In this gripping episode of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, we delve into the haunting tale of "The Shadow of the Past," written by Sam Dan and starring Howard Da Silva. Set in a crumbling neighborhood once known as a ghetto, the story follows Dr. Benno Sternberg, who has assumed the identity of Dr. Benno Koenig to escape his past and practice medicine in America. However, his past catches up with him when he encounters Karl Heinz Meyer, a former concentration camp commandant, leading to a confrontation that ends in murder. As the police investigate, Dr. Sternberg must grapple with his conscience and the moral implications of his actions, while a young man stands accused of the crime. The episode explores themes of vengeance, justice, and the struggle for redemption as Dr. Sternberg faces the consequences of his actions. The tension builds as Lieutenant Smith, the investigating officer, begins to unravel the truth, forcing Dr. Sternberg and his wife Rosa to confront their past and the choices they've made. The story raises poignant questions about who has the right to decide life and death, and whether one can truly escape the shadows of their past.
(00:31) Introduction to the Mystery Theater
(03:04) The Shadow of the Past Begins
(16:15) The Weight of the Past
(29:28) The Moral Dilemma
(42:03) Resolution and Reflection
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[00:00:00]
Unknown:
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[00:00:31] Unknown:
The CBS Radio Mystery Theater presents Come in. Welcome. I'm EG Marshall, your pilot on a mysterious cruise through the uncharted seas of your very own imagination. Vengeance is mine. I shall repay, saith the Lord. From this, we must assume that revenge belongs to him and to him alone, and that should end the matter, shouldn't it? But so many times, so many of us are so outraged by the painful fact that wrongdoers simply seem to get away with murder. Well, don't bet on it. After all, if the Lord says he will repay, he is good for the debt.
And if he chooses to make it a long term note, he has plenty of time, all of eternity. Rosa, look there. The time is out of control.
[00:01:50] Unknown:
Rosa, hurry. Maybe we can help these people. They don't
[00:01:56] Unknown:
they don't they don't they oh, no. They're dead.
[00:02:00] Unknown:
There's nothing I can do for them. Are you sure? I'm sure. The impact of the crash at death with the media. It's it's the Konigs. The Konigs?
[00:02:12] Unknown:
The people I told you about. The ones who have the papers and and the reason to go to The United States. Oh. Poor souls. They waited so long to get on the quota.
[00:02:24] Unknown:
Rosa, you say they have papers? Well, then why don't we No, Beno. But how else how else we'd be able to get to America? Beno, I I don't think it's it's the right thing. Who'll ever know? Who'll ever care? Here, you tell me we'll take their papers. But it's stealing. Stealing? They can't use them anymore. They have better papers now. A passport to heaven. They won't mind if we use their visa to get to the next best place.
[00:03:05] Unknown:
Our mystery drama, The Shadow of the Past, was written especially for the mystery theater by Sam Dan and stars Howard Da Silva. The neighborhood is old, rundown. The buildings are crumbling and grimy. The neighborhood used to be a ghetto, a procession of many ghettos as succeeding waves of immigrant nationalities pause here before moving on to the full promise of America. Now the neighborhood, strictly speaking, is no longer a ghetto. Some would call it a slum. Whatever. It still teems and pulses with closely packed humanity. It is still a melting pot, a crucible, a place for dreams and despair.
Men and women throng the streets, move in and out of dingy shops, chat animatedly on the sidewalks, on the steps, from the windows. Little kids play jacks, hopscotch pump rope. The older ones play stickball in the gutter, dodging the automobile. That wiry kid at bat right now looks like he could hit that ball three sewers at least. See that swing, and there it goes. That ball must be at least six stories high. You'll pretty near make the end of the block. But watch the kid in the red shirt go after it. Look out for those people, red shirt.
[00:04:42] Unknown:
That Batman, the one with the briefcase in one hand and the notebook in the other. Look out. You run into him. I got it. I got it. He's out. He's out. The farm is out. Move my eye. Oh my eye. I can't see. What have you done to me? I'm fine. I didn't go on first. Who You could've killed me. Call an ambulance. I'm bleeding. Wait a minute. You don't need an ambulance. You can walk right in and see doctor right outside the doctor's door. Hands off me. I just want you to tell. Yeah. Get through. But first, get that eye fixed. Now come on. Just up the steps right here. That's it. I'm sorry. Bartel, you guys save me my lucky spot. I said that's it. Now now through the hall now. Teach you to attack law abiding citizens on the street. Okay. Here we go. Now ring the bell and walk in. Yeah. Hello, missus Koenig?
Oh my. What is this, George? This guy ran into a woman, banged up his eyes. Is that Koenig here? I'm going fine. No. No. Everything will be alright. Mister, I I leave you in the first half. Okay. Let me help you. This way, the doctor will see you immediately.
[00:05:51] Unknown:
There no? No. Bring him in, Rosa. Now just sit down there.
[00:05:57] Unknown:
I'll answer it outside in the office.
[00:06:01] Unknown:
Now let me look at the I have blind. No. No. No. No. Nothing like that. Yeah. K. Let me wash it out first. Yeah. Let me conceal what we
[00:06:11] Unknown:
have. I know it does sting just a little bit. Did someone hit you? Odram.
[00:06:16] Unknown:
One of those gangsters playing ball on the street.
[00:06:19] Unknown:
It's really quite superficial. Superficial? To who? To you?
[00:06:23] Unknown:
You don't feel it? I don't even think you'll have a black eye. I promise you. Now just relax. You don't live around here, do you? Me? Live in this pigsty.
[00:06:34] Unknown:
I just collect the rents. It's hardly a pigsty.
[00:06:37] Unknown:
Mostly poor, hardworking people. Lazy shipperless mums.
[00:06:41] Unknown:
I think I'd better put a dressing on. You're a good doctor. Really?
[00:06:48] Unknown:
How can you tell? Hands. You got good hands Sure Swift, bike Why do you waste yourself in this godforsaken neighborhood?
[00:06:57] Unknown:
I don't think god ever forsakes any neighborhood Yes, that looks alright. It'll get better soon. Right? How much I owe you? Nothing. How
[00:07:08] Unknown:
do you expect to get rich if you charge nothing?
[00:07:14] Unknown:
Have we met before? No. I don't believe I had that pleasure. Your face is familiar and your voice.
[00:07:24] Unknown:
You know what they say. They say everybody looks exactly like another person someplace in the world. Everybody has a double, Perhaps. And somewhere along the line you must have met my double. Impossible. What kind of fellow was he, this double of mine?
[00:07:40] Unknown:
The fine figure of a man o'clock?
[00:07:43] Unknown:
No, he was the scum of the earth.
[00:07:49] Unknown:
That's funny. That's very funny. The face. The voice. And all the laugh.
[00:07:58] Unknown:
Meyer, you are Karl Heinz
[00:08:01] Unknown:
Meyer, commandant of the over gone concentration camp. That that's a lie. Is it?
[00:08:08] Unknown:
You don't remember me, Meyer? Why should you remember me? I was merely one of tens, hundreds of thousands. But I was a doctor.
[00:08:19] Unknown:
And I was useful and so I lasted longer. I I don't know what you're talking about. You thought I went up in smoke like all the others, but I didn't. I you're you're making a mistake. You don't remember Sternberg?
[00:08:33] Unknown:
Doctor. Bennell Sternberg? Here. Allow me to roll up my sleeve and present my credentials. Here. You can read the number you personally inscribed on my arm. What can you do? That's right. What can you do? Nothing.
[00:08:51] Unknown:
No one has anything against me anymore. I was clear. You know yourself. All I did was obey orders. Place yourself in my possession. I have a wife. I have a baby. What else could I do? I only obeyed orders and did what I was told. That's why I was acquitted. That's why I'm free.
[00:09:09] Unknown:
Carl Heinz Meyer. How I dreamed of this moment. No. It's over. Now let listen. Then no. Whatever it was, it's over. It's gone,
[00:09:20] Unknown:
a path. It's dead.
[00:09:23] Unknown:
And now that the moment, the impossible moment has arrived, all I wanna say is
[00:09:30] Unknown:
get out. The the past is dead. Get out.
[00:09:34] Unknown:
Before I disgrace myself in the eyes of God. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. You are the most spammer. But why have you taken the name Konig? Get out before I throw you out. Why have you taken the name Konig? Are you in hiding? I said to get out. Or perhaps you are not in this country legally? That's a nerve, didn't it? Is it true? Have I guessed it? You didn't really expect a four year old can come or not now, did you? Well, say something. Oh, still the same stubborn swine, Beno? So you are here illegally. Don't don't be afraid. Oh, I shall not betray you.
Well, shouldn't you be grateful? Shouldn't you make it worth my while to keep my mouth shut? Oh, say, I remember. I remember you had a wife. She was a pretty little thing. Oh, yes. Indeed. I do remember.
