MUSIC:

EERIE ACCENT

ANNOUNCER:

The Emerson Drug Company, makers of Bromo-Seltzer, invite you through the Creaking Door for tonight's Inner Sanctum Mystery, titled "Skeleton Bay," written by Emile Tepperman.

MUSIC:

ACCENT AND OUT

ANNOUNCER:

Bromo-Seltzer reminds you to--

TRAIN:

Fight headache three ways! Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer-- (FADES OUT BEHIND--)

MUSIC:

PICKS UP TRAIN TEMPO ... BUILDS TO ACCENT ... THEN OUT FOR--

SOUND:

THE CREAKING DOOR SQUEAKS NOISILY OPEN

MUSIC:

BEHIND HOST--

HOST:

Good evening, friends of the Creaking Door. This is your host, to welcome you into the Inner Sanctum. Come on in. Come on in and join the fun! We're having a game of Corpse and Robbers, and we can't find a soul for the corpse. Of course, we could say the magic words, "Abra Cadaver," but we don't want any of that low crowd from the morgue. (CHUCKLES) Want to come in and play dead for a while? Hmmm? You'll die laughing. (CHUCKLES)

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND HOST--

HOST:

And now for our excursion into the eerie, our little trip to Skeleton Bay. Our story opens at a swanky hotel with private cabins, situated on a storm-swept, rockbound coast. The story itself is all about -- you guessed it -- murder. And here is Carola Winter to give us a blow-by-blow description.

MUSIC:

CONTINUES BEHIND CAROLA--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I'll tell you first about the night I met Michael Barrett. 'Twas in August at Skeleton Bay. I had come to the hotel supposedly for a rest. That was what I kept telling myself, but in reality, I didn't know why I had come here.

VOICE:

(IMPASSIVE, ON FILTER) Skeleton Bay-- Skeleton Bay-- Skeleton Bay-- (CONTINUES BEHIND--)

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I'd seen the name in an ad months ago, and since then it kept hammering, hammering, hammering at the inside of my brain. 'Twas like the voice of implacable fate commanding me, commanding me.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG

SOUND:

AN EERIE WIND BLOWS, IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) Because I didn't like crowds, the hotel manager had given me a cabin near the beach all to myself. 'Twas the middle of the night, but I couldn't sleep. The wind came in from the ocean, howling like a hungry beast across the shoals - and the pounding of the surf mingled with the angry baffled growl of the sea. I sat at the window in the dark, staring out at the beach. I was restless, excited.

MUSIC:

UP AND OUT

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) 'Twas then that I saw the signal.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) 'Twas just a winking little light, a few yards away on the beach. Someone was blinking a flashlight -- on and off, on and off. I was able to make out the figure of a man in boots and a leather jacket. He was signaling toward the hotel. But to whom? I had the answer in a moment. A man moved past my window, going down toward the light. He had his collar turned up against the wind and his hat brim pulled low, but I knew who it was: Mr. Field, a small furtive man who had come up on the train with me. The two men met, barely a stone's throw away from my window; I could hardly see them huddled closely together. This was excitement -- mystery -- intrigue; the stimulation I wanted, needed. I had to know what was going on, and I threw on a raincoat and opened the cabin door.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG

SOUND:

CABIN DOOR OPENS ... WIND GROWS LOUDER, CONTINUES IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) The wind swept my hair in a streamer, and a salt spray stung my face as I hurried down to the beach. My blood began to race and my heart to pound, for those two men were not engaged in any conference. They were locked in struggle.

SOUND:

OCCASIONAL GRUNT AND GROAN AS THE TWO MEN SCUFFLE QUIETLY ON THE BEACH

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) 'Twas a deadly silent struggle with only a grunt now and then -- and I saw the flashing gleam of a knife, but I couldn't tell who had the weapon -- the tall man in the leather jacket or the furtive Mr. Field.

MUSIC:

OUT WITH--

FIELD:

(PAINED EXCLAMATION!)

MUSIC:

IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) And then I saw the blade plunge home - into the throat - of the furtive Mr. Field.

FIELD:

(DEATH GROAN)

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES, THRILLED) I felt a sudden surge of wild elation. This was murder. I had witnessed a murder! (COOLLY) The tall man let the body of Mr. Field slide down to the sand. Then he looked up and saw me.

MUSIC:

UP AND OUT

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) He stood there with the bloody knife in his hand and we looked at each other.

