 Good evening Tonight you'll not breathe my house present in a frank. I Have to hold the door good evening friends of the inner Sancton This is your house to welcome you through the squeaking door What's that? Just scared Don't be frightened Why we've been feeding our brains out to make things pleasant for you Take that fellow lying on the floor. Now. That's a nice guy really He put a bullet through his head because he didn't want you to be bored Well, you don't like that pretty lady hanging from a chandelier Well, we'll fix that we'll cut it down and nail it to the wall Then she'll be a pin-up girl And now friends Do whatever it is that you do when fear fastens cold fingers on your spine a Cigarette perhaps for a handkerchief Anything to brace you against tonight's tale of horror To the original radio play written especially for inner sanctum by Michael Slaher and called Death is a double cross I'll start tonight is Lawson's Erby who plays the part of Harry Smith Murder I looked at the blood-scattered mallet still gripped in And Donna Marie's body It was like coming out of a bad dream only to go into a nightmare Instead of using a mallet to cut the King Midas diamond. I'd used it to murder my wife And the big diamond was still in the vice Still sparking in the light of the work lamp still tormenting me with a glow of its inner fires The thing was evil Anderson had warned me my luck had been all bad ever since I came to his house Do all those old New York brownstones big enough for several families, but only two people were living there when I came Anderson and my wife Marie was working at his house keeping she gave me He's about 70 years old Harry lives all alone here. It's perfect for you. No family. No wife. No children. No friends He never goes out except on business and no one ever comes to see him sounds good to me Marie. Good. It's perfect I'll tell him you just got out of the army. He won't ask questions. You'll Never find out you were in prison. What does he do for a living? He's a diamond cutter a diamond cutter You don't say he was famous one He doesn't cut little ones Harry only the great big diamonds worth thousands of dollars I moved in with Marie and for a while everything was quiet. I didn't mind the quiet after that five-year forgery rapping sing sing Then one day the peace and quiet ended. I met old Anderson on the steps going down with the speed Good morning Harry. Oh, hello, Mr. Anderson. Hey, you look all excited some good news coming away. I hope so Harry First I can wait afford to be either but would be pleasant to work again And it's nice to know that people still remember you. Is it a job? Wonderful job if I get the assignment. I'm sure I get it. He couldn't get it anyone else. Oh a Diamond one of the largest diamonds in the world The king might have stoned discovered last year in the Kimberley fields was purchased recently by Johnson the multi-millionaire I'm on my way to his home to discuss the cutting Wow, good luck. I Sure, I hope you get the job, Mr. Anderson The next afternoon Anderson invited me up to his work room On the bench was a square of black velvet covered by a white cloth Something big was underneath that cloth Anderson lifted it But the first time I saw the King Midas diamond How do you think of it? My second I couldn't talk the blood was pumping too fast 215 cats When I finished cutting it'll be reduced to 125. How much will it be worth? Diamond like that You could get a hundred thousand dollars and no questions asked That's funny It's kind of oily on the surface with Down inside it seems like it's on fire. Has it frightened you? Stone like that does things to you the story of great diamonds is a history of intrigue violence murder you are You said something about cutting it and after steady the King Midas until every detail of the task is clear in my mind In just a few light flows of the mallet on the chisel and the result Will be a flawless diamond How long will it take? Oh? I should say about two months I went downstairs to Marie one look at me and she knew something had happened I told her my plan if they catch you they'll send you back to jail. I won't catch me I've got it all figured out. This is our chance. He told me himself of the diamond will be worth a hundred grand when he's finished Hundred grand yeah no more pots and pans and scrubbing floors no more passing phony checks We'll be set for life Marie How are you gonna go about it? I'll wait until he's finished cutting the diamond How will you know when he's finished you'd have to know the exact time if you waited too long You might turn it over to the owner mr. Jones, and then where would you be? Don't worry? I've got that figured out too So you wonder become a diamond cutter if you'll teach me to work mr. Anderson the eye promise I won't be any bother. All I want to do is watch you while you go about cutting the King Midas Diamond cutters aren't made overnight Takes a great deal of time. I Spend 50 years learning the craft. Oh, please mr. Anderson. You don't know what this means to me. Yeah All right, Harry. I'll let you watch me as I work So that's how it began Every day for two months. I went upstairs and what stand as soon as he studied the King Midas Diamond Previous mistake place along planes parallel to the octahedron faces of the crystal Step by step he explained the job How he would