 Lipton tea and Lipton soups present in a Sanctum Mysteries. Good evening, friends of the Inner Sanctum. When you heard the sound of a squeaking door, it was exactly 30 seconds past the hour for murder. But don't worry. We won't keep you waiting much longer. Even as I talked to you now, our hero and his victim are standing beside me, wishing I'd dispense with formalities so they can get to more enjoyable pursuits like murder. Now isn't it funny, Mr. Host? I feel the same way in hot weather. You mean the heat makes you feel murderous? Now this doesn't sound like our marriage. Please don't misunderstand me, Mr. Host. I mean the heat makes me want to dispense with formalities so I can get to more enjoyable pursuits like serving myself and my friends tall cooling glasses of iced Lipton tea in my backyard under the trees. What grand iced tea Lipton's makes. So gloriously full bodied, so full of zip. And it's that brisk Lipton flavor that does it, a flavor that's never flat but always spirited and satisfying. You see brisk is the word the tea experts themselves use to describe the livelier freshness of Lipton's and those same tea experts agree that in iced teas brisk flavor is extra important. That's why for the best iced tea you ever tasted, you should always insist on Lipton tea. It's good iced because it's brisk in flavor. So keep a frosty pitcher of iced Lipton tea always on hand. Thank you for those cooling thoughts Mary. Now into our sizzling thriller, Eight Steps to Murder written especially for Inner Sanctum by Amel Tepperman. This is the chronicle of a carefully calculated crime. A crime so twisted and subtle that it had to be blueprinted in advance. As Barry Kroger in the role of Mark Durfee, the newspaper columnist tells his story, we shall watch this crime develop step by step, eight steps to murder. When I decided to kill Basil Archer, I went about it like an architect laying out the plans for a complicated building project. Only a fool leaves the details of such an undertaking to chance. I calculated every risk. I weighed every possibility of failure. I blueprinted each of the eight necessary steps I had to take. My first step was to get a suitable weapon. I went on Monday morning to the office of a pawnbroker I knew on 48th Street. Good morning my friend. How are you Mr. Krug? Come in, come in Mr. Durfee. Thank you. You know what I want? Indeed, yes. I have it here exactly what you need. It's fully loaded. You can spin the balance if you yourself. It's nice revolver. Looks a little awkward. You said you wanted it with a silencer attached. Yes. How much for this Mr. Krug? $250. What? That is the price Mr. Durfee. No, it's against the law to sell these. Well yes, but $250 you will pay it Mr. Durfee. Well, all right. You know what I want this gun for. But naturally. You know I'm planning to kill someone with it. But naturally. Otherwise would you want a silencer on it? You wouldn't be above a little honest blackmail would you Mr. Krug? No, please do not point that gun at me. It is loaded. I know that. What are you going to do? I regret this Mr. Krug. I'm going to have to kill you. No, I swear to you. He will be sorry for this. You will make a mistake. You will make a slip. There will be no mistake. There will, there will. You cannot think of everything. I have thought of everything. This is the first thing. I cannot think of everything. I left Krug's body where it lay and put the silenced revolver in my inside pocket and stepped out of there. I stopped. Stuck still. The rain. Suddenly coming down in buckets. I hadn't counted on it starting to rain. My alibi for Krug's killing was carefully planned. Everybody at my hotel thought I was still in my room. Sleeping off a binge. The carefully staged and drinking spree last night. But if my clothes were wet they'd know I'd been out this morning. Cannot, cannot think of everything. I hurried back to my hotel walking in the rain. It was too dangerous to take care. I sneaked in the service entrance the way I'd come out and walked up the one flight of stairs. As soon as I got in my room, I took off my clothes dropped them all in the bathtub and started the shower going. Then I went to bed. About noon time when the phone rang I knew it was the clerk downstairs calling because I'd left a call for 12. I let the phone ring. That was step number two. A few minutes later, just as I