WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:14.160 BTS 00:14.160 --> 00:16.160 Suspense. 00:31.160 --> 00:33.160 This is the man in black. 00:33.160 --> 00:37.160 Here again to introduce Columbia's program, Suspense. 00:37.160 --> 00:41.160 Heading our starring Hollywood cast this evening is Mr. Paul Lucas. 00:41.160 --> 00:45.160 And with him are Miss Heather Angel and Mr. Bramwell Fletcher. 00:45.160 --> 00:52.160 A story by John Dixon Carr dealing with strange, very strange happenings in a London curio shop. 00:52.160 --> 00:56.160 And called Mr. Markham, Antique Dealer. 00:56.160 --> 00:59.160 Is tonight's tale of Suspense. 00:59.160 --> 01:07.160 If you've been with us on these Tuesday nights, you will know that Suspense is compounded of mystery and suspicion and dangerous adventure. 01:07.160 --> 01:19.160 In this series our tales calculated to intrigue you, stir your nerves, to offer you a precarious situation and then withhold a solution till the last possible moment. 01:19.160 --> 01:41.160 And so with the performances of Heather Angel, Bramwell Fletcher, Paul Lucas as Mr. Markham, Antique Dealer, we again hope to keep you in Suspense. 01:41.160 --> 01:45.160 This is the story of a man who commits murder and gets away with it. 01:45.160 --> 01:47.160 Does the idea shock you? 01:47.160 --> 01:51.160 Do you believe that justice must always be done? 01:51.160 --> 01:53.160 But let's be honest with ourselves. 01:53.160 --> 01:58.160 You and I needn't be cynics to know that justice is very seldom done. 01:58.160 --> 02:00.160 Innocence flinches. 02:00.160 --> 02:03.160 Guilt is childlike and bland. 02:03.160 --> 02:05.160 Innocence is imposed upon. 02:05.160 --> 02:10.160 Guilt can encompass all things, even a successful murder. 02:10.160 --> 02:14.160 And I know this because I was the murderer you say? 02:14.160 --> 02:19.160 Oh no. Inquire Scotland Yard. 02:19.160 --> 02:22.160 I was the victim. 02:22.160 --> 02:32.160 In Bond Street, not far from Piccadilly, there used to be an establishment, which in a less fashionable part of town would have been called a shop. 02:32.160 --> 02:39.160 Under windows in letters as discreet as a visiting card were the words Charles Markham, Antique Dealer. 02:39.160 --> 02:44.160 Such a delightful fellow, Markham. Such a character. 02:44.160 --> 02:49.160 Thirty years ago, yes as long as that, this antique shop was a dingy place. 02:49.160 --> 02:55.160 Despite deep carpets and crystal chandeliers, it rustled with the ticking of a hundred clocks. 02:55.160 --> 03:00.160 It was shadowed by damson armor and the loom of tall tapestries. 03:00.160 --> 03:09.160 And late one summer night, when the shutters were long closed on those windows, a four-wheeler drew up before the door in the gaslit street. 03:16.160 --> 03:18.160 That's all, Cabby. You needn't wait. 03:18.160 --> 03:20.160 Very good, Miss. Good night. 03:20.160 --> 03:22.160 Good night. 03:22.160 --> 03:25.160 He must be here. He must be. 03:25.160 --> 03:31.160 I won't go back to that place. I'll kill myself first. 03:31.160 --> 03:35.160 Look here, old man. You needn't be. Oh, I beg your pardon. 03:35.160 --> 03:40.160 And I beg yours. I'm, I'm not the person you were expecting, am I? 03:40.160 --> 03:43.160 No, madam. As a matter of fact, I was expecting a police officer. 03:43.160 --> 03:44.160 A police officer? 03:44.160 --> 03:47.160 Oh, merely an old friend who was a police officer. 03:47.160 --> 03:52.160 Oh, merely an old friend who often drops in for a talk and a drink. 03:52.160 --> 03:54.160 You are Mr. Markham, aren't you? 03:54.160 --> 03:58.160 Yes, my name is Markham. Can I be of any service to you? 03:58.160 --> 04:02.160 I want to come in. I, I, I want to buy a present for somebody. 04:02.160 --> 04:04.160 Really, madam, this is hardly the time. 04:04.160 --> 04:06.160 Yes, I, I know it's late, but... 04:06.160 --> 04:09.160 It's nearly one o'clock, madam. Surely tomorrow morning will be... 04:09.160 --> 04:14.160 That'll be too late. This is a special occasion. It's, it's a birthday present. 04:14.160 --> 04:17.160 A birthday present. That's it, a birthday present. 04:17.160 --> 04:19.160 I've got to deliver it before breakfast. 04:19.160 --> 04:23.160 And, uh, Sir George Lytle says this is the only place in London to buy antiques. 04:23.160 --> 04:25.160 Sir George flatters me. 04:25.160 --> 04:28.160 Won't you let me come in? Just for five minutes. 04:28.160 --> 04:32.160 Well, under the circumstances, madam, I think it might be managed. 04:32.160 --> 04:35.160 Now, one moment while I put some lights on. 04:35.160 --> 04:38.160 No, please. That one little light will be enough. 04:38.160 --> 04:40.160 But you won't be able to see anything. 04:40.160 --> 04:43.160 That doesn't matter. I, I'll trust your judgment. 04:43.160 --> 04:46.160 Just as you like. This way, madam. 04:50.160 --> 04:52.160 What's that? That noise? 04:52.160 --> 04:54.160 Oh, you mean the clocks, madam? 04:54.160 --> 04:57.160 There are more than a hundred clocks in this room. 04:57.160 --> 04:59.160 I'm very fond of them. 04:59.160 --> 05:01.160 Don't they get on your nerves? 