Suspense!
Tonight, to find help, starring Frank Sinatra and Agnes Moorhead.
My roomer, Mr. Armstrong, tried to warn me that morning he left on his business trip.
I remember we were just finishing breakfast and he was rather in a hurry.
I don't care what you say, Mrs. Gillis, I just plain don't like it.
You're alone here in the house all day. There are no close neighbors.
After all, you know nothing about the man.
Good gracious, Mr. Armstrong, you'd think I was a pretty young thing of twenty to hear you tell it.
And another thing, it seems very strange to me that a young man should be job-hunting from door to door in this day and age.
Why, there are plenty of jobs to be had.
That's why it's so difficult to find help these days.
Oh, you're a worry ward, Mr. Armstrong.
Now that I've found someone to do my heavy work, I'm not going to let your silly notions change my mind.
All the same, though, I'm not leaving the house this morning till I get a look at the guy.
I remember I kept worrying about poor Mr. Armstrong missing his train because it was getting to be nine o'clock.
He dried the breakfast dishes for me and as he talked, he kept looking out of the window towards the long driveway.
Hey, here he comes.
Well, I guess I needn't have worried.
Mr. Armstrong was smiling before he'd seen my young man who was coming up the driveway.
And I smiled, too.
Even I had forgotten what a meek, harmless-looking lad he was.
Why, he could hardly be called a man at all, I thought.
Sure, that's the critter who's been causing me all this mental anger.
There, there, you see, you and your silly ideas.
Why, the little guy's not strong enough to keep a regular job, I suppose.
Why, I believe Sarah's getting some of your foolish notions, Mr. Armstrong.
There, there, there, now, Sarah.
I'm sorry that we made you nervous about him.
Why, you could see the guy.
He'll hear you.
Oh, good morning. Good morning. I've been expecting you.
This is my rumor, Mr. Armstrong. I don't believe you told me your name.
I'm Howard Wilton, ma'am.
Ah, hello, Howard. I'm glad you've come.
I know you'll be of great help to Mrs. Gillis.
And you'll be company, too.
Well, I'm off. Take care of yourself.
I don't think you'll have much trouble.
I don't believe your dog likes me, Mrs. Gillis.
Oh, yes, of course she does.
But she's just getting a little old and peedy.
Oh.
Come along now, Howard, and I'll show you where to hang your coat.
Yes. Oh, yes. I always hang my coat up.
He followed me into the closet storeroom at the back of the house.
Then I handed him a clothes hanger and a rough heavy apron,
which I kept for cleaning help.
Is this apron clean, Mrs. Gillis?
Why, of course it's clean. No one's worn it since it was laundered last.
But there are spots on it. See?
Spots? Well, here, let me look at it.
Oh, for that's paint. No dirt and dried paint.
Well, if you don't mind, I'd rather not wear it.
Well, what'll you wear then? You didn't bring other clothes, did you?
I'm a neat worker, Mrs. Gillis. You needn't worry about my clothes. No.
I turned, and the light hitting his face from the small window
made him look so different.
I was startled for a moment, and then I thought,
you're a silly old woman, Mrs. Gillis.
And then I smiled.
Are you laughing at me, Mrs. Gillis?
Oh, why, no. I was laughing at myself.
Come along. Let's get started now.
You'd only been at the den floor a short time when I heard him walk back
to the closet storeroom.
Can I help you, son?
I'm going after my coat, Mrs. Gillis.
I don't like it being out there in the storeroom.
It's a breeding place for moths, you know.
Oh. Oh, now, son, it takes longer than that for moths to do any damage.
Perhaps you won't think it's quite so amusing when I tell you
that it's my best and only coat.
Oh, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.
Oh, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Howard.
Where would you like to put it? In the kitchen, perhaps?
No, the cooking fumes wouldn't be good for it.
I'll take it right in the den with me.
That is, if you don't mind.
We'll go right ahead, Howard.
If you don't mind.
Suddenly I was thankful that there was a phone.
He was such a peculiar boy.
