 And now the Mole Mystery Theater, presented by M-O-L-L-E. Mole, the heavier brushless shaving cream for tough whiskers and a tender skin. So wonderful, Nick. So, so beautiful. I'm going to make you happy, Nick. Really happy. I'm going to be a good wife, darling. Good evening. This is Jeffrey Barnes, welcoming you to the Mole Mystery Theater, the program that presents the best in mystery and detective fiction. You've just heard the opening scene of tonight's story by Cornell Warrich, starring Miss June Havoc and bearing the rather unusual and bizarre title, The Bride War Black. After all, black is the color we associate with death and funerals, not with weddings and romance. But tonight, black is the color of a woman's revenge. Well, gee, Mr. Barnes, you know, some men could cope with such a dangerous woman, and yet, strangely enough, be worried stiff when it comes to shaving tough whiskers or a tender skin. Well, man, we don't blame you. All we say is, try Mole, the heavier brushless shaving cream. Yes, sir, it's smooth. So smooth. It's slick. So slick. It's a smooth, smooth, slick, slick shave you get with M-O-L-L-E. Mole, the heavier brushless shaving cream for tough whiskers or a tender skin. Mole. Now for tonight's Mole Mystery Presentation, The Bride War Black. In the library of a suburban estate not far from New York City, a young and beautiful woman, her red hair drawn into a primed knot sits typing. She does not look up as a tall, heavily-built man enters the room and approaches her softly. Almost finished the manuscript. What? Oh, Mr. Holmes, I didn't hear you come in. I asked you, almost done? Well, not quite, Mr. Holmes. I still have a few more pages. Well, let it go for now. I'd like to talk to you. Talk? Yes, a rather long talk. So why don't you take my arm chair? Oh, no, I couldn't. Thank you. I insist. I want you to sit there. But I... I insist on it. Well, where will you sit? I'll take your chair. Now, if you don't mind, there. Isn't that more comfortable? I suppose so. Now, just to make things a little cozier, I suppose I put a little more wood on the fire. Oh, no, it's too warm in here already. Warm? I feel it chill. That's at least too large. Ah, look at them catch fire. Now, I suppose I just turn on this recording machine. Why, what for? I want this little talk of ours recorded. You see, there's something I want to clear up between us. Something you want to clear up? Yes, Mrs. Killene. Mrs. Killene? Oh, I know that's not the name you gave me when you came to work as my secretary. But it isn't my name. I happen to know better. But let's not get off on any tangents. We both know who you are. What on earth are you... One thing I don't know yet. The thing I'd like you to tell me now is just how and when you intended to murder me. Murder you? You're joking. Why should I want to kill you? I think that'll come out in our talk, Mrs. Killene. Well, I don't intend to... No, no, no, sit right where you are. We're not going to get up out of that chair. Well, you can't keep me here. Yes, I can, and I will. But you just listen to me without interruptions. But you have no right to... Without interruptions. I don't flatter myself. I wouldn't be the first man you murdered. Oh, none... No, as a matter of fact, I was to be the last. I want to go back to the first man. In Bliss. Bliss was at a party given in the penthouse of a friend of his named Corey, when he noticed you. Hey, hey, Corey, come here a minute. Well, you come here, come here. What do you want, Ken? Want to ask you something? Uh-huh. Who's that blond dish over there in the corner, huh? Oh, uh, which one? One of the black lead dress. Oh, yeah. I wonder what she's doing here. Well, let's go over and find out. Uh-huh. Well, come on. What are you waiting for? Uh-huh. Well, pardon me. Yeah? I brought our host over to introduce us to one another. Well, go on, Corey. Start hosting. I'm not sure. I remember the young lady's name. Well, of course you do. It's Nora. Nora? You sure? Of course I am. Oh, of course. Maybe I got you mixed up with someone else. Uh-huh. Perhaps you have. Perhaps. I don't know. What is all this? I'm Ken Bliss. How do you do? Come on, Nora. Come out on the terrace. Well, I... I'll show you the city. All lit up. All right. Beautiful terrace. Beautiful terrace. Don't know how Corey can afford it. But there have been rumors. Shut up, Ken. Okay, okay, Corey. Hey, coming, Nora? Yes. I'll come along. Uh-huh. You've got your guest. I'll come along. Chili out here. Uh, could you bring me my bag? Add a boy, girl. Would you, Mr. Corey? Okay. I'll get your coat. Which one is it? It's a blonde mink. Initials N-R. Right. I'll be