 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. Miss Geraldine Fitzgerald and Cedric Hardwick Miss 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 and 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 Cedric Hardwick We again hope to keep you in Suspended 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 gaudy 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 bazaar is the bandstand where the village musicians play lustily to keep the patronizers from leaving 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 coat 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 tent She has her hand on his arm for protection against what you have nothing just For protection I want to get my fortune told before we leave Mary the wind I'm sure is going to pour in a 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 Mary? No, I don't suppose I do. I never can resist getting my fortune told Well, 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? Oh, Phil darling? Please don't be so unimaginative. All right Mary. I'll be good Who is the fortune teller by the way? There's his sign on the 10th the great Omar Parmas than crystal-gazer 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 Phil 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 woman 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? Are 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 snarie a fellow American when he's helpless and away from home And do I love being snares? Yes, old girl. It looks as though you had your man where you wanted him Now tell me your secret. Are you a demon in disguise? Please major Grant. It's an awfully good design She is please major, please Phil 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 nearly 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 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 truck you are. No, please now now here's a neat little model winchester 61 22 caliber. Yeah, try it. I know it's stupid and silly of me and it's it's not the rifle really It's anything to do with death That 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 scares me Mary a dead book Nobody's going to get killed darling. You just fire away and see if you can hit the target. Yeah All right, if you insist I don't watch out Bullseye you fit the electric light in the roof You're not supposed to aim at that Speaking of dying if that's her style of target shooting down if I'm not gonna crawl out from under this counter and stand behind her It isn't funny Phil. I'm sorry, but I can't go on with this. Here's the rifle. All right here. I Sorry, Mary, but no, it 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. Yeah Why the sky it's 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, well 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 how she's sitting down across the table from I say you know You happen to know who the fortune teller really is no as a matter of fact. I was going to ask you No, I'll tell you a little secret. He's a detective inspector from Scotland Yard of What a detective inspector from Scotland Yard came down here on business for just half rounds or something So the chief constable and I asked him to do a be our fortune teller He's one of these glittering eye bluffs and an a turban with brown paint on his face Does he know anything about palmistry? No, he knows a lot about human nature that my lad is inspector Brandon He's a specialist in poison cases. They say never forgets a face 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 to ashes and dust to dust Ashes to ashes and dust Mary darling get hold of yourself Mary Darling you shouldn't get all upset over that fortune-telling lingua What's wrong with you? What was he saying to me? saying to me Nothing at all really Only the usual thing about a happy life and a little illness, but nothing 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 fortune teller I come in Thank you Sit down in the chair opposite to the first time in the date of your birth Then look at the crystal on the table in front of you just a minute inspector Brandon Do you mind if we drop the mumbo jumbo? Well, as a matter of fact, I'd like to drop it. It's been a bit 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? Why did you jump like that? Do you say fiancee? Of course, why not? I look here, mister. Oh, my name is Lester Philip Lester. 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 No, only 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 Inspector Brandon ah Never stand with your shadow against light. You're hit. Yes, I'm terrible sorry But Phil shouldn't have given me this dreadful rifle to hold all I did was touch the trigger by accident I 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 Pauses in front of the door to the in 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 Come in specter brandon I thought Yes You're sitting up and taking knowledge and thank you Scooting inspector what I heard you were still unconscious and not expected to live Yes, that was the report that I was stuck to styles 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 he bled a little but not much Uninspective poor Mary's nearly frantic. She thinks she's killed you. Let me ring her up and stay away from that 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 uh, 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 fiancee whom she didn't bother to marry First the fiancee 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 Specter that's ridiculous Mary well, 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 Sergeant Lambert to London for foul You can see photographs and fingerprints. I still don't believe then 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 and a collection of jewels worth I don't know how my 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 shocked you a little, didn't it? Are you wondered why it was necessary? Specter 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 on alibi There you see wait She was acquitted simply because the prosecution couldn't show how the poison was administered