 And now, stay tuned for the program that has rated tops in popularity for a longer period of time than any other West Coast program in radio history. The Signal Oil program, The Whistler. Signal, the famous Go Father gasoline, invites you to sit back and enjoy another strange story by The Whistler. I'm 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 for the Signal Oil Company, The Whistler's strange story. Two and one makes murder. To Mildred Wiley, the cool mountain breeze was delightful. She was sitting on the porch of Taggart Lodge, chatting with the mother of her employer, Philip Taggart. Mildred smiled as she recalled her last conversation with him, when Philip had told her he was in love. Every so often, during the 14 years Mildred had been employed by Taggart and Company, where she'd started as a 19-year-old stenographer and worked up to her present position of personnel director and treasurer, Philip Taggart had come to her and told her in-friendly confidence that he had finally found the right woman. But each time he'd discover after a few months that he was wrong. And Mildred was certain that this time would be no exception. Yes, Mildred would see to that. Appearing younger and still beautiful in her early 30s, she'd long since decided that she herself would someday be Mrs. Philip Taggart and heir by marriage to the Taggart fortune. As Philip's mother spoke, Mildred looked up. Well, Mildred, you didn't have a long wait. Philip's car's coming up the road now. Well, Mrs. Taggart, that's not Philip, is it? Of course it is, dear. But that girl with him? Well, that's Philip's secretary. Anne Backer? I didn't recognize her. What's she doing? She's spending her vacation with us. I thought you knew. She and Philip are to be married very soon now. Married? Anne? Yes. Isn't it wonderful? Yes, I... I think it's marvelous. Tell Philip I'd like to see him in the library. Will you, Mrs. Taggart? I don't know if it's none of my business, but I think you're being very foolish. Anne's only 23. Well, she could marry dozens of young men her own age. Yet she chose me. Very flattering, isn't it? She chose you because you're Philip Taggart heir to the Taggart fortune. That isn't very kind, Mildred. It's kinder than you realize. I'm only thinking of you. A girl like Anne Backer's were... She couldn't make you happy for any length of time. Please, Mildred, you've been with us so long now. You're almost like one of the family. And I'm sure that you're sincerely interested in my welfare. But this is something that concerns only Anne and me. We're being married in a month. A month, Mildred. That's time enough, isn't it? You don't know just how you'll prevent Philip's marriage to Anne, but you're sure you'll find a way. After you return to the city, you decide one thing. You must give every outward evidence that the coming marriage has your complete approval. Yes, Mildred, the more you think of it, you realize that it's all important to you to make friends with Anne. So you invite Anne to drop into your office. You wanted to see me, Miss Wiley? Yes, Anne. Sit down, won't you? I don't look so distressed. I don't really eat people, you know? I know. It's just that... Well, I don't know you very well. And somehow I felt that you didn't quite approve of me and Philip. No, but I do, Anne. I'm sorry if you thought otherwise. You're quite right, though. We don't know each other very well. And that's why I asked you to come to see me. I think we ought to remedy that right away. Oh, I'd like that. I know how much Philip and his mother think of you. I'm sure we can be friends, too. As far as I'm concerned, we are friends, Anne. If you ever need me for anything, please feel free to call on me. You've made a fine start, haven't you, Mildred? Yes, you've made Anne believe that all you want of her is her friendship. And you do want it, don't you, Mildred? You're convinced that having Anne's trust and respect is an important step toward preventing her marriage to Philip. For several days, you consider various other moves. Discard them one after another. You want to be certain you make no mistakes. Then one morning at breakfast, you open the morning paper. Philip, Taggart, well-known industrialist, Marys, secretary Anne Bacchus... ...in surprise elopement. You stare at the picture of the happy pair, then crumple the paper angrily. It won't last. I won't let it last. One way or another, I'll break up that marriage forever. Your car, pick up. Pick up? Just try a tank full of signal Ethel and C. How easily will your car climb a hill? Climb a hill? Or just try a tank full of signal Ethel and C. You'll see the smartest, most thrilling performance