Tired of the everyday routine? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you Escape! Escape! Designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure. Escape! Designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure. Well, about time, huh? Yes, but we did not make contact until half an hour ago. Oh. Look, do you have the ticket? Yes, I have it. Ah, big price. That's all I can get. Well, that will do. Oh, no, Mr. Herrick here, this is Mr. Callender. He will take you to Hanover. How are you? Bruce, better not to get on the train? No, no. We'll wait for the whistle. Oh, why? Use the crowd for cover. Ah. Now, Mr. Herrick, turn your face to me. That's it, keep your back to the train. Now, wait. All right, now, Herrick. Be back in a few days, Ernst. As the British zone terminus of the East German underground, I'd have my share of surprises. But none to match finding Lawton Herrick in my custody. This was the man who had disappeared behind the Iron Curtain nearly a year ago, voluntarily. Brilliant nuclear physicist and authority on thermonuclear reaction. He'd been swallowed up in the gigantic Red Maw of Eastern Europe, highest bidder for his brain. And now he was back. It was up to me to escort him safely to Hanover through British intelligence. And as we rode, I speculated on why he had come back. I suppose you're wondering why I came back. Why did you? Very simple. I finally realized I'd picked the wrong side. So I took the whole show and came home. Just like that. As you say, just like that. You sound pretty casual. How else should I be? I don't know. It was my conscience you're concerned with. Don't bother. I got more from them than they got from me. Oh, yes, I know every installation they've set up. What the questionable material output is per day and what their potential is for producing the hydrogen-bombing quantity. Uh-huh. Where are your records, notes, that sort of thing? I memorized. Paper and pencil were too risky. I had a security guard with me constantly. How did you get away? I walked out of Magdeburg. What about the guard? I imagine they'll bury him with full military honors. Yes, I imagine they'll load. Yes. But we're here now and I'm safe and that's all that really matters, isn't it? Well, I won't feel safe until they get past Talasleben. When's that? Oh, about two hours. Do we stop there? Yes, for a few minutes. Good. Mind if I take a nap? Suit yourself. Wake me at Talasleben, will you? Right. And so he went to sleep. And I thought about how easy his escape had been. Too easy. This was no ordinary defection to the camp of the free world. This man was important. Important enough that his safe arrival could cause considerable embarrassment to those from whom he had escaped. We wheezed into Talasleben. A few passengers got out. Some came aboard. Then we started off again. Did you sleep well? Very. Where do I leave? Leaving Talasleben. You slipped? No, I... Yes, who is it? Conductor, sir. Come in. Bruce, now will you please tell this stupid... One moment, if you please. But there is no time for... Easy does it. Go ahead, identify me, but hurry. It's all right, Conductor, I know. What about the spare, sir? Well, I'll take care of it later. Now, if you please... Of course, sir. Forgive me, but my job and I have a wife and... Yes, yes, we know all that. Now will you go, please? Yes. Ah, Bruce, now we are in trouble. Oh, what's the matter? They know where we are? What? They have an agent aboard this train. When did he get on? Just now. At Talasleben. Oh, we just left Talasleben. Yes, I know, and that idiot of a conductor would not let me find you in time to get you off. Well, then we stay here in this compartment till we get a hand over... Now, that is the problem. We won't get too hard over. Why? There is a bomb on board. A bomb? Yes, in a suitcase. And the plan is to destroy the train with me get on the Oka River bridge. Well, then we'll stop the train. No, I thought of that and that's no good. Because whoever it is has orders to explode it if the train stops for any reason before we reach the river. When did you learn this? An hour after you left. I received a message from the Mary Margie board. They found the body of that guard soon after Herrick left. They missed you in Urbexfelde and they arranged this Talasleben interception. But how did you get... I drove. And when I got here the train was pulling out of the station just. If it had not been for that stupid conductor... Now it's too late for that now. Yes, we've got to find the bomb. Is the agent a man or a woman? No, I