 And now, another tale well calculated to keep you in. The Daisy Chain, written for suspense by John R. Forrest. Is it going to stop raining? That's what I ask myself. Is that a knock or is it the stove? It's hard to tell. It's cold too. I put a shilling in the geese over an hour ago and the water's cold already. There's scientists who say the climate's changing a dead right. It's a knock, I think. Now, who'd be out tonight? Only that Daisy Chain murderer who escaped from jail would be out tonight. Now I see in the paper they're trying to locate his mother. Chances are they'll find him both drowned in the London Rhine. What I'm trying to say, only evil men. Father, stop your silly nonsense. No one with any sense in this knocker would be out. Go to the door, Sharon, please. Yes, Father. Take off your coat. I'll put your umbrella over here. I don't want to be a bother to anybody, but I'm alone now. Very much alone. Do you have a room to let? I pitchfield here. This is my daughter, Sharon. I'm the proprietor of the premises. We do have one room to let. What's your name? I'm Mrs. Grimes. Mrs. Heady Grimes, that is. My husband was the late George Grimes of, um, Manchester. You're from Manchester, Mrs. Grimes? Yes, indeed. The rain and then scuttled about in this rain. I was so grateful to see your sign. Oh, well, you like the room. It has a great and cosy conservatory. I'm... I'm sorry about your husband, Mrs. Grimes. Was it recent? Oh, mercy knows to happen 35 years ago, but I'm ever remarried. Well, largely because of my health. My back has given out several times. Just lately, too. How much rent do you charge for the room? Well, I'm sure we can talk business in the morning, can't we, Father? Oh, Father, would you carry Mrs. Grimes' case into her room? Oh, what a ride. All the way. I'll leave her sent, uh, Manchester, Mrs. Grimes. This way, please. I've been reading about the days it shined murder, Mrs. Grimes. Oh, Father, stop playing detective. I'll get Mrs. Grimes' fire going. Never eat papers any more less than a third program, because it puts me to sleep. Very little jittery. Right on top of the fog and rain, this daisy-chined murder escaped from jail, right from the Angmans. No, she did. You never heard about him in Manchester. Oh, dear, see, everybody in England's heard about him now. Has to be hanged in 30 days. Oh, those poor girls. One in the sand at Bognow Regis, the other one there. Where was it, Sharon? Riddenspark? Father, will you change the subject? The last one at Amsterdam's to the east. He wasn't any Jack the Ripper. No, not this fine buck, who I'm talking about the killer I am. This one was artistic and sentimental. Left a daisy-chain around the necks of his poor victim. Please excuse, Father, Mrs. Grimes. He's an amateur Sherlock Holmes. I don't want a trespass on your good nature, but would you happen to have a glass of stout? My back is going out again, and I can tell her. I get such a clutch, right in the small... Part of Manchester, Mrs. Grimes. Oh, what an ugly old city it is. All the mills and coal. I'm so fortunate to find you good people with a room to let. After my bitter journey and... Get us some nicer spots in Manchester. Oh, yes, I lived in one of the better places. A lovely part of town for those in modest circumstances. I'm sure you did, and this place was... Oh, dear, oh. Thank you for the stout, young lady. There you are. Oh, yes, it was a beauty spot. I must remember the number. Well, no matter. Oh, uh, 23-something. Daisy Bank Road. Come to Morimer and we'll tell her to go. She gets a free night's lodging just because we can't... Oh, Father, you're an old fussy... Well, better be safe than sorry. But if you're so worried, why don't you notify the inspector? Well, I'm sure I'd feel out of place reporting a harmless old woman to the police. Well, if she's a harmless old woman, why do you...? Well, she doesn't talk like the people of Manchester. Shall we get the 10 o'clock news and go to bed? I was never one to lean on the cautious side, you understand? But right now, what with one thing... Don't you trust anybody, Father? Well, I don't trust somebody from Manchester. It doesn't talk that way. Eh, nothing to be done tonight. Is your dear mother used to say, might she rest in peace? Tomorrow will be a fairer day. In just a moment, we will return for the second act of... Suspense. Not too