 The Mutual Broadcasting System presents the Mysterious Traveler, written, produced and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Cogan, and starring tonight, two stars of stage and radio, Wendell Holmes and Roger DeCoven, in an original radio drama titled, The Man Who Vanished. This is the Mysterious Traveler, inviting you to join me on another journey into the realm of strange and the terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip, that it will thrill you a little and chill you a little, so settle back, get a good grip on your nerves and be comfortable, if you can. As you hear the story I call, The Man Who Vanished. Story begins in a small white-walled hospital room. Charles Ordway, a man of 45, is just awakened. He looks about him in puzzlement, then memory returns to him and he begins to call frantically. Doctor! Doctor Ness! Where are you? I must speak to the doctor! Yes, Mr. Ordway, what is it? Are you the doctor? No, I'm only the attendant. Do you want to speak to Dr. Harvey? Yes, yes, I must. It's a matter of life and death. Okay, Mr. Ordway, okay. Dr. Harvey, 402, please. He's coming now. Thank you. Tell me what day it is. It's Friday, isn't it? It must be Friday. Sure, sure, it's Friday, Mr. Ordway, but here's Dr. Harvey now. Good morning, Mr. Ordway. You want to speak to me? Yes, doctor, but tell me quickly what time is it? It's just 10 minutes past 10, Mr. Ordway. Oh, sir, my brother John isn't dead. There's still time to save him. Your brother? Yes, doctor. When I woke up, I didn't know how long it was since I was brought here to the hospital and drugged in the silence, but I don't suppose they told you about John. I'm afraid they didn't. Well, then I'll tell you. I'll make you believe me. John's safe for several hours yet, so I can tell you the whole story. The story, they wouldn't give me a chance to tell. Yes, go right ahead, Mr. Ordway. I'll just sit here and make myself comfortable. Well, I'll try to tell it calmly, doctor. I don't want you to think I'm hysterical. First of all, you have to understand that my brother John is a freak of nature. A freak? Yes. He's perfectly healthy and highly intelligent, but he was born without any natural coloring at all. His eyes are pink. His skin is chalk white. His hair is like bleached flax. His eyebrows and lashes are practically invisible. Yes, the most unusual condition, but it happens once in a while. It's called albinism. Well, it's a hideous condition for an intelligent, sensitive man. John's boyhood was a torture for him until our father took us both out of school and had us tutored to spare John the misery of being considered a freak of nature by the other children. Yes, I understand, Mr. Ordway. Please go on. Well, as we grew up, John's chief interest was science, so I studied it too. Our father had a complete laboratory built in our home. After his death, we continued to live there together, working on experimental research. Along what lines, Mr. Ordway? Well, our efforts were centered on discovering a cure for John's condition. To achieve that, we worked hopefully for years, but we always failed. My brother remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he began to brood. Then, one evening, he came into my room. Ah, Charles. Well, yes, John. Finished in the lab? In a way, Charles. I have something to show you. Show me? You mean you found a cure? Not exactly. Look at this wire cage. Examine the white rat I have in it. White rat? This morning, that was an ordinary white rat. But now, look at it. It's like a rat made out of glass. It's almost transparent. It is transparent. You can see completely through it. But, John, this is amazing. This is what I've been working on these last months, Charles. I've been developing a serum that would alter living tissues to make them transparent. I wouldn't have believed it possible. I don't see why not. Nature does it all the time. She makes jellyfish that are quite transparent. Oh, yes, of course. I didn't think. But this is only the first step. My next step is to develop the serum further to make living tissues invisible. Invisible? You look skeptical, my dear Charles. But look at this rat. He's half invisible already. In a dim light, he'd vanish. Yes, that's true, but the basic principle is perfectly natural, Charles. It's only a matter of refining it. And then, Charles, well, take a freak like myself. So colorless, he's already well-started toward invisibility. I'll find out what it's like to be completely unseen. Some day soon, Charles, I'm going to have a real surprise for you. That was my first introduction to John's experiments. After that, for many weeks, he worked in secret. Then, one morning, he called me into the laboratory and showed me a cage that seemed to be empty, but there was something scurrying about it. A rat. An invisible rat. To the touch, it was warm and furry, filled with life. But to the eye, if the light was not too bright, it was nothing. Well, Charles, you convinced now? Yes, yes, I'm convinced. You've succeeded, John. Not quite. I haven't made myself invisible yet. Well, you're not going