 The Mutual Broadcasting System presents The Mysterious Traveler, written, produced and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Cogan, and starring tonight two of Radio's foremost personalities, Chester Stratton and Joan Tompkins, in The Lady in Red. This is The Mysterious Traveler, inviting you to join me on another journey of the realm of the strange and the terrifying. I hope that you enjoy the trip, that it thrills you a little and chills you a little. So settle back, get a good grip on your nerves and be comfortable, if you can, as we join crime reporter Bill Storm on the strangest manhunt ever conducted. Now here's the story. Chester's Bill Storm wrote it down when he began to be afraid that maybe he was going to succeed and find the strange and dangerous woman he knew only as the lady in red. My name is Bill Storm. I'm a newspaper reporter and I'm writing this because I have a date tonight. A date with a gorgeous brunette with big dark eyes and a softest voice in the world. Sounds nice doesn't she? Well I'd like to believe she's nice, but I can't. In my heart I know she's the most dangerous woman in the world and up to a week ago I'd never even heard of her. A week ago, the day of Rusty Dean's funeral. You know the big shot? Gambling, slot machines, killed by a solitary gunman while stepping out of his nightclub. They didn't catch the killer, though he gave Rusty the biggest funeral since prohibition. I was on the rewrite desk that afternoon. My best friend Tom Jarvis was covering the funeral. Well along about four he phoned in. First he gave me all the dope on the funeral and then he started telling me about some brunette he just met. It was always a sucker for brunettes. Bill she's a knockout. Big black eyes and the smoothest softest voice in the world. I want you to meet her. No blondes are more my style Tom. Anyway you're supposed to be working or have you forgotten. I am working. Listen Bill, I got a front page story here. Theta led me to it. Who did? Theta, that's her. T-H-E-D-A. Theta. Like Theta Barra, the old silent picture star. Now this is how it happened. I was watching the crowd at Rusty's funeral when I spotted a trim little number in red whispering to Joe Nelson. Who's Nelson? Joe Nelson, a small-time thug. Well anyway, she moved off and I thought she might be a relative of the deceased so I asked Joe about it. But he claimed he'd never seen her before and that all she said to him was four o'clock at the banner bar and grill. Four o'clock at the banner bar and grill? That sounds like a message. Well that's what Joe figured. Only he decided she delivered it to the wrong guy. Well, I sort of wanted to see her again so I persuaded Nelson he needed a drink. We slipped around the corner here to the banner bar and grill and sure enough, she was here waiting for us. Now Tom, watch yourself. Bill, you've got the wrong idea. She's a perfect lady. Yeah. Now what about that big story you claimed you had? Oh well, I'm coming to that. But honest, Bill, I want you to meet Theta. You'll go for her. Now look, I'm going to put her on the phone to say hello. Here she is. Theta? Hello, Bill Storm. Hello, Theta. Is that your real name? Yes. Don't you like it, Bill? Sure, I like it. What's the rest of it? There isn't any rest of it, Bill. Just Theta. Nobody is just one name. Not these days. I have, Bill. But here's Tom again. Listen, Bill, I'm going to fix up a date with her for you. But here's the story I promised you. Joe Nelson has been getting quietly plastered. And from when he's let slip, I'm positive he's the gunman who killed Rusty Deem. He is. Then hang on to him. I am. Now you get a car and come down here. We'll smuggle him up to the office and work on him. Maybe we can get the whole story out of him. I'll be there in 15 minutes. Keep buying him drinks till I get there. What's the address? It's on the corner of Fifth and Spruce. Hey, Bill, two men just came in the door and they got Tommy guns. They're after Joe Nelson. Tom, what happened? They just mowed him down and Theta's gone. She slipped away when they came in. Hey, Bill, they're coming over toward this phone booth. They're going to shoot. Bill! Tom! Tom! She knows who they are. I was there in five minutes, even before the police got there. The place was deserted, except for the two dead men. Joe Nelson, the gunman, and Tom. Tom, my best friend. Led to his death by a girl in a red dress. Well, the police didn't find the gunman who did the shooting, so I set out to find the girl to track them down through her. Once I found her, she was going to