I wasn't really alarmed. Not then I wasn't.
Still, it was good to know the phone was there
and that old Sarah was still in the breakfast room asleep.
I went on about my own work that morning,
but several times I went into the den to have a look at him.
He wasn't doing much. I could see that.
He seemed to keep polishing one small square in the corner of the room.
Is there anything you need, Howard?
Howard?
I won't be spied upon, Mrs. Gillis. I won't put up with that.
Well, see, see here, lad,
I think we must have gotten off on the wrong foot.
I'm not spying on you.
Then why do you keep popping in like this?
Why?
Would you like me to go faster?
Would you like me to spill out my life's blood for you here on the floor?
Is that what you're after?
Howard, I'm not spying on you.
I'm not spying on you.
Howard, are you well? Are you well enough to work?
Of course I'm well.
If only you'd quit bothering and pestering and questioning me.
Is that too much to ask?
Well, look, look, Howard, I'm, I'm interested in young men.
I have two boys of my own. They're in the service.
You see that Bill on the desk there?
He's a Marine. And, and on the table there, that's Dennis.
He's in the infantry. He's overseas.
So that's why you hate me. I see it all now.
Hate you?
Well, what ever gave you that?
Yes, you hate me. I could tell at the moment I walked into this house this morning.
But Howard, why did you...
You hate me because I'm young and I'm not in the service like your boys.
Why? Why? It never occurred to me.
You must know I was grateful when you came looking for work.
Grateful? You resented me.
The only reason you have me here is to work my life's blood away.
To punish me for not being in the service just because your sons are in the service and I'm out.
Son, son, you're ill.
Let's put the work away now and I'll make you a cup of tea.
Oh, so you don't want me to do the job, is that it?
You're like the Army. There was a job to be done and they wouldn't let me in.
Now you'd like to stop me in the middle of this.
I only want you to do whatever will make you feel better.
Well, leave me alone then.
Very well.
Mrs. Gillis.
Yes?
I'll tell you why I'm not in the Army, if you insist.
I don't insist at all, Howard.
If you must know, I'll tell you.
They said... they said there was something wrong with my mind.
Yes, I just thought maybe you'd like to know, Mrs. Gillis.
They said there was something wrong with my mind.
The first thing that I thought of when I reached the hallway was the phone,
but it was in the den with Howard.
I ran quickly to the back door, but it was locked and the key wasn't in its usual place.
The front door, but it was locked too.
And I... I heard a crash.
It came from the den.
I rushed in to find Howard peacefully polishing away at the same spot.
He hadn't moved an inch.
He didn't look up at me.
Then I saw the phone which had fallen to the floor beside him.
But it hadn't just fallen.
The wires had been torn out of the wall.
The phone, Mrs. Gillis, it fell.
But... the wires?
I suppose you think I ruined your phone.
The wires?
That happened when it fell to the floor.
It couldn't have.
That happened when it fell to the floor.
But it couldn't have.
I don't suppose you'll be able to use it anymore, Mrs. Gillis.
Not for a while anyway.
No, I... I don't suppose I will.
Sarah!
Yes, Sarah?
Mrs. Gillis?
Yes?
You're looking for your dog?
Yes, I... I... I haven't seen her all morning.
She was in the breakfast room.
Well, she's not there any longer.
Yes, I know.
Where is she, Howard?
Where is she?
Yes, where is she?
She's gone.
Gone?
If you've harmed her...
She didn't like me, you know.
See, here, I... I've put up with enough, you know.
You tell me where my dog is or I...
Or what, Mrs. Gillis?
You'll do what, Mrs. Gillis?
What will you do?
Sarah! Sarah!
She's gone, Mrs. Gillis.
I told you that.
You've harmed my dog.
Have I?
You killed her.
Oh, poor old Sarah, who never heard a thing.
She would have hurt me.
You're bad, Howard.
You're wicked.
You're a coward.
I'm not a coward, Mrs. Gillis.
Yes, you are.
Cowards are afraid to kill.
Only a coward would kill a poor old dog.