to try your serum on yourself. Of course I am. Listen, Charles, always I've been considered a freak. Now I'm going to turn the tables. I'll mingle with people and I'll laugh at them. I'll be their superior, able to come and go without their knowledge. Able to control their very destinies, if I wish. John, that's madness. On the contrary, it's scientific fact. You'll see, because you're going to help me. No, I refuse. Surely you're not going to let me down, your own brother. Of course, John. I knew I could get your help. Here's a hypodermic full of the serum. All I want you to do is to inject it into my arm and watch the result. I tried to refuse, but John wouldn't let me. At last I gave in. I injected the colorless serum into his veins. At first, nothing happened. As we waited, he removed his garments, for of course the serum could only affect his living tissues. Finally, the change came. His skin became paler and paler until suddenly I realized I was looking not at it, but through it. After that, the change was rapid. His body seemed to fade away before my eyes into nothingness. Well, Charles, what do you say now? Well, John, this frightens me. Why should it? I feel fine. In fact, I feel so good I'm going to take a little jump downtown to see how the world looks to a man who's invisible. Oh, no, you mustn't. And why not, Charles? Well, you aren't ready for it yet. There may be aftereffects, reactions you aren't prepared for. Ah, nonsense. There's only one thing to be careful of. The tissues must return to normal within 24 hours. If the neutralizing serum isn't injected before then, death occurs. Otherwise, it's perfectly safe. So I insist, Charles, that I'm going on a little invisible sightseeing tour tonight, and you're going to conduct me. Again, I tried to say no, but John was insistent. At last I gave in. His was always the stronger will. We took the car and I drove downtown. He sat beside me, unseen as the very air, laughing to himself. John! John, let's turn back now. You turn back, I should say not. Drive to Main Street and park around the corner from the Watson Jewelry Store. The one where our old schoolboy companion Harry Watson works for his father. Well, why, John? Because I'm going to try an interesting little experiment. That's why. John was in a strange mood, and I obeyed his orders with misgivings. I parked the car as he directed, and we got out. And stood on the sidewalk. With evening crowds drifting past us, completely unaware of John at my side. Suddenly John spoke. Now's the time, Charles. There's nobody in the store but Harry Watson himself. Come on, we're going in. Ask Harry to show you some stopwatches. Keep him occupied, and don't worry about me. But what are you going to do? Never mind. Just do as I say. Whatever happens, pretend not to notice. Come on, open the door. All right, John. Now up here. Well, I'd like to look at a stopwatch, Harry. Stopwatch? Of course. Over here. Here's a beauty, Charles. This Swiss chronograph is timed to one-one-hundredth of a second. Oh, I'm afraid it'd be too expensive. Oh, well, perhaps you'd like this one. It's American made, and it... What was that? What was what? Herd noise in the back of the store. I didn't hear anything. There it is again. There's someone back there. But there can't be. There's nothing in sight. Oh, just the same, I think. There's someone back there. Excuse me. I was putting away some valuable diamonds when you come in, and I've got to see about them. He hurried back into the shadowy rear of the store. I held my breath. If he should bump into John, then I heard Watson cry out. I've got you, you thief! Now, you're not going to get away. What are you doing? Hey, Charles! Help me! John! John, what's happened? Come on quickly. We have to get out of here. What happened? The fool bumped into me in the shadows. He was so excited he didn't even realize he couldn't see me. I used a paper knife I picked up and taught him a little lesson. He's not dead. Come on, we've got to get out of here. Someone may have hurt him. We got out of the store and to the car. But as I drove home, John refused to answer any of my frantic questions. When we reached the house, he hurried me into the laboratory. You've got to give me the neutralizer or make me visible again, Charles. John! No questions. Here we are. Here's the hypodermic. You've got to inject it. Here, here's the mark from the previous injection. Now go ahead. I press the plunger and the drug flowed into his blood. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, like a man materializing out of nothingness, he grew visible. A misty figure that took on solidity until it was a man. John gave a little gasp of weariness and pushed me out of the room. Now go on, Charles. You get to bed. I need some sleep. This stuff seems to drain away my energy. We'll talk in the morning. Pleasant dreams. The next morning, I was having breakfast when John finally appeared. Good morning, Charles. Sleep well? John, look at this news paper. Anything in it? Yes, there's something in it. Look at these headlines. I see. Local juror kills, store up $50,000 worth of diamonds missing. You killed Harry last night. Yeah, so it seems. Now pour me some coffee, will you? John, I don't understand you. You've killed a man and you act as if it amounted no more than swanning a fly. Where does it? Of course it does. I can't feel that way about it. When we were small boys, you remember that Harry Watson was one of my chief tormentors. Yes, but... I've always planned to pay him back. Last night, I decided to play a little joke on him. Murder is hardly a joke. I didn't intend to kill the fool. I just meant to make a way with one or two of his father's diamonds. After Harry had had a chance to explain their disappearance, I was going to mail them back. Yes, diamonds. The paper says $50,000 worth of missing. Oh, probably an exaggeration. However, put your hand into your left coat pocket, Charles. What pocket? What? Dozen loose diamonds here. Yes, I put them there last night. I couldn't very well carry them myself. We must send them back at once. I'm afraid that might involve us somehow. No, we'll have to keep them. John, what's happened to you? Overnight you've become a monster, able to dismiss the worst of crimes with a shrug. Please understand this, Charles. For years, I was an object of curiosity. I even had offers to appear in side shows. Now the tables are turned. I can walk among men unseen, invisible. That gives me a power that is very sweet to me. I haven't decided yet how I should use it. But in any case, I won't have you interfering. Is that clear, Charles? With that, John retired to his laboratory and remained there alone the rest of the day. It wasn't until after dark that he emerged to find me staring with horror at the evening paper. Charles, what does the paper say? It made you look so pale. The police found your fingerprints on the knife that killed Harry Watson. What? Let me see. Here. The police, investigating the murder last night of Harry Watson, local juror's son, state they are trying to trace down fingerprints found on the paper knife used as the death weapon. They also admit they have been discovered further evidence, which they hope may bring about an early arrest. Maybe here any minute. Ah, nonsense. Even if I did leave a print, how can they trace it to me? The talk of an early arrest is just bluff. And besides, it may be the police now. It is what we do. Oh, it can be. Whatever it is, let them in. Let me do the talking. All right. Yes, what is it? Mr. Charles Ordway. Yes, I am. Mr. Charles Ordway. Yes, I'm Charles Ordway. I'm a specter long of the homicide squad. I'd like to ask you some questions, if you don't mind. Well, no, no, no, no. Come in. We can talk in the living room. What is it, Charles? Well, John, this is Inspector Long. He says he wants to ask me some questions. Really? What in the world about? I don't know. I confess, Inspector, I can't imagine what. I want to ask you what you can tell me about the death of Harry Watson. Watson, the juror? The one we were reading about in the paper? That's the one. Your brother was seen leaving the jewellery store a few minutes before Watson's body was found. Someone recognized it. Why, yes, that's true, Inspector. Charles dropped in last night to buy a watch for me. But he didn't find quite what I wanted. I'd rather hear him tell it. Well, that's all there is to it. I looked at the watches and then left. Watson was all right when I left. I see. There's no one else in the store? No one I could see. Well, I'm sorry I can't tell you more. I'm sorry, too. Well, just for the sake of helping us, would you be willing to let me take your fingerprints? Well, of course you don't mind, Charles. You're thinking of the prints the paper says were found on the death weapon, aren't you, Inspector? Frankly, yes. Well, they aren't, Charles. I can assure you it's just a check. Hey, Mr. Ordway, if you'll just press your fingerprints against this gelatin plate I have in this envelope. Make peace. That's right. Thank you. You wouldn't want mine, too, I suppose. Well, if you'd like to add your fingerprints, well, if you'd like to add yours to your brother's... I was just joking. By the way, Inspector, how do you go about tracing down unknown fingerprints such as those of this killer? Well, this is one way and... Oh, excuse me, a cigarette? Oh, thank you. Are you asking how we check fingerprints? Well, we have several methods. The FBI records, the Army and Navy records, and the one source few people know about. And what's that? Hospital birth records. For a number of years now, they've recorded the footprints and fingerprints of every baby born in this city. In the morning, we'll start checking these records as far back as they go. Well, that's very interesting. Well, sorry, Inspector, we couldn't be more helpful. It's all in the game. Good night, gentlemen. Good night, Inspector. Now, I'm about to show me a... Did you hear that? They're going to start checking fingerprints on hospital birth records. And our prints were among the first ever to be recorded in this town. Father insisted on it. Perhaps they'll overlook you, was... I can't risk it. But I'll stop