MICHAEL:

Who are you?

CAROLA:

I'm Carola Winter. I - I have this cabin here. Number Five.

MICHAEL:

You saw me kill him?

CAROLA:

Yes, I saw you.

MICHAEL:

What are you gonna do about it?

CAROLA:

(BEAT, EVENLY) I'm going to help you dispose of the body.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) He told me his name was Michael Barrett. He lived on the opposite side of the bay, in a house high up on the cliff.

MICHAEL:

It won't be so easy to get rid of the body. If I had the boat, I could take him out and drop him over, but it's too rough tonight. If there were some place to hide him for a day, I could come across in the boat tomorrow night.

CAROLA:

You can hide him in the closet in my cabin. Nobody will look there.

MUSIC:

ACCENT AND OUT WITH--

SOUND:

CLOSET DOOR CLOSES

MICHAEL:

Better lock the closet door.

CAROLA:

Yes, of course.

SOUND:

CLOSET DOOR LOCKED

MICHAEL:

You sure nobody'll come snoopin' here?

CAROLA:

Nobody comes here but the maid.

MICHAEL:

All right. I'll be back tomorrow night with the boat.

CAROLA:

(DOESN'T WANT HIM TO GO) Oh, uh-- Did you pick up the knife?

MICHAEL:

(SURPRISED) Yeah. Got it here in my pocket.

CAROLA:

(QUIETLY) Oh. Well, I - guess that's all.

MICHAEL:

Good night ... Carola.

CAROLA:

Good night, Michael.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) All night, I sat up alone -- with the locked closet door between me and the staring, sightless body of Mr. Field.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN OUT

SOUND:

DINING ROOM BACKGROUND ... DINERS MURMUR, UTENSILS AND PLATES, ET CETERA

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) At breakfast the next morning, they had already discovered the disappearance of Mr. Field.

1ST GUEST:

Yes, the maid said his bed wasn't slept in at all.

2ND GUEST:

Do you think he could have committed suicide in the ocean?

1ST GUEST:

Well, he was such a sneaky little man. Of course, he may just have gone for an all-night hike, but in such weather, I-- (FADES OUT)

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I hurried through my breakfast, listening to the gossip all around me. Now in broad daylight, I could hardly believe the thing had really happened last night.

1ST GUEST:

And - and you know, the hotel manager thinks it might be murder. I heard him phoning for the police!

SOUND:

CAROLA NOISILY DROPS UTENSILS ... DINERS STOP MURMURING

CAROLA:

(NARRATES, ALARMED) Police! I hadn't counted on that.

1ST GUEST:

(CONCERNED) Why, anything wrong, young lady? You - you look sick.

CAROLA:

I - I do feel a bit dizzy. I - I think I'll get some fresh air.

SOUND:

CAROLA'S STEPS TO DOOR BEHIND--

1ST GUEST:

(FADES OUT AS CAROLA MOVES OFF) Oh, dear. Poor girl. It must be quite a shock to her. She came up on the train with Mr. Field.

SOUND:

DINING ROOM DOOR OPENS AND SHUTS ... HEAVY WIND BLOWS, IN BG ... CAROLA'S STEPS TO HER CABIN, IN BG

MUSIC:

IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) Out in the open air, I let the wind cool my fevered face as I hurried down toward the beach. It was only nine-thirty in the morning; a whole day and a whole evening before Michael could come for the body. And the police would be around all day -- investigating, snooping. And all the time Mr. Field would be sitting in my closet, staring blankly out of his sightless eyes.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) When I reached my cabin, I put my hand on the doorknob-- And suddenly I went cold all over. The door was unlocked.

MUSIC:

UP, FOR ACCENT ... THEN OUT

SOUND:

FOOTSTEPS MOVING AROUND ROOM, BEHIND CAROLA--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I stood as still as a statue, listening. (BEAT) Yes, there was someone inside; someone moving around. If only I had my handbag; I had a pistol in it that I always carry for protection, but it was inside on the dresser. Slowly, slowly, I pressed the door open. A half-inch. An inch.

SOUND:

CABIN DOOR CREAKS

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) And the door creaked!

MAID:

Is that you, Miss Winter?!

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES, RELIEVED) The maid! It was only the maid! Of course! She'd be making up the bed. Why hadn't I thought of that?

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN OUT

MAID:

Miss Winter? Is that you?!

CAROLA:

Yes!

