And now, a tale well calculated to keep you in...
Suspense.
In a moment, Act One of Let There Be Light, starring Ivor Francis, and written especially for suspense by Erwin Lewis.
It was cold standing on the hill outside my cabin.
The first sharp touch of winter was in the air, chilling my fingers, making my nostrils cling together.
And a little wild snow would fall, silent, ghost-like, covering the surrounding hills.
The wild snow would fall, and the cold would fall.
The wild snow would fall, silent, ghost-like, covering the surrounding hills.
The winding path to my cabin.
Soon another winter would be my only companion.
The heavy snow drifts would make it impossible for Helen to come until spring.
What's that?
A car.
It can't be Helen. She always comes in horseback.
It stopped at the foot of the hill.
Well, I don't think it would be anybody I know.
Well, whoever it is is coming up.
I'll go inside. If they knock, I won't answer.
Maybe they'll think nobody's here and go away.
But why?
Why would anybody be coming up here?
What's that sound?
Boy, it's cold. That wind is cutting through me like a knife.
Will you stop complaining? At least you're wearing a topcoat.
This fur piece of mine wouldn't keep a rabbit warm.
Oh, my feet are frozen.
Ah, this is a wasted time, Gloria.
Nobody's fool enough to limit the top of this hill.
There's smoke coming out of the chimney.
Yeah, you're right.
Okay, this has got to be it.
Take a look through that window.
See anybody?
Yeah, there's somebody inside, all right.
Good.
Open up! We know you're inside!
Come in! The door's unlocked!
Why, the devil didn't answer right away.
He has a hard voice.
I don't like him. Whoever he is, I don't like him at all.
I, uh, I don't think I know you.
What do you want?
Now, look, that's no example of Western hospitality.
We're strangers. You should invite us in with open arms, kid,
instead of just standing there in the corner.
We're cold. You should ask us to warm up by the fire.
In fact, if you don't mind, I'm going to take advantage of that stove right now.
Half frozen.
Oh, boy, it feels better.
And that coffee smells good. How about a cup, huh?
Help yourself.
Well, that's not being a gentleman, is it, Sam?
Shut up, Gloria. You talk too much.
There's your coffee.
No sugar, no cream?
Here.
Thanks.
Don't get too comfortable, Gloria. We're not staying long.
Kid, you live here?
That's right.
All along?
Yeah. Who are you?
My name is Shelby. Sam Shelby.
This is my friend, Gloria Jackman.
What's your name?
Bill Dennison.
Well, what do you want?
Information, kid. Right, Sam?
She's younger than he is. Her voice isn't very pleasant either.
They're two of a kind.
Look, what do I know that would interest you?
A plane cracked up near here the night before last. Did you see it?
No.
Were you here when it crashed?
Yes, I'm always here.
And you had to see it. It's no more than half a mile from the foot of this hill.
I was here, I told you. I heard it crash, but I didn't see it.
You're lying to me. You had to see it.
Sam, take it easy. Now, listen, kid, I'll tell you how it is.
You see, a friend of ours was flying that plane down to Mexico.
We were supposed to meet him there the day after tomorrow, but something went wrong and he cracked up.
He managed to get to that town in the valley and phoned us.
When we got to the town hospital a couple of hours ago, they told us he died maybe an hour after he phoned.
Now you see how it is?
No, I don't. I told you I didn't see the plane. And I still know what you want from me.
All right, let's cut the comedy. This friend of ours had some...
Well, he got something on the plane that belongs to us. We went over every foot of the wreck and it's not there.
Now, there's nobody within miles of this place, so it's gotta be that you took it. Now, hand it over.
I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't see the plane. I couldn't.
What are you trying to hand me? You'd have to be blind not to see it.
That's right. That's right. I don't believe you.
You wouldn't be living up here all alone if you was blind.
Sammy's gotta be lying. Did you see the way he lit his cigarette and the way he gets around?
I've lived here for five years ever since I lost my sight in a mine accident. I know every inch of this room.
I still say you're lying.
There's one way to find out. Take off those glasses.
No.
All right, then I'll take them off.
Don't touch me.
Hey, you poor guy.