don't know, Bruce. How soon before we reach the Oka River? But from now about an hour and a half. Hour and a half. Well, between the three of us we should be... No, Herrick, you stay here. But at least I should... Herrick. Yes? We know nothing of atomic reactions that is your field. This is ours. Just do as you're told. Will you please... I'm sorry. All right. Ernst. Yes? Get the conductor. Yes, I am hurrying. But why? We are not at war. Why should they want to do this to me? It's not you, it's us they're doing it to. But what can I do? Where shall I look? We'll do the looking. All we want from you is cooperation. Of course I will cooperate. What else is there for me to do? Not much. Now, first, do you have a list of the passengers that got on at the Oka River? Yes. Good. Second, can we get into the baggage car while the train is in motion? On this train you can. Some of the first and second cars... All right, that's enough as long as we can get on this one. No, wait. What about the baggage? Did we take much aboard at Dallas-Lincoln? Only the baggage clerk knows that. You'll go with me when I go to the baggage car. Yes, sir. Ernst, go through the cars claiming that you've lost the bag. You understand? Yes, yes. Match up every bag with an owner. Right. Mark the location of any objects that you may find. He may have put it on one of the baggage shelves and left the train. Where will you be? Baggage car. Yes. But after that... Back here. Challenger. Yes, Eric. It won't be easy staying here. You didn't expect it to be, did you? I suppose not. Well? Nothing. Good luck. But if he's not a policeman and not a soldier, why should I let him in? This baggage car is not... Carl, do not argue with us. There's no time. But why should I... Here, here. Let me, let me. Carl, this is an emergency. I must be permitted inside to check the baggage. But where is your permit? Bags, credentials, anything that I may look at. Jobs are hard to get. My wife and children... All right, all right. Then I'll tell you. Someone has planted a bomb on board that's going to go off. A bomb? Yes, a bomb. And if I don't find it in... Well, let me see. An hour and fifteen minutes, none of us will be able to hold a job anymore. Now, may we come in? Yes. Come in, come in. All right. What do you want to know? How many pieces of baggage came aboard at Salisbury? Not many. Five suitcases. A trunk and that crate. The crate? What's in the crate? I don't know. It's Bluetooth to Hanover. All right. Have you got a hammer? But I have no story. Get me a hammer. All right. Oh, careful, careful, please. Careful, oh no. It's furniture. Okay. Now the suitcases. Over here. Here. Have you a sharp knife? Yes, but why? I must cut the bags open. Cut? But the owners will... I'll take the responsibility. Now get the knife. It was the only thing to do. The bags had to be cut open and inspected by hand. Opening a catch might set the bomb off even if the detonator wasn't wired to it, which in all likelihood it was. As I cut into the first bag, I felt a hard knot forming in the pit of my stomach. I reached inside the bag. Close. The second case. Close. The third. And the fourth. And the fifth. Then we broke open the trunk. No bomb. I wiped my face. I left the conductor and Carl and went back to the compartment. Nothing? No, nothing. Where's that? Still checking bags, I suppose. How much time do we have? Not quite an hour. Time enough? I don't know. You're sure the bomb is a box? Yes, I'm sure. Ernst doesn't make mistakes. What do we do now? Well, you do just what you've been doing. Stay here. I'm going out and check the passengers that came aboard at Thomas' leaving. Anything you want me to tell Ernst when he gets back? Yes, if he gets back, he'll... We're doomed. We're doomed, I tell you. What's the matter, Dietrich? The engineer's going to stop the train. Stop? What do you mean, stop? He can't. I told you what would happen if we stopped before we reached the ochre. Nevertheless, the engineer's going to stop. Well, why? He says he has a bad coupling on the core tender. Well, did you tell him why we couldn't stop? Yes, he says he can see the bad coupling on the core tender. The bomb he cannot see. Oh, no. Therefore, the bad coupling must take precedence. And he's going to stop the train. Dietrich, the conductor at Justin, informed me that due to a defective coupling, the engineer was about to stop the train. And under these circumstances, it was a horrifying thought. Because we knew that the train was to be blown off at stop for any reason before we reached the