05:01.160 --> 05:03.160 Ticking away together like a nightmare? 05:03.160 --> 05:05.160 Striking the hours together? 05:05.160 --> 05:07.160 They don't strike together, madam. 05:07.160 --> 05:11.160 When the hour approaches, you will hear a musical din that lasts for some time. 05:11.160 --> 05:13.160 Might I interest you perhaps in a clock? 05:13.160 --> 05:15.160 No. I hate them. 05:15.160 --> 05:19.160 Now, all the same, this grandfather clock might amuse you. 05:19.160 --> 05:20.160 What about it? 05:20.160 --> 05:22.160 Observe the signature. 05:22.160 --> 05:28.160 Johannes Gukarver, Londini, facet A.D., 1752. 05:28.160 --> 05:31.160 You could see better, madam, if you raise that veil. 05:31.160 --> 05:33.160 I'll keep my veil down, thanks. 05:33.160 --> 05:35.160 Just as you please. 05:35.160 --> 05:37.160 But look at the clock. 05:37.160 --> 05:39.160 I open the glass face like this. 05:39.160 --> 05:43.160 Then I push the second hand forward like this and... 05:46.160 --> 05:50.160 One o'clock and all's well. 05:50.160 --> 05:53.160 One o'clock and all's well. 05:53.160 --> 05:54.160 What was that voice? 05:54.160 --> 05:56.160 Only the clock, madam. Nothing more. 05:56.160 --> 05:58.160 The clock spoke? 05:58.160 --> 06:00.160 Clever, isn't it? 06:00.160 --> 06:02.160 The devise of old John Carter. 06:02.160 --> 06:06.160 Anticipating Mr. Edison's gramophone by more than a hundred years. 06:06.160 --> 06:08.160 Oh, but you don't like clocks. 06:08.160 --> 06:09.160 No. 06:09.160 --> 06:12.160 May I ask whether the present is for a lady or a gentleman? 06:12.160 --> 06:14.160 It's for a man. 06:14.160 --> 06:16.160 Oh, has he some knowledge of antiques? 06:16.160 --> 06:18.160 Yes. I mean... 06:18.160 --> 06:20.160 Furniture, perhaps. 06:20.160 --> 06:23.160 Porcelain, bronzes, tapestries, weapons. 06:23.160 --> 06:25.160 He might be very much interested in weapons. 06:25.160 --> 06:28.160 Then I imagine his name is Mr. Ronald Gilbert. 06:30.160 --> 06:34.160 Now, will you tell me, Miss Ray, why you really came here tonight? 06:34.160 --> 06:36.160 So you know who I am. 06:36.160 --> 06:39.160 Oh, naturally. You are Miss Judith Ray. 06:39.160 --> 06:41.160 And why did you come here? 06:41.160 --> 06:44.160 I wanted to see what sort of a man you actually were. 06:44.160 --> 06:46.160 Oh, and have you found out? 06:46.160 --> 06:49.160 No, but... but I won't go back to prison. I won't. 06:49.160 --> 06:51.160 As you will. 06:51.160 --> 06:56.160 But since it's to be a business conference, Miss Ray, and I imagine it is... 06:56.160 --> 06:57.160 Yes. 06:57.160 --> 07:01.160 Well, then suppose we go into my office, here at the back of the shop. 07:01.160 --> 07:02.160 Will you proceed me? 07:02.160 --> 07:04.160 Thank you. 07:04.160 --> 07:07.160 I must excuse the dust covers I've put on the chairs here. 07:07.160 --> 07:10.160 I'm leaving for a holiday tomorrow, and the shop will be closed. 07:11.160 --> 07:13.160 Then I return next week, Miss Ray. 07:13.160 --> 07:15.160 I shall expect the amount requested. 07:15.160 --> 07:17.160 In cash, of course. 07:17.160 --> 07:20.160 But I can't raise 2,000 pounds. You ought to know that. 07:20.160 --> 07:23.160 Well, your fiancée could raise the money, I imagine. 07:23.160 --> 07:26.160 Ron? Do you think I'd have Ron know where I've been? 07:26.160 --> 07:28.160 Or what I've been? 07:28.160 --> 07:31.160 It's better than having his father learn it, surely. 07:31.160 --> 07:33.160 Now sit down, Miss Ray. 07:33.160 --> 07:35.160 I'll stand, thank you. 07:35.160 --> 07:37.160 Now, that's a very foolish gesture. 07:37.160 --> 07:39.160 But the ladies will do it. 07:39.160 --> 07:43.160 They think it gives them dignity and shows the disdain of the poor blackmailer. 07:43.160 --> 07:46.160 You see, I make no bones about it. I am a blackmailer. 07:46.160 --> 07:47.160 You seem rather proud of yourself. 07:47.160 --> 07:51.160 Why not? I am the one person in England, perhaps in the world, 07:51.160 --> 07:53.160 who has made it a large-scale business. 07:53.160 --> 07:55.160 Congratulations. 07:55.160 --> 07:58.160 And what is all life about blackmail? 07:58.160 --> 08:01.160 The child says, if you don't give me that, I'll scream. 08:01.160 --> 08:05.160 The woman says, if you go on behaving like this, I will leave you. 08:05.160 --> 08:08.160 Your sex, Miss Ray, are blackmailers from the cradle. 08:08.160 --> 08:10.160 You know, Charles Markham, I wonder... 08:10.160 --> 08:11.160 Yes? 08:11.160 --> 08:14.160 I wonder if anybody's ever hurt you very much. 08:14.160 --> 08:16.160 Hurt me? What do you mean? 08:16.160 --> 08:19.160 When you talk about the world and people in general, 08:19.160 --> 08:22.160 your face goes white under the eyes. 08:22.160 --> 08:24.160 You pick up that letter opener from the desk... 08:24.160 --> 08:27.160 Not a letter opener, please, Miss Ray. 08:27.160 --> 08:29.160 A Medici dagger. 08:29.160 --> 08:31.160 It's a century-old work. 08:31.160 --> 08:33.160 It isn't the money that really interests you. 08:33.160 --> 08:34.160 I don't understand. 