Lady With A Plan by Inner Sanctum Mysteries

Summary

Relic Radio Thrillers – “Lady with a Plan” (Inner Sanctum Mysteries) April 10, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode revisits the classic Inner Sanctum Mysteries series with "Lady with a Plan" (original airdate: April 9, 1946). The main story revolves around Gladys Cross, the warden’s wife at a grim penitentiary, who orchestrates a chilling, calculated plot to escape her loveless marriage, resorting to murder and manipulation. Atmospheric, suspenseful, and laced with the macabre humor signature to Inner Sanctum, the episode explores deceit, desperation, and the consequences of a “perfect plan” gone awry.

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Key Discussion Points and Storyline

Setting the Stage

• [00:57] Inner Sanctum Narrator draws listeners in with a trademark eerie welcome, promising macabre tales:
  “Once you get used to these grim surroundings, you’ll never leave. Nobody ever does.”

Gladys Cross: Prisoner in Her Own Home

• Gladys details her life as warden’s wife at Moore Prison—a marriage of convenience, not love.

  • Quote [03:42]: Gladys Cross (narration): “I was a bride when I first came here. Wife of the warden, first lady of Moore prisoners... It was a strictly business proposition.”

• Feeling like a prisoner herself, Gladys is desperate to escape her oppressive circumstances.

The Affair and The Plan

• Gladys is having an affair with Stephen Brownlee, the assistant warden.

  • Together, they consider killing her husband, Warden Edward Cross, to be free.
  • Stephen suggests using Bucky Briggs, a prisoner with a grudge against the warden, as their instrument.

• Planning the Murder:

  • Gladys befriends Bucky, gaining his trust during repeated visits to the prison laundry.
  • She manipulates Bucky to stage a prison break, hide in her house, and murder Edward.
    • Quote [08:37]: Bucky Briggs: "It's up to you, baby. Get me out of here, and then it'll be you and me all the way. Deal?"

Execution of the Plan

• The Escape ([09:05–10:03]):

  • Gladys helps Bucky break out, arranging for him to hide in the cellar waiting for Edward’s return.
  • Her instructions: wait for three taps on the steam pipe signaling the coast is clear.

• Murder Night ([13:49–16:37]):

  • Gladys signals Bucky, who slips into the bedroom and strangles Edward.
    • Chilling Moment [16:36]: Edward (as he’s dying): "You'll never get away with this!"

Double Cross

• Gladys immediately betrays Bucky, calling the tower to alert the guards to his presence and escape route.

  • Quote [17:44]: Gladys Cross (narration): “As soon as he was gone, I glanced at my watch... Now I was ready. You know. Who is this? It’s Mrs. Cross. Bucky Briggs was hiding in our cellar all the time. He’s killed my husband. Do something before it's too late.”

• The guards open fire; Bucky is wounded but miraculously escapes over the south wall with help from accomplices.

Aftermath: A Web Unraveling

• Gladys tries to resume her plans with Stephen, planning to flee together.

• Unexpected Reunion ([21:49–23:57]):

  • At Grand Central Station, Bucky—believed dead or missing—confronts Gladys, having tracked her down.
  • A tense, frantic chase ensues through New York, ending at Gladys’s hotel.

• Tragic Mistake ([23:43–24:11]):

  • Gladys, hiding in fear, stabs an intruder in her room—only to discover she has killed Stephen.
  • Bucky arrives immediately afterward, cornering Gladys until police intervene and arrest them.

Conclusion and Final Fate ([25:17–27:31])

• Gladys narrates from her own prison cell, awaiting fate after a sensational trial.

• Bucky, sentenced to die, shares a final bitter exchange with Gladys, confirming her double betrayal.

  • Quote [26:14]: Bucky Briggs: "Why didn’t you leave when I asked you to back in that hotel room?"
  • Quote [26:38]: Gladys Cross: "All right, so I double crossed you... I called the tower exactly two minutes after you left."

• Poetic Justice:

  • Bucky attempts to kill Gladys in the cell but is stopped; the implication is that all three conspirators—Gladys, Stephen, Bucky—meet fatal ends.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Opening Inner Sanctum Narration [00:57]:
  “Once you get used to these grim surroundings, you'll never leave. Nobody ever does.”

• Gladys’s Dissatisfaction [03:42]:
  “Model husband? You’ve treated me the way you treat your prisoners.”

