And the producer of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, the master of mystery and adventure,
William M. Robeson.
You will have difficulty believing what you're about to hear, but it is true.
Names and places have been changed to protect not only the innocent, but the terrified.
For this is the actual circumstance of a man who walks in the shadow of death.
Because of the nature of our laws, can find no protection from the person who threatens
to kill him.
He lives today, if you can call it living, in a great American city, not knowing from
one minute to the next when his assailant may strike.
Upon his horrible predicament, we have fashioned a chilling story of suspense.
And now...
No Hiding Place, starring Jim Amici.
A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
Shall I order more coffee, Mrs. Marshall?
No, thanks darling, but say it again.
More coffee?
No, silly.
Mrs. Marshall.
Oh, no.
Mrs. Edward Marshall.
I love to hear it.
So do I, Mrs. Marshall.
Oh, Eddie darling, we've got so much to celebrate tonight.
Your promotion, our second anniversary.
Our second anniversary.
Well, we've been married a whole two weeks.
Sue darling, do you realize that at this rate we'll celebrate our golden wedding anniversary
before we've been married a year?
Our golden wedding day.
Darling, it's so wonderful to be able to look forward to it.
Oh, I'm so happy.
I'm so happy.
over here let me help couldn't have been of course not but even if it was you're
not married to him anymore no and I never want to see him again that's why
I left New York to get away from him oh such a mess darling I'll have to go to
the powder on the cream and coffee of mine take your time darling
Oh waiter check please what your hurry Eddie yeah who you Carl Myers what I
thought that I was in New York not since Sue ran out on me just took me a while to
catch up with it you followed her here yeah maybe we'd better get one thing
straight right now Sue wants no part of you she never wants to see you again
no and you poisoned her mind against me how could I I don't even know you I don't
know anything about you you don't have to know anything to make up the lies
about me lies look Myers this is ridiculous why should I make up lies
about you how else could you have taken her away from me what do you mean take
her away from you I mean you broke up my marriage with lies broke up you why
never even met Sue until months after she divorced you that's your story
look Myers whatever went wrong with your marriage had nothing to do with me
I bet it wasn't Sue's fault either are you accusing me if you want to put it
that way yes you had your chance with Sue you failed I did not fail it looks that
way to me now no it wasn't me it wasn't my fault well no matter whose fault it
was Sue's married to me now and there's nothing you can do about it
yes sir is there's something I can do something I'm going to do what's that
I'm gonna kill you oh come on now what do you want I just happened to be in town
on business business wouldn't bring you to this town well I changed jobs see
you got fired more likely so I think we better be going let me buy you drink
just for old times sake I saw enough drinking when I was married to you Eddie
let's go Eddie what remember I'll be singing you
neither sooner I have much to say on the drive home I knew that she was upset by
the time we reached home she had quietly torn her handkerchief to shred
oh good boy Louie honey is even fat today hmm oh yes yes I'm afraid of what he
scared me now you are being silly am I he's threatened to kill you didn't he oh
he just been drinking too much that's all but he did threaten you what if he did
didn't mean I knew it I knew I never should have married you hey what kind of
talk is that Eddie he's he's got some crazy idea that well every time I go out
with somebody in New York after our divorce Carl would get the idea that
that man had broken up our marriage he got so I was afraid to date anybody for
fear that Carl would do something to him that's the reason I left New York I had
to get away from Carl and that's where you never wanted to talk about him I was
afraid if you knew you'd get scared like the others I was afraid that you
wouldn't want to marry me you don't think that would have stopped me I love
you Sue oh and I love you but don't you see that's why it's different this time
I wasn't married to those other men now Carl will be sure that you made me leave
him honey that doesn't make sense oh it makes Carl's kind of sense darling there's
something inside him that keeps him from succeeding at anything and when he fails
when he loses his job or his wife or even an argument it's always somebody
else's fault he can't admit failure he always blames somebody else honey you've
got to stop worrying about it Eddie let's go away you mean run away all right
run away where you've already tried it you've just discovered that it doesn't
work besides we don't have to run if Carl gives us any trouble I'll just go
to the police okay okay I better take him for his walk let me take him not
don't worry nothing's going to happen we'll be back in five minutes
Louie had almost completed his inspection of the neighborhood when I