Yeah. I must be a beautiful sight with two black pits where my eyes should be, huh?
At least I'm luckier than you. I can't see what I look like. Now, give me my glasses.
Sure. Sure. Here, kid. Sorry.
Will you get out of here?
Yeah. Come on, Gloria. This kid's got nothing for us.
Sorry, kid. Honest. I'll see you around sometime.
Hey, Sam, it's snowing like crazy. I can't go out like this. I'll die in a moment.
All right. All right. Here. Here. Put this on.
That belongs to the kid.
What is it? What are you taking?
Your mackinaw. Yeah, it's 50 bucks.
Put that on the table, kid. That'll buy you half a dozen coats.
Now, put that mackinaw on, Gloria, and let's get out of here.
What? What's that?
Sounded like a horse.
Helen.
Who?
It might be Helen Prescott. She's a girl I know from the town.
Once in a while she comes up here, but I didn't expect her. I mean, well, I was hoping...
Oh, Helen, why? Why did you have to come now? Another minute and they would have gone.
Gloria, look out the window. See if anyone's coming up the path.
Well?
Hard to see. It's getting kind of dark. Wait a minute. Yeah, there's a horse coming up and somebody's on it. They're going around the cabin.
Why would she do that?
There's a shed in the back. Helen leaves the horse in there in bad weather. She'll be coming in the door in a minute.
Maybe you're telling the truth or maybe you're not. I don't take chances.
Gloria, get over there in the corner. I'll stand behind the door.
And listen, kid, you can't see me, but I'm telling you, I got a gun in my pocket. One phony move and I shoot.
Why'd you lock the door?
Playing it safe until I know it's outside.
But I told you it's only Helen.
Shut up.
Now ask who it is.
Who's there?
It's me, Bill. Open the door.
I'll do it. You stay where you are.
Bill, why did you bolt the door? You never... Oh, I didn't know you had visitors.
Hello, Miss Prescott.
You know me?
Your boyfriend has been talking about you. I'm Sam Shelby. This is Miss Jackman.
How do you do?
Hi.
If I'm interrupting anything, Bill...
They were just leaving, Helen.
Yeah, that's right. Thanks for the coffee, kid. Too bad you... Well, you know what I mean.
Yeah, it's too bad, but that's life, huh?
Are you all right, Bill?
Of course I'm all right. Why shouldn't I be?
I was worried about you. When I heard the weather report about the blizzard, I thought I'd better get up here.
Why? I don't need anything.
I didn't mean it that way. I thought you might like company. My company.
Why? So you could pity me? I don't want your pity, Helen.
Yeah, let's shove off, Gloria.
So long, kid. Sorry we couldn't do business. Well, you sure couldn't have gone to that plane.
The wreck at the foot of the hill?
That's it.
Of course he could if he'd wanted to.
Helen, what are you handing me?
You don't seem to realize that there's very little Bill can't do.
He can get along as well as anybody in most things, even if I could only get him to realize that.
Stop telling me.
Well, Bill, you know how I feel. I've told you and told you...
Helen, please stop talking.
Hey, Sam, do you think...
I don't know. This could be the craziest thing in the world, but we're not missing any bets.
Sit down, Gloria. Take off that coat. We're not leaving yet.
Bill, what are they talking about?
I don't know.
All right, let's have a little quiz game. I'll ask the questions and you better have the right answers.
We'll start with you, lady. What do you know about that wrecked plane?
Only what the town knows. It evidently crashed night before last.
The pilot called to town this morning. How he ever made it injured as he was was a miracle.
He told the hospital he was the only one in the plane.
With the storm threatening, they seemed no point in sending out a party for an empty plane.
They decided to wait until later.
What else do you know?
Well, the pilot phoned New York from the hospital. He told the doctors he was calling some friends.
Then he died.
I thought you two were going. Look, I know this kind of weather. The blizzard will get worse.
You take my Macadam go before it's too late.
Just a couple more questions, kid.
Told you before I couldn't see that plane.
Yeah, that's right. But you didn't have to see it.
You could have scrambled down that path like a mountain goat and poked around that plane.
Your fingers could have been your eyes.
