The Shadow - The Sandhog Murders

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The shadow knows. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. The Shadow, mysterious character who aids the forces of law and order, is in reality Lamont Cranston, wealthy young man about town. The Shadow uses his hypnotic power to cloud men's minds so that they cannot see him. Cranston's friend and companion, the lovely Margo Lane, is the only person who knows to whom the unseen voice of the Shadow belongs. Today's story, Sandhog Murders. Deep under the river, knee-deep in glacial muck and slime, you'll find them, the sandhogs, working under terrible pressure, pressure beating against their eardrums, pressure forcing little nitrogen bubbles into their bloodstreams, pressure that causes death, pressure that keeps the river out of the tunnel that men are building under the river, 100 feet. Under the river. How far did we go on that last shot? Twenty-seven inches, boss. Tighten those jacks next to the shield. Okay, boss. Here, Rodsky speaking. Time? Okay. All right, men, that's all for today. Let's go. Hey, hey, Mr. Pine. Want to get left down here? You better come along and get in the decompression chamber. Say, I. I hate to admit this, but when I feel sick, I can hardly move my hand. That's the same complaint from all visitors to our little rabbit hole. Just give me your arm. Thank you. There we are. Come on, come on. Into the decompression chamber. Get the move on, all of you. This shift is over with. Quit your beefing. You get your pay regular, don't you? Yeah, what do you think? Okay. Decompress. Decompressing. Mr. Fines. You know what could happen to you if you got left behind? No. Ever been in a pressure tunnel before? No, I haven't. Well, it ain't no picnic ground, mister. Ever hear of the bends? Some kind of sickness, isn't it? It ain't no reducing exercise. I'll tell the world it's sickness. You see, working in these pressure tunnels pumps you full of nitrogen bubbles. And if you was to come out of the pressure too fast, those bubbles would stop. Your heart quicker than a dollar watch. Yeah, you gotta have the right kind of stomach to stand it. You know what would happen if we opened that door now? Now what? We'd all pop like punctured balloons. The pressures got to go down slow like. Just now we are working under... 39 pounds of pressure, push, Quarry. Say, are you trying to scare me? Lay off him, Jack. Have you had enough trouble lately? Hey, hey. I'll tell you why. The pressure's dropping too fast. Oh, he killed me. Tell him. Tell him to increase the pressure. Too late. Too late. We're done. Help. Lamont, did you read the comic strips this morning? Uh-huh. They were very humorous. Winnie Winkles in the hospital, Little Orphan Annie's house burned down, and Andy Gump was hit by a truck. Uh-huh. Lamont, I wonder why they call them funny papers. Hey, are you listening to me? Uh-huh. Listen, Mr. Cranston, you haven't paid the slightest bit of attention to anything I've said to you for the last hour. I'm sorry, Margo, but that horrible business in the new intercity tunnel has been on my mind. What business? Eight men were killed in the decompression chamber yesterday. Decompression chamber? Something evidently went wrong. Pressure was lowered too suddenly and they all died terrible deaths. Well, how did it happen, Lamont? They don't know. It looks pretty funny. According to the newspaper reports, the men working at the tunnel had been expecting something to happen... There'd been several near accidents, and the men were pretty jittery. Hmm. Well, you don't suppose that. Oh, Lamont, I know that look in your eye, that old crime detector look. You think that someone had something to do with that accident. I don't know anything about that, Margo. The reason I'm upset is that Pete Stockton is an old friend of mine. I know just how he must feel to have eight of his men killed working on his tunnel. Pete Stockton? Yes, the contractor. We went to school together. This inner city tunnel is the first big job he's handled alone since his father died about. A year ago. Oh, I see. And you'd like to see him, wouldn't you? No, Margo, not today. We have a date. I wouldn't think of it. Oh, it's just the trouble you do think of it. So I guess we might just as well see this old schoolmate of yours. Margo, you're wonderful. THE END. But about those men who died in the decompression chamber, Pete, how do you explain that? I can't explain it, Lamont. There's been so much trouble around here on this job, and then to have this terrible thing happen. Well, it'll never happen to me again. What do you mean? I'm quitting. I never wanted this tunnel work. I was just doing it for Dad's sake. Well, he's dead now. Joe Brandy and other contractors agreed to take the whole thing off my hands. Quitting? Yes. I couldn't stand another experience like this one. All those men