 Now, the Mole Mystery Theater, presented by M-O-L-L-E. Mole, the heavier brushless shaving cream for top whiskers or a tender skin. Welcoming you to the Mole Mystery Theater, the program that presents the best in mystery and detective fiction. Tonight's mystery, entitled, Where's a Mask, was written by Robert Mitchell and Dean Levitt and stars Bill Quinn. The story of Joseph Talbot, who escapes from prison and tries to claim the woman he loves. To do so, he finds himself forced to assume two aliases. One is a common and up-name John Mason, but the other is Humpty Dumpty. And his short career follows that of the mother goose character rather closely as he finds that death wears a mask. Well, so Mr. Barnes, you sure have me curious about this Humpty Dumpty character I can hardly wait. But first, there's one thing I just can't help saying. It's this. Man, if shaving top whiskers or a tender skin has you hollering for help, then call for Mole. The heavier brushless shaving cream. Yes, sir, it's smooth. So smooth. It's slick. So slick. It's a smooth, smooth, slick, slick shave you get with M-O-L-L-E. The heavier brushless shaving cream for top whiskers or a tender skin. Try it. Mole. Now for the nice Mole mystery. Death wears a mask. That's when my insides turn to ice water. I clamp the rigid grip and my courage up to then held onto my pores and my feelings until I unfolded that black mask. Then I got scared. Really scared. That's when the whole awful business boils from my mind like a churning torrent. The torrent of grinning, gaudy faces of laughs and shrieks on the mountains. Garage distorted faces that bobbed and waggled as the fantastic convincing figures reached out crying for me. The evil Duke of Gloucester, Captain Kibb, Clear Pottsley, George Washington, Napoleon Lucifer, The Black Prince, All of them and more, comforting in a mad circle around me. Kidding and taunting and gassing for me. Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc. More beautiful than I'd remember. A mask gone. Staring up the sky. As the silent ripples, dancing over her face, slowly darkened. In the instant it was left, my mind plunged back through these memories to the point where it all started. Back to the night I walked in the shadows of a flagstone path. And stopped a moment to look at the name on the door before I pressed the bell. Joseph! Surprise, Brother John. Come inside quick. Is that wise? Perhaps you're cooked. Or your wife alone can be before someone sees you. This is if you've done pretty well for yourself in the last four years. New city, new business, even a new name. Mason now. Talbot was a little carnage, say, John. Never mind all that. How did you get out? What do you mean, coming here? Take it easy, John. One thing at a time. I broke out. I shot a guard. Joseph! You may have died, I don't know. That tough time last night, a tougher time today. Getting down here and finding you wasn't even. Do the police. No, they think I went east. I'm okay for a while. Now see here, Joseph, I can't afford to... Besides, John, where else would I come for help? Except to my big brother. Well, of course I want to help you, but you must realize... Why don't I pour a drink? Oh, help yourself. Been four years since I've tasted whiskey. You have to be a hunter to know what it's like to really relax. Now, little music on the radio. Joseph, you've got to get out of here. Some friends of mine will arrive in a few minutes. I'm expected to go out with them to the annual masquerade ball. That's all. That's too bad. I'd hope for a chance to talk to you. By the way, where's Cliff? He's gone ahead to the ball she was on the committee. Oh? Since I'm a traveling man, I'll need cash and some clothes. It might be a long trip, so... Make it heavy on the cash. No, wait a minute. No, Juan, get the money, John. Bring it off. Well, I'll bring what there is in the safe upstairs. My clothes will be a little large for you. You'd better take sports stuff. Wait here a minute, Joseph. I won't be long. You better not be. Well, so far so good. The whiskey was warm inside me. And the music was low and sweet. I dropped my head back into the soft, smooth cushion of the chair. It closed my eyes. The gentle music flowed from the radio and smoothed me. Almost subconsciously, I became aware of the clicking that had intruded into the melody. Absently, I remembered it was like... like a telephone being dialed. The extension upstairs. I sprang out of the chair and dashed across the room. The downstairs telephone sat on a small table in the hall. Mr. Sergeant, never mind who this is. I just thought the police on and all that, Joseph, told that the escape comes into the town. You're jumpy, John. I think you're playing with me with you in the house. I'm just 1200, that's all there is. Okay. I got restless downstairs. You were taking so long. I had trouble with the combination, huh? Where are the clothes? Hey, the devil is this stuff. It's egg business and these striped pants. That's my costume for the night. The egg sits over your head. I told you, it's a costume ball, masquerade. Oh. It's a little flashy for me. Here, I'll take that suit, some shirts, a couple of ties, some socks. All right, put them in this bag. Take anything you want on me. Hurry up and get out of here. My friends... Yes, yes, I know. They'll be here any minute. Quit worrying. You have more important things to do. What do you mean? John, did you ever stop to figure how long four years are? A man can figure a lot of angles in four years. I've been thinking all that time. How helpful you've been, John. Well, I've always tried to do what I could, and you've done so much, John. Like when Claire was my wife, and we were flat broke. You took us in to live at your house, remember? Well, I... You found me a job, that bookkeeping job, remember? To help me learn it, taught me the