split it where he would place the notches so that the diamond would split along the exact lines He wanted he went over every detail again and again and again Finally he cut the notches for the splitting Slowly carefully and then he placed the diamond in the vise He got out the chisel in the mallet and place them on the workbench It was like a wedding ceremony. I Was on fire. I couldn't wait just a few taps with the man it and it's done. Are you gonna do it now? No Tomorrow tomorrow Tomorrow tomorrow we kept putting it off Then I realized what it was He was scared he couldn't trust his unsteady hands It hit me like a ton of brick He was never going to cut that dying You're so smart. What are you going to do now? I'm going to cut the diamond myself you yeah me I know how to do it. It's all set. There's nothing to it. But what about Anderson? We don't need Anderson anymore You mean Yeah but That's murder. So it's murder They never put it on us. I Figured out a way to do it without leaving any trace behind We went upstairs Anderson is standing where I left him at the workbench He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear us come in Get it over with like to do this. It's an honest It's no use Mr. Anderson I Begged from mercy Fuck the back, but it was useless Had a firm grip on his neck both hands and it was an old man As he's tighter and tighter till his voice was cut off his body stopped thrashing around Held him like that a couple of seconds more For good measure you can let go of him now He's dead Harry imagine cold-blooded murder Killing a harmless old man like mr. Anderson choking him to death Let's lay you And all because of a piece of ice Why it makes me hot under the collar and that cool cucumber Harry Smith Betty get so hot that he'll burn before he's through Let's get back to Harry Smith and his charming wife Such nice people They killed old Anderson the diamond cutter to steal a piece of ice worth a hundred thousand dollars And unless they have a lot of another kind of ice handy they'll have to do something fast to get rid of the body We carried Anderson's body down to the cellar and broke open the brick wall Placing the old man's body behind it. We've bricked it up again Then we went through my plan. I wrote a suicide note To whom it may concern I Olaf Anderson Because I failed in the task of cutting the King Midas diamond have decided to take my life When this notice found I will be dead It was easy for me a professional forger to fake the suicide note in Anderson's handwriting I Had him say he was going to end it all in the river and that he was taking the diamond with him to his death and That night Marie and I took a walk across the footpath over the Hudson River Bridge But we reached the middle Got the suicide note in Anderson's overcoat pocket. Yeah No cars coming from either direction now the good time to drop it The cops will find a coat and figure that he took it off before he climbed the rail and jump. All right, come on Hurry, let's get away from here. We went home Marie telephone police headquarters and asked for the missing person's bureau. I want to report a missing person The man I worked for Olaf Anderson Yes, Anderson. I'm his housekeeper and I'm worried because it's so late and he hasn't come home My name Mrs. Harry Smith We went to bed I Guess we would hear from the police the next morning and I was right Yes, what is it? Megan is the name lady Detective Joe Megan missing person's bureau. Oh, yes come in Are you the party who reported a man named Olaf Anderson missing? Yes, did we find him? I think so I'd like you folks to come down to the morgue with me Mark what for they've got a body down there body of an old man that fits the description of Anderson Fished out of the Hudson River early this morning You might be able to identify We are folks Before I left the sheet on this slab, I ought to warn you This stiff ain't exactly pretty we can stand a little shocked Megan. I just thought the lady I'm all right Okay, then You recognize him His face Gone like he Like he went through a meat shop most of his clothes have gone to when we got him Who guy must have got caught in the propeller of a passing ship boy? It's mr. Anderson Harry don't you recognize a past there from that old suit. He always used to wear. Oh Yes Yeah, you're right so you can identify me I'm sure that's mr. Anderson. Well, I guess that closes the case Suicide body recovered And a great big hunk of diamond at the bottom of the Hudson River It was a lucky break for us We were in the clear and the king mightest diamond was ours We went back to the house. I took the diamond up to the work room and I placed it in a vice I got out the mallet in a chisel. I thought it'd be easy to cut the stone Until I tried Well, what are you waiting for? My hand is shaky Kind of nervous things have been coming too fast. Let's put this off until tomorrow. I Know I said I'd do it tonight, but but what I don't feel so well tonight Marie. You're lying How long you're gonna keep this up? I take it easy. You said you knew how to do it I do well then cut it for heaven's sake get it over with don't rush me I Make a mistake. It'll cost us a hundred thousand dollars You've been putting it off for three days now Harry first this and then that there's always something You've always got a reason for not cutting that diamond