08:34.160 --> 08:37.160 You hate the world. You just want to torture people. 08:37.160 --> 08:39.160 But you think you've been tortured, isn't that so? 08:39.160 --> 08:42.160 This is a very sharp dagger, Miss Ray. 08:42.160 --> 08:45.160 If I throw it down on the desk, it sticks. 08:45.160 --> 08:46.160 Like that. 08:46.160 --> 08:48.160 Isn't it so, Charles Markham? 08:48.160 --> 08:51.160 My motives, Miss Ray, aren't in question. 08:51.160 --> 08:52.160 I wonder... 08:52.160 --> 08:54.160 Whereas your motives are. Now, let me see. 08:54.160 --> 08:58.160 Ten years ago, in 1903, a certain girl called Blatty Wilson, 08:58.160 --> 09:01.160 a real name, I believe, fell in love with a rather contemptible 09:01.160 --> 09:03.160 underworld character named Arthur Akers. 09:03.160 --> 09:04.160 Please! 09:04.160 --> 09:06.160 No humiliation was too great for her. 09:06.160 --> 09:09.160 She worked for him, lied for him, stole for him. 09:09.160 --> 09:11.160 I was only 18. I didn't know what I was doing. 09:11.160 --> 09:13.160 Now, this girl, for a very shabby theft, 09:13.160 --> 09:16.160 was sentenced to three years' hard labor at Holloway Prison. 09:16.160 --> 09:19.160 Five months later, she escapes from prison and disappears. 09:19.160 --> 09:22.160 All these years afterwards, she appears in the West End 09:22.160 --> 09:24.160 as Miss Judith Ray, fashionable millionaire. 09:24.160 --> 09:26.160 Haven't I made up for it? Haven't I? 09:26.160 --> 09:27.160 No. 09:27.160 --> 09:29.160 I'm not going to make. After ten years... 09:29.160 --> 09:32.160 It's the way of the world, my dear. I didn't create it. 09:32.160 --> 09:34.160 And I'm forgetting the best part of the comedy. 09:34.160 --> 09:38.160 This paragon of virtue next falls in love with Mr. Ronald Gilbert, 09:38.160 --> 09:41.160 son of Major General Sir Edmund Gilbert. 09:41.160 --> 09:43.160 Such a respectable family. 09:43.160 --> 09:45.160 Stop it, please! 09:45.160 --> 09:48.160 Then, shall we say, 2,000 pounds? 09:48.160 --> 09:51.160 Suppose I did raise the money. I don't know how, but... 09:51.160 --> 09:53.160 Suppose I did raise it. Well? 09:53.160 --> 09:56.160 What guarantee would I have that you wouldn't ask for still more money? 09:56.160 --> 09:58.160 We shall ask for more money, Miss Ray. 09:58.160 --> 10:00.160 That's my privilege as a black mayor. 10:00.160 --> 10:02.160 Then... 10:02.160 --> 10:05.160 Then I'm never going to be free of you. Is that it? 10:05.160 --> 10:07.160 Well, frankly, that's it. 10:09.160 --> 10:11.160 Unless I kill you, of course. 10:11.160 --> 10:13.160 What if I did kill you? 10:13.160 --> 10:17.160 People have threatened it before, but they haven't meant it. 10:17.160 --> 10:19.160 Maybe I mean it. 10:19.160 --> 10:22.160 Well, we can easily test you out. 10:22.160 --> 10:25.160 There's a sharp knife stuck in the desk in front of you. 10:25.160 --> 10:29.160 I'm going to get up and deliberately turn my back on you. 10:29.160 --> 10:30.160 Like this. 10:30.160 --> 10:32.160 Be careful, Charles Markham. 10:32.160 --> 10:34.160 As a student of human nature, I'm curious. 10:34.160 --> 10:37.160 How much will you risk to keep this secret? 10:37.160 --> 10:40.160 Have you the courage to kill and risk hanging? 10:40.160 --> 10:43.160 Yes. I think I have. 10:44.160 --> 10:46.160 What was that? 10:46.160 --> 10:49.160 Now, aren't you glad you held back at the last moment, Miss Ray? 10:49.160 --> 10:51.160 I said, what was that? 10:51.160 --> 10:53.160 That, my dear, was the front doorbell. 10:53.160 --> 10:57.160 Probably my friend, Inspector Ross, from Bigmore Street Police Station. 10:57.160 --> 11:00.160 Come in, old man. Come on in. Make yourself comfortable. 11:00.160 --> 11:01.160 I'll be with you in a moment. 11:01.160 --> 11:03.160 You wanted me to attack you, didn't you? 11:03.160 --> 11:05.160 No, I was merely curious. 11:05.160 --> 11:09.160 And in any case, Miss Ray, it would be useless to kill me. 11:09.160 --> 11:11.160 Useless? Why? 11:11.160 --> 11:12.160 Because I shouldn't die. 11:12.160 --> 11:13.160 Don't talk rot. 11:13.160 --> 11:15.160 Oh, it's quite true. 11:15.160 --> 11:18.160 A man in my position must take certain precautions. 11:18.160 --> 11:23.160 If you kill me, I should be back to haunt you within half an hour. 11:23.160 --> 11:26.160 And I don't happen to be joking. 11:27.160 --> 11:29.160 Come in. 11:31.160 --> 11:33.160 I'm here, Martha. 11:33.160 --> 11:35.160 Good Lord, Judith. 11:35.160 --> 11:36.160 Ron. 11:36.160 --> 11:38.160 Mr. Ronald Gilbert, as I live. 11:38.160 --> 11:40.160 Ron, what are you doing here? 11:40.160 --> 11:43.160 He hasn't got anything against you, has he? 11:43.160 --> 11:45.160 Speak up, Mr. Gilbert. Have I? 11:45.160 --> 11:48.160 The fact is, Judith, I... 11:48.160 --> 11:50.160 Look at him, Miss Ray. 11:50.160 --> 11:53.160 See how he changes color and twists his moustache 11:53.160 --> 11:58.160 and altogether resembles a boy caught in his mother's gem cupboard. 11:58.160 --> 12:01.160 Perfect picture of a gentleman being a gentleman. 12:01.160 --> 12:04.160 Look here, Markham. I'm not very clever. 