• Bucky’s Enthusiasm for the Murder Plot [08:56]:
  “It’ll be a pleasure, baby.”

• Edward’s Final Words [16:36]:
  “You’ll never get away with this.”

• Gladys’s Betrayal [17:44]:
  “Bucky Briggs was hiding in our cellar all the time. He’s killed my husband. Do something before it’s too late.”

• The Fatal Mistake [24:11]:
  “It’s me, Steven. Steven. You said you were coming at night.”

• Bucky’s Last Question [26:14]:
  “Why didn’t you leave when I asked you to back in that hotel room?”

• The Final Epitaph (Inner Sanctum Narrator) [27:36]:
  “Here lies a good heart rent asunder by a man with a soul full of thunder. A sweetheart named Stephen tried to help her get even. Now they all live in peace six feet under.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:57: Inner Sanctum opening monologue
• 03:42: Gladys introduces her background and discontent
• 05:26: Setup of the love affair and murder plot
• 09:05: Bucky’s prison break and murder preparations
• 13:49: Night of the murder
• 16:36: The killing of Warden Cross
• 17:44: Gladys’s betrayal of Bucky
• 21:49: Bucky confronts Gladys in New York
• 23:43: Gladys kills Stephen by mistake
• 25:17: Gladys narrates the aftermath from her cell
• 26:14: Final conversation between Gladys and Bucky
• 27:36: The grim epitaph and closing words

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Summary & Lasting Impressions

“Lady with a Plan” embodies everything fans love about vintage radio thrillers: a femme fatale protagonist, a bleak prison setting, a love triangle turned deadly, and a plot brimming with suspense and moral ambiguity. The signature Inner Sanctum macabre humor, from the deadpan host to the fatalistic epitaph, frames the story in dark irony.

This tale is a cautionary fable—no one escapes unscathed, neither the plotters nor their pawn. The appeal lies in the atmospheric production and the chilling suggestion that in trying to craft the perfect crime, Gladys ensnared herself in irreversible doom.

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For classic mystery and radio drama enthusiasts, this episode is a gripping example of postwar noir storytelling, loaded with twists, doomed romance, and the haunting moral: you'll never get away with this.

Transcript

[Relic Radio Host]

Relicradio.com presents stories of mystery and intrigue, espionage and suspense. Hear tales of ticking time bombs, mysterious crime scenes and cloak and dagger action. This is relic radio Thrillers. Welcome back to Relic radio thrillers. Thanks for joining me. Once again, we've got a story from Intersect Sanctum Mysteries this week, a series that debuted in January of 1941 and aired until October of 1952. 526 episodes. Our story today is from April 9, 1946. It's titled lady with a Plan.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

Inner sanctum mysteries. Good evening. Welcome once again, friends of the inner Sanctum. Don't hesitate. Come right in. Once you get used to these grim surroundings, you'll never leave. Nobody ever does. Once you're in, you're out. This is the kind of place that grips you. Mm. The kind of place where the bars hold and no hold a bar. So come right in. Your only ticket of admission is your promise not to tell anybody about anything

[Gladys Cross]

you may happen to hear tonight.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Rhett, what a coincidence meeting you here at the post office. Yeah. Gotta mail a package. Yeah, so do I. Hey, our packages are identical. That is a coincidence. Yeah, Same size, same kind of fiberboard boxes. Even the same reinforced wrapping tape. Well, I'm mailing something fragile. You should see the cushioning. Now, that's a coincidence. I'm mailing something fragile, too. Two very rare unicorn lamps. I wrapped each one separately. Hey, it wasn't easy with those horns, let me tell you. Unicorn lamps? Yeah, I'm mailing unicorn lamps to a special special someone in Cleveland.

[Gladys Cross]

Cleveland?

[Narrator/Announcer]

Now that's really a coincidence. I thought Katie was going to be the only one in Cleveland with unicorn lamps. Katie?

[Gladys Cross]

Yeah.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Did you say Katie?

