And now, tonight's presentation of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Tonight, we bring you a story of a murder and the body that couldn't be found.
We call it, The Lonely Heart.
So now, starring Ben Wright, here is tonight's Suspense play, The Lonely Heart.
Good morning, sir. I shan't be a moment.
Ah, poor dear, you'll be happy alone.
So sorry to keep you waiting, sir.
Quite all right.
Terribly sad case that in the cage.
Rather an odd hybrid, canary and citral.
Wasn't it all happy with the others? Not at all.
Such hybrids are so often sterile.
What a tragic.
Yes.
How may I serve you, sir?
Canary, of course, such lovely friends they make, don't you think?
Mr. Leach?
Yes.
Chief Inspector Finchley, Scott of the yard.
Oh, my.
I wonder if I may ask you a few questions, Mr. Leach.
Dear, concern your wife.
We'd like to know what you did with her body.
Well, I was rather an extraordinary little man, quite round with an angelic face crowned by a fringe of fine white hair.
He was obviously the kindest old man in the world.
Unfortunately, Scotland Yard also suspected that he'd murdered his wife, Esther Leach, two years before.
There had been no concrete evidence, only the woman's sudden disappearance.
That and accumulated testimonies and clues gathered over a period of time.
I disliked intensely what I had to do, but it had been at the insistence of Commissioner Blaine that the man be brought in for questioning.
And therefore, there was no choice but to take him down to the yard.
You've no right to know. No right at all.
A shocking accusation. No right at all.
You are not under arrest, Mr. Leach.
But you're quite wrong. I mean, it's absolutely absurd, this accusation.
Although I suppose it can't do any harm answering questions, can it?
That's quite right.
Mr. Leach, two years ago, your wife Esther Leach disappeared.
Yes.
She left in her will an amount of money. I believe it was £2,000.
Yes, but it's not being proved that she is dead. I have not collected one farthing.
You were aware of the terms of the will?
Of course, as she was aware of the terms of mine.
Where did you meet your wife?
At a club, as it were. Souls and distress.
They advertise, you know, but a perfectly respectable...
Oh, I'm sure of it.
Mr. Leach, several of your neighbours have testified that on the last night that Esther Leach was seen alive,
a violent quarrel took place at your home.
Nothing of the sort. I deny it. I deny it.
A lover's quarrel, perhaps, but violent. Oh, no.
Ah, at the inquest, you stated that she left the following morning to take a holiday?
Exactly. Esther was a strong-willed woman.
She felt that we needed to be apart for a few days in order to replenish our souls.
Ah, and she didn't tell you where she was going?
No.
And yet for three months you didn't feel it necessary to notify the police when she didn't return?
No. We were adults. Her need to stray from my side was understandable.
She wrote to you?
From time to time.
Oh, do you have those letters? Of course.
They were penny postcards and I destroyed them. When I realized she deserted me, I had no wish to commune with the past.
Where were the cards posted from?
From a great many places. Esther was a wanderer. O'Clymph, Torquay, Bournemouth, oh, great many places. She never gave an address.
Ah. Your nephew, Richard Cade, stated that following your wife's departure you showed little interest in her whereabouts and still left after the inquiry.
Esther's nephew knows nothing whatsoever about anything. I'm sure Esther is alive and well. Happier without me.
I see. Now, tell me, Mr. Leach, did your wife own your shop and the flat above before your marriage?
We were a partnership.
Before you married?
She owned it.
Yes. Well, I think that will be all for the present unless you have anything to add.
Nothing, Inspector, nothing at all, except, well, that I am shocked to think that you suspect me of doing an injury to my wife. Good morning, sir.
Now, look here, Finchley. I took Adinsel off the case because he wasn't making progress. Now you tell me that I made the mistake.
Well, you asked me, sir.
All right. What would you have done?
Well, I would have gone on where Adinsel left off, kept a watch on Leach, not let him know that we suspected him.
Blast it, man. We've got to do something. If the man's a murderer, he's been laughing at us for two years.
Well, I'll do what I can, Commissioner.
I want the body found. That's what I want. And I want Leach.
Well, if he's our man, sir, you'll get him.
What do you mean, if he's our man?
Well, as I told you, sir, he didn't admit to the charge, so until I can obtain the necessary proof, there's always a slight chance that he did not kill his wife.
Nonsense. The man's guilty. You want me to arrest him?
You know we can't do that.
Insufficient evidence.
Exactly, sir. I'm sorry. You're right. I'm not myself today, Liberish.
