 The signal oil program the whistler whistler is your signal for the signal oil program 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 Yes friends, it's time for the whistler rated by independent research the most popular West Coast program in radio history And remember let every traffic signal remind you with new signal gasoline You do go farther than ever look for the familiar big yellow and black circle sign That identifies those popular signal service stations in seven western states from Canada to Mexico And now the whistler strange story smart boy 15 minutes after Verna had called him on the phone Steve Carson was walking into the entrance of her apartment Inside he was raging at her outside. He looked cool as a piece of ice Ten years as a private detective given him that the nonchalance outside in spite of the burn up underneath Yes, Steve was a top-notch detective smart boy Smart enough to see when Verna came along five years ago that investigation fees were chicken feed What with Verna's beauty and his ability? There was real money on the other side of the line in blackmail It had turned out to be a great thing an unbeatable combination And as he left the automatic elevator at the end of the corridor and walked down to her apartment He thought what a shame it was that Verna could be so naive as to think she could change it with a simple phone call Oh, it's you Stevie. Hello darling come in. We've been expecting you I Could tell by your attitude on the telephone that you were unhappy dear You know Randy summers of course. Well, mr. Carson nice of you to drop in learn I want to talk to you alone sit down. Won't you Randy darling fix him a drink of course looks like he could use one You are irritated aren't you Stevie? I can always tell The corners of your mouth sort of twitch in your jaw muscles balls. Are you gonna get that guy out of here? No? I like having him around you think I'm gonna hold still for this. I think so well That's a bad guess if he stays I go are we going through all that again? I'm not playing second-horn, baby If you want a new stooge, that's your business if I want to quit that's mine. Oh darling You sound positively jealous. Oh, you couldn't have picked a better partner. He even looks like a heel I should have known better than to get mixed up in the rotten mess anyway, Stevie dear I'm surprised at you. You didn't think it was so rotten when you were getting your share of the profit I'm washed up. I'm a private eye and not an errand boy get that through your head Well, would you rather I put it down and writing in writing my dear fella Surely you should know by now never to put anything in writing that concerns Werner stay out of this summers Sit down Stevie. Oh, I'm afraid on this to Carson isn't going to be the least bit cooperative tonight. Is he darling? Here's your drink old man. I See here Carson. I can take just so much of you Look here this sort of thing isn't going to get you anywhere I told you once before how things stand Randy and I are running the show from now on and we'll let you know when we need you Is that clear? Yeah, it's all right if it works Randy and I are satisfied with it. Aren't we dear? Of course Some as old man did it ever occur to you that one of these days Werner would slip you the same fast shuffle She gave me I have a feeling she won't you see Stevie we trust each other Okay, Werner, this is your round meaning there might be others could be What about our dear friend Charles W. Ralston? Charles W. Ralston. Suppose I were to tell him about the letters. Why you wouldn't stoop to that Would you Stevie? What do you suppose Ralston would do if he found out he'd been paying for letters that were burned up three months ago. What? Is that true Werner? Well, what if it is? What happened? A little fire summers an accident at Werner's cabin She kept the letters there. Oh the Cabin a wasn't that the one he built for you as a Contribution to the cause yes, it was nice of him wasn't it Stevie? Oh, you'll love it Randy way off in the mountains overlooking Lake Tahoe Quiet and peaceful miles from anyone wonderful. It was lucky. We were there at the time so it wasn't a total loss You know Steve, I think I'll have to have that old-fashioned ceiling lamp removed. It's too dangerous The same thing could happen again and get back to the point Werner. What about the letters? Well, since you brought it up Stevie with some nasty little insinuation that you might possibly tell mr.. Ross What makes you think I won't well, let's see There's the McCrae case and that swindle on the foster woman Few other enterprises you wouldn't want the DA to know about oh a skeleton in the private investigators closet They could put you away for years and years Stevie and I know how you feel about short haircuts No, darling. I don't think you're going to tell mr.. Ross in anything You're going to go right on doing little favours for me without the usual percentage You'll do it just for shall we say old-time's sake in memory of Well, let's let it go at that in memory very touching darling. I had no idea. Mr. Carson was so sentimental, what do you say Steve? Okay, Werner really, it's the only sensible way to look at it Come on. Let's have a drink on it. Oh by all means and this time old man. Shall we try not to spill it? It's awfully good scotch Randy. Please. Oh Certainly Steve There are a few little things. I'd like to discuss with you Randy's flying down to Los Angeles tonight and when he gets back he'll join me at the cabin the cabin I'm going up alone tomorrow afternoon Why don't you come up for the weekend and we'll talk things over? I don't know Werner. I it'll do you a lot of good mountain air, you know well I Could let you know in the morning good. Well, I guess I'd better be sliding along Stevie. Yeah You do understand don't you about Randy and me? Everything's going to work out. All right. Hmm. Sure Werner sure With the prologue of smart boy The signal oil company brings you another strange story by the whistler Pardon me, mr. Miller. Isn't it time for tonight's big news? 