[Gladys Cross]

Yeah.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Talk about coincidence.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Whatever your package, wherever you mail it, remember the three C's of good packing. Appropriate container, proper cushioning, secure closure. For more information, contact your military postal service.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

And now for tonight's tale, lady with a plan. Written especially for Inner Sanctum by Michael Sklar and Richard Manoth and starring Elspetharic. It concerns a lady living in strange confinement and her fiendish scheme for escape. More. Penitentiary is a sprawling mass of gray granite on a deserted landscape. To this grim and forbidding place has come a man with a purpose to visit with Gladys Croft. He's a newspaper writer, and she is tomorrow's feature story.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

It's not a pretty story. I'll tell it right from the beginning. I'm no stranger to Moore Prison. I was a bride when I first came here. Wife of the war, first lady of Moore, prisoners What a liar. It was the strictly business proposition. Edward got a wife and I got security in what I thought was a convenient way of life. But after two years of living like a prisoner in a house that was inside the walls of a jail with a man who was 15 years older than I was, I'd had enough. But Edward had other ideas.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

Divorce? You don't mean a word of it, Gladys.

[Bucky Briggs]

Stop telling me what I mean. Will you give me a divorce?

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

When you're feeling less excited, we can

[Gladys Cross]

discuss this sense of.

[Bucky Briggs]

No. You can't put it off. I've had all I can take.

[Gladys Cross]

I don't understand you, Gladys. I've been a model husband.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Model husband?

[Bucky Briggs]

You've treated me the way you treat your prisoners.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

You don't beat them.

[Bucky Briggs]

You grind away at their nerves until their minds are stuck. So much mush. I'm getting out before it's too late.

[Gladys Cross]

You're staying here with me, where you belong.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

If you won't give me a divorce,

[Bucky Briggs]

I'll leave without it.

[Gladys Cross]

Gladys, don't be a fool. No matter where you go, I'll bring you back. I don't want to hurt you.

[Bucky Briggs]

You can't threaten me.

[Gladys Cross]

Not you, my dear. I'm thinking of him.

[Bucky Briggs]

Him?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

How do you.

[Bucky Briggs]

What are you talking about?

[Gladys Cross]

Well, there is a man.

[Bucky Briggs]

You're inhuman.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

No, dear. Just a model husband trying to keep his home intact.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

There was another man. Stephen Brownlee and I are in love. Drawn together by a hate for more prison. Stephen was the assistant warden. I got word to him that I had to see him to meet me that night at our secret rendezvous a deserted side road two miles from the prison. When I got there in my car soon after dark, I didn't have long to wait. Stephen.

[Gladys Cross]

Yes, Gladys? I came as fast as I could.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Here. Get in the car so we can talk.

[Gladys Cross]

Something is wrong.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I spoke to Edward this afternoon. He refused the divorce and he threatened me if I left. He suspects there's someone else.

[Gladys Cross]

What? He doesn't suspect it's me.

[Bucky Briggs]

You? His assistant.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

He'd never suspect you.

[Gladys Cross]

He will eventually. We've got to get away.

[Bucky Briggs]

But Edward threatened me.

[Gladys Cross]

I. Edward. Edward. Look ahead, Gladys.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

You know what'll happen.

[Gladys Cross]

You've seen it happen to the prisoners. You'll snap. Your nerves will give way. He'll break you.

[Bucky Briggs]

You can stop it, you know.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

There's no way out.

[Gladys Cross]

There is your game.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I know what you're thinking, but that's impossible. We could never get away with it.

[Gladys Cross]

If we could, would you do it?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Tell me how.

[Gladys Cross]

Bucky Briggs Briggs, the life. You haven't transferred to work in the laundry. Assigned to handle your stuff when you bring it down.

[Bucky Briggs]

What are you getting at?

[Gladys Cross]

Bucky hates the warden worse than you do. Given half the chance, he'd strangle him in a second. I'll talk to him, begin to feel sorry for him. Let him think you want to help him make a break.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Then what?

[Gladys Cross]

All we've got to do is give him the chance to use his hands on Edward.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

For two hours, we talked. By the time we parted, our plan had been worked out in detail. It was a plan for murder. Murder with clean hands.

[Bucky Briggs]

The next morning, I took my soiled

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

linens and drove across the prison yard to the laundry. Bucky Briggs came out to the car. He didn't even look up at me.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

Where is it?

[Bucky Briggs]

In the back of the car. Here, let me open the door.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I've heard quite a bit about you, Rig.

[Gladys Cross]

You want to take your fresh stuff home.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

But I don't really believe what they say.

[Gladys Cross]

Look, lady, the warden needles me enough. I don't have to take it from you too, see?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Well, I don't know what you mean.