Oh, as I know, sir, I feel just about the same. I had bloaters for breakfast.
It was a nasty case, there was no doubt of that. And putting the suspect on guard had made it even more difficult.
I went through Inspector Adinsel's report and noted one point which seemed to stand out.
The nephew, Richard Cade, had been very insistent in his belief that his aunt had no intention of going away, and it was most unlike her to do so.
I decided to pay a call on the gentleman. He owned a garage in the old Kent Road.
Bob, when you're finished with that job, take care of the blue Daimler, will you? Oil and wash, right?
I beg your pardon, can you tell me where I can find Mr. Cade?
That's me, chum.
Oh, Chief Inspector Finchley, Scott and John.
Oh, what again? Look here, one of your blokes has been nosing around asking questions for two years now.
I know.
Now, what's the matter? Did they give him the sack?
Not exactly, sir.
Oh, it should have done. Don't notice my auntie's turned up.
Now, that's why I'm here, Mr. Cade. You suggested that it was doubtful that Mrs. Leach would have taken a trip under any circumstance.
That's what I kept telling them. Of course they didn't listen.
Why do you say that?
I knew, auntie, before she married that article swine Leach. She wouldn't take a step out of London. Said she was born here in the dire.
Oh, she might have changed her mind.
Oh, not auntie. Not her. Stubborn old bleeder auntie was.
Was, Mr. Cade?
Well, what do you think? Oh, come on, come on. You know as well as me that Mr. Stanley Leach did her in. Him and that girl it is.
Have you seen her? Works in toys at Selfridges.
Oh, really?
Oh, you've got a surprise coming. You have Ada Willis. Ada's quite a piece of good.
Of course, I don't know if I blame him. Auntie did have her face like a suet pudding. Still.
Still, there's no reason for murder her.
Well, that's going a bit far, isn't it?
Yeah, a bit, Mr. Cade, yes. Well, I'm sorry to have taken up your time.
All right. I hope you do better than the other one. I'd like to know that poor old auntie's not floating about. It doesn't seem right somehow.
Your anxiety does you good, Mr. Cade. Well, I'll let you know what happens. Thank you so much.
Now, this was something that had not been in Adamso's report. A girl. Ada Willis.
That piece of information from the morning nephew I hoped would bring us a step closer to the murderer. So I went to Selfridges and to the toy defiler.
It was early afternoon and the floor wasn't crowded. A girl at the Meccano counter pointed out Ada Willis to me.
She was winding a tiny mechanical doll when I saw her. And I remember how extraordinarily beautiful her hands were.
Miss Willis was not quite what I had expected.
Good afternoon, sir. Oh, I'd like to see one of those dolls.
How does it work? I'll show you, sir.
Oh, no. How much are they? Two and six.
Well, I'll have one, please. No, the policeman there is such a happy little chap. He's my favorite, too.
Oh, you like policemen? I don't know. Just one. I never thought about it, really.
I'm a policeman. Oh. I should have said that when I first spoke to you. Why?
Because I'm here on official business. Oh. Now I understand.
May I ask you some questions, or would you rather wait until you get out?
Is it a concern, Stanley Leach? I'm not allowed to chat with customers, but you're hardly there, are you?
No. My name is Finchley. Chief Inspector Finchley. I know. Stanley phoned me.
Oh, did he? He said you might find out about me and wanted to warn me.
Do you know why? Yes. You think he murdered his wife.
Oh, he told you about that? Oh, yes. Some time ago. And I expect you believe that I had something to do with it, too.
Did you? No.
Is Mr. Leach planning to marry you? Yes. May and December. Rather funny, isn't it?
Are you going to marry him? If I have to. If you have to?
Yes. Unless I can find out what I want before that happens.
Well, I'm not sure that I follow you. You suspect that Stanley killed his wife.
Well, I know that he did, and I'll marry him if I have to to prove it.
What makes you so certain about Leach?
Because if she'd gone away as he said she did, she would have written to me.
Is that all? And she would have come back. Nothing could have made her stay away.
How do you know? I'm afraid I can't tell you.
Don't you know that if this is to lead to an arrest, I'll have to find out?
I suppose so. But at the moment, I can do more than you can.
Even if you have to marry him? Even that.
During the next week, I went over every piece of information which had been gathered in the two years following after Leach's disappearance.
Harris and I questioned everybody, friends, tradespeople. The answers were uniformly similar.