them. I'll stop them somehow. Without explaining, he hurried into the laboratory. Ten minutes later, he emerged, dressed to go out. His hat pulled well down over his face. And his face... What is it? Why are you gobbling at me? Your face? I can't see it, or your hands, either. Of course not. I took an injection of transparency serum. Now, I'm going to drive downtown, Charles. With this coat and hat on, I'll look like an ordinary driver to anyone who sees the car. When I get where I'm going, I'll take off these garments and leave them in the car. Then no one on earth will be able to see me. But where are you going? To police headquarters. With that, John left. I heard him drive off. Then I could do nothing but wait. The hours crawled slowly past, and I grew more and more nervous. The clock was striking eleven when I heard John's key in the door at last. John, is that you? Yes, Charles. Come here. I need you. What is it? What's happened? It's my ankle. I think it's broken. Here. Lean on me. I'll help you out of the living room. Careful. John, your coat's all black. Yes, they shot at me. Nick, my side. It's not serious, Charles. Here. Let me sit down. Shall I call a doctor? No, no. We'll tend to the bullet scratch and the ankle ourselves. It's a reasonable price to pay, considering that inspector long is dead. Dead? Yes, he fell from the window of his office on the sixth floor of police headquarters, while apparently quite alone in the room. And you killed him, too? Of course I did. I had to. Luckily, he had the paper knife there in his office. I was able to wipe all my prints off it. I found the photographs of the prints in his desk, too. I tore those up and I burned them. How'd you get hurt? I tried to slip out of the building again during the confusion of followed inspector long's accident. I'd reached the first floor when a clumsy cop bumped into me in a dark hall. He yelled and grabbed at me. I had to duck through a door and lock it. I got the window up and was just climbing out when he fired to the door. The bullet nicked me and I lost my balance. When I picked myself up off the ground, my ankle was broken. But I hobbled to the car somehow and, well, here I am. John, what are we going to do? Just sit tight, that's all. The evidence is destroyed. Inspector long is gone. We're perfectly safe. But suppose they have some other clue? Nonsense. I've taken care of everything, you hear? John. What is it, Charles? John, just stop in front of the house. John, see who it is. Yes. Please, John. Oh, we've got to act fast. They mustn't find me like this. What did you do? First, I've got to get these clothes off. I haven't time to take my neutralizing serum. Now, I just have to hide. They'll not find me if they can't see. John, you're ill. I feel weak. It's a loss of blood. It's nothing serious, Charles. But I may faint. If I do... Yes, John? I might close in the kitchen hamper. Then carry me down to the cellar. Put me in the empty storage room. Lay me on the Excelsior there. Now, if they look in, they'll see it's empty. They won't go stumbling around. Do you hear me? Yes, yes, I hear. But, John, I... He fainted in my arms. I had no time to think. Swiftly, I did as he instructed. I carried him down to the small storage room in the cellar, placed him on some Excelsior in a corner, and hurried back upstairs. Already, the police were pounding on the door. I jammed John's bloody clothes into the kitchen hamper. Then I hurried the door. Yes, what is it? A police, Mr. Hardway. We're coming in. Bill, Joe, come on. Yes, Captain. The rest of you watch the house and see that no one leaves. What is the meaning of this? I demand an explanation. And you'll get it. Now, where can we talk in here? Good. All right, please sit down, Mr. Hardway. I'm Detective Captain Belden. My Chief Inspector Long was here earlier. Yes, I know, and I answered all his questions then. Well, now I'm asking more questions. Long's dead. Inspector Long dead? But even so, why? Listen, Hardway. Long smelled a rat in this setup someplace. And earlier tonight, when he got your fingerprints, he also got your brothers. But he didn't. He got them on a cigarette case when your brother took a cigarette. No trick. After he died tonight, we found the case in his pocket. Carefully wrapped. Well, what of it? In some mysterious way, all the pictures of the murder prints we took off the paper knife that killed Watson had vanished. But we had the negatives. We made new prints and discovered they checked with your brother's prints on Long's cigarette case. Hardway, your brother killed Harry Watson last night. Well, that's completely ridiculous. Is it? OK, we'll see. Where's your brother now? He's not here. He went away on a trip. Hiding, huh? Bill, Joe? Yes, Captain? Search the house from Salad Attic. And don't miss a thing. Right here, Captain. Come on through. Half an hour later, I knew that further concealment was impossible. The police had not found John, but they had found the bloodstained clothes he had discarded. And in my desk, they had found the diamonds which John had stolen. I knew then I must tell the