 This is the man in black here again to introduce columbia's program suspense Two of hollywood's most deaf players are with us tonight. This Geraldine Fitzgerald and Cedric Hardwick This Fitzgerald and Cedric are here to match wits in a suspenseful tale by John Dixon Carr called Will you walk into my parlor? If you've been with us on these Tuesday nights, you will know that suspense is compounded of mystery and suspicion dangerous adventure In this series are tales calculated to intrigue you to stir your nerves to offer you a precarious situation and then withhold the solution until the last possible moment and So with will you walk into my parlor and the performances of Geraldine Fitzgerald and so Cedric Hardwick We again hope to keep you in Just how far does any man trust his wife or his fiancee either for that matter? An English bazaar a garden party in the grounds of Layton Hall in Kent one fine summer afternoon before the war Layton Hall is the home of major in Mrs. Grant always ready in the cause of charity There's the stern red brick of the hall rising above oak trees Against green lawns of the stalls and the swings and the roundabouts and the coconut chives They are not well patronized now Because a summer storm is coming up and the wind is whipping at the tents flapping the gaudy banners in a fantastic manner And sending the spectators hurrying away in search of shelter But over in a far corner is the fortune teller's tent body in purple and gold yet with more than just a suggestion of mystery Beside it is a miniature shooting gallery presided over by major grand himself Near the center of this bizarre is the bandstand where the village musicians play lustily to keep the patronizers But as the wind rises it seems that only two of them are Oblivious to the coming storm for they are in love The young man is tall in sport coats and flannels the young lady in a flowing gown of a startling beauty Which suggests a halo a startling beauty that glows against the gray of the sky the paint of the tents She has her hand on his arm for protection Against what you ask Nothing just for protection. I want to get my fortune told before we leave Mary the wind I'm sure it's going to pour any minute. I won't take long. We'll beat the storm wait and see I hate to drag you away from the match, but I do want to visit him You don't believe in that rubbish. Do you marry? No, I don't suppose I do I never can resist getting my fortune told Oh, I suppose it's a woman's prerogative and they say this man is all very good They say it's marvelous how he can tell you all about yourself. You know that already, don't you? Darling, please don't be so unimaginative. All right, Mary. I'll be good Who is the fortune teller by the way, there's a sign on the 10th the great Omar Parmas than crystal-gala sees all knows all no I mean who is he in real life friend of the majors? Maybe the major could tell us there. He is now Please still we don't we don't have to go there. Do we go where to that shooting range of the majors? I hate guns. It's right next to the fortune teller's 10th Mary and we can't insult our host Coming major look at the major. He's beaming all over his face and twisting that white mustache into a corkscrew. I suppose he's heard about us Mary my very contrary one. You're not ashamed of being engaged to me. Oh, you know, it's nothing like that Phil I'm much too much in love with you only all the old cats in the village are probably saying awful things about me Now what the devil could they be saying about Oh, you young rascals you young so-and-so give me a hand each of you and many congratulations Thank you. Thank you very much major. We feel rather pleased about it ourselves Please I do and you young woman you come over here And then you have every one of us Britishers at your feet what you do But snary a fellow American when he's helpless and away from home And do I love being snares? Yes, oh girl. It looks as though you had your man where you wanted him Tell me your secret. Are you a demon in disguise? Please major ground. It's an awfully good design. There she is Please major, please Phil Is anything wrong? No nothing, but it's getting dark and the wind's rising. It's going to pour any minute now Oh a moment before you were the one who said not to worry. Oh that won't matter my girl The show's really over anyway. We did pretty well if I do say so myself We came over here really to see the fortune teller if you don't mind letting go my hand Not a bit of it. You won't let me go Not until you patronize this charity as a preparation of polishing off your husband after marriage Why not try a few rounds with a rifle? Of course, what kind of a job you are. No, please now. Now. Here's a neat little model winchester 61 22 caliber. Yeah, right. I know it's stupid and silly on me and it's not the rifle really It's anything to do with death Yes, I mean anything that suggests death Ever since I was a child I've never even been able to look at a dead person in a coffin. It Marry a dead What is going to get killed darling you just fire away and see if you can hit the target All right, if you insist I don't watch out Bullseye you fit the electric light in the room You're not supposed to aim at that Speaking of dying if that's her style of target shooting down if I'm not going to crawl out from under this counter and stand behind It isn't funny Phil. I'm sorry, but I can't go on with this. Here's the rifle Sorry Mary, but no that was going to affect you like this. Oh, it's all right I tell you what you run along and see the fortune teller my dear come with me Phil, won't you? He'll only admit one at a time Well, why don't you go ahead darling? I'll I'll wait for you here You know major I I am an idiot for upsetting you. You're a very lucky young fellow man I hope you realize that. Oh, I realize it. All right. I Am hope this fortune teller doesn't keep her in there very long Why the sky is getting black as pitch You're not careful this wind is going to blow all your tents into the next county All these tents are pretty securely peg young fellow. I think we can