WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:10.520 Now, the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California presents... 00:10.520 --> 00:11.520 Suspense! 00:11.520 --> 00:27.840 Tonight, Roma Wines bring you Mr. Zachary Scott, the star of Murder Off Key, a suspense 00:27.840 --> 00:34.960 play produced, edited and directed for Roma Wines by William Spear. 00:34.960 --> 00:37.800 Suspense! 00:37.800 --> 00:43.120 Radio's outstanding theater of thrills is presented for your enjoyment by Roma Wines. 00:43.120 --> 00:45.800 That's R-O-M-A, Roma Wines. 00:45.800 --> 00:50.040 Those excellent California wines that can add so much pleasantness to the way you live, 00:50.040 --> 00:53.960 to your happiness and entertaining guests, to your enjoyment of everyday meals. 00:53.960 --> 00:59.000 Yes, right now a glass full would be very pleasant as Roma Wines bring you Mr. Zachary 00:59.000 --> 01:01.320 Scott in a remarkable tale of... 01:01.320 --> 01:02.320 Suspense! 01:02.320 --> 01:18.080 If I could just shut out that singing, I'd be alright. 01:18.080 --> 01:22.720 But it goes on pounding inside my head and I keep hearing vial of screech, those desperate 01:22.720 --> 01:24.000 urgent scales. 01:24.000 --> 01:28.200 The first time I heard her, I was sitting on the balcony outside the apartment and everything 01:28.200 --> 01:32.440 was unnaturally still, the way it is late at night. 01:32.440 --> 01:35.760 And maybe that's why her singing sounded louder than it actually was. 01:35.760 --> 01:40.400 But something abnormal about it is, though a control inside her had snapped and she couldn't 01:40.400 --> 01:44.720 stop that horrible noise that was coming from her throat, it went on over and over again, 01:44.720 --> 01:51.840 rising and falling and scraping the hot night into shreds. 01:51.840 --> 01:56.840 She's pretty terrible, isn't she? 01:56.840 --> 01:57.840 What? 01:57.840 --> 01:59.240 I'm over here on the next balcony. 01:59.240 --> 02:00.800 Oh, sorry, I didn't see you. 02:00.800 --> 02:01.800 What did you say? 02:01.800 --> 02:02.800 She's pretty terrible, isn't she? 02:02.800 --> 02:03.800 And she thinks that's a trained voice. 02:03.800 --> 02:04.800 Awful. 02:04.800 --> 02:05.800 Does she do it often or only when the moon is full? 02:05.800 --> 02:06.800 Oh, she goes on like that almost every evening. 02:06.800 --> 02:07.800 You must be new around here. 02:07.800 --> 02:08.800 I just got into New York this afternoon. 02:08.800 --> 02:09.800 Are you visiting Mr. Morley? 02:09.800 --> 02:10.800 Well, in a way, he went out of town and I'm staying in his apartment. 02:10.800 --> 02:11.800 I didn't mean to sound crying. 02:11.800 --> 02:12.800 I'm just saying that he's a very good man. 02:12.800 --> 02:13.800 I'm not going to be able to get away with this. 02:13.800 --> 02:14.800 I'm not going to be able to get away with this. 02:14.800 --> 02:15.800 I'm not going to be able to get away with this. 02:15.800 --> 02:22.080 I'm not going to be able to get away with this. 02:22.080 --> 02:28.640 I don't want to be a burden to you. 02:28.640 --> 02:35.460 I don't want to be a burden to you. 02:35.460 --> 02:38.460 Thank you for visiting Mr. Morley. 02:38.460 --> 02:39.460 Well, in a way, he went out of town and I'm staying in his apartment. 02:39.460 --> 02:40.460 I didn't mean to sound crying. 02:40.460 --> 02:41.460 But he told me he was going on a vacation, and I wondered if he'd left. 02:41.460 --> 02:42.460 Her family must be all deaf mutes. 02:42.460 --> 02:43.460 No, she lives alone. 02:43.460 --> 02:44.460 Well, that's not hard to understand. 02:44.460 --> 02:45.460 Hasn't the manager done anything about it? 02:45.460 --> 02:49.460 They could always try stra- strangling her. 02:51.460 --> 02:53.460 Oh, she heard you. 02:53.460 --> 02:55.460 Oh, do you think so? 02:55.460 --> 02:59.460 I hope so. Well, I must be going in. Good night. 02:59.460 --> 03:01.460 Good night. 03:01.460 --> 03:08.460 Roses are shining in St. Louis! 03:08.460 --> 03:13.460 It was in the lobby the next afternoon that I met her. 03:13.460 --> 03:18.460 When she came up to me, I knew instinctively that she was a songbird the night before. 03:18.460 --> 03:21.460 She was past middle age and was ignoring it. 03:21.460 --> 03:24.460 Her hair was dyed and piled up in coquettish curls, 03:24.460 --> 03:28.460 and she used some kind of heavy sweet perfume that was overpowering. 03:28.460 --> 03:33.460 She came tripping up with the usual old white poodle dog yapping at her heels. 03:33.460 --> 03:38.460 Pardon me. Would you hold this package for a moment? 03:38.460 --> 03:42.460 I have so many things. I'll never find my keys anywhere. 03:42.460 --> 03:43.460 Well, I was just... 03:43.460 --> 03:44.460 Thank you so much. 03:44.460 --> 03:49.460 Luna, Petty, is that nice, making such a fuss at this charming gentleman? 