WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:08.000 And now, Roma Wines, R-O-M-A, made in California for enjoyment throughout the world. 00:08.000 --> 00:12.000 Roma Wines present Suspense. 00:15.000 --> 00:20.000 Tonight, Roma Wines bring you Mr. Hume Cronin as star of Blue Eyes, 00:20.000 --> 00:25.000 a suspense play produced, edited, and directed for Roma Wines by William Spear. 00:25.000 --> 00:35.000 Suspense, radio's outstanding theater of thrills, is presented for your enjoyment by Roma Wines. 00:35.000 --> 00:43.000 That's R-O-M-A, Roma Wines, those excellent California wines that can add so much pleasantness to the way you live, 00:43.000 --> 00:48.000 to your happiness in entertaining guests, to your enjoyment of everyday meals. 00:48.000 --> 00:56.000 Yes, right now, a glass full would be very pleasant as Roma Wines bring you Hume Cronin in a remarkable tale of... 00:56.000 --> 00:58.000 Suspense! 01:01.000 --> 01:04.000 Today began just like any other day. 01:04.000 --> 01:09.000 I got to bed early last night because I had to go over the accounts of Mr. Bevins. 01:09.000 --> 01:14.000 When you go over the accounts of old Hawkshaw, you've got to be in tip-top shape. 01:14.000 --> 01:18.000 Well, I dressed myself rather carefully this morning. 01:18.000 --> 01:22.000 I put on the necktie with the little flowers on it, the blue and red one. 01:22.000 --> 01:28.000 Jane said she liked it, told me it matched my eyes, made them look bluer. 01:28.000 --> 01:32.000 I went down to breakfast. My wife, Laura, was having her coffee. 01:32.000 --> 01:34.000 Good morning, Oliver. 01:34.000 --> 01:35.000 Good morning, dear. 01:35.000 --> 01:38.000 I'll have to warm your coffee. Here's the paper. 01:38.000 --> 01:40.000 Thanks. 01:40.000 --> 01:42.000 Oliver, must you wear that tie? 01:42.000 --> 01:43.000 Hmm? 01:43.000 --> 01:45.000 That tie is not at all becoming. 01:45.000 --> 01:47.000 Well, matches my suit. 01:47.000 --> 01:50.000 It's a perfectly dreadful shade. Makes you look like a rube. 01:50.000 --> 01:51.000 I like it. 01:51.000 --> 01:54.000 Well, I don't. And I wish you wouldn't wear it. 01:54.000 --> 01:56.000 Oliver, aren't you listening to me? 01:56.000 --> 01:59.000 Oh, sure, sure. I was reading. 01:59.000 --> 02:02.000 Oh, well, don't let my conversation disturb you. 02:02.000 --> 02:03.000 That's all right. 02:03.000 --> 02:05.000 Oliver! 02:05.000 --> 02:07.000 What's wrong now? 02:07.000 --> 02:10.000 Oliver, I don't know what's gotten into you lately. You forget things. 02:10.000 --> 02:14.000 You scarcely seem to hear a word I say. Aren't you feeling well? 02:14.000 --> 02:16.000 I feel fine. Why shouldn't I? 02:16.000 --> 02:19.000 Well, you look a bit drawn. 02:19.000 --> 02:21.000 I think I'd better make an appointment for you with Dr. Thacker. 02:21.000 --> 02:26.000 Look, Laura, there's nothing to matter with me. I better get going now. I'll be late. 02:26.000 --> 02:27.000 But you haven't finished your breakfast. 02:27.000 --> 02:30.000 Well, that's all I want. I'm not very hungry. Where's my briefcase? 02:30.000 --> 02:36.000 On the hall table. Oliver, are you sure you're not ill? You look positively hollow-eyed. 02:36.000 --> 02:38.000 I never felt better in my life. 02:38.000 --> 02:39.000 Well... 02:39.000 --> 02:42.000 See you tonight, dear. Goodbye. 02:42.000 --> 02:43.000 Oliver! 02:43.000 --> 02:44.000 Yes? 02:44.000 --> 02:47.000 I hope you're all... 02:47.000 --> 02:51.000 Oh, nothing. Goodbye. 02:51.000 --> 02:54.000 Laura was like that. A chronic worrier. 02:54.000 --> 02:58.000 She seemed to take delight in fretting about things that wouldn't even occur to the average person. 02:58.000 --> 03:04.000 Imagine me not feeling well. Why, I've never had a sick day in my life. 03:04.000 --> 03:10.000 There on the trellis was my prize rose bush. Climbing talisman, they call it. 03:10.000 --> 03:13.000 Suddenly I was thinking of Jane. 03:13.000 --> 03:17.000 Perhaps if I put a rosebud in my buttonhole, Jane would notice. 03:17.000 --> 03:21.000 She'd say something about how the scent matched her perfume, and maybe we'd talk about roses. 03:21.000 --> 03:25.000 And I could impress her, because I know quite a lot about roses. 03:25.000 --> 03:27.000 I was just about to pick one of the buds... 03:27.000 --> 03:32.000 Well, well, well, good morning, Mr. Littlefield. Good morning. Two lettuce for you today. 03:32.000 --> 03:33.000 Good morning, Mr. Crowley. 03:33.000 --> 03:35.000 Well, I see you're doing a little gardening, hmm? 03:35.000 --> 03:37.000 Oh, no, I was just sort of looking the garden over. 03:37.000 --> 03:40.000 Well, it's a mighty fine garden you've got there, Mr. Littlefield. 