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No wonder new signal premium motor oil outperforms all Uncompounded oil check and no wonder drivers who want their motors to run smoother last longer are switching fast Switching to the new signal motor oil the oil that keeps motors six times cleaner reduces cylinder wear one-third new signal premium motor oil and now Back to the whistler You're a smart boy Smart enough to know there's only one way to handle Vernon now Five prosperous years as her partner in the rather hazardous enterprise of blackmail have given you a healthy respect for her intelligence And you're too smart to force the showdown yet The corners of your mouth are twitching again as you think about her It's too bad in a way that she thought she could force you to stooge for Randy Summers the new boy She was a nice kid That's funny isn't it Steve you're thinking about her in the past tense already only ten minutes after you left her at the apartment Your mouth is still twitching as you stop in front of another apartment and walk up to a door with a brass plate on it and the name of Charles W. Ralston. I don't think you know me mr. Ralston. I'm afraid I don't Steve Carson private investigator I came to see you about a a miss Verna Sheldon. I'm sorry. I don't I have a proposition mr. Ralston Very well, you know all about the letters, of course Mr. Ralston, you're a pretty influential businessman in the city and also a man shall we say Not without enemies a man in my position is bound to have a few exactly Now let's suppose Michelle Den's letters would have fallen to the hands of the wrong people. She's assured me they won't Oh, you don't know her Suppose you were to sell those letters to a group of individuals for some much greater than you could afford to pay She wouldn't oh, but she would and is I've been able to find out that much in a little more Shall I go on of course? She's going up to her cabin tomorrow over the weekend Someone will contact her there to make the transaction. You'll have to work fast if you want the letters What's your proposition? I think I can break up that little meeting before it ever takes place You can get the letters for me. Yes, how much my fees run a little high for this sort of thing Carson $25,000 I can't possibly get it. You don't think it's worth it considering your position I couldn't Carson twenty five thousand well think it over and do make up your mind soon Ralston, I'll call you some time tomorrow morning. Oh, by the way, do you still own that cabin? I sold it I uh, I thought it was a gift. It's on the records as a sale to miss Sheldon Okay, I guess I'll run along in just a moment You're quite certain she's planning to sell those letters quite certain How do I know this isn't another one of her tricks and how do I know you're not in league with her? That's just a chance. You'll have to take mr. Austin. Mmm. Good night The next move is the big one isn't it Steve? There's the matter of the defective kerosene lamp in Verna's cabinet Lake Tahoe the same lamp that exploded once before and caused the fire that burned mr. Ralston's letters A thing like that is liable to happen again. Isn't it Steve? Particularly since you arrive at the cabin five hours later equipped with five gallons of high-test gasoline and Proceed to change the possibility into a certain day it takes you a half hour to set it up in a way you can't possibly miss and When you're through you carefully raise the huge lamp again on its creaking chains lock the cabin door and leave You can see verna now arriving at the cabin pulling the lamp down as the flick of a match an explosion And a fire to remove any trace of your visit By 8 o'clock you're back in town to call on verna as you promised to regret that you can't accompany her and To make sure her visit is coming off on schedule It isn't smart boy. Oh, hara right. I don't get it. You will Come in. I'm standing by Lieutenant just left on an errand. Yeah, what errand? You come on. Oh, hara. What's the pitch? What are the police doing here? I was just gonna ask you what you're doing here. Yeah, suppose you tell me first, huh? I was calling on verna Any particular reason business? I see She's over there if you want to wear Under the blanket What are you talking about slight case of homicide steve a blood instrument to coin a phrase Surprise Steve Yeah, I I wouldn't wait a minute. You know, you don't think I know when she were in business together, huh? What kind of business? Investigations and she had something you wanted pretty bad and she wouldn't give that's right, isn't it? Suppose I don't answer that one Okay We'll have plenty of time to go into that later. Tell the lieutenant. He can reach me at my office. Oh Boy, so so yeah Okay, just one thing Steve I'd stick around pretty close if I were you because Well, I've got a hunch the da had like a little chat When you get the time That stopped you cold didn't it Steve