SOUND:

CABIN DOOR SHUTS ... CAROLA'S STEPS IN

CAROLA:

It's I. (SHARPLY) What are you doing at that closet with those keys?!

MAID:

(INNOCENTLY) They're just my passkeys, Miss Winter. I was just going to tidy up the closet.

CAROLA:

I didn't ask you to do anything to that closet!

MAID:

But that's part of the job, Miss Winter. I'm supposed to do it in all the rooms.

CAROLA:

Well, you leave this one alone. Keep away from that closet, do you hear?

MAID:

(PUZZLED) Well, yes, Miss Winter. I was only trying to help.

CAROLA:

When I want your help, I'll ask for it. Now please leave -- at once!

MAID:

Just as you say, Miss Winter. I'm sorry if I did anything wrong.

SOUND:

DURING ABOVE, MAID'S STEPS TO CABIN DOOR, WHICH OPENS AND SHUTS AS SHE EXITS (WIND HEARD BLOWING BRIEFLY AT OPEN DOOR)

MUSIC:

IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) Did she suspect anything? I hadn't liked her tone. Why had I been so sharp with her? Now she'd surely think there was something in the closet, something she shouldn't see.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) At lunchtime, I didn't want to leave the cabin. I sat at the window. And I could almost feel the sightless eyes of Mr. Field staring at me through the closet door.

SOUND:

KNOCKING AT CABIN DOOR

CAROLA:

(STARTLED GASP, TO HERSELF) Someone at the door. Who? Who--?

SOUND:

MORE KNOCKING

CAROLA:

(GASPS, CALLS) Just a minute!

SOUND:

CAROLA'S STEPS TO CABIN DOOR, WHICH OPENS ... WIND BLOWS, IN BG

MUSIC:

OUT WITH DOOR OPENING

SMITH:

Miss Winter? Miss Carola Winter?

CAROLA:

Yes, I'm Miss Winter.

SMITH:

Oh, I'm sorry to trouble you, Miss Winter. I am Detective-Sergeant Smith from headquarters. May I come in for a moment?

CAROLA:

Yes. Please do.

SOUND:

SMITH'S STEPS IN ... CABIN DOOR CLOSES, CUTTING OFF WIND

CAROLA:

What can I do for you, Sergeant Smith?

SMITH:

We're out here investigating this Mr. Field business. He hasn't turned up yet.

CAROLA:

Oh. Well, I'm sure he will in time.

SMITH:

Well, I wish I could be so sure, Miss Winter.

CAROLA:

What do you mean?

SMITH:

We've gone through his room. Found some mighty queer things.

CAROLA:

Queer things?

SMITH:

Seems this Mr. Field was in some sort of racket. There's a good chance he may have been murdered.

CAROLA:

You don't say?

SMITH:

Yeah. I, uh, understand you came up on the train with him.

CAROLA:

Yes, that's true.

SMITH:

Did you have any conversation with him on the train?

CAROLA:

No, none at all.

SMITH:

Um-- You're the Carola Winter who writes the mystery novels, aren't you?

CAROLA:

The same.

SMITH:

Well, I've read every one of 'em. They're darn good, Miss Winter.

CAROLA:

Thank you.

SMITH:

Do you think you'll - get a plot out of this? I mean, Mr. Field.

CAROLA:

(CHUCKLES) Well, I can't tell yet. But, Sergeant, I wish you'd keep me posted on developments -- in case it does turn out to have a plot.

SMITH:

Oh, I sure will, Miss Winter. Oh, by the way--

CAROLA:

Hm?

SMITH:

We found this picture among the papers in Field's room. I'm showing it to everybody around in case they might recognize it. It's an old newspaper item; ten years old. Can't figure out why he was carrying it around. It's about a guy named Wycliff that's wanted for murder. Here, take a look at him.

MUSIC:

GRIM ACCENT ... THEN IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I felt the blood racing in my veins, pounding at my wrists. The picture of the man named Wycliff who was wanted for murder - was a picture of Michael Barrett.

MUSIC:

FIRST ACT CURTAIN

ANNOUNCER:

Bromo-Seltzer, famous for fast headache help is bringing you "Inner Sanctum."

