 Leptin tea and Leptin soup present Inner Sanctum Mysteries. Good evening, friends of the Inner Sanctum. This is your host, the Squeaking Door again. Just, um, sliver in and let me dispel your weariness with a bit of eariness. Oh, no, no, no, no. No, please. Don't sit in that chair. I'm, uh, saving it for rigor mortis to sell in. Oh, dear. I see this is going to be one of those nights when my favorite character gets cute. Yes, Mary, but don't scream blow murder because this is a corpse of a different color. Well, if it's going to be that kind of a story, I'd better tell folks about something cheerful first. Yes, I mean Leptin tea. Leptins is such a friendly welcome drink, and that's because of its brisk flavor. Now, that word brisk is important. It means that Leptin tea always tastes fresh and full-bodied, tangy and vigorous. It's never flat or wishy-washy. That's the reason why Leptin seems to make good food taste better and why Leptin tea is the perfect beverage to serve on your entertaining friends. So even if you're not a regular tea drinker, you should try Leptins. That brisk flavor makes all the difference in the world. And now let's leave the world temporarily, of course. Tonight's story is called The Lonely Sleep. It's an original radio play by Christopher Mayo, who scribbled it during a nightmare. And our star is Carl Swenson, who plays the role of Archie Gold. Murder is a specter which nudges all of us anywhere. Most of us will never murder, but can any of us say we never will? Certainly Archie Gold, 30-ish, bald and mild manner never thought he would murder. Archie was the window display man for Greg's department store. At night, the store is a fantastic nightmare of eerie shadows, covered showcases, cavernous depths and dank stale odors, with only his own hollow footsteps for sound. Because windows are dressed at night. It's night now, and Archie's busy in his storeroom creating his favorite mannequin for shipment to the mannequin factory. Being a lonely man, he talks to the mannequin. And being in love with Esther Newman of the store's accounting office, he naturally calls his favorite mannequin Esther. You've been very mean to me, Esther. The last time I asked you to go out with me, you snickered at me. That's not nice. That's why I had to do this to you. Archie tucked Esther's smooth pink torso into a crate. There. Perfect fit, darling. Perfect. Then Archie wrapped Esther's slim legs and arms in excelsior. Tucked them into another crate. So you wouldn't put your arms around me, darling. Well, he won't get another chance. She picked up Esther's pretty head and placed it on his workbench. Oh, Esther. I'm so lonely. Why don't people talk to me? Why can't I be popular? But what's wrong with me? Why don't you go out with me? What Archie never dreamed was that the real Esther Newman was at that moment slamming the last of her monthly report books closed, clicking off the light, and starting out as a finance office toward the rear door of the store. She stopped by Archie's half-open door when she heard his voice. No, listen to me, Esther, darling. I am making enough money here to buy us a little place over in Jersey. See, all my life, I wanted to love someone like you. You're so beautiful. You will marry me, won't you, darling? Why, Archie, go! Sitting there proposing to a dummy. And the dummy's name is Esther. What a coincidence. Esther, you worked later? I didn't know... No. I mean, yes. Yes, I give the mannequins names. Sort of a game. Game. That's him. Well, they don't talk back anyhow. No, they don't talk back. But they're sort of kind. They smile at me. See, I'm lonely. I work all night. Esther, will you go out with me Sunday night? Please, just dinner and the movies. Are you kidding? Why don't you ask your dummy friend? Hey, say what a swell idea. She won't eat much. You can maybe get her into the movies for half price. When you kiss her good night, Archie, she won't slap your face. Why are you looking at me that way? You shouldn't laugh. You're crazy. You're trying to scare me. Yes, that's it. No, you're not. You are crazy. Don't come near her. Archie! You shouldn't laugh. Archie! No! You shouldn't laugh. My turn to laugh. See, my turn to laugh. You shouldn't laugh. People shouldn't laugh when you're lonely. You see, the specter of murder had nudged Archie. And he's obeyed. This was no mannequin as his feet. This was a woman, warm, beautiful, and dead. Then being scared and lonely other than ever, Archie talked to his mannequins again. This time to Frank, painted and rouged and handsome in Greg's bargain 2950 tweed suit. You heard her laughing at me, Frank. I just couldn't stand her laughing at me again. She looked at her, Frank. You'd think she was asleep. Her neck's broken. See, what am I going to do with her? I gotta think, gotta hide her. Gotta dress the front window, too. Window. The sale of cozy kitten mattresses starts tomorrow. It's a big sale. Sleep on a cozy kitten... I've got it, Frank. The window! I've put her in the window. On a cozy kitten mattresses. Nobody'll know. I meant to learn. So Archie