[00:10:47] Unknown:
Oh, God. You've nothing. You
[00:10:50] Unknown:
Oh. What did you do that?
[00:10:58] Unknown:
Oh, Benno. There's a patient outside. Close the door. What?
[00:11:03] Unknown:
Come in. Close the door.
[00:11:07] Unknown:
Benno. What happened to him?
[00:11:10] Unknown:
He's
[00:11:10] Unknown:
dead. Dead? What do you mean dead? Why?
[00:11:14] Unknown:
I killed him. You what are you saying? I drove a pair of scissors through his heart. No. No. You didn't recognize him when he came in, did you, Rose?
[00:11:26] Unknown:
Recognize him?
[00:11:28] Unknown:
Meyer. Karl Heinz Meyer. Do you remember? You had no right to kill him. I don't know what happened. Something I I looked at his face and I heard his voice and suddenly he became all their voices, all their boots and their bludgeons and their pistols and their faces. And there was the barbed wire, the stone walls, the screams, the smoke, all of us heard it together to be beaten, tortured, murdered.
[00:12:00] Unknown:
And now, Bennu, are you better than he is?
[00:12:04] Unknown:
You are a murderer too. Rosa, the beast, he knew it once. He knew it once I was here illegally. At our age, to be homeless again.
[00:12:14] Unknown:
Homelessness is nothing new for us, Beno. But murder.
[00:12:18] Unknown:
No. You had no right to kill him. I know I had no right to kill him, but I did. And he's dead. You must call the police. And
[00:12:26] Unknown:
And go to prison? Is that what I must do now
[00:12:30] Unknown:
at my age? But but the law says Laws are made by politicians. Not this law, Benno. This law was made by God. I know.
[00:12:40] Unknown:
And this law is broken every day, everywhere by hundreds, thousands of people. And he doesn't seem to be too upset about it. Oh, Benno. What are you saying? I am saying I will not give up up my life for Karl Heinz Meyer. I need your help, Rosa. I need your help.
[00:12:58] Unknown:
Oh, yes. Benno. I will help you.
[00:13:09] Unknown:
Yes? Benno. What is it?
[00:13:14] Unknown:
It begins.
[00:13:16] Unknown:
What begins? The business with the police. Rosa, Rosa, what are you talking about?
[00:13:22] Unknown:
There is a policeman in the office. What does he want? He says he wants to talk to you. Alright. He probably wants to ask me about Mayer. Oh, no. He is here to arrest you. Why? Because you killed Mayer. Rosa,
[00:13:38] Unknown:
they don't know that. They can't know that. Why did you have to kill him? Why? I can't bring him back, Rosa. Now I'll see this police officer. You wish to see me? I'm doctor Koenig. Oh, thank you, sir. I'm lieutenant Smith.
[00:13:56] Unknown:
Yes? I I appreciate your time, doctor. This morning, the body of a man named Charles Meyer was found in an alleyway in back of this building. Yes. I heard about it. On the radio. Late yesterday afternoon, he was involved in a street accident outside. He was brought in here for treatment. His eye had been injured? Severely? Oh, quite superficially, but painful. Uh-huh. When did he leave here? When? Uh-huh. Oh, he was here for about ten minutes, I suppose. And then he left? Yes. Were you acquainted with this, mister Meyer? No. And when he left your office, that was the last you saw him? Yes.
Wow. And that's all, doctor Tony. Sorry I took up your time. That's all? That's all. Thank you. Goodbye.
[00:14:54] Unknown:
Lieutenant? Yes, doctor? Do the police have any idea as to why he was murdered?
[00:15:02] Unknown:
Oh, well, that's open and shut. He had about $2,000 in rent collection money. Some local hoodlum was probably waiting for him. This can be a dangerous neighborhood. Goodbye, doctor. This is for me.
[00:15:18] Unknown:
Benno, I'm frightened. Of what? That police officer, he's a quiet man, but he's a clever man. He suspects you. Put yourself together, Rosa. There's nothing to be afraid of. You heard what he said. It was robbery. That's all. Is that all?
[00:15:34] Unknown:
No, Rosa.
[00:15:36] Unknown:
Can we live with it, Espenor?
[00:15:38] Unknown:
Yes, Rosa. We can live with it.
[00:15:49] Unknown:
Benno will have to fight the habits and the personal morality of a lifetime. But if history teaches us anything at all, it is that man is adaptable. We'll see how well a good doctor adapts to his new role in just a few moments when I return with act two. The days, the months, the years go by. Time is the great healer. The ugliest wounds close, finally. And after a while, even the deepest pain subsides, and life goes on. It finds a new channel, a new purpose. The past is forgotten. Until one day, a door opens and an evil presence enters the room.
And once again, the past threatened doctor Benno Sternberg, or Koenig, as he is now called, Benno struck at it seriously and killed it. It. However, society calls what he did murder, and Benno must find a way to live with it.
[00:17:08] Unknown:
Rosa? Come have your tea. Rosa.
[00:17:13] Unknown:
Yes. Yes.
[00:17:14] Unknown:
All day you stand there looking out at the window as if you expect someone.
[00:17:19] Unknown:
I expect someone, Brenda. Who? You know who. The police officer.
[00:17:26] Unknown:
Rosa.
[00:17:27] Unknown:
Every time I see a policeman I killed a man who deserved to die. You can't talk that way. They spoke that way. They decided who could live and who must die. How many appointments have I today? Look in the book. Why?
[00:17:42] Unknown:
Cancel them.
[00:17:43] Unknown:
I did that yesterday. And the day before? I don't feel well. Then now you know what you have to do. Don't tell me anything. Let me be.
[00:17:52] Unknown:
I killed Mayer and it's over. Done with. It's in the past. And the past the past must be forgotten. The past is dead. Do you understand?
[00:18:03] Unknown:
Yes, Dennel. I understand.
[00:18:11] Unknown:
Well, yes, Lieutenant. It was the first of the month in mister Myers. He comes into the place to collect his rent. Uh-huh. I give him his money in $20 bills. Yeah. Come the first of the month, he would start at the far end of the block with Dunning's meat market. He collected from all the stores on this side of the street.
[00:18:29] Unknown:
What kind of man was this, mister Myers? Very
[00:18:33] Unknown:
methodical. On the dot, I was here 04:00 the afternoon of the first day of the month. I always started collecting from the far end.
[00:18:42] Unknown:
Always wound up with me. Always, mister Shannon? Always, lieutenant Smith.
[00:18:48] Unknown:
That last day too. Sure. We chatted a bit about this and that, and I seen him to the door. Where did he go? Oh, just ten, fifteen feet to the bus stop on the corner. A thrill for the day. Then one of the kids runs into him, not meaning any harm, of course. And they bring him inside to the good doctor's place. It's the corner house next door, and that's the last I seen of him. You could always depend on him to show up 04:00 in the afternoon every first of the month. I should better have the rent.
[00:19:31] Unknown:
Hello, missus Coney. Oh. I'm sorry to bother you again. Is the doctor in?
[00:19:37] Unknown:
Yes.
[00:19:38] Unknown:
Won't you have a seat? The three d won't take a minute.
[00:19:41] Unknown:
I'll I'll I'll tell him you're here. Thank you. Hey. No. He's here. The police officer. Why is he here? Perhaps he wants to ask me a question. What? He was already here once. I don't know why he's here. He knows. I tell you he knows. Be quiet. There's no way for him to know. I'll tell him to come in. Yes. But please, Beno, don't ask me to stay in here with you. Rosa, I need you. I I can't help you, Benno. I I'm too frightened. I would give us away. Please, go inside, officer. The doctor will see you now. Oh, thank you.
[00:20:25] Unknown:
I'm sorry to impose again. It's alright, lieutenant. I neglected to ask you something the other day. Yes? You said mister Meyer had been here for about ten minutes.
[00:20:39] Unknown:
It might have been fifteen. I didn't think that Oh, but that doesn't matter. That doesn't matter. Now,
[00:20:44] Unknown:
when he left the office, where did he go?
[00:20:49] Unknown:
Where did he go?
[00:20:51] Unknown:
I would say he went out. Alright. Out to the street? Well, yes. Out to the street. Well, there's also a back door that leads to the alleyway where his body was discovered. Could he have gone out that back door? No. He went out the front door. I see. Well, I'll have to pick up the trail from there somehow. Oh, thank you again. It's nothing. Goodbye, doctor. Goodbye, missus Coney. Goodbye.
[00:21:23] Unknown:
Rosa. Yes?
[00:21:25] Unknown:
I must lie down for a while. But you have an appointment to examine mister in fifteen minutes. I have to lie down. Cancel it. But that man doesn't have a telephone. It's not my problem.
[00:21:36] Unknown:
You know? I can't do any work this afternoon.
[00:21:39] Unknown:
What did the officer want? Nothing.