03:40.000 --> 03:42.000 Worked pretty hard on it, I suppose. 03:42.000 --> 03:44.000 Yes, I've given it my fair share of time. 03:44.000 --> 03:47.000 Oh, yes. A little too much, maybe, hmm? 03:47.000 --> 03:49.000 I beg your pardon? 03:49.000 --> 03:51.000 Well, it pays to be on the safe side, Mr. Littlefield. 03:51.000 --> 03:56.000 Now, of course, of course, it ain't none of my business, but it seems to me that you're getting to look a... 03:56.000 --> 03:59.000 well, a little peaked. You'd better go easy. 03:59.000 --> 04:00.000 Yes. Well, then, you know... 04:00.000 --> 04:01.000 Good morning, Mr. Crowley. 04:01.000 --> 04:04.000 Yes, good morning, you sir. I gotta get going anyway. 04:04.000 --> 04:06.000 What was the second time? 04:06.000 --> 04:10.000 The second time I'd heard it, and the day was hardly more than an hour old. 04:10.000 --> 04:12.000 First Laura, and now the postman. 04:12.000 --> 04:15.000 I felt all right. I felt swell. 04:18.000 --> 04:20.000 I thought of the rosebud again. 04:20.000 --> 04:22.000 I bent down, snipped off a bud from the bush, 04:22.000 --> 04:25.000 had to take the red crosspin out of my lapel to get the rose in, 04:25.000 --> 04:31.000 but I didn't mind taking the time. After all, one minute more or less never harmed anyone. 04:31.000 --> 04:35.000 I didn't know then how precious a minute can be. 04:35.000 --> 04:37.000 I glanced at my watch, 823. 04:37.000 --> 04:39.000 I had to run part of the way to the station. 04:39.000 --> 04:43.000 I arrived out of breath, panting, perspiring a bit, but I made it. 04:43.000 --> 04:45.000 Steve and Joe helped me aboard. 04:45.000 --> 04:48.000 Hey! Oliver, you ought to get an earlier start in the morning. 04:48.000 --> 04:50.000 I was... I was delayed at the house. 04:50.000 --> 04:53.000 Boy, listen to old Ollie wheeze. 04:53.000 --> 04:56.000 And you're the guy who used to be a track star in high school. 04:56.000 --> 04:58.000 Where's the old wind, Ollie? 04:58.000 --> 05:00.000 I'm all right. Just a second now. 05:00.000 --> 05:04.000 Seriously, Oliver, it's dangerous business for a man of your age to be running around that way. 05:04.000 --> 05:07.000 Man of my age? Listen to him, you'd think I was 80. 05:07.000 --> 05:10.000 Say, know what you need? Maxidream. 05:10.000 --> 05:12.000 Pep me up, make you feel like a million. 05:12.000 --> 05:14.000 I tell you there's nothing wrong with me. 05:14.000 --> 05:17.000 I got two or three here with me. Little box, pocket here somewhere. 05:17.000 --> 05:19.000 Here we are. Let me make a little present. 05:19.000 --> 05:21.000 Non-habit forming, you know? 05:21.000 --> 05:23.000 What do I want with Maxidream? 05:23.000 --> 05:25.000 You keep them in your pocket. 05:25.000 --> 05:28.000 Take a half of one with some water when you get that sagged out feeling, you know? 05:28.000 --> 05:31.000 Pep you up like a million, make a new man out of you. 05:33.000 --> 05:35.000 It's getting to be just like a club. 05:35.000 --> 05:38.000 All you had to do to get a membership was to smile at me and say, 05:38.000 --> 05:41.000 Mr. Littlefield, you look a little sick. 05:41.000 --> 05:43.000 Mr. Littlefield, you look a little peaking. 05:43.000 --> 05:48.000 Mr. Littlefield, why don't you just find some nice quiet corner and go and curl up and die? 05:48.000 --> 05:51.000 Mr. Littlefield. 05:54.000 --> 05:57.000 It was nine o'clock when I got to the office. 05:57.000 --> 06:00.000 I noticed a lumpy feeling in my solar plexus. 06:00.000 --> 06:03.000 Right here, a little on the left by my heart. 06:03.000 --> 06:06.000 It was just indigestion, of course. 06:06.000 --> 06:10.000 I got my accounts together and I went into Mr. Bevan's outer office. 06:10.000 --> 06:13.000 There was Jane at her desk. 06:13.000 --> 06:15.000 She looked lovely this morning. 06:15.000 --> 06:21.000 The sunlight coming through the Venetian blind seemed to blend with her blonde hair. 06:21.000 --> 06:25.000 All at once I wondered why I'd ever married Laura. 06:25.000 --> 06:28.000 Sunlight never did anything to her hair. 06:28.000 --> 06:31.000 Jane was busy and didn't see me come in. 06:31.000 --> 06:34.000 I coughed, lightly. 06:34.000 --> 06:38.000 Oh, Mr. Littlefield, good morning. 06:38.000 --> 06:39.000 Good morning, Jane. 06:39.000 --> 06:41.000 I heard you cough. Do you have a cold? 06:41.000 --> 06:44.000 No, no, I haven't a cold. I never felt better in my life. 06:44.000 --> 06:46.000 I'm sorry, Mr. Littlefield, I just... 06:46.000 --> 06:50.000 Oh, forgive me, Jane. I didn't mean to snap at you. 06:50.000 --> 06:52.000 I guess I'm a little jumpy this morning. 06:52.000 --> 06:54.000 Well, I can understand your being jumpy. 