Another tale well calculated to keep you in...
Suspense.
We bring you Bitter Grapes, a story written for suspense by Milton Geiger.
It's a very big drugstore, and it has everything.
I want it to be big, because I want to be small and unnoticed.
I want to be invisible in my wretchedness.
I want to crawl into silence and oblivion.
I want to finish my last days in peace.
Today when I saw Dr. Quillen again, I was sure.
I'm going to die.
He tried to be casual, but I know.
I took the prescription to the huge drugstore.
Not that I wanted to live.
I just wanted to live long enough to make sure that I had killed Warren.
This will take about ten minutes, Mr. Blake. Will you wait for it?
Tell me, what's that medicine supposed to be for?
That's really for your doctor to say.
Never mind, I know what it's for.
You used to have one of those little booths here where people could make records of their voice.
Right behind the magazines, Mrs. Blake.
Oh, yes.
You drop a half dollar in the slot and record a three-minute message and drop the record in the lockbox.
Yes, thank you so much.
Now, drop half dollar in slot.
Pull lever.
Speak clearly and evenly into microphone.
Yes.
My dearest Warren.
You have the note I left for you about the food I left for you in the refrigerator.
Don't look for me.
You see, Warren, I've known all along about that woman you've been seeing.
Coming home so very late to our little ranch home we once loved.
Giving me your weak, absurd excuses.
Oh, why Warren, when we were so happy together?
It's all gone.
Our vines have bitter grapes now.
Remember, darling, remember how you used to read to me from the song of songs which is Solomon's?
Let me see thy countenance, my beloved.
Let me hear thy voice.
For sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely.
Remember?
You've read my note by now telling you to take the food I left for you in the refrigerator.
And as you listen to this record, you're a dying man.
The food was poisoned.
Only I can tell the doctors what the poison was in time to save him.
But I'm dying and I want you to die.
I'm so sorry, Warren, darling.
All the little foxes that spoil our vineyards.
Bye, my darling.
I had to do it.
There you are, Mrs. Blake.
And notice the directions on the label carefully.
One tablet morning and night for 30 days.
Then one tablet only after breakfast.
How much is that, please?
That's $2.75 for 100 tablets.
You can get the prescription refilled five times without another prescription from your doctor.
100 tablets?
Yes, ma'am.
Refilled five times?
Mm-hmm.
But that's...
That's almost a year's medication.
But that's...
Please, give me some change.
I've got to use your telephone.
Right away.
I've got to use your telephone.
Dr. Quillen, I must ask you a blunt question.
Go ahead, Mrs. Blake.
I... I told you in your office an hour ago that I've been feeling worse lately.
A sense of impending death.
Now, you've been a very bad girl about following my orders for a quiet or emotional life, Mrs. Blake.
Then I was right.
I am going to die.
Now, Mrs. Blake...
Well, admit it. Tell me I'm going to die.
On the contrary, like so many heart patients, you can live sensibly to a ripe old age.
But that's impossible.
You are contradicting, if I may say so, one of the leading heart specialists.
Oh.
Now, he's wrong.
I've got to die now.
The police...
The police will hear that record.
They'll come after me.
I've got to get the record back.
All set, Mrs. Blake.
I put your medicine in this envelope.
It's quite a small vial.
About that record I just made in your booth.
Oh, it'll be picked up and stamped downtown, Mrs. Blake.
I know, but...
I just spoke to somebody on the phone and now the message on my record sounds just too ridiculous.
I'd like to get it back, please.
I'm afraid I can't help you there, Mrs. Blake.
Well, it's my record, isn't it?
Yes.
I want it back.
Well, it isn't our machine.
The man who collects the records has the key.
All right.
When are the records collected then?
The man isn't due until around noon tomorrow.
I can't wait until then.
I couldn't bear it.
I mean, I...
I've made plans to go Easter and they can't be changed.
I'm sorry.
Sorry?
Sorry isn't enough.
Only one thing I can do.
I wander among the shelves of pot scarves and light bulbs and whatnot and find a heavy screwdriver.
I go into the record booth again, close the door.
I...
I pry at the box that holds the records.
Then the cover's shapeless.
It won't open.
It's useless.
I've got to wait until tomorrow.
Oh, good morning, Mrs. Blake.
I thought you'd be on your way east this morning.
I had to cancel.
So I thought I might as well come back and pick up that record.
You said the serviceman will be here at noon?
Oh, he's already been here.
Been here?
But you told me he wouldn't be here until noon.
I know, but somebody tried to jimmy the record box yesterday shortly after you left.
The man had to come out early this morning to fix it.
Somebody jimmy...
Are you all right, Mrs. Blake?
