Suspense!
Autolite and its 96,000 dealers present Mr. Van Hevelen in Murder of Antelia, a suspense play produced and edited by William Spear.
Oh, Mr. Wilcox, Mr. Wilcox!
Well, Hap's sister-in-law, what brings you here?
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And remember, you're always right with autolite.
And now with murder of Aunt Delia and with the performance of Van Heflin, autolite hopes once again to keep you in suspense.
Ever stick out your thumb and pull out a million-dollar plum?
Well, I'm the little Jack Horner that did that.
Only my name isn't Horner, it's Dort Sharples.
I was hitchhiking along Highway 70 across the Arizona desert heading for L.A.
It was August, and it was hot.
The lizards were fanning themselves.
There wasn't much traffic, and nobody had stopped.
I'd walked about eight miles outside some little berg, and I was tired and sore.
Finally a black sedan came along.
I was all set to holler cuss words at him for not stopping when suddenly he slowed down.
He was a young guy about my age. He was alone.
Hop in.
Well, thanks. I... well, I sure appreciate this.
All right. I'll get you some company.
For a second there, I didn't think you were going to stop.
I wasn't, frankly.
Well, a guy has to be kind of careful, I guess, huh?
You know what changed my mind?
Maybe you won't like this, but it suddenly struck me that you look like me.
Yeah? Yeah, I guess maybe I do at that now that you mention it.
I thought to myself, what if that was me walking along?
Besides, if you've got a face like mine, it must be an honest face.
Yeah, maybe you got something there.
You going to Blythe?
Where's that?
The next town across the Colorado.
No, I'm going clear into L.A.
Well, I happen to be going through there on my way to Santa Barbara.
If you want to spell me at the wheel, we can make Los Angeles by a little after midnight.
Brother, you've got yourself a co-pilot.
By the time we crossed the river into California, I had learned that the guy's name was Glendon Braley,
that he was going to visit his invalid aunt.
This aunt didn't own all of Santa Barbara, not quite.
The guy didn't volunteer this information. I had to probe it out of him.
Between Blythe and Desert Center, an idea began to percolate, and not just from the heat either.
I'll bet your aunt will be glad to see you, Braley. How long did you say it's been?
When I was ten when I left, that'd make it 17 years.
You see, my mother died when I was three, and Aunt Deidya took me in.
Ah, does she know you're coming?
I sent her a wire.
Ah, you think she'll recognize you?
I doubt it. The reason I'm going back, her husband died about a month ago.
He and I never got along. That's why I left Aunt Deidya's place.
You mean you ran off?
No, another aunt in Delaware took me.
Then what with school, and then the Army, and getting a job afterwards?
Well, I just lost track of Aunt Deidya.
Ah, you got a lot of relatives in the East?
No. My other aunt died when I was 21. Deidya is the only relative I've got left.
Well, I guess that means you're coming to something pretty good some day.
Yeah, I suppose so. It's funny, but the idea sort of scares me.
Oh, boy, I wish somebody would scare me like that.
I kept pumping him until I could have written his autobiography.
Yes, I mean autobiography.
I stored away facts about this uncle that he hated, about how Braley used to like to draw pictures when he was a kid,
about how he got his only spanking when he was eight for spilling ink on his aunt's favorite tapestry,
how he couldn't eat peas, how he got sick on enchiladas at the Santa Barbara Fiesta in 1929, everything.
Could I remember it?
People used to tell me with my memory I could have been a lawyer, but that takes work.
Just east of Indio before Highway 70 runs into 99, I figured that I was thoroughly briefed.
Want me to drive a while, Sharples?
No, thanks, unless you want to take over.
No, technically maybe I shouldn't be driving at all.
Oh, I've got one of these mail-order driver's licenses, but I doubt if I can pass the California test.
Hey, you know something funny? I think we're getting a flat.
All right.
The car ride's kind of funny. I think it's the left rear tire.
This would have to happen clear out in the middle of nowhere.
We better start and take a look, huh?
I don't even know if the spare's any good.
Of course, I may be imagining things, but we better make sure. I'll check it.
Well, there's not a soul in sight either way.
Well, we don't need any help.
I hope not. How is it?
Maybe you better come and look.
Okay. See, come to think of it, there may not be any tools in the car.
I bought it in a hurry off a used car lot in the...
I've got all the tools that I'll need, really.
Well, it doesn't look flat to me.
No? Look close.
Well, it's still there in the seat.
