 Good evening, friends. This is your host to welcome you through the creaking door into the inner sanctum. Come in, come in. You mustn't mind that covered body over there in the corner. That's Oscar, our bashful corpse. You see, we covered him up because Oscar said he didn't want to be seen dead in here. And those folks sitting on the coffins just came in to rest their bones. Sort of a skeleton crew, you know. Oh, we're having a big party here tonight, but if you don't see any smiles, just remember, all the people here are grave characters. Tonight's inner sanctum mystery, corpse without a conscience, was written by Ed Adamson and Bob Sloan, and stars Carl Swanson and the role of Charles with Everett Sloan as Bellini. As they so often say, the line that separates the dead from the living is very thin. Now take tonight's character, Mario Bellini. Bellini crossed that line so many times he almost wore it out. Like the strange mystic man that Mario Bellini was in life, the small mosque-shaped tomb in which his body reposed, the strange and mystic tomb. In the hillside cemetery, it stood alone in a loop above the other tomb. On a stormy, windswept night in the large granite house whose grounds border on the graveyard, the elderly wrinkled-faced woman stands at a bedroom window, staring out at the hilltop tomb. The elderly woman, troubled by a hidden fear, bites nervously at her lip, then suddenly... I don't know. I don't know what happened. Charles, Charles. What happened? Why did you scream? He's come back. He's returned from... What are you trying to say? Who's come back? Mario Bellini. Bellini? Yes, he was here in this room. That's ridiculous, Bellini. He's dead. He's buried in that tomb up on the hill. I know, but he's returned from the dead. In uncents, the dead can't return. Bellini can. He has strange powers. He was here in my room. Can't you tell he was here? Well, how? That odd incense he always had burning in his place. Don't you smell it? This room, it's filled with the odor of Bellini's incense. It's just your nerves. There's no odor of incense in this room. What? Not a trace of it. Now go back to bed. You think I'm crazy. Yes, because I'm old. You think I imagine things. Bellini is up on the hill in that tomb. His castle is in the crypt under the stone floor. Even if he could rise from the coffin, he'd be locked in that crypt. Not that the dead can rise. Bellini has strange powers. For your own peace of mind, I'm going to prove to you that Bellini's body still rests in that tomb. Go to wake up Horton. He'll help me unseal that trapdoor on the stone floor. No use, Charles. You won't find Bellini there. What makes you so sure? Because of this note. What note is that? I received it from Bellini the day before his death. I never told anyone. Here. Read it. Mrs. Ferguson, you have won in life. I will win in death. I shall return for my victory on the first anniversary of my death. Bellini. You see, the prophecy in that note has been fulfilled. Mario Bellini died just one year ago tonight. Please, I want to go back to the house. After I show you what's below the floor to this tomb. It's pure witchcraft, Mrs. Ferguson, coming to life after being dead for a year. My aunt is upset and up Horton without your comments. I'm sorry, Mr. Ferguson. Yes, sir. Aunt Edna, you still haven't told me why Bellini sent you that note. I don't know. You sure? I told you, I don't know. Could it be because you swindled him? Swindled? I won't have you talking to me that way. Forgive me, forgive me, Aunt Edna. Swindle is a bad choice of a word, isn't it? It was a perfectly legal transaction. I obtained his property fair and open. Just a shrewd business, hmm? Well, I've always prided myself on my ability to deal shrewdly in all matters. How's it coming, Horton? You need any help? No, sir. As soon as I get this bolt loosened, it'll take the two of us to raise the door. It's solid stone, you know. I know, I know. Charles, perhaps we better call the police. You have nothing to worry about, Aunt Edna. Except, of course, your own conscience. That's an ugly thing to say to me. I have given you everything you ever wanted, haven't I? Yes, you have, Aunt Edna. I've often wondered why. There. It's off. Vote free, Mr. Ferguson. I think we can raise the door now. All right, Horton. Take hold of the