your car is capable of. After all, signal Ethel, the premium grade of signal's famous go-father gasoline, is a true super fuel. Engineer to bring out the best in any car of any age. Engineer to put the pulse-quickening thrill of swift acceleration at the command of your toe. Engineer to sweep you over hills, even those steep ones, with smooth, sure power to spare. The kind of driving that's really fun. Just for fun, why not treat your car to a tank full of signal Ethel and C? C for yourself. Well, Mildred, after all the years you've schemed to marry Philip Taggart, he suddenly elopes with his secretary, Ann Backus. But you're still determined to land Philip Taggart for yourself some day. And the day after they return from their honeymoon, you begin. First of all, you decide to win Ann's complete confidence. And for the next few weeks, you see her frequently at the Taggart home. Until you're certain Ann believes in your friendship, trust you implicitly. And as you know her better, you begin to wonder whether she's as sweet and innocent as she seems. Her studied avoidance of any reference to the past or her family make you more suspicious. You decide to take a gamble. You hire a private investigator to look into Ann's past, her family or connections. After weeks of expenditure, worry and secret hope, your investigator turns in his report. Well, Miss Wiley, I'd say your money had been well invested, very well invested. Your little girlfriend is personally above reproach, but she made a bad mistake once about three years ago. What? What kind of mistake? She got married. So Philip Taggart's charming young bride is a divorcee. No, she's still married to the guy she married three years ago. You mean she's a bigamist? Well, not by intent, by accident. This first fellow she married, Fred Backus, was a no-good ten-horn gambler. When he and your little girlfriend split up, she wanted to go to New York, so to save time, she signed no contest papers. And he agreed to file suit immediately. But he never got around to it. No. You know where this Fred Backus is? Yeah, he's the sort of commuter between San Diego and Tijuana. He's still a ten-horn gambler, has a room in San Diego. He's a car dealer at a little gambling club at Diablo in Tijuana, stud mostly. Club Diablo, Tijuana. Satisfied? More than satisfied. You've earned yourself a bonus. Well, Mildred, you've made quite a discovery, haven't you? Mrs. Philip Taggart isn't legally Mrs. Philip Taggart after all. And Anne herself doesn't know it. The important thing now is how to use this explosive information. That night, you decide on an important move. Two evenings later, you arrive in San Diego, registered at an inconspicuous hotel as Mary White's San Bernardino. You dress carefully and taxi to Tijuana, where you easily locate the Club Diablo and Fred Backus. By four in the morning, it begins to look as though your visit to the Southland will be worthwhile. Look, lady, if the boss heard me say this, I'd get fired. But this isn't your night. And I'd hate to see a classy dish like you go broke. Why don't you lay off for the rest of the night, huh? Try again tomorrow night, hm? Maybe you've got something, Mr.... Oh, Backus, Fred Backus. Look, we're closing half an hour. How about me buying you some, uh, ham and eggs? Why not? I've known you six days now, honey, and I'm still trying to figure you. You've got class... There's nothing to figure. I'm just a board stenographer on vacation. You don't like your wood? I hate it. Well, why don't you stick around here for a while? I like to eat. Well, I think you could win enough at the Club for coffee and cakes. Maybe, uh, coffee, even if you didn't overdo it. And you're a percentage? Well, let's just say that I'm a good gambler, huh? Think about it anyway. Thinking's bad for you, especially on a vacation. Incidentally, Fred, I don't think I'll come over to the club tonight. I've got some letters to write. You mean I'm not going to see you? You might drop by my place for a drink before you leave. Oh, we'll do. Thanks. Oh, Seattle paper, huh? Yeah, a month old, though. I found it on a chair in the lobby. I never saw one before. Take a look at it, if you like, while I order something to drink. What would you like, Fred? Oh, uh, Scotch and water. Hey, hey, Milgood. Hmm? This girl on the front page, Anne Bacchus. Who? What about her? She married her boss. Oh, happens all the time. Oh, not this, honey. You see, this babe is my wife. Oh, she doesn't know it, though. She thinks I got a divorce from her. But how could she... Well, when we split up, I promised her I'd get one. And when she wrote later on, I told her it was in the mill. But she'd be free