 and the Whistler. And I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. And now the Whistler's strange story. Anything for a friend. As Phil Harvey, useful treasurer of midfield automatic time are incorporated. Sad in his private apartment. Holy unwelcome visitor. He was both worried and nervous. And not without reason. For Phil had made a mistake. Yes, you've made a serious mistake, haven't you Phil? One that seems impossible to rectify as your visitor remains inflexible to your audience. And I tell you I'll have the money in a month then. That's what you told me last month Phil. And the month before. But within this month I'll be married to Francis Adam. Your boss's daughter that's right. Now Dan, it's only five thousand dollars. Mr. Adam will probably give us five times that much for a wedding present. Your engagement official she'll say yes all right. And we'll elope you see. You mean you haven't even asked her yet? No. And you expect me to settle for a maven like that? Not settle Dan, just wait. Because tonight I'm going to ask her to marry me. Okay. Call me in the morning. If you tell me the lady said yes, I'll phone her. What? If she verifies it, I'll wait till you're married. No, that might ruin everything. And after all you're known as a gambler, your club. My club's on the square and everybody knows it. Well sure. That's the problem with guys like you, Phil. You're yellow. You get in a jam and you run to the first guy you know with dough. Dan Fenton, a gambler, sure. He'll come through because you were kids together. No, no, you've got me all wrong. I've got you all right, Phil. And I'll bet you $10 to a dime. You cheated somebody. Get where you are with this plan. Now you're getting all worked up over nothing, Dan. Five G's is more than nothing. And the spot you are in is a lot more than nothing. You use 5,000 of your famous dough to make a killing on a sure thing on the stock market. You're lost. Now if I hadn't let you have the dough to cover up while the books were being audited, you'd be in the big house right now. I know it and I appreciate it. Stop kidding yourself. You don't appreciate anything. Anyway, I want to know for sure why you're marrying that Adam's girl by tomorrow morning. Or I want that money by noon the day after. And what if I can't raise it, Dan? And everybody in town including Miss Adams is going to read the whole story in the newspapers. What a wonderful dinner, Phil. Lovely place, too. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Fran. I loved it. Fran. Yes, Phil? I've... something I've been wanting to say. Go ahead. All right, I will. I love your friend. I want you to marry me. Marry you? Yes. Oh, friend, you've been it for me ever since the first time I saw you walk through the plant. That's five years ago. Yes, I remember. It was a day or two after I graduated from college. And I fell in love with you the minute I saw you. Of course, I couldn't say anything then. I was just a mechanic. Well, now that I'm treasurer of the firm and... Oh, what about it, Fran? Phil, why did you wait so long? It was a time when I thought... I thought there was no one in the world like you. But you never said anything. And now... What about now, Fran? Well, now I'm in love with someone else. Somebody else? I'm surprised you didn't know. It's Larry Wilson. Larry? We're being married in October as soon as Mother and Dad returned from Europe. As close as the tools you are, I'm surprised Larry hasn't told you. Larry Wilson, you've always hated him, haven't you, Phil? Even though you've shared the same bachelor's apartment for years, and Larry believes you to be his closest friend, you and Larry started working for the company at the same time, but somehow he was always a step ahead of you. And he's still ahead of you, isn't he? Yes. He's general manager, and you are merely the treasurer subject to his orders. And now he's taken the key to your future and the girl you love from you. But, uh, has he, Phil? No, not yet. There's still many weeks before October, aren't there? And you're sure you'll find some way to get Larry Wilson out of your way? Meantime, you must find a way to pay damn sentence or see your entire career ruined. Since there's little chance of an audit for some time, you decide to use company funds again, and the following evening, an hour or so after the office closes, you slip into the main office, and again, take $5,000 from the safe. Then as you close the safe, the office door opens. Who's it? Hello, Tex? Evening, Mr. Harvey. What you doing, robbing the safe? That's not very funny, Tex. Oh, I just joking. Yes, I'm sure you were. Incidentally, what are you doing here? Checked the office every night, this time. Been doing it now, in the ten years, ever since they made me night watchin'. Ah, well, I'm glad to see you're so conscientious. Say, Tex, you haven't noticed any of the office employees around here