06:54.000 --> 06:58.000 Mr. Bevan's can certainly be an old bear if he finds a mistake in the books. 06:58.000 --> 06:59.000 He certainly can. 06:59.000 --> 07:03.000 But I wouldn't worry. You're well dressed for the occasion. 07:03.000 --> 07:07.000 That rose in your lapel should appeal to his more pleasant side. 07:07.000 --> 07:10.000 That is, if he has a more pleasant side. 07:10.000 --> 07:14.000 I just happened to notice the bite in one of the bushes in the garden this morning. 07:14.000 --> 07:16.000 I don't know why I wore it. 07:16.000 --> 07:17.000 It looks very nice. 07:17.000 --> 07:20.000 Thank you. It's a climbing talisman. 07:20.000 --> 07:22.000 Do you know anything about roses? 07:22.000 --> 07:26.000 No, I'm afraid not. They're my favorite flower, though. 07:26.000 --> 07:29.000 I grow them as a hobby. I had some exhibited once. 07:29.000 --> 07:31.000 You must be quite a gardener. 07:31.000 --> 07:33.000 Oh, no, no, no, I'm not really. 07:33.000 --> 07:36.000 You see, there isn't a lot to growing a good rose. 07:36.000 --> 07:39.000 You just have to watch your soil carefully. Irrigate, of course. 07:39.000 --> 07:42.000 And roses take a lot of spraying, too. 07:42.000 --> 07:43.000 Oh, I see. 07:43.000 --> 07:45.000 And let me tell you, if you intend to exhibit your flowers, 07:45.000 --> 07:48.000 there mustn't be any evidence of insect damage. 07:48.000 --> 07:52.000 You see, a rose is judged first by its form and color, then substance, then... 07:52.000 --> 07:53.000 Excuse me. 07:53.000 --> 07:54.000 Of course. 07:54.000 --> 07:55.000 Yes, sir. 07:55.000 --> 07:56.000 Have you seen Littlefield? 07:56.000 --> 07:57.000 Why, yes, sir, he... 07:57.000 --> 07:59.000 Why hasn't he come in here? 07:59.000 --> 08:01.000 Why doesn't he know he has a nine o'clock appointment with me? 08:01.000 --> 08:05.000 Well, Mr. Bevan's, Mr. Littlefield has been waiting for you in the outer office. 08:05.000 --> 08:06.000 You didn't call, sir, and... 08:06.000 --> 08:09.000 Is it necessary for me to call my employees after I've made a specific appointment? 08:09.000 --> 08:12.000 Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Bevan's, I'm sure that Mr. Littlefield... 08:12.000 --> 08:14.000 Littlefield, you're a fool. Have him come in here right away. 08:14.000 --> 08:16.000 Yes, sir. Mr. Littlefield, I just... 08:16.000 --> 08:18.000 It's all right, it's all right, Jane. 08:18.000 --> 08:19.000 I'll go right in. 08:22.000 --> 08:24.000 I walked towards the door. 08:24.000 --> 08:27.000 I could feel that lump inside of me getting bigger, almost choking. 08:27.000 --> 08:30.000 What right did Bevan's have to say such things about me? 08:30.000 --> 08:33.000 And in front of Jane... 08:33.000 --> 08:36.000 I reached for the door handle and turned it. 08:36.000 --> 08:38.000 Well, well, Littlefield, what are you standing there for? 08:38.000 --> 08:40.000 Come in, come in. 08:40.000 --> 08:42.000 Sit down. 08:42.000 --> 08:46.000 Littlefield, I believe you're aware of my sentiments regarding punctuality. 08:46.000 --> 08:48.000 I expect my employees to be on time. 08:48.000 --> 08:50.000 In fact, I demand that they do. 08:50.000 --> 08:51.000 Well, you see, Mr. Bevan... 08:51.000 --> 08:53.000 Never mind, never mind, we'll discuss the matter at a later date. 08:53.000 --> 08:55.000 Right now, I want to see the vouchers, last month's. 08:55.000 --> 08:57.000 Yes, sir. 08:57.000 --> 08:58.000 Right here. 08:58.000 --> 09:00.000 Littlefield, these are the May vouchers. 09:00.000 --> 09:02.000 Oh, so they are. 09:02.000 --> 09:04.000 I'm sorry, Mr. Bevan's. 09:04.000 --> 09:06.000 Here. 09:06.000 --> 09:08.000 Let me see the audit on these. 09:08.000 --> 09:09.000 Yes, sir. 09:09.000 --> 09:11.000 Not the sales slips, Littlefield, the audit. 09:11.000 --> 09:13.000 What the devil's wrong with you, man? 09:13.000 --> 09:14.000 What? 09:14.000 --> 09:16.000 A person would think you are completely addled. 09:16.000 --> 09:18.000 Addled? 09:18.000 --> 09:20.000 Well, I'm not addled. 09:20.000 --> 09:23.000 And I'm not a fool either. 09:23.000 --> 09:26.000 You had no right to call me that, you understand? 09:26.000 --> 09:28.000 Littlefield, I think you must be ill. 09:28.000 --> 09:30.000 No, no, I'm not ill. 09:30.000 --> 09:33.000 Don't say I'm ill because I never felt better in my life. 09:33.000 --> 09:36.000 All that's wrong with me, Mr. Bevan's, is... 09:36.000 --> 09:37.000 That I'm mad. 09:37.000 --> 09:39.000 Yes, that's the word for it. 09:39.000 --> 09:41.000 I think you are mad, completely mad. 09:41.000 --> 09:43.000 That's not what I mean either, Mr. Bevan's. 09:43.000 --> 09:45.000 I'm perfectly all right, except that I'm not going to sit here 09:45.000 --> 09:47.000 and listen to you calling me names. 