in 30 days. Oh, Fred, that's terrible, the poor girl. Yeah, yeah, this stuff all right. But I just never got around to it. Well, it might not be so tough for you, Fred. Well, what do you mean? Oh, I imagine the new Mrs. Taggart would pay plenty for a quick divorce, plus your silence. Well, I'd hate to do that to Anne. She was a pretty good kid and... Fred, you thought what we could do with, say, $10,000? Uh, we? If we had $10,000, I wouldn't have to go back to my job, would I? No. No, you wouldn't, would you? Isn't it worth a try? Yeah. Yeah, I guess it isn't that. Say, how about that drink, baby, huh? Well, Mildred, Fred's no longer a problem, is it? By the next day, you've sold him on a blackmail approach to Anne. Seen him off on a train to Seattle with the promise that you'll wait impatiently for his return. Then you return to your hotel, check out, and hurry to the airport. By the time Fred reaches Seattle, you're already there and have set the stage. You're certain that once Fred contacts Anne, she'll come to the one person she feels she can trust with such shocking information. You, Mildred. And a few days later, just as you planned it, Anne pours out her heart to you over lunch. I don't know where to turn, Mildred. What to do? You haven't mentioned this other marriage to Philan. Oh, no. Not to anyone, but you are... I must tell him, of course... Oh, but you mustn't, Anne. You can't tell Philip anything about this, not until it's all over. But I'll have to, Mildred. Dear to him. And as the money, the $10,000, Fred's demanding. Now, don't worry about the money. I'll lend that to you. Oh, no, I couldn't... Anne, and listen to me. The $10,000 is a small price to pay, comparatively. Oh, but Mildred, that much money, it must be... Most of my life's savings, yes. I'm not worried about that. Once this nightmare's over, you'll pay me back. Believe me, Anne, there's only one course you can take. I... I want to do whatever's best for Philip. You know that. Well, let's consider Philip. You don't want to hurt him unnecessarily, I know. If it ever reached the papers that... that Philip Taggart's wife was a bigamist, do you know what that could do to a man in his position? I know, I... I know. Well, you can spare him all that scandal, all that notoriety, Anne. You'll have to ask Philip to divorce you, temporarily. Divorce me? Oh, but I... I said it wouldn't be easy at first. But you'll have to let Philip divorce you, then go to Reno and divorce Fred Backers. Once that's final, you can come back, tell Philip everything, and remarry him without any strings attached. But, Mildred, what about Philip? Will he want me back after all this? You know how much he loves you. If I know Philip once you're divorced and in a position to tell him the whole story, he'll love you all the more for sparing him this scandal. If you like, I'll go to Philip with you. Oh, Mildred, would you? I know Philip would understand if... if we went to him together. I'll be glad to. But first things first, hmm? You tell your Mr. Backers he'll have his money tomorrow. Well, Mildred, your biggest hurdle is over, isn't it? The weeks you've spent gaining Anne's confidence have paid you a real dividend. You're so sure your plans will succeed you're tempted to forget Fred Backers. Let him keep your $10,000. But you quickly discard that plan as both extravagant and dangerous. In the next morning, you're again flying to San Diego where you wait Fred's return as agreed. A few evenings later, the two of you celebrate his... success. Oh, the champagne's real stuff, huh, baby? I can't get over how Anne forked over the $10,000, just like you said. Oh, I knew she would. You, uh, had the money with you? Sure. Right here, honey. I'm not ordering some more champagne. Oh, now you're talking, baby. Hey, waiter, waiter, a couple of more bottles of champagne. Oh. Gee, honey, all of a sudden, I don't... I don't feel so good. I think I better go outside and get some air. Oh, that's too bad. Darling, skip the champagne. Call a taxi, hmm? I'll take you home. Once you get Fred to his room, he falls into a dead sleep. You made sure of that, didn't you, Mildred? You go quickly through his pockets. There it is, the blackmail money you gave Anne in Seattle. You smile as you slip it into your purse. Things are going just the way you planned. By the time Fred awakens, your brief masquerade as Mary Weiss will be finished. Your only worry now is whether Anne went through with her request that Philip divorce her. But that concern is quickly dispelled when you return to Seattle in the office and learn that it is common gossip that Anne has left Philip. You pretend to be deeply shocked and go at