 Tonight, your Mystery Playhouse invites you to listen to Inner Sanctum Mysteries. Come on out, Mr. Hoes. Welcome you through the squeaking door. Been shopping around for a nice case of murder? Of course you have. And you've come to the right place because the characters on this program simply kill themselves to keep you amused. Why, only the other day we were accused of making murder our business. But we wouldn't have had to be mixing business with pleasure. And we consider it a pleasure to hear it said that those who laugh laugh that it never pays to get into a laughing contest. Same laugh I heard for the first time in the courtroom. It never laughed during all the weeks of the trial. Never even smiled. This day. When he came before me for sentencing. You have been found guilty of murder in the first statement before sentence is imposed. I killed Hicks. I'm willing to admit it now. But he was no good. He got just what he deserved. And everybody knows it. I'm not a killer. I never committed a crime before. And all I ask now is a chance. John Spencer, the jury took all that into consideration when it recommended life imprisonment. However, I have the power to ignore that recommendation. It is my firm conviction that to allow one man to take the law into his own hands is to encourage others to do likewise. I therefore overwrite the recommendation of the jury and sentence you to be hung by the neck until dead. No, Judge, please. I've got a girl. We were going to be married. All I ask is to live so I can see her once in a while. I should have thought of that before you committed murder. It's easy for you to tell me what I should have done. But you won't always be on top. Maybe someday you'll be down here where I am. When that happens, I hope they throw the book that you just like you're doing to me. Hey, look, remove the prisoner. Won't I be laughing when that happens? Wherever I am, I'll be laughing fit to boot. Prisoner, please, innocent, so guilty, with good cause, asks mercy. When clemency is refused and them demand curses, Judge, in hopes that Judge will someday find himself in a similar fight. Spencer's outburst failed to move me in the slightest. I'd heard it many times before. I went home to forget about the Spencer case. Yes, dear. I'll come in as soon as I freshened up. Come right now. I've been waiting here all day. Surely it's not too much to ask today. All right, all right, Laura. I'm coming. Richard, I want you to meet my new nurse, Margaret Cumming. This is Judge Thornton that's coming. How do you do? It's Cumming's. Haven't we met before? That's hardly likely. It's probably my face. It's so ordinary. On the contrary, Miss Cumming's. I should say your face is rather unusual. Richard, suppose you stop that silly chatter about faces and talk to Miss Cumming's about her duty. Very well. Come into my study, Miss Cumming's. We can talk better there. Now, sit down, please. There's not much to say, really. In the first place, my wife's heart condition isn't really dangerous. Yes, I gathered that from Dr. Fletcher. Oh, he told you about my wife, eh? Oh, yes, yes. You're a professional person, nurse, and I believe in frankness. It makes things easier. My wife is 11 years, my senior, getting on past middle age. She is a bit worried. Not that I give her any grounds for it. Jealous. You understand? Perfectly. She's not an easy person to get along with. You'll have to humor her. I'll do my best. And Miss Cumming's? Yes. I was just wondering where it was that I saw you before. Escapes me. You know, Miss Cumming's, your face is rather haunting. That was how it began. We played a game during those first few weeks. I would ask, Miss Cumming's, where was it that I first saw you? Don't you remember yet? No, I don't. Well, I do. And someday, if you're nice, I'll tell you. We would laugh together. Having the girl in the house made me feel young again. It didn't last. It ended one evening in Laura's room. Richard. Yes, dear. Put down that newspaper. I want to talk to you. I'm listening. Don't you think you're going a bit too far, Richard? Too far. What do you mean? I mean Miss Cumming. I won't stand for it. I won't allow you to disgrace me in my own home for the woman who's little more than a servant. Oh, Laura, for heaven's sake. I may be a bedridden invalid, but there is a limit. You're jumping to ridiculous conclusions, Laura. Ridiculous, am I? I suppose you'll deny you're in love with Miss Cumming, that you've been carrying on with her right under my nose. Certainly I'll deny it. I've got eyes, Richard. I've seen you two whispering together. I've watched how you looked. Oh, you're talking out of nonsense. There's nothing between me and Miss Cumming. Nothing? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Well then, I'll give you a chance to prove what you say. I don't want Miss Cumming to hear. Dismiss her. You want me to dismiss her? Yes, Richard. I do. Miss Cumming's, I... I suppose it's going to be rather unpleasant. You've seen my wife. Yes, I know. She wants me to leave. Yes. How did you know? I couldn't help overhearing the conversation. Well then, you also know why she wants you to leave. Yes. But you warned me when I first came here that she was jealous. It's been... very pleasant to have her leave. Thank you. I'm going to miss you. Miss Cumming's, could I have your home address? Of course. Why do you want it? I hope you won't think me presumptuous, but... well... perhaps we might be able to see each other. Would that be wise? No, it wouldn't be wise. But I might as well pace it. I'm going to miss you. Miss Cumming's. But I might as well pace it. I couldn't hide it from Laura and... no, I can't hide it from myself. I love you, Miss Cumming's. Now, I've heard Spencer's laugh for the first time since the day in the courtroom. I said it sounds as if the imagination born out of a feeling of guilt yielded my disloyalty to Laura. I put it out of my mind. I had other things to think about. This little paper with Margaret Cumming's address on it was in my pocket. A dozen times during the next week I picked the telephone to call her, but something held me back. Fear, I guess. Fear that if I saw her again, I would be taking a final irrevocable step. But then I couldn't stand it any longer without seeing her. I dialed her number. Is that you, Margaret? This is Richard. Judge Thornton. So long, I thought you'd forgotten me. There's little chance of that. I see you tonight, Margaret. I dressed carefully, examining myself in the mirror I saw a tall man, still on the right side of 50. Still a crimson figure and distinguished in appearance. When I got to Margaret's apartment, my heart was beating fast, like a boy on his first date. Somehow, I don't know quite how it happened. She was in my arms. I was kissing her. Oh, no, we're being foolish. Sit down, darling. Would you marry me? Mary? You can't be serious. I was never more an earnest in my life. Aren't you forgetting a little detail? No. I'm not forgetting about Laura. She has a weak heart. She may die. And if she does... I wouldn't count on it. Your wife takes very good care of herself. She may live to be a hundred. But if she should die, would you marry me? I don't know. It's not fair to ask me now, not while your wife is still alive. Ask me later. Do you have a pleasant evening at the club? I didn't go to the club, Laura. No? No. I lied to you. I spent the evening with Margaret Cummings. Rich. You were right. I'm in love with her. I never knew what love meant before. I can't live without her. You're mad. You don't know what you're saying. I want a divorce, Laura. Divorce? No. I want it immediately. You can't do this to me. Oh, my heart. What? Now see what you've done. Laura. Oh, my pills, Richard. Give them to me. Hurry. Hurry, Rich. I knew she was pretending the heart attack. Hoping to play on my sympathy. That was Laura's favorite trick. It always worked before. Not this time. This time I was pretend, until I was ready to act. I gave her the pills. Watched to take them and sink back in the pillow. Thank you, Richard. Feel better now? That's dear much better. I don't know what I'd have done without you here. I would have died. Oh, Richard, say you didn't mean what you said before. Don't you see I couldn't go on living without you. You won't have to, Laura. Then you won't leave me for that girl. I'll take care of you. Here. Let me make you more comfortable. Pillow needs rearranging. Yes, it does. That's it already. I'm fixing the pillow. I don't know what to say. I still... Stop twisting around. I don't know what to say. This is much different from a heart attack. My wife has had a... It was nothing important, doctor. Just a domestic quarrel. Suddenly she had the attack. I gave her the pills, but by that... Well, by that time it was too late. It's too bad. I'd only known that a condition had become so dangerous. I'll judge you. Nothing to reproach yourself for. These things happen. We'll... You take care of the formalities, doctor. Oh, yes, of course. The... The death certificate? I'll list the cause as... Failure of the heart. I was no need to act the part of the stricken husband after Dr. Fletcher left. I stood looking down at Laura's body. She was dead. And Dr. Fletcher's certificate would clear me of any suspicion of murder. It was free to marry Margaret. I walked to Margaret's apartment that night. The street was dark. I had the uncomfortable feeling that I was being watched. All of it. Then I heard footsteps behind me. I hurried my pace. The man behind me did likewise. Frightened as I was, I decided to stop and confront the follower. He came and taught me. His face and figure shadowy in the dark. What do you want? Why are you following me? You ought to know, Judge Thornton. Who are you? Come closer so I can... Bouncements! It can't be. You're dead. Dead, am I? Well, you ought to know, Judge. Take it easy, Mr. Take it easy, then. Just tell me what happened. I was being followed, Officer. So I turned around to see who it was. And did you see who it was? Yes. And that's why I painted. The man following me was a dead man. He was a... What's that? The man following me is dead. I know he's dead, Officer. You're crazy! I had intended to tell Margaret that Laura was dead. I went to ask her to marry me. With the encounter on the street, I drove those thoughts out of my mind. Riding at her apartment, I went directly to the window and looked down. And there, across the street, living against the wall, I saw John