expected Ryan, the house detective, let himself into the room with his Pa's key. I pretended to be asleep, dead to the world. All of the car-tired shenanigans. What a load he must have taken on last night. I heard Ryan go into the bathroom where the shower was still running and then come out muttering and approach the bed. Wake up, Mr. Deffy. What? You must have been as high as a kite last night. You're undressed in the shower. Left all your clothes in the bathtub. They're soaking wet. I was safe. My tracks were completely covered. This was Monday afternoon. According to my schedule, Basil Archer was to die on Friday evening at 10 o'clock sharp. I was now free to take step three in my blue crimp for murder. For this purpose, I went to Basil Archer's office. He was a theatrical producer, you see. His office was upstairs over the famous old fantasy theater where Archer's new play was to open on Friday evening. As I opened the door of Basil Archer's office, I was quite cool. I'd rehearsed myself well. Basil was seated at his desk talking to Gregory Sutherland, the young and handsome author of the new play. Hello there, Mark. Glad to see you. Hi, Basil. I just dropped in to get a line on the new play. You know Greg Sutherland, the author? Greg, this is Mark Durphy. I tell you, Mark, storm over the Highlands is going to be the biggest hit of the season. Greg's written a fine play. I'm glad to hear that, Basil. I ought to go over big, especially with your wife doing the lead. Nina's a great actress. Confidentially, that's one of the reasons why I'm doing storm over the Highlands. Just suit it to Nina. Nina will be wonderful. I guess she likes working with you, Mr. Sutherland. It's always a good idea for the author and the star of a play to work together. Oh? Have you and Nina been working together, Greg? Well, yes, Mr. Archer. We sort of thought if we could exchange ideas. I never saw two people put their heart and soul into a job like Nina and Sutherland here. They spend every minute they can together. Look here, Durphy. I don't like the way you said that. Oh, I'm sorry, Sutherland. You know I didn't mean anything. It's only what people are saying, seeing you both together so much. What's this all about, Mark? This is the first I've heard of anything. Oh, forget it, Basil. Oh, by the way, here's a package. I want to give it to Nina on opening night. I wonder if you put it in your safe for me to find. I'm sure if you want to do. I'll put it here on the bottom shelf next to the payroll money. Come in Friday evening during the first intermission and I'll get it out for you. Are those all packages of money on the bottom shelf? Yes. Over 100,000 in there. Receipts for my other shows. Hey, Mark, all safely locked up. What kind of a present is it? I'd rather keep that a secret till Friday. From Archer's office, I went straight to his apartment. I knew Nina would be home, and it was important that I talk to her now. Hello, Mark. I've been wondering if you'd come today. I told you I wouldn't, Nina. I've waited so long. Oh, Mark, how long will it be now? How much longer? Only till Friday, darling. After Friday... You'll be free of him forever. And then you and I... There's work to do first. This is only the fourth step. Four more to go. Everything's working according to schedule. The next step is up to you. What must I do, Mark? I started the ball rolling. Basil's beginning to worry about you and Sutherland. He's got to be encouraged to suspect as much as possible. You've got to be seen around with Sutherland as frequently as you can. That'll be easy. Sutherland's hardly more than a kid. He worships the ground I walk on. But I'd rather be with you, darling. It's five days more, Nina. Then we can be together. Always. Outside Nina's house, I stopped for a moment with a queer sensation in the pit of my stomach. It was raining again. Reminded me of Mr. Crew. You can't think of everything. You can't think of everything. I seem to hear Crew's voice drumming in my ears. You'll make a mistake, Mark Durvey. You'll make a mistake. I won't. I won't. You'll make a mistake. Poor Crew. You know, a pawnbroker's life is not an easy one. And Crew took such an interest in his business. And he never suspected Mark Durvey. In fact, he probably liked him. Or his redeeming qualities. You'll come to think of it, Crew was pretty lucky at that. Mark didn't steal