And now, a tale well calculated to keep you in...
Suspense.
In a moment, Act One of With Murder in Mind, written especially for suspense by Erwin Lewis, starring Jack Crouchon, currently featured in the Broadway hit, I Can Get It For You Wholesale.
Are you ready, Anton? Yes, my darling. Oh, good. And Anton, don't go too far.
Oh, please, please.
Now this time, ladies and gentlemen, the High Hope Club takes singular pride in presenting Tesla, this renowned expert in the mysteries of mentalism, as at all times blindfolded.
Tesla, keeper of the keys to dark secrets, locked in the innermost recesses of the human mind, will astound and astonish...
Tonight, Helena, I am tempted to amaze them truly.
Anton, no. You promised. Anton, please. It is too dangerous. Promise me.
I will be careful. And now, without further ado, it is my great honor to bring you feats of mentalism applauded in every capital of Europe.
For the first time in these United States, with its beautiful wife, Helena, she's the one without the blindfold. Tesla the Great!
Ladies and gentlemen, as I pass among you, hold up any object you wish and concentrate on them.
Tesla, blindfolded on the stage, will attempt to learn what those objects are. Are you ready, Tesla?
I am ready.
This gentleman is holding up something that belongs to his wife. Can you tell me what it is, Tesla?
It is something she wears, is it not?
That is right. And what is it?
It is a fur piece, a stole. Mink, I believe.
That is right.
That's pretty good.
And now, a lady over here...
Wait, I see more. The gentleman has not yet paid for the stole.
Ah, how do I play this as he knows?
That will be enough, Tesla. And now, Tesla will attempt to tell me what object I have in my hand, which this lady has just given me.
Tesla, do you know what it is?
It is a gold charm.
That is right.
Now, Tesla, see if you can tell us what is inscribed on the back of this charm, something only this lady and I know.
What does it say, Tesla?
It says, to rule with all my love.
Is that right, Madame? Oh, yes. Yes, that's exactly what it says.
And now, now I see a gentleman holding a wallet. Sir?
Wait, wait. I have not yet done with the woman. I see more.
No, Tesla.
No, but yes. That is not just a charm, a little golden trinket.
It means much more to Ruth. And it was given to her by a man who is not her husband.
Why, that's a lie.
Please, Madame, please don't upset yourself. It is only Tesla's sense of humor.
I see nothing funny in it.
Please, please forgive him. Now, sir, if you will handle your wallet.
Yes, thank you.
How could he know? How could anyone know?
It happened years ago, and he's dead.
It seems possible for anybody to know about the charm except me.
And I haven't told him with his soul. How could he know?
It has the initials R-L-N.
Thank you, and good night, ladies and gentlemen.
Mr. Hughes, please come in.
Hey, Tesla, old man, I just had to come to your dressing room and congratulate you and the little woman.
Oh, then you liked our act, Mr. Hughes.
Liked it? That was the greatest opening act my club has ever had. Yes, sir, really.
Thank you.
Say, listen, I'm having a little party at my place later just to celebrate, and I want you and Mrs. Tesla as guests of opera.
Oh, we would be very happy.
No, no, thank you, Mr. Hughes. Now, if you will excuse me, I must change.
Oh, yeah, sure. Well, I've got to get myself another drink. I've got to get lots of drinks. I've got a lot of celebration to do.
Goodbye.
Helena, you were very rude to Mr. Hughes. I have never known you to be rude before.
I can't worry about Mr. Hughes. It is you I am worried about.
I do not understand.
I've warned you so many times. You must be careful. Careful. They must never become suspicious.
A wrong word here, too much said there, and tonight you should not have said what you did about that wrong word.
Oh, those foolish little thoughts rumbling around in her foolish little mind.
I could not resist the temptation to have some sport over her guilty little secret. Did you see the look in her eyes?
Yes, yes, I saw it. Fear, cold, naked fear, and questioning. I could almost hear her ask herself, how could he know?
And someday someone will realize the truth.