late in the evening recently, have you? Somebody been tapping the tail. Oh, I'm afraid so, although I'm not sure yet. But you haven't noticed anyone in the office after hours? Or have you, Tex? Nobody but Mr. Larry Wilson. He's a general manager. He wouldn't steal nothin'. Oh, of course not. Anyway, I might be wrong. I'll check things over the next couple of days. Meantime, you might just forget this whole conversation, aren't they? Sure, Mr. Hart. Good night. Good night, Tex. But Tex, won't forget, will he, Phil? No, the watchman will be certain to remember that he saw Larry Wilson at the office late at night. And if Mr. Adams should return unexpectedly from Europe, or by any other mischance your theft is discovered, you're certain you can throw suspicion in the direction of Larry. And then, as you smile at the thought, the answer to your whole problem comes to you. You'll be able to eliminate both Larry and the necessity of replacing the $5,000. It will require several weeks of planning. But you're certain that if you move carefully, Larry Wilson will never marry Francis Adams. He'll never stand in your way again. And each move in the game becomes clear, doesn't it, Phil? Next morning, you give Dan sent him the money you took from the safe. And link that night in your apartment as you're chatting with Larry. I'll get it, Phil. So, honey? Yeah, yeah, I'll send for it. What is it, Larry? A special library letter for you, Paul. Honey? Our turn address. Oh, it's quite a lot. Yeah, let's see it. Strange. What is it? Look at this, Larry. Bad news. Well, read it, and then you tell me. Hey, what is it? Come on, read it. So, Harvey, you talk too much in court. I told you I wouldn't forget, and I haven't. You'll hear from me soon. We smoke, Phil. Oh, this has got to be a joke. It was a joke, huh? I wish I thought so. Oh, it must be. I mean, anybody want to kill you? What does this mean? Talk too much in court? I was a witness in a criminal case a couple of years ago, a daytime robbery. I identified this pickup man. And his pal said then he'd get me if it was the last thing he ever did. Hey, you get your coat, Phil. We're going to the police. Oh, no, no, no. Forget it, Larry. I feel silly showing this letter. Yeah, well, you'd be silly not to. Now, maybe they can tell you something from that handwriting. Oh, I think you're being overly alarmed, but if it'll make you feel any better, come on. Let's go. Threatening letters like this are fairly common, Sergeant. Yeah, that's right, Mr. Harvey. We see lots of threatening letters. I don't know whether this one's real or phony, but I'd keep out of dark alleys for a while before we use that. Now, you see, Phil? We'll check on this letter some more and keep an eye on your apartment just in case. Oh, no, no, that won't be necessary. We'll be OK. Thank you anyway. Yeah, be careful, Mr. Harvey. Don't you worry about that, Sergeant. I never take chances if I can help it. Step and your plan to eliminate Larry Wilson, and it was a successful one, wasn't it? No one will ever trace that threatening letter back to you because no one will suspect you have any reason for writing such a message to yourself. Even Larry is concerned for your safety and you're ready for your second step. You're grateful now for your days in the factory where the company was making timing devices for munitions plans. You know every tiny part that goes into a timed explosive of every kind, don't you feel? And a few days later... Hey, hey, Phil. So, are you home? Yeah, I got back to you. Yeah. Some kids are trying to hand me this package. It's addressed to you, huh? I don't like to look for it. Well, let's open it up to see what's in it. No, no. No, wait, Phil. Look, you hear something in that package. You hear something in the... No. Yeah. Yes, I do. It's kind of a ticking sound, like a clock. Yeah, well, don't open it, Phil. It could be a bomb. It could, at best. Yeah. Look, I better take this right to the police. I can drive to headquarters in ten minutes if I step on it. I'll go with you, Phil. No, no reason for you to go. Like you said, it might be a bomb. I said I'd go with you. Well, okay, Larry. Let's get going then. Hello, Lieutenant. What's that? A bomb? It sure was. You've got plenty of luck on your side, Mr. Harvey. It would open that package. It would have blown up the whole apartment building. And in another hour, the timing mechanism would have fed it off. I had our hot-shot package with a bomb when I brought it in the hospital. What gave you a hunch like that, Mr. Wilson? Well, it could have been just an ordinary cooperative. I guess I'm just a little super sensitive right now. Oh, I got a threat now. Oh, I got a threatening letter a little while back, Lieutenant. Oh, that's right. I heard about it, Mr. Harvey. We brought the letter here. That's right. And the boys here warned me to be careful. They didn't look like the warning