[00:21:42] Unknown:
Then what's bothering you? Nothing's bothering me. I don't feel well. I'm 62 years old. Don't I have the right to feel ill once in a while?
[00:21:57] Unknown:
Hey, Smitty. Yeah. How are you doing on the Meyer thing?
[00:22:00] Unknown:
I'm nowhere, captain.
[00:22:02] Unknown:
All week and I'm nowhere. I'll have to put you off it. We got a gangland killing. Could I have a couple of more days? Well, this new thing won't go away. There's something about this Meyer killing that doesn't quite add up. Why doesn't it? Guy is smart. The whole neighborhood knows what he's carrying. It's a miracle he hasn't been knocked off before. You know, something bothers me. What? I don't know.
[00:22:23] Unknown:
And that's what bothers me. Oh, I I I'll get a second.
[00:22:28] Unknown:
Homicide south, lieutenant Smith. Lieutenant, this is Jerry Shannon. You know me. I own the saloon. Sure. Sure. What can I do for you? I think I can do something for you. What's that? I can give you the the killer of Charles Meyer.
[00:22:48] Unknown:
Who with me? Who's the killer, Shannon? This, $20 bill. See what it says? At last. At last. Indeed. Old man Ramelly has owed me 20 since the last days of the Eisenhower administration. Now about a week ago, he struts into the joint, slams it down on the bar. At last, he says. At last, I agree. And to commemorate this historic occasion, I take pen in hand, makes this great inscription. This was one of the twenties I gave to Charlie Meyer for the rent. And I shouldn't be astonished if that red smear was blood. And how did it come back to you? Not an hour ago. A local hooligan, Tommy Willis.
He strolls in here, bangs the 20 on the bar, and buys drinks for the house. Tommy Willis. Yeah.
[00:23:45] Unknown:
Well, I guess that takes care of that. Conveyance frame. Where'd you get the $2? I told you. A friend give it to me. What's his name?
[00:23:58] Unknown:
I told you. I don't remember. There's blood stains on these bills. Blood stains on your jacket. How the blood get on your jacket, Tommy? I was shaving. You always wear a jacket when you shave, don't you, kid?
[00:24:12] Unknown:
You pass this bill at Shannon's bar. He swears it was one of the bills you paid via with. Come on, Tommy. The stenographer is ready. Oh, draw on yourself, cop. What's the truth, Tommy? Come on. I told you, lieutenant, the guy, Jimmy, the dog. No. No, Tommy. Tell us the truth. Yeah.
[00:24:32] Unknown:
You wouldn't believe it. Oh, what do you got to lose?
[00:24:35] Unknown:
We don't believe the story you're telling now either. Okay. It's half past one, two o'clock at night. See? I'm I'm I'm taking a shortcut through reality. Yeah. It's dark. I trip over something. I've got guy. Now I I I fall right on top of him. That's how come I got blood on ejector. Alright. Alright. Go ahead. Well, I look close. Yeah. It's a stiff. Now I didn't do it. I think if I I've better blow, but, yeah. Yeah. But but I figured as long as I man, maybe you got some loose change on it. See? I I reach in and I pull out a whole row.
[00:25:14] Unknown:
So I'm I'm rich. See? You're gonna stick to that story, Tommy? The truth.
[00:25:21] Unknown:
Well, maybe the jury will believe you. You can't hang it on me. Post it. Daily. Take him back. Wait a minute. I didn't do it. I go up against the jury with my rap. I'm gone for life. Now give me your plate. Who wants coffee?
[00:25:34] Unknown:
What if he's telling the truth, captain? Smitty, what are you saying? What if he's telling the truth? Come on, Smitty. The bills, the blood, it's open to shut. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe.
[00:25:46] Unknown:
Maybe what? No. I could buy it if If what? If when Maya left the doctor's office, he went out the back way into the alley, but he didn't. According to the doctor, he went out the front door into the street. So? So how could Tommy get him to go back there to the alley? Meyer was true for the day. If he left the front way, he'd be at the bus stop. So maybe he went out the back way. But doctor Konig said, maybe I better check doctor Konig again.
[00:26:26] Unknown:
You know, that police officer is here again. He wants to see you. Well, can I refuse to see him? What can he want? This is the third time he's been here. He must know something.
[00:26:36] Unknown:
Rosa, you must control yourself.
[00:26:39] Unknown:
Please come in, sir. Thank you, doctor. Thank you. I I'm sorry to intrude. It's about mister Meyer again. We've made an arrest. What? We, now we're positive we have the killer. Who who is it? A young thug named Willis. Tom Willis. What will they do to him? Life at least. But, well, there's one thing that has me stumped. I would be more certain it was Tom. You mean you're not sure? Well, I'd be a % sure if if I could resolve one detail. You said mister Meyer left your office through the front door. Are you positive he didn't go out the back door?
[00:27:21] Unknown:
I I'm only positive he left the office. I took it for granted that he went out into the street.
[00:27:29] Unknown:
Oh, then actually you didn't see him go out into the street. Oh, let me think. Well, it was over a week ago and I is something a matter, doctor? I saw him.
[00:27:42] Unknown:
You saw him? Yes. I'm sorry. You you didn't ask me. Well, perhaps I should have asked you. I I saw him come from my husband's surgery, come here into the waiting room. And I saw him to the door because he seemed a bit unsteady. Uh-huh. And in the hallway, he turned to the right, which leads to the back entrance. So I remember I, I called to him. I said, that's the back door. And, he answered me. It's alright. I know where I'm going.
[00:28:16] Unknown:
Well, then that clears it all up. I'm sorry I contributed to the misunderstanding.
[00:28:20] Unknown:
It was just that I naturally thought he would go. Oh, no. No. No harm done.
[00:28:25] Unknown:
I don't think I'll have to bother you again, doctor, Mrs. Cooning. Goodbye.
[00:28:29] Unknown:
Goodbye, Lieutenant.
[00:28:33] Unknown:
Oh, Rosa. Rosa. No. I'm in it too, Benno. Now I'm also a part of it.
[00:28:45] Unknown:
And that should be the end of it. Shouldn't it? The police have a suspect with whom they're very happy. And, certainly, he would seem to be the ideal killer. If you were on the jury and didn't know what we know, wouldn't you vote to convict on this evidence? Of course you would. Is this Lieutenant Smith's last visit to Benno's office? You know it isn't. Be here when he calls again in just a few moments when I return with act three. Who shall live and who shall die, and who shall make that decision? A three part question as old as mankind. And for all that we have advanced, assuming, of course, that we have advanced at all, we have never even come close to answering any part of that question, let alone all of it.
It's a question now that bewilders and bedevils Benno and Rosa Sternberg, or Benno and Rosa Koenig, as they have chosen to call themselves. Two people who have never done anything wrong in a long and useful lifetime until last week. And now one crime must beget another.
[00:30:10] Unknown:
No. No. No. It would be different if you were if you were somebody. What do you mean somebody? Somebody that mattered. All of us matter. He's a hoodlum, a criminal. I won't die for him.
[00:30:22] Unknown:
Shall he die for us? Why not? Why not? Why not? Oh, my dear lord. Rosa. When did you ever talk this way, Benno? Yes. You killed Meyer, but he poisoned you first. And the poison has spread. Soon it'll reach your heart. Soon you will talk like Meyer and the rest of them. Soon you will be like Meyer. Please, Roper. Beno, can you let this boy die for you? Roper, just once. Just once. Let us be hard.
[00:30:54] Unknown:
Hard? Let us be smart. The way men must be if they wanna survive. This is the world, Rosa. The world we never made, but this is what it takes to live in the world. To live?
[00:31:06] Unknown:
Live how? For once.
[00:31:09] Unknown:
For just once. Just once and no more. Let someone else pay for us. For once. Just once. Let someone else be a victim. Is that what you want, then now? I wanna go on living, working, helping people with my skill. You haven't seen a single patient all week? I know. But I will. I will. I'm better now. I'm I'm ready.
[00:31:30] Unknown:
You will never be ready. No. No. No. I'm ready. Your right hand. See how it shakes. It's it's cold in here. It'll always be cold in here. You must help me, Rosa. Oh, if I only could. But, Ben, that right hand of yours, it was used to kill. How can it ever be used to cure again unless you I don't want to hear anymore.
[00:31:59] Unknown:
Well, Smitty, he has been indicted, and I see you're a hero. Did you read the papers? Quick, efficient, skillful police work by an alert team of homicide detectives led by lieutenant Everett Smith. Was a good job, Smitty. Smitty. Oh, yeah. What's the matter now? I don't know. I know you got the matter now? I don't know.
[00:32:21] Unknown:
I know you got the flaws. Once the excitement of a case is over, you You know, I I wish I could convince myself that it really should be over. What are you building to? Why did Meyer go out the back way? Hold the phone.