[Gladys Cross]

You want your fresh laundry, don't you?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

In a minute. I just want you to know that I'm interested in your case.

[Gladys Cross]

Those are your husband. Get your water in there.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

All right, Bucky. The seed was planted. All it needed was time. I began to plan the visits to the laundry in advance. The remarks I would use stopped intimately and at close quarters, out of earshot of others. And after a month, it came like the fulfillment to a patient prayer. I was at the laundry, waiting for Bucky to bring my clean stuff to the car. He came up, stepped into the car, took a quick glance around. And suddenly slipped close to me.

[Gladys Cross]

It's up to you, baby. Get me out of here, and then it'll be you and me all the way. Deal?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I got it all figured out, Bucky.

[Gladys Cross]

You don't waste time, beautiful. Give me the dope.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Tomorrow when I come back. He ready?

[Gladys Cross]

Check. I'll get away to some friends to pick me up on the outside.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Just one more thing. My husband.

[Gladys Cross]

It'll be a pleasure, baby.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I made a final check with Stephen, and then everything was set. I was sitting in the car the next day when Bucky came out. I reached over the front seat and opened the rear door for him. Get in. Bucky. Stay down.

[Gladys Cross]

Spot me.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

It's been fixed. The guard's busy on the other side.

[Gladys Cross]

Where are we going?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

To the house.

[Gladys Cross]

What about the wood?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

He's in town. Today. Stop asking. He'll make my engine.

[Gladys Cross]

Okay, baby, this is your show. Just make it good.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

This is the back of the house. Not a soul inside. Now follow me out first. That's the cellar door.

[Gladys Cross]

Open it. Right.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Down the stairs.

[Gladys Cross]

Now what?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

The coal bin. Hide in there. You may have a long wait.

[Gladys Cross]

I got patience, baby. I've been waiting two years for this.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

When it's clear, I'll call you. Three bangs on the steam pipe.

[Gladys Cross]

I get you. That's when I take over.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Our room is directly overhead on the second floor.

[Gladys Cross]

Checking. All right.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Get in the bin.

[Gladys Cross]

Hold on, baby. That's nowhere to say goodbye.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

What?

[Gladys Cross]

I like them personal. Like this.

[Bucky Briggs]

No, not. Not now, Bucky.

[Gladys Cross]

That's more like it. Something to remember your by. Foreign.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I was puddling around the dinner table, too jittery to sit and wait for the commotion to break.

[Bucky Briggs]

And then quicker than I expected, it happened.

[Gladys Cross]

Siren. That must mean a break. They know they can't get away with a break here.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Hello?

[Gladys Cross]

What the devil's happened?

[Bucky Briggs]

Reece.

[Gladys Cross]

Former searching party.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

Wait for me.

[Gladys Cross]

I'm coming over. Rich has broken out.

[Bucky Briggs]

Any thought of how he did it?

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

Nobody won't get far.

[Gladys Cross]

I'll find him. When I do, I'll break him for good.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

News. Show him. But instead of listening to that alarm, you should have paid more attention to

[Gladys Cross]

that wife of yours.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

Because that siren is cooking up something that will be a real scream.

[Bucky Briggs]

Help. Somebody please help me.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Most of us wouldn't think twice about answering a plea like that. We'd help save a life in an emergency, even if it were a total stranger.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I'm hit.

[Bucky Briggs]

Somebody get me a medic.

[Narrator/Announcer]

And if we can't depend on our buddies in time of need, who can we count on? But how do you help out when you don't know that there's an emergency? How can you meet a need you don't know about? One sure way is by giving blood to the Armed Services Blood Program where your blood can help save someone's life. That's because the Armed Services Blood program is the primary source of blood for military hospitals. And they need regular donations from us and our families. So contact your blood bank or the lab at your medical treatment facility. Be a lifesaver through the Armed Services Blood Program. And remember, their supply is our supply.

[Gladys Cross]

The Roberts.

[Bucky Briggs]

They gave us a toaster.

[Gladys Cross]

Joanne and Ed.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Toaster.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Mrs. Perez.

[Bucky Briggs]

Toaster.

[Narrator/Announcer]

When you're looking for the perfect gift for any occasion, don't forget about U.S. savings bonds. A bond is the gift that keeps giving because it pays competitive rates. When held for at least five years and will continue to earn interest for up to 30 years.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Bill and Martha toaster. Oh, your Aunt Libby. A hot toaster oven. Ooh, The Phillips toaster.