03:49.460 --> 03:50.460 Oh, no, he's... 03:50.460 --> 03:54.460 What will he think? Oh, I don't know what I'm going to do if this weather keeps up. 03:54.460 --> 03:55.460 Yes, it does. 03:55.460 --> 03:59.460 I've always been on the delicate side, and I've never been able to stand the heat. 03:59.460 --> 04:02.460 When my husband was alive, he's dead now. 04:02.460 --> 04:09.460 He always whistled away to the ocean the first warm day, even when I was in the theatre. 04:09.460 --> 04:11.460 Oh, my manager would be furious. 04:11.460 --> 04:12.460 Well, I can understand... 04:12.460 --> 04:15.460 I can't imagine where my key is. 04:15.460 --> 04:17.460 Would you hold Petty for me? 04:17.460 --> 04:18.460 Well, I don't know... 04:18.460 --> 04:19.460 Oh, thank you. 04:19.460 --> 04:22.460 You will not take me, Petty, even though he won't hurt you. 04:22.460 --> 04:25.460 Oh, my husband used to say to me, 04:25.460 --> 04:33.460 Violet, my real name is Imogene, but he called me Violet. It's always been my favorite color. 04:33.460 --> 04:39.460 Violet, he used to say, you must go to the sea, or you'll be withering those lovely petals of yours. 04:39.460 --> 04:42.460 Before I knew it, we were in Atlantic City. 04:42.460 --> 04:43.460 That's very nice. 04:43.460 --> 04:49.460 Oh, here's that horrid little key, on my key ring of all places. 04:49.460 --> 04:51.460 Well, those things sometimes happen. 04:51.460 --> 04:55.460 Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done without you. 04:55.460 --> 04:57.460 My husband used to say, 04:57.460 --> 05:01.460 Violet, you're a woman who needs a man around. 05:01.460 --> 05:05.460 Of course, he was a pillar of strength himself. 05:05.460 --> 05:10.460 Oh, and to think of his dying of a gallbladder that way. 05:10.460 --> 05:11.460 Well, thank you again. 05:11.460 --> 05:13.460 Oh, what did you say your name is? 05:13.460 --> 05:14.460 Oh, Carlson. 05:14.460 --> 05:17.460 Oh, how nice! Carlson. 05:17.460 --> 05:22.460 Such a sturdy, dependable name. So suitable for a man. 05:22.460 --> 05:24.460 You must come up and have tea with me sometime. 05:24.460 --> 05:27.460 Well, I have a special Chinese brand. 05:27.460 --> 05:30.460 It smells like dead flowers. 05:30.460 --> 05:31.460 Going up? 05:31.460 --> 05:34.460 Going up, but only for until we meet again. 05:41.460 --> 05:45.460 That next meeting would be never, as far as I was concerned at that point, 05:45.460 --> 05:48.460 but it actually happened that night. 05:55.460 --> 05:58.460 She was at the scales again, about nine o'clock, 05:58.460 --> 06:00.460 and there was a desperate urgency in her singing. 06:00.460 --> 06:05.460 It was the last frantic attempt to stop the clock and the double chins and the fading light. 06:05.460 --> 06:10.460 Those pathetic scales had a shrill terror that made me embarrassed listening to them. 06:10.460 --> 06:14.460 Well, as though I were eavesdropping on some shameful secret. 06:14.460 --> 06:20.460 It was then that I went to leave the balcony and saw the sheet music lying behind the urn. 06:20.460 --> 06:24.460 My first impulse was a humanitarian one, and I threw it in the wastebasket. 06:24.460 --> 06:29.460 But for some unknown reason, I suddenly felt a kind of pity for that woman singing alone up there, 06:29.460 --> 06:33.460 and the next thing I knew, I was on my way upstairs with the music. 06:35.460 --> 06:37.460 Yes, what do you want? 06:37.460 --> 06:41.460 Oh, is Mrs. Violet in? 06:41.460 --> 06:43.460 Violet? 06:43.460 --> 06:46.460 I'm sorry, old boy. She must have given you the wrong number. 06:46.460 --> 06:48.460 Oh, I thought it was on this floor. 06:48.460 --> 06:51.460 Oh, hold on. If you mean Mrs. Pondek, that's the next apartment. 06:51.460 --> 06:53.460 Oh, sorry to have bothered you. 06:53.460 --> 06:56.460 Going in for tea, or do you have your own bank account? 06:56.460 --> 06:58.460 Thank you very much. 06:58.460 --> 07:03.460 Oh, not at all, not at all. I'm always glad to help a music lover. 07:08.460 --> 07:12.460 As I stood there in the hall, I began to think about that leer he had given me. 07:12.460 --> 07:15.460 I was about to turn back when the door opened. 07:15.460 --> 07:20.460 Oh, Mr. Carpenter, you've come for that tea after all. How nice. 07:20.460 --> 07:23.460 Oh, be quiet, petty. Be quiet. 07:23.460 --> 07:24.460 Oh, but I just found that... 07:24.460 --> 07:27.460 You've not heard the word. Come along. 07:29.460 --> 07:33.460 Violet had outdone herself in a trailing negligee of purple chiffon, 07:33.460 --> 07:36.460 and the usual clutching hand went with the outfit. 07:36.460 --> 07:42.460 There was something obscene about the hand fingers, heavy with diamonds, the nails polished too red. 07:42.460 --> 07:44.460 Obscene and pathetic. 