used some pancake maker bringing life to Esther's saloing cheeks and purple lips. He placed her dead weight in a hard truck. He rolled it to the lighted window. An hour later, Esther's corpse covered with gleaming white sheets and sleazy satin quilts. Smiled in peaceful bliss at the empty street. Archie found his work well done. Nothing more to do now. Just wait. I'll go home and wait. That's a good window. You look very pretty in bed, Esther. I've been watching you, young fella. Saw you do the whole thing. What's the matter? Are you scared here? No, no, officer. I mean, I didn't know. Been in the doorway across the street watching you. A lot of work to make enough one of them windows, ain't there? Yeah. You saw me do the whole window, you mean? Saw you put the mattresses in, make the bed, put the signs in, then fix the lights. Then you put the girl in the bed and fix her face up. Yeah, it's a nice job. Yeah. Say, you look bad, son. Yeah. Anything wrong? You sick? No, no, no, no. I'm just tired. I'll throw for the night. Yeah, I'll throw. Good night, officer. Good night, young fella, and don't worry about your girlfriend. I'll keep an eye on her every night. So Archie went home. As you were, I might have done. Because he'd been too busy setting his little post-mortem stage, the impact of his crime began to seep through only as he neared his rooming house. Maybe the girl in the doorway, he passed, started him thinking because she left. Are you kidding? Just a girl in her date. You can't blame Archie for hurrying. You would have thought it was Esther too. Archie hurried. He hurried to the rooming house. He raced up the steps. He had to get to his room, get in and close the door. Close the door. I said, I can't laugh at me here. I won't find me here. This is my room. Nerves. Stupid running like that. I've got to act normal. Sure, just like nothing happened. But that couldn't have happened. She made me do it. Don't forget about it. Why, Archie's gold. No. No, no, you can't laugh. Now you're good. I don't believe in ghosts. It's just my mind, my imagination. You're too clever to believe in ghosts. I'm not a ghost, Archie. I'm in your mind. I'm part of you now. Of course, don't you? Get out! Get out of here! You can't. Unless... Unless? Archie, unless you replace me with someone else. Yes. Yes! That might do it. Someone else. Another girl! See? That's how a murderer thinks. Oh, yes, yes. You do the same thing. Archie never thought he would murder her. Now he's ready to do it again. Get rid of his conscience to get rid of her voice. And Archie lit a cigarette. He poured himself some milk. Ignoring the laughter in his brain as he pushed through again. Hard and clutching. Like they were on my throat. No, shut up! Archie threw himself in the bed and jammed the pillow against his ears. Fell into a dream worse than reality. Hello? Archie Gold? Yeah, yeah, this is Archie Gold. This is Mr. Gregg, Archie. I know this is your time to sleep, but it's important that you get down here right away. Is anything wrong, Mr. Gregg? I can't tell you over the phone. Come down here. Goodbye. All right, Mr. Gregg. After each shave and breast, Archie felt a little better. After all, if they'd discovered anything, Mr. Gregg wouldn't have called. He'd have sent the police. Feeling of confidence stayed with him until he stood across the street from Gregg's. He lost it then. It dropped with a sickening pain about his heart and a dry pinching about his lips. People were standing three deep in front of his window display. He caught sight of a policeman's cap following Mr. Gregg's bald head into the store. Well... were you thinking of going window shopping tomorrow? Want to be popular? I have lots of people crowding about you on the sidewalk side of a plate-glass window. Want to be a mannequin? Look up Archie Gold. He's a mannequin do-er. Well, all I can say is I'm glad that murderer is about to be caught. Why, Mary, don't talk that way. He's really kind. He was really kind of Archie to put her on the mattress. She was so sleepy. In fact, she was dead to the world. Yes, the wonder-vealed sorry for his Archie. Why the poor fellow shivering? Why don't you make him a cup of Liptona tea? Lipton's is too good for him. And besides, he's probably too scared to taste the difference between Lipton's and ordinary tea's. Yes, folks, Lipton tea is different. In the language of tea experts, Lipton's has a brisk flavor. And when they use that word brisk, B-R-I-S-K, they mean that Lipton tea tastes tangy and spirited, really full-bodied. It's never flat or weak. So get acquainted with that brisk flavor. Or you just don't know how good tea can be till you know how good Lipton's is. Well, let's see how good Archie's alibi is. Remember Archie, the lonely little man who dresses Greg's department store windows at night? He just couldn't stand being spurned by Esther Newman any longer. She laughed at him when he asked for a date. And now Esther is a lifeless mannequin advertising the restful qualities of cozy kitten mattresses in the window display. And Archie enters the store to see