was well-founded. Well, do you think you can learn anything from that bomb, Lieutenant? Well, we'll do the usual checking on the wrapping paper and handwriting and so on. Yeah, and don't forget the kid who handed me the package, either. Maybe he could tell you who gave it to him. My daughter would get much from him, even if we'd find him. Somebody probably slipped him a half dollar to deliver the package. That's all right. Well, thank you anyway, Lieutenant. And if you do catch the fellow who sent that package, be sure to let me know right away, will you? If we catch him, you'll be the first to know, Mr. Harvey. The police didn't tell you anything you didn't know did they feel? You knew exactly the time the bomb would have exploded, didn't you? And now you're sure of something else. You're certain that when Larry Wilson is finally killed by a time bomb, the police and everyone else will believe it was intended for you. And once Larry is out of the way, it'll be easy for you to make it appear that he took the $5,000 you paid Dan Simpson. Yes. With Larry out of your way, you're certain you will have little trouble in marrying your fiance, Francis Adam. A few days later, Larry is sent north on a two-day business trip and suggests you take Francis out to dinner during his absence. This provides a perfect opportunity for your next step, doesn't it, Phil? And you take full advantage of it. Well, we're still good friends, anyway. Aren't we, Francis? Of course we are. I don't know anyone except Larry that I feel is close to his youth. That's what I hoped you'd say. You're some still heartbroken that you're not marrying me instead of Larry. You know that, don't you? Well, I guess so. You'd say so, Phil. You will. But I'm sorry, anyway. I'm so fond of you. If it weren't for Larry, it would be me. Yes, I suppose it would. But there is Larry. Yeah. Yeah, there sure is. I'm just a poor sport. He's a bad loser, I guess. I do wish you and Larry the best of everything, always. I know you do. And Larry knows it, too. Sure, he does. Well, care for anything else, honey? Cordial? More coffee? Not a thing, thank you, Phil. Would you like to take a drive along the beach, maybe, before we go home? I'd love it, Phil. Sort of a night. Mustn't let my thoughts get in that way, really. Oh, Phil, you're right. Well done. You know, I've been terribly worried about you. What? That letter and that phone. Oh, no, no, no. Let's not talk about that. Not so many nice things to think about. Hey, what's wrong with my watch? What do you mean, what's wrong with it? It stopped. I don't know when it stopped. It's not running now. Oh, friend, what time is it? No, what's the matter? What time is it? Please, friend, tell me, tell me. Oh, Phil, it's 9.52. 9.52? And you're sure your watch is right? Exactly right. Why all the fuss over the time? I need a hurry to get rid of me. What? No, oh, you must be you know better than that. No, it's just that I'm expecting an important long-distance call at 10.30, a business call, but I'll make it okay. Sure, you can make it easily. We're only about five minutes from my house right now. Can't tell you how I've enjoyed being with you tonight. You sure you didn't have time to come in for a night-cast? Oh, I wouldn't dare. I can't afford to miss that call. What? Phil, what was that? That was my car. The front wheels go right off. You're tired? Tired of nothing, the whole wheel, look at it. Oh, I guess I'd better just forget that long-distance call and phone the police. We're lucky that didn't happen while we were hitting 50 back there on the freeway. You think it was a bomb? We'll let the police find out. Oh, boy, that was close. Yes, Phil, it was close, wasn't it? But that's exactly the way you timed it, isn't it? Now, when the right time comes, Fran herself will testify that you were a marksman. You decide to wait a couple of weeks before your final step. Then a few nights later in your apartment, it's Larry who decides the time and the place for you. So, cigarette, Phil? Oh, yeah, thanks, Larry. Well, like, well, there's something I'd just like to tell you. Well, go ahead. Fran's not going to be married tomorrow. Tomorrow? Yeah, yeah, we talked it all over this afternoon. First, we weren't going to tell anybody about it, but not even here was. Then Fran pointed out what a dirty trick that would be to play on someone's best friend. Well? Oh, you know. Yeah, I know, I know. Yeah, tomorrow morning, we're driving to Arizona. No, look, Larry, we... We think it's the best way. Yeah, I know. Lots of girls who want a big wedding, but... Not Fran. No, no, no, not Fran. I was sure it was a big surprise. Is there anything I can do to help you on your way? No, no, thanks. Oh, no, no, there's got to be. Come on, kid. There must be something. No, no, no, not a thing. All right, so I'm picking Fran up at eight in the morning by four or five in the afternoon. We'll be