back. Don't seem so chilly out here to me. It isn't. It's just that I wanted to talk to you, Mr. Bliss, alone. Oh? About something important. Important? What's important? You. Something. About you. Yeah? What about me? About the time we met once before. We met? And I forgot. Well, we didn't exactly meet. You saw me and... And forgot you? Oh, no, no, no. Impossible. You were in a car with three other men. That could be a hundred times. But this time the car's license number was D3827. Remember? No. I got a rotten head for a figure. Besides, what's the difference? We're here, here and now. This car was... Forget the car. It was kept in a garage up on Exterior Avenue in the Bronx, and they left it there. They never called for it again. But I traced it. I found out who was in it. Look, who's interested in some car? I mean a beautiful girl. And all she gives me is the routine about a car. Oh, no. Come here. Well... Now, let's just stay interested in that. You need it. And what's the matter? My scarf. You knocked the door to my shoulder. You weren't wearing any scar. It flew over the railing. You sure? There it is. It's caught on something right down there. Well, maybe I can reach it. No, no, no. I'll do it. I'll do it here. Look out. Let me... Now, where is the thing, huh? Right there. Don't you see it? Watch out. Don't lean over too far. That's how boys make me dizzy. I don't see your scarf. Right below you. A little further. A little more. Now, what you doing? Getting even for Nick Killeen. Huh? No. No, don't go! When Corey came back after searching for your non-existent coat, Mrs. Killeen, you were gone. You had killed your first man. I did this. No, no, no. Don't get up. Sit there. Right there. You still have a good deal to talk about. About Joe Mitchell, for instance. He lived in a cheap hotel on the west side, lived a cheap, drab life, until that evening that he came back to the lobby. Hello, Mr. Mitchell. Want your key? Yeah, Tom. Oh, a mail for me? Yes, sir. Let's see what we've got here. Advertisement. Here, you want to buy a custom-tailored suit? No, thanks. I couldn't afford it. Huh. Here's a can of air right now. Hey, you sure this one is for me? Mm-hmm. Your name's on the envelope, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But a theater ticket. Elgin Theater Box A. A 480 seat and for tonight. Why should anyone send this to me? I don't know, Mr. Mitchell. Were you ever connected with this theater? No, I used to attend a bar where a lot of actors hung out. Maybe that's it. Maybe somebody remembered me. Oh, it's a break. I might as well go after all. What can I lose? Hey, Tom, is that Mr. Mitchell? Yeah, he's right here. I've got a call for him. Oh, OK. Uh, we can take it here, Mr. Mitchell. Hello? Yeah? What do you want? Well, what are you snapping for? Uh, I'm not feeling so good. Sounds all right. Well, I don't feel good. Listen, I've got a hurry. Call me tomorrow or I'll call you. Where are you going today? I am. I'm going to bed. I'm sorry about our date. Oh, I don't... No. Yes, I'm going to bed. No, no, I told you. Look, I've got to hang up. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Yeah, but you... You mind if I take this seat? Oh, no, not at all. It's plenty of room. Oh, you're just in time. They're dimming the lights. I want to come too early. Tell me, uh, someone sent you a ticket to? No, this is my box. But I must confess, I sent you your ticket. You sent me? I... I wanted to see you again. Again? But I never saw... We can't talk here. I want to be alone with you. Yeah, but the show's about... Well, why don't we go over to my place? It's a hotel, but it's respectable. Sort of. But I... I wouldn't want to be seen going to your room. Oh, I understand. Well, we can go up the stairs. It's only the third floor and no one will notice us. What do you say? All right. That will be as good a place as any. I can see by all the girls' pictures on the walls that you're really a ladies' man, aren't you? Oh, those? No, they don't mean a thing. You know, I've always been looking for something... The right one, someone with class like you. I can imagine. No, there's no gag. I mean it. Just by being here, you make this room seem... Well, I don't know how to say it, but... Something wonderful. You give it a kind of feeling, you understand? It's like I've arrived somewhere. Somewhere I always wanted to go. Maybe we can arrange that. Let's have a drink. Oh, swell. I've got some rye here in the closet. You don't mind having it straight? No. I can have mine with water. Right, no, and I would have gotten something good. This will serve as a present. Put it on the radio. I'll pour it