risk it. It's so dark that Wait a minute look there. Yeah, where? The fortune teller's tent He's got a light inside and you can see his shadow against the tanned it Like a shadow screen Looks it has Mary going in now. She's sitting down across the table from him I say young fellow you happen to know who the fortune teller really is no as a matter of fact I was going to ask you. Well, I'll take you little secret. He's a detective inspector from Scotland Yard What a detective inspector from Scotland Yard came down here on business for just half-browns or something So the chief constable and I asked him to do our be our fortune teller He's one of these glittering eye blokes and in a turban with brown paint on his face Does he know anything about promise? No Nobody knows a lot about human nature that my lad is inspector Brandon He's a specialist in poison cases. They say never forget surface wait a minute. Is anything wrong? What's he saying to Mary? Look at those shadows Mary's jumped up and back to wait He's pointing his finger at her now. She's backing out of the tent look major. He's following her. Can you hear what he's saying? Remember my dear Ashes Darling get hold of yourself Mary Darling you shouldn't get all upset over that fortune telling lingon What's wrong with you? What was he saying to? saying to me Nothing at all really Only the usual thing about a happy life and a little young man's been running serious, and why were you so frightened? I Wasn't frightened. Oh, no Mary. I'm sorry. I saw your shadow on the wall of that tent and I heard you shrieking. I Think I'll go in and get my fortune told and see what all this is about Why not? I Felt a drop of rain on my head. It's going to pour down in a second. Hadn't we better run for the house? You go on up to the house Mary. Oh Phil. I don't want to be by myself All right, then dear there's the major here given this gun will you? I'll be with you in a moment. I'm gonna see that faker Washington Ella I come in Thank you Sit down in the chair opposite to me first. Tell me the date of your birth Then look at the crystal on the table in front of you. That's a minute inspector Brandon Do you mind if we drop the mumbo jumbo? Well as matter of fact, I'd like to drop it. It's been rid of a strain talking like Hamlet's ghost Well, what's on your mind? Maybe it's only the heat or my own nerves, but What were you saying to miss Sherwood miss miss who the young lady was just in here my fiancee? What's wrong? How did you jump like that? Do you say fiancee? Of course why not? I look here, mr. Oh, my name is Lester Philip blessed and what did you say her name is? Mary Sherwood Here, what's all this mystery? Tell me mr. Lester She lived here in the village for very long now all in about six months and how long you've been engaged to her believe me I have a reason for asking that How long have you been engaged? Well, you're weak tomorrow, but weak tomorrow She by any chance invites you to dinner at her house tomorrow night dinner has she Yes, as a matter of fact she has but I don't see you know who this Mary Sherwood really is No Well, I'll tell you she's Inspector Brandon Never stand with your shadow against light. You're hit. Yes, I let me I'm afraid it's dreadful rightful to hold all I did was touch the trigger by accident. I Hope I haven't hit anything In the quiet village of Sutton later that same night after the unfortunate accident that couldn't be helped a Rather white-faced young man Philip Lester slips down the road Horses in front of the door to the Ian starts to enter and then changes his mind He looks over his shoulder and then walks around the building being very careful to stay within its shadow He slips in through the side door and makes sure that no one sees him He makes his way quietly up the stairs to a darkened passageway outside the bedrooms Glances at the number on the first door and then hurries down the hall Stops in front of room Yes Inspector Brandon I thought Yes Sitting up and taking nourishment. Thank you Excuse me in fact of what I heard you were still unconscious and not expected to live Yes, that was the report of ours dr. Stiles to give out but why I had my reasons mr. Lester As you can see fortunately, I was the recipient of only a flesh wound across the left shoulder it it bled a little but not much Inspector poor Mary's nearly frantic. She thinks she's killed you. Let me ring her up and stay away from my telephone why because Because I want to tell you a few things about miss Mary Sherwin The first place. She isn't a miss She's she's had three husbands already. What all of whom died of violent death by poisoning What are you trying to tell now just a moment before you lose your temper? Three husbands and one fiance whom she didn't bother to marry First the fiance they made mutual wills in each other's favor Exactly a week after the engagement following dinner at her house. This fellow was taken ill He died before morning into tannic convulsion Spectre that's ridiculous Mary. Why she's so young and it is young perhaps but I don't believe it. Don't take my word for it I've sent thousand lambda London for file. You can see photographs and fingerprints. I still don't believe it and tell me mr. Lester You're quite a wealthy man, aren't you? Yes, I'm fairly well off. Have you and this woman made a will in each other's favor Mary wouldn't need to do that. She's got plenty of money in a collection of jewels worth I don't know how much I quite agree, but you haven't answered my question Have you made a will in each other's favor? Yes, who's just one of that yours or hers? I don't remember we started talking and agreed it would be a sensible idea But it took you a little limit. Are you wondered why it was necessary? A minute ago you were talking about photographs and fingerprints well Who don't mean Mary's been on trial she has been on trial three times Yes three times and under three different names, but she was acquitted. Yes because she had a cast down There you see wait He was acquitted simply because the prosecution couldn't show how the poison was administered