Well, if I were a coward, I'd be afraid of you, and I'm not afraid of you.
Will you let me out of here?
Let me out of here.
I have strong hands, Mrs. Gillis.
My fingers are like steel.
I've never harmed you.
No, and Sarah didn't either, but she would have if I hadn't harmed her first.
Let me out of here!
You're getting very noisy, Mrs. Gillis.
Perhaps if I locked you in this closet, you'd calm down a bit.
Howard!
And then I heard the key turn in the lock.
For a moment I had the feeling of... of unreality.
What?
What is really happening?
But I found out soon enough that it wasn't a dream.
For the dim light from the little square window
picked out a limp, lifeless object in the corner among the dusty mops.
I knew without looking further what it was.
Poor Sarah.
Sarah, who never harmed her soul.
I don't know how long he kept me there.
I could hear him moving about the house, but he finally came back.
He spoke to me through the door.
Have you calmed down, Mrs. Gillis?
Yes, Howard.
Yes.
Let me out.
Why?
Well...
Well, because it's... it's warm in here.
Because I... I want to get out.
You were looking for your dog, weren't you?
Never mind about that, Howard. Just let me out.
You know, Mrs. Gillis, if I kept you in there,
you wouldn't be able to spy on me ever again.
I won't spy on you, Howard. Please let me out.
Do you know what I've been doing, Mrs. Gillis?
No.
I've been doing your den floors, just like you asked me to.
And that's fine, Howard.
It was fine being able to work peacefully,
knowing that you were someplace where you couldn't bother me.
I won't bother you, Howard.
It was very peaceful. Nobody to bother me.
Let me out, Howard.
Will you promise to do as I tell you?
Yes, I promise.
Anything?
Anything.
Very well, then.
Now, no tricks.
No.
Feel my hands, Mrs. Gillis.
He held them out before him.
They were thin, weird-looking hands.
Then he turned them over slowly, and he looked down at them.
Are they nice hands, Mrs. Gillis?
Yes. Yes, they're nice hands.
But you haven't felt them.
I knew better than to argue,
and I forced myself to take hold of one of them.
It was icy cold, and the floor wax had made it sticky.
Have your sons as nice hands as these?
Oh, no. No, they haven't.
But they got into the army, didn't they?
I'm just as good as they are, you know.
Of course you are, Howard.
Wouldn't you like some food, lad?
You haven't eaten all day, you know.
Some food would be good.
Let me fix you some.
Mrs. Gillis, you know, a woman I worked for once said my hands were weak.
She did?
Yeah, but she soon found out, however.
We're here.
I have some nice cold roast in the ice locker.
I'd thought her a lesson.
And it'll only take me a minute to fix some salad.
Are your sons' hands strong, Mrs. Gillis?
Not as strong as yours, Howard.
I'll set the table right away.
Mrs. Gillis, feel my hands again.
They're like steel, you know.
I finally managed to get some lunch on the table.
And Howard sat beside me.
He didn't say much and he ate very little.
I tried to appear casual to engage him in a conversation, just anything.
Do you work often, Howard?
Not often.
Do you have trouble finding jobs?
Well, people are anxious to find help these days, weren't you?
Yes, to find help.
Mrs. Gillis, they're looking for me.
Who, Howard?
Well, I don't know exactly.
The people I worked for last, I guess.
Was that here, in this town?
Oh, no, no. It was in another town.
Everyone was looking for me, so I went away.
It was horrible to be spied upon, Mrs. Gillis.
Do you know what it is to be spied upon?
No, no, I don't.
Would you like to know?
No, no, no, I wouldn't, Howard.
I think I'll spy on you for the rest of the day so that you'll know how it feels.
No, no, no, no, Howard, whatever it is you want, just take it and go away.
There's nothing I want, Mrs. Gillis.
I only want to stay here with you.
I can't stand it, Howard. I can't. I am an old woman.
Now please go away and leave me alone.
I'm not going away, Mrs. Gillis. There's still a job to be done.
I'll go away after I've done everything that's to be done.