truth. Well, Hardway, ready to talk yet? Yes, I'm ready to talk, Captain. My brother did kill Watson. OK. Where is he now? He's hiding down in the cellar. Captain, that's the monarchy. We looked in the cellar and he ain't there. Of course, you didn't see him. He's invisible. He's... He's what? He's invisible, I said. You say your brother is invisible? Yes! That's why they couldn't see him. Hardway, you know what I think? I think you killed your brother in a quarrel over these diamonds and buried his body in the yard someplace. That's how he's closer, he's got bloody. Isn't it? Come on, admit it. No, my brother was wounded by a bullet after he killed Inspector Long. That's how his clothes got bloody. Yeah, I suppose he was invisible when he killed Long, too. That's why nobody saw him, huh? Yes! Don't you understand? He's discovered how to render his body tissues transparent. He's hiding down in the cellar now, invisible. He's none of you as a fruitcake. Shut up, Bill. Hardway, your brother is down in the cellar now. Yes, he is. He's fainted and I carried him down there. And just which room is he in? The little storage room at the foot of the stairs, the one at the metal door. How about it, boys? Did you look there? Sure we did, Captain. We looked in there twice. There ain't a thing in that room, but a little excessive. Frank, we both looked. That room is as empty as a busted piggy bank. You see, Mr. Hardway, if he'd been there, my men would have found him. But he's there. They didn't see him because he took the serum. He made himself invisible. All right, all right, Mr. Hardway. Just calm yourself. Now listen, my men say the room is empty. Yeah, except maybe for rats. We heard a couple stirring in the excelsis, so we bolted the door after we looked in. Figured we might as well keep the rats inside. You bolted the door? No, you mustn't. Captain, we've got to let John out. If he's not let out, he'll die. I've met plenty of whacks, but this is a new one. Yep, he's got a bird. Hardway, I'm afraid you don't have to come with us. Now will you come quietly while I have to put the handcuffs on? No, you can't take me away. I have to let John out of that room if he doesn't get an injection of the neutralizing serum inside 24 hours. He'll die. All right, Mr. Hardway, but come on, boys. Give me a hand. Got to get into the psychopathic warfare. No, you've got to believe me. You've got to let go of me. No, no! And that's the whole story, Doctor. They wouldn't believe us. They brought me here to the hospital charged with John's murder. And when I kept trying to tell them he was alive, they gave me a narcotic. But he is alive. He's locked in that room in the cellar. And if he isn't let out soon, he'll die. 24 hours is the limit, but there's still time to get to him. Yes, I understand, Mr. Hardway. I'll see to it that he's released at once. You mean to talk to you believe me? Yes, of course. Oh, attendant. Call me, Doctor. Yes, go get my car ready, will you? We're going to Mr. Hardway's home at once to release his brother. Yes, sir. Right away, Doctor. Oh, thank heaven you believe me, Doctor. You'll be in time to save John. You'll find the serum. He'll need to bring it back to normal in a green bottle in the laboratory. I'll take care of him. Now you go back to sleep now, Mr. Hardway. Yes, I will. I can't sleep now. I can sleep. How's he now, Doctor? He's quiet now. He'll be all right. You know, Doctor, sometimes I can't help thinking. Yes, Jensen? You know, he's locked up here at State Hospital for bumping off his brother. Eventually they found his brother's dead body locked in a little room in the cellar. But I can't help wondering what the cops would have found if anybody had taken Mr. Hardway serious. That night he was brought here 10 years ago. This is the mysterious traveler. So John could make himself invisible, could he? Well, unfortunately, he did too good a job of it. For he hasn't been seen around for a long, long time. That's the trouble with having unusual powers. Sometimes they get you into unusual difficulties. And speaking of difficulties... Oh, you have to get off here. I'm sorry. But I'm sure we'll meet again. I take this same train every week at this same time. You have just heard the mysterious traveler, a series of dramas of the strange and terrifying. All characters in tonight's story were fictitious, and any resemblance to the names of actual persons was purely coincidental. In tonight's cast were Maurice Tarplin, Wendell Holmes, Roger DeCoven, Art Carney, and Richard Cougan. Original music was played by Paul Taubman. Broadcast engineer was Al King. Sound was by Hal Reed. The mysterious traveler is written, produced and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Cougan. Listen next week to a tale titled... Very deep. Another strange and suspenseful tale of the mysterious traveler. This program has come to you from our New York studios. Another program of tense and dramatic action will follow in just a minute. Stay tuned to the station for official detective. Carl Crusoe speaking. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.