12:04.160 --> 12:07.160 You can always make a fool of me when you start talking, 12:07.160 --> 12:09.160 so let's stop talking. I've brought the money. 12:09.160 --> 12:10.160 What money? 12:10.160 --> 12:13.160 Oh, merely my fee for keeping quiet about you. 12:13.160 --> 12:16.160 So you went to Ron, too. You told him about it. 12:16.160 --> 12:20.160 Naturally. If possible, always sell you wares in two markets. 12:20.160 --> 12:21.160 How much money? 12:21.160 --> 12:24.160 Never mind, Judith. I hoped I could do this without your knowing. 12:24.160 --> 12:25.160 How much money? 12:25.160 --> 12:27.160 Three thousand. It's all I could raise. 12:27.160 --> 12:31.160 Has he... has he told you who I am and what I've been? 12:31.160 --> 12:34.160 Look here, Judith, who the devil cares who you are or what you've been? 12:34.160 --> 12:36.160 I happen to be in love with you. I... 12:36.160 --> 12:38.160 Never mind. Let's get out of here. 12:38.160 --> 12:41.160 Ron, it's no good. He'll only come back for more money. 12:41.160 --> 12:43.160 I know that. But what else can we do? 12:43.160 --> 12:44.160 Nothing, I'm afraid. 12:44.160 --> 12:46.160 Well, what's that knife doing there stuck in the desk? 12:46.160 --> 12:47.160 Nothing dangerous, I assure you. 12:47.160 --> 12:48.160 No? 12:48.160 --> 12:52.160 Merely a curio. I pick it up like this, I flip it down like this, 12:52.160 --> 12:53.160 and pick it up again. 12:53.160 --> 12:56.160 Miss Ray was very much interested in the dagger. 12:56.160 --> 12:58.160 Now, may I have that envelope with the money, please? 12:58.160 --> 12:59.160 There you are. Take it. 12:59.160 --> 13:02.160 Thank you. As I explained to Miss Ray, 13:02.160 --> 13:04.160 I'm leaving tomorrow for a holiday, 13:04.160 --> 13:07.160 hence the general disarray and the dust covers on the chairs. 13:07.160 --> 13:10.160 But before my departure, I'm glad we could settle this affair, 13:10.160 --> 13:11.160 as you would say, like gentlemen. 13:11.160 --> 13:13.160 Before we clear out of here, Markham, 13:13.160 --> 13:15.160 there's just one favor I'd like to ask. 13:15.160 --> 13:17.160 Well, of course, old man, ask away. 13:17.160 --> 13:19.160 This is your job, I suppose. 13:19.160 --> 13:21.160 You can't help being what you are, 13:21.160 --> 13:23.160 but never again, as long as you live... 13:23.160 --> 13:24.160 Well? 13:24.160 --> 13:27.160 Never even say the word, gentlemen. 13:27.160 --> 13:29.160 Be careful, Ron. Look at his face. 13:29.160 --> 13:32.160 Tell me, Mr. Gilbert, how much money is in this envelope? 13:32.160 --> 13:34.160 You heard what I said, 3,000 pounds. 13:34.160 --> 13:37.160 Then take it back, my friend. 13:37.160 --> 13:40.160 I fanged. We can't strike a bargain after all. 13:40.160 --> 13:41.160 What do you mean? 13:41.160 --> 13:44.160 Just what I say. Here is your money. 13:44.160 --> 13:46.160 You will now oblige me, both you and Miss Ray, 13:46.160 --> 13:47.160 by leaving my shop. 13:47.160 --> 13:49.160 What... what are you going to do? 13:49.160 --> 13:51.160 Tomorrow morning, perhaps even tonight, 13:51.160 --> 13:53.160 I'm going to get in touch with the police, 13:53.160 --> 13:56.160 and I shall tell them where they can find Letty Wilson, 13:56.160 --> 13:58.160 alias Judith Ray. 13:58.160 --> 13:59.160 You can't do that, Markham. 13:59.160 --> 14:02.160 Oh, yes, he can. You hit him where it hurts. 14:02.160 --> 14:05.160 3,000 pounds, my friend, is not enough compensation 14:05.160 --> 14:07.160 for the way you talk. 14:07.160 --> 14:09.160 There is a way through the shop. 14:09.160 --> 14:11.160 Shall I escort you to the front door? 14:11.160 --> 14:12.160 No. 14:12.160 --> 14:16.160 Oh, so you prefer to stay here and make a fool of yourself. 14:16.160 --> 14:18.160 You're not going to tell the police, Markham. 14:18.160 --> 14:19.160 I promise you that. 14:19.160 --> 14:21.160 And how are you going to stop me? 14:21.160 --> 14:22.160 With this. 14:22.160 --> 14:24.160 Ron, put that gun away. 14:24.160 --> 14:25.160 It's a funny thing, Judith. 14:25.160 --> 14:27.160 I felt a bit of a fool, you know, 14:27.160 --> 14:29.160 bringing this revolver along. 14:29.160 --> 14:31.160 But now I've got a use for it. 14:31.160 --> 14:35.160 Oh, yes, I've got a use for it. 14:35.160 --> 14:38.160 Maybe the best thing would be to go into the street now 14:38.160 --> 14:40.160 and call a policeman. 14:40.160 --> 14:42.160 You'll never get into the street, Markham. 14:42.160 --> 14:44.160 Are you following me into the shop? 14:44.160 --> 14:45.160 Yes. 14:45.160 --> 14:47.160 So both of you, it appears, 14:47.160 --> 14:50.160 came here under false pretenses. 14:50.160 --> 14:52.160 You said you wanted to pay me some money. 14:52.160 --> 14:54.160 The money's still here, but you've lost your chance to get it. 14:54.160 --> 14:57.160 And your dear Judith said she wanted to buy a present for you. 14:57.160 --> 14:59.160 I showed her this grandfather clock here, 14:59.160 --> 15:00.160 this talking clock. 15:00.160 --> 15:02.160 You go a step beyond that clock, Markham. 