 The whistler and now the whistler strange story Murder in paradise High in the Sierra the lone hawk circled over mirror lake It's beady eyes fixed on a white patch moving slowly through the blue waters below From the narrow road that ran along the lake's edge another pair of eyes followed the patch of white Watch the girl emerge from the water and remove the white bathing cat Saw the mass of red hair fall on tan shoulders now glistening in the bright sunlight The eyes belong to Danny Williams who stood there looking at the girl in the yellow bathing suit Then as she sat down at the edge of the long wooden pier He shifted the heavy suitcase from one hand to the other Started through the trees toward her as he emerged at the edge of the lake He walked into the range of another pair of eyes looking through field glasses Trained on the scene from a point a quarter of a mile away Hello, I'm looking for paradise in you know where it is Salesman I look like one went away Are you in a way? I don't think they'll be interested in buying any brushes. Thanks for the tip and I'm still looking for the end You got a cigarette? Sure. I'm smoking it. How'd you ever get to be so charming look red They told me in the village the end was a mile up the road. So, you know why I come to the lake to ask me Was a bathing suit on the road. I couldn't believe it like it They've seen more material and a pen like The ends over there take the side road. Thanks. See it nothing wrong with my eyes and the way you've been staring at me I thought you might have strained them a Quarter of an hour later you arrive at the Road House a low white frame building sitting back Silently in the shadows of the giant redwood This is it isn't it Danny Paradise in Where you're going to spend the next three months pounding the piano for Johnny Hedges your first job Danny Since the prison gates closed behind you gave you back your freedom and you've made up your mind that it will never happen again You're going to stay out of trouble That's all you can think about as you cross the parking area mount the wooden stairs and walk along the veranda There's a musty odor in the air You set your suitcase down with the front door The entrance hall is empty silent except for the buzz of flies against the sun-drenched window You make your way across the deserted dining room past the battered upright piano And push open the swinging doors at the far end of the room The short gray-haired man at the sink turn Peer that you over its glasses and then begins to wipe his hands on the soiled Hi, where I find the boss He'll be around you Must be the new piano player. That's right. Danny Williams You never heard of me before I'm Gus Peters. I do the cook and sit down Thanks He didn't meet you at the bus stop, huh? Who's he miss the hedges hedges now? How about a cold beer you look like you could use one got any milk milk? Say you sure you're the piano player. I said I was Also, no else is the cows need publicity If that's what you want why didn't somebody meet me at the bus stop a long hike out in this heat Well, I can't drive for one thing Never could learn how Slade is still sleeping. I guess it wouldn't go after anyway, and the boss had other things to do Must have outside interest In business so much that keeps mr. Hedge. He's busy It's keeping up with his wife. It's got him going. Why? Yep Don't let her out of his sight much Hey, you want to sandwich or something? No, not that He doesn't trust you really jealous, you know thinks every man he talks to is going to take her away from How about a piece by no no no this will go We sure have been having a fast turn over a piano players around here. They Couldn't stay away from it. It's the Apartment, huh? Yeah Then only two men around here ain't ever been bothered by Mrs. Hedge's Me and Andy Slade No, ma'am. He works here in the back How does he manage to resist ain't never been able to figure it out Me strictly business in the natural cold fish. Oh, you leave your stuff on the brandy Danny Yeah, I'll take it up your room's knee attic next to mine. I'll bother no bother Just going upstairs in a few minutes. Anyway, that's a little smooth any objection if I try the piano on for size No, go ahead. Yeah, thanks August journey Yeah Stay away from her son Just tend to your piano and you'll be all right Yeah Yeah, sure So this is what to sell yep strictly music You well you play very well Much better than the other nice. I knew you would I could tell by your hand They're different. I bet you were a child prodigy. I was born a poor but honest peasants in the Bronx My mother scrubbed floors so I could have piano lessons thought I'd become a concert pianist. It didn't work out I'll cry. I just made that up who kicked you while you were down music man Look red story of Danny Williams is sort of dolly wouldn't be interested. Now. Why don't you go back to the late? Businesses business misses hedges. Oh, oh You know who I am. Yeah, the boss is white period. What does that mean? It means I need the job and I don't like wives that are on the prowl But a fast with your mitts aren't you baby? Wait spot plan Who are you? I'm not the only hedges if that's what you're worried about relax man The name is slave Andy slave. I Got the gambling concession out back Welcome to paradise It's an unusual job isn't it Danny one of the strangest you've ever had You'll never bargain for this sort of thing when you first accepted it Johnny hedges Roadhouse at Mirror Lake didn't seem to suggest the danger