[Narrator/Announcer]

U.S. savings bonds. Because unlike many gifts, you can never have too many bonds. Contact your finance office for more information.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

And now back to our lady with a plan.

[Gladys Cross]

And what a plan.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

Her husband, Warden Cross of Moore Penitentiary, is searching for Bucky Briggs, an escaped convict. But Gladys has hidden Bucky in the cellar of the house. He's waiting there now to kill the warden. And Gladys, she's waiting too, for murder.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I went up to bed after Edward left and lay there tense. The sirens had stopped for hours. There was dead quiet everywhere. And close to midnight I heard the door open downstairs.

[Gladys Cross]

It was Eckard.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I could tell from his footsteps that he was tired. He was seated. I lay perfectly still, waiting for him to come in. That is, yes, get up. Yes,

[Gladys Cross]

right away.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Incredible.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Right away.

[Gladys Cross]

No one knows how.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I didn't answer. He was a different person. Harried, shaken. I watched him as he undressed. He looked suddenly older than ever, and I felt a sickening revulsion of rejected spectacle he had become. I lay perfectly still as he slipped in the bed. We fell off to sleep. We fast asleep now. I reached down over the side of the bed for my shoes and softly tapped its heel against the steam pipe. Edward was still at peace. I lay back and waited.

[Gladys Cross]

Slowly, slowly.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

And Bucky's silhouette stood outlined in the half light from the hall. He moved quietly into the room, right past me. In a moment, his big hulking figure, looking more gorilla like than ever, stood towering over Edward's bed. I saw his hands reach out cautiously before Edward, but just a moment too late.

[Gladys Cross]

Who is he?

[Bucky Briggs]

Get away.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Please get away.

[Gladys Cross]

This is the payoff, Warden.

[Bucky Briggs]

Edward awake. Like a flashing twisted out of Bucky's lips. I sat there, paralyzers and throats crashing to the floor. Edward tried to tear Bucky's hands with the approach. Bucky held on tighter and tighter, digging his fingers deeper into the soft fleshiness of bed with throat. Cl bro saying, hell no.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I didn't move.

[Gladys Cross]

I didn't speak.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

And he understood.

[Bucky Briggs]

Cl.

[Gladys Cross]

You'll never get away with this.

[Bucky Briggs]

Shut him up.

[Gladys Cross]

Easy, baby, easy. Another squeezer. There. Just like you wanted him. I wanted deeper myself. You don't have to. Knife. Twister. Nick stays twisted

[Bucky Briggs]

dead.

[Gladys Cross]

Get me out of here.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

There's a rope and a skating hook

[Bucky Briggs]

behind the cellar door.

[Gladys Cross]

Shake.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Stick close to the house until you reach the hedge.

[Bucky Briggs]

Then out across the south wall gate.

[Gladys Cross]

Shake.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

All right.

[Bucky Briggs]

Now go.

[Gladys Cross]

You begin something.

[Bucky Briggs]

What? Oh, pick that bucket, please.

[Gladys Cross]

Gotta do this more often. I'm getting the light.

[Bucky Briggs]

Please go.

[Gladys Cross]

Okay, just one thing. Remember, wait two hours before you turn in the alarm. Waiting for you out there. Goodbye, baby.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

As soon as he was gone, I glanced at my watch and followed the second hand around twice.

[Gladys Cross]

Now I was ready. You know. Who is this?

[Bucky Briggs]

It's Mrs. Cross. Bucky Briggs was hiding in our cellar all the time. He's killed my husband. Do something before it's too late.

[Gladys Cross]

Which way to go?

[Bucky Briggs]

Toward the south wall.

[Gladys Cross]

Nice.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I put the phone down. My part was over. The rest was up to Stephen in the main tower. I waited 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds.

[Bucky Briggs]

Then all of a sudden it came. Like a million shrieking demons

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

from the window. I saw the long fingers of the

[Bucky Briggs]

searchlight pointed at the south wall. And pinned beneath the glaring light was Bucky, frantically pulling his way up the rope. I watched as the bullets hit all around him, picking puffs of powder off the stone wall. One of them had to find his mark. Bucky shuddered, gripped, then caught himself. He was hit. He had to fall. But he didn't. Hand over hand, he started up again. Higher and higher. It hit again.