anything from the store, but the gun, so Crew lost practically nothing. But his life. You know, Mark's story gives me an idea. I'd like to draw up a blueprint myself. Yes, Mary. Another blueprint for Mary. Oh, no, Mr. Host. I'd call mine a blueprint for summer refreshment. And I'd like to do it in sound. First, I'd start with the creek of porch rockers on shaded summer streets. And the murmur of backyard gardener in the lilac dust. And with the teensters home from school, there'd have to be some sweet swing music, of course. And just to make my blueprint of summer sounds complete, you'd hear the tinkle of ice and tall, cool glasses. Glasses of refreshing iced Lipton Tea. Yes, iced Lipton Tea just goes with summertime fun and enjoyment. Lipton's has a wide awake flavor. The whole family will love it. And that flavor, folks, is brisk. Yes, that's the secret. Lipton's brisk flavor is what makes iced Lipton Tea taste extra good. So for a delightful treat to beat the heat, serve iced tea. And for the best iced tea ever, insist on Lipton Tea. Brisk flavor, never flat. Couldn't have done better myself, Mary. But now, let's catch up with our architect of murder. If Mark Duffy's blueprint works out according to schedule, our death rate should go up sharply to about one per person. Let's see. He should be up to his fifth step by now, shouldn't he? Tuesday was a clear day without rain, and I felt better. I knew now that I couldn't make a mistake. In four days, Basil Archer would die as planned. And now for the fifth step. An easy one for Mark Duffy because he's a newspaper columnist. It merely requires dictating a little item for his column into the dictaphone at his desk. Oh, as a new play opening soon, which should be a huge success, if the author and the leading lady can do anything to make it click, they're working harder on it than the producer himself. It looks like they've clicked with each other too. And now the sixth step. Eight steps to murder, and this is number six. Just a couple of telephone calls to set the sixth step in motion. Hello? Hello, Nina. Did you see the paper this morning? Mark, darling, it was perfect. I've had a half-dozen phone call. Everybody knows you met Sutherland and me. Basil saw a duel at breakfast this morning. He did? How did he like it? No, he just looked glum. I don't think he believes it. All right. Now, here's what I want you to do. Get hold of Sutherland and make him take you out tonight. There's a fast little nightclub out on the island. The pirates hold... I know the place. Kind of disreputable, isn't it? Yeah, right. But now, look, you'll get Sutherland to take you there. Do you think he can manage that? Oh, he'll take me anywhere I want to go. Good. Be sure to be there tonight, about ten. I'll take care of the rest. Oh, hello, Basil. How are you? Mark, good. Now, look here, Mark. Now, look, wait. Take it easy, Basil. I know you want to bore me out about that piece in the collar. I thought you were a friend of mine. Look, Basil, that's why I printed that piece. I don't like what's going on. Just what do you mean? If Nina feels like working with you also at the place, you know... Sure, sure. That's all right. But look, why keep things secret? What do you mean by that? Well, you ask Sutherland if he has any plans for tonight. I know what plans he has for tonight. He's going to stay home and work on some lines in the last scene. Ho, ho, ho. Is that so? Why are you hinting at, Mark? I'm hinting that you take a run out to the pirates' hold. You know where it is? Out on the island. And you'll see how hard Sutherland will be working on the last scene. Oh, where are you? I'm calling from the pirates' hold. Basil was just here. Oh, God. Did he find you with Sutherland? Well, naturally. I did just what you told me to. I'm fine. Everything is set for tomorrow. You're sure everything will be all right? Oh, yes, quite sure. Now, this is what I want you to do tomorrow. Just before the show opens, you'll take sick. Basil will have to put in an understudy for you. Yes, I can do that all right. Then, you'll dismiss the servant. Yes. Clearly, Nina. You're going to be my alibi for the hour between 9 and 10. Understand? I'm Stan, Mark. I'll be over at 9. But I'll leave a few minutes later, by the back way. Wonder you'll swear that I stayed till a few minutes after 10. Is that clear? Yes, Mark. When I rang the