09:47.000 --> 09:48.000 No, sir. 09:48.000 --> 09:51.000 I've got 17 years' worth of tempers stored up right here, 09:51.000 --> 09:54.000 and I'm warning you, Mr. Bevan's, I'd like to tell you just what I think of you. 09:54.000 --> 09:56.000 Get out of this office, Littlefield. 09:56.000 --> 09:59.000 If there's one thing I will not tolerate, it's insubordination. 09:59.000 --> 10:02.000 All right, Mr. Bevan's, all right. So I'm insubordinate. 10:02.000 --> 10:05.000 And it may surprise you to know that I've wanted to be insubordinate for 17 long years. 10:05.000 --> 10:06.000 See, here, young... 10:06.000 --> 10:09.000 17 years I've worked for you, and what thanks have I ever had for it? 10:09.000 --> 10:11.000 Two dollar raises and listening to you about... 10:11.000 --> 10:14.000 Littlefield, get out! You're fired. 10:14.000 --> 10:17.000 I know, sure, I'm fired. 10:17.000 --> 10:20.000 But that's all you can do to me, Mr. Bevan's. 10:20.000 --> 10:22.000 All you can do is fire me. 10:22.000 --> 10:32.000 Why didn't you fire me a long time ago? 10:32.000 --> 10:37.000 So there I was, out of a job. 10:37.000 --> 10:39.000 What was the next step? 10:39.000 --> 10:41.000 Couldn't go home in the middle of the day. 10:41.000 --> 10:44.000 Well, I could, but you don't know Laura. 10:44.000 --> 10:47.000 Never would have been able to explain it to her. She wouldn't have understood. 10:47.000 --> 10:49.000 She never understood anything. 10:49.000 --> 10:54.000 With her, it was payday, the bridge club, a new hat for Easter. 10:54.000 --> 10:59.000 Everything suburban, everything in a rut, always in a rut. 10:59.000 --> 11:05.000 Oh, I went back and sat in my office to think. 11:05.000 --> 11:08.000 After a little while, I got up and went to the water cooler, 11:08.000 --> 11:12.000 pulled my handkerchief out to wipe off my hands, and something fell out of my pocket. 11:12.000 --> 11:15.000 It was that little pill box. I opened it. 11:15.000 --> 11:19.000 There were three and a half of those maxadrenes in it. 11:19.000 --> 11:23.000 I swallowed them all. 11:23.000 --> 11:31.000 I sat down, and in a little, I began to feel clear in my mind. 11:31.000 --> 11:39.000 My life with this awful, deadly grind, because I was married to Laura. 11:39.000 --> 11:42.000 She was the cause of all my unhappiness, the cause of my failure, 11:42.000 --> 11:45.000 the reason for my losing my job. 11:45.000 --> 11:48.000 Something would have to be done about Laura. 11:48.000 --> 11:51.000 Why not eliminate the cause? 11:51.000 --> 11:53.000 That was it. 11:53.000 --> 11:57.000 Eliminate the cause, and you have the situation lit. 11:57.000 --> 12:00.000 Eliminate the cause. 12:00.000 --> 12:03.000 Suddenly my mind was made up. 12:03.000 --> 12:09.000 I must kill Laura. 12:09.000 --> 12:13.000 For Suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you Hume Cronin in Blue Eyes 12:13.000 --> 12:15.000 by Charles Smith and Lewis Reed. 12:15.000 --> 12:29.000 Roma Wines presentation tonight in Radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense. 12:29.000 --> 12:34.000 Between the acts of Suspense, this is Ken Niles for Roma Wines. 12:34.000 --> 12:37.000 Every great artist creates many fine paintings, 12:37.000 --> 12:40.000 but there is usually one picture in which the artist's talents 12:40.000 --> 12:44.000 combine magnificently to produce a masterpiece. 12:44.000 --> 12:47.000 It is frequently so with wines. 12:47.000 --> 12:50.000 Long famed for the excellence of Roma Wines, 12:50.000 --> 12:54.000 Roma, America's greatest vintner, has created a limited bottling 12:54.000 --> 12:58.000 of outstanding character, Grand Estate Wines, 12:58.000 --> 13:01.000 each a masterpiece of fine wine making. 13:01.000 --> 13:07.000 Yes, Grand Estate Wines by Roma possess all the qualities of wine greatness, 13:07.000 --> 13:12.000 brilliant clarity, full fragrance, and soft rich taste. 13:12.000 --> 13:16.000 For Roma Vintners with infinite patience and age-old skill 13:16.000 --> 13:21.000 have captured from choicest grapes the ultimate in wine goodness. 13:21.000 --> 13:24.000 That is why discriminating wine users everywhere 13:24.000 --> 13:30.000 recognize Grand Estate Wines as the crowning achievement of vintner skill. 13:30.000 --> 13:33.000 Tomorrow, enjoy the delightful experience 13:33.000 --> 13:36.000 awaiting you in Grand Estate California wines. 13:36.000 --> 13:39.000 For gracious hospitality before dinner, 13:39.000 --> 13:42.000 serve your guests Grand Estate Medium Sherry. 