once to his office. Well, Mildred, I... I guess you can say I told you so. I didn't come to say that. Anne will come back. Philip, everything will clear up. I'm sure... No, no, no. She's left me. She's taken an apartment at the Marlboro. She asked me for a divorce and I'm going to file immediately. For some reason, she wants me to get the divorce. I don't understand it. But if that's the way she wants it, that's the way it'll be. Well, Anne was very young. Too young to know what you wanted, really. I'm sure it wasn't your fault. Thanks, Millie. You... You've always understood me pretty well. Right now, that's... It's rather important to be... Philip welcomed your visit, didn't he, Mildred? There's little doubt in your mind now that you've won. That sooner or later, you'll be Mrs. Philip Taggart. But the following evening, sitting in your apartment, an unexpected phone call hit you like a bombshell. Hello? Fred Backers. No, I didn't. How did you find me? Easy from your driver's license. My driver's license? Yes, it was in your purse. I saw it three or four times. I see. Well, what are you going to do? And if I don't? Then I think Mr. Philip Taggart might like to know why his wife left him. I could make it pretty hot for you, you know. Yes, I guess you could. All right, Fred, I'll have the money for you tomorrow night. Where? I'll bring it to you. Where are you staying? At the Winston, room 524. I'll be there at 7.30, Fred. I know when I'm whipped. But you're not whipped, are you, Mildred? No, because suddenly a solution emerges quite clearly. You can remove Fred Backers as a threat and eliminate Anne as an obstacle to your plan in one daring move. Then your path will be clear to win Philip Taggart for yourself. Yes, Mildred, at last you're sure of what you must do. You set your final plan into action the very next afternoon when you visit Anne at her apartment at the Marlborough. Come in. Oh, I'm so glad to see you. You're the first person I've seen since I left, Philip. Oh, here, sit down. Oh, well, I can't stay very long right now, but I don't think you might be a little bit lonesome. I wondered if you were planning to be home this evening. I thought I'd stop by later. Oh, I'd love to see you. I'll be here alone all evening. How about a drink? No, I don't think so. I just have a cigarette with you and run. Oh, there's some in the box on the table. I have some. Thanks, dear. Tony, that's your last match. Don't I have any? I'll go in the kitchen and get some. Fine. Meanwhile, do you mind if I powder my nose? Of course not. Right over there. Well, you've found out one thing, haven't you, Mildred? Anne is going to be home all evening, alone. Now you must get what you came for. Anything to tie Anne in with your coming meeting with Fred Bacchus. You glance around, see Anne's laundry bag in the corner. Reach in and come in with a soil handkerchief, carrying the initials A-T. This is all you need, isn't it, Mildred? A few minutes later, you leave Anne. At seven o'clock that evening, you select a hat that comes well down over your face, down a veil in a loose-fitting blue coat, and take a steel letter opener from your desk. Place it in your purse, leave your apartment, and walk the few blocks to the Winston Hotel, and Fred Bacchus. You know, you shouldn't have run out on me like you did, baby. Okay, Fred, I shouldn't have run out on you. Especially, you shouldn't have taken all the dough. You brought it with you? Yes. Right here, my purse. Here it is. Oh, sorry, Fred, it slipped out of my hand. Oh, don't let that worry you. I never mind. Without a glance at the man you have just killed, you carefully wipe your fingerprints from the steel letter opener and wrap it in a newspaper. Next, you pointedly drop Anne's initial handkerchief near the door, quietly make your way from the hotel to the corner, where you toss the letter opener into a sewer, and then stroll back to your apartment. Next day, the papers carry an account of the murder of Fred Bacchus. But it's not until two days later that the police trace the handkerchief to Anne Taggart and pick her up on suspicion of murder. It's almost over, isn't it, Mildred? The following morning, as you reach the office, you find a telegram on your desk. In view of recent unhappy developments, Mother and I are staying indefinitely at Taggart Lodge. We'd enjoy having you spend weekend with us if you care to drive up tomorrow. Affectionately so. Hello? Did you get the telegram I left on your desk? Oh, yes, Donny, yes. No bad news, I hope. On the contrary, it's good news. I've just found something that means a great deal to me. Something I once thought I'd lost. How long will your car