ochre river. I thought you would still be in the... What's the matter? The engineer's going to stop the train. No, he can't? I told you what would happen if... Yes, I know, I know. Dietrich told him. What more can I do? It's out of my hands. Well, there's one thing more you can do. What, Mr. Cullen? Go back to the engineer. Tell him we want 15 minutes. And tell him that if he refuses, I'll personally kill him. But the coupling, what about the... I don't care about the coupling. If it breaks, we're dead anyway. Let's at least try to find the bomb. Yes, Mr. Cullen, I'll tell him. Bruce, what shall we do if that engineer refuses? And I will kill him. Or at least get him out of the cabin, let the fireman run on the train. You know, there is still the possibility that... that agent may have planted the bomb and himself then left the train. I might, but we don't know. No, that we don't. What about that baggage car? That's clean. The passengers' luggage? Oh, no, every piece matched up. Yeah. Now, where can we go now? Dietrich gave you a list of passengers that boarded at Tavoslavin, huh? Yes, yes. All right, give it to me. All right, here. But they are all Czech, Bruce. Except one couple in second class. Huh? One couple. Couple? Yes, a married couple newlyweds. They could not possibly be the one. That would be very clever of them. Wouldn't it? Yes, very. Where are they? In this car. The compartment third from the end. Have you a pistol? Yes. All right, give it to me. Here. Do you want me to come with you? No. Give me five minutes. Right. This was infinitely worse than fighting in the dark. Dark fighting terrified me. Here my enemy was unseen, unknown, and out of reach. Yet he was close enough to mark us all for death at a specific time. As I hurried along the corridor, I glanced at my watch. If the engineer gave us the 15 minutes I'd asked for, then we'd already used three of those precious minutes planning strategies. One thing I knew for certain was a hand holding the gun in my pocket would not come out until I was completely satisfied as to the identity of the newlyweds. Yes, what can I do for you? My name is Bruce Callender. There's been a fight in the basement. My name is Bruce Callender. There's been a bit of a stir aboard, and the conductor made me a kind of deputy to make an inquiry. May I come in? Of course. Thank you. I'm Lieutenant Thompson, Royal Navy. This is my wife, Gerda. This is Mr. Callender. How do you do? How do you do? You're American, aren't you? No, no, Canadian. Oh, good show, good show. Have a drink with this old boy. Well, not right now, thank you. Oh, well, what's all the fuss about, Mr. Callender? Well, it seems that there was a jewel robbery in Thomas Laban. The thief was apprehended at the station, but not before he'd managed to stow the loot somewhere. The authorities believe that he may have put it in someone's baggage with the view toward recovering it sometime during the journey. Oh, then you'll want to inspect our baggage, is that it? Oh, no, no, no, I have no authority to do that, but if you will, see for yourself so that I can report it to the conductor. I doubt very much whether to give me an eye that my belief or Gerda's. They haven't been out of our fight to survive at the station. But you won't mind making the inspection? No, not at all, my dear fellow. But I'm afraid you'll be wasting your time. Oh, look here, do you have a drink, won't you? No, thanks, anyway. We're on our honeymoon, you know. Oh, really? Yes, I've been trying to get Gerda to marry me for a long time now. It wasn't until yesterday that she finally made up her mind. Oh, yesterday? That's right. I finally wore down the resistance, didn't I, Gerda? Yes, Rocky, of course. The bags, if you please, Lieutenant. Oh, yes, yes, forgive me. Only two, mine and Gerda's. I'll get them down. Mine? Shirts, socks, ties. Sorry, Mr. Carambee, there's nothing here. Ah, good. Now, Mrs. Crapton? I'll do it, Gerda. No, no, you may not open it. Then if you will open it yourself. I can't. What about Gerda? Don't ask me why. I can't do it, that's all. You have to have a reason. Please, leave me alone. This is no time to be stubborn. You can't obstruct the law. I don't care about the law. My valise will not be opened. Yes, it will. I will not open it. Then I will. He snapped open the catches of Gerda's valise, and then he saw it. A picture of a rosy cheeked boy in a Luftwaffe uniform. Proud, arrogant, in the super race. Lieutenant turned away. His face looked like it had been slapped hard. I stood there for a moment. It isn't