much. Oh, why didn't you leave me alone? Why didn't you...? Did you find me? I've got a candle. Oh, I saw you leave your old things this morning. I watched you give the slip to the Barbies. Oh, you were clever, Mama. Oh, they'll get you. Oh, my boy, they'll get you. I had to leave. I knew the Barbies would look for me and find you there. Well, you shouldn't have followed me. They'll get you for sure. Well, if you quiet down. Oh, well. It's great to be... I suppose this is home. They keep saying you did it. You keep saying you didn't do it. Oh, my poor boy. When will it stop? You got any food, Mama? The paper's right. Those dreadful things. And it's on the wireless all the time. Mama, I want some food. Oh, what horrible days these are. Oh, horrible little boy. You go bound and bring me back flowers. And then laugh. And then they started saying all those things about you. Oh, I can't stand it anymore. Cookies all you've got. I only had to fire for a few moments, but there'll be tea. How many people in the house? Only two. The landlord and his daughter. His daughter? It's a slack season with them. Just two people live here. What's the daughter like? You wouldn't be asking about the daughter, Jimmy, if you were my little boy again. Don't you dare ask me about her. Oh, what manner of man have I raised? You'll be raising the dead if you don't pipe down. And you can joke about it. You, with a likeness already made of you, would man them two selves. I'll be staying with you, Mama. And you'll put me up, and you won't tell anybody anything. It'll be just like those other days. Uh, tell me more about the daughter and the ma. What's her name? It's a good Lord have mercy on your soul. Is this Inspector Chris? Yes, Inspector. I let her room last night. The bad night, if you recall. An old woman took the room for a fordnet. Said she was from Manchester. Then this morning, she announced her son had come a visit him. Now, while I'm not naturally a suspicious man, I began to wonder about that daisy change. Well, you're a harm done. We'll have the light in no time. Matter of fact, we've had a call from my station in the south of England saying a boy answering the description has been picked up. So you can stop worrying. Oh, thank you, Inspector. That's all right. Well, I just wanted to make certain. Thank you, Father. What did you find out? Scotland Yard has them all right. Or think they have. You know what curiosity did to the kitten? He said, look here, do you think you ought to chat so much with that boy? You know, you spent all morning talking to him. He recites such lovely poetry. What a nice voice he has. Never worked a day in his life. He's had a lot of schooling. He speaks well. Well, you mind yourself now, yeah? I'm off to the city. Goodbye, Father. Your kind old father warned you about my offish ways. What does he know about me? I bet he was offended because I recite poetry. Jimmy, you were listening. Well, I couldn't help hearing. Ah, what a beautiful day for the pure in heart. A day when a morning sun salutes its own, the very young. You have quite a way with words. A much better approach when I'm out of doors on the grass listening to nightingales. When peace comes dropping slow. What say we high off to the greengrocers? We get some bread and cheese, some grapes and wine and dine like royalty under the trees, eh? I know a place on the riverbank. Oh, I couldn't. It's bad form. Just a picnic in broad daylight? Jimmy, Jimmy! Let's go right now. But that's your mother, no. She just can't let me out of her sight. On with us. Come on, let's go. Jimmy, I can't. Quick. Oh, no picnic. In a moment, we will return for the third act of suspense. But the dear old Thames is not ugly up toward the source. Do you know that country? A little bit. And I was a boy with my parents. That was before we moved to London. Nice memories. Yeah. Then the Blitz. And they both killed 1940. Oh, Mrs. Grimes, isn't she? No, no, no. She adopted me. One of those war orphanages. Raised me since I was four. Oh, I'm like her own son, she says. Sharon, we're really alone here. Behind the heather. Ah, to be us, plague the weather. Who can see us? Who's the mortal lines of those? Hmm. Feather name at Grimes. Yeah, great poet. A fine scholar and a man. A man who would like very much to be a gentleman. Oh, you really wrote that. I thought it was swift or more or somebody. You have