07:44.460 --> 07:47.460 The room was heavy and operatic, just like her. 07:47.460 --> 07:52.460 There were glass cases and curio cabinets filled with every imaginable kind of glittering thing. 07:52.460 --> 07:59.460 Rings and bracelets, brooches, most of it in terrible taste, but all of it unquestionably expensive. 07:59.460 --> 08:03.460 Oh, admiring my collection? Most everyone does. 08:03.460 --> 08:06.460 Your friend Mr. Morley just... 08:06.460 --> 08:08.460 Oh, petty, petty, dear, be quiet. 08:08.460 --> 08:12.460 Oh, I do believe he's jealous of you. 08:12.460 --> 08:16.460 You know he has a thick sense about admirers. 08:16.460 --> 08:18.460 I remember when I was in the theatre. 08:18.460 --> 08:22.460 He used to carry on dreadfully when my dressing room was still with them. 08:22.460 --> 08:25.460 He was my husband in the legs. 08:25.460 --> 08:28.460 So now, sit down in this chair. 08:28.460 --> 08:32.460 I'm afraid all the others are too small for a big man like you. 08:32.460 --> 08:36.460 Well, I really came to return this music. It must have blown down on my balcony. 08:36.460 --> 08:41.460 Oh, roses of Picardy. It's always been one of my favorites. 08:41.460 --> 08:44.460 My husband simply adored it. 08:44.460 --> 08:50.460 I remember I sang it to him on Saturday night, and that Sunday afternoon he was dead. 08:50.460 --> 08:53.460 Well, that must have been quite a shock. 08:53.460 --> 08:58.460 Oh, I sometimes wonder that I've found the courage and strength to go on. 08:58.460 --> 09:02.460 Of course, my music has been a great consolation. 09:02.460 --> 09:05.460 Now, you sit right down. I won't be a no man. 09:05.460 --> 09:09.460 Petty will look after you, won't you, petty, huh? 09:09.460 --> 09:12.460 The roses are shining. 09:14.460 --> 09:18.460 You sit here and answer that. It's probably the elevator door. 09:21.460 --> 09:25.460 I've come to take the door... Oh, a new one. 09:25.460 --> 09:26.460 Yes, what is it? 09:26.460 --> 09:30.460 I came for Mrs. Pondacher's dog to take him for a walk. 09:30.460 --> 09:32.460 Here he is, and he's all yours. 09:32.460 --> 09:34.460 Thanks. Come on, Renton. 09:34.460 --> 09:36.460 Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! 09:42.460 --> 09:45.460 I didn't care for the way the elevator boy smirked. 09:45.460 --> 09:49.460 And as I sat there in her apartment with that heavy perfume suffocating me, 09:49.460 --> 09:52.460 I cared less for the trapped feeling I was beginning to have. 09:52.460 --> 09:56.460 It wasn't until two days later in the garage that the trap closed. 10:02.460 --> 10:04.460 Good morning, Mr. Carlson. Can I do something for you? 10:04.460 --> 10:07.460 Oh, no, thanks, Joe. Just want to get my sunglasses out of the compartment. 10:07.460 --> 10:09.460 Well, your car's right over here. I cleaned it up for you. 10:09.460 --> 10:12.460 Gee, it was a mess, let me tell you. You must have run into something. 10:12.460 --> 10:15.460 What? The whole front was stuck with brown stuff and white fur, 10:15.460 --> 10:17.460 like you hit a dog or a cat, maybe. 10:17.460 --> 10:19.460 Funny, I don't remember hitting anything. 10:19.460 --> 10:22.460 Why, don't worry, I cleaned it off. 10:22.460 --> 10:24.460 Hey, Joe. Wait a minute. 10:24.460 --> 10:26.460 What, something wrong? 10:26.460 --> 10:28.460 Tell that help of yours my car isn't an ash can. 10:28.460 --> 10:30.460 They dumped all these old newspapers in the bag. 10:30.460 --> 10:32.460 Oh, gee, I'm sorry, Mr. Carlson. 10:32.460 --> 10:34.460 Well, just give them to me, I'll throw them out. 10:34.460 --> 10:36.460 Boy, they sure are a mess. 10:36.460 --> 10:38.460 Looks like something out of butcher shop, don't it? 10:38.460 --> 10:41.460 Well, it won't happen again, sir. You don't even bet your bottom dollar on that. 10:41.460 --> 10:46.460 When I came upstairs, I was still trying to figure out the angle of those stained old newspapers, 10:46.460 --> 10:48.460 but I didn't have long to wait. 10:48.460 --> 10:51.460 I found out the minute I stepped into the lobby. 10:51.460 --> 10:53.460 Oh, Mr. Carlson, thank heavens you're here. 10:53.460 --> 10:55.460 I've been out of my mind. It's Petty. 10:55.460 --> 10:57.460 He's disappeared. We can't find him anywhere. 10:57.460 --> 11:01.460 I just know he's being run over. I just know it. 11:01.460 --> 11:03.460 Run over? 11:03.460 --> 11:05.460 What? 11:05.460 --> 11:07.460 What do you mean, run over? 11:07.460 --> 11:11.460 I just know it. 11:11.460 --> 11:13.460 When did all this happen? 11:13.460 --> 11:15.460 Last night, when this wretched boy took him out. 11:15.460 --> 11:18.460 Now, look, Mrs. Pondekker, it's like I told you. 11:18.460 --> 11:22.460 I only stopped in for a cup of coffee, and the next thing I know, the dog is gone. 11:22.460 --> 11:24.460 Of course he's gone. 11:24.460 --> 11:27.460 Some uncouth person in that saloon undoubtedly made off with him. 11:27.460 --> 11:31.460 Well, there's only one thing to do, and that is to offer a large reward. 