They all said, or didn't say, the same thing. Each one suspected, swore, or made direct accusations, but not one could offer a shred of proof.
Well, I finally came to the next door neighbor, who claimed to have heard signs of a violent quarrel between the Leachers.
He was a middle-aged man who lived alone, and he had the appearance of a witness who would not be prone to exaggeration or malicious gossip.
I don't know if I can tell you, Inspector. It was two years ago now, and I gave my evidence to that other chap.
Addams, wasn't it? Yes, that's right, Mr. Palmer.
So if you don't mind, I should like you to refresh your memory. Do me best.
Now, in your testimony, you stated that the only phrase you were able to hear clearly was, I won't have it in the house. Is that correct?
That's right. Leach kept saying it over and over.
But how long would you say the argument kept up? I don't know. Half, three-quarters of an hour. I mind my own business, Inspector.
Well, in this instance, Mr. Palmer, I'm rather sorry that you did.
Tell me, did you know Mrs. Leach very well before she married?
We'd have a word or two. A nice woman, I'd say. A bit sentimental. I suppose that came of loneliness.
Would you say that until the time you heard the quarrel, they were very happy together?
Yes, yes, I'd say that. Mind you now, I didn't like him from the firsts. There was something...
Yes, I understand. Well, now, Mr. Palmer, please think very carefully before you answer.
Did anything, anything at all, out of the ordinary, take place next door after Mrs. Leach was missing?
I'd say there's something you may have seen in the shop or heard from the flat, or in the garden possibly.
I'm not quite sure what would be out of the ordinary.
Well, the digging at night, or hammering, unusual amounts of smoke from the chimney?
Anything. No, no, I don't think so.
All right. Did you ever meet Mrs. Leach's nephew, Richard Cade, in Yonge's chap, single-looking?
That would be a fairly accurate description.
Once. He visited her now and again, after she married him before.
She never spoke about him, do you?
No. Not except that once when she introduced us.
What about the young woman, Mr. Leach, Steve?
Yes, yes, that's all. Can't make her to tailor the...
Does she come here often?
I couldn't say. A few times, though, she's been to the shop.
When did the visit start?
First time I saw her was about a month ago.
I see. Thank you, Mr. Palmer.
Shade I haven't in much help. I'll show you to the door.
Thank you.
Hello. What's that?
Carrots. Leach keeps it upstairs in the flat. It used to belong to her.
Oh, just a moment. That reminds me of something.
What?
Must have been a week or so after Mrs. Leach had gone.
I remember. It was about ten o'clock.
The parrot screamed like that.
Then about two minutes later, Leach knocked on the door.
He'd burnt his finger. He wanted something to put on it.
Was it a bare burn, Mr. Palmer?
Quite nasty.
Could it have been caused by acid, sir?
I don't know. Is that different?
To a doctor, yes.
He said he'd burnt it on the stove.
But he must have kept his finger there for a long time to get it to look like that.
It didn't seem important enough to tell the police, though, and I forgot.
Ah, that's exactly what I meant, Mr. Palmer. Thank you very much indeed.
At Scotland Yard, we're in possession of several known facts concerning murder in the British Isles.
We know for instance that approximately 140 murders will take place during a year,
and some 35 of these will occur in London.
We also know that a great number of these crimes will be solved within hours.
Others, of course, take longer, according to the difficulties encountered by the scientific laboratory.
In this case, however, we were faced with a problem of few, if any, physical clues.
The missing body is an outstanding example.
But this fact, too, with the knowledge we now have, works to an advantage.
In Britain, the murderer's chief disadvantage lies in getting rid of the body.
In the confines of this island, it poses a tremendous problem.
With this in mind, I assigned Harris a task which I hoped would, in a few hours, lead us to the body of Mrs. Stanley Leach.
For I knew now without a doubt that she was dead.
Then I obtained the home address of Miss Ada Willis and went there.
Good evening, Miss Willis. I come in through a moment.
I'm going out in a little while.
Well, I shall keep you long.
Won't you sit down?
Thank you.
Miss Willis, I want you to tell me the truth.
What is it that you know about Mrs. Leach?
Why are you so positive that she was murdered?
I won't tell you.
Because you're afraid?
No.
That's a lovely portrait.
Is this your baby?
No, a nephew.
Oh, quite a resemblance.
My sister.
You haven't got a sister, nor a brother.
You're unmarried.
I've got to go out now.
An appointment with Stanley Leach?
Perhaps. Please.
I think that you'd better tell me everything, Miss Willis.