15:02.160 --> 15:03.160 I warn you. 15:03.160 --> 15:05.160 Nonsense, old man. You wouldn't dare shoot. 15:05.160 --> 15:06.160 Wouldn't I? 15:06.160 --> 15:08.160 No, and I'll call your bluff. 15:08.160 --> 15:10.160 One step. 15:10.160 --> 15:11.160 Two steps. 15:11.160 --> 15:13.160 Charlie! 15:13.160 --> 15:16.160 I know you'll hold silly tried, my friend. 15:16.160 --> 15:18.160 You wouldn't risk it. 15:18.160 --> 15:20.160 No, you wouldn't. 15:20.160 --> 15:21.160 What's happening to me? 15:21.160 --> 15:23.160 Don't try and grab onto the clock, Markham. 15:23.160 --> 15:24.160 It won't save you. 15:24.160 --> 15:26.160 You wouldn't risk your life. 15:26.160 --> 15:28.160 You wouldn't risk your family position. 15:28.160 --> 15:30.160 You wouldn't risk your life. 15:33.160 --> 15:37.160 One fifteen and all's well. 15:37.160 --> 15:41.160 One fifteen and all's well. 15:43.160 --> 15:45.160 I had to do it, Judith. 15:45.160 --> 15:47.160 Don't you see I had to do it? 15:47.160 --> 15:49.160 Did you? Is he? 15:49.160 --> 15:51.160 Oh, yes. Yes, he's done for. 15:51.160 --> 15:53.160 I tell you, I had to do it. 15:53.160 --> 15:54.160 Keep your voice down. 15:54.160 --> 15:55.160 Why? 15:55.160 --> 15:58.160 That shot sounded like the crack of doom. 15:58.160 --> 16:00.160 I wonder if anybody in the street heard it. 16:00.160 --> 16:01.160 You mean the police? 16:01.160 --> 16:02.160 Yes, Ron. 16:02.160 --> 16:04.160 What in heaven's name are we going to do? 16:04.160 --> 16:06.160 Steady, steady. We'll find a way out. 16:06.160 --> 16:08.160 Maybe he's not dead, Ron. 16:08.160 --> 16:09.160 Go and look at him. 16:09.160 --> 16:10.160 He's dead, all right. 16:10.160 --> 16:12.160 Please, Ron. 16:12.160 --> 16:14.160 Go and look at him. 16:15.160 --> 16:16.160 Well? 16:16.160 --> 16:17.160 Shot through the heart. 16:17.160 --> 16:19.160 The bullet went clean through him 16:19.160 --> 16:21.160 and smashed the face of the grandfather clock. 16:21.160 --> 16:23.160 That's all I can see in this dim light. 16:23.160 --> 16:25.160 This isn't happening to us. 16:25.160 --> 16:26.160 It can't be happening. 16:26.160 --> 16:28.160 I've got to think, but it's hard to think. 16:28.160 --> 16:31.160 You see, Judith, I'm not in a rage any longer. 16:31.160 --> 16:33.160 I'm just numb and a little bit scared. 16:33.160 --> 16:35.160 You're not going to give yourself up. 16:35.160 --> 16:37.160 And have this whole thing made public? Not likely. 16:37.160 --> 16:38.160 Wait a minute. 16:38.160 --> 16:39.160 There may be a way out. 16:39.160 --> 16:40.160 What way? 16:40.160 --> 16:42.160 He said he was going for a holiday. Remember? 16:42.160 --> 16:43.160 Well, suppose he did. 16:43.160 --> 16:44.160 That gives us time. 16:44.160 --> 16:46.160 It means his absence won't be noticed. 16:46.160 --> 16:48.160 The shop will be closed. 16:48.160 --> 16:49.160 Nobody will come here for days. 16:49.160 --> 16:51.160 And certainly nobody will come here tonight and... 16:51.160 --> 16:52.160 What's that? 16:52.160 --> 16:55.160 The police officer. 16:55.160 --> 16:57.160 I forgot the police officer. 16:57.160 --> 16:58.160 What police officer? 16:58.160 --> 16:59.160 A friend of Markham's. 16:59.160 --> 17:01.160 Inspector somebody or other from Wigmore Street. 17:01.160 --> 17:03.160 He's inspected here tonight. 17:03.160 --> 17:04.160 Then we're finished. 17:04.160 --> 17:05.160 No, Ronnie. 17:05.160 --> 17:07.160 We're not finished. 17:07.160 --> 17:09.160 He can't see anything out there. 17:09.160 --> 17:11.160 The shutters are down and the door is covered. 17:11.160 --> 17:13.160 Could you... 17:13.160 --> 17:15.160 Could you pick Markham up and carry him? 17:15.160 --> 17:17.160 Yes, yes, I could. Why? 17:17.160 --> 17:19.160 There must be a back way out of the shop. 17:19.160 --> 17:20.160 Probably in the office. 17:20.160 --> 17:22.160 Hurry, Ron. 17:22.160 --> 17:24.160 I don't like to touch him. 17:24.160 --> 17:26.160 Hurry, Ron. Please. 17:26.160 --> 17:28.160 He's as heavy as a sack of meal. 17:28.160 --> 17:30.160 He seems to be looking straight at me. 17:30.160 --> 17:32.160 I know. 17:32.160 --> 17:34.160 Everything here seems to have eyes 17:34.160 --> 17:36.160 and move a little in the shadow. 17:36.160 --> 17:40.160 Didn't you see the expression in Markham's eyes just before you... 17:40.160 --> 17:42.160 No, no, I didn't. 17:42.160 --> 17:44.160 He seemed to be looking behind us or beyond us. 17:44.160 --> 17:46.160 I don't know how to describe it. 17:46.160 --> 17:48.160 And he said something too that scared me. 17:48.160 --> 17:50.160 He said he couldn't die. 17:50.160 --> 17:52.160 He said... 17:52.160 --> 17:54.160 Close the door, quick. 17:56.160 --> 17:58.160 This police officer, Judith, 17:58.160 --> 18:00.160 he can't get into the shop, can he? 18:00.160 --> 18:02.160 Of course he can. 18:02.160 --> 18:04.160 The front door isn't locked. 18:04.160 --> 18:06.160 That's true. What's wrong with me, Judith? 18:06.160 --> 18:08.160 I came in that way myself. 