13:42.000 --> 13:45.000 For smart afternoon or evening entertaining, 13:45.000 --> 13:50.000 delight everyone with Grand Estate Ruby Port or Golden Musketeel. 13:50.000 --> 13:54.000 Remember the name, Grand Estate Wines by Roma, 13:54.000 --> 13:57.000 each a taste masterpiece. 13:57.000 --> 14:01.000 And now Roma Wines bring back to our Hollywood sound stage, 14:01.000 --> 14:04.000 Hume Cronin who as Oliver Littlefield in Blue Eyes 14:04.000 --> 14:09.000 continues a narrative well calculated to keep you in suspense. 14:17.000 --> 14:21.000 Murder is a tough proposition, takes a lot of thought, 14:21.000 --> 14:26.000 mustn't be messy or violent, it's got to be quick and effective 14:26.000 --> 14:29.000 or else a guy stands a chance of getting caught. 14:29.000 --> 14:34.000 How to do this thing? How to do it without a slip? 14:34.000 --> 14:37.000 Suddenly I had it. 14:37.000 --> 14:39.000 Laura took some medicine every night at bedtime, 14:39.000 --> 14:42.000 two tablespoons of powder that Dr. Thacker had prescribed for her 14:42.000 --> 14:45.000 and a glass of warm milk. 14:45.000 --> 14:50.000 If I were to get some poison that looked like that powder and substi... 14:50.000 --> 14:54.000 Yes, that was perfect, I couldn't miss. 14:54.000 --> 14:57.000 Quick and effective. 15:02.000 --> 15:07.000 Three o'clock, I walked up the steps of the public library and went in. 15:07.000 --> 15:09.000 Yes sir, can I help you? 15:09.000 --> 15:13.000 I'd like to see some books on... 15:13.000 --> 15:15.000 Yes? 15:15.000 --> 15:18.000 I just wanted to look over something on roses. 15:18.000 --> 15:20.000 That's Horticulture Section 5 just across the aisle. 15:20.000 --> 15:24.000 Oh yes, Horticulture course, thank you. 15:24.000 --> 15:27.000 I took a book from the shelf, thumbed a few pages and then 15:27.000 --> 15:31.000 finally decided to risk a quick glance in the direction of the librarian, 15:31.000 --> 15:33.000 see if she was still watching me. 15:33.000 --> 15:35.000 The desk was empty, she'd left it. 15:35.000 --> 15:40.000 Then I saw where she was at the other end of the library, stacking books in a hand car. 15:40.000 --> 15:45.000 Here was my chance, I could slip across to the science alcove without her seeing me. 15:45.000 --> 15:55.000 I went to the section marked science, medicine, looked in the card index file under P, pharmacology. 15:55.000 --> 16:03.000 Here it is, pharmacology and therapeutics by Walter A. Bastido, PHGMD. 16:03.000 --> 16:08.000 Someday I'm going to look up those initials and find out what they mean. 16:08.000 --> 16:12.000 I found the book, the index said look under a hydrochloric acid, 16:12.000 --> 16:20.000 and cyanate, and there it was, cyanate, used as intensifier in photographic development. 16:20.000 --> 16:25.000 Two and a half grains of this cyanate is reckoned to be a lethal dose. 16:25.000 --> 16:28.000 I could buy this stuff in a photographic store. 16:28.000 --> 16:32.000 Two and a half grains, fatal. 16:32.000 --> 16:33.000 Pardon me sir. 16:33.000 --> 16:34.000 Oh yes? 16:34.000 --> 16:35.000 I'd like to put these books away if I may. 16:35.000 --> 16:38.000 Oh, you're the gentleman who was looking for books on roses. 16:38.000 --> 16:39.000 Yes, yes, I am. 16:39.000 --> 16:42.000 Well, I'm afraid you're in the wrong department sir. 16:42.000 --> 16:44.000 I told you a moment ago you'll find everything on roses. 16:44.000 --> 16:47.000 This clumsy me, I'm terribly sorry. 16:47.000 --> 16:49.000 Oh it's all right, it's my fault, I was in the way. 16:49.000 --> 16:51.000 Oh, you dropped your book. Here. 16:51.000 --> 16:52.000 Thank you. 16:52.000 --> 16:58.000 What? This isn't a book on roses at all. It's pharmacology. 16:58.000 --> 17:02.000 Oh, well what do you know about that? I must have picked up the wrong book somewhere. 17:02.000 --> 17:09.000 Yes, you must have. 17:09.000 --> 17:11.000 She stared at me as I put the book back on the shelf. 17:11.000 --> 17:13.000 I turned and walked away. 17:13.000 --> 17:17.000 I could feel her eyes following me through the door. 17:17.000 --> 17:21.000 I was conscious of that lump under my heart again. 17:21.000 --> 17:24.000 Felt heavy and hard like a rock. 17:24.000 --> 17:26.000 And there was a dryness in my throat too. 17:26.000 --> 17:29.000 I swallowed a few times to get rid of it. 17:29.000 --> 17:35.000 At Fort from Sutter there's a photographic supply place. 17:35.000 --> 17:37.000 Good afternoon sir. 17:37.000 --> 17:40.000 Good afternoon. I'd like some cyanate please. 17:40.000 --> 17:42.000 How much do you want sir? 17:42.000 --> 17:44.000 Oh, enough to treat some negatives with. 17:44.000 --> 17:46.000 Quite a few negatives. 