[00:32:37] Unknown:
When he went out the front way, you were unhappy because you didn't see how he could wind up in the back alley. Yeah. I know. Well, so now that we established he did go out the back way, shouldn't that that tie it up? No. Why not? It does what it has to do. It puts him in the alley where you needed him. I know. I know. But
[00:32:59] Unknown:
Yeah? What was he doing in that alley? Oh, come on, Smitty. No. Look. Look. Maya was a smart apple. He had a piece. Now he's carrying a lot of money in a tough neighborhood. He's true for the day. A habit of twenty five years should send him to the bus stop right outside of Shannon's bar, just outside of doctor Koenig's apartment. So? So why doesn't he go right to the bus stop right after Koenig treats him?
[00:33:28] Unknown:
Well,
[00:33:29] Unknown:
maybe you Maybe what? What does he wanna go into that back alley for? What sets does it make?
[00:33:35] Unknown:
You can't figure some guys. But you could figure him.
[00:33:39] Unknown:
He had a routine as steady as the clock, as regular as the calendar. Now why would he go into the alley? Look. It's an interesting mental exercise, but we got work to do. Now, Billy, don't fight him. Go with me just for a minute. Now let's say that Tommy Willis didn't kill Myers. But he did. The evidence Just for the sake of argument, say we didn't have Tommy. Alright? Where would we be? We would be exactly nowhere. And who would have been the last person to see Meyer alive? Doctor Kony.
[00:34:13] Unknown:
That's who.
[00:34:14] Unknown:
Are you trying to drag the doctor into the No. I I'm just walking along a path. I don't know where it's going. Meyer gets hit in the eye accidentally. He gets taken into doctor Koenig's office accidentally. Right. Because this doc happens to be closest to the scene. Right. Why would Koenig kill him? I didn't say Koenig killed him. Well, what are you saying? I want another day in this case. Oh, smitty. Oh, something's bothering me. What kind of line have you got to follow?
[00:34:45] Unknown:
If we discount Tommy and now I I said if. What have we got? An encounter between Koenig and Meyer. Till now, we figured it a robbery. If it isn't, what is it? You got the floor. Why do we assume that Konig and Meyer didn't know each other? Because Konig said so. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I wanna do today? I wanna check both of them out.
[00:35:22] Unknown:
Oh,
[00:35:23] Unknown:
good afternoon, lieutenant. Good afternoon, missus Connick. Is the doctor in? Who rang the bell, Rose? Oh, I'd like to talk to you, doctor.
[00:35:34] Unknown:
Do you have some more questions?
[00:35:36] Unknown:
Well, I'm not here as a detective. I'm calling on you as a patient. A patient? Mhmm. Is something wrong? I have a problem. Yes. I don't know what to do. About what? I must reach a decision.
[00:35:53] Unknown:
Concerning something physical? No. No. It's a matter of, I don't know, morals, ethics. But how can I help you? This sounds like more of a problem for a psychiatrist.
[00:36:05] Unknown:
A man like you, doctor, who practices in a neighborhood like this, knows quite a bit about human behavior. I've asked around. Folks here seem to think you're some kind of god. That's not really true. I just practice. I don't know what to do, and I want you to help me make up my mind.
[00:36:24] Unknown:
Well, if there's some way I can help.
[00:36:26] Unknown:
It has to do with mister Meyer. Mister Meyer? Yes. You see, we have a young punk named Tommy Willis for the murder. It's a dream case for a prosecutor. He'll be set up for life. Understand? Yes. And he should be. Now on the other hand, and I can't prove any of this, we have a doctor Benno Konig. Yes. A great man. What are you trying to say, lieutenant? What I'm trying to say is very difficult, doctor. That's why I'll need your help. Now I checked out a doctor a doctor Benno Koenig at the local medical association. They never heard of him. Benno.
Let let let me continue, missus Koenig. And no hospital ever heard of him either. So I must assume that this doctor Koenig, if he is a doctor, is practicing without a license. I am a doctor. Oh, I I'm I'm sure of it. I survived.
[00:37:32] Unknown:
Rosa and I, we survived the camps. Don't ask how. But when it was over, I wanted to come to this country. But I couldn't get on a quota. A friend of mine and his wife, they did. And they were killed in an accident. His name was Benno Koenig. We took the visa, the papers, but the only thing was, Koenig wasn't the doctor. I could come to this country under the name Benno Koenig, but I couldn't practice medicine. I see. But I must practice or die. All those years in the camps, the thought that one day I could once again be a doctor. That's what kept me alive. I understand, doctor.
And so for all these years I have hidden myself here. I treat the poor, the forgotten, the hopeless.
[00:38:29] Unknown:
Who would bother me here? Who would think to ask? And then Meyer walked in. Meyer. Now I can't prove any of this. Remember. I can't prove it. But Meyer, now he must have been part of your past. An evil part of your past. No. No. No. No. No. Don't don't answer me. And so you killed him. I can understand that as a human being. I could even justify it. No. No. No. Please, don't talk. Remember, I can't prove any of this. Even if we could establish that you did know, Meyer, even if we could establish a motive from the past, we couldn't prove it.
But I have a problem.
[00:39:18] Unknown:
Yes. What to do about the fact that I have no license? No credentials
[00:39:24] Unknown:
to stop me from practicing? No. No. No. No. I I'm a homicide detective. I'm not concerned with that. Maybe I should be. But in my business on a practical basis, we have to overlook things every day. No. My problem is Tommy Willis. The boy. Now I don't know what to do. I could forget everything and go on to my next case. Should I? I mean, after all, why shouldn't Tommy pay for Maya? Why? Means more to the community. You or Tommy? And let me tell you something else. If Tommy beats this rap, he'll be back again a day, a week, a month. He'll commit murder.
That's where he's headed. Isn't this the best solution to the problem? Well Will what? I've come for advice, doctor. What should I do? I can't advise you. You can, doctor. You can. You're a man of experience and wisdom. No. I want your advice. They know. No. You must do what your conscience commands. What does your conscience command, doctor? I say Now remember remember the case against Tommy is ironclad. No one need ever know except us. There are poor people out there. You're their only hope. Isn't it better for you to stay here and help them?
[00:40:52] Unknown:
But I can't help them. I can't, not anymore. My hands, they're no longer the hands of a doctor. They're the hands of a murderer. No.
[00:41:05] Unknown:
Yes, Ruth. You were always always right. I must pay. But Meyer was trash. This boy is no better. Remember who you're paying for.
[00:41:18] Unknown:
Still, I must pay. We must pay. And this is how we survive the Myers. Lieutenant, let me treat you for the problem you came in with. I can do it. Now I can do it. I murdered Camp Commandant Karl Heinz
[00:41:36] Unknown:
Meyer. Hey, doc. Oh, Jesus. Get on. What happened? You went right through a point glass window. Come inside quickly. Oh, may I, lieutenant? Go right ahead, doctor Coney. Go in. Doctor
[00:41:47] Unknown:
Sternberg.
[00:41:48] Unknown:
First, we must stop the bleeding.
[00:41:51] Unknown:
Oh, would you mind waiting, lieutenant? Doctor Sternberg will be with you in just a few minutes.
[00:42:04] Unknown:
Honesty may be the best policy. True. So why don't more people follow it? The answer is that the best things usually cost the most, and sometimes the price is too high to pay. But in the end, Benno and Rosa Sternberg paid it the way they always paid it, gladly. Because once you're accustomed to the best, it's hard to settle for less. I'll be back shortly. The book says, by their deeds, you shall know them. And it's always true. In the long run, they will do the same deeds over and over again. After all, the leopard doesn't change his spots, does he? The mayors of this world will go on being the mayors, and so will the Sternbergs.
And where will it end? That depends on who will survive and on whom each of us will choose to be. Our cast included Howard Da Silva, Clarice Blackburn, Sam Gray, Gilbert Mac, and Jack Grimes. The entire production was under the direction of Hyman Brown. And now a preview of our next tale. Everyone in this town seems to know what's wrong with my house except Helen and me. They know there's something wrong. That's all they know. Oh, and you know more, beautiful Zoe. Mhmm. Bias.
[00:43:41] Unknown:
Behind those beautiful green eyes lies secrets. And your attitude is one reason why I can't tell you. You wouldn't believe me anyway. Try me. Alright. The house you're living in doesn't really belong to you. That house was stolen from the daughter of Marie Laveau.
[00:44:01] Unknown:
Marie Laveau? Who's she?
[00:44:03] Unknown:
The most powerful borkor in the history of voodoo. The beautiful black woman who ruled as the voodoo queen of New Orleans for half a century. You, Douglas Fenton, are living in the house of the voodoo queen,
[00:44:19] Unknown:
and she wants you out. Radio Mystery Theater was sponsored in part by Contact, the twelve hour cold capsule. This is EG Marshall inviting you to return to our mystery theater for another adventure in the macabre. Until next time. Pleasant dreams.