talk. Plenty. I began the hunt by calling on the man who had been rusty Dean's chief lieutenant and was running his enterprises now. Nick Murray. Sit down, Storm. Said you wanted to talk to me. What about? Murray, did your boys kill Joe Nelson this afternoon? My boys? No, Bill, they didn't. Why should they? Maybe because it was Nelson who bumped off rusty Dean. He did? How do you know that? You mean you didn't know it? If I'd have known it, Nelson would have been dead long before this. I figure then. That's what made me think you were in the clear. You haven't told me how you know Nelson killed Rusty. Well, he had a few drinks this afternoon and let us slip out to Tom Jarvis. Just before those two hoodlums riddled them both. A brunette named Theta put Nelson and Tom on the spot for them. Brunette named Theta? Never heard of her. I hoped you might have. Trim figure, deep, dark eyes, low, soft voice. Looks like a lady. Some lady, if she works with a bump off gang. No, I never heard of her. But if she's working with any local mob, I'll hear about it. If any of the boys run across her, I'll let you know. Thanks, Murray. But warn them, if they do meet her, watch out. She's pure dynamite. Well, it was one lead that got me no place. So next I dropped in on Captain Hughes, the head of homicide, to ask if the police had gotten any fingerprints off the glass that the girl had been drinking from. Sorry, Bill. No dice. You mean you didn't get anything from the girl's glass? Not a thing. You see, she hadn't touched it. None of the liquor was gone. Well, now that proves she wasn't on the level. Well, not necessarily. But I've issued orders to have her picked up if she's found. We tried to get a description from Gomez, the waiter who served them, but... But what? He says he didn't get a good look at her. When she slipped away, he didn't even see her go. Some eyes he must have. I suppose he didn't even see the shooting. Not much of it. He dived down the cellar steps when it started. He's in the civic hospital now. I'm going out there to talk to him. He must have noticed something. It wasn't much of a lead, but it was all I had. It was pretty late by now. And when I got there, the hospital had settled down for the night. They put Gomez in a ward. Outside the ward, I found a nurse on duty. A blonde kid who turned as I came up. Oh, good evening. You looking for someone? Yes, my name is Torm. I'm looking for a patient named Gomez. Gomez? Oh, yes. Broken arm and internal injuries. How is he? Is he awake? Yes. Feeling badly. Complains of pains in his chest. If he's awake, I want to talk to him. This is police business. What beds are you in? Well, the last one down by the far door. But I'll have to ask the doctor if you can see him. Wait here, please. She disappeared down the hall, but I didn't wait. The ward was dark except for a couple of dim lights. I started for the far end. And then I saw her. She was just a figure in a red dress bending over the last bed. But it was theta all right. It had to be. My tiptoe down the room. She was talking to Gomez. He was moaning a little. It hurts, doesn't it, Gomez? Yes, of course it does, but it'll go away soon. He mumbled something, and then he reached for a glass on the table beside his bed. A drink of water? Let me help you. She helped him lift the glass to his lips. And then I knew what she was up to when I yelled, Gomez, drop that glass! Don't freak out of it! He dropped it all right, but it was too late. He'd already drunk from it. He turned to stare at me, his mouth open, and she moved toward the door right beside her. I ran after her, but I was too late. When I reached it, she was gone. Swallowed up in a dark hole. I knew it wasn't in use, hunting for her, and I turned to Gomez. In my impatience, I grabbed his shoulder. Gomez, who was she? What did she want? You're not supposed to be in here. What are you doing to my patient? I'm going to make a mess of it. You leave him alone. He's not going to answer any questions for you tonight. Am I serious? I'm afraid not, Mr. Storm. He's dead. Yes, he was dead all right. The only possible witness who could lead me to her and she eliminated him. Then I knew whoever she was and whatever her game was. Trying to find her was going to be about as safe as moving into a den of rattlesnakes. I put in a bad night trying to figure it all out. The next morning, when I got down to the paper in my eyes, looking like two holes burning my blotter, I hunted up my editor, Henry Halloway, in the city room. Well, look at Frankenstein. What happened to you, Bill? Oh, I'm all