alibi alibi alibi Flashing on and off in your brain like a neon sign Everything you figured out and planned for set up just like a spring trap and everything gone Verna's dead. You're the number one suspect And you were driving on a lonely mountain road and an errand you can't explain at the moment. She was killed That'll sound great in court won't it but there's one thing you're sure of Ralston killed her. There's no question about it the talk last night the deadline you tossed up to him Yes, it was Ralston. All right It takes you five minutes to get to a phone booth in a corner drugstore Steve Carson calling. I'd like to speak to mr. Ralston, please He hasn't come down yet this morning. I've got to talk to him. This is important But sir, I listen whoever you are you run up to Ralston and tell them Steve Carson's on the phone He'll talk very well. Mr. Carson now. Oh, here's mr. Ralston now good Come on come on Ralston. What's holding you and all caution listen Ralston? I've got to see you right away something wrong. You know what I'm talking about. Just stay put. I'm on the way over I'm expected at the office in 20 minutes. I'm you're gonna stay right where you are You want me to talk to you or would you rather I did my talking to the police? I'll be here mr. Carson If I sit down Ralston go ahead and sit over here No, you're better close the door first. Oh, you're man. Shermer horns got big ears. Oh, yes. Yes Now mr. Carson, I guess you know why I'm here, or are you gonna give me that? I don't know what you're talking about routine. Well really mr. Carson. I'll get right to the point I'm here for two reasons. The first is that I'm sure you knocked off Verna Sheldon as if I'd been there watching it Oh Don't look so surprised Ralston. I had nothing to do with it. Don't give me that I didn't get any farther into the joint than the entrance hall and I could see it been gone over with a fine tooth comb Maybe someone looking for those letters, huh? Someone who figured tomorrow night might be too late. Why are you so interested? I've been put in a rather awkward position Ralston. You Have the letters one thing at a time My good friend Sergeant O'Hara seems to think I killed her Unfortunately, it looks like my only defense is to prove you did it. That is unless unless what? Unless I come through with an alibi I know you killed her Alston and I've been in the business long enough to know that all I've got to do To hang you was to flash those letters in the DA's office. You you have them. I know where to get them I've got to have them Carson. I'll do anything now now. You're talking First there are a few things I'd like to know did anyone see you at Verna's apartment last night I didn't go to her apartment last night Okay, I'm gonna dig up those letters so long Ralston Wait a minute. Okay I Did it I killed her I had to I would have been ruined better Now you wouldn't have just hopped a cab and gone over there to knock her off Ralston You've got a better head than that. You must have been somewhere else at the time, huh? No one saw me first. I went down to the yacht harbor. I have a boat there what time 10 15 Okay, 45 minutes to go. No one saw me at first But a short time after I went aboard the boat the night watchman came by and called out to me from the dock He'd seen the light on the boat. What time 10 30 he talked to you Yes So as far as he was concerned you were on the boat between 10 15 and when he didn't see me again until I'd come back The second time after after you knocked off Werner. What time 11 30 Perfect, I couldn't have done much better myself I was lucky. I spoke to the watchman at 11 30 when I was leaving for the night anyone else around Yes, yes, there were several men a few yards ahead of me I think they came from the club and the watchman will recall there were others when you spoke to him I suppose so it was rather dark, but I think he must have noticed all that's good enough for me Now listen Ralston no one has any idea you were connected with Werner except me I think they'll take you with your word probably won't even consider you a suspect What are you getting at? You're my alibi Ralston. I was with you on the boat all the time remember well I you weren't holding out on me. I know it's not that that alibi is worth a lot of money to me Ralston I might even be willing to forget about the 25,000 The watchman didn't see you go on the boat alone He didn't see you leave when you went to Werner's apartment and no one saw you come back And when you finally checked with them just before going home, there were others around That makes an alibi for both of us what about the letters forget it Where are they you won't find them Ralston you almost tore the joint to pieces and you couldn't find them I could have told you they weren't there you're going to go on bleeding me aren't you just the way she did Still don't trust me do you listen Carson Bring the letters here, and I'll Give you the cash tonight now now. Let's wait until the investigation's over, huh? It's safer that way for Stevie Well, Steve It's like sitting in on a poker game, isn't it? You're leaning back now Watching each of them play their high cards knowing all the time you have the topper up your sleeve Randy Summers the new boy is on his way back from Los Angeles And you know that 30 seconds after he finishes his story of what happened between you and Werner and the evening of the murder The DA will be on the phone asking for the answers There's nothing to do now, but wait Thursday