18:08.160 --> 18:10.160 And there's no time to lock the front door now. 18:10.160 --> 18:12.160 Our only hope is through the back way. 18:12.160 --> 18:14.160 I thought I'd seen a back door and... 18:14.160 --> 18:16.160 There it is. 18:16.160 --> 18:18.160 Just a minute. 18:18.160 --> 18:20.160 I've killed a man. 18:20.160 --> 18:22.160 That means I'm a murderer. 18:22.160 --> 18:24.160 A fraction of a second, one tick of a clock in there, 18:24.160 --> 18:26.160 and you change from an ordinary happy person into... 18:26.160 --> 18:28.160 into what I... 18:28.160 --> 18:30.160 Well, Judith, well... 18:30.160 --> 18:32.160 I'm sorry, Vaughan. The door's locked. 18:32.160 --> 18:34.160 Isn't there a key? 18:34.160 --> 18:36.160 No. Maybe in his pockets on a key ring. 18:36.160 --> 18:38.160 There isn't time, Vaughan. 18:38.160 --> 18:40.160 I think I heard the front door open. 18:40.160 --> 18:42.160 Our visitor's coming in. 18:42.160 --> 18:44.160 I've got it. The dust covers. 18:44.160 --> 18:46.160 Those white cloths that... that cover, 18:46.160 --> 18:48.160 that fit over the chairs. Look at them. 18:48.160 --> 18:50.160 What on earth are you talking about? 18:50.160 --> 18:52.160 We used to play a game when we were kids. 18:52.160 --> 18:54.160 Somebody sits in a big chair, you know, you... 18:54.160 --> 18:56.160 you fit the dust cover over him and... 18:56.160 --> 18:58.160 and nobody can tell he's sitting there. 18:58.160 --> 19:00.160 Don't you see, Judith? That's how we can hide Markham's body. 19:00.160 --> 19:02.160 It might work if there's time. 19:02.160 --> 19:04.160 There's got to be time. Take the big cover off that chair. 19:04.160 --> 19:06.160 The wing chair. 19:06.160 --> 19:08.160 All right. Maybe there's a chance. 19:08.160 --> 19:10.160 I'll fit him into it. Arms along the chair arms. 19:10.160 --> 19:12.160 Feet push back. 19:12.160 --> 19:14.160 Now. Put the cover back again and... 19:14.160 --> 19:16.160 and pull it round down his feet. 19:16.160 --> 19:18.160 Don't let it touch his chest. 19:18.160 --> 19:20.160 The blood will show through. 19:20.160 --> 19:22.160 There. That's got it. You can't see anything now, can you? 19:22.160 --> 19:24.160 No, but... Ron. 19:24.160 --> 19:26.160 Well? 19:26.160 --> 19:28.160 What did you do with the gun? 19:28.160 --> 19:30.160 The gun? The gun you shot Markham with. 19:30.160 --> 19:32.160 Oh. Oh, Judith, I put it down on the floor when I picked up his body. 19:32.160 --> 19:34.160 Out in the other room? Yes, yes. I'm afraid so. 19:34.160 --> 19:36.160 And it's too late now, Judith. 19:36.160 --> 19:38.160 The police are here. 19:38.160 --> 19:40.160 What are you going to say? 19:40.160 --> 19:42.160 I don't know. Trust your wits and try and brazen it out. 19:44.160 --> 19:46.160 Yes? Come in. 19:48.160 --> 19:50.160 Good evening, Miss Ray. 19:50.160 --> 19:52.160 And good evening, Mr. Gilbert. 19:52.160 --> 19:54.160 Charles Markham? 19:54.160 --> 19:56.160 You're Charles Markham? 19:56.160 --> 19:58.160 Correct, Miss Ray. 19:58.160 --> 20:00.160 Why should that surprise you? 20:00.160 --> 20:02.160 Why do you look as though you were seeing a ghost? 20:02.160 --> 20:04.160 Because we are seeing a ghost. 20:04.160 --> 20:06.160 If you're Charles Markham, whose body is... 20:06.160 --> 20:08.160 Judith, be careful. 20:08.160 --> 20:10.160 Body, Miss Ray? Did you say body? 20:10.160 --> 20:12.160 Miss Ray's upset. She doesn't know what she's talking about. 20:12.160 --> 20:14.160 If you killed me, I should be back to haunt you within half an hour. 20:14.160 --> 20:16.160 That's what he said. 20:16.160 --> 20:18.160 I tell you, Miss Ray isn't herself. 20:18.160 --> 20:20.160 She had bad news today. A relative of hers died. 20:20.160 --> 20:22.160 I've been trying to make her feel better. 20:22.160 --> 20:24.160 Indeed. 20:24.160 --> 20:26.160 Do you think it would make her feel better to bring her here? 20:26.160 --> 20:28.160 I don't understand. 20:28.160 --> 20:30.160 My dear sir, you are very welcome. 20:30.160 --> 20:32.160 But the situation is truly a little odd. 20:32.160 --> 20:34.160 I come in here and find you two 20:34.160 --> 20:36.160 looking as guilty as a pair of murderers. 20:36.160 --> 20:38.160 If in my private office in the middle of the night. 20:38.160 --> 20:40.160 There's nothing odd about that. 20:40.160 --> 20:42.160 I wanted to buy Judith something. 20:42.160 --> 20:44.160 At one o'clock in the morning? 20:44.160 --> 20:46.160 Yes. Why not? 20:46.160 --> 20:48.160 Well, may I ask how you managed to get in? 20:48.160 --> 20:50.160 The front door was open. We just walked in. 20:50.160 --> 20:52.160 If you wish to buy something, why not stay in the showroom? 20:52.160 --> 20:54.160 Why come to my office? 20:54.160 --> 20:56.160 Hang it all. You don't think we wanted to steal anything, do you? 20:56.160 --> 20:58.160 Well, that thought did occur to me. 20:58.160 --> 21:00.160 You see, there was nobody else here. 21:00.160 --> 21:02.160 There's nobody here, Mr. Markham. 21:02.160 --> 21:04.160 Not a living soul. 21:04.160 --> 21:07.160 Then you didn't meet any chance my brother? 21:07.160 --> 21:09.160 Your...your brother? 