I was right about the tools. Wasn't I, Braley?
I put the blackjack back in my pocket and I dragged Braley off the highway into a ditch.
I made sure he was dead.
Then I changed clothes with him and covered his body with sand and brush.
I was back in the sedan and on my way and still no other car was in sight.
I adjusted the rearview mirror so that I could see my reflection.
I watched the lips move as my voice said,
Dort Scharpels, never heard of him. My name's Glendon Braley.
I pulled into LA about 2 a.m.
I waited till morning, though, before I went to Rena Zeta's apartment.
I wanted her to be wide awake when I told her my idea.
That daughter sounds crazy and dangerous.
Well, for a million bucks, we can afford to be crazy.
Yeah, of course, Emily finds out that you aren't this guy, Braley.
Who'll know? His aunt hasn't seen him since he was a kid.
There are no other relatives, no connections on the coast, or back east for that matter.
But I'm sure you can carry it off, Dort.
Listen, Rena, I know everything about this guy, even when he lost his first baby tooth.
What do you want me to do?
Just stay where I can get in touch with you. Be ready to come on up to Santa Barbara.
How long will you have to wait to come into this money? The old lady may live for years.
I don't think so. She's pretty well along. She's an envelope.
You know, a lot of things can happen to an old lady.
Well...
No, no, it's a real break. I might have done it alone, kid, but I thought of you.
It's real sweet of you, Dort. Real sweet.
Then we're partners?
Okay, Dort.
Great, kid. But now look, you get in the habit of calling me Glendon Braley.
Oh, kiss me, Glend.
It didn't take me long to cover the hundred miles to Santa Barbara.
The reunion with Andelia was quite touching.
I sat on a low stool right by her wheelchair drinking tea that her housekeeper, Mrs. Parker, kept pouring.
And we talked over old times.
Oh, Glennie, it's so good to have you home again.
Glennie. Nobody would you ever call me that.
The kids always call me Glenn or Curly, mostly.
And how angry you used to get. You hated to be called Curly.
Yeah, and when I got in a fight about that with Pudge Morseman, you sent me to bed without any supper.
And then you took away my paints and crayons for a whole week.
Not a whole week, Glennie. I relented on Sunday afternoon.
Well, it seemed like a week.
You did love to draw. Oh, that must be Mr. Crittenden.
Crittenden?
Yes, my attorney. He's been just wonderful to me since your uncle died. Handles all of my affairs.
I've asked him to come up to meet you. Oh.
I hope you don't mind. No, not at all, Andy.
That's all right, Mrs. Parker. Don't worry.
Come right in, Bryce.
Hello, Delia. Ah, you look positively radiant.
Oh.
Where, where, where? Is this the practical nephew?
Yes, Bryce. This is Glennie. Or should I say, Mr. Crittenden, my nephew, Glendon Braley.
How do you do, sir?
How do you do? So this is Glennie.
Well, my boy, let me warn you that I know every infamous detail of your crime-ridden career.
That is up until the time you were ten years old.
No, Bryce.
I'm afraid, Andy, that Mr. Crittenden has an ipso facto case against you.
No, I offer this tapestry on the wall as exhibit. Look.
Yeah? Yeah, what do you mean?
Well, now, if you'll examine it closely, you'll see traces of a stain.
Andy, isn't that where I, I spilled the ink in, well, let's see, it's about 1929, right?
Why, Glennie, do you remember that?
Well, I certainly do. You spanked me with a hairbrush.
Yeah, the accused has paid his debt to society, and the case dismissed.
Oh, Glennie, that stain is worth more to me than the tapestry itself.
Oh, now, Andy.
Yeah, I think she means it, Glendon. Your arrival is already met in a ten years younger.
Oh, how absolutely absurd.
In fact, Delia, I think you could get up out of that chair this minute and trounce me soundly at a game of tennis.
There wasn't any doubt about it. I was in.
And Delia's health improved so rapidly that I realized I'd have to think of a way to speed things up.
That meant that I had to get Mrs. Parker, the housekeeper, out of the house for good.
So I began devising little things to make her appear inefficient.
Andy wasn't supposed to have spices, so I sneaked in the kitchen and doctored the food up with pepper.
After Mrs. Parker set the heating unit for the night, I got up and turned it off.
Andy woke up freezing.
And Mrs. Parker became so confused and upset that she began helping me out by forgetting things and making mistakes all her own.
Then one afternoon...