11:31.460 --> 11:33.460 Don't you agree, Mr. Carlson? 11:33.460 --> 11:37.460 Oh, yes, yes, that's a good idea. 11:43.460 --> 11:48.460 But I knew then, as sure as I was standing there, that nothing would bring Petty back. 11:48.460 --> 11:53.460 Just as I knew that he had been in my car sometime last night, lying on some old newspapers. 11:53.460 --> 11:59.460 That's why I wasn't too surprised at first when the heavy blond man with the soft voice came to see me. 11:59.460 --> 12:01.460 Mr. Frederick Carlson? 12:01.460 --> 12:02.460 Yes, that's right. 12:02.460 --> 12:03.460 I'm from headquarters. 12:03.460 --> 12:06.460 I'd like to ask you a couple of questions about this Pondekker business. 12:06.460 --> 12:07.460 Have they found the dog? 12:07.460 --> 12:09.460 You don't know about that, huh? 12:09.460 --> 12:10.460 Well, she mentioned it to me. 12:10.460 --> 12:12.460 You two were pretty friendly, weren't you? 12:12.460 --> 12:15.460 Well, I spoke to her a couple of times. 12:15.460 --> 12:17.460 Hey, what is this? 12:17.460 --> 12:20.460 I don't come into my place full of innuendos. I don't see that... 12:20.460 --> 12:23.460 There's no need to get excited, Mr. Carlson. 12:23.460 --> 12:26.460 I'm just checking up on the people who last saw her last. 12:26.460 --> 12:28.460 I still... 12:28.460 --> 12:30.460 What are you talking about? 12:30.460 --> 12:32.460 She's dead? 12:32.460 --> 12:34.460 Very much so. 12:34.460 --> 12:37.460 She was strangled sometime last night. 12:46.460 --> 12:53.460 For Suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you as star Mr. Zachary Scott in Murder Off Key by Gene Russ Curd. 12:53.460 --> 13:00.460 Roma Wines presentation tonight in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense. 13:06.460 --> 13:10.460 Between the acts of Suspense, this is Truman Bradley for Roma Wines. 13:10.460 --> 13:16.460 This holiday season will be a round of gay homecomings, joyous reunions and festive entertaining. 13:16.460 --> 13:20.460 To graciously greet your guests, to add warmth to the welcome, 13:20.460 --> 13:26.460 to give extra full pleasure to your holiday meals, be sure to have plenty of Roma Wines on hand. 13:26.460 --> 13:31.460 Roma California Wines offer you sherry, port, muscatel and tokay for entertaining, 13:31.460 --> 13:34.460 burgundy and sautern for mealtime enjoyment, 13:34.460 --> 13:39.460 and gay Roma California champagne to make any happy occasion unforgettable. 13:39.460 --> 13:43.460 Each of these fine Roma Wines brings you the goodness of luscious grapes, 13:43.460 --> 13:48.460 gathered at peak of flavor, gently pressed, then unhurriedly, 13:48.460 --> 13:53.460 brought to delicious perfection under the patient guidance of Roma's ancient winemaking skill, 13:53.460 --> 13:58.460 bottled at Roma's own famed wineries in California's choicest vineyard districts. 13:58.460 --> 14:02.460 Enjoy the taste luxury of fine Roma Wines more often, 14:02.460 --> 14:06.460 for Roma's new low prices enable you to save as much as one-fourth. 14:06.460 --> 14:11.460 Insist on Roma Wines. No other wines offer you so much for so little. 14:11.460 --> 14:15.460 That's why more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine. 14:15.460 --> 14:19.460 Roma, R-O-M-A, Roma Wines. 14:19.460 --> 14:23.460 And now Roma Wines bring back to our Hollywood soundstage, 14:23.460 --> 14:27.460 Zachary Scott as Frederick Carlson in Murder Off Key, 14:27.460 --> 14:31.460 a play well calculated to keep you in suspense. 14:38.460 --> 14:43.460 The heavy blonde man with the soft voice asked a few more questions after that and then he left. 14:43.460 --> 14:49.460 The motive was robbery, very valuable jewelry and a great deal of money, everything gone. 14:49.460 --> 14:53.460 It seemed Violet was in the habit of drawing out large sums 14:53.460 --> 14:57.460 and keeping them around in old beaded purses and tarnished gilt boxes. 14:57.460 --> 15:02.460 It all fitted in with Violet who was so helpless without her pillar of strength 15:02.460 --> 15:05.460 and who sang those desperate jangling scales. 15:05.460 --> 15:08.460 Obviously she had no idea of financial matters. 15:08.460 --> 15:12.460 Somebody else had plenty of other ideas and l was one of them. 15:12.460 --> 15:16.460 l knew it that night when l went around to the corner automat. 15:16.460 --> 15:20.460 Yes, l was definitely one of them. There was no doubt about it. 15:22.460 --> 15:24.460 Do you mind if l join you, Mr. Carlson? 15:24.460 --> 15:29.460 lt was soft voice, smiling down at me over a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. 