And you could have found something without seeing it, like you do here.
Why would I do that?
What do you want?
I told you, information.
Your boyfriend here isn't as helpless as he looks.
He gets around.
Of course he does.
Helen, shut up.
Bill!
It's getting dark. Is there a light in here?
The oil lamp's on the table. Helen, you know where the matches are.
Now I can see. I didn't realize how dark it was.
Now let's talk business.
Kid, there was something on that plane that belonged to me.
Give it to me. I'll make it worth your while.
I don't want to get rough with you.
Go away. Take the Mackinac. Get out of here.
You little punk, you scum.
Sam, wait a minute.
Now Billy, boy, if you found anything on that plane, why don't you give it to us?
You'll be saving yourself a lot of trouble. Believe me.
Leave me alone.
Okay, kid, you had your chance.
Now I'm going to pound the truth out of you.
Keep your hand off him.
You don't have to hit the kid, do you?
What do you want me to do? Burp him?
He went to the plane. How positive he did.
Huh?
Didn't he?
All right.
I went to the plane.
Yeah, I knew it.
I heard the crash the other night, like I said.
I didn't know what it was first, but I went down the hill.
Naturally, it took me a long time.
By the time I got there, the pilot was gone.
At least I didn't find anybody.
But you did find something, huh?
I just made sure nobody was in the plane.
Then I came back here.
There wasn't anything else I could do.
You're lying. You've got to be lying.
There was $100,000 in uncut diamonds on that plane when it crashed.
Diamonds?
Yeah. They weren't among Pete's effects.
And they weren't in the plane.
Now you admitted you went down to the wreck.
So you found the diamonds, and I want them.
Now I remember. I read about it.
You stole the diamonds.
That's right, baby. So what?
They were part of a shipping from Belgium.
Before they got to the diamond, cut his week out of them nice and clean.
We had it all figured out.
The cops were on to me, so I sent Peter head to Mexico with the diamonds.
Glory and me were going to follow.
Yeah, I had it figured great, all right.
Except for the crack-up.
That is your last chance, kid.
I count to three, and then I start taking you apart.
One.
He doesn't have the diamonds, can't you see? He's telling the truth.
Two.
Listen, kid, if you're smart, you'll cough up the stones.
Sam can be pretty mean when he gets mad.
Three.
Oh, let go of him!
Keep away, sister.
You got him, haven't you?
Yes. Yeah, I got him.
I know it.
Why didn't you admit it sooner?
You're asking for trouble?
I would have given them to you right away.
What good it in to me, but I was afraid.
I figured once you got them, you wouldn't want me around to tell the police,
so you'd have to kill me.
Now, why would we do a thing like that?
Sure, kid, you didn't have to worry.
I'll be a good boy and hand over the stones, and we'll leave you two alone.
We've wasted enough time already.
It's die count. We've got a long way to go tonight.
You can't give them the diamonds. You know they'll get rid of you once you do.
Shut up, sister.
So what do you want me to do, Helen, fight?
Yeah, that's a laugh. Do I punch the air and hope I hit somebody?
Yes. Pity yourself, Bill.
Retreat into your shelter so they can pull you out and slaughter you.
Then everyone will say, poor Bill, wasn't it a shame and him so helpless?
Such terrible people to do such a thing.
Shut up, can't you?
No, I won't shut up. You're not going to give them the diamonds, Bill.
I don't want them.
No, but you want your life.
And I want you to be able to live with yourself again.
That's enough now.
I don't know what you're up to, sister, but we had enough talk.
Bill, listen to me.
The kitchen knife is at your right hand on the table.
What?
You know every inch of this room.
Remember that.
Hey, what's going on here?
Shut up! Get out of my glory!
Can't see a black thing!
Well, I put out the light. The room is dark.
Pitch dark. He's blinder than you are now.
He can't see. He's blind too.
Blinder than I am, she said.
What does she mean?
Where are you?
Now get my hands on you or I'll kill you.
Oh, what a chair.
He can't see me. And I don't have to see him.
Maybe. What did Helen say about the knife?
Yes, it's on the table. The table.
Here it is. At my right. The knife.
It should be over here.