Friday and then Saturday morning you open the door of your office. Hello smart boy I've been waiting for you What's on your mind Ohara? Just like to have a little talk with you. That's all About the Sheldon vame. What else? You were good friends, weren't you sure? I mean Particularly good friends. So what? So I understand things suddenly went sour. Ah a little pigeon flew in from LA and slipped you that huh? You're denying threatening her because she shook you for this summer's guy. We had a slight disagreement That's all you had three babes with her The first was a week ago at her apartment The second was the next day in a downtown bar and don't say you didn't because summer says so and so does the bartender The third one was on the night. She was killed just after she called you on the phone and told you it was all off Now What was the beef I? Disliked the hat. She was worried sure so much. You're told you were gonna ring her neck Did I say that never mind the storm? I haven't even started yet. Chum That dame had something on you didn't she did she? Why didn't you tell me you offered her apartment of the night of the murder? You didn't ask me O'Hara Summers was there too incidentally. He was still there when I left. He caught the 945 plane at the airport. We checked it Now you were there at 730, right the first time What do you mean the first time you didn't go back around 1030? What are you talking about O'Hara? It seemed the Sheldon dame got a phone call at 915 just before summer's left and It was from you wait a minute. You're all wrong. I didn't make you made an appointment to see her at 1030 That's a lie. Did you keep it Carson? Someone's been giving you a line Summers was there when the call came in. She told me it was you said you were coming back He wanted to stick around in case you got rough, but she told him she could handle it So he took his plane the guys lie on O'Hara wait a minute You don't work out an answer on the way down to the Hall of Justice The moment you're under arrest Suspicion of murder The whistler will return in just a moment with the strange ending of tonight's story Meantime I wish we had television so you could see the photographs I have here of two pistons taken from two identical motors The only difference was that one motor used new signal premium motor oil While the other used uncompounded oil What a difference in those pistons After 79,000 miles of driving the one using new signal premium is relatively clean unworn While the other piston using uncompounded motor oil shows six times as much carbon deposit 50% more cylinder wear Yes, those five compounds in new signal premium oil really make a difference Ask your signal dealer to show you his unretouched photos proving how signal premium oil keeps motors six times cleaner reduces cylinder wear one third My bet is when you see these photos you'll want to make your next oil change a change for the better a Change to the new signal oil with five compounds added Five compounds that make it outperform all uncompounded oils barring none New signal premium motor oil Now back to the whistler Eve it's quite a poker hand, isn't it? Oh, Harron summers have played their cards, but you still have the topper up your sleeve That phone call was a shock Summers is too stupid to have dreamed that one up all by himself You try and figure it out as you sit in the anti-room waiting to see district attorney Skelly He must have been telling the truth for some reason or other Verna didn't want him to know who called and told him it was you Was Ralston, of course pleading for his letters again and when she turned him down. He decided to kill her Good ol' Ralston You knew you'd need that top car didn't you Steve, but you had no idea you'd need it this badly Hello Carson. Hello DA doesn't look so good. Does it I hate to see you guys make monkeys out of yourself Skelly But if you just a minute Steve I Have a few questions to ask you Although I don't think it'll make much difference got it all figured out huh just about good Now if you'll stop figuring long enough to ask me where I was at the time of the murder Maybe we'll all have a great big laugh Okay, the floor is yours. I was on a boat at the Yacht Harbor talking over some Confidential business with the client of mine. Yeah, who he's a pretty important guy Skelly I suppose his name is confidential to no not at all Charles W. Ralston vice president of state savings and loan Is that good enough Ralston if you don't believe me get on the phone and call them you're serious about this sure go ahead call him up You better brace yourself Carson Ralston was burned to death in a cabinet Lake Tahoe early this morning Seems a coal oil lamp exploded or something a couple of ranges saw the flames and Something wrong Carson they at nine o'clock the whistler will bring you another strange tale The whistler is broadcast for your entertainment by the marketers of signal gasoline and motor oil And fine quality automotive accessories and by your neighborhood signal dealer This program produced by George W. Allen with tonight's story by Adrian Jean dough Music by Wilbur hatch is transmitted to our troops overseas by the armed forces radio service That whistle is your signal for the signal oil program The whistler This is Marvin Miller speaking reminding you to look for those familiar yellow and black circle signs That identify those popular signal oil stations in seven western states from Canada to Mexico This is CBS the Columbia broadcasting system