15:29.460 --> 15:31.460 Murder a la mode. 15:31.460 --> 15:35.460 l always come here for their apple pie. Have you ever tried it? 15:35.460 --> 15:37.460 Haven't gotten round to it. 15:37.460 --> 15:39.460 You should. lt's excellent. 15:39.460 --> 15:42.460 Have a sugar. Thank you. 15:43.460 --> 15:45.460 How'd you happen to come here for your vacation? 15:45.460 --> 15:48.460 Oh, l don't know. l was short on cash and then Morley wrote 15:48.460 --> 15:51.460 and suggested l stay in his place. lt seemed like a good idea at the time. 15:51.460 --> 15:53.460 You don't have that letter, do you? 15:53.460 --> 15:55.460 Say, what is this? 15:55.460 --> 15:58.460 No need to get excited, Mr. Carlson. l was just asking. 16:01.460 --> 16:03.460 Oh, you really should try this pie. 16:03.460 --> 16:06.460 The apples are just dried firm and taut. Dog. 16:06.460 --> 16:08.460 How should l know? 16:08.460 --> 16:10.460 l don't know. l'm just looking at it. 16:10.460 --> 16:12.460 You're looking at it from a different angle. 16:12.460 --> 16:15.460 l understand he was a regular burglar alarm. 16:15.460 --> 16:18.460 Always barked if anyone ever came to the door. 16:18.460 --> 16:21.460 And then he disappears the night before her death. 16:24.460 --> 16:27.460 Very convenient. Don't you agree? 16:27.460 --> 16:29.460 lt would look that way. 16:29.460 --> 16:32.460 Have some more of that sugar. Thank you. 16:33.460 --> 16:35.460 l never seem to get enough. 16:35.460 --> 16:37.460 Did you drive up to New York? 16:37.460 --> 16:39.460 l can skip that. 16:39.460 --> 16:41.460 There's no need to get excited, Mr. Carlson. 16:41.460 --> 16:43.460 l never suggested that you did. 16:43.460 --> 16:45.460 l was just asking a simple question. 16:45.460 --> 16:48.460 lf you haven't any more simple questions on your mind, l'll be going on. 16:48.460 --> 16:51.460 Of course. Don't let me detain you. 16:51.460 --> 16:54.460 l think l'll have another piece of this pie. 16:54.460 --> 16:57.460 You really should try it sometime, Mr. Carlson. 17:03.460 --> 17:06.460 As l walked away, l could feel him watching me. 17:06.460 --> 17:10.460 l was surprised to see his small eyes wary and suspicious. 17:10.460 --> 17:13.460 There was no doubt about it. l was the idea. 17:16.460 --> 17:18.460 l rode around on top of a bus for almost an hour. 17:18.460 --> 17:23.460 l kept thinking about the dog and that white fur in those stained newspapers. 17:23.460 --> 17:27.460 l knew l had to go to the garage and have another look at my car. 17:27.460 --> 17:29.460 The garage seemed deserted. 17:29.460 --> 17:33.460 Only one arc light cut the blackness and stretched silently ahead. 17:33.460 --> 17:36.460 l passed the office booth and l first heard the voices. 17:36.460 --> 17:39.460 There were two men and they were standing by my car. 17:39.460 --> 17:43.460 lt was a soft voice, full of apple pie and suspicion 17:43.460 --> 17:45.460 and wide awake on those two cups of coffee. 17:45.460 --> 17:47.460 l was asking Joe about my car. 17:47.460 --> 17:49.460 lt looked like he had something. 17:49.460 --> 17:51.460 But l couldn't say it was a dog. lt might have been a cat. 17:51.460 --> 17:53.460 But you're certain about the white fur. 17:53.460 --> 17:56.460 Was there anything else you noticed? 17:56.460 --> 17:58.460 No. No, l don't think... 17:58.460 --> 18:01.460 Well, yeah, there was them newspapers. 18:01.460 --> 18:04.460 At first l thought seeing how they were all stained, 18:04.460 --> 18:07.460 that maybe he had put in them whatever he had, you know. 18:09.460 --> 18:12.460 Excuse me, but somebody must be out there. 18:13.460 --> 18:17.460 Well, well, Mrs. Carlson, glad you came in. 18:17.460 --> 18:20.460 Perhaps you can clear up a few things for us. 18:20.460 --> 18:23.460 Look, l don't know anything about the newspapers or the stain, 18:23.460 --> 18:25.460 but l can tell you this much. 18:25.460 --> 18:27.460 l never ran over a dog and l can prove it. 18:27.460 --> 18:29.460 Well, then, that's all we're interested in. 18:29.460 --> 18:31.460 l haven't taken the car out since l came to New York. 18:31.460 --> 18:33.460 Joe here can tell you that. 18:33.460 --> 18:35.460 Well, you did take it out once, Mr. Carlson, the night before last. 18:35.460 --> 18:37.460 Are you crazy? 18:37.460 --> 18:39.460 Well, gee, l'm sorry, Mr. Carlson, 18:39.460 --> 18:41.460 but l remember you called me up and asked me to bring it around. 18:41.460 --> 18:44.460 Here. Here. You can look at my record book. 18:44.460 --> 18:46.460 You must have forgotten about it, 18:46.460 --> 18:49.460 because, uh, nine o'clock, nine o'clock. 18:49.460 --> 18:51.460 That must have been just about the time 18:51.460 --> 18:54.460 the elevator boy took the dog for his walk. 18:54.460 --> 18:57.460 From that time on, Soft Voice was after me. 18:57.460 --> 19:01.460 l was his man, and he didn't miss a trick. 