TRAIN:

Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer-- (FADES OUT BEHIND--)

MUSIC:

PICKS UP TRAIN TEMPO ... BUILDS TO ACCENT ... THEN OUT FOR--

ANNOUNCER:

How do you do, ladies and gentlemen, how do you do? This is your old friend Norman Brokenshire. You know, it's really silly to let an ordinary headache make you miserable when you can get such fast three-way headache help with Bromo-Seltzer. Now, by three-way help, I mean Bromo-Seltzer quickly helps the pain of a headache itself and it soothes upset stomach and jittery nerves that may team up with your headache. And what a pleasant help it is, for Bromo-Seltzer fizzes instantly. So sparkling, so refreshing to take. You can't ask any more of a headache product than that, can ya? Fast, pleasant three-way help for your headache -- that's Bromo-Seltzer. Try Bromo-Seltzer on this guarantee: You must be satisfied or your money back. Need I say more? Just go to any drugstore, fountain, or counter, and ask for--

TRAIN:

Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer-- (FADES OUT BEHIND--)

MUSIC:

PICKS UP TRAIN TEMPO ... BUILDS TO ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

HOST:

Yeah, it looks as if Michael Barrett is a lucky guy, with a beautiful woman ready to commit murder for him. But what'll he do when she runs out of victims and begins looking at him with a calculating eye? (CHUCKLES) Oh, by the way, you don't have to worry about our eerie spirits bothering you any more. No, I've made a resolution that ghosts will not be allowed out of their graves after dark -- unless of course they have a pass to leave the ground. (CHUCKLES) Let's get back to the rockbound coast of Skeleton Bay - and see how Carola entertains the grisly guest in her closet.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

SOUND:

WIND BLOWS, IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I don't remember now how I got rid of that Detective Smith. I told him I had never seen the man in the picture and then sent him away. The day was interminable. From my window I could see the guests moving about the beach, but none of them went in swimming, the weather was too rough, and I wondered if Michael would be able to bring the boat over tonight. If not, how much longer could I sit guard over Mr. Field in the closet? Now and then, I'd see Detective Smith poking around on the beach. And then, without warning, he was standing over the very spot where Michael had stabbed Mr. Field.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I watched him bend down and examine something. Was there blood there? Did Smith know that that was the murder spot? I saw him frown, then he stood up and walked quickly away. I had to know what it was he had seen there. Swiftly, I slipped on a coat and went out.

SOUND:

CABIN DOOR OPENS

MUSIC:

UP AND OUT

SOUND:

WIND GROWS LOUDER, IN BG ... CAROLA'S STEPS ON SAND

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I started towards the spot on the beach.

SMITH:

(OFF) Going somewhere, Miss Winter?

MUSIC:

ACCENT AND OUT

CAROLA:

Oh, it's you, detective.

SMITH:

(CLOSER) Going anywhere in particular?

CAROLA:

Why, no. I - was just going up to the hotel - for dinner. It's almost dinnertime, you know.

SMITH:

Well, fine. I'll walk up with ya. If you don't mind.

CAROLA:

Not at all.

SMITH:

Can I help you? Take your arm?

CAROLA:

Oh, thank you. Sand is so soft.

SMITH:

Ah, it's still wet. We had high tide last night.

CAROLA:

Mm.

SMITH:

Uh, Miss Winter--?

CAROLA:

Yes?

SMITH:

Are you a sound sleeper?

CAROLA:

Why do you ask?

SMITH:

Well, I just thought maybe you might have heard something last night, like - a fight or something.

CAROLA:

A fight?

SMITH:

I was just looking at the sand back there, down near your cabin. It's all messed up, stamped around.

CAROLA:

Well, what has that got to do with me?

SMITH:

Well, nothing at all, except I think there was a fight there last night. Maybe that's where Mr. Field was killed.

CAROLA:

You think Mr. Field was murdered?

SMITH:

It's beginning to look more and more like it, Miss Winter.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) Somehow -- I don't know how -- I managed to get through with dinner. I hurried back to the cabin--

SOUND:

WIND BLOWS, IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) --and I stopped at the door, shocked and unbelieving. There was a light inside. Someone was in there!

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) This time I had my handbag with me; I took the pistol out and once more I inched the door open.

SOUND:

CABIN DOOR CREAKS

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) It had happened, the thing I feared; the closet door was open -- and there was the maid stooping over the body of Mr. Field.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

SOUND:

CABIN DOOR SHUTS

MAID:

(STARTLED GASP!) Oh!

CAROLA:

(FURIOUS) What are you doing there?!

MAID:

The body! It's Mr. Field! You've killed him!