[Gladys Cross]

And then before I could realize what

[Bucky Briggs]

had happened, he was over the top and gone. Hello?

[Gladys Cross]

This is Crash.

[Bucky Briggs]

You found him on the outside.

[Gladys Cross]

No, that's a trace. Him. Okay, get away.

[Bucky Briggs]

But how? He was hit twice.

[Gladys Cross]

That's right. The car must have picked him up. Do you get him? Unless those bullets kill him first.

[Bucky Briggs]

He's got to die. He can't live. He mustn't live.

[Gladys Cross]

Don't worry, Mrs. Cross. We'll find him. Dead or alive.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I found a.

[Bucky Briggs]

Now Bucky was out there waiting for me. A light, a machine gun. He knew now that I'd double crossed him. And he was waiting out there to kill me.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

The next week was a nightmare. Edward's funeral, the messages of condolence. No chance to see Stephen alone. And then one night a week later,

[Gladys Cross]

he came to me.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Nervous, worried.

[Gladys Cross]

We messed it up, Gladys. No trace of Briggs. Which means he's alive and out there. That's not so safe for you.

[Bucky Briggs]

We're safe here.

[Gladys Cross]

Of course, Gladys. We just happen to be leaving here.

[Bucky Briggs]

Oh no, Stephen. I'm not going.

[Gladys Cross]

That's impossible. The new warden's arriving next Tuesday morning.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Oh, I haven't thought of that. Gladys.

[Gladys Cross]

Even if you could stay on, I'd argue against it.

[Bucky Briggs]

But what about Briggs?

[Gladys Cross]

It's a big world out there, remember? We'll get lost in it, you and I. So lost no one will ever find us, not even Grace. Say you'll go.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I have no choice, I suppose.

[Gladys Cross]

Good girl. Now, listen. Got it all figured out. A resignation is in. Takes effect next Tuesday night. Tuesday morning you take the train to New York and head straight for the Hotel Empress. Don't budge out of your room. Not be long in the evening.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Okay? You're not listening. I was thinking of something.

[Gladys Cross]

What?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Something Edward said when he died. You'll never get away with this. Tuesday morning, I was on the train to New York.

[Bucky Briggs]

It was a short, pleasant trip, and my fears began to disappear. Once I reached the crowds of Grand

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Central Station, I knew I'd be safe. I threaded my way through the crowd,

[Bucky Briggs]

just one of thousands of people.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

And suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder.

[Gladys Cross]

Hello, baby.

[Bucky Briggs]

Bucky, what are you doing here? How did you find me?

[Gladys Cross]

I've been waiting for you, baby. Like I said, I got friends back there. Grapevine tipped me off when you was leaving, and here I am.

[Bucky Briggs]

But. But I.

[Gladys Cross]

The bullets. It's like nothing. Takes a lot to stop me. Come on, let's get out of here before some fools bust me.

[Bucky Briggs]

Wait, Bucky, just. Just give me a minute. I've got to call my hotel to hold my room for me.

[Gladys Cross]

Can't wait.

[Bucky Briggs]

Well, if I don't call, they'll cancel it.

[Gladys Cross]

Okay, but only a minute. Make you call over there so I can keep my eye on you. Sweetheart, I want to lose you.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Bucky had nodded toward a drugstore. It was a slim chance that it was better tonight. I entered the store, made a quick

[Bucky Briggs]

dash for the other door. I flung it open and raced madly

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

toward the taxi stand.

[Bucky Briggs]

Over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Bucky. He'd seen me.

[Gladys Cross]

Hey, wait a minute.

[Bucky Briggs]

I ran to the cab and jumped in. Hotel Empress in a hurry. And lose that cab behind us.

[Gladys Cross]

Okay, lady. This is the Empress. We shook that other cab.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I headed toward the entrance. Just as I entered, I caught a quick glimpse of a cab pulling up to the curb. But I couldn't stop to see.

[Bucky Briggs]

I rushed into the hotel, up to

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

my room and locked myself in.

[Bucky Briggs]

Before I even had time to think, the phone rang. Hello?

[Gladys Cross]

Hello, Mrs. Cross. I just sent the gentleman up to see you.

[Bucky Briggs]

I banged the receiver down so it was lucky. In that cab, I had to get out. There was only one elevator and I couldn't try the stairs because I didn't know which Bucky would use. I had only one way out, the desperate way. And I Decided to take it. I unlocked the door. I turned off the light and I took a pair of scissors from my

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

handbag and waited behind the door. I wasn't a moment too soon.