17:46.000 --> 17:47.000 About two pounds? 17:47.000 --> 17:49.000 Yes, I think that'll be fine. 17:49.000 --> 17:52.000 Well, I'll wait for you. What kind of camera have you been using? 17:52.000 --> 17:55.000 What? Oh, I have a brownie camera. 17:55.000 --> 17:57.000 Brownie, eh? Yeah, I have a brownie camera. 17:57.000 --> 18:01.000 Brownie, eh? Yeah, a lot of people are going back to them since the war. 18:01.000 --> 18:05.000 You can take the pictures with a box camera if you use it right. 18:05.000 --> 18:10.000 You know what they say, it's not the camera but the man behind the camera that makes the pictures. 18:10.000 --> 18:11.000 Yes. 18:11.000 --> 18:13.000 What size negative do you shoot with it? 18:13.000 --> 18:16.000 Negatives? Well, as far as negatives go, I shoot... 18:16.000 --> 18:18.000 Two and a quarter by three and a quarter probably. 18:18.000 --> 18:19.000 That's what most brownies take. 18:19.000 --> 18:22.000 Yes, that's the size. 18:22.000 --> 18:25.000 I wasn't going to be able to keep this up much longer. 18:25.000 --> 18:27.000 I was bound to make a slip sooner or later. 18:27.000 --> 18:31.000 Couldn't say I was in a hurry, he might get suspicious. 18:31.000 --> 18:35.000 A man buying poison should never be in a hurry. 18:35.000 --> 18:38.000 Why was he taking so long? 18:38.000 --> 18:41.000 I could feel perspiration in my forehead, cold and damp. 18:41.000 --> 18:44.000 The room began to look lopsided. 18:44.000 --> 18:47.000 Everything seemed to be swaying. 18:47.000 --> 18:49.000 Swaying. 18:49.000 --> 18:53.000 Grip the counter with both hands, grip it tightly. 18:53.000 --> 18:55.000 Now smile. 18:55.000 --> 18:57.000 Here you are, sir, that'll be 57 cents. 18:57.000 --> 18:59.000 Yes, here. 18:59.000 --> 19:01.000 Thank you. 19:01.000 --> 19:03.000 Hey, just a minute. 19:03.000 --> 19:04.000 Hey, Mr. K. 19:04.000 --> 19:07.000 I heard a shout after me but I kept right on walking, faster. 19:07.000 --> 19:10.000 So a photographic studio was just like a drug store after all. 19:10.000 --> 19:12.000 If you bought poison you had to sign for us. 19:12.000 --> 19:13.000 Well, I wasn't going to. 19:13.000 --> 19:14.000 No, sir, I wasn't going to. 19:14.000 --> 19:15.000 I ducked around the corner. 19:15.000 --> 19:19.000 Hey, Mr. Hey, officer, you see a fellow just come out of here? 19:19.000 --> 19:20.000 What fellow? 19:20.000 --> 19:23.000 A gray suit, blue tie, rose in the buttonhole. 19:23.000 --> 19:24.000 No? 19:24.000 --> 19:25.000 Well, he's gone. 19:25.000 --> 19:26.000 Now what do you make of that? 19:26.000 --> 19:29.000 The guy gives me a 20 instead of a one and disappears. 19:29.000 --> 19:32.000 Well, I can do business like that all day long. 19:32.000 --> 19:34.000 I won't forget that, gent. 19:34.000 --> 19:36.000 No, sir. 19:40.000 --> 19:43.000 I arrived home at 6.30. 19:43.000 --> 19:45.000 Laura wasn't there. 19:45.000 --> 19:47.000 The table wasn't set. 19:47.000 --> 19:49.000 Of course, she was probably late shopping. 19:49.000 --> 19:53.000 I went upstairs and found the bottle in the medicine chest. 19:53.000 --> 19:57.000 The cyanate matched the powder in the bottle perfectly. 19:57.000 --> 19:59.000 She'd never be able to tell the difference. 19:59.000 --> 20:01.000 I poured half the bottle's contents into the sink, 20:01.000 --> 20:03.000 marked with my finger the level of the medicine, 20:03.000 --> 20:06.000 and then refilled the bottle with cyanate up to the mark 20:06.000 --> 20:09.000 and shook it so as to mix it thoroughly. 20:09.000 --> 20:11.000 I emptied the rest of the poison in the sink 20:11.000 --> 20:13.000 and I let the water run for a minute. 20:15.000 --> 20:18.000 There, it was done. 20:18.000 --> 20:20.000 Everything accomplished, and very neatly, too. 20:20.000 --> 20:23.000 All I had to do now was wait. 20:27.000 --> 20:29.000 I glanced at the bedroom door. 20:29.000 --> 20:31.000 It was closed. 20:31.000 --> 20:34.000 All the doors on the second floor were closed. 20:34.000 --> 20:36.000 That's another thing. 20:36.000 --> 20:37.000 That's another thing I hated about Laura, 20:37.000 --> 20:40.000 so precise about her housekeeping, everything in its place, 20:40.000 --> 20:43.000 even the closing doors when a room wasn't in use. 20:43.000 --> 20:48.000 I went back downstairs and I tried to light a cigarette. 20:48.000 --> 20:51.000 My hands were beginning to shake. 20:51.000 --> 20:53.000 Nerves again. 20:53.000 --> 20:57.000 I took a book from the table by the sofa, tried to read. 20:57.000 --> 21:00.000 Then I realized what I was reading. 21:00.000 --> 21:03.000 Funny, I should have picked up that book. 21:03.000 --> 21:06.000 Memory album of Oliver and Laura Littlefield. 