 And now stay tuned for the mystery program that is unique among all mystery programs. Because even when you know who is guilty, you always receive a startling surprise at the final curtain. In the signal oil program, the Whistler, transcribed by the signal oil company to enable the entire production staff of the Whistler to enjoy a summer vacation. Signal the famous Go Father gasoline, invite 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. Man in the way. It was night, but even with the protection of darkness, Max Tyler crouched low on the apartment house fire escape. He was tense, alert, ready to run, and suddenly it happened. A window thrown up, an angry shout. Hey, what are you doing? Leaving. Come back here. Tell them. Tell them. There was someone out there. Watch it. Mrs. Wilson. Yes, who is this? It's Max Tyler, Mrs. Wilson. I'm afraid I don't have anything definite for you yet. I ran into a snag on the case. But don't you worry. I'll have something for you soon. Oh, well. But wait a minute, Mrs. Wilson. What about my fee? A phone click in Max Tyler, private detective isn't talking to anybody anymore. You can guess what's happened to, can't you, Max? Yes. The suspicious wife in the case has done a better job of detecting than you have. And you're through. Another phone number that you can forget. There's only one phone number that you can count on anymore, isn't there, Max? You find yourself writing that special number on your desk pad, thinking that it deserves to be framed. The magic combination of numbers that means your girl. You reach to dial her number and stop as the door to your office opens. Well, hello. Hello. Mr. Max Tyler. Yes, that's right. Can I do something for you? I hope so. I can pay you quite well. For doing what? A simple job. For you. One that I'm sure you're most familiar with. I think I get the picture. Do you know who she is? No. I'm not even sure there is a she. There's always a she. I mean when things get this far. What do you mean this far? Far enough for you to search out a private detective, tell your husband. That's it, isn't it? You'll do it. It's not the kind of work I like to take. I'm able to afford the kind of fee I'm sure you'd like to take. That can make a difference. $100 a day. That's double what I understand as the customary reimbursement for a service of this sort. Plus expenses, and they sometimes run high. Plus expenses. $100 in advance. Where do you live? What's your husband's name and where does he work? The name is Townsend, Bradley Townsend. Our address is 12 Wicton Drive. My husband doesn't exactly work anyplace. I mean he has some interest, some investments and so forth. Looks to me like he does pretty well. You have a friend who raises mink and money trees. I have my own money. My income is larger than my husband's. Considerably larger. I get it. What you mean is your husband's investing is done with your dough. That isn't important. It is if you buy and mink to look good on somebody else. My husband doesn't have access to that kind of money without my knowledge. I see. You kept a tight grip on the first strings. Only now he's double-crossed you by letting go of the apron strings. You always know where your money goes, but you don't always know where your husband goes. And that's where I come in. Well, you put it rather crudely, but I can see you comprehend the situation. Yeah, sure. I get the picture. What more do you need to know? A few minor details like what does he look like, what kind of car does he drive, the license number, when does he come home, and when doesn't he come home? Well, he usually drives our town cards, a Cadillac, black, license number H2N843. He's quite handsome, very. His face is youthful. Ten. Brown eyes, black hair. He's old enough to have gray hair. He dresses very well in good taste. Tweeds and Oxford grays. And up to now, he could do no wrong. You're just plain crazy about this guy you bought, aren't you, baby? You get the picture. Just plain crazy. And just plain scared. You can't keep him. Just plain scared. I've already lost him. You asked one other thing. When does he come home? Well, the answer is that lately he doesn't. I mean, not really. When he comes, he never stays. He only comes home to change from the Tweeds to the Oxford gray. After I find out who she is, then what? Then you get paid. Well, that's okay with me, Mrs. Townsend. You buy the ticket and I take $100 a day to her into your husband's private life. Oh, and don't try to reach me at any time. I'll contact you. Anything you say? Find out who she is and where she is. Good night. Just a minute. Yes? Your handbag. I had it. That's just what I mean. I think it could be in safer hands. When it comes to money, Mrs. Townsend, I'm sure you know exactly what you're doing. But when you start carrying something else around in your purse, you're liable to get into trouble that money can't get you out of. You better let me have that gun. That's better. Mrs. Townsend meant business, didn't she, Max? But you want to keep your client out of trouble. And so now the gun she carried is in your pocket, out of harm's way. Are you ready to start a day's work or rather a night's? You go to Townsend's residence at the address Mrs. Townsend gave you, wait quietly outside, and soon the man who has nothing but a description in your notebook appears. You follow as he drives away in the big black Cadillac with a license number you jot it down. The trail leads to a nightclub downtown. Park, and then wait. Then