out. Okay. Want anything special? No, just some music. Now for a drink. Here's yours. Okay. Here's to a long life for a merry one. Yes, a long life. Well, aren't you having any? What's the matter? It's not bad stuff. I was just thinking. Thinking? About what? About our first meeting. Yeah. Yeah, I've been wondering about that. Where did I ever see you before? On the steps of a church. On the steps of... Oh! What's wrong? It's funny. Nothing, nothing. Just a pain in my stomach. Go away. What's this about you on the steps of a church? I was getting married. Married? Don't you remember now? No, I... Oh! It's the darnest thing all of a sudden too. Oh, enough of this radio. It's burning. Don't you remember? The church, the wedding, and then right after... Look, something's wrong. I've got to call a doctor. No, you're not going to call a doctor. What? You're too late for a doctor. Too late? What did you do to me? I don't know you. Yes, you know me. This is Nick Killeen. Nick Killeen? I don't understand. You don't remember Nick Killeen? And the girl on the steps in her wedding dress? You don't remember that? My wedding day, and you were there. You and three others. Cut me. Oh, Nick, stop that. I was... Yes, what do you want? Oh, well, I don't want to barge in, but I've got some chicken soup for Joe. Listen, get out of here quick. Make sure people see you leaving and take that jar of soup with you. What's the matter? Do as I say. I don't want you to get into any trouble. I don't have anything against you. You must be nuts. All right, all right. Go on in and have a good look. On tonight's Monet mystery, Julie Killeen has been accused by her employer of killing two of the three men she believes to have murdered her husband. And from what we've seen of Mrs. Killeen so far, you might say she shows a particular neck for dealing out punishment, eh, Dad? Well, it's funny, Mr. Barnes. Rather, it's sad, but a lot of men hand out almost the same kind of punishment to themselves every time they shave. Well, then, shaving needn't be painful, not when you shave with Mollet. The heavier brushless shaving cream for tough whiskers or a tender skin. That's right. Mollet is the heavier cream, the cream you need for wiry whiskers or a sensitive skin. Because Mollet is heavier, it not only softens your whiskers, it stands them up straight while your razor whisk them off like a feather. With Mollet, you shave faster. Closer, easier, and you shave painlessly. Try it. See if you don't say it's smooth. So smooth. It's slick. So slick. It's a smooth, smooth, slick, slick shave you get with M-O-L-L-E. Mollet, the heavier brushless shaving cream for tough whiskers or a tender skin. And now back to Jeffrey Barnes and act two of the Bride War Black, starring Miss June Havett. Julie Killeen, a bride whose beloved was murdered on their wedding day. In blind rage has vowed to avenge him. One of her intended victims, however, has uncovered her whole plot. That, Mrs. Killeen, was how you murdered Ken Bliss and Joe Mitchell. The first, you pushed from the terrace of Corey's apartment. The second, you poisoned in his hotel room. Now you can see why I wanted this recorded. Mr. Holmes, you know this is a pack of lies. You know it's not true. Every word of what I've said is gospel. No, no, no. Don't get up. Now I'll go over what happened to Frank Moran. I said, don't get up. Sit there and listen. We'll begin in the streets, outside Frank Moran's house in Skarsdale. A five-year-old boy riding a tricycle is stopped by an attractive young woman. Hey, you got in my way. Oh, I'm sorry, but I found this ball. Is it your ball? Uh, no. Mine's a high bouncer. Do you want this one? I'll give it to you. Yes, thanks. What's your name? Cookie Moran. And what's your father's name? He's Mr. Frank Moran. Do you have any brothers or sisters? No, but I got a grandma, though. She lives in Garrison, but she comes to stay with us. Well, don't you ever go to Garrison to visit her? Oh, yeah. But Dr. Bixby says I make too much noise for Grandma. She's sick. Dr. Bixby's your grandma's doctor, hm? Sure. He goes to see her a lot. My aunt Ada takes care of her. Uh, tell me, have you started school yet? Oh, sure. I go to kindergarten every day. What do you do there? We draw docks and rabbits. And Miss Baker gave me a gold straw for drawing a cow. I brought it home. Really? Well, you run along and play now, Bixby. And don't lose the ball. What is it here? A telegram for my sis Ada. Mother's very sick. She had a stroke. A stroke? She wants me to come to Garrison right away. Well, you'd better go. I'll drive you to the station. No, no. I'll take a cab. You stay here with Cookie