ring. Yes, sir. Let's pull together. All right. Come on. Beginning to lift, sir. Let's keep pulling. Keep pulling. What do we do now, sir? Mrs. Ferguson, you and I are going down there into the crepe. Oh, please, sir. Mr. Billie, he always frightened me when he was alive. I'd rather not. Don't be a fool, Horton. The dead can do no harm. But Mrs. Ferguson said he came out to this crepe tonight. Never mind what Mrs. Ferguson said. You are doing as I say. Yes, sir. Ready, Aunt Edna? Yes, Charles. If you insist. I'll take the lantern, Horton. Here you are, sir. All right. Now, you two follow me down. Watch out for your head, Mrs. Ferguson. The ceiling's low. Please, Charles, hurry. Moving as fast as I can. Got to find the catch on the side of the casket. Oh, here it is. Pull back the panel, Horton. Yes, sir. Is it there, Charles? Of course it is there. Exactly as I said it would be. Hermetically sealed under glass. No. No sign of life is there. No sign of life. Be afraid to look. Go ahead. Look, look, look. See for yourself. See how safe you are from the unrising dead Mario Bellini. Oh, heaven. He's there. And dead. Charles, did you lock all the windows on the first floor? Yes, Aunt Edna. What about the shutters, Horton? I bolted them all, ma'am. Really, Aunt Edna? This is ridiculous. You saw his body still sealed in the casket? It's not his body. It's the spirit of him, his evil spirit. I know he'll try to kill me, but I'll fool him. I'll live through this night. Well, of course you will. I, um... I was just thinking of what the doctor said about your heart, about over-exciting yourself. Never mind my heart. Get out of here. Both of you. Yes, ma'am. Good night, Aunt Edna. Good night. And Horton, make sure to lock the door behind you. Yes, Mrs. Ferguson. If you need me, Aunt Edna, just call out. I'll be within hearing this news. Make sure that you are. Is there anything I've overlooked? Mrs. Ferguson. Your closet. Who said that? I did, Mrs. Ferguson. Turn around and you will see. No. Oh, no, it can't be. But it is. It's Mario Bellini. No, no, no. It's just in my mind. You're not really here at all. It's just in my mind. You're in your casket where we left you. Am I? You're dead. I saw you in that casket. And I will return there after I settle with you. Oh, this is a trick. A trick to frighten an old lady. You're not really Mario Bellini. You can't be. You are going to die, Mrs. Ferguson. Stay away from me. You are going to die for what you did to me in life. It was all legal. I can prove it. I am not bound by the law now, Mrs. Ferguson. I'm taking you with me back to the grave. No. Please, stay away. Don't come near me. You foolish old woman. Do you think I'm afraid of that knife in your hand? Do you think a knife can protect you from the dead? Don't come near me. No, let go of her. Call Dr. Marshall. Yes, ma'am. Dead hearted. She was trying to tell us something. What did she say about Bellini? I'm not sure, but it seems as if she was trying to accuse him. Of stabbing her? Yes, but that doesn't seem possible. Every entrance to this room was locked. Orton, look. Her hand on the knife as if she'd plunged it into herself. Mrs. Ferguson wouldn't have killed herself, sir. And yet there was no way for anyone to get in here. Anyone alive. I don't know what to think now. Maybe my aunt knew what she was saying. Maybe she did. Orton, what are you staring at? Look, sir. This was on the floor. What is it? A ring, a gold ring with the initials MB engraved on it. I saw that ring tonight. I saw it on Mario Bellini's hand while he was in the casket in his tomb. It was just as we left it, sir. The stone trap door still opened. The casket seems to be in place down there in the crypt. Yes, well, we'll go down to make sure. But did you think it's safe, sir? We've got to find out if this was the ring Bellini really had on his hand. Mr. Ferguson, the panel of the casket is opened. Nothing to be afraid of. That's the way we left it. Let me have your lantern. Here you are, sir. Is he still in the casket underneath the glass? Yes, he's here. I guess we must have misunderstood what my heart meant when she spoke his name. Of course, sir. Nobody can return from the grave. Good heavens, Mr. Ferguson, his hand, there's no ring on it. Look for yourself, it's gone, sir. There's no ring on his