21:09.160 --> 21:11.160 Yes, my brother Robert. 21:11.160 --> 21:13.160 You couldn't have mistaken him if you had seen him. 21:13.160 --> 21:16.160 He looks so much like me that few people can tell us apart. 21:16.160 --> 21:19.160 Oh. So that's it. 21:19.160 --> 21:22.160 Poor Robert. Often deputizes for me. 21:22.160 --> 21:26.160 He's learned to act like me, think like me, and talk like me. 21:26.160 --> 21:28.160 But he doesn't like the work very much. 21:28.160 --> 21:31.160 Of course, you know what my work really is. 21:31.160 --> 21:33.160 Is this part of the game? Are you playing a game? 21:33.160 --> 21:35.160 Are you trying to play cat and mouse with it? 21:35.160 --> 21:37.160 Robert is an idealist. 21:37.160 --> 21:41.160 He thinks, poor fellow, that my profession is beneath contempt. 21:41.160 --> 21:45.160 But he acts the part and acts it well because I pay him. 21:45.160 --> 21:50.160 And I find it useful to have a double who will run risks for me. 21:50.160 --> 21:52.160 What have you done with his body? 21:52.160 --> 21:54.160 We...we haven't done anything with him. 21:54.160 --> 21:56.160 If you've killed Robert, my friend, 21:56.160 --> 21:59.160 you've committed a totally useless murder. 21:59.160 --> 22:01.160 You don't see him here, do you? 22:01.160 --> 22:03.160 But I see his handiwork. 22:03.160 --> 22:04.160 Meaning what? 22:04.160 --> 22:08.160 I've warned him many times about throwing a knife down on a polished desk top. 22:08.160 --> 22:11.160 Those scratches on the desk are fresh scratches. 22:11.160 --> 22:14.160 Of course, if you give me your word of honor that he's not here... 22:14.160 --> 22:16.160 Of course he's not here. 22:16.160 --> 22:21.160 Well, in that case, all we can do is sit down and make ourselves comfortable. 22:21.160 --> 22:24.160 Will you sit there, Mr. Gilbert, and you, Miss Ray, 22:24.160 --> 22:27.160 in that wing chair by the window? 22:27.160 --> 22:30.160 What's wrong, Miss Ray? Why don't you sit down? 22:30.160 --> 22:32.160 I prefer to stand, thank you. 22:32.160 --> 22:36.160 Then perhaps you won't mind if I sit in the wing chair? 22:36.160 --> 22:38.160 It's a very comfortable one. My brother always says... 22:38.160 --> 22:40.160 Don't...don't sit down there for the life... 22:40.160 --> 22:43.160 Oh. So that's it. 22:43.160 --> 22:46.160 Yes. That's it. 22:46.160 --> 22:48.160 It is rather a thick chair. 22:48.160 --> 22:51.160 I press against the dust cover and blood comes through. 22:51.160 --> 22:53.160 I lift the bottom of the dust cover and... 22:53.160 --> 22:56.160 What's the use of going on with this? 22:56.160 --> 22:57.160 I killed him. 22:57.160 --> 22:58.160 You admit that? 22:58.160 --> 22:59.160 Yes, I admit it. 22:59.160 --> 23:02.160 But Judith had nothing to do with this. I swear she hadn't. 23:02.160 --> 23:05.160 My telephone, you notice, is against the wall. 23:05.160 --> 23:07.160 I shall have to turn my back to you when I ring. 23:07.160 --> 23:09.160 Ring? Where? 23:09.160 --> 23:11.160 Bigmore Street Police Station. 23:11.160 --> 23:14.160 Oh, no. Give him a chance. Please give him a chance. 23:14.160 --> 23:17.160 Hello? Hello, operator. 23:17.160 --> 23:19.160 I want Regent 0586. 23:19.160 --> 23:22.160 I won't let them take you on. I won't. 23:22.160 --> 23:24.160 It's no good, Judith. 23:24.160 --> 23:26.160 I killed a man. I meant to kill him. 23:26.160 --> 23:28.160 That's all there is to it. 23:28.160 --> 23:30.160 A very sensible attitude, my friend. 23:30.160 --> 23:34.160 And if the lady has any idea of flying at me with that knife, 23:34.160 --> 23:36.160 just notice what I've got here. 23:36.160 --> 23:39.160 A.32 revolver in one chamber fired, 23:39.160 --> 23:41.160 picked up off the floor in that room where... 23:41.160 --> 23:43.160 Hello? 23:43.160 --> 23:45.160 Hello? Wigmore Street Police Station. 23:45.160 --> 23:47.160 For the last time, Mr. Markham. 23:47.160 --> 23:49.160 Won't you give him a chance? 23:49.160 --> 23:50.160 Be quiet, Miss Ray. 23:50.160 --> 23:52.160 May I speak to Inspector Ross, please? 23:52.160 --> 23:55.160 Inspector Ross speaking? Isn't that Mr. Markham? 23:55.160 --> 23:58.160 Got it in one, Inspector. Charles Markham here. 23:58.160 --> 24:01.160 I understand you were going to drop in and see me tonight. 24:01.160 --> 24:04.160 I intended to, Mr. Markham, but I'm afraid I can't make it now. 24:04.160 --> 24:06.160 Why not? Anything wrong? 24:06.160 --> 24:09.160 Only a robbery in Davies Street, but it's likely to be a long job. 24:09.160 --> 24:11.160 Sorry I can't get there. 24:11.160 --> 24:13.160 Well, that's perfectly all right, Inspector, 24:13.160 --> 24:16.160 because actually I rang up to make sure you wouldn't come here tonight. 24:16.160 --> 24:18.160 You see, I've got a lot of work to do, 24:18.160 --> 24:21.160 and I'm leaving for Eastbourne early tomorrow morning. 24:21.160 --> 24:23.160 Let's make it some other time, shall we? 24:23.160 --> 24:25.160 Oh, glad to, Mr. Markham. 24:25.160 --> 24:27.160 No crime has been committed up your way, I suppose? 24:27.160 --> 24:30.160 No, Inspector. It's as quiet as the grave. 