and Frank. Don't let him get into any trouble while I'm gone. Hello? Hello, Mr. Moran. Yes? This is Miss Baker. Cookie's kindergarten teacher? Yes. I've heard Mrs. Moran had to go away and I've been worried about Cookie. You know he's so active. I'd like to come over this evening and help you take care of him. Certainly, Miss Baker. And thank you for being so thoughtful. Little lady on the street. Now, Cookie. Hi, son. That's not the way to talk. There's nothing to be alarmed about, Mr. Moran. It's just that he's very imaginative. What's the matter with you, Cookie? I thought you liked Miss Baker. She isn't Miss Baker. Let me handle it. I'm used to this. Now, Cookie, didn't I just give you a gold star the other day for drawing a cow? Huh? And didn't I tell you I was going to see your parents some day and tell them how good you are in school? You know I did. Well, if you're Miss Baker, how come you don't look like Miss Baker? That's because I'm not wearing my glasses. You see, Mr. Moran, there's a fine point of child psychology involved here. Cookie's used to seeing me in the kindergarten and not in his home. Of course. But now that he's getting used to me here, I think he's beginning to recognize me. Aren't you, Cookie? Yes, Miss Baker. Yeah, that's better. Now, how would you like to show me this? Pause it under the stairs. I used to hide in here when I played hide-and-seek. But now I can't. Why not? Daddy won't let me. He says there's no air in there. And look, look, I'll show you. Cookie's locked in the closet. Now, I can't get the door open. Now, now, don't get frightened. There's nothing to it. You can't be open from the inside, but all we have to do is un-lagid like this. And the door comes open. All right, Cookie, come on out. You see anything at all? Well, you get upstairs and go to bed. Oh, Daddy. It's getting late. I don't want it. Now, you heard me. Oh, that gave me a fright. He's getting locked in there. I know. I was afraid the door jammed. I don't let Cookie go in here. The door's solid oak, about two inches thick, and there's hardly any space at all. Yes, it is small. How long do you suppose a person would last if he got caught in there? Oh, I don't know, an hour or two at the most. The closet's airtight, and I don't... Oh, my goodness. What is something the matter? Oh, my bracelet. Your bracelet. Cookie had it, and he must have left it in that closet. Oh, well, I'll get it. I'll just feel around here, and I'm sure I'll find it for you. Just hold the door open, will you? Frank Moran. What? Did you say something? This is for Nick Killeen. Never be forgotten, Mrs. Killeen, by the widow of Frank Moran, or by that little boy. Well, you must be out of your mind, Mr. Holmes, making these accusations against me. I assure you, I'm entirely sane. You see, Mrs. Killeen, I've been on to you right from the beginning. From the moment you wangled an introduction to me through my publisher. From the moment you came here to work as my secretary, the matter of fact, Mrs. Killeen, I've been waiting for you. Waiting for me? Yes. Ever since I put it together, the connection between Bliss, Mitchell, Moran, and now, Holmes. The auto ride following a drunken party, the wedding at the church, the murder. What? What's the matter? It's getting too warm here. This chair... I don't think you're too warm. I'm too close to the fire. No, no, no. Your hands are ice cold. You're trembling. Let me go. Let me off. No, stay there. I want you to stay there in my chair. No, no, I can't. Why? Oh, please let me go. Why, why? Why can't you stay in that chair? Because... Why can't you stay near the fireplace? Tell me. Why, why? There's a shotgun loaded behind the thing partition, the heat of the fire. Yes. You said it to kill me. Yes! Yes, I was going to kill you. All right, Mrs. Killeen, you can get up now. You don't have to hurry. I found the gun this morning and took out the charge. What? I think we have enough on the recorder. Mrs. Killeen, you were wrong on three counts. About the gun? About the way your husband was killed? One more thing. About me. About you. Yes. What about you? I'm not George Holmes. Not... I've just been substituting for him. Substituting? Who are you? I'm Lieutenant Wanger, New York City police. Mrs. Killeen, I put you under arrest for the murders of Ken Bliss, Joe Mitchell, Frank Moran, and the attempted murder of George Holmes, although I don't think we'll even bother about that. This is Jeffrey Barnes again. In just a moment, we'll bring you act three of the Bride War Black. Now, a word from Ron Rosson. One thing to remember about the most common type of dandruff is that many outstanding authorities