19:01.460 --> 19:04.460 Now, you say you talked to Carlson last Saturday? 19:04.460 --> 19:06.460 Yes, l was sitting out on the balcony. 19:06.460 --> 19:08.460 Did he mention Mrs. Pondek in the conversation? 19:08.460 --> 19:11.460 He heard her singing. She had an awful voice. 19:11.460 --> 19:14.460 And he asked about her, whether she had a family or lived alone. 19:14.460 --> 19:17.460 l don't remember anything else, but it was the oddest thing. 19:17.460 --> 19:20.460 l mean, his suggesting strangling her, and now this. 19:20.460 --> 19:22.460 Makes you think he's a man. 19:22.460 --> 19:25.460 And Mr. Carlson came to your door the other night? 19:25.460 --> 19:29.460 Yes. Yes, he was asking for some woman by the name of Violet. 19:29.460 --> 19:32.460 At first, l never connected with Mrs. Pondek. 19:32.460 --> 19:36.460 She seemed a bit old for him, but you never can tell. 19:36.460 --> 19:39.460 Probably mutual interest in music. 19:43.460 --> 19:45.460 Yeah, that's right. l came to get the girl. 19:45.460 --> 19:47.460 l was just thinking about it. 19:47.460 --> 19:49.460 l was thinking about it. 19:49.460 --> 19:53.460 Yeah, that's right. l came to get the dog, and this Carlson guy opens the door. 19:53.460 --> 19:55.460 But l don't think nothing of it. 19:55.460 --> 19:58.460 Working on the elevator, you see a lot of that, you know. 19:58.460 --> 20:01.460 Some of the stuff l could tell you. 20:09.460 --> 20:12.460 lt was about this time that l began hearing those gales again. 20:12.460 --> 20:16.460 They were so shrill and desperate, l thought everyone else must hear them too. 20:16.460 --> 20:19.460 l even heard her on the elevator. 20:21.460 --> 20:23.460 What are you staring at? 20:23.460 --> 20:26.460 Nothing, Mr. Carlson. This is your floor. 20:26.460 --> 20:28.460 Do you think the police will catch a guy who'd done it? 20:28.460 --> 20:30.460 l don't know. 20:30.460 --> 20:33.460 l figure it must have been somebody who knew her and been in her place. 20:33.460 --> 20:36.460 Those old dames always go for the young guys. 20:36.460 --> 20:39.460 l say, find her boyfriend, and you got the killer. Am l right? 20:39.460 --> 20:41.460 Why ask me? How should l know? 20:41.460 --> 20:46.460 You don't have to get sore, Mr. Carlson. l was just asking. 20:46.460 --> 20:48.460 Well, what are you waiting for? Me? 20:48.460 --> 20:50.460 Nothing. 20:52.460 --> 20:55.460 Shut up. Stop it, do you hear me? 20:55.460 --> 20:57.460 The concert's over. 21:00.460 --> 21:02.460 Good evening, Mr. Carlson. 21:02.460 --> 21:04.460 Oh. 21:04.460 --> 21:07.460 l hope l didn't startle you, the elevator boy letting in. 21:07.460 --> 21:09.460 Well, what's on your mind? 21:09.460 --> 21:12.460 l just wanted to go over a few points with you. 21:12.460 --> 21:15.460 Do you know anything about a resort called Orchard Beach? 21:15.460 --> 21:17.460 lt's not far from here. 21:17.460 --> 21:20.460 Yes, l stayed there for a couple of weeks last summer. Why? 21:20.460 --> 21:22.460 Strange you never ran into Mrs. Pondekker. 21:22.460 --> 21:25.460 She played in the summer theater there. 21:25.460 --> 21:28.460 l told you l never saw her before l came here. 21:28.460 --> 21:31.460 lf you're trying to pin this on me, you're wasting your time. 21:31.460 --> 21:33.460 Look, how could l have planned this thing? 21:33.460 --> 21:36.460 l never even knew l was coming here until Morley wrote me and asked me. 21:36.460 --> 21:38.460 He'll tell you that. 21:38.460 --> 21:41.460 Well, he can't seem to contact Mr. Morley. 21:41.460 --> 21:43.460 You don't have his present address, do you? 21:43.460 --> 21:45.460 Carl said there was something about a camping trip, 21:45.460 --> 21:48.460 but he's bound to turn up in a couple of days and he'll set you straight on all this. 21:48.460 --> 21:51.460 That is, if he turns up alive. 21:51.460 --> 21:53.460 What do you mean by that? 21:53.460 --> 21:56.460 l was just considering a possibility. 21:56.460 --> 21:59.460 After all, if anything happened to Mr. Morley, 21:59.460 --> 22:05.460 he couldn't back up your story and he couldn't deny it either, could he? 22:05.460 --> 22:08.460 Well, l'll be getting along. 22:08.460 --> 22:10.460 Night, let's go. 22:20.460 --> 22:22.460 That night the scales were louder than ever. 22:22.460 --> 22:25.460 They went on, over and over, echoing in the room, 22:25.460 --> 22:28.460 shrill and urgent and l couldn't shut them out. 22:28.460 --> 22:31.460 Shut up, do you hear me? Shut up! 22:31.460 --> 22:34.460 What the devil's going on in here? 22:34.460 --> 22:36.460 Morley. 22:36.460 --> 22:39.460 Morley, good Lord, l thought you'd never turn up. 22:39.460 --> 22:41.460 Well, l always say it's nice to be wanted, 22:41.460 --> 22:45.460 but if l'm not too inquisitive, may l ask what you're doing in my place? 