Well, what of it? It is degrading enough that I must use my gift merely to earn enough money for us to live.
At least permit me the pleasure of disturbing the little minds once in a while.
Oh, Anton, this gift of yours, is it really a gift or a curse?
Oh, Helena, please. Yes, who is it?
Lieutenant Clark, may I come in?
Lieutenant, well, it is so nice to see you again. Did you enjoy our act?
And how?
But after seeing you two perform tonight, well, I just had to tell you how great you both really are.
Well, thank you. Helena, you remember Lieutenant Clark of the police department, don't you?
Yes, of course.
Nice to meet you again, ma'am. You see, Mr. Tesla, I've made quite a study of mind reading acts, codes, and systems and things, and frankly, you've got me stumped.
I don't know how you do it.
Well, it is very simple, Lieutenant. I read minds.
Well, I can almost believe it.
Lieutenant, I believe you are thinking that I am putting on an act even now off stage.
Please, be assured of one thing. It is not an act.
I beg your pardon.
Anton, if you will excuse me, I have a terrible headache. Anton, I am going back to the hotel.
Well, my car is outside, Mrs. Tesla. I'd be happy to drive you there.
That won't be necessary, thank you. We're staying in the hotel across the street.
Well, you'd better take an umbrella. It's raining pretty heavily.
I don't mind the rain. Don't be long, Anton.
No, I will join you in a few moments, Helena, as soon as I change.
Please, be careful. Don't let your gift be accursed, Anton.
Good night, Mrs. Tesla. I hope to see you again.
Goodbye, Lieutenant.
Your wife's a beautiful woman, Mr. Tesla.
Yeah.
You've been married long?
Five years.
Five years.
I am ready to leave now.
Would you care to join me for a drink before you return to your hotel?
That is an excellent idea, Lieutenant. Thank you.
It's my pleasure.
Something?
You wouldn't consider... No, no, I guess you wouldn't.
No, Lieutenant, you should have known better than to ask.
You cannot expect me to reveal my secrets to you.
Oh, good evening. You're fond of, aren't you?
Good evening, ma'am. And you're part of the new mental act here at the club.
That's right.
Twenty-eight years I've been doing the doors and night clubs, Mrs. Tesla.
It's Tesla, Mr. Sanders.
Oh, yes, sure.
Well, I heard him saying how great you and your husband are.
I was going to see your first performance.
Here, let me open the door for you. It's pretty heavy.
Oh, that's very kind of you.
Oh, not at all, ma'am. Mind your step crossing that rain.
See, it's really pouring.
If you wait a minute, I'll get you an umbrella, Mrs. Tesla.
Don't bother. I don't mind a little rain.
Oh, but you'll get so clear through.
Please, I have an umbrella right over here. I'll get it for you.
No, no, honestly, Sanders, I don't want it.
I like to walk in the rain. I like the feeling.
And besides, it's not far to the hotel.
Well, if you say so, Mrs. Tesla, but be careful crossing the street now.
Some of those cars come shooting around the corner like crazy.
I'll be careful. Good night, Sanders.
Good night, ma'am.
If you don't mind, Mr. Tesla, we can have the drink at your hotel.
There's a nice bar there.
All right, Lieutenant.
You may as well cut across through the stage door. It's shorter.
Besides, in this rain here...
Tesla, wait! Where are you running?
What happened?
Oh, it's terrible, Lieutenant, terrible.
I opened the stage door for her and she went out into the rain.
I asked her if she wanted my umbrella, but she said, no, thanks.
I turned to go back into the club when I heard brakes squealing and she screamed.
I ran across the street and she was lying on the ground with the rain pouring down.
Next thing I knew, he came running out and pushed me away.
He's like a madman.
Who?
The name. The mind reader. Tesla.
Was it his wife?
Yes, yes. Such a beautiful thing, Lieutenant Clark.
And lying there all crumbled and smacked in the rain.
Where's the car that hit her?
I just saw the tail lights disappearing around the corner.