[00:45:01] Unknown:
The street theater comes to you from CBS radio and radio eighty seven, dub Hello. It is Ryan, and I was on a flight the other day playing one of my favorite social spin slot games on chumbacasino.com. I looked over the person sitting next to me, and you know what they were doing? They were also playing Chumba Casino. Coincidence? I think not. Everybody's loving having fun with it. Chumba Casino is home to hundreds of casino style games that you can play for free anytime, anywhere, even at 30,000 feet. So sign up now at chumbaCasino.com to claim your free welcome bonus at ChumbaCasino.com
[00:45:31] Unknown:
and live the Chumba Life. No purchase necessary. VW. Report where prohibited by law. See terms and conditions. 18
Hello. It is Ryan, and I was on a flight the other day playing one of my favorite social spin slot games on chumbacasino.com. I looked over the person sitting next to me, and you know what they were doing? They were also playing Chumba casino. Coincidence? I think not. Everybody's loving having fun with it. Chumba Casino is home to hundreds of casino style games that you can play for free anytime, anywhere, even at 30,000 feet. So sign up now at ChumbaCasino.com to claim your free welcome bonus at Chumba Casino dot com and live the Chumba Life. No purchase necessary. DTEW, avoid prohibited by law.
[00:00:31] Unknown:
The CBS Radio Mystery Theater presents Come in. Welcome. I'm EG Marshall, your pilot on a mysterious cruise through the uncharted seas of your very own imagination. Vengeance is mine. I shall repay, saith the Lord. From this, we must assume that revenge belongs to him and to him alone, and that should end the matter, shouldn't it? But so many times, so many of us are so outraged by the painful fact that wrongdoers simply seem to get away with murder. Well, don't bet on it. After all, if the Lord says he will repay, he is good for the debt.
And if he chooses to make it a long term note, he has plenty of time, all of eternity. Rosa, look there. The time is out of control.
[00:01:50] Unknown:
Rosa, hurry. Maybe we can help these people. They don't
[00:01:56] Unknown:
they don't they don't they oh, no. They're dead.
[00:02:00] Unknown:
There's nothing I can do for them. Are you sure? I'm sure. The impact of the crash at death with the media. It's it's the Konigs. The Konigs?
[00:02:12] Unknown:
The people I told you about. The ones who have the papers and and the reason to go to The United States. Oh. Poor souls. They waited so long to get on the quota.
[00:02:24] Unknown:
Rosa, you say they have papers? Well, then why don't we No, Beno. But how else how else we'd be able to get to America? Beno, I I don't think it's it's the right thing. Who'll ever know? Who'll ever care? Here, you tell me we'll take their papers. But it's stealing. Stealing? They can't use them anymore. They have better papers now. A passport to heaven. They won't mind if we use their visa to get to the next best place.
[00:03:05] Unknown:
Our mystery drama, The Shadow of the Past, was written especially for the mystery theater by Sam Dan and stars Howard Da Silva. The neighborhood is old, rundown. The buildings are crumbling and grimy. The neighborhood used to be a ghetto, a procession of many ghettos as succeeding waves of immigrant nationalities pause here before moving on to the full promise of America. Now the neighborhood, strictly speaking, is no longer a ghetto. Some would call it a slum. Whatever. It still teems and pulses with closely packed humanity. It is still a melting pot, a crucible, a place for dreams and despair.
Men and women throng the streets, move in and out of dingy shops, chat animatedly on the sidewalks, on the steps, from the windows. Little kids play jacks, hopscotch pump rope. The older ones play stickball in the gutter, dodging the automobile. That wiry kid at bat right now looks like he could hit that ball three sewers at least. See that swing, and there it goes. That ball must be at least six stories high. You'll pretty near make the end of the block. But watch the kid in the red shirt go after it. Look out for those people, red shirt.
[00:04:42] Unknown:
That Batman, the one with the briefcase in one hand and the notebook in the other. Look out. You run into him. I got it. I got it. He's out. He's out. The farm is out. Move my eye. Oh my eye. I can't see. What have you done to me? I'm fine. I didn't go on first. Who You could've killed me. Call an ambulance. I'm bleeding. Wait a minute. You don't need an ambulance. You can walk right in and see doctor right outside the doctor's door. Hands off me. I just want you to tell. Yeah. Get through. But first, get that eye fixed. Now come on. Just up the steps right here. That's it. I'm sorry. Bartel, you guys save me my lucky spot. I said that's it. Now now through the hall now. Teach you to attack law abiding citizens on the street. Okay. Here we go. Now ring the bell and walk in. Yeah. Hello, missus Koenig?
Oh my. What is this, George? This guy ran into a woman, banged up his eyes. Is that Koenig here? I'm going fine. No. No. Everything will be alright. Mister, I I leave you in the first half. Okay. Let me help you. This way, the doctor will see you immediately.
[00:05:51] Unknown:
There no? No. Bring him in, Rosa. Now just sit down there.
[00:05:57] Unknown:
I'll answer it outside in the office.
[00:06:01] Unknown:
Now let me look at the I have blind. No. No. No. No. Nothing like that. Yeah. K. Let me wash it out first. Yeah. Let me conceal what we
[00:06:11] Unknown:
have. I know it does sting just a little bit. Did someone hit you? Odram.
[00:06:16] Unknown:
One of those gangsters playing ball on the street.
[00:06:19] Unknown:
It's really quite superficial. Superficial? To who? To you?
[00:06:23] Unknown:
You don't feel it? I don't even think you'll have a black eye. I promise you. Now just relax. You don't live around here, do you? Me? Live in this pigsty.
[00:06:34] Unknown:
I just collect the rents. It's hardly a pigsty.
[00:06:37] Unknown:
Mostly poor, hardworking people. Lazy shipperless mums.
[00:06:41] Unknown:
I think I'd better put a dressing on. You're a good doctor. Really?
[00:06:48] Unknown:
How can you tell? Hands. You got good hands Sure Swift, bike Why do you waste yourself in this godforsaken neighborhood?
[00:06:57] Unknown:
I don't think god ever forsakes any neighborhood Yes, that looks alright. It'll get better soon. Right? How much I owe you? Nothing. How
[00:07:08] Unknown:
do you expect to get rich if you charge nothing?
[00:07:14] Unknown:
Have we met before? No. I don't believe I had that pleasure. Your face is familiar and your voice.
[00:07:24] Unknown:
You know what they say. They say everybody looks exactly like another person someplace in the world. Everybody has a double, Perhaps. And somewhere along the line you must have met my double. Impossible. What kind of fellow was he, this double of mine?
[00:07:40] Unknown:
The fine figure of a man o'clock?
[00:07:43] Unknown:
No, he was the scum of the earth.
[00:07:49] Unknown:
That's funny. That's very funny. The face. The voice. And all the laugh.
[00:07:58] Unknown:
Meyer, you are Karl Heinz
[00:08:01] Unknown:
Meyer, commandant of the over gone concentration camp. That that's a lie. Is it?
[00:08:08] Unknown:
You don't remember me, Meyer? Why should you remember me? I was merely one of tens, hundreds of thousands. But I was a doctor.
[00:08:19] Unknown:
And I was useful and so I lasted longer. I I don't know what you're talking about. You thought I went up in smoke like all the others, but I didn't. I you're you're making a mistake. You don't remember Sternberg?
[00:08:33] Unknown:
Doctor. Bennell Sternberg? Here. Allow me to roll up my sleeve and present my credentials. Here. You can read the number you personally inscribed on my arm. What can you do? That's right. What can you do? Nothing.
[00:08:51] Unknown:
No one has anything against me anymore. I was clear. You know yourself. All I did was obey orders. Place yourself in my possession. I have a wife. I have a baby. What else could I do? I only obeyed orders and did what I was told. That's why I was acquitted. That's why I'm free.
[00:09:09] Unknown:
Carl Heinz Meyer. How I dreamed of this moment. No. It's over. Now let listen. Then no. Whatever it was, it's over. It's gone,
[00:09:20] Unknown:
a path. It's dead.
[00:09:23] Unknown:
And now that the moment, the impossible moment has arrived, all I wanna say is
[00:09:30] Unknown:
get out. The the past is dead. Get out.
[00:09:34] Unknown:
Before I disgrace myself in the eyes of God. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. You are the most spammer. But why have you taken the name Konig? Get out before I throw you out. Why have you taken the name Konig? Are you in hiding? I said to get out. Or perhaps you are not in this country legally? That's a nerve, didn't it? Is it true? Have I guessed it? You didn't really expect a four year old can come or not now, did you? Well, say something. Oh, still the same stubborn swine, Beno? So you are here illegally. Don't don't be afraid. Oh, I shall not betray you.
Well, shouldn't you be grateful? Shouldn't you make it worth my while to keep my mouth shut? Oh, say, I remember. I remember you had a wife. She was a pretty little thing. Oh, yes. Indeed. I do remember.