Ah, I got it. I can't see, but he can't see either.
Don't move, Shelby. I've got a knife.
I'll be a fool. I'll shoot you. You've got to see me first.
Now I'll move to the right. Past the stone.
You missed me, Shelby. Try again.
Now, to the left, towards the window.
But I mustn't walk past the window.
A little light might show through from outside and give him a target.
Ah, here's the window. I'll duck down.
I hear you, kid. I'll get you this time.
Missed again, Shelby.
I know what he's feeling.
I'd remember those first days when I couldn't see the rage and frustration that sees my heart and brain.
The overwhelming desire to strike out, to destroy.
But above all, I remember the panic. The blind, terrifying panic.
And he's afraid. More than I was. More than I am.
Helen, get behind that table. Stay there.
I'm all right, Phil. Don't worry about me.
I'm going to get you now, Shelby. I know where you are.
Even if you stand still, I'll hear you. Because I'll hear you breathe.
You can't stop breathing, can you, Shelby? Can you hear me breathe?
One more shot. That's all you've got left, Shelby.
What do you do when you fire that one?
Gloria, for Pete's sake, get a light, strike a match.
I can't find my bag. Sam, do something. I'm scared.
Sure you're scared. Like I was, first time I was in the dark.
But I had five years to get used to it. And now I'm not scared anymore.
Because I know the dark. It's my friend.
And it's your enemy now, Shelby. The two of us.
Me in the dark. And we're going to get you.
No, you won't. Where are you?
Stand still or I'll crush you. I'll tear the life out of you. Where are you?
No more bullets, Shelby. What do you do now?
Strange, isn't it? All my life I was afraid of the dark.
Now, now I welcome it.
Stay away from me.
Oh, a second ago you were going to tear me apart.
Now you want me to stay away from you. What's the matter, Shelby?
You afraid of me now? I've still got the gun.
I could crush your skull with it if you move a step closer.
I just moved a step closer, Shelby.
Go ahead. Do something.
You can't hit the door, Shelby.
Now you have nothing.
And I have anything.
I see your gun. Two.
Now I'm coming after you. Sam, Sam, I'm scared.
Go away from me.
I'm two steps from the door. He's near the middle of the room.
The table is to my right. There's a chair on the other side of the door.
Three paces in front of me is a bench.
One, two, three.
Now, move left. That's it.
He should be directly in front of me.
I'm almost within reach of you, Shelby.
Better not say anything or I'll know which way you're facing.
I'll kill you, I'll kill you. Ah, now I know.
Facing me. So I swing two paces left and come around and...
Shelby! My knife is an inch from your spine.
Don't move or you're a dead man. Don't touch me or I'll move my power.
His head should be about here. I bring the pistol up, butt end of it.
Ah! Got him, Helen.
Lamps on table, Helen. Light it. All right, Bill.
Bill, Bill. I was so afraid you wouldn't realize you weren't helpless.
Almost, Helen. Sam, how is he?
He'll be all right. Better tie him up, Helen.
You'll find some rope in the chest near the cabinet.
How could it happen? He can see. You can't. He had a gun and you didn't.
Yet he was afraid of you. No, no.
He was afraid of the dark. I know what that means.
I'll make a fire, Helen, and we'll wait until the morning.
If the storm is over, they'll come looking for that plane.
They'll come up here and we can hand these two over.
Bill. Yes?
Maybe now you'll come back to town.
Maybe now you'll understand it wasn't pity made me come here.
Yes. I think I do.
By the way, Bill, do you really have the diamond?
Yes. And that's the funny part of it.
He could have taken them all the time and he didn't know it.
What do you mean?
They're in the pocket of my Mackinac.
Suspense.
You have been listening to Let There Be Light, starring Ivor Francis,
and written especially for suspense by Erwin Lewis.
In a moment, a word about next week's story of suspense.
Suspense is produced and directed by Bruno Zorato Jr.,
music supervision by Ethel Huber, sound patterns by Joseph Kibble.
Heard in tonight's story were Terry Keene as Gloria and Gene Gillespie as Helen.
Listen again next week when we return with Brother John, written by Ellsperth Eric.
Another tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.