Howard, I have some money here in my pocket.
I got it upstairs where it's a great deal and I'll give it to you.
I don't want your money, Mrs. Gillis.
Well, then go away.
Oh, that would be foolish. Then you tell him.
Oh, no, no, I wouldn't. I wouldn't really, Howard.
Go away and I'll never tell him so that you've been here. I won't tell him so.
I don't believe you, Mrs. Gillis, and I don't trust you.
There's only one way of being certain that you won't tell and that...
My heart jumped.
When I looked out the window, I thought it was a new man.
Howard moved quickly to the window with me.
Tell him to go away.
I can't. I've... I've wanted some extra things.
Then go into the store room until he goes.
I can't, Howard. He knows I'm here and he'll expect me to pay him.
You promised to do as I told you. Now will you tell him to go away?
Howard, Howard, if I tell him to go, he'll think something's wrong
and then you'll get caught for sure.
All right, Mrs. Gillis, take whatever you've ordered,
but if you pull any tricks, you'll be sorry.
He opened the cabinet drawer and I saw him take a knife out.
Without another word, he stepped back between the stove and the wall,
but he was still within easy reach of me.
Oh, my hands were shaking.
The milkman knocked as usual at the window over the sink.
Just a moment.
Well, good afternoon, Miss Gillis.
Good afternoon.
Lovely day, isn't it?
Yes, yes it is.
Miss Gillis, I think I have good news for you.
You have?
Yeah. Beginning the first, I think we're getting some badly needed help.
In the future, your deliveries will be made in the early morning.
Well, that's nice. I...
I don't believe you ever did like these late deliveries, did you?
Well, I had never really minded.
Well, if all our customers were like you, Miss Gillis,
it wouldn't be such a bad world.
Here you are. One quart of milk, fine a half and a half.
Bye, Miss Gillis.
But the extra things, you forgot them.
The extra things?
Yes, yes, the extra things.
Now, don't tell me you forgot the eggs and the butter.
I'll get them right away.
Miss Gillis, I'm going to give you one more chance.
When he comes back, you're going to get rid of him.
Do you hear?
And if you give me away, I'm going to kill you.
I'll kill you before he can get inside this house,
and I don't care what happens to me.
I won't. I won't give you away, Howard.
I won't give you away. I'll only pay him.
I have to do this.
Shut up and remember.
Well, here you are, Miss Gillis.
Thank you.
Anything else?
No, no, no, that's all.
Miss Gillis, I'm going to get it.
I'm sorry, I can't stop to talk to Dan Barry.
Oh, I stood for a moment behind the stove.
His eyes were blazing.
And he spoke without moving.
You're very clever, aren't you, Mrs. Gillis?
What do you mean?
You thought you were going to put something over on me,
didn't you?
I sent him away, didn't I?
The extra things you ordered, there weren't any.
Yes, there were.
You saw him, you heard him.
He didn't know what you were talking about.
The milkman had returned.
He stood out right in front of me.
Howard looked at me, and I saw his knuckles go up.
I had to catch him.
This is your last chance. Get rid of him.
Yes, I will. I will, Howard, I will.
Sorry to bother you again, Miss Gillis,
but you forgot the points on the butter.
Oh, yes. Yes, the ration point.
Here you are.
Sorry I had to bother you, Miss Gillis,
but you see, I had to... Yes, yes, I'm busy.
Can't you see I'm busy?
Tell me when he's gone, Mrs. Gillis.
I stood by the window and watched.
He got into his truck,
and then he drove off.
So that was your scheme, was it?
So you wanted to give me away.
He's gone now, Howard.
You thought he'd save you, didn't you?
No. No, I sent him away like you asked me.
You know what would have happened to me.
I sent him away. Do you?
They would have taken me away.
Howard, leave me alone. I'm going to punish you.
No, Howard, I haven't been punished enough.
No, you haven't.
He's standing very close now,
and I knew he still held a knife.
And suddenly,
everything was black,
and I stepped to the floor.
When I came to,
I was in a den,
on the den floor.