Lenny, I know Mrs. Parker means well, but as Dr. Davis says, I've got to have someone I can depend on at all times.
Well, I haven't liked to say anything. After all, she's been with you for so long, but, well, the poor old soul needs a rest.
It's going to be difficult to tell her.
Now, I'll attend to that, Andy, and I'll see about getting another housekeeper, an intelligent, capable, younger woman.
Hello?
Raina, this is me.
You know, Mr. Braley.
Oh, yes. How are you?
Great. Now, listen, kid, I'm calling from Santa Barbara.
Yeah?
Get up here right away. Check in at the San Martin Hotel as Raina Derwin.
Right.
And wait there till I call you. We're in, baby, but good.
Auto Light is bringing you Mr. Van Heflin in Murder of Antigua, tonight's production in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Well, Mr. Wilcox, Hapa asked me to return this book to you. Your life story, he said.
Oh, you mean Wilcox of Wide Gap? That's a great yawn. Yarn. You'd like to hear one of the more electrifying episodes?
Oh, sure.
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And now Auto Light brings back to our Hollywood soundstage, our star Van Heflin in Murder of Ant Delia, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
By the time Rena arrived in Santa Barbara, I had fixed up a set of references of her ability and character that would have flattered Florence Nightingale and season B Anthony.
Rena came out for an interview pretending she was sent by an employment agency I was supposed to have called. She made a terrific impression on the old lady.
But a nod from me, and he hired Rena on the spot. And Mrs. Parker left with a cardboard suitcase, a month's pay, red eyes, and the sniffles.
After we got Auntie to bed that first night, Rena and I met out on the veranda.
How was I, George?
Shhh, that name.
Nobody's around here.
Don't take any chances. Call me Mr. Braley all the time.
All right, Mr. Braley. How did I do?
Perfect. Come on, let's walk out by the bluff, away from the house.
Oh, this is sure some layout. Looks great in the moonlight.
It'll all be ours, baby.
You need to plan to live here after it's all over?
Oh, maybe for a little while. Depends on how long it takes me to convert her estate to cash. We can't do anything to excite suspicion, huh?
No.
No. Right up ahead there is a cliff, a 200-foot drop onto some rocks.
You're going to push her?
Oh, no, no. Nothing is brutal as that. It's an accident. You take Auntie out for an airing in a wheelchair.
As you're pushing the chair, you trip and you fall. The chair starts rolling. You run after, but poor Auntie goes over the edge.
You are hysterical, with shock.
Yeah? What's wrong with you taking Auntie for an airing?
Look, if I could do it, what would be the point of you being here at all?
Look, you're just an employee and brand new one. You have no reason on earth for croaking her for a dough.
They just might get that idea if I was weaving her, see?
Hmm. I guess you're right.
And that's why it's important for us not to have much to do with each other.
It's going to be difficult, though. Mr. Braley. No one can see us now, honey.
Look, baby, now, let's not form any habits or it'll be tough to break.
Just one kiss, please.
Reena, come on. Stop that, you little...
Oh, baby.
The next afternoon, Auntie and I were in the library.
I was trying to look interested in the scrapbook she was pouring through.
I hope she wouldn't notice how fidgety I was.
My eyes are so weak now, Glennie, but I know every detail of these just from memory.
Here you are on your first tricycle.
Oh, well, I'll be darned. Is that ever that small?
It doesn't seem possible, does it?
Oh, here's what I was looking for.
The cow you drew when you were nine.
Huh.
You were quite the artist.
Yeah, that's great. I was a surrealist or something. I colored it green.
Green cow on purple grass.
It caused quite a sensation at your school.
I wonder I wasn't expelled.
Oh, Glennie.
I've always been just sick about this picture.
One of the few of you and me together.
You broke away from me just as the photographer took it.
Yeah, I'm just a blur.
Say, what's the cat doing in it?
Don't you remember? It's Xerxes.
Don't you remember?
Oh, yeah, sure. Oh, Xerxes, they purge you.
Gee, the fun that he and I used to have together.
Of course, I used to tease him a lot when you weren't looking, but he sure was a...
What's the matter, Auntie?
Glennie, are you trying to fool your old auntie?
What do you mean?
You were frightened plum out of your wits by cats.
You Xerxes so much as brushed up against you, you'd scream bloody murder.
That's why you jumped when the picture was taken.
Oh, yeah, yeah, I did, didn't I? Yeah, I...
You were that way when you first came here.