He didn't even stop.
You call an ambulance. Sanders, come with me.
There you are. He's holding her in his arms.
Elena. Elena, my darling.
Tesla, let me carry her inside.
No, go away, Lieutenant. Please, leave us alone.
I've sent for an ambulance. Please, let me take her inside.
No, it's too late. Too late.
Wait. Yes, Elena.
What is it?
He's got an awful peculiar look on his face.
He's at least listening to something. It's eerie.
Yeah, I understand.
I will remember, Elena.
I will remember.
Yes, what is it, Sam?
A man here to see you, Lieutenant.
Name's Anton Tesla.
Have him come in.
Mr. Tesla, it's good to see you, sir.
Please, please sit down.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
I was wondering what happened to you. I haven't seen you since...
Well, it's a week now, isn't it?
Is that how long it is?
Sometimes it seems like a year.
Sometimes only a day.
Most of the time it seems as if I am the one who died.
Terrible tragedy. I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am.
Yes.
You look tired.
Thank you. I mean, thank you for being diplomatic.
I have seen myself in the mirror.
I was never a handsome man, but now I would almost frighten myself.
Oh, nonsense. Shave and some fresh clothes and you'll be a new man.
If there's anything I can do...
You can find the man who murdered my wife.
Murdered? You're not saying it was deliberate, are you?
He left her lying in the street and fled like a murderer.
He killed her in cold blood, whether it was deliberate or not.
We're doing all we can.
But you must realize we have nothing to go on.
No one saw your wife hit by the car.
When the stage dormant Saunders came running out, all he could see was the tail lights of the car.
It was dark and raining heavily.
He couldn't tell what kind of a car it was or its color or model.
Lieutenant, it was a white convertible.
How can you possibly know that?
You do not believe me?
What would you say if I told you I know every thought you have at this very moment?
How would you feel if I proved I could delve into your mind
and dredge up every good and foul thing you have ever been thinking back to the very beginning of your existence?
Mr. Tesler, please. I know you're under a strain. Don't excite yourself.
Do not worry, Lieutenant.
I will not try to prove it to you.
And do you know why?
Because then you would fear me as all must fear
and hate someone who knows their most innermost thoughts.
Now, I have told you the model and color of the car.
How can I act on information?
The fender. It was damaged, I believe.
The right fender. Investigate.
And if you will not do anything, then I must.
I'm obliged to advise you against acting on your own.
Mr. Tesler, listen to reason. In the state...
Strange man. He really thinks he can read minds.
It's ridiculous.
And yet that business about the fender.
And what was it his wife said?
Don't let your gift be a curse.
I should see upset a thing like that.
Saunders! Saunders, wake up!
I was just dozing.
Oh, Mr. Tesler, I didn't recognize you.
Oh, you remember me, huh?
Oh, yes, yes, of course, sir.
May I say how sorry I am about the accident last week?
It was you?
Oh, you're hurting my arm.
I must know. When you heard the crash that night and ran outside,
what did you see?
I told the police everything.
Tell me.
I saw your wife lying in the street.
And the car. Did you see the car?
Only the taillights as it turned the corner.
You were lying. You saw more.
I know you did, but I cannot make it out.
Now what else did you see?
Nothing. I swear it. I saw nothing else.
There is something else you saw.
Think now. What else did you see?
Please, Mr. Tesler, my arm!
Think! Think!
Why are you looking at me so funny?
I must not find out about Joe.
Joe? I don't know what you...
The parking lot attendant. Thank you, Saunders.
Hey, you. What are you doing around in cars?
Come on, get away before I call the cops.
Hey, haven't I seen you here before?
Yes, my friend. You have.
Wait a minute. You're, uh...
Yeah, you're that mine reader. The guy whose wife was killed last week.
And you are Joe, the parking lot attendant.
That's right. What do you want?
I'm looking for a white convertible with a dented fender.
Because I have been given to understand that such a car was here the night my wife died.