CAROLA:

(UNFAZED) Suppose I did?

MAID:

(WHIMPERS IN FEAR) What - what are you doing with that gun?

CAROLA:

(SAVAGELY) What do you think?!

MAID:

Oh, noooo!

SOUND:

GUNSHOT ... MAID'S BODY CRASHES TO FLOOR

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) The wind was high and the weather was rough. Fortunately, no one heard the shot.

SOUND:

MAID'S BODY PUSHED INTO CLOSET ... THEN BEHIND--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES, WITH EFFORT) I pushed her body - into the closet - next to the body of Mr. Field - and closed the door.

MUSIC:

OUT WITH--

SOUND:

CLOSET DOOR CLOSES AND LOCKS

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) Now I was a murderer, too.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG

SOUND:

KNOCKING AT CABIN DOOR

CAROLA:

(INHALES UNEASILY)

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN OUT

CAROLA:

(CALLS) Who is it?!

MICHAEL:

(BEHIND DOOR) Let me in, Carola, quick!

CAROLA:

(EXHALES IN RELIEF) Yes, yes!

SOUND:

CAROLA'S HURRIED STEPS TO CABIN DOOR WHICH UNLOCKS AND OPENS (WIND HEARD BLOWING BRIEFLY LOUDER AT OPEN DOOR)

CAROLA:

Michael! Michael, I thought you weren't coming; it's been a dreadful day.

MICHAEL:

What happened?

SOUND:

MICHAEL'S STEPS IN ... CABIN DOOR CLOSES

CAROLA:

Come here and I'll show you.

SOUND:

THEIR STEPS TO CLOSET DOOR WHICH UNLOCKS BEHIND--

MICHAEL:

Is he still in there?

CAROLA:

See for yourself.

SOUND:

CLOSET DOOR OPENS

MICHAEL:

A woman! (BEAT) Who is she?

CAROLA:

The maid. She opened the closet while I was out.

MICHAEL:

You killed her?

CAROLA:

Yes, Michael, I had to. There are detectives at the hotel looking for Mr. Field.

MICHAEL:

(THOUGHTFUL) Hmm. (BEAT) I suppose if I were smart, I'd kill you, too. Then there'd be no one to talk.

CAROLA:

(BEAT) Yes, Michael. That would be smart. (BEAT) Go ahead, kill me. (BEAT) If you can.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I knew he couldn't kill me -- because I had seen it in his eyes. We were two of a kind, both wild, both reckless, both eager for the thrill of danger. He, too, wanted to be like the wind. We had both been brought together by some force stronger than either of us, and we loved each other.

MICHAEL:

(LOVINGLY) Carola, darling.

CAROLA:

(PASSIONATE) Michael-- (PAUSE, AS THEY KISS; BREAKS THE MOOD) No. No more, Michael. We have work to do.

MICHAEL:

(AGREES) Mmm. I'll take them down to the boat.

CAROLA:

I'll help you.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) We carried Mr. Field and the maid down to the boat.

SOUND:

BODIES DROPPED INTO BOAT

MICHAEL:

There. I'll take them out a way and dump them.

CAROLA:

And after that, Michael--?

MICHAEL:

After that? Then I'm going home.

CAROLA:

To your house on the cliff on the other side of the bay?

MICHAEL:

Yes, Carola.

CAROLA:

Michael, take me with you.

MICHAEL:

What?

CAROLA:

Take me with you -- to your house up there on the cliff.

MICHAEL:

I'm sorry. I can't.

CAROLA:

(DISAPPOINTED) You can't? Why can't you?

MICHAEL:

It isn't anything I can tell you.

CAROLA:

What are you hiding up there in that house on the cliff?

MICHAEL:

You mustn't ask. Now, please, Carola, you mustn't ask.

CAROLA:

You're married, you have a wife up there!

MICHAEL:

No, I haven't.

CAROLA:

Then what?!

MICHAEL:

I can't tell you!

CAROLA:

(QUIETLY) But are you going away? Are you leaving me forever?

MICHAEL:

Not forever. You go back to the city. I'll come to you soon.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I returned to the city -- and waited. I waited a week, a month -- but Michael Barrett did not come. I wrote to him, but there was no answer.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND CAROLA--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) And then one evening, I saw him. I was returning home in a taxi and I saw him standing across the street, looking up at my window. And when he saw me get out of the cab, he turned and started to hurry away.