finger. Yes, yes, no ring. But it's not possible. Are you sure you saw the ring on the corpse? Couldn't you be mistaken? I guess I could, babe. But, well, I guess I must, babe, because I... No, no, no, you were right. Mrs. Ferguson was right, too. Mario Bellini did return from the dead to kill. What are you talking about? Look! Look at the other hand. It stained with blood, sir. I can't understand it. I can't understand how blood could be on his hand unless it was there when he was put into the casket. But it's fresh blood, sir. We must call the police immediately. Yes, I guess we'd better, Will. Go as soon as I pull the panel back over the top of the coffin. We'd better leave everything the way it is and leave a hurry out of here. It may be dangerous for us to stay a moment longer. No, all right. Mr. Ferguson. What is it? I thought I heard something stirring down there. Where? In the casket, sir. Listen. It's your imagination, Horton. No, there is something moving in that casket. Quick, let's get out of here. No, no, no, wait. The glass is in the casket. Bellini's getting up from his coffin. Get out of your mind. He's there standing up in the casket, sir. Wait, where is he going? For the police. Come back, you fool! No, sir! You, Mr. Ferguson. I had no choice, Horton. It was your life on mine. You! That's a foolish thing, Charles. Isn't one murder enough for the knife? What did you want me to do, Mario? Let him go to the police and have them find out that you're still alive? What difference does it make? They'll probably find out about me anyhow. It's a good chance they'd have after the way you botched everything the night. Why didn't you do what you were told instead of killing my aunt with a knife? The knife wasn't my idea. I had to kill her or she would have killed me. I wish she had. Would have fitted my plans better. You and your plans were the false certificate of my death burying an empty casket and hiding me away for a year. Also, I could scare your aunt to death. Ah, what a plan. It would have worked if you had followed her. I did as you ordered. But it did not work. The shock of seeing me wasn't enough for her. Her heart was a lot stronger than you thought it was. But let me mind your leave. Instead of stabbing her. Why? Because it was such a wonderful opportunity. I waited over a year for tonight. I waited long enough for my revenge. So now you may have to pay for your revenge. Then I will pay for it. It will be well worth the price. Well, not to me it won't. I wanted her out of the way. To inherit her fortune. Not to go to the chair for it. That is your problem. After all, Charles, I am officially dead, you know. Shut up, will you? Hot and cuddly, my alibi. If you hadn't gotten blood on your hands and made him suspicious. Then why did you bring him back here? You know something had gone wrong. We found your ring. I had to prove that you were selling your grave, didn't I? All right. What are we going to do with his body? I was just thinking about that. And? Maybe I can save us yet. We'll put his fingerprints on that knife. And we'll make it look as if he had a fight with my aunt. Ah, it might work. The only thing we can do. I'll say there was an argument between them. And in the struggle, my aunt was stabbed and Horton was shot. What about this tool? We'll close it up tight. Till the investigation's over. There's no reason for them to suspect that you're still alive. Yes, Lieutenant, the bodies were just where you found them. You didn't touch a thing, Mr. Ferguson. No, not a thing. My aunt was there on the floor and had a bed. And Horton was only a few feet away. Tell me, Mr. Ferguson, where were you when you heard the first shot fired? Downstairs in the library. And you couldn't hear anything of the argument that went before it? Didn't hear a thing. That's why I'm not sure they were arguing. All right. Well, I won't take up any more of your time tonight. I'll be back in the morning. Oh, very well, Lieutenant. By the way, this window here faces the hillside cemetery, doesn't it? Yes. Did you happen to notice anything strange going on out there about the time your aunt was killed? No. I told you I was in the library. Oh, yes. So you did. Why do you happen to mention the cemetery, Lieutenant? Well, it probably has nothing to do with this case, but I had a call