a fine mind, my lady. Discerning one, too. But as I was observing, we are quite alone. Now, who really can see us? It is a bit secluded, isn't it? Oh, that Bobby over there can see us. What way? What Bobby? Oh, you're tipping over the basket. That Bobby over there, he's coming this way. Not no word. Don't talk to him. What's going on with you? You're shaking. Let me talk. But you nearly spoil the sandwiches I made. Jimmy, you're still shaking. Good afternoon. Good day for a picnic. You'd better hurry. Look at the clouds. Yeah, it's clouding a bit. Always does this time of year. Everything all right. Yeah, quite. Since all the murders last year, we talked to the people now and then and asked them the time of day. Well, it's time he was eating now. Better be watching the rain clouds after noon. Why do you act so strangely? He wasn't going to hurt you. He was very pleasant. Yeah, they all are for a while. If I'll pick you some daisies, may I have a sandwich? Oh, look. Daisy's all around us. Well, do I get the sandwich? Of course you do. But first the daisies. Well, all right. But let me help you get up. Would you hand me the bottle of wine? You like daisies, Jimmy? Oh, well, I used to live. We got fields of them. We lived on Daisy Bank Road. Look out, just filling it. It's a wild look on your face. Better take it off. We're having company again this time, too, Bobby. It's the same one and a friend. Oh, on your feet. Come on, do as I say. What? Yeah, walk this way. I mean fast. Just keep looking overhead as though you fear the rain. Fast. Come on now, lively. Jimmy, get to the edge of the park. Take the first tram and I'll be along later. Yeah, get going. You're hurting my hand. Get going. You stay away from Mrs. Grimes. Just a moment. We will return for the concluding act of suspense. Bob said it was sales tonight. Mrs. Grimes, I'm confused. Has Jimmy been here? Jimmy's with you, isn't he? Mrs. Grimes, we saw some puppies and he ran. Why did he run, Mrs. Grimes? Why did he run? Of course he did. Where is he? Why did he run, Mrs. Grimes? I was so ad strong and I was so mixed up. Why is it a pretty afternoon? Did he just re-poetry to you? Did he get that far away look like he was a little boy when he read to you? And did you light sound deep in his chest? Mrs. Grimes, you have father's care. Are you locking the door? Did he tell you that your eyes were beautiful, that your hands were pretty? And did he hold your hands? Get me out of this room. I'm sorry, but you've made me uneasy. Everything in this world will pass, my dear. I never fear you shall be released to join. Oh, Mrs. Shannon, tell me more about Jimmy. Did he make up a little rhyme to suit the occasion? And did he... Oh, that poor girl in Regent's Park. Jimmy was so fond of her. But I had to follow her one day and make a daisy chain. But in Barg nor Regis, I couldn't find any daisies. So I put a miserable journey on the train, but the little vixen in Hamstead Heath knew how strong I was before I gathered the daisies. Jimmy was always so fond of picnics and would go dashing off. So I have a beautiful daisy, my dear Sharon. And I also have strong, sinewy hands. No. Wonderful. He's strong like Jimmy. Mrs. Grimes, out of here. I'm Inspector Chris, young lady. Your father's right here. Sorry to have made you a sitting duck, so to speak, but we've been outwitted by this Mrs. Grimes for one entire year. And she's really Mrs. Mabel Dodds, Jimmy's foster mother. I was in on it, too, Sharon. That is at the very last I was in on it. You'll forgive your father. Me, too, Sharon. You know, everybody thought I was the daisy chain murderer. Until Scotland Yard got suspicious, they arranged my escape. Ah, you think we can... You think we can ever have a civilized picnic? Oh, Jimmy. Can you ever have a picnic with a man who already has an image cast at Madden Tussauds? I'll... I'll think about it. You've been listening to The Daisy Chain, written for suspense by John R. Forrest. In a moment, the names of our players and a word about next week's story of suspense. Joan Loring as Sharon and Jane Rose as Mrs. Grimes. Others in the cast were Brett Morrison, Martin Pisoner and Mercer MacLeod. Listen again next week when we return with End of the Line by Murray Burnett. Another tale well calculated to keep you in. Instant trio, next followed by latest CBS News and Have Gun Will Travel on CBS Radio.