Then I buried my fist in the middle. I heard the wind go out of him. Then he dropped to the ground. Come on, Phil. Let's get out of here. No, Johnny. Come here. I want some. We can't go yet, Johnny. Don't you see? See what? You'll find you. No matter where you go, you'll find you. I know him. You'll hang for Alec Craig's murder. But I didn't kill Craig. You did. You'll both hang. He'll fix it that way. You won't have a chance. Here. Take this. Gun? It's his. What? What do you want me to do? Take it, Johnny. You know what you've got to do. Kill him. Kill him? It's the only way out for you now. You've got to kill him. But I can't. I can't. All you do is pull the trigger. It's so simple. You shove the gun into my hand. The metal of it burns my palm like a hot poker. Hurry up, Johnny. Shoot. I couldn't lift my hand. Hurry before it's too late. You picked up my hand and aimed the gun at him. Before it's too late, Johnny. Maxston was laying in the moonlight quiet and still. I closed my eyes against the sight of him. Then I felt her finger press mine. I buried Maxston. All the time I shoveled pure as stood there watching. That same devil's smile on the face. After I dug another grave, I went back to the wagon to get Craig's body. I opened the little box and reached it. Sarah! I sat there in the back of the wagon. My brain, not believing what my hands touched. The insides of the empty box. Sarah! I got out of the wagon and started for the grave. Sarah! Sarah, he's not here at the bottom. Sarah's gone, Bryce. What? It was Craig. Ella Craig. Standing right there in the past in front of me. She's gone, Bryce. You're dead. I put you in the box. You're dead. Yeah, Bryce, touch my hand. No, stay away from me. Touch me, Bryce. Feel how dead I am. Don't, don't, don't you come here. You don't have to be afraid, Bryce. I'm not dead, not really. You are, you are. She killed you. That blood on your shirt, that's where the knife is. The blood? Yes, I admit it is realistic. But it's only a combination of red ink and grease. But it did get the effect Vera and I wanted. You really thought I was dead. You're such a chump, Bryce. Why did you do this to me? Why me? We had to get her husband out of the way. We wanted him dead, but only a chump commits murder. A chump you can buy with a thousand dollars or with fear. You're having a good time, okay? Terrific. You're not going to get away with this. No, what are you going to do about it, Bryce? Go to the police, tell them the story? Sure, you do that. Tell them how you held the murder gun. How your fingers squeezed the trigger. She made me do it. Tell that to the police, Bryce. Tell them and let me know what they say. I'll, uh, I'll be waiting to hear about it. They walked down the path, laughing at me. May the price chump of them all. All this chump had one idea. One good idea that was really going to kill him. I started the wagon and headed down the path. I caught Craig in my headlights. He turned. That hyena's smile was still on him. Then when he saw what I was going to do, the lad dropped off his face. He jumped to the side of the path and ran up a hill. I drove right up after him. He twisted and turned, but I didn't let him out of the headlights. He was just getting to the tomb at the top of the hill when I stepped down all the way. I took you so long. Glad to see me. What are you, what are you doing here? We'll talk about it inside. There's nothing to talk about. I said I'm coming in. Get out of here. It's no way to treat an old friend. Craig told me all about it. How you framed me into the murder. Of course he told you. It was all my idea. Good idea. Told you before, there's nothing we have to talk about it, so you might as well leave. You're expecting Craig, that right? None of your business. Now either you get out. Craig won't be here. What? He couldn't make it, Vera. On account of he's dead. That's right, couldn't dead. You should have heard him scream when the wagon hit him. You should have heard him, Vera. You're lying. You wouldn't do a thing like that. You're not a murderer. Sure I am, Vera. You made me a murderer. Remember this gun, don't you, Vera? Johnny, listen to me. Well, you know what's called a trigger. It's so simple. Remember it? Johnny, that's a thousand dollars. Oh, yeah. This is where I came in. You can have it now. You can do a lot with a thousand bucks. That's right, Johnny. That's right. You can get away from everything you hate. You won't have to be near death anymore. You can be free of it forever. The phone. What are you... A thousand. Is it still all there, Vera? Yes, Johnny. Yes, all of it. And it's yours now. You've earned it. A operator. The police. Police? Johnny, what are you doing? Why are you calling... Hello? My name's Johnny Bryce. I want to report a murder. You crazy fool. They'll hang you... The one who was killed? Her name is Vera Max. No. The address is 23 Grove Street. The killer? Sure. His name is Johnny Bryce. No. Yeah, that's right. Me. Oh, I'll be waiting right here for you. Johnny. Johnny, don't do it. Please. You can have a thousand. Maybe even more. Three thousand. Johnny, five thousand. Listen, Johnny, even more than five. I'll get you as much as you want. Anything. Anything. Johnny! Stop! You see, our story's finished. Plenty of corpses and no remorse. Well, Johnny finally got the drop on Vera. But you should see the drop the hangman got on Johnny. There is a moral in tonight's tangy little tidbit. It comes from the great works of the funeral philosopher. Wormley Digger, author of One Hearst's Town. Now, how's it go? Oh, yes. When you plant a corpse, be prepared for anything. You can never tell what might come up. Inner Sanctum was heard in the United States over CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System, and has been rebroadcast for servicemen and women overseas through the facilities of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service, the voice of information and education.