right, Henry. Isn't anything new coming about those thugs who killed Tom? Not a thing. The paper is needling the police, but, uh, well, so far no results. Man, that won't be, either, till we find that girl in red. She's the key to the whole thing, I know it. Aren't you getting a little hepped up about that girl in red? After all, she may be perfectly innocent. Oh, yeah? And how do you explain her killing Gomez last night just before I could question her? Well, are you sure that you didn't imagine you saw her at the hospital after all nobody else did? Not even the nurse. Imagine it. I heard her talking to him. And I saw honey voice as if she was bringing him flowers instead of poison. Well, that's another thing. The hospital autopsy, Gomez, had found no trace of poison. That claimant was internal hemorrhage, a shock that killed him. Sure, a shock of a nice, healthy slug of poison in his glass of water. But I suppose they didn't find anything. They weren't looking for it, that's all. And I saw her kill him. Okay, okay, you saw her. Now what? I want to be relieved of all assignments until I find her, that's what. She's in this city and I'll run her down inside of a week or I'll quit calling myself a reporter. A week, I said. It didn't take any week to find her, not that girl. She got around too much. I saw her again just one hour later. It happened like this. I went back to my apartment, dropped into a chair beside my window, and I started to figure my next move. The window looks out on another building across an air shaft, not 10 feet away. Well, I'd been sitting there about half an hour. When out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone in the room directly across from me, come to the window and stand there, looking over at me. It was a girl in a red dress, wearing a cute little hat with a veil down over her eyes. As soon as I saw her, I knew it was theater. Oh, don't ask me how I knew. I just did. Standing there with a 10-foot air shaft separating us. I did what I could. I turned so that she couldn't see what I was doing, and I got Captain Hughes on the phone. He said he'd have the building surrounded if I could only keep her talking for about five minutes. When I hung up the phone, I turned back toward the window trying to act casual. Hello, Theta. You're looking for me? Hello, Bill. No, it's just accidental that I'm here. But you're looking for me, aren't you? Her voice did something to me. I can't explain it. But a minute ago, I had hated her. And now... Well, now I knew why Tom had gone overboard about her. I said something, anything to keep her talking. Oh, yeah, I've been looking for you. You're a hard girl to find. I have to be, Bill. But why, Theta? You're just a kid. What kind of racket are you mixed up in, anyway? I'm sorry, Bill. I can't answer that. Oh, but listen, you could be anything you wanted. You don't have to be mixed up with murder. Then you think I'm a murderer? Well, what else can I think? Last night you killed that poor devil at the hospital. I saw you. Yes, I know. You wouldn't believe me if I told you you're wrong, would you? I'd like to, but I... I can't, Theta. I can't. I'm sorry, Bill. Someday you'll know the truth. Now I have to go. No, no, no, wait. Let me look at you. I think we met someplace before. Yes? Yeah. It was in Chicago. But I can't remember where. Please don't cry, Theta. And don't try to find me anymore. Goodbye. No, no, no, wait. But she was gone. And then somebody else appeared at the window. A window washer. He started to climb out on the sill to fasten his belt to the safety hooks. And I yelled at him, hey, you, that girl was there. Stop her. You mean the little number in her address? Yeah, where'd she go? Well, she went out just as I command. Well, go after her. Grab her. She's wanted by the police. Well, Mr. and Mr. I'm here to wash windows, not to chase dames. The police want to let them catch her. Now quit bothering me. I got a job to do. Look out, your safety hooks are bending. What? What? Oh, no! Right in front of my eyes he fell... 15 floors. I saw the safety hooks break as he leaned his weight against them. And then I knew why she'd been there. She'd been there to weaken those hooks to make sure that poor devil fell and killed himself. Well, Storm, we didn't get her. She slipped through our fingers somehow. She was there, Captain. I saw her. I talked to her. Yeah, she was there. All right. He found a woman's anchorchief in the room. Initial J on it. Heavy perfume. Here it is. Hmm, lilac. Drenched in lilac. But the initials are J. She said her name was Theta. She