doorbell of Nina's apartment Friday night, I knew that every step I'd taken thus far had been right. I couldn't fail. Mark, I was afraid you weren't coming. I was afraid something had gone wrong. You sent the servants away? Yes, they're all gone. I'm alone. I can swear you were here till after 10. Good. How are you going to kill him? With this. A gun. What's that bulky-looking thing on it on the muzzle? It's a silence, Nina. Oh. Well, you better hurry, darling. You have much time. There's one thing more that I've got to do here before I go. Why are you pointing the gun at me? Because I'm going to kill you, Nina dear. Oh no, Mark, I don't like that kind of joke. It isn't a joke, my darling. Aren't you crazy? You little fool. Did you think I'd go to all this trouble, planning this thing step by step? Did you think I was doing all of this for you? But I thought you loved me. You thought I was committing murder because I loved you? Nina, you're just another step in my blueprint. Now you've served your purpose, just like Krug. Krug was step one, you're step seven. I made sure Nina was dead and then I hurried out and went to Basil Archer's office. I had to be sure my timing was right. This was the eighth and the final step. I knew Basil would be in his office during the first intermission, Hello, Basil. Oh, it's you, Mark. Come in. I want to talk to you. What about Basil? Mark, what's going on between Basil and Nina? You're not a fool. I can't believe it. Well, if you want proof, suppose you get that package out of the safe, the one I left with you? The package? Well, you get it and I'll show you. All right. Yes, I know. Say, what are you doing with that revolver? Look, Basil. Look into the muzzle. What the death? Just right. I opened the package Basil had given me. It was only an empty box, nothing in it, but there was something here I could put into it now. I stepped across Basil's body, knelt before the open safe and took out the neatly tied bundles of money and put them into the empty box. One hundred thousand dollars. It was well worth the months of planning and careful blueprinting. I was a rich man. Now I was ready for the finale. The last bit of routine business which would finish the whole thing off properly. Pick up the phone and dial police, of course. It wouldn't be too difficult to imitate Basil Archer's voice over the telephone. I'd rehearse that too. Yes, headquarters. Hello, this is Basil Archer speaking. I've just killed my wife. What's that? My wife and Sutherland, they were planning to run away together. They stole all the money from my safe and were going away. So I killed her. Now I'm going to kill myself too. Now wait, Mr. Archer. Now wait a minute. Don't do anything right. Everything was set. Carefully I placed the revolver in Basil's cold hand and left no grin on it because I was wearing gloves. I picked up the package and walked out into the hall. But in the hall, I stopped short. Someone had just come into the building downstairs. I peered down and I saw Gregory Sutherland coming up. Mr. Archer, are you up there? You better hurry, the second act is started. Sutherland was coming up the stairs. I couldn't get out. I wasn't trapped, oh no. There was a porter's closet down the hall. I dipped it over to it and slipped inside just as Sutherland got to the landing. Mr. Archer, are you in there? Sutherland was in Basil's office now. He'd be finding the body. This was my chance to sneak out. I opened the closet door. Come on, Kenny. Archer's office is one place up. Now we can make it in time. The guy said he was going to kill himself. The police had come in. I think I'd be seen leaving. I had to stay in the building. Still, I wasn't trapped. I knew just what to do. Instead of leaving the building, I would walk out of the closet and into Basil's office right after the police. They'd think I'd just arrived. I stepped out of the porter's closet. I started for the door of Basil's office. Then, suddenly, I got a sick, weak feeling in the pit of my stomach. I stopped stuck still. I'd almost walked in to my death. It was raining outside. As opposed I'd walked in there with my clothes all dry, claiming that I'd just come in from the street. They'd know that I'd been hiding in the building all the time. The rain had been raining. It almost tricked me again. You can't think of everything. You'll make a mistake. You can't