say it is not a natural condition, but actually is caused by a germ called Pityrosporum ovale. Now, the only way you can get real relief is to destroy this germ, and simply washing or brushing away loose dandruff won't do it. But double dandrine will. Yes, double dandrine really works because it gets at the cause of this dandruff and kills it. Actually kills the germ on contact. Results with double dandrine have been remarkable, even in many stubborn cases. And the thing that makes double dandrine so amazingly effective is a special ingredient, an active antiseptic that's so wonderfully efficient many hospitals use it. In double dandrine, we call it alzam. So stop trying to combat this dandruff with ineffective methods that actually are no better than plain water. Use double dandrine and destroy the cause. Get double dandrine tomorrow. Your money back if not satisfied. Okay, bring her in. All right, Marty, wait outside. Sit down, won't you, Mrs. Killeen? I hope you weren't too uncomfortable last night. Bad enough without your dark head. Oh, I'm quite sincere. You see, I realize your motive in this whole series of murders is revenge. Well, I suppose that's a motive anyone can understand, but not condone. And in this case, Mrs. Killeen, you killed three innocent men. How can you say that? They murdered me. Kill him in cold blood right on the steps of the church. They didn't kill him. Yes, they did. Let me reconstruct what happened on that day. The wedding was over. You came out of the church. The bride's maid, the others. And suddenly a car round to the corner at high speed came towards the church. There was a series of sounds like backfires. And then... You'd better come with me, Julie. Please, Julie, you're getting blood on your dress. Let me hold it. No, I don't need any help. Andrea. Yes, dear. Did you see that car? Yes. Come on, Julie. No. No, Andrea, did you get a good look? Yes, I did. How many men were in that car? There were four of them, but I... Did you see the license number? It was D-38-27. I'll remember that. Come with me, please, Andrea. I'm going back inside the church. Pray for... No. To make a vow. Another vow to Nick. That's what happened on the steps of the church, isn't it, Mrs. Killeen? Yes. You made one mistake, a tragic mistake. Those men in the car, they had nothing to do with your husband's death. They did. They killed him. No. On that day that Bliss and Mitchell and Moran and Holmes tore past the church steps in their car, another man crouched at a window of a rooming house opposite, a gun in his hand, waiting for Nick Killeen. Who? He raised his gun as you came out on the steps. There's the car streaked by, it's exhaust backfiring, he's shot. Who, who, what, who? Just a moment. Bring him in. Okay, sir. He was a former partner of Nick's. A man who worked the rackets with him. A man who couldn't let Nick go straight... Oh, stop torturing me. Who was it? Good morning. Oh, no. It can't be. How do you do, Mrs. Killeen? Killeen. Killeen. Yeah, when you came to my party, I thought I'd recognized you from a picture Nick showed me once. And I sent you away so I could kill Bliss. Yeah. Wasn't it too bad you didn't know who I was? Too bad Nick went and reduced you to his partner. He didn't even trust me to meet you. And now look at the mess you're in. You're on a spot yourself, Killeen. Sure, I know that. You know... Yes? Wouldn't it be something if me and her were hung the same day? And now this is Jeffrey Barnes again inviting you to join us next week when we present a great tale from the pen of Vincent Starrot entitled The 11th Juror, which will star Sydney Blackmore, popular star of stage and screen. Maybe you haven't thought about it, but when you're too tired, you often get depressed, apprehensive. You have two strikes on you from the start. Now, if you're often left tired and pale besides, your doctor may find you have a borderline anemia, resulting from a ferro-nutritional blood deficiency. In that case, take ironized yeast tablets. They help build up your strength by building up your red blood cells. So take ironized yeast tablets to help get back your energy, your enthusiasm, your healthy color. Ask for ironized yeast tablets. The original music for the Mystery Theater is composed and conducted by Alexander Semmler. Any similarity between the names and characters used on this show and any actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Tonight's play was adapted for radio by Paul Monash. This is Dan Seymour saying good night until next Friday at this same time when the Mystery Theater presents The 11th Juror. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.