last? Well, one thing is for sure. If you could reduce engine wear 50%, your car should last a lot longer, shouldn't it? And now you can do just that. Reduce engine wear due to lubrication 50% with amazing new signal premium motor oil. Think of the extra driving pleasure, the extra savings this can mean for you. Thanks to new signal premium, your car should now run twice as many miles before needing an overhaul due to engine wear. If your car is not already an oil eater, new signal premium should double the period during which you'll continue to enjoy low oil consumption. And speaking of price, although most things have gone up, up, up, this superior quality, heavy duty type oil that gives you all these extra benefits has not been increased in price at signal stations. So if you want to keep expenses down and your car's performance up for a long time to come, you know the oil to change to new signal premium. And you know where to get it at signal service stations. Well, Mildred, you're almost satisfied now, aren't you? With Anne accused of Fred Bacchus' murder, you're certain it's just a matter of time until you become Mrs. Philip Taggart. When you arrive at Taggart Lodge for the weekend, the time you spend with Philip is made even more enjoyable by the secure knowledge that no one, least of all Anne, has any idea you even knew Fred Bacchus. You sleep late Sunday morning and when you go down for breakfast, there's a note from Philip that he and his mother have gone into town. When they return late in the afternoon, you receive a startling surprise. Well, Anne, dear. Hello, Mildred. Well, are you... Is everything all right? As far as Philip and I are concerned, everything's perfect. We're being remarried immediately. Remarried? Yes, Mildred. Now that Anne is a legal widow, I want to make her my legal wife as quickly as possible. But how did... Anne had nothing to do with Fred Bacchus' death, Mildred. But... that's wonderful. That's wonderful news. Mildred, this is police lieutenant Jason. Police? Yes, he thinks you might know something about Fred Bacchus. I? Oh, that's preposterous. Why should the lieutenant think anything like that? Because the switchboard at Mr. Bacchus' hotel shows he phoned you and talked to you for five minutes a night before he was killed, Miss Wiley. Well, uh... Well, yes, he did call me, but I didn't even know him. A mutual friend asked him to call me. Could be. But whoever killed Fred Bacchus left Anne Taggert's handkerchief at the scene of the crime, Miss Wiley. You and she are the only ones who had access to that handkerchief. How could I have obtained her handkerchief? Easily. You could have taken it the afternoon you called on her a few hours before Bacchus was killed. Well, that's absurd. Anyone could have taken it. We've established beyond any doubt that you're the only visitor Mrs. Taggert had since she left Mr. Taggert and moved to the Marlboro. You and Anne Taggert are the only two people in Seattle who knew Fred Bacchus. Well, that doesn't prove I did it. Anne had a motive, a real motive. Either you or Anne left Anne's handkerchief at the scene of the crime. One of you murdered Fred Bacchus. Well, it was Anne. I did. It couldn't have been Anne. The coroner has fixed the time of the Bacchus murder between 7.30 and 8.30. From 7 o'clock on that night Anne was at her apartment discussing the terms of her divorce with Mr. Taggert's attorney. Let that whistle be your signal for the signal oil program The Whistler each Sunday night at this same time. Meantime, signal oil company and the friendly independent dealers who help you go farther with signal gasoline hope you'll remember. Regardless of what gasoline you use you'll enjoy more miles of happy driving. If you drive at sensible speeds obey traffic regulations and avoid taking chances you may even save a life possibly your own. Featured in tonight's story were Bill Foreman, Betty Lou Gerson, Wally Mayer, Jean Bates, Ed Max and John Daener. The Whistler was produced and directed by George W. Allen with story by Ed Bloodworth, music by Wilbur Hatch and was transmitted to our troops overseas by the Armed Forces Radio Service. The Whistler is entirely fictional and all characters portrayed on the Whistler are also fictional. Any similarity of names or resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Remember to tune in at this same time next Sunday when the signal oil company will bring you another strange story by The Whistler. This is Marvin Miller speaking for The Signal Oil Company. Stay tuned now for our Miss Brooks starring Eve Arden which follows immediately over most of these stations. This is CBS The Columbia Broadcasting System.