tricks. We had a nice little penny-ante deal going. And all of a sudden, I got arrested and tried for grand loss, and you remember that? No, look, Joseph, but I got the axe. Ten years, they said. But even then, you helped me. You promised to look after Claire for me, to take care of her. And you did. You married her. Oh, no. Now, wait a minute, Joseph. Claire and I, we... Well, I fell in love with her, and you were gone. If it wasn't fair for her to wait, you can't expect. Maybe you're right. Maybe we're square. Joseph, you know I'll do anything I can. Right to me, anytime. I'll send you more money, Joseph. After I leave, you won't call the cops and tip them off, John. Of course not, Joseph. Good heavens, you're my own. Wait a minute. That was a statement. Not a question. Right. Much I hated, John. Until I found myself presenting the neatness of the little round hole in this forest. But now I had to move fast. I snapped the suitcase shut on friends. They were at the door. It seemed to be John. Our forces weren't alike. Hi, you two. Sorry, I'm a little behind schedule. Make yourself a drink. Into this rig. I'd go to that dance and John's outfit would be clear now tonight. Maybe she'd come with me. We could leave the country together. The costume was big and baggy. I slipped it on over my clothes except for the long point of shoes. Then the headpiece. The egg with a painted grinning face. I looked at myself in the mirror. It was funny. Really funny. All I had to remember now was to play the part. Played John out for a good time. Part of you, John. You look pretty good yourself. Clear parts, all right? And cats and kids. No mistaking you, you old pirate. Running through the type, aren't you? Okay, I get it. You're going to be nasty. Hey, your voice sounds different. You sound like you have a mouthful of moisture with that thing over your noggin. Oh, my goodness. Well done tonight. Come on. Certainly with hands. All the fun is, you know. Hey. What's this up ahead? Huh? What? Looks like a barricade at some time. Oh. Huh? It's a roadblock. Here's a tabletop that looks as though Humpty Dumpty is set for a fall. Now, we shall see in just a moment when we bring you at two of tonight's Mole Mystery. meantime, here's James Seymour with a message for a certain group of our men, listeners. For the same end, for a long time now, we've been having a lot of fun reminding you about Mole. Even singing a little song about it. Well, we hope you've had some fun out of it, too. Especially learning about those smooth, slick Mole shades. And to those of you who just never got around to trying it, all we say is, next time, ask for Mole. You know, many of us miss out on a lot of good things by not trying them. Try Mole. The heavier brush reshading cream. Notice what close, comfortable shades you get, no matter how tough your whiskers or how tender your skin. Yes, as plenty of men have discovered, because Mole is a heavier cream, it not only softens your whiskers, it stands them up straight and lets your razor shave them all faster. Closer, easier, and painlessly. So how about it? Tomorrow, get a cube of Mole. The heavier brush reshading cream for tough whiskers or a tender skin. And now this is Jeffrey Barnes returning you to act two of Death, War, and Mass. We're stopping all traffic. I strength back at least to see that the cops stepped out in the road. I'm finding a hope. Welcome aboard, Tim. It's me, Bill Brady. Oh, it's the Brady. Well done, Tim. He traced an escaped convict to this neighborhood, killed a guard at the prison last night, armed and dangerous, protecting everything that looks suspicious. That's us, Tim. Captain, Tim here is wanted for piracy. I'm wanted by Mark Anthony. I guess I'm too dumb to make from the back. It's the only innocent aboard. Well, let's see about that. Hey, that sure is some get-up estimation. Sure you're not a bad egg? Ho, ho, ho. I'm pretty bad, Tim. You might say that the yoke is on you for letting him go. Ho, ho, ho. Brother, how corny can you be? Okay, folks, on your way. Have a good time. There's an old mother hub at the Tandaleo. They were all here. As I moved through the crowd, I made quite a hit in John's costume. No idea where to start looking. Claire would recognize this Humpty Dumpty Rig. Maybe she'd spot me. Once, a girl alone walked up to me and I stopped. Hello. Oh, you look marvelous. Smile. What a face. Claire? No, wrong number with her. I met Anna Fogg. Can't you tell? These confounded masks. I moved toward the back of the room and then I noticed Joan of Arc standing alone in the corner. She was waving. I looked around but no one seemed to be paying any attention. She waved again so I walked toward her. Hello there. Wonderful. Your costume is the best in the place. You really think so? Yes, I told you, I would do it. I'll give you that now and then we'll pick you up on time. Oh, sure, sure, plenty of time. Although, that thing might be late. Oh, we had an awful mess here. Never again will I feel like a man's coming here. Would you like a drink, Joan? What? What'd you say? It's a matter of your day. Oh, I'm sorry. I was thinking. Is something wrong? Wrong? Oh, no, no. There's nothing wrong. What? I'm sorry. He's sort of worried. It's not like he's feeling it. Oh, you're... Tom, look, you wouldn't sound the samey. Shall we have a drink? I'd much rather dance with you, Claire. All right, darling. Everything else faded away. Crowd, the color, the noise. Leaving just Claire and the music. I'd waited so long for this. I wanted to forget everything else. I love dancing with you, Joan. Does it stop there? Does what stop? Your love. Oh, you silly. Oh, John, before I forget, here are the car keys. I've almost lost them a dozen times. I guess Joan of art had no use for pocket. The keys to the car? Oh, okay, sure, sure. I've kept the moose over the handle of my poignette