think of anything. I can't. I can't. I'll show you. I hurried back into the porter's closet. I knew how to beat this, too. I turned on the faucet and the sink. I flashed and drenched myself from head to foot. Now, now, I looked as if I'd just come in out of the rain. I stepped out of the closet, went down the hall, and ended Basil Archers' office dripping wet. The two policemen were standing over Basil's body with Gregory Sutherland. They'd all looked up as I came in. Oh, I know, Mr. Durfey. Sorry about this. Your friend, Basil Archers, committed suicide. Oh, no. It's impossible, Sergeant Moran. Basil wouldn't do a thing like that. Who found him? Oh, that's terrible. He was taken up and in a shut case. Killed his wife, then came here and knocked himself out. Oh. And what's more, Mr. Sutherland? Before he knocked himself out, he phoned headquarters and said you'd stolen money from his safe. Oh, that's a lie. Wait a minute. Sergeant. Mr. Durfey. Yes, Sutherland? How did you get yourself all wet like that? Oh, you try not getting wet in that rain. Watch rain, Mr. Durfey. Suddenly, suddenly I would clammy all over. I saw that none of them was wet. Their clothes were all dry. But how could that be? They'd just come in out of the rain. Watch rain, Mr. Durfey. Well, you can hear it, can't you? It's pouring rain. Just listen to that thunder. Thunder. Rain. That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. Don't you see, Sergeant, he's been in the building all the time. Trying to make us think he just came in and he got himself all wet for nothing. Sergeant, I bet you a dollar he murdered, aren't you? You're crazy. It's pouring outside. You can hear it yourself. But just listen to that rain beating down. The thunder. You poor sap, that isn't rain you hear. It's my play next door. Storm over the Highlands. Remember? And those are the sound effects in the second act. So, it looks like Mark Durfey was all wet. In fact, he got himself so soaking wet, he practically liquidated himself. But cheer up, I'm sure he won't spend more than six months in jail. And that wouldn't be so bad, would it? If they weren't going to execute him afterwards. Poor Mark. If only someone had told him. I told him what, Mary? Well, look, Mark took eight steps to get in the cooler when you really only have to take one step to get cool. Sure, just step down to the grocers and get a large economical package of brisk Lipton tea. Then keep a picture of iced Lipton tea always on hand and help yourself to its cooling refreshment off and on throughout the day. That's all there is to it. And you'll find Lipton's makes perfect iced tea because Lipton's is never flat. It always tastes delightfully tangy and full body. That's why this summer, when you want iced tea, you should be sure to use the tea with the brisk flavor. Ask your grocer tomorrow for Lipton's. And so ends our little essay on the modern methods of murder. Of course, our little essays on murder are only for the select few. As a matter of fact, only one person in every ten thousand is capable of murder. And speaking of statistics, due to our high birth rate, the population of this country is increasing faster than inner sanctum can kill them. Very discouraging. Very discouraging indeed. Oh, by the way, this month's inner sanctum mystery novel is The Panic Stricken by Mitchell Wilson. And next week, the makers of Lipton tea and Lipton soups will bring you another inner sanctum story directed by Hyman Brown and called Berry Me Knots. Now, there's a plot for you. A plot right in the graveyard. Trouble is the rain's coming, uncover it. What becomes of the body? Well, now that's anybody's guess. But come around next week, we'll be right at the graveside and we'd like to have you drop in. Until then, good night. Pleasant dreams. Now that summer's here, keep cool by keeping out of the kitchen. Serve Lipton's noodle soup. It's quick and easy to prepare and gives you a delicious soup in a jiffy with so much less work and trouble. It's the perfect hot dish to serve with cool summertime suppers because Lipton's is luscious noodle soup with real old time chickeny flavor. Besides, Lipton's noodle soup mix costs less and makes lots more than the usual canned soup. Ask for it tomorrow. Lipton's noodle soup. And tune in next week for another inner sanctum mystery. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.