was kidding him. But she did the job all right. Those safety hooks had been filed away to nothing. One of the local mobs is trying to get control of the window washers union. That's why he was killed, intimidation. Ah, sweet little lady, that one. But, uh, Storm, the elevator boy who took her up says she was a blonde, not a brunette. Oh, he's crazy. Her hair is as black and soft as midnight. You're getting poetic, aren't you? I wonder if you were still as anxious to find that girl as you were. What? Of course I am. And when I find her, she'll get what's coming to her. That's what I said. I didn't know for sure whether I meant it or not. I just knew I had to find her again. For four days, I combed the town for that girl. And then two nights ago, as I was walking home, just about midnight, I ran into Dutton, a cop I knew, looking down the dark street and scratching his head. Hello, Dutton. What's the matter? Is he a ghost? Oh, hello, Mr. Storm. Now, but I got a funny feeling. I just saw that girl Captain Hughes once picked up. You did? Where? When? Well, just a minute ago, I was walking my beat when this dame comes past me all dressed in red. Yeah, go on. What happened then? Where'd she go? Down the street. She turned into that door down there. Come on. In 30 seconds, we were standing before the dark door that Dutton said the girl had turned into. It was partly open. And that's the door, Mr. Storm. But that's the entrance to where the first storage loft. Now, why should she go in there? I don't know, but we'll find out. But let me go first. I got a gun here. I'll see what's going on inside here. He pushed the door open and stepped into the dark hall, and then I heard him call out. Hey, lady, I want to talk to you. Hey, you up there. Put on those phones. Is that true? No. She was just standing there. There was two guys upstairs, hijacking the first thing. Dutton. Dutton. God, listen, Storm, you say you didn't see her. Then how do you know it was the same girl? I know, Captain, you. She was acting as a lookout for those fur thieves. She deliberately lured him in there to his death. Maybe. And maybe not. I'm seriously beginning to doubt if it's the same girl mixed up in all these cases. I think it's just a theory. Your theory. Well, I'll prove it to you. She's definitely mixed up in the rackets. By now, Nick Murray and his boys must have learned something about her. I'm going over there to find out. When I got to Murray's club, one of the boys showed me up to the office. Oh, hello, Storm. Sit down. Do you drink? No, thanks. I just wondered if you had picked up any trace of that girl I was asking you about. No, the boys haven't turned up a thing. You sure you're not just imagining it? That's what the police are beginning to think, too. But I tell you, I'm not. She's real all right. There was any such girl working in this man's town. I'd know about it by now. Unless she's awfully smart. And it looks like this one is. Well, I guess I better go and get some sleep. A year ago, I don't know anything about the girl, but tomorrow I may be able to tell you who killed your sidekick, Tom Jarvis. You may. When? I won't have the dope until tomorrow night. You'll meet me around 10. I can give it to you. I'll meet you. Just say where. You know the tambourine bar on Third Avenue? No, but I can find it. There's a back room. Meet me there about 10. Come alone. I'll be there. I went home, but I didn't get much sleep. And it was too keyed up. About three, I got up and put on a dressing gown and sat down by the window to smoke. And then, behind me. Hello, Bill Storm. I turned. Then she was there. I started to stand up. No, stay where you are, Bill. And let you do our leave. Peter, why have you come here? You've been looking for me so hard. I thought I ought to. Look, I won't touch your trying to make you stay, but let me get up and fix your drink. Sorry, Bill. I can't stay. But I wanted to tell you the times come when I can let you know the truth about me. You mean you're going to tell me who you are and why you've done what you've done? Everything, Bill. But not tonight. I'll see you again tomorrow, Bill. Where? When? You have an appointment, don't you, with Nick Murray? Yeah. How do you know? Are you working with him? Please, don't ask me any questions now. I'll tell you everything tomorrow night. Good night, Bill. Oh, no, no, wait. You can't go yet. But she was gone. By the time I reached the door, she was out of sight. Well, I went back to bed, but I didn't get any sleep. I was groggy, punch-drunk. I knew she was guilty, but I wanted to believe