about an hour ago from a woman who said she saw a light out there. A light? Yeah. Probably just a crank call. The woman insisted she saw two men coming out of a tomb, the one on the top of the hill shaped like a mosque. The tomb they buried that queer duck in. His name was Mario Bellini. Mario Bellini, oh, yes. I guess I'll have to investigate it sometime tomorrow after I make my report on this case. It's a trouble with being a cop. You get a hundred crazy calls like that a year. Now they're bum-steers, but you got to see them through anyway. Yes. They must be quite a nuisance. Yeah, sure is. Well, good night, Mr. Fersen. Good night, Inspector. What do you want, Mario? Is it all right to come in now? Give him a chance to get out of the house. He won't come back anymore. All right, all right. Come in. I heard what he said, Charles. Well, what about it? If the lieutenant goes to that tomb tomorrow, there will be trouble. Why do you say that? Are you crazy? That stone door to the crypt is chipped. The bolt has been broken. And there may be blood stains on the floor. Well, what does there are? There's no connection between me and Mario Bellini. Isn't there? What about the false death certificate? Don't you think they can eventually trace that back to you? Oh, I don't know. Well, I'm not going to wait to find out. I'm taking the first train out of here. And you had better do the same. Run away? What good would it do me without the inheritance? Where can I go? How can I live? That is your problem, not mine. I am dead, remember? No matter what happens now, I will be in the clear. That's right. If you go, you'll be in the clear. If you stay, I'll be in the clear. What do you mean? There's only one flaw in my story, Mario. The false death certificate. But that certificate doesn't have to be false. What? It doesn't really have to be false at all. If you're dead when they open that casket tomorrow, then my hands will be clean. Charles! Yes, that's the only way out. No, Charles, stay where you are. I can't let you live. You've got to die. I can't let you live. Killing you is the only solution. What a shame, Mario, that you can't help me lift this door. Even with an iron lever, it's too much for one man to open all the way. Now it's coming. It's a little farther. I can prop it up enough for me to slide in. Now I can slide through. If I do it. No, it's your turn, Bellini. I just pull you through the opening. Now I can carry you. My hand is under the door, Charles. It's not you talking. It's just my mind. It's just my nose. You're dead. Am I? You're dead. You're dead. I killed you with my own hand. You're dead. Your hand on that door is just a reflex. I'll get it close. I'll get it close even if I have to. Good heavens, the stone door is dying. It slams shut. You're trapped with me in my tomb. You're dead. You can't talk. You're dead. You're dead. I'm not quite dead yet. You did not do your job well. I've got to get out of here. There's not enough air. You can get out, Charles. Just push up the door. Oh, the door? Yes. Is it too heavy? Yes. Of course, it's much too heavy for one man. But two men couldn't. Oh, yes. There's two men in the document. Help me. Help me. Help me. Two men can push open the door. Two normal men, good. I'm half dead. I have no strength. Remember, you choke the strength out of me. He? He's shouting. Yes. Won't do you any good. No one can hear you through the stone. You will have to stay here with me until they find your body. No, I can't. I won't. I don't want to die. Don't be such a coward, Charles. That is not so bad. You will see. And after all, we do an elegant tomb in which to rest in peace. That's what we mean when we say the guy died laughing. No such a fume of that, Mario Bellini, just couldn't take a choke. Oh, well, I'll have to get along. Now, Bellini and I have a date with a couple of ghoulish girls. We're going out tonight to paint the town black. Oh, if you didn't know that Bellini and I were pals. Why, of course, I've known that stiff evidence he stood knee-high to a grave hopper. Inner Sanctum was heard in the United States over CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System, and has been rebroadcast for serviced men and women overseas. This is the United States Armed Forces Radio Service, the voice of information and education.