follow Mr. Bradley Townsend inside and casually approach the Mater D. Good evening, sir. Your pleasure. Could I have that table right over there? The one just across from the gentleman being seated? Certainly, sir. One moment. Grace. Table five for this gentleman. Thank you. You sit quietly studying your prey. He fits his wife's description, doesn't he, Max? Youthful, somehow, tanned and handsome. Tonight, his tweeds have been exchanged for an expensively tailored dinner jacket. You can understand why Mrs. Townsend would worry whenever he was out of her sight. You wish to order now, sir? Just another drink waiter. The same. Right away, sir. You look around and notice that more than one woman in the room has her eyes fastened on Bradley Townsend. And then you notice his expression. Realize that the woman he is waiting for has entered the room. You turn slowly, following the line of Townsend's gaze. Then feel your fist clenching tight. And your other hand brings your drink down sharply on the tabletop. What is it, sir? Of all the women in the world, he has to choose mine. Mine! Mine! Something wrong, sir? What? I said, is there something wrong, sir? Is there anything I can do? No. Not you or anybody. It's just something for me to do. You know, friends, in addition to being summer, this is also the time of year when more and more drivers switch to signal, the famous Go Father gasoline. Vacation-minded folks just naturally go for signal's good mileage. But mileage, mind you, is only half of signal's story. Just you talk with a few signal customers, and you'll find they're equally enthusiastic about signal's performance. After all, in order to give you such good mileage, today's signal gasoline has to help your motor run more efficiently. And when your motor runs more efficiently, naturally you also enjoy quick starting, proud pickup, and smooth purring power, the things that make driving a real pleasure. So to get the most out of your vacation travel dollars, make the friendly signal stations you'll find throughout the seven western states, your headquarters for happy mileage. And even if you're not planning a vacation trip, well, any time is a good time to power your car with signal, the famous Go Father gasoline. Signal, signal, signal gasoline. Your car will go far, will go far the gasoline. It's a terrible shock, isn't it, Max? Seeing the man you were hired to follow in the company of the girl you love. You've never liked surprises, and this one is almost too much to bear, isn't it? You leave the nightclub, wait outside, your mind spinning with hate and confusion. Then you leave and drive to the apartment building where Barbara lives and goes straight to her apartment on the second floor. You take your key ring from your pocket and select one of the most important tools of your trade, a master key, and quietly open a door. Then close it carefully after you enter. You walk across the living room to the leather Davenport near the window. Finally, after what seems like hours, you hear a key in the door. Had a wonderful time, Brad. Glad you did. Barbara? Yes? You're a very beautiful woman, do you know that? Do I? Come here. Early yet, Brad? Is the stairwell out? Wait, I'll turn on the light. Thanks, baby, for turning on the light. I can take a better aim. Thanks. Hello, Mr. Bradley Townsend. Thanks. Hello, and goodbye. What do you think? Only about you, Barbara. What are you going to do now? That depends on you. Suppose you tell me. What are you going to do now? You know how it is with us, the same. It'll always be the same. And him? Where did he fit into the picture? The only place you don't. He took me to nice places, bought me nice presents. He sounds real nice. I guess maybe he was. I really didn't notice. You're not a nice guy, Max, but you're for me. What are you trying to say? I'm saying it. I'll go all the way with you, Max, even if it's a murder. There isn't any if, baby. This is murder. Tell me what you want me to do. I've got to play it dumb. That means you've got to play it smart, and I've got to trust you. Up to a point, at least. Like, say, the point of a gun. I mean what I said, Max. Every word of it. A girl always means what she says. When she says it. I'm not just a girl, Max. I'm your girl. Remember. There's never been anything wrong with my memory. From now on, just make sure that yours stays in working order. What are you doing? Checking Mr. Bradley Townsend's identification. What did you find? Real money. Quite a wad. Considering the story I got from the little woman. You've met his wife? She's my client. She hired me to find out about you. I'm sorry, Max. That was rough. Too late for tears, baby. Things could get rougher now, but not if you stick by me and not if we play it smart. Listen, baby, I'm keeping this money. I'm not used to him now, and she's got plenty more where this came from, so I'm playing finder's keepers. When all this is over, I'll supply those nice things you seem to want so badly. You're going to make this look like robbery? It's going to look exactly like what it could have been. Murder. Motive jealousy. I'll leave enough dough on him to make it look good. And I'll also leave this. The biggest, fattest clue a cop could ask for. Your gun? It's Mrs. Townsend's gun. Oh. And that's how it's going to be. That's how it was, baby, and don't forget it. I'm sorry this happened to him, but if anything ever happened to you, Max, I don't think I could stand it. And if it's up to me, nothing's going to happen to you. Then