very pleasant to see a man's world disintegrated by a photograph. What happened? They're not the ones. Oh. Now what? I don't know. I do. I'm jumping off the train. But why? They're after me, not you. If I'm off, the train is safe. Oh, sit down. You're making a fool of yourself. How do you propose to let him know you've jumped when we can't even locate him? I... I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I can't even die nobly, can I? Wait here for me, Lance. Where are you going? To find Dietrich. Mr. Calender, I was on my way to see you now. We need more time. The engineer must give us more time. But he won't. Well, he'll have to. Can the fireman run the train? Yes, but if he comes in... Excusez-moi. Que voulez-vous? La porte de cabinet est fermée. Vous vous dîtes quand nous avons quitté Calender? Ah bah, elle est fermée maintenant. Avez-vous attendu longtemps? Mais oui, pendant plus d'une heure. Oh, mon Dieu, vous que... Oh, mon maman. Mr. Calender, the little room at the end of the train has been locked so it won't exist since we left Calender. But Dietrich, that's where it is. That's the only place it could be. We've looked everywhere else. Yes. Get rid of the woman. Go on, I said. Get rid of her. Essayez l'autre voiture, madame. Oh, mais pourquoi? Essayez, madame. S'il vous plaît. Oh, merci. Oh, thank you. Shall we force the door? No. He'd set the thing off before we cracked it. But are you sure he's in there? I'm not sure he isn't in there. How will you find out? Well, I'm going to climb to the top of the car, move down to the laboratory, smash the window and shoot. And I hope I hit him and not the bomb. But if it is not he, then he would have killed an innocent man. And if it is and I don't shoot over a hundred innocent people, we'll be dead in five minutes. I don't know if I should permit it. After all, I'm the chief conductor. We've got five minutes, Dietrich. Don't try to stop me. The responsibility is yours. I will do what I can to help. All right. Now get Ernst. Tell him what I'm going to do. Tell him as soon as he hears the shots to have you open the door, he'll disarm the bomb. Now is that clear? Yes, Mr. Cullen. All right, then hurry. We only have four minutes. As they ran down the corridor, I turned and went to the door leading to the outside of the train. And there I took off my shoes and checked the pistol Ernst had given me. At any moment I expected the train to start slowing down, which I knew must be followed by the blast. Until I got to the roof of the car, I didn't quite know how I was going to reach down and break the glass. But when I got there, I saw that this time the brakes had come my way. This was an old relic that had the light standards at each end of the car. Carefully, so as not to betray any movement to the man beneath me, I hooked one leg around the standard and let myself ease down. But I hung there for a second. I thought that the man inside was the man I'd thought. This was my last chance, he had to be. Then suddenly there was a shift of wind and I was almost blinded by the cinders pouring out of the engine. I felt an imperceptible shudder go through the train as the brakes were applied. The time was now. I raised my gun and... Hello, Didrik. Everything cleaned up. Yes, Mr. Kaleme. The passengers are still a little excited. No doubt. You shoot very straight, Mr. Kaleme. The body will be turned over to the authorities in Hannover. Just a minute, Didrik. I'll be right back. Pardon me, madam. Oui? The door is open now. Je ne comprends pas. Forgive me. La porte est ouverte. Enfin! Merci. You're quite welcome, I assure you. Would you like to win a brand new 1954 High Style Plymouth Convertible? Well, then be sure to enter the big Plymouth contest that starts this Thursday. It's $25,000 in prizes, including six new 54 Plymouths and hundreds of cash prizes. Your Plymouth dealer can give you an entry blank next Thursday. You'll see it contains a complete list of the prizes and the easy rules. But don't put it off because the contest closes midnight Monday, October 19th. So how about a big red circle on the calendar around this coming Thursday? That's the day to see the new 54 Plymouths and enter the big contest. Is it a date? The special music for Escape was composed and conducted by Rex Corey. This is Roy Rowan speaking. Escape Transcribed was brought to you by Plymouth, along with a reminder that you visit your Plymouth dealer on Thursday. Enter the $25,000 contest and see the big, bright, beautiful new 54 Plymouth Thursday. This is the CBS Radio Network.