[Bucky Briggs]

Come in.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I crept against the wall behind the

[Gladys Cross]

door and watched it open slowly.

[Bucky Briggs]

Then leaping forward, I plunged the scissors into his back. It's me, Steven. Steven. You said you were coming at night.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

What I said earlier to surprise you.

[Bucky Briggs]

Why didn't you phone?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

You happened it, right?

[Bucky Briggs]

Yes. Oh, Stephen. Steven.

[Gladys Cross]

Hello, baby.

[Bucky Briggs]

Bucky.

[Gladys Cross]

Surprised to see me, huh? Hey, who's that? Steve Brownley. We done him in. Nice work, baby. But why to chase?

[Bucky Briggs]

I had to run.

[Gladys Cross]

I had a screw was following. You thought you'd lead him to me.

[Bucky Briggs]

Yes.

[Gladys Cross]

Well, you did right, baby. But let's get out of here. No, You've got no choice.

[Bucky Briggs]

Come on, let's go.

[Gladys Cross]

Shut up. You left the whole hotel. Come on, baby. Run straight.

[Bucky Briggs]

Get away from me.

[Gladys Cross]

Come on. What's going on in here? The house stick holding. I'm getting out of here. There we are. Both of you. Look at that guy on the floor. You ain't going anywhere for a long time. Nice to you. This ain't no toy hand. Now let's get going.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

There isn't much more to tell. You were at the trial. You know the rest. I'm back at Moore Prison for good. There's a real prisoner this time, Bucky. He's got a few hours before they

[Gladys Cross]

take him to the chair.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Misses Cross. What is it, Rocky?

[Gladys Cross]

Briggs is just outside the cell.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

You have to go in 15 minutes.

[Gladys Cross]

Wants to talk to you before he goes.

[Bucky Briggs]

Me?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

All right. Doesn't matter anymore.

[Gladys Cross]

Thanks.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Okay.

[Gladys Cross]

Wait minutes. Bucky. They're just outside, sir. Hello, baby.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I don't have anything to say to you.

[Gladys Cross]

But I got something I want to ask you before I go. It's bothered me ever since I was napped.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

All right.

[Bucky Briggs]

Ass.

[Gladys Cross]

Why didn't you leave when I asked you to back in that hotel room?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

Why?

[Bucky Briggs]

As if you didn't know.

[Gladys Cross]

No.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

What if I went with you? I knew it was the end for me.

[Bucky Briggs]

You talking about you wanted to kill me?

[Gladys Cross]

Me kill you?

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

You freak it out. Oh, stop acting, Bucky. It doesn't make any difference now. All right, so I double crossed you

[Gladys Cross]

when I told you.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I called the tower exactly two minutes after you left.

[Gladys Cross]

What? That's how they picked me up so fast.

[Gladys Cross (first person narration)]

I thought you knew.

[Gladys Cross]

What a sad. What a sake. You tiny double crusher way. Help.

[Bucky Briggs]

Break her neck

[Gladys Cross]

or I'll shoot. You're too late. Screw. She's dead. You're going to make it. Don't make no difference now. Can't kill me twice.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

Now. There's a nice gentle character, that Bucky

[Gladys Cross]

just a little too restless with his hand here.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

And now I'm starting a new movement for Inner Sanctum Mysteries. From now on, our slogan should be when you grab a throat, stop and think, then stroke, don't show. Before we say good night, friend, here's an epitaph for the tombstone of Gladys Cross. Here lies a good heart rent asunder by a man with a soul full of thunder. A sweetheart named Stephen tried to help her get even. Now they all live in peace six feet under. Oh, by the way, this month's Inner Sanctum mystery novel is I Hate Blonde. Good night, Pleasant.

[Bucky Briggs]

Try Lipton's Noodle Soup and tune in next week for another Inner Sanctum Mystery.

[Inner Sanctum Narrator]

This is cbs, the Columbia Broadcasting System.

[Relic Radio Host]

If you enjoy this podcast and would like to help support it, Visit donate relic radio.com or click on one of the support links in the show notes. You make this and all of Relic Radio possible and have since the beginning. Thanks to those who have helped out. Thanks for joining me this week. I'll be back tomorrow with the Horror and next Friday with our next episode of Relic Radio Thrillers.