and intrigue that suddenly presents themselves Lou seal and the way you met her on the boat dock The warning from Gus and now the cold lake calculating gambler and a slave Stands at your side with the strangest greeting you've ever received like I said Williams You're off to a great start, but here only are now and the bosses wife swaps your face Uh Political discussion one. Yeah, I might call it that Some deems getting mad if you don't whistle at him Anything else on your mind? No, nothing except the boss wants to see you We've been up there in the office listening to you. He thinks you're good and you don't I keep telling him He'd be better off with a jukebox Nobody ever heard of a jukebox making a play for a day You know what I mean? I know what you mean Just let me give you a tip save it. It's all I've been getting ever since I come here. Okay, okay if you're funeral But hedges is getting a little the second tired of hearing the wolf corp I just wanted to see me. Yeah Up the stairs there on your right. Thanks. Oh William Yeah, it's nice to have you with us. I Think you'll get to like it here. That is if you stay long enough You're gambling concession said you wanted words. That's right. There's one iron out a few things for you start Now you're an ex-con on parole and ironed out the past three years to care, but I'm here to play the piano and that's Yeah Yeah, that's all you hear remember that Somebody others didn't so I love music and I'm glad to hear it William. I'm glad to hear We'll save us both a lot of headaches All right now you'll play in the dining room from eight to closing time You take the breaks to suit yourself won't be a lot of people in the dining room. Sometimes I may not be any at all I'm not fussy And another thing you might want to know from the start. I Don't make my money from the dining room Not much on the bar either. I didn't think it did. I got a place fixed up on the back dice table will let wheel And he slayed runs that end of it Not gonna affect you one way or the other sure Well at all yeah You met everyone. Have you yeah slayed and got the cook and my wife You're talking to her down there and appear a couple hours ago Yeah No one picked me up at the bus stop so I had to walk I was asking directions All right William just remember what I said you stick to your piano playing. We're gonna get along fine You get bored Let me know I'll buy you a book That night you play for a half a dozen couples in the dining room And more than once during the evening your thoughts turn to Lucille She means trouble doesn't she then and you don't intend to have an You're going to stay clear of her You're going to play it safe with Johnny Hedges her husband You have no intention of winding up in the lake with a bullet in your head or back in a prison cell In the night that follow You become accustomed to the habits of the paradise customers learn when to be on hand When you can slip away for a quiet smoke or a chat with God And then one night in the middle of the second week you go out on the veranda and light up a cigarette Hello, Danny. Oh, hello. You've done a good job. He's past ten days. Thanks. I'm staying away from me I mean, I can't run quick. You don't know what it is to feel out of place Over drives all by yourself It walks along the beach. You do that almost every night after the customers leave the cove on the north shore Why oh? Get away. I guess I'm your husband for myself. Maybe I Don't know Danny. I'm just confused sometimes. Yeah, I'd say so too. Excuse me William. I got to go confuse some customers You leave her Danny go back to your keyboard and the cocktail concerto But somehow through the evening the haze of music Laughter in the smoke filled room is something that haunts you keep drifting back like broken parts of an old refrain It stays with you Danny that night and into the next until after you finish playing Unable to fight down the urge you you find yourself slipping away taking a rowboat and Crossing the lower tip of the lake in the half-darkness at the cove you look around and there's no sign of her You call yourself a fool and wonder why you came out here When you promised yourself to stay out of trouble you're about you're about to turn back when oh Oh, yeah Yeah, I pulled the boat up boys. Yeah, it's better. We don't know why it came Like that somebody talked But I don't want to get you into trouble any harm in this talk. He wouldn't think we were just talking forget about it Sounds nice You know Danny, you're not as hard as you pretend No, you were you wouldn't have rode way out Danny Yeah, don't do it again. You lose your job. That's a job and I'm gonna piano needs to but he can cause you trouble Danny you've got to ignore me after this if I didn't exist If it's any other way you won't last here not at all Is that why Slade lasted? Slade and I hated each other from the first Johnny knows That's why I give Slade anything he wants Nice guy your husband Charming is a meanie Danny. I want you to understand because Because I'm going to avoid you sound like a magazine Danny why did you come here? Why I don't know I don't know voice scouting There's nothing we can do Can't lead and it follow me bring me back You don't know You tell me I know believe me. I know maybe You're not Anyway, Lucille give me a little time to think about it In a tough spot, maybe I can help you. I got a merit badge once for path finding When you leave her Danny and start the long roll back across the lake you remember a promise one that