Can I stop my record before they put it in the mail?
Can I telephone them to... and stop them?
It's important.
You might try. The magazine stander has the number.
Hurry.
Phone letter, incorporated. Devitt talking.
Mr. Devitt, I'm calling from the Gold Coast Pharmacy.
Oh, that vandalism thing.
Well, my man took care of that this morning, didn't he?
I'm a customer, Mr. Devitt.
I made a record on your machine here yesterday, and I have to have it back.
Well, I can't hold the whole shebang up just for you.
Please, it's important.
If you want your record, you'll have to get down here in half an hour.
I'm taking a taxi right away.
Hello, I'm looking for a Mr. Devitt.
You got him.
I phoned you an hour ago about my record.
Yeah, the records are going out, lady.
But I told you...
I couldn't hold them any longer, lady.
All right, where did you mail them?
Not me.
Leonard.
Who is Leonard?
Look, lady, now don't take it out on me what happened to come into your head to put on a record.
Where did Leonard mail the records?
You got me.
What, don't you know?
With a million boxes around, ask Leonard.
Well, where is he?
Well, this is his day at the races. He's gone for the day.
Oh, I don't know what to do. What shall I do?
Well, I don't know what's in this here record you send, the party you send it to.
I send it to my husband.
Wouldn't the postman give me the record if I wait for him at the collection box?
Not a chance.
How far does the record go? I mean miles.
About 60 miles.
So, okay, you'd just be waiting for the mailman when he delivers your mail, that's all. That's simple.
I didn't send it to our home.
I wanted to make very sure that nobody but my husband could hear it.
I sent it to his box number.
In that case, lady, you are butt dead.
Don't say that.
Of course there might be one chance.
Tell me.
We put the records in a big cardboard box and park them on top of the mailbox.
That way we don't hog the whole mailbox to ourselves.
But you don't know which box.
That's the heck of it, ain't it?
What are you going to do, lady? Check them all?
All right, driver.
Now, try cruising up and down the north-south streets and slow down at the corners.
Are you sure you know what you're doing, ma'am?
The meter says $11.40 and we ain't one mile from where you started.
Now, are you sure you...
Wait, wait, driver. I see it. Stop here.
That'll be $11.40.
I'll pay you later. Wait for me, please.
Oh, no, no, no. I'll hold the flag, but I got to get paid now for what you owe me.
Oh, I... I can't find my money purse right now.
I've got to get to that mailbox before that mail truck on the next corner gets to it.
Absolutely not, ma'am. Now, I'm sorry.
Please. I know I've got the money someplace.
Here. Here. Take my wristwatch.
Please, it'll be too late.
No, lady, no.
Driver, I promise you, I give you my word.
Let me off here and drive around the block and pick me up again.
We'll take it from there. Please.
All right. Once around the block and you'll be there.
At the next mailbox, I promise.
Okay, lady.
Thank you.
I get to the box.
The mail truck is inching toward me through traffic.
Hurry.
I riffle through the envelopes in the cardboard box on top of the mailbox.
Blake. Blake. Warren Blake.
Oh, where is it?
Nobody even notices me.
I'm just a secretary who's misaddressed an envelope and is casually recovering it.
Casually. My heart is hammering.
And then suddenly, Blake. Warren Blake.
I have it. I have it.
And I'm at the curb and there comes my taxi around the corner for me.
Taxi!
You see, driver, I didn't run away, did I?
You see, my money purse slipped into the cuff of one of my gloves.
You see, here.
All right, fine. Where to now?
Oh, well, first, first I want to stop at some music store where I can rent a portable record player.
I know just the place for a portable record player.
And then I want to go to my hotel.
I want to listen to something.
I've got to make sure.
And set the turntable speed for 33 and a third revolutions per minute.
So, start now.
My dearest Warren.
My dearest wife.
What?
I hope you're back home by now in our little old ranch house listening to this record of my voice.
Warren, how?
I don't know how to begin. I'd like to see you.
It's the wrong... Warren, how?
Oh, I'll come right out with it, baby.
I'm worried. Just when I ought to be happiest.
You see, our money problems are all over suddenly.
Well, those were the only problems we ever had together, weren't they?
No, Warren, they weren't. But how...
You see, I never wanted to tell you what I was up to.
Being out late at night, coming home at all hours.
Perfume clinging to your coat.
But I had a secret, Lorna.
Oh, yes.
I couldn't talk to you about it, but...
Well, I knew you trusted me and believed in me, so I...
I just told you I was working late. Period.
So I poisoned you. Period.
I just avoided your questions as well as I could.
But isn't...until I could be sure.