22:45.460 --> 22:48.460 l'm waiting for you so you can tell him about that letter. 22:48.460 --> 22:49.460 Letter? 22:49.460 --> 22:51.460 The one you wrote when you asked me to come here. 22:51.460 --> 22:54.460 Well, now, look, l don't care if you stayed here, but l didn't write you. 22:54.460 --> 22:56.460 But you must have, Morley. l read the letter. 22:56.460 --> 22:58.460 l tell you, l saw it. l held it in my hands. 22:58.460 --> 23:01.460 lt was real. 23:01.460 --> 23:03.460 All right, Carlson, don't be so tragic about it. 23:03.460 --> 23:05.460 After all, it's not a matter of life and death. 23:05.460 --> 23:07.460 lt certainly is. 23:07.460 --> 23:10.460 Look, Morley, you don't know what's been going on here. 23:10.460 --> 23:12.460 Ever since l got here... 23:21.460 --> 23:23.460 The whole thing's got me nearly crazy. 23:23.460 --> 23:25.460 That doesn't seem to be any way out. 23:25.460 --> 23:31.460 Well, Carlson, there's no point in sitting out here on the balcony all night. 23:31.460 --> 23:32.460 No. 23:32.460 --> 23:35.460 Oh, l'll admit you're in a bad jam, but it's not hopeless. 23:35.460 --> 23:36.460 They haven't arrested you. 23:36.460 --> 23:37.460 lt's only a matter of time. 23:37.460 --> 23:39.460 But they haven't any proof. 23:39.460 --> 23:42.460 And l can tell the police l wrote that letter. l suppose l can. 23:42.460 --> 23:45.460 Well, you'll have to be more convincing than that. No thanks. 23:45.460 --> 23:48.460 An ex in the news, and l might as well face it. 23:48.460 --> 23:51.460 Now, let's not be noble, Carlson. It's only a technicality. 23:51.460 --> 23:53.460 l think l can make them believe me. 23:53.460 --> 23:55.460 Too late now, they're here. 23:55.460 --> 23:56.460 Who's here? 23:56.460 --> 23:58.460 The police. The car just pulled up. 23:58.460 --> 23:59.460 Are you sure? 23:59.460 --> 24:01.460 Soft voice. Yeah. 24:01.460 --> 24:04.460 And l don't like the way he's bouncing with so much energy. 24:04.460 --> 24:05.460 Why should he come now? 24:05.460 --> 24:07.460 Someone must have tipped him off your back. 24:07.460 --> 24:09.460 He was anxious to see you as l was. 24:09.460 --> 24:11.460 Morley, is there back stairs here? 24:11.460 --> 24:12.460 Yes. Why? 24:12.460 --> 24:15.460 l'm going to try to get out. lf it's my only chance, will you help me? 24:15.460 --> 24:19.460 Sure. Certainly, Carlson. l'll show you where to go. l can at least do that. 24:19.460 --> 24:22.460 l had to try. l couldn't just lie down and take that rap, 24:22.460 --> 24:25.460 and there was no way under heaven l could escape it legally. 24:25.460 --> 24:28.460 l followed Morley off the balcony when we got to his living room. 24:28.460 --> 24:31.460 l was almost more than l could stand. 24:31.460 --> 24:35.460 Because the singing started again, but not the scales this time. 24:35.460 --> 24:37.460 Rose is a pickety. 24:37.460 --> 24:40.460 Rose is a pickety. She was going to follow me all my life. 24:40.460 --> 24:42.460 l almost dropped in my tracks. 24:42.460 --> 24:45.460 l was going to follow her all my life. 24:45.460 --> 24:49.460 l was going to follow her all my life. l almost dropped in my tracks. 24:49.460 --> 24:52.460 Something, l guess you'd call it a hunch. 24:52.460 --> 24:56.460 Something about the stiffness of Morley's back made me hang on. 24:56.460 --> 24:58.460 Then Morley swung around. 24:58.460 --> 25:01.460 lt was more than a hunch. Morley was sweating. 25:01.460 --> 25:04.460 l decided to play it for all it was worth. 25:04.460 --> 25:06.460 Who's that? 25:06.460 --> 25:08.460 Who's what? 25:08.460 --> 25:11.460 Don't you... don't you hear something? 25:11.460 --> 25:13.460 What are you talking about? 25:13.460 --> 25:16.460 Nothing. Come on, you'd better hurry. 25:16.460 --> 25:18.460 Well, l... l don't know. 25:18.460 --> 25:20.460 Hurry up, Carlson. 25:20.460 --> 25:22.460 l don't know. Now that l think of it, l don't know. 25:22.460 --> 25:24.460 But you said yourself! 25:24.460 --> 25:27.460 Yeah, but all my life l'd be ducking the law for something l didn't do. 25:27.460 --> 25:29.460 You said yourself at your only chance. 25:29.460 --> 25:31.460 Yeah, but that'd be worse than being convicted. 25:31.460 --> 25:33.460 Anyway, how could they convict me? 25:33.460 --> 25:35.460 The evidence is all circumstantial. 25:35.460 --> 25:37.460 There's an awful lot of evidence, Carlson. 25:37.460 --> 25:40.460 The dog being killed by your car, the threat you made against her, 25:40.460 --> 25:43.460 and the fact that she was there at Orchard Beach the same time she was there. 25:43.460 --> 25:45.460 Yeah, that's a clincher, all right. 