suddenly realized that someone was following me
quietly quiet boy who's that who's there hello Eddie surprised to see me again so
soon why have Louie look Myers why don't you go back to New York and leave us
alone sure just as soon as I finished the job I came here for so go ahead and
finish it and get out of our lives you wouldn't want me to do that right now
would you Eddie put that away I thought you might want to see it take a good look
Eddie put it away Carl you're a lousy actor I'm not acting this is the gun
Eddie this is the gun I'm gonna kill you with I'm warning you Carl put that gun
away or I'll what go to the police maybe there's a police station right around the
corner come on I'll go with you what sure won't do you any good I can kill you
anytime I want to when you can't stop me the police can't stop me you'll see
I need a little help all right sir what's the trouble this man just pulled a gun on
me and threatened to kill me is that right sergeant if I threaten to kill my
friend here would I follow him into a police station right afterwards you two
guys know each other not exactly but I'm married to his ex-wife
one of them huh look why don't you both just go home and sleep it off but I
told you he's got a gun you've got a gun mister of course not you heard him
search him you'll find it now I can't unless you've got evidence there may be
a witness what do you mean well did anybody here make this threat no can you
approve that he's carrying a gun do you know where he bought it no and I can't
help you I don't see why not you're a policeman is not what placement of time
we got our orders if I search this man I can get fired from the force maybe sued
for damages to evidence or a witness but if the police can't help me who can right
now son nobody can help you that's right Eddie like the sergeant says nobody can
help you nobody
I couldn't believe what the sergeant told me but no one could help me but
after all he was only a pre-sting sergeant so the next morning I went
straight to police headquarters to the homicide bureau I was sure I could get
help there well it's like this mr. Martin is it Marshall it's like this we
can't pick this guy up for intent to kill just on your say so if we did things
like that every man with a sludge against his next door neighbor would be
down here claiming the guy threatened to kill him but Kyle Myers didn't threaten
me yeah that's what you say but you also tell me that he denied it that's your
word against his who's supposed to believe we're policemen you know not
mind readers there must be something you can do is he clean clean yeah clean
does he have a police record oh no I don't think so I'm sure he doesn't it's
too bad see if he did we could chance picking him up but not if he's clean
then you can't help me look mr. Martin it's Marshall yeah well mr. Marshall we
get complaints like this every day you see somebody's always threatening to
kill somebody you know how many of them actually do no maybe one in five thousand
that's all out of five thousand just one and what if I'm that one
the detective had no answer to that question a big help he was sitting there
picking his teeth while a madman stalked me it was then that I thought of
another possible answer Charles certainly acted like a man who belonged
in a mental institution it might be just possible to have him committed I heard
over to ask my lawyer well what do you think will it work
well it's entirely possible Eddie now of course it might not be advisable why not
if Kyle were committed he couldn't shoot me if he were committed but you know yes
I said it is possible Eddie because there's no assurance that such a
proceeding would result in commitment but there is a chance isn't there a small
one I guess any chances better than none no not necessarily Eddie to have my
has put away you see you'd have to sign the charge sheet against him now he has
the right to examine that to learn the identity of his accuser and if committed
which as I said is unlikely he would almost certainly be released within two
or three months matter than ever exactly so Eddie my advice is to drop the idea
and so an upper door closed to my face but I wasn't through yet there was a
higher authority which could order the police to arrest Carl the district
attorney but mr. Marshall even if we found a gun on this man we couldn't use
it as evidence against him the law won't let us that's crazy what kind of a law
is that is a decision of the state Supreme Court similar rulings have been
handed down in several states their principles to ensure the individual's
constitutional right of freedom from unreasonable search and seizure even if
the individual is guilty even if he's a homicidal maniac and all men look alike
to the law mr. Marshall it protects the guilty as well as the innocent the
police sergeant was entirely right when he asked you to produce evidence or a
witness if you can't I can't order Carl Myers arrested not at least until he
commits an overt act what would you call an overt act an attempt to kill you you
mean I've got to get murdered before you can help me well let's hope it doesn't
come to that but you're telling me it has to come to that aren't you mr.