all evening. Happy with your what? The staggers. The real 15th century poignette I just found out. Oh, that's so. Well, by the way, where did you park? We're going at the end of the center lane. I thought we could get out faster. That's fine. Fine, darling. I'll, uh, I'll keep the keys. But, uh, we were talking of love there. Remember? Nice, that's it. Just where does your love stop? It's not with dance. I know. How? Good morning. I really want to know. I mean it. Something's come up and I must know for sure about you, Claire. You're looking. I've been more curious in my life. I've been more curious in my life. I've been more curious in my life. I've been more curious in my life. I probably suspect a scandal when Mother Goose dances with Humsy Dumsy. But, uh, this is our dance, isn't it? Shall we resist? Why, uh, I think... You know what you ought to declare. You held up over there. I think we can trust them. Hardly wait for the unmasking of midnight. It's going to be such fun. Unmasking? Admit that? Yes. We'll see who or what. But it's... it's 1130 already. Oh, well then, it won't be long now. There's Orson and Claire and they're not listening to us. I wonder what's wrong. Excuse me, will you? Well, yes, yes, of course. John, there was trouble in the headboard. Chief Denny just got a call. The police... What about the police? John, don't know this, didn't you? That's what you mean. Let's get out of here. We've got to talk. I'll go to the room, dance briefly on the quiet border of the fish pond. We were alone. Claire looked at me for a long moment and then... What are we going to do now? Claire, before you say anything more, please. Please answer my question. Do you love him? John, John, how can you even ask that? You know I do, darling. Say it. Say it, Claire. I want to hear it. John, I... I love you, John. I love you. Something I always loved you. Don't worry about him, Claire. You'll go away. I promise you that. John, well, he wasn't to get us, John. Why else would he come here at all? He knows he was pregnant and he must realize that we did it to get rid of him so we could be together. The meaning of a word jammed in my brain. I felt a terrible pressure swelling up inside me. Maybe we should tell the police to ease your body. We'll be waiting for us at home and ready. He became alive. We'll be talking again if I reach out and see the mask he wore. She stopped short when I ripped it from her face. Her eyes grew wide as I moved toward her in her mouth, a look. I was afraid she might scream so I can't put her hand over her mouth. I... I... I bent her head back and I told the little beggar she wore from its scabbard. She drove its point deep into her throat. Slowly down, ripples over her face from her blood. 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It carries a money-back guarantee. I could make it if I could leave without being seen. I leaped up to the wall, clambered up on top of it and swung my legs over. I was about to jump when... Hey! You're up on the wall! Where do you think you're going? I... I... What's the matter, officer? At the same time, sir, there's an escaped convict in the neighborhood. Wouldn't be safe to go through these trees now. Oh, I... I'm not leaving. It's just a gag, officer. You know, Humpty Dumpty on the wall? Well, what does Humpty Dumpty usually do on a wall? It falls off. Come on, Jan, you're missing all the fun. Hey, where's Claire? Oh, didn't you see her? She just went up that path. I jumped down off the wall and led them away from the terrible thing in the fish pond. I left them near the ballroom and said I was going to find Claire. I thought about a side entrance, but back back when I saw a cop standing there, too. I cut across the dance floor, pushing my way through the people that kneeled around the edges. I was about half way across when... I tried to get far, but I was swept up with them as they pushed in close. Yes, this is my father. The most successful party ever sponsored by the Oak Bridge Terrace Country Club. I had to. I began to shoulder through the mob, forcing my way between the tightly packed bodies. Yes, oh, but that man's big! People began shoving me back towards the stage. They were all laughing and shouting. It gives me great pleasure to announce that the judges were unanimous in their selection of the masquerader, who played best the part portrayed by his costume. As the best clown of the evening, the grand cry is good. He was silver cup. I still thought I could clown my way out. I bowed foolishly and then... I turned headlong into the milling, laughing ring of Preston on me. I struggled to break two of them as they sweated and sang and clawed at my costume. They closed over me. They didn't know what they were doing. They were laughing and shouting. I felt the shell of my headpiece crack and they ripped it off. Then, hands were helping me to my feet. The deadly silence suddenly swept out through the crowd in a never-increasing circle. With me as the center. That's not John Mason. At my feet, twisted and grotesque and grinning, lay the hunky-dumpty mask. In some both words, they were holding in front of me now, with no eyes. Joseph Talbot, executed in accordance with the laws of this state and the sentence pronounced. Have you anything to say? Holding the mask, warped toward me. He slipped it over my head and tied it on. Then they adjusted the rope around my neck. And in the blackness of the black hood, and the expectant hushed beyond, my mind screamed for something to hang on to. The presentation of this wears a mask. The original music for the Mystery Theater is composed and conducted by Alexander Semmler. Billy Quinn was starred and Mitzi Gould and Gregory Morton featured in tonight's play. Any resemblance between the names and characters used on Mystery Theater and any actual person living or dead is purely coincidental.