what's in store for him. Uh, Mr. Greg, I'm... Archie Gold, come in, come in. Close the doors. Sit down. My boy, you know Mr. Newman and our bookkeeping department? Yes, I knew her, but I'd like a chance... You're going to get a chance, my boy. Before leaving on a week's vacation, Mr. Newman completed our annual report. Mr. Newman is on vacation? Yes, yes, yes. Which isn't important. A report shows we sold 16 cozy kitten mattresses in one year. Well, that's not many, is it, sir? It's terrible. We were stuck with 1,500 of them. Just a minute now. Jenkins? Jenkins? Yes, Mr. Greg? How many mattresses have you sold now? 802, sir. You hear that gold? Yes, sir. 802 mattresses in a couple of hours. And your window display did that. My boy, you're a genius. Uh, Mr. Greg, I... No, no, no, no. I know just what you're going to say. Any man who has the imagination to put a woman dummy asleep in a window and such a dummy. So, so peaceful. How much we pay you, aren't you? 36, 47 a week, sir. Starting today at $72.94. And the private office. And you're the head window display manager of my three stars. Ha! Stunger, huh? Everything I've always wanted. What's more? I've had pictures taken of that window with the crowds and the paper promised to run it in tonight's edition. With your name. Good? Yes, sir. I want you to know, sir, I appreciate it all. Oh, nonsense. Greg knows a bargain. Now go home to bed again or take tonight off. Oh, no, no. I have work to do. Ah, get more good ideas? Good, good. Uh, Mr. Greg. Yes, my boy. If, uh, if the mattresses are selling so well, we won't need the display. I can take it out. Oh, nonsense. Don't touch it. We'll run this sale for two weeks. I just ordered 1,500 more mattresses. Success and popularity was sweet to Archie's taste. But Archie knew a corpse, no matter how beautiful, cannot survive the sun beating through glass for long. And Archie knew that. It was a wretched rainy night. Greg's department store had long since closed its doors. The night belonged again to Archie. Now he had a nasty job to do. He drew the curtains across the big window. In case the officer was watching again. Esther was just a mannequin now, a mannequin of flesh and bones, but a mannequin. And Archie spoke to his mannequins. You've had a hard day, Esther, darling, haven't you? Well, it's all over now. You never did anything for me alive. Dead, you brought me success. Now I've got to settle down. Now I've got to send you away. You're stiff and cold, Esther. And you can't laugh now, can you? Esther couldn't laugh. And Archie opened the crates, which contained the mannequin he had originally planned to ship. With a few simple tools and lots of work, he made Esther the real Esther conformed to his original shipment. A torso, a pair of heads. No. That's the alley door. Somebody's there. See a cop, maybe. I've got to act natural. After all, she's well hidden. Could I come in? Please, I'm so wet and tired. A girl. Yes, yes, come in. Get out of that rain. Why, you poor kid, you're soaked. Come into the workshop. I've got a heater in there. Gosh, thanks. She was sent to me, someone to take Esther's place. Feel better now? Yeah, that's better. You're very kind. How did you happen to pick this door to knock at? Well, the alley seemed a good place to get out of the wind. It started to rain and I saw your light. And you broke. Yeah. The usual story, I came to town from Philly to get a job. Job was there, all right, but the boss wasn't on the level. Don't you have a home? Parents or a husband, I mean? Oh, that's a shame. Look, stay, stay right there now. I'll be right back. You're not leaving me, are you? No, no, I'm going to get a blanket to put across your shoulders. I'll be right back. Of course you'd be right back. Wasn't this just what he needed? Another mannequin to satisfy Esther's voice? It made sense. The second time, it's easier. It always is. Don't move me. I'll put it across your shoulders. All right. You're a very lonely man, aren't you, Mr. Gold? How do you know that? Because I like you. How does that prove I'm lonely? I like lonely people. Why? Because I'm terribly lonely myself. I got some coffee in the thermos here. I'll get you some. I like it here. I like to look at the mannequin, especially that handsome one there. What do you call him? Well, you must talk to him. I would. You're wonderful. You understand. Yeah, I do. I do talk to him. His name's Frank. Frank meet Mae, Mae. This is Frank. Hello, Frank. I'm sleepy, Frank. Oh, Mae. Why did you come tonight? Why couldn't you have come tonight? I came two nights ago. You're sleepy? I'm warm and sleepy. Look, I have three hours before my window has to be finished and I have an errand that'll take me about an hour. You climb into the bed in the window. People will see me in the window. No, no, the curtains are drawn. I'll wake you when I get back. All right. Looks like the kind of bed I could sleep on forever. Forever. Doesn't always work out the way you plan it, see? Archie didn't want to murder Esteeve, but he did. Archie wants to murder Mae, but he'd rather not. Well, Archie