21:06.000 --> 21:10.000 And a dance program tied in pink ribbon. 21:10.000 --> 21:15.000 Homecoming dance, Indiana University, 1928. 21:15.000 --> 21:18.000 First anniversary. 21:18.000 --> 21:22.000 Oliver and Laura Littlefield celebrating their first anniversary, 21:22.000 --> 21:25.000 July the 12th, 1929. 21:25.000 --> 21:29.000 They invite you to an informal tea. 21:32.000 --> 21:36.000 Suddenly, I was lonesome for Laura. 21:36.000 --> 21:38.000 I missed her. 21:38.000 --> 21:40.000 I missed her. 21:40.000 --> 21:42.000 Where was she? 21:42.000 --> 21:44.000 Why was she so late? 21:44.000 --> 21:46.000 I wanted to hear her voice. 21:46.000 --> 21:48.000 Even if she nagged me, it didn't really matter. 21:48.000 --> 21:50.000 I wanted to hear her say something. 21:50.000 --> 21:52.000 I thought back over the events of that day. 21:52.000 --> 21:55.000 I thought of my married life with Laura. 21:55.000 --> 21:58.000 Hadn't been as bad as I let myself believe. 21:58.000 --> 22:01.000 Hadn't been bad at all. 22:01.000 --> 22:03.000 Laura loved me. 22:03.000 --> 22:04.000 She did. 22:04.000 --> 22:07.000 She did love me and I loved her. 22:07.000 --> 22:09.000 I must have been crazy to even think of killing her. 22:09.000 --> 22:11.000 What would I ever do without her? 22:11.000 --> 22:14.000 I leaped to my feet and I ran up the stairs to the medicine chest. 22:14.000 --> 22:16.000 I poured the cyanate down the drain, all of it. 22:16.000 --> 22:22.000 Washed out the sink with my hand to be sure that the last bit of the poison was gone. 22:22.000 --> 22:24.000 After that, I... 22:24.000 --> 22:27.000 I was calmer again. 22:27.000 --> 22:31.000 I guess I'd come to my senses. 22:31.000 --> 22:34.000 I thought of the blue tie I was wearing. 22:34.000 --> 22:36.000 The one Laura didn't like. 22:36.000 --> 22:38.000 I changed that before dinner. 22:38.000 --> 22:41.000 I opened the door of the bedroom and... 22:41.000 --> 22:47.000 Then I saw, sprawled on the bed, her face distorted in pain. 22:47.000 --> 22:49.000 I went to the bed and I shook her. 22:49.000 --> 22:51.000 Laura? 22:51.000 --> 22:53.000 Laura! 22:53.000 --> 22:55.000 She didn't move. 22:55.000 --> 22:57.000 She was cold. Terribly cold. 23:03.000 --> 23:04.000 Hello? 23:04.000 --> 23:06.000 Hello, Dr. Thacker? 23:06.000 --> 23:08.000 Doctor, this is Oliver Littlefield. Can you come over right away? 23:08.000 --> 23:10.000 Something's happened to my wife. 23:10.000 --> 23:12.000 I think she's dead. 23:21.000 --> 23:24.000 I am afraid you were right, Mr. Littlefield. 23:24.000 --> 23:29.000 This glass she drank from, it's poison. 23:29.000 --> 23:31.000 But why? 23:31.000 --> 23:33.000 Why? 23:33.000 --> 23:36.000 Because it looks like suicide. 23:36.000 --> 23:38.000 Suicide? She wouldn't do that. 23:38.000 --> 23:40.000 She had no reason. She should... 23:40.000 --> 23:42.000 No, she had a reason, Mr. Littlefield. 23:42.000 --> 23:44.000 Her wife was dying of an incurable disease. 23:44.000 --> 23:46.000 But that's not true. She would have told me. 23:46.000 --> 23:50.000 She wanted to keep it from you. Those were her wishes. 23:50.000 --> 23:52.000 I'm sorry, Mr. Littlefield. 23:52.000 --> 23:56.000 Without saying anything more, he left the room. 23:56.000 --> 23:59.000 I sat there staring at Laura. 23:59.000 --> 24:01.000 My mind was a blank. 24:01.000 --> 24:04.000 I don't know how long it was until Dr. Thacker came back. 24:04.000 --> 24:06.000 Mr. Littlefield. 24:06.000 --> 24:07.000 What is it? 24:07.000 --> 24:09.000 This bottle. 24:09.000 --> 24:12.000 That's the medicine you prescribed for my wife. 24:12.000 --> 24:14.000 I think not. 24:14.000 --> 24:16.000 Of course it is. 24:16.000 --> 24:17.000 What are you talking about? 24:17.000 --> 24:19.000 I didn't prescribe cyanate. 24:19.000 --> 24:23.000 It seems that I may be obliged to revise my diagnosis of your wife's death. 24:23.000 --> 24:24.000 I don't understand. 24:24.000 --> 24:26.000 Oh, really, Mr. Littlefield. Isn't it quite obvious? 24:26.000 --> 24:29.000 Your wife's death was caused by a lethal dosage of cyanate. 24:29.000 --> 24:32.000 Her medicine bottle was filled with cyanate. The odor is still there. 24:32.000 --> 24:33.000 Yes, but I can explain that. 24:33.000 --> 24:36.000 You see, there wasn't a bit of it left. I threw it all away. 24:36.000 --> 24:37.000 She must have bought some herself. 24:37.000 --> 24:41.000 I hardly think she'd fill her medicine bottle with poison if she intended to commit suicide. 24:41.000 --> 24:43.000 Now, wait a minute. You've got to listen to me. 24:43.000 --> 24:46.000 I didn't do it. I didn't do it, if that's what you're thinking. 