listen Marie I've got to be careful knowing how to cut the diamond is one thing doing it as another You're scared that's what's the matter with you. You're frightened. Look at your hands See how they shake where you can hardly hold the mallet and chisel you're as bad as Anderson was She was right My hands were shaky just like Anderson's before I killed him. I Tried for control. I told myself the diamond was nothing but a chunk of carbon crystal I I placed the chisel against the stone. I raised the mallet But it couldn't bring it down. No, what are you waiting for? Hi? I don't know how hard this strike a gentle blow. That's what you said Anderson told you hi I I Can't do it. You can't do it. Of course you can don't be a stupid fool She went wild. She began to shake my arm and scream at me, but her voice seemed to come from a distance I kept staring at that diamond as though I were hypnotized My throat was dry as death. I was dizzy pin points and fire shot across my eyes The diamond was doing things to mean it was driving Marie crazy Settle that couldn't stand at her voice snap something in my mind. You you fool you stupid idiot. Don't stand there like a silly Shut up. Don't you dare shout at me. Shut up. I've had all I can take from you. I have all the nerve you Sorry Put down that mallet. I think I said take as much time as you like. I'm sorry. I Lost my head Marie say something He's dead. I killed it I took her body down to the cellar reopened the wall placed her body with Anderson I'd hardly finished putting the Brits back into place when the front doorbell rang I cleaned my hands went upstairs Open it. Oh, Smith It was Megan the detective He came in looked around suspiciously and closed the door behind him Smell it with you Smith me Yeah, you Look sick me sick Whatever felt better my life It's the light She'll wipe it out. No, she isn't take the home soon. Fine. Oh, no, she Went to Baltimore to live with her mother. I've kind of suddenly didn't you? What are you driving at Megan? Like the chip off your shoulder Nobody's picking on you yet What do you mean? This Anderson suicide. He said the case is closed closed until this morning Now there's a couple of angles in the case. They don't make sense I'm not even sure that the old guy we pulled out of the river is and but I identified him sure you did Yesterday a guy named Key was shot up at the mall can swore that same body was his father It must be Anderson the suicide note said Anderson was killing himself because he made a mistake and ruined the King Midas diamond dad Don't you see Anderson never got the job of cutting that diamond? He what? Say that again Anderson never was commissioned to cut the King Midas diamond. How do you like that? It can't be he told me himself. I got that information straight from the owner mr. Johnson I don't believe it Johnson was out of town until this morning. I got in touch with her making a routine check on the facts He told me never commissioned Anderson to cut the stone Said Anderson was too old and unreliable to be trusted with the job But I saw the diamonds sought on the Anderson's work bench the diamond you saw Must have been a phone A diamond Still upstairs in the work room still waiting to be cut. I couldn't believe it was a phony. I wouldn't believe it It had to be the King Midas Megan has any more and more suspicious I had to act fast before he got down to the cellar and noticed the first plaster on the wall I had to make sure about the diamond I'd gone too far now to back Hit me get on the head with an and iron was unconscious. I dragged his body into the closet locked the door Upstairs in the workroom I grabbed up the chisel now No time to thank now no time to be frightened. I had to know if that diamond was the King Midas I put the edge of the chisel to one of the cleaving grooves Spruck with a mouth. Yeah It is glass Megan was right Hi, I went through all this For nothing The whole thing was clear now Anderson had lied to me it lied even to himself Yeah, that was it He had been unwilling to admit even to himself that he was no longer good enough to be trusted to cut the King Midas diamond He was nuts And he made up that crazy story And I swallowed There was one thing left to do had to get away far away as possible as fast as I could around the stage Somewhere Smith make it Hi, sir. Hey, get on a pile. I'll come on down here. That's close enough How'd you get out of the closet? I'll trick it all of course that door and I recovered from the crack on the head you gave me Sucked it's something for me Smith You know it gave me a brand new angle on this case New angle Yeah How's this You thought Anderson had the King Midas diamond So you kill him for it and planted that pony suicide not on the bridge You know we almost fell for her. You killed Anderson Wouldn't be at all surprised if you murdered your wife And all for a pony five and ten cents I Poor Harry Smith What a life for Smith caught between the hammer and the anvil You know, he never should have lost his head and murdered his wife No, because now it looks as though he's going to have to lose the rest of them Yes, right now Harry is really harried and when the state Executioner gets him he'll be fit to be tied in a noose. Well, thank you, mr. Host for an enjoyable performance and our mystery fit This is how to galaway things Good night Sleep tight