left. Wives, sweethearts, mothers. How can I ever repay them? Make up to them for their loss? Hey, Pete. The men want to talk to you. They want to go. Back to work. What, did you tell them that Brandy was taking over Mundy? I told them, but they want to work for you, not Brantley. Well, I guess I'll have to tell them myself. Oh, by the way, this is Pop Berkey. Miss Lane. How do you do? Mr. Cranston. How do you do? Pop's an old-timer. He and my dad broke into the business together. Well, ask him anything you want to know about sand hogging. I'll be back in a few minutes. He's taking the whole thing pretty hard, isn't he? Yes. I'd like to help him, Margo. He's a swell guy. First time you two have been around the tunnel in the making? What? Oh, yes, it's very interesting, isn't it? But is it necessary to keep everything so greasy? Mr. Berkey, what caused the accident in the decompression chamber? Are you asking me what or who? So you think that the accident wasn't exactly an accident? I got my own ideas, but I'm not saying. If you know anything, Mr. Berkey, you've got to tell me. Well, now, supposing you were in the contracting business and another contractor beat you out on a big job, an important job. Wouldn't you try a couple of little things to get the job back? You call the murder of eight men little things? Maybe you didn't want to kill the men in the decompression chamber. Maybe you just wanted to scare them so they'd be afraid to work for your rifle. But to take a chance with men's lives. Lady, you don't know Joe Brandly. Joe Brandly? The man who's taking over the contract from Stockton? Yeah. And a dirtier man would be impossible to find. He wouldn't stop at anything. Looks like he won out pretty easy, don't it? Pete's turning the contract over to him Monday. Well, he hasn't won yet. Pop Brookie, if you see anything suspicious happening around here, I want you to call me immediately. You understand? Right. Come along, Margo. We'll stop that fellow, Brantley. Margo? I think the Shadow is going to pay a call on a certain Mr. Brindley. No. Why should I be afraid? What? Stockton is turning the job over to me? What? At the tunnel. When? Tonight. Yeah, well, let him try it. I'll be at that tunnel and settle this thing once and for all. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks for the information. Goodbye. Thank you for the information, Mr. Brantley. What? Who spoke? I did, Mr. Brantley. Who are you? I am called the Shadow. Where are you? I can't see you. I have wielded that you won't see me, Brantley. I've cast a mist over your mind that makes me invisible to your eyes. What do you want of me? I would like to know more about that phone conversation you just had. I believe it was concerned with the murders in the new intercity tunnel. Murders? Those men were supposed to die by accident. Did you have anything to do with that accident, Mr. Brantley? What are you talking about? I'm asking you, did you have anything to do with those murders? No, nothing. Then who were you speaking to on the telephone? Why should I tell you? You'd better talk, Mr. Brantley. You haven't got anything on me. That's true. I can't pin anything on you just now. But let me warn you, Mr. Brantley. The Shadow intends to prevent anyone from destroying the intercity tunnel. Who's there? Oh, it's you, Mr. Cranston. I couldn't see you in the dark. Yes, Pop Berkey. Oh, Lamont, thank heaven you've come. Margo, what are you doing here at the tunnel? Well, I was waiting for you at your apartment, Lamont, when Mr. Berkey called. You asked me to call you if anything suspicious was going on here. And something suspicious is going on here. There's someone down in the tunnel, Mr. Cranston. Yes, I know. I expected the killer would make his move tonight with the tunnel deserted. But what are you doing here, Margo? Well, I don't know, but I didn't know how to get in touch with you, so I thought I'd see what I could do in your absence. I left a note for you at your apartment, Lamont. Oh, am I glad you've come. The very idea of going down into that empty tunnel gives me the cold chills. Now, wait a minute, Margo. What were you expecting to do down in the tunnel? What was I expecting to do? Why, I was. Well, now that you mention it, what was I expecting to do? Margo, we're dealing with a desperate man. Do you realize what might be waiting for you down there? Mr. Cranston is down in the tunnel, all right? The elevator was at the bottom of the shaft when I came back from dinner. Berkey, what can he do to the tunnel? He could set a time bomb and blow it to pieces. Well, let's go. Where? We're going down into the tunnel, Margot, on a manhunt. You better wait here. All alone? We won't be going long. Uh-uh, not me. I'd rather go down the tunnel. All right, then, let's go. Where's the elevator, Berkey? Over this way. I have some boots for you to wear. There's a little muddy down below. All