Don't you remember? Poor old Dr. Thompson.
He said it was a deep-seated phobia, and you'd probably have it all your life, like Napoleon.
Did it go away, Glennie, this fear of cats?
Well, most of it. You know, a guy sort of...
He doesn't like to remember what a coward he was when he was a kid.
Maybe she was satisfied with that explanation,
but I thought she watched me a lot closer after that with her dim old eyes.
Rena and I couldn't put it off much longer. I might make a real break.
That night, Rena and I set it up. I said, uh...
Tomorrow, right after breakfast.
Oh. You'll come with me, won't you?
No, honey, look, it'll be better if I'm not around.
But you don't have to be right there. Just be where I can see you.
I couldn't do it all alone. I don't know if...
All right, all right, but don't lose your nerve, kid. Now, don't lose your nerve.
I didn't sleep much that night.
The next morning, Rena and I got the old lady in her wheelchair.
There you are, Auntie.
How's that?
Thank you, Glennie. My, isn't it a lovely day?
It certainly is, Mrs. Farnham.
Perhaps I'd better have a scarf over my head.
I'll run upstairs and get one.
Would you mind, dear?
There are two scarves there.
I'll go and get one.
I'll go and get one.
I'll go and get one.
There are two scarves here on the sofa.
Never mind, mister, when there's some down here.
All right.
Which one do you want, Addy? The green and red one or the blue and yellow?
Why, oh, it doesn't matter, Glennie, either one.
Well, this one I think will go better with that robe you're wearing.
Yes, so it will.
Well, come on, let's go.
Wait, I've changed my mind.
What? You mean about going out?
Yes, yes, it's so much bother.
Bother, oh, nothing. You need some fresh air, Addy.
I'll just sit here by the open window.
Well, look, you need some sun. Come along, Miss Dillon.
Please, Glennie, I don't want to go.
I just want to stay here and rest. Please.
Well, yeah, sure, Addy, okay, if you don't want to go.
Addy finally calmed down, but she still had Lena put her to bed.
Then she asked me to drive to town to get her some medicine she was out of.
I was hoping the old lady was coming down with something that would save Lena and me the trouble of that last wheelchair ride, but no.
Next morning was cloudy and sultry.
When I got downstairs, Lena already had the old girl out on the lawn in her wheelchair.
She came over to me and whispered,
She just wants to stay there, Dorian, no ride.
That's tough, she's going anyway. Come on, Lena.
Well, she makes a fuss.
I think two of us can handle an old lady in a wheelchair.
But if she screams.
So what? This estate is as isolated as Alcatraz. Come on, now, let's get it over with.
All right. It's starting to sprinkle.
Well, hurry up. Let's finish this before we get wet.
Glennie, Miss Dillon, it's starting to rain.
Yes, yes, we're coming, Addy.
I knew it would rain today. I knew it.
Sure, sure, well, here we go, Addy.
You came just in time. I thought you'd forgotten me.
Forget you, Addy. Well, don't be silly.
Oh, man, it's starting to come down. Hurry or we'll be soaked.
Glennie, the house is back that way.
Just relax, Addy.
Lena, help me push her, will you?
Sure.
Come on, let's make this quick. Come on, faster.
Glennie, what are you doing? Stop it. Not too fast.
Glennie, do you hear? I'm frightened.
Head up for the cliff.
You're not my Glennie, are you? You're not my Glennie.
OK, Lena. Stop it.
Let her go.
Green, green, green.
It was done.
I looked over the edge to make sure.
She was dead, all right.
I made Rena tear her hose and skin her knee.
I rubbed some dirt on the wound.
It's raining hard now.
As we got back to the house, I heard a car swerving around
till the last turn on the grade.
They pulled up the driveway, but a porch and a man got out.
It was Crittenden.
Rena. Yes?
Get hysterical, Rena. And limp, huh?
Mr. Crittenden. Mr. Crittenden.
What are you doing? I can't scream. Where's your auntie?
Oh, something awful has happened.
I was just going to phone for you.
I tried to catch her. I tried to find her.
What's wrong?
Well, my aunt is dead.
Gee. Yes, gee.
It's all my fault.
No, Mrs. Derwin, stop that. It's not your fault.
Well, what's happening?
Andelia asked Mrs. Derwin to wheel her over there
so she could admire the view.
Did this rain?
No, it wasn't raining.
And Mrs. Derwin tripped, and the wheelchair coasted downhill.