[00:10:47] Unknown:
Oh, God. You've nothing. You
[00:10:50] Unknown:
Oh. What did you do that?
[00:10:58] Unknown:
Oh, Benno. There's a patient outside. Close the door. What?
[00:11:03] Unknown:
Come in. Close the door.
[00:11:07] Unknown:
Benno. What happened to him?
[00:11:10] Unknown:
He's
[00:11:10] Unknown:
dead. Dead? What do you mean dead? Why?
[00:11:14] Unknown:
I killed him. You what are you saying? I drove a pair of scissors through his heart. No. No. You didn't recognize him when he came in, did you, Rose?
[00:11:26] Unknown:
Recognize him?
[00:11:28] Unknown:
Meyer. Karl Heinz Meyer. Do you remember? You had no right to kill him. I don't know what happened. Something I I looked at his face and I heard his voice and suddenly he became all their voices, all their boots and their bludgeons and their pistols and their faces. And there was the barbed wire, the stone walls, the screams, the smoke, all of us heard it together to be beaten, tortured, murdered.
[00:12:00] Unknown:
And now, Bennu, are you better than he is?
[00:12:04] Unknown:
You are a murderer too. Rosa, the beast, he knew it once. He knew it once I was here illegally. At our age, to be homeless again.
[00:12:14] Unknown:
Homelessness is nothing new for us, Beno. But murder.
[00:12:18] Unknown:
No. You had no right to kill him. I know I had no right to kill him, but I did. And he's dead. You must call the police. And
[00:12:26] Unknown:
And go to prison? Is that what I must do now
[00:12:30] Unknown:
at my age? But but the law says Laws are made by politicians. Not this law, Benno. This law was made by God. I know.
[00:12:40] Unknown:
And this law is broken every day, everywhere by hundreds, thousands of people. And he doesn't seem to be too upset about it. Oh, Benno. What are you saying? I am saying I will not give up up my life for Karl Heinz Meyer. I need your help, Rosa. I need your help.
[00:12:58] Unknown:
Oh, yes. Benno. I will help you.
[00:13:09] Unknown:
Yes? Benno. What is it?
[00:13:14] Unknown:
It begins.
[00:13:16] Unknown:
What begins? The business with the police. Rosa, Rosa, what are you talking about?
[00:13:22] Unknown:
There is a policeman in the office. What does he want? He says he wants to talk to you. Alright. He probably wants to ask me about Mayer. Oh, no. He is here to arrest you. Why? Because you killed Mayer. Rosa,
[00:13:38] Unknown:
they don't know that. They can't know that. Why did you have to kill him? Why? I can't bring him back, Rosa. Now I'll see this police officer. You wish to see me? I'm doctor Koenig. Oh, thank you, sir. I'm lieutenant Smith.
[00:13:56] Unknown:
Yes? I I appreciate your time, doctor. This morning, the body of a man named Charles Meyer was found in an alleyway in back of this building. Yes. I heard about it. On the radio. Late yesterday afternoon, he was involved in a street accident outside. He was brought in here for treatment. His eye had been injured? Severely? Oh, quite superficially, but painful. Uh-huh. When did he leave here? When? Uh-huh. Oh, he was here for about ten minutes, I suppose. And then he left? Yes. Were you acquainted with this, mister Meyer? No. And when he left your office, that was the last you saw him? Yes.
Wow. And that's all, doctor Tony. Sorry I took up your time. That's all? That's all. Thank you. Goodbye.
[00:14:54] Unknown:
Lieutenant? Yes, doctor? Do the police have any idea as to why he was murdered?
[00:15:02] Unknown:
Oh, well, that's open and shut. He had about $2,000 in rent collection money. Some local hoodlum was probably waiting for him. This can be a dangerous neighborhood. Goodbye, doctor. This is for me.
[00:15:18] Unknown:
Benno, I'm frightened. Of what? That police officer, he's a quiet man, but he's a clever man. He suspects you. Put yourself together, Rosa. There's nothing to be afraid of. You heard what he said. It was robbery. That's all. Is that all?
[00:15:34] Unknown:
No, Rosa.
[00:15:36] Unknown:
Can we live with it, Espenor?
[00:15:38] Unknown:
Yes, Rosa. We can live with it.
[00:15:49] Unknown:
Benno will have to fight the habits and the personal morality of a lifetime. But if history teaches us anything at all, it is that man is adaptable. We'll see how well a good doctor adapts to his new role in just a few moments when I return with act two. The days, the months, the years go by. Time is the great healer. The ugliest wounds close, finally. And after a while, even the deepest pain subsides, and life goes on. It finds a new channel, a new purpose. The past is forgotten. Until one day, a door opens and an evil presence enters the room.
And once again, the past threatened doctor Benno Sternberg, or Koenig, as he is now called, Benno struck at it seriously and killed it. It. However, society calls what he did murder, and Benno must find a way to live with it.
[00:17:08] Unknown:
Rosa? Come have your tea. Rosa.
[00:17:13] Unknown:
Yes. Yes.
[00:17:14] Unknown:
All day you stand there looking out at the window as if you expect someone.
[00:17:19] Unknown:
I expect someone, Brenda. Who? You know who. The police officer.
[00:17:26] Unknown:
Rosa.
[00:17:27] Unknown:
Every time I see a policeman I killed a man who deserved to die. You can't talk that way. They spoke that way. They decided who could live and who must die. How many appointments have I today? Look in the book. Why?
[00:17:42] Unknown:
Cancel them.
[00:17:43] Unknown:
I did that yesterday. And the day before? I don't feel well. Then now you know what you have to do. Don't tell me anything. Let me be.
[00:17:52] Unknown:
I killed Mayer and it's over. Done with. It's in the past. And the past the past must be forgotten. The past is dead. Do you understand?
[00:18:03] Unknown:
Yes, Dennel. I understand.
[00:18:11] Unknown:
Well, yes, Lieutenant. It was the first of the month in mister Myers. He comes into the place to collect his rent. Uh-huh. I give him his money in $20 bills. Yeah. Come the first of the month, he would start at the far end of the block with Dunning's meat market. He collected from all the stores on this side of the street.
[00:18:29] Unknown:
What kind of man was this, mister Myers? Very
[00:18:33] Unknown:
methodical. On the dot, I was here 04:00 the afternoon of the first day of the month. I always started collecting from the far end.
[00:18:42] Unknown:
Always wound up with me. Always, mister Shannon? Always, lieutenant Smith.
[00:18:48] Unknown:
That last day too. Sure. We chatted a bit about this and that, and I seen him to the door. Where did he go? Oh, just ten, fifteen feet to the bus stop on the corner. A thrill for the day. Then one of the kids runs into him, not meaning any harm, of course. And they bring him inside to the good doctor's place. It's the corner house next door, and that's the last I seen of him. You could always depend on him to show up 04:00 in the afternoon every first of the month. I should better have the rent.
[00:19:31] Unknown:
Hello, missus Coney. Oh. I'm sorry to bother you again. Is the doctor in?
[00:19:37] Unknown:
Yes.
[00:19:38] Unknown:
Won't you have a seat? The three d won't take a minute.
[00:19:41] Unknown:
I'll I'll I'll tell him you're here. Thank you. Hey. No. He's here. The police officer. Why is he here? Perhaps he wants to ask me a question. What? He was already here once. I don't know why he's here. He knows. I tell you he knows. Be quiet. There's no way for him to know. I'll tell him to come in. Yes. But please, Beno, don't ask me to stay in here with you. Rosa, I need you. I I can't help you, Benno. I I'm too frightened. I would give us away. Please, go inside, officer. The doctor will see you now. Oh, thank you.
[00:20:25] Unknown:
I'm sorry to impose again. It's alright, lieutenant. I neglected to ask you something the other day. Yes? You said mister Meyer had been here for about ten minutes.
[00:20:39] Unknown:
It might have been fifteen. I didn't think that Oh, but that doesn't matter. That doesn't matter. Now,
[00:20:44] Unknown:
when he left the office, where did he go?
[00:20:49] Unknown:
Where did he go?
[00:20:51] Unknown:
I would say he went out. Alright. Out to the street? Well, yes. Out to the street. Well, there's also a back door that leads to the alleyway where his body was discovered. Could he have gone out that back door? No. He went out the front door. I see. Well, I'll have to pick up the trail from there somehow. Oh, thank you again. It's nothing. Goodbye, doctor. Goodbye, missus Coney. Goodbye.
[00:21:23] Unknown:
Rosa. Yes?
[00:21:25] Unknown:
I must lie down for a while. But you have an appointment to examine mister in fifteen minutes. I have to lie down. Cancel it. But that man doesn't have a telephone. It's not my problem.
[00:21:36] Unknown:
You know? I can't do any work this afternoon.
[00:21:39] Unknown:
What did the officer want? Nothing.