24:30.160 --> 24:33.160 I've never known a more peaceful night. Goodbye. 24:35.160 --> 24:37.160 Why did you do that? 24:37.160 --> 24:39.160 Now, please, don't excite yourself, Miss Ray. 24:39.160 --> 24:41.160 Didn't you hear what I told the Inspector? 24:41.160 --> 24:44.160 Yes, but is this some more trickery? 24:44.160 --> 24:46.160 Trickery? How can it be? 24:46.160 --> 24:49.160 I don't know. That's what I'm asking you. 24:49.160 --> 24:52.160 I should call it generous when I let my poor brother's death go. 24:52.160 --> 24:54.160 You're not doing this without a reason. 24:54.160 --> 24:57.160 Naturally not. But has it occurred to you, either of you, 24:57.160 --> 25:01.160 that I might not want my business dealings revealed in court? 25:01.160 --> 25:03.160 What are you driving at? 25:03.160 --> 25:05.160 And has it also occurred to you that a man's double, 25:05.160 --> 25:09.160 who looks exactly like him and shares all his secrets, 25:09.160 --> 25:12.160 may become a danger rather than an asset? 25:12.160 --> 25:15.160 He knows too much, he wants too much, and so... 25:15.160 --> 25:18.160 I think I understand. You're glad he's dead. 25:18.160 --> 25:21.160 Not glad, my dear. You shock my brother with feelings. 25:21.160 --> 25:23.160 But definitely relieved. 25:23.160 --> 25:25.160 Look here, you can't get away with this. 25:25.160 --> 25:28.160 Get away with it, sir? Aren't you forgetting that you are the murderer? 25:28.160 --> 25:30.160 Then what are you going to do? 25:30.160 --> 25:33.160 It is very simple. We three, in an unholy partnership, 25:33.160 --> 25:35.160 will dispose of Robert's body. 25:35.160 --> 25:37.160 Or would you rather hang? 25:37.160 --> 25:40.160 He's got us wrong. There's no other way. 25:40.160 --> 25:42.160 But how can we dispose of the body? 25:42.160 --> 25:44.160 This seems worse than killing him. 25:44.160 --> 25:46.160 It's filthy, cold-blooded practical necessity. 25:46.160 --> 25:49.160 And as for disposing of the body, nothing is easier. 25:49.160 --> 25:51.160 We shall simply gather the... 25:59.160 --> 26:01.160 And so, as I said before, 26:01.160 --> 26:05.160 this is the story of a man who commits murder and gets away with it. 26:05.160 --> 26:08.160 Now, Ronald Gilbert looks back across the years 26:08.160 --> 26:12.160 and is still firmly convinced of his own guilt. 26:12.160 --> 26:15.160 But of course, Gilbert never shot anybody. 26:15.160 --> 26:18.160 I was the man who committed the murder. 26:18.160 --> 26:20.160 Don't you remember? 26:20.160 --> 26:23.160 The bullet that killed my brother is supposed to have passed through his body 26:23.160 --> 26:25.160 and smashed the face of the grandfather clock. 26:25.160 --> 26:27.160 But that's an impossibility. 26:27.160 --> 26:31.160 The face of a grandfather clock is much higher than the heart of a man. 26:31.160 --> 26:35.160 You see, two shots were fired at the very same instant. 26:35.160 --> 26:38.160 Gilbert missed and smashed the clock face. 26:38.160 --> 26:42.160 I fired from the door of the office and did not miss. 26:42.160 --> 26:45.160 That was why my brother looked past those two. 26:45.160 --> 26:50.160 I went out by the back door, locked it, and reappeared at the front afterwards. 26:50.160 --> 26:54.160 It was not Robert Markham who died. 26:54.160 --> 26:57.160 I am Robert Markham. 26:57.160 --> 27:00.160 It was Charles who died that night. 27:00.160 --> 27:04.160 And I killed him to stop forever the wholesale blackmail 27:04.160 --> 27:09.160 that was poisoning the lives and blasting the hearts of a thousand half-crazed people. 27:09.160 --> 27:13.160 His records are destroyed, his correspondence are burned. 27:13.160 --> 27:15.160 He is dead and gone. 27:15.160 --> 27:19.160 I have assumed his name and identity ever since. 27:19.160 --> 27:21.160 I committed a murder. 27:21.160 --> 27:24.160 And yet, if you sat on a jury, 27:24.160 --> 27:27.160 dare you say that you would condemn me? 27:27.160 --> 27:47.160 Come now, would you? 27:47.160 --> 27:51.160 And so closes Mr. Markham, Antique Dealer, 27:51.160 --> 27:55.160 starring Paul Lucas with Heather Angel and Bramwell Fletcher. 27:55.160 --> 28:00.160 And the story of suspense. 28:00.160 --> 28:03.160 This is your narrator, the man in black, 28:03.160 --> 28:06.160 who conveys to you Columbia's invitation to spend this half hour in suspense 28:06.160 --> 28:08.160 with us again next Tuesday, 28:08.160 --> 28:11.160 when we will have the pleasure of bringing you Mr. Charles Lawton 28:11.160 --> 28:13.160 and Miss Elsa Lanchester, 28:13.160 --> 28:16.160 who will star in one of the most famous and suspenseful 28:16.160 --> 28:21.160 of Agatha Christie's thrillers, The ABC Murders. 28:21.160 --> 28:24.160 The producer of these broadcasts is William Spear, 28:24.160 --> 28:26.160 the director, Lut Bluskin, and Lucian Morawick, 28:26.160 --> 28:28.160 conductor and composer, 28:28.160 --> 28:30.160 and John Dixon Carr, the author, 28:30.160 --> 28:35.160 collaborated on tonight's suspense. 28:35.160 --> 28:56.160 This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.