Spence. Richard, I'm insult. What? You didn't kiss me. You haven't even said hello. I'm sorry, dear. That man across the street. He can't be real. And yet, if he isn't... What man, Richard? Don't you see him? No, there's no one across the street. He was there a moment ago. I turned my head to talk to you. And now he's gone. Darling, you're trembling. You must be sick. Don't look at me like that. Richard, what's the matter? I guess I am sick. I'd better go and have a talk with Dr. Fletcher. Yes, I remember that Spence is very well, Judge Thornton. You could have spared Spence's life, but didn't. And how do you imagine that he follows you? Yes. But the man is dead. Then it was his ghost that followed me. His ghost I spoke to. His ghost that lads. There are no ghosts, Judge Thornton. With one exception. The ghosts we carry about inside us. What do you mean? Well, these things you hear and see, these are hallucinations brought on by feelings of guilt. Spence has been dead for weeks. So the question is, why should you experience guilt feelings at this late date? I don't know. Well, psychiatry has an explanation. Quite often in such cases, one refuses to face the guilt object and transfers his guilt feelings to some other person. What are you driving at? I'm suggesting that your guilt feelings are not caused by the Spence's incident. And I'm going to ask you a blunt question. Did you murder your wife? Why, of all the... Now, just a moment, Judge. Just a moment. I've been rather uneasy about the circumstances of Mrs. Thornton's death. What, you yourself diagnosed it as a heart attack? I accepted what you told me that night. The superficial examination of the body did indicate such a conclusion, yes, but your wife's cardiac condition was mild. Now, your guilt feelings lead me to suspect... This murder talk is ridiculous. Were there any signs of struggle, any marks of violence? Course not. Mrs. Thornton might have been suffocating. Oh, nonsense. Perhaps. At any rate, I intend to recommend to the coroner that an autopsy be performed. An autopsy? Yes, it would determine whether or not death was due to suffocation. You should have no objection if I am mistaken. You meddling fool. Judge Thornton, put down that head. You are so clever. Stay away from me. I've gone too far now to stop with another... I'd lost my head. I should have agreed to the autopsy. That would have given me a dare to in which to plan my escape. But now, as things were, it would be only a matter of hours before Pledge's body was discovered. My thoughts twisted and turned and panicked. I'd be laughing when I'd be laughing fit to the bush. Ha ha ha ha! I ran, ran like a frightened child. I needed help, but there was no one to turn to. Margaret, she loved me, she'd helped me. I went to Margaret and told her what had happened. You killed your wife. For you, so we could be married. And then Dr Fleck? I had to kill her, Margaret. He was going to recommend an autopsy. Why did you come here? We've got to run away. an hour or two, but we could charter a plane to Canada or Mexico. What makes you think I'd run away with you? I thought you loved me. Don't be stupid. I'm going to turn you over to the police. Marguerite, you can't mean... Can't I just watch me? Marguerite, listen before you pick up that phone. Even if you don't love me, even if you won't go away with me, give me a chance, have mercy. You make me laugh. Judge Thornton, who never gave anybody else a break, pleading for mercy, will turn around and ask the man behind you for mercy. That's right. Spencer. John Spencer. Take another look, Judge. No. No, you're not John Spencer. As a resemblance, but you're not John Spencer. I'm his brother. No, the man that was following me. That's right. I was tricked. They're done by Margaret to kill my wife and forced by you to betray myself to Dr. Fletcher. But why? Why, Margaret? Why did you do this? For revenge. Revenge? Yes. The first day I came to your house, you thought my face was for me. Well, now I'll tell you where it was that you first saw me. It was in the courtroom at John Spencer's trial. Courtroom? Yes. Yes. Yes. Remember how he begged for mercy? He told you we had a girl that he was engaged to be married and you could have given him his life. But you sentenced him to his death. What? Were you the girl? Yes. Spencer, did he know about this? All this was his plan. His revenge. Give me police headquarters. I want to report a murder. Yes, that's right, a murder. Tell them it's very important to get here as soon as they can. I'm waiting now for the police to come for the trial, for the sentence which I know will be death. As I wait, my thoughts go back to the courtroom. You won't always be. Margaret Cummings, which was a grave... Well, he didn't have the ghost of a chance with her. She double-crossed him right into the graveyard. Or a word of caution. If you must commit a murder, be sure to select the proper weapon. I suggest a sharp-edged axe because it provides you with a handy alibi. When the police want to know why you did it, you can claim the killing was accidental. Good night and thank you, Poison Puss, for your innocent and story, tonight's performance in the Mystery Playhouse. Until next time, Crete. Good night. Sleep tight.