25:45.460 --> 25:47.460 But how did you know? 25:47.460 --> 25:48.460 Why, you... 25:48.460 --> 25:51.460 How did you know l was at Orchard Beach? l never told you. 25:51.460 --> 25:53.460 You haven't talked a soft voice yet. 25:53.460 --> 25:56.460 Come on, Morley. Tell me how you did it. 25:56.460 --> 25:58.460 Tell me how you killed Mrs. Pondekker. 25:58.460 --> 25:59.460 You're out of your mind. 25:59.460 --> 26:01.460 How did you get the car business fixed? 26:01.460 --> 26:04.460 Did you disguise your voice and take the keys while l was out of the apartment? 26:04.460 --> 26:05.460 That'd be simple enough to do. 26:05.460 --> 26:06.460 Crazy. 26:06.460 --> 26:09.460 And that sheet music on the balcony, did you plant it? 26:09.460 --> 26:11.460 That's a beautiful frame-up. 26:11.460 --> 26:12.460 lt's a shame to ruin it. 26:12.460 --> 26:14.460 l don't have to ruin it. l can't... 26:14.460 --> 26:18.460 Now, no. You can't kill me, Morley. 26:18.460 --> 26:20.460 l'm your fuller guy. 26:20.460 --> 26:21.460 Remember? 26:21.460 --> 26:23.460 l can kill you in self-defense. 26:23.460 --> 26:26.460 l can kill a murderer who's living in my apartment who's threatened me. 26:26.460 --> 26:28.460 Unfortunately, the police didn't get here in time, 26:28.460 --> 26:30.460 and in simple self-defense, l had to... 26:30.460 --> 26:32.460 Oh, no. 26:32.460 --> 26:35.460 Yeah, but they did get here in time, Morley. 26:35.460 --> 26:38.460 Yes, Carlson. You're very lucky. 26:38.460 --> 26:39.460 How much did you hear? 26:39.460 --> 26:41.460 Enough. Enough. 26:41.460 --> 26:43.460 He was a slick boy. 26:43.460 --> 26:46.460 He had you measured for the new Soiree. 26:46.460 --> 26:48.460 How did you get him to open up? 26:48.460 --> 26:51.460 Well, in a way, l didn't. It was the roses of Picardy. 26:51.460 --> 26:52.460 Roses of... 26:52.460 --> 26:54.460 Well, l thought it was Mrs. Pondeker. 26:54.460 --> 26:57.460 And when she started roses of Picardy, Morley thought so, too. 26:57.460 --> 26:59.460 lt scared him green. 26:59.460 --> 27:01.460 Scared him more than me. 27:01.460 --> 27:05.460 You know, l thought everyone felt the same about Violet singing, 27:05.460 --> 27:07.460 but not the little girl next door. 27:07.460 --> 27:11.460 The only thing she had against Violet's voice was professional jealousy. 27:11.460 --> 27:15.460 She thought her voice was better, but Violet could drown her out. 27:15.460 --> 27:17.460 Listen. 27:17.460 --> 27:19.460 ?? 27:19.460 --> 27:21.460 ?? 27:21.460 --> 27:23.460 ?? 27:23.460 --> 27:26.460 Well, someone else will have to strangle her. 27:26.460 --> 27:28.460 ?? 27:28.460 --> 27:30.460 ?? 27:30.460 --> 27:32.460 ?? 27:32.460 --> 27:34.460 ?? 27:34.460 --> 27:38.460 ?? 27:38.460 --> 27:40.460 ?? 27:40.460 --> 27:42.460 ?? 27:42.460 --> 27:44.460 ?? 27:44.460 --> 27:46.460 ?? 27:46.460 --> 27:48.460 ?? 27:48.460 --> 27:51.460 This is Truman Bradley for Roma Wines, the sponsor of Suspense. 27:51.460 --> 27:54.460 Are you planning now for that Thanksgiving dinner next week? 27:54.460 --> 27:58.460 Well, here's a timely suggestion from famed hostess Elsa Maxwell. 27:58.460 --> 28:02.460 This Thanksgiving, many families will be together for the first time in years, 28:02.460 --> 28:06.460 enjoying the traditional turkey and trimmings and pumpkin pie. 28:06.460 --> 28:10.460 At dessert time, l suggest serving Roma California Muscatel. 28:10.460 --> 28:14.460 Roma Muscatel is a glorious ending to a festive meal. 28:14.460 --> 28:17.460 Yes, at dessert time or later in the evening, 28:17.460 --> 28:20.460 Golden Roma Muscatel is the choice refreshment wine. 28:20.460 --> 28:26.460 Served cool, Roma Muscatel is delicious with dessert or later with nuts or cake. 28:26.460 --> 28:30.460 A wine mellow indeed, bursting with gold and sweetness. 28:30.460 --> 28:33.460 Roma Muscatel brings you the distinctive fragrance 28:33.460 --> 28:37.460 and the warming taste richness of the famous Muscat Grape. 28:37.460 --> 28:42.460 Like all Roma wines, Roma Muscatel is a true wine, unvaryingly good always. 28:42.460 --> 28:46.460 Made in California, enjoyed throughout the world. 28:46.460 --> 28:50.460 Remember, because of uniformly fine quality at low cost, 28:50.460 --> 28:54.460 more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wine. 28:54.460 --> 28:59.460 Incest on Roma, R-O-M-A, Fine Roma Wines. 28:59.460 --> 29:03.460 Macary Scott appeared through the courtesy of Warner Brothers Studios 29:03.460 --> 29:06.460 and is currently appearing in Mildred Pierce. 29:06.460 --> 29:09.460 Next Thursday, we bring you Lloyd Nolan in... 29:09.460 --> 29:13.460 Suspense, radio's outstanding theater of thrills. 29:13.460 --> 29:17.460 Presented by Roma Wines, R-O-M-A. 29:17.460 --> 29:40.460 Made in California for enjoyment throughout the world. 29:40.460 --> 29:56.460 This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.