that's the way I leave it, baby. Up to you. It's a bad situation, isn't it, Max? Having to depend on a girl who has already double-crossed you. But there is something on your side. Barbara knows you mean business. She can't help but know that after having seen you kill. Quickly, you rehearse her in the parts of the story that she can tell. A story you're certain will hold up if Barbara maintains it. You make her repeat it over and over and over again. Then, as she calls the police in response to your instructions, you hurry downstairs, slip out a back door of the apartment. The following day, find you in the office of Lieutenant Carter of Homicide. Your visit is voluntary, so is the information you provide. Well, that's the way I figured it, Lieutenant, but maybe I could be of some help to you on this case. Maybe you can. Only aren't you playing this a little out of character, Tyler? The way I remember it, you've got no use for police routine. How come this time you're asking for it? I'm not asking for anything, Lieutenant. This time I've got something to give. You can take it or leave it. It doesn't make any difference to me. Oh, we'll take it, Max. For whatever it's worth. I've only got facts to offer. Number one, that Mrs. Bradley Townsend was a client of mine. Number two, that she was jealous of her husband. And number three, that when she came to my office, she had a gun in her possession. Those are the facts. You can add them up for yourself. Oh, not yet. Not until I have them all. Uh, bring Mrs. Townsend in, please. Yeah, perhaps your client can supply some of those missing facts. You think so, Tyler? Perhaps. If you know a fact when you see one, isn't it sometimes hard to tell when you start asking somebody who might be the murderer? It's police routine to sort out the facts after we get them. And as for who we get them from, why anybody might be the murderer, Max. In a homicide case, everybody is suspect. That's routine two. Uh, hello, Mrs. Townsend. Won't you sit down? Thank you, Lieutenant. You know Mr. Tyler here. Yes, I know him. Now, Mrs. Townsend, what I would like you to do is to start at the beginning again and tell me your whole story. Oh, but I already have. I've told you all that I can. You insist you did not kill your husband. I could not kill my husband. I didn't even know where this Barbara Allen lives. Now, Barbara Allen claims you were hiding in her apartment when she and your husband returned from a nightclub. That you shot him deliberately as soon as she turned on the light. How could I have gotten into her apartment without a key? Oh, I don't know. But there are many ways. Maybe Miss Allen left the door open when she went out. Maybe you happen to have a key that fit as lots of ways. Why would Miss Allen say you did it if you didn't? I don't know. Now, that's the statement of an eyewitness, Mrs. Townsend. You admit you were jealous of your husband. You admit he was killed with your gun. I admit, as you put it, to everything that is the truth. I told you about the gun. It's mine. But it was taken away from me. By Mr. Tyler. Thank you, Mrs. Townsend. That'll be all for now. Sergeant, you show Mrs. Townsend out. I'm certainly sorry there's happened, Lieutenant. Maybe if I'd been called in on the case earlier, I mean, if Mrs. Townsend had come to me sooner, maybe I could have stopped her. Stop her from what? Why, from killing her husband. That's what you're saying she did, isn't it? Oh, maybe that's what I'm saying, but what she's saying is she didn't. So that makes us only even. Well, then you've got no real proof against it. Maybe, maybe not. I've got this gun. She says it's hers. Ballistic says it killed her husband. And? Well, you heard her. She says something else. She says you took the gun away from her. Before it killed her husband. I should have. But when she came to my office to hire me to tailor her husband, I saw she had a gun in her handbag. I told her guns had a way of getting people into trouble they couldn't get out of. I said she'd better give me the gun, but she didn't. She gave me a promise instead. What was the promise? She promised to leave her husband up to me. So you let her keep the gun? It looks like that was my mistake. Oh, looks like it was hers. Maybe. Maybe? Well, she says you took her gun. You say you didn't. We're still only even. I see. I'm glad you do. After I talk with our eyewitness Barbara Allen again, maybe I'll see too. Okay, Lieutenant. When you do come up with all the answers, let me know, will you? Now that I find out I'm considered a suspect in the case, I'm more interested in it than ever. Well, don't you worry, Tyler. You'll hear from me. The Lieutenant's not satisfied to have an open and shut case, is he, Max? You're sure he's out to polish his badge with a little personal glory? He probably figures if he doesn't do everything the hard way, he'll be labeled a dumb cop. And to you, that's just what he is, isn't he, Max? He represents the very thing that kept you from becoming a regular cop on the force. Police routine. A monotonous study, the ceaseless probing, a repetitious, unrewarding duty of police routine. You only hope that your sweetheart, Barbara Allen, will understand this attacking mechanism of police routine and be equipped to withstand its many mass maneuvers. Hello? That's right, Lieutenant. Found any new answers to the thousand case? Looks like the case is closed, so far as I'm concerned. Well, what do you mean? I mean, it's going to be up to a judge and jury from