 On the other side of the creaking door, this is your house to welcome you into the innermost house. Well, you may as well relax, wipe the perspiration off your brow and listen. As the lads who dump their victim into his own icebox remark, we'll chill you. In its inner sanctum mystery, death rides a riptide with written by Lou Vitus and stars Arlene Blackburn in the role of Carol with Lawson's Erby as John. Tonight we're featuring a jovial little item about a girl named Carol Vane. She married a man whose first wife had been drowned. After a little while, she discovered that she herself was in hot water over her head. But tonight the John Vane has brought his new bride home to the Cliff House above the ocean. Well Carol? Cliff's house is very beautiful, John. Yes it is. A bit lonely perhaps. I could never be lonely with you. Oh darling. Let's go in. All right, dear. Mmm. A bit musty. We'll get the place aired though, first thing in the morning. How does it get this way after they've been shut up for a while? Of course they do. Now the place hasn't been opened since... Since? Since Margaret died, John. Yes. John, you mustn't be self-conscious about it. Well it wasn't very tactful, my mentioning her. John, I love you. Fact doesn't belong. I'm sorry. Darling, the hour's late and your husband is there. John! It's all right. Someone with a very bad sense of humor throwing stones. It wasn't supposed to be funny. John, you've got the stone. Yes. There's something wrapped around it. Paper. Let me see it. No, no, I wouldn't. Please, John. Well I don't imagine I could keep it from you indefinitely. Keep what from me? Here's the stone. The paper. It's a note addressed to me, John. It would be. It says to the new Mrs. Vane, if you listen carefully, you can hear the waves beating against the cliff, the waves in which the first Mrs. Vane died, did she fall or was she pushed? Listen, it didn't sign, John. No. You can hear the waves. Oh, I'm sorry. That's silly. But the note was so nasty. You're not to pay any attention to things like that note. You're not to pay any attention. I won't, John. I won't. Can we go to sleep now? Of course. It's true that Margaret was wrong, but it was an accident, wasn't it? Wasn't it, John? John fell asleep after a while and the waves kept pounding against the rocks. I remembered having heard how badly she'd been bruised by the rocks. I remembered seeing her and John in the village and how beautiful she'd been and how I'd ended it. And now, now out to the waves and the rocks, she didn't care anymore. And before I could fall asleep, I ended it even now. That was a very fine dinner, darling. John. Yes? Exactly. How did, did Margaret die? Carol, there's no point. I want to know. She was drowned. She was a good swimmer. Even good swimmers get drowned. What happened, John? I think it'd be wiser if you'd forget about Mark. All right. There's a beach below Cliff House. It's there at low tide only. A beach and a ledge. Nice place to swim from the ledge at low tide, but when the tide comes in, beach and ledger are covered. The tide's strong, then, and there are rocks around. Margaret got caught by high tide. That's all. You mean she stayed down below on the ledge longer than she should have? That's right. And, and that's all, John? What else should there be? I don't know. It's low tide now, isn't it? Yes. I'd like to look at that ledge. Why? Well, because I'm silly, because I'm a fool, but, John, I want to look at that ledge. There are steps leading down, aren't there? Yes, I had them built some years ago. Carol, we should go back to the house. This business is idiotic. But we're at the ledge now, the tide down, the ledge is broad and safe, isn't it? It is. At high tide, I suppose it would be covered. Yes. Cracks in the ledge. See, we had caught in the cracks. From the times of the legends covered by the water, I guess. What is it? It was wedged in one of the cracks. This? Oh. Yes, John. It's part of a hill. A woman's high hill. So it is. Oh, the tide's rising. Let's go up. All right. Part of a woman's high hill. Caught in one of the cracks. John. Yes? Could it be from Marvichu? I couldn't tell. Throw it away, or better yet, give it to me. Here you go. Here. Thank you. John. A woman was going swimming. She wouldn't have been wearing high heels. We didn't sneak on the way back from the ledge. And once back at the house, John sounded stuffy or something, I suppose. He muttered at me and went out into the night. The night that had become so sudden, they have so intense a darkness. Who is he? You. You started with me, my dear. Fearing Mary Madalwa, you know, for a moment I thought you were my niece. You're a niece? Yes. You are not, of course. My niece is dead. Who are you? Jeremy Mangan, my dear. Mangan? Mangan. Your predecessor, my dear, was named Margaret. Her father. Uncle. May I come in? You're an elderly gentleman like myself. The night is cold. Cold for me, too. Come in. Thank you. Where is dear John? He's out. Oh, so bad. I did want to see him. What about? Money. I hope I don't shock you by my frankness. He owes you money? No, but I think he'll give me some. Why? You're a crying little creature, aren't