SOUND:

CAROLA'S HURRIED STEPS ON SIDEWALK ... CITY TRAFFIC BACKGROUND

CAROLA:

(CALLS) Michael! Michael! Michael, please don't go away!

SOUND:

CAROLA'S STEPS SLOW TO A STOP

CAROLA:

Oh, Michael, why did you try to run away?

MICHAEL:

Don't you know?

CAROLA:

You're afraid.

MICHAEL:

Yeah. Let's call it that.

CAROLA:

But you love me, Michael. Don't you?

MICHAEL:

Carola, it's no good. There's nothing but ruin for us both if I stay.

CAROLA:

We'll be together forever.

MICHAEL:

It's impossible.

CAROLA:

I won't let you go back to that house on the cliff. I don't care what it is you're hiding up there, I won't let you go back!

MICHAEL:

Goodbye, Carola.

CAROLA:

Wait!

MICHAEL:

I'm going. You'd better forget about me.

CAROLA:

Don't go yet, Mr. Wycliff.

MICHAEL:

(BEAT) So you know about that, too?

CAROLA:

I saw the old newspaper clipping Mr. Field carried.

MICHAEL:

I see.

CAROLA:

Why are you looking at me like that?

MICHAEL:

You know why I killed Mr. Field? Because he tried to blackmail me about that old murder.

CAROLA:

But, dear Michael, I'm a good deal smarter than Mr. Field. You see, I write mystery novels, so I know how to handle such things.

MICHAEL:

What do you mean?

CAROLA:

It wouldn't do you any good to kill me. I've written all about you -- your real name, and about that old murder. It'll be found if I should ever be killed.

MICHAEL:

I see.

CAROLA:

Michael darling, I'm blackmailing you, but there's only one thing I want from you -- your love. It shouldn't be so hard for you to meet my terms.

MICHAEL:

(BEAT, SLOWLY) All right, Carola. You win. We'll be married tomorrow.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) Soon after we were married, Michael began going out evenings -- once, sometimes twice, a week, and staying out all night. He'd return late the next day. When I asked where he had been, his temper would flare up into something terrible. I stopped asking, but I couldn't rest. I had to know where he went. One evening, I followed him. He boarded a train - for Skeleton Bay.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

SOUND:

CHUGGING TRAIN ... FADES INTO DISTANCE BEHIND--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) At Skeleton Bay, he set out to walk from the station, and I followed. 'Twas no longer summer; the trees were bare and the night was forbidding. I kept behind him when he skirted the bay to the narrow road which led up toward his house high on the cliff.

SOUND:

DURING ABOVE, CAROLA'S STEPS TRUDGE UP ROAD ... WIND BLOWS, IN BG

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) 'Twas a small stone house. The wind whistled around it, and against it, and above it. I stole to one of the windows. 'Twas barred, like a prison. Carefully, I raised my head above the sill and peered into a lighted room. Michael was there -- with a woman.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND CAROLA--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) For the first time in my life, I knew the meaning of frustration - and jealousy. (FURIOUS) Michael had told me he wasn't married! But this woman-- I had helped him to do murder! I had killed for him! I had lied to that detective for him! And all the while, this was the secret he had been keeping from me. (BEAT) I opened my handbag and took out the pistol. I looked into the room again. The woman was alone now; Michael was gone.

MICHAEL:

So you came up after all?

CAROLA:

(STARTLED GASP) Michael, you sneaked out. You knew I was here.

MICHAEL:

I'm sorry you saw through that window.

CAROLA:

Is that your secret? That woman?

MICHAEL:

Part of it. But it's the part you mustn't know.

CAROLA:

But I do know it now.

MICHAEL:

That's why I've got to kill you.

CAROLA:

That knife. You've still got that knife.

MICHAEL:

Yes.

CAROLA:

(SAVAGELY) And I've got this, Michael.

SOUND:

GUNSHOT!

MICHAEL:

(DEATH GROAN)

SOUND:

TWO MORE GUNSHOTS ... MICHAEL'S BODY THUDS TO GROUND

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND CAROLA--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) He fell at my feet and I looked down - and watched him die. And now I knew why I had really come to Skeleton Bay that first day. It was for this. To kill Michael Barrett.

MUSIC:

UP AND OUT

LISBETH:

So he's dead at last.

CAROLA:

(STARTLED GASP)

LISBETH:

You've killed him.