My head clapped.
Then I remembered everything.
I laid there for a moment.
I listened.
Then I... I heard a sound.
A soft, swishing sound.
Suddenly, the whole clock began to strike.
What?
Why, it was five.
I'd been unconscious for longer than I'd thought.
I sat up.
The room had already turned dark
in the late afternoon, my friend.
But I could see now.
He stood in the middle of the room.
He was pushing my heavy floor polisher
back and forth.
Back, forth, back, forth, back, forth.
What time is it, Mrs. Gillis?
About five.
Well, I guess I'll call it a day now.
I've done a nice job, haven't I?
Yes, Howard.
Very nice.
I think I'll be going now.
I got to my feet.
He paid no attention.
He picked up his coke,
which he'd placed over a chair
when he'd taken it from the store room.
Then he looked at the floor again.
Doesn't it shine nicely, Mrs. Gillis?
Yes.
Yes, it does.
Was it worth five dollars to you?
Oh, yes, Howard.
I have nice hands, haven't I, Mrs. Gillis?
Yes, Howard, you have.
Here, take the money.
Thank you.
You know, it's a pity they have to be used to polish floors.
You've done such a good job, Howard.
I'm going to give you a few extra dollars.
Thank you.
Will you be needing me tomorrow, Mrs. Gillis?
No, no, thank you, Howard.
The door's locked, Mrs. Gillis.
Yes, Howard.
Do you have the key?
Yes, yes, I do.
I just remembered.
I just remembered a lot of things.
Mrs. Gillis, there's someone at the door.
Yes, Howard.
Will you open it?
Oh, should I?
Yes, Howard, you have the key.
I have?
This it, Mrs. Gillis?
Yes, yes, I have.
Open the door.
Open the door, Howard.
Open it.
All right, Mrs. Gillis.
Hello.
I'm Mr. Stevens of the phone company.
Your phone's been reported out all day.
I'm sorry we couldn't get around any sooner,
but we're really swamped.
Mrs. Gillis, is your phone out of order?
No, no, there must be some mistake.
Well, now that's strange.
We've had several reports.
Maybe I better run back and check my books.
Just a moment, Mr. Stevens.
Could you do me a favor?
Well, certainly.
This boy, he's worked here all day.
He's done a good job, but I don't think he's well.
I'm all right, Mrs. Gillis.
Oh, but you're tired, aren't you?
Aren't you tired, Howard?
Doesn't your head ache?
Yes, yes, I am tired.
And my head does ache.
Well, maybe Mr. Stevens will be kind enough to drive you to the car line.
Sure, I'll be glad to, Mrs. Gillis, but I can't wait long.
Well, right away, and I'll go along, too.
I have some marketing to do.
Mr. Stevens, as long as you're here, would you mind checking the phone
just to make sure? Of course.
I'll show you where it is. Can I show him, Mrs. Gillis?
No, no, Howard, you wait here.
We'll be right back.
I move quickly towards the den.
Mr. Stevens follows me.
Once inside, I close the door behind us.
He spotted the ripped wires at once.
Say, this boy...
That man is dangerous. Drive him to the police station as fast as you can.
Where is...
Howard!
Howard! We've got to find him!
We can't let him get away! We'll take the truck. Come on.
But when we reached the car,
I suddenly saw him.
He was sitting in the front seat,
with his coat folded neatly over his left.
Were you looking for me, Mrs. Gillis?
I was looking for you.
Were you looking for me, Mrs. Gillis?
Yes, Howard.
Yes, I was.
Are you ready to go?
Yes, I'm ready.
It's very kind of you to do this for me.
I'm very tired.
I...
I can't seem to remember things.
Well...
Well, don't try too, Howard.
Well, are we all ready?
All ready, Mr. Stevens.
And so closes To Find Help,
starring Frank Sinatra and Agnes Moorhead.
Tonight's study in...
Suspense.
Suspense is produced, edited,
and directed by William Spear.
This is the Armed Forces Radio Service.
The Armed Forces Radio Service.