24:46.000 --> 24:49.000 Dr. Thacker, you've known me for a long time. You can take my word for it. 24:49.000 --> 24:51.000 Hello, operator. Get me the police. 24:51.000 --> 24:53.000 You see, it started with that blue tie. 24:53.000 --> 24:55.000 It made my eyes look bluer. 24:55.000 --> 24:58.000 Everybody told me I was sick. I started to feel sick. 24:58.000 --> 24:59.000 Yes, that's right. This is an emergency. 24:59.000 --> 25:02.000 Then the Rosebud and Mr. Bevins and the Maxedrine. 25:02.000 --> 25:04.000 I didn't know what I was doing for a while. 25:04.000 --> 25:08.000 Hello, this is Dr. Thacker. You'd better send someone to 6931 Kilburn right away. 25:08.000 --> 25:12.000 You know, people can drive you out of your mind if they keep saying the same thing to you over and over again. 25:12.000 --> 25:13.000 Can I beg your pardon? 25:13.000 --> 25:16.000 You've got to listen. You've got to listen. It was the blue tie. 25:16.000 --> 25:18.000 Laura started it. She said I was hollow-eyed. 25:18.000 --> 25:30.000 No, it looks like homicide. 25:30.000 --> 25:37.000 Twelve hours. It all happened in twelve short hours. 25:37.000 --> 25:43.000 But since then, the hours have been long, endless, eternity. 25:43.000 --> 25:45.000 How long will I have to wait? 25:45.000 --> 25:50.000 How long until they file out of that room and tell me what I already know? 25:50.000 --> 25:54.000 The coroner's jury found that Laura Littlefield met her death by poisoning. 25:54.000 --> 25:59.000 It's recommended that her husband, Oliver Littlefield, be held to answer. 25:59.000 --> 26:01.000 I can hear it now. 26:01.000 --> 26:07.000 There's no other verdict. The testimony of the librarian, the clerk at the photographic store, the doctor. 26:07.000 --> 26:09.000 Powerful evidence that lies. 26:09.000 --> 26:12.000 Damning evidence that... 26:12.000 --> 26:19.000 That'll send Oliver Littlefield to the electric chair. 26:19.000 --> 26:21.000 Mr. Littlefield, it's all over. 26:21.000 --> 26:24.000 I knew it. I knew what you would find. 26:24.000 --> 26:28.000 The coroner's jury found the testimony of the librarian, the clerk, and the rest convincing. 26:28.000 --> 26:29.000 Undeniable. 26:29.000 --> 26:33.000 And of course, the presence of the glass of poison at your wife's bedside was confusing. 26:33.000 --> 26:38.000 Undoubtedly, she had intended to commit suicide. But of course, we know now that she didn't. 26:38.000 --> 26:39.000 When will I be arrested? 26:39.000 --> 26:43.000 That is a matter for the police. If they decide to prosecute, of course, under the circumstances... 26:43.000 --> 26:48.000 Circumstances. Circumstantial evidence. 26:48.000 --> 26:55.000 I didn't murder my wife! I didn't! I didn't! 26:55.000 --> 27:00.000 Of course not, Mr. Littlefield. The autopsy settled that. Not a single trace of poison in the body. 27:00.000 --> 27:06.000 She died as a result of her illness. 27:06.000 --> 27:09.000 No poison? 27:09.000 --> 27:12.000 No poison. And lucky for you, Mr. Littlefield. 27:12.000 --> 27:19.000 Because if she'd committed suicide as she planned, just how would you have been able to prove your innocence, Mr. Littlefield? 27:19.000 --> 27:32.000 Just exactly how? 27:32.000 --> 27:37.000 Suspense. 28:02.000 --> 28:07.000 Grand Estates wines are becoming the choice of discriminating wine users everywhere. 28:07.000 --> 28:18.000 For in Grand Estates wines by Roma, you enjoy the brilliant clarity, full fragrance and mellow taste that distinguish truly great wines. 28:18.000 --> 28:25.000 Your first sip of Grand Estates wine will convince you that in Grand Estates there is a difference. 28:25.000 --> 28:33.000 A difference born of choicest grapes and the patient, priceless skill of Roma, America's greatest vintner. 28:33.000 --> 28:44.000 So this weekend, enjoy the magnificent taste harmony of Grand Estates California Burgundy and juicy charcoal-broiled steaks or grilled hamburgers. 28:44.000 --> 28:50.000 Or bring out the full flavor of chicken with glorious Grand Estates California Sauternes. 28:50.000 --> 28:57.000 Remember the name, Grand Estates wines by Roma, crowning achievement of vintner skill. 28:57.000 --> 29:03.000 Hume Cronin appeared through the courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, producers of the Technicolor musical Holiday in Mexico. 29:03.000 --> 29:11.000 Next Thursday, same time, Roma Wines will bring you Mr. Robert Young as star of Suspense, radio's outstanding theater thrill. 29:11.000 --> 29:15.000 Produced by William Spear for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California. 29:15.000 --> 29:20.000 This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.