you? Why do you think John will give you money? My dear, I intend to sell John a letter. Sell him a letter? A letter written to me by my daily beloved niece. Oh, Margaret. But why should John want to buy it? Let me read you a bit of it, shall I? All right. She says in the letter, among other things, I... Uncle, come for me at once. I must get away from Cliphouse. Because if I don't, I'm going to die. I'm afraid. Please don't think I'm making this up, I'm going to die. I'm going to be killed. Here, I rather think that's enough, don't you? Why didn't you come in answer to a letter? She sent the letter out two months ago. Two months ago I happened to be detained elsewhere. To be precise, I was momentarily in jail. I didn't get the letter which had been sent to my lodgings until this week. Ratchet? John has nothing to be afraid of, whatever the letter says. My dear, I never suggested the ad. But I still feel he'll buy my letter from me. For old time's sake. How much? A couple of thousands will be enough. I'm not a crass being man. If you saw John, spoke to him as you've spoken to me, he'd kill you. A habit of his? I'll get you for two thousand. Give me the letter. I'd be, my dear. Not to try to encrust you. Well, then? I'll be at the hotel in the village. Shall we say tomorrow afternoon? Tomorrow afternoon. Good night, my dear. Oh, it, it occurs to me. Am I likely to run into John? I don't know where he is. Oh, well. The night is dark. I dare say I'll manage. I did mention cash, didn't I? But, uh... This is my soul. You start with me. Standing there at the edge of the cliff. I'll be careful. My mind, I... It's devil. I will throw this at him. No, no, no! He married John Vane after his first wife had been drowned. Officially it was an accident, but a lot of people feel that John believed in the old saying, Cast your dead upon the water. Yeah. At any rate, late one night, the drowned woman's uncle, a man named Mangan, visited Carol. He had a letter from the first Mrs. Vane which she wrote of her impending murder. Carol agreed to meet Mr. Mangan the next afternoon with some money. But long before then, somebody heaved Mr. Mangan over the edge of a cliff. Maybe for exercise? At any rate, it's the next morning at breakfast. Carol. Yes, John? You're upset about something. No, I'm not. Not really. John, when you went out last night, where did you go? For a walk. Why? Nothing. What's in the papers this morning? All same old stuff. International crises and... Oh. John? Look at something else. Mangan, Margaret's uncle, Carol. Yes? What about him? It seems he fell off a cliff last night. Oh, John! He was wandering about in the dark. Was it near here? Really enough, yes. And they found his body this morning. John, did you... Did you see him last night? No, I haven't seen him for months. Why do you suppose he came here? I've no idea. But... Where is he now? Probably at the morgue. What they call a morgue. Then he's drugstore in the village. I... I think we should go down there. Why? Well, you knew him. He was your wife's uncle. I never liked him. Still, it would look better. Carol, what are you thinking? How his death... His... Accidental death... Sits. He was lying on a table in the back of Fennie's drugstore. The fall hadn't marked him much. Nobody had gone through his things yet. So while Fennie and John and I stayed at the dead body, I... I cast... Carol. Where's your faint? Huh? Mr. Fennie, could you get me something? Of course, Mom. Be back in a minute. Oh, John. Oh, I just remembered. Tell Mr. Fennie not to get ammonia. I... I can't take it. But... All right. Mr. Fennie, can you please be sure to get something? I love my husband. So I went over to where the dead body lay and put my hands in his pocket. And I found... the letter. Carol, he's fixed something. Here. Oh. Thanks, John. Your wife's shaking. Maybe this stuff will help her. Feel any better? A little. If we can leave now. Of course. Carol. Yes? What did you take from Mangan's dead body? I told him nothing. I lied. Later that evening, he went upstairs. There was a fire burning in the fireplace and I threw the letter in. Carol, I... What's that? What? In the fireplace, that paper. Nothing. Just wait. I'll look at it before I... John, please don't. Carol, let's go. No. John, I love you. I don't care. No. I want to get that paper. I don't want to hurt you. I must get... It's all burned, John. All but a tiny piece. A tiny piece of paper. The end of a letter. Signed Margaret. A letter from my wife. My dead wife. I... I didn't want you to see it. Why? Because... because in it she wrote silly things. What kind of silly things? I don't remember, John. You got the letter from Mangan after he was dead. How did you know he had the letter, Carol? I... I didn't know. You got rid of Fenny and me so you could get at Mangan. Carol, how did you know Mangan had a letter from my... from Margaret? He told me. And he was here before he fell? Yes, John. Did he tell you what was in the letter? No. Did you read the letter before you burned it? No. Then why did you burn it? Well, because I was jealous. I still am. I've everything to do with Margaret. You loved her before you loved