you may be yourself about Staying out of trouble and you ask yourself if this is the way When you arrive at the boat dock you're convinced that it must end right here And then going up the path toward the Roadhouse you pass a small cottage and back at the end and suddenly you're aware of voices arguing and you stop to listen You go around the lake you messed up guy Where you going? I've been waiting to warn you No, she met somebody good thing. You didn't ride back with her in the car. Come on Danny. Let's go back to the Look, I'll say come on Danny Yeah Yeah, I guess for a minute. I had the crazy idea. I should be budding in we'd better stay clear that set up any He's his wife not yours. I just play the piano. Yeah, sure. That's what you get paid. Okay. Okay. Just forget everything else son Forget everything That the joy the guy who wants to stay out of trouble If old Gus expected the passage of hours to make any difference. He was wrong wasn't he Danny? Even without seeing Lucille all that next day, you can't get her off your mind the struggle within you goes on and Following night as your hands move across the keyboard when you entertain the late dinner crowd And then shortly after one in the morning. She comes in who's quickly across the room And as she goes past you at the piano There's a quickly whispered message. I got to see you Danny. I'll back come as quickly as you can You continue playing as if nothing happened you've made up your mind haven't you Danny? You'll know it was a mistake meeting her at the cold And you're not going to repeat that mistake Yeah, I had to I can't stand it any longer Someone's coming. I thought I told you to stick to your piano player music man Maybe the salon Lucille go back inside Go on. Yeah beat it Lucille It's right now. I'm gonna go to work on him As Johnny hedges comes out of the darkness after you there's a flash of a knife blade you lunge for it It's like a nightmare isn't it Danny all out of focus unreal a strange struggling sensation There's the fleeting memory of the knife falling on the path and then movement over which you have no control blows falling exchanging a dull thud and then You all right I Hate him cuz came at me and I hit him with this. I know I drop it Danny drop it Come on son. You've got to get out of here. No way Still alive. You've got to get away before I was self-defense. I can tell him that they won't believe you. You're an ex-con. It doesn't make any difference Let me get him to a hospital. Come on. Help me get him to his car still alive. I gotta try to keep him that way Somehow you managed to get him into his car and through it all you know that Gus is right The trouble you wanted to escape you're now inviting asking for But as you back the car under the road with hedges in the seat beside you All you can think of is saving him and then suddenly you're aware of Lucille at the window of the car Danny, what are you doing? I gotta get him to a hospital. He'll die if I don't Oh Danny, they'll arrest you don't say you killed him. We're self-defense. They won't believe you Can't let you do it Please Danny if you love me, you'll leave him here and get away I'm taking him to the hospital Lucille She leaps back if the car moves forward you catch a fleeting glimpse of her face white drawn Concerned and then it's gone and you're aware of hedges beside you breathing softly But steadily and as your foot presses down on the accelerator you realize that your own strength is fading fast The struggle Danny the pounding you took it's telling now as you fight to hold the car on the road Moments later a flash of light caught in the rearview mirror It blurred your vision in the haze the fog that enveloped your brain You think you hear Lucille's voice her face seems to float close to you out of the darkness You're going to be all right, I'd better call the lieutenant At least You've been unconscious for over 12 hours Hedges look what about hedges hedges is dead Trouble Danny you were headed for it the day you walked up the road the paradise No matter how hard you struggled and tried to avoid It was there all around you closing in because you couldn't stay with your music and leave Lucille alone He couldn't help it either could she dance you're sure of that But it doesn't matter now because instead of helping her you've ruined everything Her husband is dead and you'll be blamed won't you dance? They'll never believe it with self-defense not with your past records you lie back on the white hospital bed Doc will be bringing the police back in a minute. Yeah, I know Edges Well, this is it. I have to tell him you don't have to tell him anything You didn't kill him. You only knocked him out Danny. He broke his neck in that car crash You were crowded off the road son Lucille hedges She was trying to stop Lucille It's your life. No He was killed too. Oh With my fault because she was in love with no, she wasn't you played it straight. She didn't He framed you Danny set that meeting there behind the road house with you No, no husband would find you together. She wanted you to kill him Didn't care what happened to you. I don't believe it son That's why she didn't want you to make it to the hospital. She wanted him dead It was so she could be free for the guy who was driving the car after you last night He was killed with her Oh The one guy nobody figured The only guy she was ever crazy about The whistler has been a presentation of the United States Armed Forces radio service the voice of information and education