married. Yeah, I sure wish you all the luck in the world. These friends are wonderful girls. Well, I guess I better take a shower and get over to her house. Still got a few things to talk about. And while you're showering, I'll fix us a drink and we'll toast the bride to beer. All right, well, well, buddy, in ten minutes. You have to move fast now, don't you, Phil. And while Larry's taking a shower, you slip down to the garage, disconnect a couple of wires under the hood of Larry's car. Before he finishes dressing, you're back in the living room. Hey, uh, you'll be up by the time I leave in the morning, Phil? What time do you say you and Fran are leaving? Well, the station brought a half an hour to get to Fran, so I'll start from here at about seventy-thirty, and that means I'll be on our way about a little after eight. Ooh, early. If I'm not up, you'll wake me. Okay, okay. I might even see you later tonight. I won't be long at Fran's. All right. I'll walk out to the garage with you. Don't be... plan to be down very long. That's what Dave made. Wait. I will not ask you where you're going on your honeymoon. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. You know, that's how we haven't even decided ourselves. Really? Yeah. It's one of the things we're going to decide tonight. Oh, what's wrong? It's engine a little cold, I guess. I don't know. Well, it's been running fine. Could be out of gas. No, no. Holy shit. The tank flow before it came warm. I didn't want to have to stop for that in the morning. Tanks like this, it makes a fellow with you loose. It comes with a bottle of automobile engine repair. Well, you said it. Hey, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Let up on that thing. Listen, why don't you take my car? It's in perfect shape. I have it all fixed up after the explosion. No, really. After you get on your way tomorrow, I'll have a mechanic over here to fix yours up, and I'll drive it until you get back. Oh, well, I couldn't take it. Now you go ahead and do as I say. No, you really don't mind. I don't mind. I'd feel hurt if you didn't. Now you just hop on my car and get on over to Fran. I'll carry you. I'll carry you. I won't ever forget this, pal. There's only one more detail. And you prepared for it more than a week ago, didn't you, Phil? So you'd be certain you'd be ready for any emergency. As soon as Larry leaves, you open your dresser drawer. Remove the carefully constructed bomb you've hidden under some shirts. You set the timing device for 7.45 the next morning, when Larry will be midway between the apartment and the home of Francis Adams. Then you place it in your briefcase and wait for Larry. When he returns, the two of you drink a final toast to the bride. And as soon as Larry is in bed, you pick up your briefcase, flip down to the garage, place it on the floor of your car by the back seats. You cover it with the evening paper early the next morning. Hey, hey, Phil. Phil, come on, wake up. Wake up, I'm waiting. Oh, yeah, sure. He's sleeping so soundly I didn't want to wake him till I was ready to go. Yeah, I'm already feeling all right. Thanks again for your help, Phil. See you in a few days, huh? Sure. And good luck. Yeah, I guess. Well, we made a slight change to our plans last night. Plan wanted to start a little earlier, so we compromised. I'm picking her up at 7.30 instead of 8. Still half asleep and groggy when the impact of what Larry said hits you. Then you leap out of bed in time to see him driving away. If they're leaving at 7.30, that means Fran will be in the car at 7.45 when the time bomb explodes. Yes, the bomb you've hidden in the briefcase in the back of your car. Can't lose a second, can you, Phil? You must reach Fran's house before Larry does. Find a way to delay her departure. Take you only a moment to replace the two wires you disconnected and get Larry's car started. Then you use every shortcut you know to Fran's house. Fran's life and your future are in the balance. You have to win this race, don't you, Phil? Well, good morning, Mr. Harvey. Larry and Fran, are they gone? Yes, they left about five minutes ago. Oh. Oh, you should have seen them. They were so happy. Won't you come in, Fred? No, no, no, no, thanks. Maybe I should still catch them in the highway. I've got a present for them. You've got to catch them, haven't you, Phil? And you have only a few minutes. As you reach the main highway, you suddenly notice a piece of paper wedged into the glove compartment with your name written on it. You hate to slow down, but you quickly decide you'd better see what it is. Phil, thanks again for loaning me your car for our honeymoon. Hope you don't have too much trouble getting mine running again. Incidentally, I checked your car before I left and found your briefcase in the rear seat. Figured you would need it before we returned, so I put it in the back seat of my car for you. His car? Oh, no!