here on in. And it doesn't look too good for Mrs. Townsend. If there's an eyewitness who'll swear to the crime, it sort of puts a suspect's back against the wall. The eyewitness's story is sealed up the case for you? Yeah, it looks that way. Townsend's girlfriend is in the clear, and so incidentally are you. Well, thanks. That's nice to know. I'll be seeing you, Lieutenant. This summer, when you start off on your vacation trip, it'll be mighty handy to have a good map in your car. And there's no map handier than the free one you'll find at Signal Service Station. No need to squint to find where you're going on a signal map. They're jumbo size for quick, easy reading. And no need to wrestle with them, getting them open or folded again. Signal maps have the latest accordion fold for more convenient handling. But that's only the beginning. In addition, signal maps contain a guide to interesting places to visit, plus a traveler's radio guide, so you can follow your favorite programs as you travel, plus enlarged sections of metropolitan areas. And if you happen to need a street map to guide you in the larger cities of the Pacific Coast states, signal stations have them free too. In fact, whether you need a free map, some helpful advice, or a tank full of the famous Go Farther gasoline, you'll find that friendly, independently operated signal stations have just about everything it takes to make your vacation driving or your everyday driving more pleasant. Signal, signal, signal gasoline. Your car will go far with Go Farther gasoline. Yes, Max, things look good, don't they? The way you have it figured, you've a full house. You have your girl, your freedom, and a well-fed wallet thanks to the late Mr. Bradley Townsend. So here in the safety and seclusion of your office, you take out the crisp new bills to feast your eyes on them. And in your preoccupation, you fail to hear your office door open. King was in his counting house counting on his money. Hello, Tyler. What's the matter, Lieutenant? You got such tender knuckles you can't knock on a door? Yeah, wait a minute, Max, leave the money on the desk. Nothing's gonna happen to it with a cop in the room. I figure the cop's not gonna stay long. Look here, Lieutenant, you've got no right to come busting into a private office and keep your hands off my door. Now, what's worrying you? Don't private gum shoes come with their money, honestly? Of course, I had no idea business was so good in your line. What's that crack for? No crack, Max. Hey, how about fixing us both a drink? It looks like you've got some good stuff there. Help yourself. Oh, thank you. We'll toast the wind up of the Townsend case. That's okay with me. I'm tired of it. Of course, in the Townsend case, you didn't exactly earn your dough, did you? What I mean is you said you never did get on Townsend's trail before he met his untimely end. I'd just been called in on the case. I hadn't had a chance to even get a line on the guy yet. Well, like I said, you didn't exactly earn your dough this time. Just what are you getting at, Lieutenant? Cherché la femme, Max. And that means you never did find the woman, either. The doll that Bradley Townsend was double-crossing his wife for, didn't I? That's right. I didn't even have the chance to get a line on Townsend, so how could I find the girl? Why don't you just get to the point, Lieutenant, what's up? All right, Tyler, I'll explain it to you. I think you already know that when a dumb cop goes on a case, it's routine to check every angle. Even when a big clue stares him right in the face, like Mrs. Townsend's gun, or even when he's got a convenient eye witness, like Miss Barbara Allen. So? Well, this case was no different. I follow routine. I check every angle, including every line I can get on you. You won't find anything on me. I already found it. What do you mean? I tell you, my slate's clean. Now, Max, if you never knew Bradley Townsend's girlfriend, how come you knew her telephone number? I didn't. I think you did. You wrote it down? Wrote it? Look, Lieutenant, you can't pin anything on me. You can't prove I knew that number. Oh, yes, I can. I admitted my feet off, Max, almost like magic, but I can do it, even if I have to do it with mirrors. What are you talking about? On your desk here, you wrote down the number. You're guessing, Lieutenant, I write down lots of numbers, but I always throw them away. Ah, yes, but this time you made a mistake, Max. Before you threw this one away, you blotted that number on your desk blotter. You see? My blot? Barbara's phone number. Yeah, Barbara's phone number a dozen times. Sort of says your own number is up. Right, Max? Let that whistle be your signal for the signal oil program, the Whistler, each Sunday night at the 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 where Bill Foreman is the Whistler, Alice Reinhardt, Joe Gilbert, Larry Dobkin, and Herbert Lytton. The Whistler was produced and directed by George W. Allen, with story by Shirley Gordon, music by Wilbur Hatch, and was transcribed and transmitted overseas by the Armed Forces Radio Service. The Whistler was entirely fictional, and all characters portrayed on the Whistler are also fictional. Any similarity of names or resemblance two persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Remember to tune in at the same time next Sunday, because the Signal Oil Company will bring you another strange story by the Whistler. 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 the CBS Radio Network.