[00:21:42] Unknown:
Then what's bothering you? Nothing's bothering me. I don't feel well. I'm 62 years old. Don't I have the right to feel ill once in a while?
[00:21:57] Unknown:
Hey, Smitty. Yeah. How are you doing on the Meyer thing?
[00:22:00] Unknown:
I'm nowhere, captain.
[00:22:02] Unknown:
All week and I'm nowhere. I'll have to put you off it. We got a gangland killing. Could I have a couple of more days? Well, this new thing won't go away. There's something about this Meyer killing that doesn't quite add up. Why doesn't it? Guy is smart. The whole neighborhood knows what he's carrying. It's a miracle he hasn't been knocked off before. You know, something bothers me. What? I don't know.
[00:22:23] Unknown:
And that's what bothers me. Oh, I I I'll get a second.
[00:22:28] Unknown:
Homicide south, lieutenant Smith. Lieutenant, this is Jerry Shannon. You know me. I own the saloon. Sure. Sure. What can I do for you? I think I can do something for you. What's that? I can give you the the killer of Charles Meyer.
[00:22:48] Unknown:
Who with me? Who's the killer, Shannon? This, $20 bill. See what it says? At last. At last. Indeed. Old man Ramelly has owed me 20 since the last days of the Eisenhower administration. Now about a week ago, he struts into the joint, slams it down on the bar. At last, he says. At last, I agree. And to commemorate this historic occasion, I take pen in hand, makes this great inscription. This was one of the twenties I gave to Charlie Meyer for the rent. And I shouldn't be astonished if that red smear was blood. And how did it come back to you? Not an hour ago. A local hooligan, Tommy Willis.
He strolls in here, bangs the 20 on the bar, and buys drinks for the house. Tommy Willis. Yeah.
[00:23:45] Unknown:
Well, I guess that takes care of that. Conveyance frame. Where'd you get the $2? I told you. A friend give it to me. What's his name?
[00:23:58] Unknown:
I told you. I don't remember. There's blood stains on these bills. Blood stains on your jacket. How the blood get on your jacket, Tommy? I was shaving. You always wear a jacket when you shave, don't you, kid?
[00:24:12] Unknown:
You pass this bill at Shannon's bar. He swears it was one of the bills you paid via with. Come on, Tommy. The stenographer is ready. Oh, draw on yourself, cop. What's the truth, Tommy? Come on. I told you, lieutenant, the guy, Jimmy, the dog. No. No, Tommy. Tell us the truth. Yeah.
[00:24:32] Unknown:
You wouldn't believe it. Oh, what do you got to lose?
[00:24:35] Unknown:
We don't believe the story you're telling now either. Okay. It's half past one, two o'clock at night. See? I'm I'm I'm taking a shortcut through reality. Yeah. It's dark. I trip over something. I've got guy. Now I I I fall right on top of him. That's how come I got blood on ejector. Alright. Alright. Go ahead. Well, I look close. Yeah. It's a stiff. Now I didn't do it. I think if I I've better blow, but, yeah. Yeah. But but I figured as long as I man, maybe you got some loose change on it. See? I I reach in and I pull out a whole row.
[00:25:14] Unknown:
So I'm I'm rich. See? You're gonna stick to that story, Tommy? The truth.
[00:25:21] Unknown:
Well, maybe the jury will believe you. You can't hang it on me. Post it. Daily. Take him back. Wait a minute. I didn't do it. I go up against the jury with my rap. I'm gone for life. Now give me your plate. Who wants coffee?
[00:25:34] Unknown:
What if he's telling the truth, captain? Smitty, what are you saying? What if he's telling the truth? Come on, Smitty. The bills, the blood, it's open to shut. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe.
[00:25:46] Unknown:
Maybe what? No. I could buy it if If what? If when Maya left the doctor's office, he went out the back way into the alley, but he didn't. According to the doctor, he went out the front door into the street. So? So how could Tommy get him to go back there to the alley? Meyer was true for the day. If he left the front way, he'd be at the bus stop. So maybe he went out the back way. But doctor Konig said, maybe I better check doctor Konig again.
[00:26:26] Unknown:
You know, that police officer is here again. He wants to see you. Well, can I refuse to see him? What can he want? This is the third time he's been here. He must know something.
[00:26:36] Unknown:
Rosa, you must control yourself.
[00:26:39] Unknown:
Please come in, sir. Thank you, doctor. Thank you. I I'm sorry to intrude. It's about mister Meyer again. We've made an arrest. What? We, now we're positive we have the killer. Who who is it? A young thug named Willis. Tom Willis. What will they do to him? Life at least. But, well, there's one thing that has me stumped. I would be more certain it was Tom. You mean you're not sure? Well, I'd be a % sure if if I could resolve one detail. You said mister Meyer left your office through the front door. Are you positive he didn't go out the back door?
[00:27:21] Unknown:
I I'm only positive he left the office. I took it for granted that he went out into the street.
[00:27:29] Unknown:
Oh, then actually you didn't see him go out into the street. Oh, let me think. Well, it was over a week ago and I is something a matter, doctor? I saw him.
[00:27:42] Unknown:
You saw him? Yes. I'm sorry. You you didn't ask me. Well, perhaps I should have asked you. I I saw him come from my husband's surgery, come here into the waiting room. And I saw him to the door because he seemed a bit unsteady. Uh-huh. And in the hallway, he turned to the right, which leads to the back entrance. So I remember I, I called to him. I said, that's the back door. And, he answered me. It's alright. I know where I'm going.
[00:28:16] Unknown:
Well, then that clears it all up. I'm sorry I contributed to the misunderstanding.
[00:28:20] Unknown:
It was just that I naturally thought he would go. Oh, no. No. No harm done.
[00:28:25] Unknown:
I don't think I'll have to bother you again, doctor, Mrs. Cooning. Goodbye.
[00:28:29] Unknown:
Goodbye, Lieutenant.
[00:28:33] Unknown:
Oh, Rosa. Rosa. No. I'm in it too, Benno. Now I'm also a part of it.
[00:28:45] Unknown:
And that should be the end of it. Shouldn't it? The police have a suspect with whom they're very happy. And, certainly, he would seem to be the ideal killer. If you were on the jury and didn't know what we know, wouldn't you vote to convict on this evidence? Of course you would. Is this Lieutenant Smith's last visit to Benno's office? You know it isn't. Be here when he calls again in just a few moments when I return with act three. Who shall live and who shall die, and who shall make that decision? A three part question as old as mankind. And for all that we have advanced, assuming, of course, that we have advanced at all, we have never even come close to answering any part of that question, let alone all of it.
It's a question now that bewilders and bedevils Benno and Rosa Sternberg, or Benno and Rosa Koenig, as they have chosen to call themselves. Two people who have never done anything wrong in a long and useful lifetime until last week. And now one crime must beget another.
[00:30:10] Unknown:
No. No. No. It would be different if you were if you were somebody. What do you mean somebody? Somebody that mattered. All of us matter. He's a hoodlum, a criminal. I won't die for him.
[00:30:22] Unknown:
Shall he die for us? Why not? Why not? Why not? Oh, my dear lord. Rosa. When did you ever talk this way, Benno? Yes. You killed Meyer, but he poisoned you first. And the poison has spread. Soon it'll reach your heart. Soon you will talk like Meyer and the rest of them. Soon you will be like Meyer. Please, Roper. Beno, can you let this boy die for you? Roper, just once. Just once. Let us be hard.
[00:30:54] Unknown:
Hard? Let us be smart. The way men must be if they wanna survive. This is the world, Rosa. The world we never made, but this is what it takes to live in the world. To live?
[00:31:06] Unknown:
Live how? For once.
[00:31:09] Unknown:
For just once. Just once and no more. Let someone else pay for us. For once. Just once. Let someone else be a victim. Is that what you want, then now? I wanna go on living, working, helping people with my skill. You haven't seen a single patient all week? I know. But I will. I will. I'm better now. I'm I'm ready.
[00:31:30] Unknown:
You will never be ready. No. No. No. I'm ready. Your right hand. See how it shakes. It's it's cold in here. It'll always be cold in here. You must help me, Rosa. Oh, if I only could. But, Ben, that right hand of yours, it was used to kill. How can it ever be used to cure again unless you I don't want to hear anymore.
[00:31:59] Unknown:
Well, Smitty, he has been indicted, and I see you're a hero. Did you read the papers? Quick, efficient, skillful police work by an alert team of homicide detectives led by lieutenant Everett Smith. Was a good job, Smitty. Smitty. Oh, yeah. What's the matter now? I don't know. I know you got the matter now? I don't know.
[00:32:21] Unknown:
I know you got the flaws. Once the excitement of a case is over, you You know, I I wish I could convince myself that it really should be over. What are you building to? Why did Meyer go out the back way? Hold the phone.