she was innocent. I couldn't. Now I'm going to learn the truth. I'm waiting here in the back room at the tambourine bar. It's almost 10. I'm just finishing up this report that I started this morning. She should be here soon. So should Nick Murray. If she convinces me she's innocent, I'll tear this up. But if she isn't, well, I'm going to find out because she's coming through the door now. Hello, Bill. Hello, Theta. So you did come. Of course I came. You believe bad things about me, don't you? Yes. How can I help it? Believe me, Bill, I'm not wicked. Look at me. See if you really think I'm bad. She lifted her veil and at last I saw her face clearly. It was just as I thought it would be. A beautiful face with dark eyes that I could see into deeper and deeper, like looking into the heart of night itself. Now, Bill, do you really think I'm wicked? Oh, no. Who are you then? What's your connection with these murders? You'll know soon. I have to leave now just for a minute or two, just while you talk to Murray. He's coming now. She slipped out one door while Murray came in the other. Nick closed the door and sat down. Well, I see you're here on time, Storm. Yes. If you can tell me who killed Tom Jarvis, I want to know. That's what I'm here for. Two of my boys killed him. You see, Joe Nelson killed Rusty Dean for me so I could take over his racket. Then I saw your friend trying to pump Joe. I couldn't afford to take chances. I had to get rid of them both. And that explains a lot. But what about the girl? Oh, no, the thing about her. I think you just made her up as an excuse to come asking questions. No, I didn't. She's real. I know better. Because you did see a girl in that apartment where the window washer fell, and a red dress. You saw Janice, my girl. Your girl? She filed those safety hooks and lost that handkerchief the police found. You mean you had that fella killed, too? Little business deal I'm interested in. Protection stuff. And last night, I decided you were getting to be a nuisance. That's why I'm telling you this now because you're not going to pass it on. Oh, no. Don't put that gun away. You can't get away with it. So long, Storm. They're mating again. Peter. Peter. Peter, call a doctor. You'll be all right, Bill. Don't worry. But I need a doctor. You? Yes. I know you know. I know where I saw you that time in Chicago. Yes. I knew you'd remember. No. Don't stay away from me. I won't let you come near me. Oh, no, I won't. You're not going to get me like you did the other... Mr. Storm. Mr. Storm, can you hear me? Where am I? My nurse. Yes. You're in Civic Hospital. You were brought here an hour ago, shot in the chest. A policeman found you crawling down Third Avenue. Oh, yeah, I remember. Oh, nice. Great. Take this, Don. Nick Murray shot me. Get word in the morning. Certainly, yes. Now, please lie quietly while I go get the doctor. I'll only be a minute. Hello, Bill. Peter. I saw you follow me. You shouldn't have run away. I did it because I remembered where I saw you the last... in Chicago. The time I was in a taxi accident, I saw you in the other car. Just before we hit... three people were killed. Yes, Bill. You did see me then. And now you know who I am. Yes. Now I understand... why you were around when those people died. I never... expected you to be... a beautiful girl. Why not? Just because people think of me as an ugly old man with a scythe, does that make it true? I'm not really ugly, you know. I'm not someone you have to be. I'm not really ugly. I'm not someone you have to be afraid of. No. I'm glad that you're... beautiful. It makes it... easier... this way. Now take my hand, Bill. It's time for us to go. Yeah. Sure. I'm ready. I'm ready. He recovered consciousness a minute ago, Dr. Clark. I came for you at once. Seem to be quite strong, and I... Dr.... Dr. Clark, he's dead. There is Trevor again. So that was the secret of the lady in red. Peter. A strange name. T-H-E-D-A. I wonder if Bill ever did realize those are the same letters that spell... death. But he did what he set out to do. He learned the truth and avenged his friend. But if you should meet an alluringly beautiful girl who wa... Oh, you'll 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 with a title role played by Maurice Tarplin. Others in our cast were Chester Stratton, Joan Tompkins, Joseph DeSantis, and Larry Blyton. Original music composed and played by Al Finnelli. All characters in this story were fictitious. Any resemblance to the names of actual persons purely coincidental. Phil Tarkin speaking, this is the mutual broadcasting system.