You see, we know a good deal already.
It'll make it much easier, I think.
Although the information I received from Ada Willis was nearly enough,
I made no arrest that evening.
It was a matter of four more days to locate the body,
and only then were we ready to proceed.
With the evidence at hand, I called the principal witnesses and the murderer to the yard.
Now, this was not done for the sake of a dramatic accusation,
but rather with the hope that, confronted by absolute proof,
the killer would make a confession, thereby saving the crown a considerable amount of money.
Ready, sir?
All right, Harris. Take a minute.
Come in, please.
Mr. Leach, will you sit here, please?
Miss Willis here.
Mr. Cade over here.
Thank you.
And Mr. Palmer.
Thank you.
Now, begin with Mr. Leach.
We know that your wife is dead.
Oh, oh my.
Due to the circumstances surrounding her disappearance,
certain accusations have been leveled against you.
I know. Unkind, terrible accusations.
Well, Mr. Cade, you stated that your aunt would never have taken a trip away from London.
What?
She wanted to travel. Never did.
Oh, but to a mistake as she did, she did go.
Very well. Now, Mr. Palmer, you testified that you heard a quarrel,
that the words were not distinguishable except for one phrase.
I won't have it in the house.
That's what he said over and over again.
Mr. Leach, would you care to tell me what it referred to?
I don't quite remember, but...
Could it have been a baby?
A baby that Mrs. Leach was planning to adopt?
Oh, good heavens, no.
Miss Willis, you said that had Mrs. Leach gone away,
she would have written and most certainly returned.
Yes. I had a baby three years ago.
It was sent to an orphanage.
Mrs. Leach was going to adopt it since I couldn't take him back myself.
Ada, Ada, you didn't tell me.
Go on, Miss Willis.
I was working at Selfridges.
Mrs. Leach stopped there quite often, and we became friendly.
I told her about the baby.
She never had one of her own.
After she married Mr. Leach, she decided to adopt mine.
Did you tell him about the idea?
No, not until she made arrangements at the orphanage.
That's when she told him the night before...
The night before your wife took her trip, Miss Leach.
All right. That's why we quarreled. I admit that.
But she said she was going away to give me time to think things over.
Mr. Palmer, you said that a week later Mr. Leach came over one evening
and asked for help.
He had a burn on his finger.
Yes, it was an acid burn, Mr. Leach.
No, no, no. I burned it on the stove.
Really?
Well, that brings us to the unfortunate woman's body.
Sergeant Harris, would you ask Mr. Heath to come in please?
Mr. Heath, please.
Mr. Heath, do you recognize any one of the persons seated here?
That gentleman.
Mr. Leach?
Yes.
Will you tell what your note is?
As I remember, about a year and ten months ago,
he asked me if I'd be interested in buying something for the studio.
You were done business with him before?
Oh, yes. When he was in the taxidermist business,
we used to purchase animals and such like.
Oh, you're a very good businessman.
Yes, I'm in the taxidermist business.
We used to purchase animals and such like.
Oh, you're a studio. It is a film company.
Yes, that's right. I'm in the property department.
Yes, go on.
Well, Mr. Leach said he'd acquired a nice skeleton specimen and...
Oh, no!
Just a minute, Mr. Cain.
That's all right, Harris. Let him go.
Now, Mr. Heath, you bought the skeleton?
Yes, I have the bill of sale.
Well, Mr. Leach?
The dental work in the skull was identified.
It was, Mrs. Leach.
Yesterday, your workroom was examined,
wire and other substances were found,
and exactly mapped the materials used in the skeleton.
I'm not well. I shall ask to be excused.
You married her for her money.
When she proposed the adoption, you realized that if she died,
you would not receive the entire estate.
You quarreled, and in a fit of anger, you struck her.
I didn't mean to kill her. It was an accident.
She was a good woman, and I didn't...
Stanley Leach, you are not obliged to say anything
unless you wish to do so.
But whatever you say will be taken down in writing
and may be given in evidence.
Take him away, Harris.
Our discovery of the skeleton involved a city-wide search,
and it had been based on the knowledge we possessed
of Stanley Leach's background.
Although the disposal of the body was bizarre,
it very nearly accomplished the impossible for the murderer.
A perfect murder.
What does not appear on the Scotland Yard record
is the fact that Ada Willis was married a few weeks ago,
and her baby is once again with her.
Suspense, in which Ben Wright starred
in tonight's presentation of The Lonely Heart.