[00:32:37] Unknown:
When he went out the front way, you were unhappy because you didn't see how he could wind up in the back alley. Yeah. I know. Well, so now that we established he did go out the back way, shouldn't that that tie it up? No. Why not? It does what it has to do. It puts him in the alley where you needed him. I know. I know. But
[00:32:59] Unknown:
Yeah? What was he doing in that alley? Oh, come on, Smitty. No. Look. Look. Maya was a smart apple. He had a piece. Now he's carrying a lot of money in a tough neighborhood. He's true for the day. A habit of twenty five years should send him to the bus stop right outside of Shannon's bar, just outside of doctor Koenig's apartment. So? So why doesn't he go right to the bus stop right after Koenig treats him?
[00:33:28] Unknown:
Well,
[00:33:29] Unknown:
maybe you Maybe what? What does he wanna go into that back alley for? What sets does it make?
[00:33:35] Unknown:
You can't figure some guys. But you could figure him.
[00:33:39] Unknown:
He had a routine as steady as the clock, as regular as the calendar. Now why would he go into the alley? Look. It's an interesting mental exercise, but we got work to do. Now, Billy, don't fight him. Go with me just for a minute. Now let's say that Tommy Willis didn't kill Myers. But he did. The evidence Just for the sake of argument, say we didn't have Tommy. Alright? Where would we be? We would be exactly nowhere. And who would have been the last person to see Meyer alive? Doctor Kony.
[00:34:13] Unknown:
That's who.
[00:34:14] Unknown:
Are you trying to drag the doctor into the No. I I'm just walking along a path. I don't know where it's going. Meyer gets hit in the eye accidentally. He gets taken into doctor Koenig's office accidentally. Right. Because this doc happens to be closest to the scene. Right. Why would Koenig kill him? I didn't say Koenig killed him. Well, what are you saying? I want another day in this case. Oh, smitty. Oh, something's bothering me. What kind of line have you got to follow?
[00:34:45] Unknown:
If we discount Tommy and now I I said if. What have we got? An encounter between Koenig and Meyer. Till now, we figured it a robbery. If it isn't, what is it? You got the floor. Why do we assume that Konig and Meyer didn't know each other? Because Konig said so. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I wanna do today? I wanna check both of them out.
[00:35:22] Unknown:
Oh,
[00:35:23] Unknown:
good afternoon, lieutenant. Good afternoon, missus Connick. Is the doctor in? Who rang the bell, Rose? Oh, I'd like to talk to you, doctor.
[00:35:34] Unknown:
Do you have some more questions?
[00:35:36] Unknown:
Well, I'm not here as a detective. I'm calling on you as a patient. A patient? Mhmm. Is something wrong? I have a problem. Yes. I don't know what to do. About what? I must reach a decision.
[00:35:53] Unknown:
Concerning something physical? No. No. It's a matter of, I don't know, morals, ethics. But how can I help you? This sounds like more of a problem for a psychiatrist.
[00:36:05] Unknown:
A man like you, doctor, who practices in a neighborhood like this, knows quite a bit about human behavior. I've asked around. Folks here seem to think you're some kind of god. That's not really true. I just practice. I don't know what to do, and I want you to help me make up my mind.
[00:36:24] Unknown:
Well, if there's some way I can help.
[00:36:26] Unknown:
It has to do with mister Meyer. Mister Meyer? Yes. You see, we have a young punk named Tommy Willis for the murder. It's a dream case for a prosecutor. He'll be set up for life. Understand? Yes. And he should be. Now on the other hand, and I can't prove any of this, we have a doctor Benno Konig. Yes. A great man. What are you trying to say, lieutenant? What I'm trying to say is very difficult, doctor. That's why I'll need your help. Now I checked out a doctor a doctor Benno Koenig at the local medical association. They never heard of him. Benno.
Let let let me continue, missus Koenig. And no hospital ever heard of him either. So I must assume that this doctor Koenig, if he is a doctor, is practicing without a license. I am a doctor. Oh, I I'm I'm sure of it. I survived.
[00:37:32] Unknown:
Rosa and I, we survived the camps. Don't ask how. But when it was over, I wanted to come to this country. But I couldn't get on a quota. A friend of mine and his wife, they did. And they were killed in an accident. His name was Benno Koenig. We took the visa, the papers, but the only thing was, Koenig wasn't the doctor. I could come to this country under the name Benno Koenig, but I couldn't practice medicine. I see. But I must practice or die. All those years in the camps, the thought that one day I could once again be a doctor. That's what kept me alive. I understand, doctor.
And so for all these years I have hidden myself here. I treat the poor, the forgotten, the hopeless.
[00:38:29] Unknown:
Who would bother me here? Who would think to ask? And then Meyer walked in. Meyer. Now I can't prove any of this. Remember. I can't prove it. But Meyer, now he must have been part of your past. An evil part of your past. No. No. No. No. No. Don't don't answer me. And so you killed him. I can understand that as a human being. I could even justify it. No. No. No. Please, don't talk. Remember, I can't prove any of this. Even if we could establish that you did know, Meyer, even if we could establish a motive from the past, we couldn't prove it.
But I have a problem.
[00:39:18] Unknown:
Yes. What to do about the fact that I have no license? No credentials
[00:39:24] Unknown:
to stop me from practicing? No. No. No. No. I I'm a homicide detective. I'm not concerned with that. Maybe I should be. But in my business on a practical basis, we have to overlook things every day. No. My problem is Tommy Willis. The boy. Now I don't know what to do. I could forget everything and go on to my next case. Should I? I mean, after all, why shouldn't Tommy pay for Maya? Why? Means more to the community. You or Tommy? And let me tell you something else. If Tommy beats this rap, he'll be back again a day, a week, a month. He'll commit murder.
That's where he's headed. Isn't this the best solution to the problem? Well Will what? I've come for advice, doctor. What should I do? I can't advise you. You can, doctor. You can. You're a man of experience and wisdom. No. I want your advice. They know. No. You must do what your conscience commands. What does your conscience command, doctor? I say Now remember remember the case against Tommy is ironclad. No one need ever know except us. There are poor people out there. You're their only hope. Isn't it better for you to stay here and help them?
[00:40:52] Unknown:
But I can't help them. I can't, not anymore. My hands, they're no longer the hands of a doctor. They're the hands of a murderer. No.
[00:41:05] Unknown:
Yes, Ruth. You were always always right. I must pay. But Meyer was trash. This boy is no better. Remember who you're paying for.
[00:41:18] Unknown:
Still, I must pay. We must pay. And this is how we survive the Myers. Lieutenant, let me treat you for the problem you came in with. I can do it. Now I can do it. I murdered Camp Commandant Karl Heinz
[00:41:36] Unknown:
Meyer. Hey, doc. Oh, Jesus. Get on. What happened? You went right through a point glass window. Come inside quickly. Oh, may I, lieutenant? Go right ahead, doctor Coney. Go in. Doctor
[00:41:47] Unknown:
Sternberg.
[00:41:48] Unknown:
First, we must stop the bleeding.
[00:41:51] Unknown:
Oh, would you mind waiting, lieutenant? Doctor Sternberg will be with you in just a few minutes.
[00:42:04] Unknown:
Honesty may be the best policy. True. So why don't more people follow it? The answer is that the best things usually cost the most, and sometimes the price is too high to pay. But in the end, Benno and Rosa Sternberg paid it the way they always paid it, gladly. Because once you're accustomed to the best, it's hard to settle for less. I'll be back shortly. The book says, by their deeds, you shall know them. And it's always true. In the long run, they will do the same deeds over and over again. After all, the leopard doesn't change his spots, does he? The mayors of this world will go on being the mayors, and so will the Sternbergs.
And where will it end? That depends on who will survive and on whom each of us will choose to be. Our cast included Howard Da Silva, Clarice Blackburn, Sam Gray, Gilbert Mac, and Jack Grimes. The entire production was under the direction of Hyman Brown. And now a preview of our next tale. Everyone in this town seems to know what's wrong with my house except Helen and me. They know there's something wrong. That's all they know. Oh, and you know more, beautiful Zoe. Mhmm. Bias.
[00:43:41] Unknown:
Behind those beautiful green eyes lies secrets. And your attitude is one reason why I can't tell you. You wouldn't believe me anyway. Try me. Alright. The house you're living in doesn't really belong to you. That house was stolen from the daughter of Marie Laveau.
[00:44:01] Unknown:
Marie Laveau? Who's she?
[00:44:03] Unknown:
The most powerful borkor in the history of voodoo. The beautiful black woman who ruled as the voodoo queen of New Orleans for half a century. You, Douglas Fenton, are living in the house of the voodoo queen,
[00:44:19] Unknown:
and she wants you out. Radio Mystery Theater was sponsored in part by Contact, the twelve hour cold capsule. This is EG Marshall inviting you to return to our mystery theater for another adventure in the macabre. Until next time. Pleasant dreams.
[00:45:01] Unknown:
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[00:45:31] Unknown:
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