right. Here, step in, Margot. We're going down into a coal mine, isn't it? Margo, have you ever been down in a coal mine? No, but this is the way I imagine it would be. How deep is this? What? This elevator shaft. About a hundred feet or so. It isn't very deep. It's deep enough for me, thanks. This will take us down to the tunnel. What happened? We've arrived, Margo. That's all. That's enough. All right, step out. Look out for the mud and water. Better walk on the planks. Wait a minute. Flash your light around, Berkey. Well, no one here. All right, lead on, Berkey. It's a gloomy-looking place, isn't it? Sort of scary, too. You're just outside the tunnel now. All right, step in, Marlowe. Is this the tunnel? Not yet, lady. This is the decompression chamber. Oh, yes, the decomp... The what? I'm not going in that thing. It's the only way we can get into the tunnel, Margo. Well, isn't that the place where those men were... Say, I don't think I'm going to like this. Come on, Margo. It's too late to back out now. Well, I'll get in, but it's under protest. Okay, Berkey. Shut the door. That means that air is being pumped into this chamber. We're going under pressure. No, I don't like it. Your ears hurt, huh? It's the pressure. You'll get used to it. I don't intend to get used to it. It's necessary, Margot. You see, we've got to adjust the pressure in our bodies to the pressure in the tunnel before we can enter it. Well, pressure's even now. Ah, this is the tunnel. The river's right overhead, lady. Oh, it's so dark. Can you give us some light, Brookie? I wouldn't want someone sneaking up behind me in the dark. Yeah, that's better. Goodness, it's muddy down here. Now what, Mr. Berkey? Now we'll take a look around. Knowing you, Lamont, certainly gets me into the dauntless places. You're not sorry, are you? No, but I do wish that. Hey, look. I'm going back to the decompression chamber to see that whoever it is don't try to slip out while you're looking toward the center of the tunnel. That's a good idea. We'll go on ahead. Come on, Margot. Lamont, do you think that was such a good idea? What? Sending him back to guard the exit. Suppose whoever it is down here overpowers him and locks us in. Don't be silly, Margo. That couldn't happen. Berkey's no. The lights! They've gone out! Berkey! Berkey, what's wrong? Berkey! Come on, Margo. We've got to get out of here. I can't see anything, Lamont. I can't run in the dark. Over this way, Margo. Give me a hand. All right. Here's the door. Get us out of here! Sparky! Sparky! I don't think he can help us now. Well, what are we going to do? I guess we'll have to wait until someone comes and lets us out. That's a pleasant thought. Not really spending a night in this place. What's that? It sounds like a phone. Down here? Yeah, a foreman probably uses it to speak to his boss above ground. Well, where is it? Well, the sound came from... Oh, there it is. Hello? Well, Mr. Cranston, I guess this will teach you not to poke your nose into something that doesn't concern you. Who is this? Makes no difference now, Mr. Cranston. You're gonna die. You hear me? Die. Brantley, listen to me. I don't care about myself. But surely you won't do this to a woman. Sorry, I can't oblige you, but she's got to go, too. Now I'm gonna step up the pressure in the tunnel till your eardrums crack. It'll go until the whole tunnel will explode just like a punctured balloon. The river will rush in and. You'll be drowned like rats in a trap. Hello? Hello? Oh, he's hung up. What is it, Lamont? Oh, the lights. The lights are on again. Margot, I've got something to say to you, and it's not going to be easy. Yes, Lamont? This is the end for us. We're going to die here in this hole, Margot. Lamont... I'm not afraid to die. Margot. All I can see is I... I know now that I... I've been right about you. Thanks, Lamont. Is it Brandly? I don't know, Margot. I... I think so. Lamont, what's that? I'm afraid he's going to carry out his threat. He's going to increase the pressure till it blows this tunnel to bits. Well. If this is to be the last few minutes I'm going to spend on this, Eric... I'm at least going to be gay about it. I'm not going out with a frown on my face. And a very lovely face it is, too, Margo. Why, Lamont, do you realize that's practically the first compliment you've ever paid me? Well, it just proves what a stuffy guy I've been. Oh, a pretty swell guy, if anyone should ask. There's never been a dull moment on our merry-go-round. We have had great times together, haven't we? I wouldn't trade them for anything, Lamont. Oh, Lamont... Oh, my ears hurt. My head. Yeah. You know, Margo, pressure's going up very rapidly. I guess he wants to finish his office in a hurry. Oh, it's so warm and damp down here. Yeah. Pressure must be up pretty high now. We won't have long to wait. Yeah. It's getting so misty. Margo. What is it, Lamarck? Margot, in a