Marshall let's not get excited I'd get excited you tell me the law can't help
me you tell me you'll arrest Carl Myers after he kills me and you tell me not to
get excited how would you like to be in my shoes right now suppose you tell me
that well mr. Marshall just between us I'd be scared there
I had no place else to turn I've been right nobody could help me nobody as I
left the courthouse I felt I was the loneliest man in the world I was
starting across the street wrapped in my own
real easy are you you're trying to hit me I just wanted you to realize how easy
it is to kill a man but when I kill you it won't be this way I wouldn't want you
to think you were dying by accident
I was a bundle of nerves when Sue picked me up at the office so upset I had let
her drive there's only one thing I can do what that get a gun and kill it Eddie
you couldn't why not the law protects him it protects me the same way and what
about afterwards afterward I'd still be alive and you'd be a killer you'd be
arrested tried for murder is that what you want well tell me you had a gun in
your hand this minute and Carl in the sights could you pull the trigger no no I
guess I don't have that kind of guts the situation was incredible the 20th
century civilization I lived in and suddenly turned into a chrome plate of
neon light a jungle its intricate system of law built over 10,000 years gave me no
protection I couldn't even protect myself because I was too much a product
of that civilization too steeped in its moral code as I nervously followed Sue
from the car to the house I realized the death could come at me unexpected around
any corner out of any doorway get the mail will you darling dinner will be
ready in about five minutes you're getting cold
so what's the matter I get execution so it's a warning for me yes he means he's
gonna kill me and I can't stop it call the police call the police I've been to
the place all I can do now is run
oh maybe still here hiding waiting for me I can't just sit here and let him kill
me I've got a run I've got to get away
hey
the sight of the dog hanging in the living room it completely terrorized me
now I was operating solely on fear my only thought was to find a crowd and
lose myself in it the only way car would dare try to kill me would be if he could
catch me alone just ahead of me I saw a crowd coming out of a theater I hurried
to join them elbowed my way toward the box office inside I'd be surrounded by
people I'd be safe one please helping one dollar one dollar please
oh can't be can't don't hold up the line please you want to ticket it don't you
I backed away from the window and harder through the glass
Carlos face leers at me I turned and ran can't regard this I'm going crazy I can't
take a chance I've got to get out of this neighborhood
hey driver wait I want to get on yes please have your fears ready how much is
around trip to the end of the line back we're not coming back but we're going to
farm let me off the matter buddy let me off open the door I've got to get off
okay okay it was crazy the driver couldn't have been Carl Carl couldn't be
everywhere in my panic I was imagining things just like resemblance that's all
I looked around I was alone the street was dark deserted it's a neon light a
block away and I started toward it my footsteps I go to the quiet Street or
was it an echo
Carl Carl of course I've got to stop imagining things that's just an echo see
just an echo there's no one following no one almost to that light I've got to
make it before the echo catches me I've got to run faster
what's the trouble huh oh oh nothing I've been officer you scared me coming
around that corner that's all no no trouble yelling for the police can I
help no no nobody can help thanks anyway good night then and take care
I looked at the neon sign blinking on and off the place was a slum I didn't want
to drink but I wanted less to stay on that dark deserted Street I went inside
a cup of tea please hey look we got booze and we got beer which you got oh
well I guess
yeah we got bigger no no thanks this is adequate I'm glad somebody thinks so
another one thanks yes I will
I don't know how long I said the bartender kept shoving drinks at me I
felt that I had drinker get out I was afraid to get out Carl had been looking
for me sooner or later he'd find me but I wanted to put that moment off as long
as possible time was passing too fast the hands of the clock behind the bar
crept closer closer to 2 o'clock I dreaded becoming that hour
let's close the time bud 2 o'clock give me another drink I'm sorry I'm closing
up but you gotta let me have another drink fuck you had enough besides I
lose my license if I sold you a drink after hours yeah well let me tell you
story then funny thing happened I saw you mr. McClough that's right I was just
looking for my friend here come ready to go Eddie no not with you
oh now come on Eddie it's late I sure glad you showed up mr. I hate to see him
leave here like that without somebody's dear him home you know what I mean I know
we have this problem with him all the time bartender he's lying I don't drink
on it oh sure you don't please he's gonna kill me that right let's go
please don't let him kill me yeah sure glad to get him out of here I got
closer come on he's gonna kill me I tell you he's got a gun
you know he's usually that's why we had to keep him from drinking you know how
it is I sure do know how it is right here he is good luck don't go away don't
leave me with a brave
all right Eddie let's get it over with into the alley there everything working
perfectly for years in the car sure it is into the alley all right go ahead shoot
me what'll I prove you still be a failure what you can't face it can you
how many husbands of Susie gonna have to kill before you can admit you're a
failure I'm warning you don't say that go ahead shoot add another failure to your
list I'm not a failure I am not what's going on there get back get back it all
to you too
he's dead officer Carl's dead yeah it was him or me
mister do you realize that crazy guy could have killed the both of us you
ought to be more careful the friends you pick up in bars
suspense in which Jim Amici starred in William and Robeson production of no
hiding place reporting Jim Amici in no hiding place were Shirley Mitchell Barney
Phillips Lawrence Bobkin Jack Krusche and Wendell Hall listen listen again next
week when we return with other tale well calculated to keep you in