She tried to catch up, but it plunged over the cliff with Annie.
Oh, good Lord.
I just stepped out to tell Mrs. Derwin
she had better bring Annie into the house.
And Mrs. Derwin tripped just a little.
Call an ambulance. Maybe there's still a chance.
Crittenden ran down to a peak over the cliff,
and I went into the library and phoned the ambulance
and the police, too, just to make it look good.
I was downing a double shot of bourbon when the lawyer came in.
That poor woman, at least she didn't suffer.
Thank heavens for that.
Use a drink?
No, thank you.
It's quite a shock.
I'll never forget that scream when she was...
But don't torture yourself.
This young woman, what's her background?
Mrs. Derwin, why, an employment agency sent her out.
Uh-huh, yes.
I, uh...
It wasn't carelessness on her part, Mr. Crittenden.
It might have happened to anyone.
If it hadn't been for the slope to the edge of that cliff,
she'd have caught Annie in time.
Gentlemen, I've lost control of myself.
I'm sorry.
Uh, Mrs. Derwin, this is, uh, Mr. Crittenden,
Mrs. Farnham's attorney.
How do you do?
Mrs. Farnham has spoken of you on the phone.
Could I bring you gentlemen anything?
No, nothing for me, thank you, thank you.
Why don't you sit down and relax?
You've had quite a shock.
Yes, sit down, Mrs. Derwin.
Thank you.
There seems to be nothing to do, but just wait.
I'm a fussbudget about these things, perhaps,
but that bust of Shakespeare on the bookcase,
isn't it in rather a precarious position?
Well, I, uh, never noticed.
Right over your head there.
Makes me nervous.
I'll just slide it back.
Rather top-heavy thing.
Look out, Dore!
Oh, my, oh.
That was close.
Barely missed you.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Sorry, no harm has done.
Lucky you had the presence of mind to call out, Mrs. Derwin.
What was it you called, Mr. Braley?
Why, I didn't call him anything.
Look out, Dore!
It was what you said.
Why did you call him Dore?
Well, it was just an exclamation.
She saw the statue topple over.
And called you by your real name.
Mr. Gritton, I'm afraid I don't quite see the reason
for this peculiar questioning.
I'm sure that my poor aunt would resent you
prying into the affairs of my household.
I'm afraid you're mistaken.
This prying, as you call it, is made at your aunt's request.
What do you mean?
She telephoned me yesterday afternoon
to tell me about a strange doubt, a suspicion.
About what?
About you.
Me?
Why should she have any...
She said that he was disturbed by the horrible feeling
that you are an impostor.
And he thought that...
Well, that's absurd.
Your recollections of your childhood here
were quite convincing.
Except for one or two things.
Well, this is all very...
Oh, oh, oh, oh, my fear of cats.
Well, people do get over childish phobias after all.
It's more than that, sir.
Remember a drawing she showed you?
The water color of a cow.
Sure, sure, the green cow. What about it?
And the scars.
Remember you thought the blue and yellow
would go better with her robe
than the red and the green?
Well, so what?
Doesn't it strike you as peculiar
that a boy who could draw quite a fine cow
should paint it green
and then years later be so exacting
about harmonizing his aunt's scarf?
You see, Glendon Braley was colorblind.
Suspense presented by Auto Light.
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Mr. Wilcox, before I go, do you suppose
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Why, I don't think he'd mind, would you, Van?
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Well, would you just write yours for A-L-R-S-P?
A-L-R-S-P?
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Music
Next Thursday for Suspense, Lucille Ball
and Desi Arnaz will be our stars.
The play is called Red-Headed Woman,
and it is, as we say...
A tale well calculated to keep you in...
Suspense!
Tonight's Suspense play was produced and edited
by William Spear and directed by Norman MacDonald.
Music for Suspense is composed by Lucian Moraweck
and conducted by Lud Bluskin.
Murder of Aunt Delia is an original play by Lou Houston.
Van Heflin appeared by arrangement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
producers of Battlegrounds starring Van Johnson,
John Hodiac, Ricardo Montalban, and George Murphy.
In the coming weeks, you will hear such stars
as Burt Lancaster, Mickey Rooney, and Ida Lupino.
Don't forget, next Thursday, same time,
Autolight will present Suspense,
starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
Music
You can buy Autolight Resistor Spark plugs,
Autolight staple batteries, Autolight electrical parts
at your neighborhood Autolight dealers.
Switch to Autolight. Good night.
This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Music
.