me. You're telling me the truth, Carol. Why should I lie about it, John? Why? It wasn't very good after that. John took the staying away from home. I saw very little of him. We avoided each other. Each of us for reasons we didn't dare speak of. It wasn't very good there in the cliff house above the ocean. The ocean where Margaret Vane had died and where Mangan had fallen to his death. I might have gone away. That would have been the safest thing of all for me, but... but I loved John. I hoped. And in hoping I was betrayed. Yes, my beloved John. Oh, I'm glad you home me even though... Even though the hour is too late to be respectable? Oh, I don't care. There's a lot you don't care about, isn't there? I don't know what you... You put on quite an act, don't you? About not knowing. But you do know, don't you? I do know what... That's my wife. Excuse me, my first wife was murdered. John... Yes, it's out now. It's been said now. Margaret was murdered. They don't have to whisper about it in the village anymore. I'll shout it out. I won't listen to you. You think that'll make it right, huh? It won't, my love. Because you see the fishing boat evangeling is back. It's been away for three months. The men on board didn't know about Margaret's death. They know now, and a couple of them remember something. What do they remember? Seeing Margaret on the ledge just before the tide turned. The trouble is they're prepared to swear that Margaret wasn't alone. John, that doesn't have to mean anything. Look at me, John. It doesn't mean anything. Carol, what was in that letter you burned? I didn't read it. John, you're hurting me. What was in that letter you burned? I'll let you. I'll tell you. Thank you. Margaret was afraid. She was afraid she was going to be murdered. Yes. I rather thought so. That was why Mangan had to die. John, I'm leaving. No, you're staying. Here with me. You're the only wife I have left now. You're insane. Am I? That's a thought. It hadn't occurred to me before. I'll think about it. I won't stay. Why not? I'm afraid. Are you? Go away from my den. No, you keep a gun here. Give it now. You wouldn't shoot me. You'll love me. I do, John. But it's no good anymore. I'm going away. You're mistaken. Don't come any closer to me. You're not going away. You're never going away, Carol. John, if you take another step, I'll... You what? Vibration. No. You did shoot after all. Somehow, I didn't think you would. I told you not to come any closer to me. I underestimated you. I've always underestimated you. But Carol, when I die and I am going to die, what will you tell the police? But I have to tell them that I shot you in self-defense. Yes, of course, that would be your life. Not a bad one. It might have worked. It's the truth. Of course it is. But Carol, defending yourself against a murder charge isn't considered good motive for a quittle. What do you mean? I would have bought Mangan off because I was in love with you. Even though I knew that Mangan was murdered anyway. By you. Very consistent story. But Carol, you remember that shoe heel? Yes. High heel, woman's shoe. You know where it is now? No. On the ledge down below in the crack where it was before. And the police are going to examine that ledge once again. Now they've heard this story of the fishing boat people. There's nothing to do with me. Carol, Margaret never wore high heels. Never. Something wrong with her feet. So the heel has to be, to be yours. What? My beloved. Murderous. John. John. Dead. Dead as Mangan. Dead as Margaret. And I? I. There was the ledge and the broken heel in the crack. A little item of unfinished business that I had to finish. Mangan was dead and the ladder burned. I was safe there. John was dead and his knowledge dead with him. I was safe there. The men on the fishing boat hadn't seen the second figure on the ledge. Clearly enough to identify. I was there. There remained only the heel broken off one of my shoes when I hit Margaret. And I'd get it before the police did. And I'd be safe there. The tide's coming in. The ledge is still above water. The ledge where my heel had been. But the heel. The heel wasn't there. Maybe I mistook the place. The ledge is broad. I began to hunt over it. There isn't too much time. The tide's coming in. But it's dead as Mars is against the rock. The heel was down there some place and I had to find it. To find it, my goodness. I'm breaking over the ledge. I'm going to begin sleeping over it. There's nothing left. The heel wasn't on the ledge at all. I must run. Escape. Run. But the waves are higher now. But it's covered. There went Carol Vane. Fundamentally a nice girl with a slight character defect. She killed people. Of course, her reasons were the finest. She only wanted to get married. Unfortunately, she'd never learned the old proverb. As you make your debt, so you must lie about it. She tried, but she was tripped by a heel. Incidentally, if you happen to be out fishing one of these fine evenings and the tide's going out, say hello to Carol. We invite you to join us again next week at this time for Inner Sanctum. This is the United States Armed Forces Radio Service, The Voice of Information and Education.