drew the sudden quilts over Mae. She smiled, closed her eyes with a murmur of thanks. Archie knew now he loved her that he must never listen to her speak again. While Archie carried the crates containing Esteeve's remains into the station wagon of the alley, a little man with a sad droopy face and a derby hat argued with the night captain of the local police station. I tell you, I know what I'm talking about. I stopped at Greg's window four times today. I know a corpse when I see one. Well, I saw that window, too. That's a dummy in that bed. I know a dummy when I see one. Well, I don't doubt that, Captain. You've had more experience with dummies than I have, but I've had more experience with corpses than you have. That's a dead girl in the bed. Now, what makes you so sure? I've been an undertaker for 40 years. My name is Hewzack. My establishment is down the block from Greg's store on 10th Street. OK, we'll check. Operator, get me Mr. Greg. Yeah, Greg's department store. Of course it is home. What else in this hour? Archie had a plan. Excitement gripped him. But that habit of yours was strong, and he talked to Esther as he piled her three coffins in the station wagon in the alley. Don't you worry, Esther. In a half hour you'll be at the bottom of the river. You shouldn't have laughed, Esther. Then... I'll come back to me. Sure. Archie had a plan, all right. But it didn't include the little old undertaker who knew a corpse when he saw one. Or an angry sleepy Mr. Greg. Or a confused Mr. Greg. We're right then coming to a stop and follow the store. This is an outrage. A preposterous, fantastic fox. Getting me down here in the middle of the night. Prove I have a corpse in my window. I know, Mr. Greg. I feel silly about it myself. But Mr. Hughes, I hear, seems so sure. The curtains are drawn in front of the window. We'll have to go inside. In a minute you're all going to look very silly. There. Does that look like a corpse? No. You're right. It's not a corpse. It isn't a dummy, either. She's alive and breathing. Something queer here. I'm going to look around outside. Archie! Archie, go! Archie! Archie! Archie didn't hear himself being paged. But at the entrance of the alley, he saw the police car in front of me. He heard the police captain shouting from the sidewalk. That was when Archie decided it was better to be lonely. They found out. That's the police. They still haven't found out. Hey! Hey, you! I'll take you away now. Got to. If they won't catch me, they won't. Not the lights, friend. I've got to go through. Faster. Faster. Why can't it go faster? The truck! Turn right! No one ever heard Archie's last words. They bubbled through his torn throat as he lay in a glass smashed window through which he'd crashed. No one. I'm... I'm... So lonely. Lay. So lonely. Lay. Well, Greg? Here's your Archie gold. Wet those crates will be interesting. Awful. Awful. Yeah. Quite a mess. No one was cruel enough to point out a gruesome bit of grisly humor. The lonely little man who'd spent so much time in display windows had created his final masterpiece. Archie had decorated his last window in Hussack's funeral parlour. The lesson we learned tonight's story is that murder doesn't pay. It's a losing business. Murders are always in the red. And it's strenuous work too. You're bound to find yourself a little stiff. Mr. Host, I did not like that story. Well, neither did I, Mary. Imagine the cozy kitten mattress company pulling a smart advertising stunt like that on Lipton's time and for free. Now, that's not what I mean at all. And if you're worried about Lipton's, let me assure you that Lipton's is the largest selling brand of tea in the whole world. That's the kind of popularity that really counts. And, folks, if you'll just once try Lipton's tea, I think you'll be convinced too. Well, I have to run along. Well, I have to run along now, folks. Got some shopping to do in Greg's department store. What? Oh, I know it's late, but you see, Archie and I shop at night to avoid the shrouds and... By the way, this month's Inner Sanctum Mystery Novel is Puzzle for Wantons by Patrick Quentin. Oh, and here's a special announcement. Next week's Inner Sanctum story, directed by Hyman Brown and brought to you by Lipton Tea and Lipton Soup. Next week's story is about a man whose dreams always come true. All he has to do is to dream that somebody's being murdered and... Enough to keep you awake, isn't it? Oh, until we meet again next Tuesday, you dream of me and I dream of you. Now, it's time to close the squeaking door, so... Good night. Pleasant dreams. Folks, here's a grand way to begin a meal. Serve Lipton's noodle soup. Lipton's takes no time to prepare, and yet it has a real fresh cooked chicken-y flavor. Yes, it tastes just like the chicken noodle soup you'd make right in your own kitchen. And Lipton's is economical, too. It costs less and makes lots more than canned soups. So folks, don't forget to serve Lipton's noodle soup. And don't forget to tune in next Tuesday night for another Inner Sanctum Mystery. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.