Sure of what? The other woman?
Well, this morning I got home late. Out all night again, of course.
Of course.
I...I found your note with your instructions about taking the food in the refrigerator.
And?
I warmed up the stuff and reduced it to nothing but bones and crumbs and a greasy spot on the plate.
Thanks, honey.
You deserved it.
I am worried, though. I...
I didn't like the tone of your letter.
When you didn't show up, I decided to call Dr. Quillen in the city.
He said you'd just been there.
Yes, dear.
He said you'd telephoned too with some ridiculous premonition that you were going to die.
Honey, that's silly because now we're all set. You've got it made at last.
Indeed.
You know, my boss's daughter is married to that aircraft executive, don't you?
Well, Barbara...
Barbara?
Well, that is Mrs. Aircraft Executive.
Well, took a liking to my work.
Asked me to take a crack at designing a house for her and Mr. Aircraft Executive.
Is that all she took a liking to, Warren?
Well, ma'am, she liked the plans so well she showed them to her husband.
And he liked them so well, he's just commissioned me to design a new jet engine laboratory for the company.
So that's where your wandering boy has been these long nights.
Now it can be told.
I've been working with Barbara Aircraft Executive, so I'd get just what her husband likes in a home and a plant and hit the jackpot.
Oh, Warren.
I didn't want to raise your hopes until I was sure.
I came home full of the big news.
Then I found that note of yours and started to get real worried.
Forgive me.
I decided to drive into the city and then I traced you to that big drug store where you get your prescriptions filled.
Forgive me.
The drugger said you'd been there all right.
He said you'd used the record-making machine they've got there.
Oh, I thought it'd be a nice idea to use it myself.
How am I coming over, honey?
This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Oh, darling.
No fooling, though, Lorna.
Are you okay?
Oh, forgive me.
I keep phoning you at the ranch, but no answer.
I'll keep on trying to reach you, but I want to get this into the record.
Have you got a pencil and paper handy?
In my purse.
Wait.
Yes.
You ready?
Ready, darling.
Now take this down.
Redding, two, three, one, one.
Got it?
R-E, two, three, one, one.
Redding, two, three, one, one.
That's the telephone number of the hospital I'm going to be in in town.
Hospital?
I've been feeling queasy since I ate that stuff you left for me.
No criticism intended.
Oh, Warren.
It's probably just the excitement and strain I've been under sweating out this big thing.
Anyway, the doctors at Suburban General are going to start tests as soon as I check in.
Yes, ma'am.
Tests?
Oh, that's about all.
Tests will take too long.
I don't have enough record left to say anything more than I love you, darling.
Oh, I love you.
I love you.
Oh, my dove that art in the clefts of the rock, in the cover of the cliff.
Let me see thy countenance.
Let me hear thy voice.
Remember?
Oh, forgive me.
There goes the red light.
Time's up.
Oh, no.
I'll be seeing you, baby.
Now remember the number.
Redding, two, three, one, one.
I love you.
Warren.
Warren, you'll die.
I didn't know.
I didn't understand.
I was ill and desperate and I loved you so.
I love you.
I love you, I love you.
I love you.
I love you, I love you.
I love you.
I loved you so.
Forgive me.
I poisoned the food.
Forgive me, but…
The telephone.
Save him.
Tell his doctor's when I gave him.
Redding.
Redding, two, three, one.
Hup!
I can't.
Get off the line.
Will you please call Tom Albright to the telephone?
Get off the line! This is an emergency!
Who is that?
Please!
Is this the Excelsior bowling alley?
No! No!
Foxes...
The little foxes...
They're spoilt!
Suburban General Hospital!
Hello?
Hello? This is Suburban General Hospital.
Hello?
The foxes...
The little foxes...
Hello? Is something the matter there?
Hello?
Can you speak up a little, please?
My...my heart...
I'm sorry, I still can't hear you.
Would you like to ring the operator and ask for a better line?
No! No, there isn't... isn't time!
Who is this, please?
This is Mrs. Warren Blake.
Is something the matter?
I must talk to Mr. Blake at once.
One moment, please.
Let me see thy confidence.
Let me hear thy voice, Warren.
Let me hear thy voice. Let me...
Morning, baby!
Hi, darling, how are you?
Hello, darling.
I'm fine.
Don't talk, darling.
Let me talk to your doctor, darling.
Right away!
Suspense.
You've been listening to Bitter Grapes.
Written for Suspense by Milton...
Heard in tonight's story were Rita Lloyd as Lorna,
and Phil Meader as Warren.
Others in the cast included Arthur Cole,
Edwin Wolfe, Terry Kean,
John Seymour, and Edgar Staley.