CAROLA:

You -- the woman in that house -- you saw me kill him.

LISBETH:

Yes, I saw you.

CAROLA:

What are you going to do about it?

LISBETH:

(BEAT) Help you dispose of the body ... of course.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) Help me dispose of the body? Those were the very words I had said to Michael Barrett down there on the beach. And now this woman was saying them to me.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN IN BG--

CAROLA:

Who are you?

LISBETH:

I am Lisbeth Wycliff. I'm Michael's sister.

CAROLA:

His sister? And you want to help me dispose of the body?

LISBETH:

You see the bars on those windows?

CAROLA:

Yes?

LISBETH:

I have been a prisoner in this house - for ten years.

CAROLA:

What?

LISBETH:

Michael killed the man I was going to marry, ten years ago. He murdered him.

CAROLA:

But this house--? This prison--?

LISBETH:

Michael brought me here. He kept me prisoner because he knew if I got free, I'd tell the world he was a murderer.

CAROLA:

(REALIZES) Then that's the secret -- the secret he wouldn't even tell me.

MUSIC:

ACCENT AND OUT

SOUND:

GUNSHOT!

MUSIC:

BEHIND CAROLA--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) I shot her. Yes, I killed her, too -- there outside the house -- and she fell beside Michael. And I rolled both bodies over the cliff, down into the sea.

MUSIC:

ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND CAROLA--

CAROLA:

(NARRATES) This is the end of my book -- the best mystery novel I have ever written. I know that in writing it, I deliver myself into the hands of the law, but I can't stop. I can't help myself. So now I am finished. I will mail it to my publisher and wait - for Detective-Sergeant Smith to come and get me.

MUSIC:

UP, FOR CURTAIN ... THEN IN BG

HOST:

It looks as if Carola's mystery novel will earn a lot of money after she's executed. But I'd say it's, uh, tainted money. Hmm? Why tainted? Because she'll be dead and a ghost can't own money, so 'tain't hers. (CHUCKLES) You know, Carola would have been better off if she'd remembered that the pen is mightier than the sword -- because the sword is leading her right back to the pen anyhow. (LAUGHS)

MUSIC:

UP, FOR A FINISH ... THEN OUT

ANNOUNCER:

You know, today just about everything depends on speed. Now, you take headache products. Bromo-Seltzer is famous for giving speedy relief from headaches, but that's not all. Bromo-Seltzer gives you three-way headache help. First, it quickly fights the pain of the headache itself. Then it soothes the upset stomach and jumpy nerves that may come with a headache. And Bromo-Seltzer is even fast to fix. Just put a teaspoonful in a glass, add water; watch how it fizzes in a split second. So sparkling and refreshing to take, so fast in helping your headache all three ways. But don't just take my word for it, neighbors. Next time you get a headache, try Bromo-Seltzer yourself. You'll find where others fail, Bromo-Seltzer works. Caution: use only as directed, and, of course, if a headache persists or recurs, see your doctor. Get a bottle of Bromo-Seltzer for home use and keep another bottle where you work. It's on sale at all drugstores.

TRAIN:

Fights headache three ways! Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer-- (FADES OUT BEHIND--)

MUSIC:

PICKS UP TRAIN TEMPO ... BUILDS TO ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND HOST--

HOST:

Well! It's time to close that Creaking Door for another seven-day rest, until next week at this time when Bromo-Seltzer brings you another Inner Sanctum Mystery. In tonight's story Charlotte Holland played Carola, with Martin Gabel as Michael. The music was by Lew White and the entire production was directed by Himan Brown. By the way, this month's Inner Sanctum Mystery novel is "The End is Known" by Geoffrey Hall. Next week, we're pinning up a fearful portrait called "The Deadly Face." It's all about a curious character who has a picture of Death painted all over his puss. So if you're around this time next week when we hang him up in our gallery, you'll hear how he tries to frame a couple of folks -- in pine. Until next Monday then. Good night. Pleasant dreams? Hmmmm?

SOUND:

THE CREAKING DOOR SQUEAKS NOISILY SHUT

ANNOUNCER:

This is Norman Brokenshire speaking for Bromo-Seltzer, inviting you to tune in again next Monday at this same time to "Inner Sanctum," which is brought to you for your entertainment every Monday by--

TRAIN (SONOVOX):

Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer-- (FADES OUT)

ANNOUNCER:

This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.