minute, that weak part of the tunnel up there, the part that hasn't been reinforced, is going to give way. The river's going to rush in. If we climb up this framework here, we'll be able to hold out longer. What difference will that make? I don't know, Margot, but come on, let's climb. All right, Lamont. If it'll make you any happier. Here, give me your hand. I'll help you. Come on. Lamont, help! Well, Commissioner Weston, we've pumped all the water out of the tunnel. Found no trace of Margot or Lamont's bodies. They must have been washed into the river. Yeah. You know, they were both personal friends of mine, too. Yes. Yes, I know. Well, that's the way it goes. Lamont was trying to help me. I was going to give up the whole job, Commissioner, but now I'm going ahead with it. If he thought that much of me, I. Well... Yeah, I understand. Well, now tell me about this Pop Berkey. Well, it's simple enough. I found Pop myself. He was just outside the tunnel, unconscious from a blow on his head. How long have you known him? He and my dad broke into sand hogging together. Later, when a tunnel accident made Berkey unfit for work underground, my dad always found a job for him up above. Ah. And, well, I sort of followed in dad's footsteps. Ah. Well, this whole business proves one thing. That so-called accident in the tunnel where the eight men were killed was no accident. I'll have my men stationed at the tunnel tomorrow when you go back to work. Oh, I'd appreciate it, Commissioner Winston. That's all right. You know, I'm going to miss that fellow Cranston. The End. Stockton, do you mind if I stay here a while and look this room over? No, not at all, Commissioner Weston. I've got to go down below in the tunnel and talk to the men. If anything happens this time... Nothing's going to happen, Mr. Stockton. Not while I'm here. Good luck, son. Good luck. Yeah, thanks. Commissioner Weston. Huh? What? It's the Shadow, Commissioner. The Shadow. Well, my friend, what are you doing here? I'm here to help you catch the murderer. That's what you're here for, isn't it? Yeah, sure, sure. But who is he? Softly, Commissioner, softly. You wouldn't want to scare our murderer away, would you? Is he here? Very close now. In just a moment, he'll come into this room. This is what he's been waiting for. You see, the lives of the men in the tunnel depend on the proper functioning of the pump machinery here. The murderer will attempt to destroy the pump and kill the men down in the tunnel. This is to be his final job. For today, for the first time, Peter Stockton is down below. Well, he won't get away with it. Quiet, Commissioner. I think this is our man now. Quick. Hide behind the machinery. Yeah, right. Here it is. The main induction valve. Now, Mr. Stockton, you're going to pay for what your father did to me. Listen, stop it. I'll get it. I'll stop you. I'll stop you all right. Now, let's see who it is. Why, it's Pop Berkey. I've killed old Pop Berkey. No, Commissioner. He lived to. Hello, Commissioner. We've come to be witness. Wait, what? Cranston and you, Miss Lane, I thought you were... Yes, I know, Commissioner, but. Well, aren't you glad to see us? Oh, of course, of course. But how did you get out? Where have you been? You were in the tunnel, weren't you? One question at a time, Commissioner. We were in the tunnel, all right, but we escaped. Escaped? Yes, we climbed to the top of the tunnel just before the blow-off came. You climbed. There was an air pocket. A very wonderful air pocket. Don't forget the details, Margo. Oh, yes. I ruined a perfectly good pair of stockings. Oh, that's... But how did you get out? Through the escape chamber. Berkey had forgotten all about that. But Lamont hadn't. He found it, didn't you, Lamont? Right at the top of the tunnel. Let me tell you something, Commissioner. If you ever get stuck in a tunnel, have Lamont along. Well, I still don't understand it. What about Berkey? He confessed everything last night. It seems he hated Stockton because he thought Stockton's father was responsible for his accidents. Also, because Stockton's father. Married the woman he loved. Couldn't get even with his old man, so he was going to take it out on his son. Then he tried to implicate Brandy to shield himself. Well, I guess you've got all the evidence you need, Commissioner, so Margo and I will be running along. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I'm not through with you two yet. Why didn't you let people know that you were safe? Because, Commissioner, we couldn't resist satisfying a lifelong ambition. What's that? Reading our own obituaries. Today's program is based on a story copyrighted by the Shadow Magazine. The characters, names, places, and plot are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. The Shadow Magazine is on sale at your local newsstand. The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay you. The shadow knows.