Perhaps it is back now with the fender repaired, of course.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Look, you better get off this lot. You're asking for trouble.
You seem to be worried, Joe. Why are you so worried?
You're nuts. What do you want?
A week ago a car sped out of this parking lot and whirled around the corner...
just as my wife was crossing the street.
It hit her and killed her.
You know whose car that was and you will tell me.
That's a dirty lie. Hey, get away from that car.
This is the car. Here. Feel the metal on the fender.
It is rough. It was a hasty job and it was not well done.
Okay, for the last time, get off this lot.
First you will tell me who owns this car.
I'm telling you, mister, you better get off...
What? What's the matter with you? Why are you looking at me that way?
I ask you again. Whose car is this?
Try and find out. I already have. Thank you.
Come in.
Oh, Mr. Tessler, I'm glad to see you. I was worried about you.
I tell you what, I was just checking my books.
I'll put them away. We can go out to the bar and have a drink.
Hey, hey, why are you locking the door?
Sit down, Mr. Hughes. I want to talk with you.
What about? Sit down!
I have been looking for the man who murdered my wife.
Murder? Oh, it was a horrible thing. A frightful accident.
Not an accident. Murder. Oh, no. No, it was an accident.
It was murder! And the weapon was a white convertible.
You have a white convertible, don't you?
Now, wait a minute. You're trying to say that I hit your wife?
And I put that gun away. Are you crazy? Perhaps.
But tonight justice will be done.
You murdered my wife! Oh, no, you don't!
Get, get, get!
After that, Lieutenant, I, I could see he'd made up his mind to shoot me.
I jumped him trying to defend myself.
We struggled, the gun went off and, and I called you.
That's the whole story.
All right, Mr. Hughes, you better sit down. You look like you're ready to collapse.
Thank you. Well, what an experience. He must have been crazy.
How does it look, Doctor?
Not very good, Lieutenant. I'm going to call an ambulance, but I don't think he'll make it to the hospital.
Tesla, can you hear me?
Lieutenant Clark.
Why did you try to kill Hughes?
He murdered my wife. No, he didn't.
What, what did you say?
The driver of the car that hit your wife was taken into custody an hour ago and confessed.
We got him through that fender. It took leg work, but we found his repairman, and then him.
He admitted everything.
It took us a week, but it's pretty hard to hide evidence like that.
He admits it. He is lying.
He was telling the truth.
But the white convertible...
He was driving a white convertible, too. Although a different model than Hughes' car.
A different year, too.
At the fender, there was fender damage on this car?
It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime coincidences, Tesla.
As near as we can make out, what probably happened was that Hughes pulled out of the parking lot and turned the corner at the same time that this other fella came from the opposite direction.
He hit your wife and went tearing down the road.
Hughes, trying to avoid a hit-on collision, skidded into that lamppost opposite the club, bounced off, and drove away.
Both cars had damaged fenders.
Tesla, did you hear what I said?
Yeah, I heard.
But it is impossible.
Hughes killed my wife.
I know it. I know it.
Tesla.
Is he...
Is he dead?
Yes.
Oh, poor, tortured man. I feel so... so sorry for him.
What I can't understand is why he was so sure you were guilty.
There is an explanation. But I refuse to believe it.
What's that?
I... I was very drunk the night of the accident. I only had the vaguest recollection of the events.
Until you told Tesla just now what had actually happened, I thought I was guilty.
Suspense.
You've been listening to With Murder in Mind, written especially for suspense by Erwin Lewis, and starring Jack Crouchon, currently featured in the Broadway hit I Can Get It For You Wholesale.
Suspense is produced and directed by Fred Hendrickson, music supervision by Ethel Huber. Heard in tonight's story were Bryna Rayburn, Billy Redfield, Jim Bowles, Gilbert Mack, Jack Grimes, Renny Santoni, and Jane Ward.
Sound patterns by Walter Otto. This is Stuart Metz speaking.
Next week, another tale well calculated to keep you in.
Ben.