 suspense. And the producer of radio's outstanding theatre of thrills, the master of mystery and adventure, William M. Robeson. The story with the surprise ending is one of the most difficult to write. Yet the old switcheroo, as we call it in the trade, had fascinated readers for a long, long time before O'Henry virtually patented it. It's a difficult form because the switch must come logically out of the characters and their behavior, but it must come suddenly, unexpectedly, and at the very end of the story. You're about to hear a modern example, and we'll bet you all the red flags in Communist China you can't guess the end until 25 minutes from now. Listen, listen then as Mr. Herbert Marshall stars in the long shot, which begins in exactly one minute from now. Another visit with Joe and Daphne Forsythe. Joe. Joe. Joseph. Yeah, yeah, I'm up. I'm up. Pour the coffee. I'll be right in. Relax. It's three in the morning. Huh? I said relax. It's three in the morning. I was relaxed. Daphne, why did you wake me up? Well, I was just wondering what happened to our savings bonds. You were what? I had a dream. I dream you lost all of your money and all we had left were our savings bonds. I see. So I just wanted to make sure they were all right. They're all right. They're with the other important papers. You're sure? Of course I'm sure. Well, I just don't want anything to happen to them. Savings bonds are the most secure form of investment. Why, the whole faith and credit of the United States stand behind those bonds of ours. Uh-huh. So they're even better than dollars in your pocket because the government stands behind them and protects them. Uh-huh. And they protect us too, Joe. Every bond is an investment in our country, in our security and freedoms. Uh-huh. Joe. Uh-huh. Well, how about that? He feels so secure he went back to sleep. Uh-huh. Good night, darling. And now, the long shot, starring Herbert Marshall. A tale well calculated to keep you in. Suspense. Very well done, Lieutenant. If you're willing to take it down, here is my statement. It seems a year, but I guess it's only 10 days since I was sitting in the lobby of the Aster Hotel in New York with 28 cents in my pocket. It had been a dreadful season at the track. So there I was, stony. Somebody had discarded the afternoon paper and I picked it up. I was folded to the classified section and my eyes fell upon a most intriguing head in the hope-wanted column. Englishman will pay $150 and expenses to fellow countrymen, preferably Londoner, in return for services as driver and traveling companion on automobile trip to San Francisco. This was the answer to all my problems. And a quarter hour later, I presented myself at the door of my unwitting benefactor's quarters. Yes? I've come about your advertisement. Oh yes, a step inside, please. Thank you. You have a chair. Thank you. You're English, I presume? Yes, indeed. Londoner, I hope. Born and bred. Well, I must say that's a relief. I've been plagued with applicants all day, not a Londoner in the lot. You see, the old town's sort of a fetish with me. A man can't really consider himself civilized unless he's a Londoner. Quite. You say you were born there? Oh yes, in Weigel Street, just off St. James's Square, August 18th, 1910. No other town like the inside of my hat. Weigel Street? I'm not sure that I know it. It turns right, off Sackville Street and runs some little way before it reaches Regent Street. Oh yes, yes, yes, I place it now. Well, you seem to be the genuine article. Tell me, why are you interested in going to San Francisco? You know anything about horse racing, Mr... No, I'm sorry, my name is Hendricks, Walker Hendricks. Mine's Kelly Raymond. Well, how'd you do, Mr. Raymond? No, I can't say that I do particularly. Been to Epsom Downs on a few occasions. I see. Well, I become rather fond of the horses. I might even say financially dependent on them. And with Bay Meadows opening shortly. Bay Meadows? That's a race course near San Francisco. Oh, I see. Well, you have business, it takes you to San Francisco and survive. But I just couldn't face making a trip alone, or even worse, with an American. That's why I advertised. What a stroke of luck to find you. Not only a fellow countryman, but a fellow Londoner. Oh, excuse me. Hello? Oh, yes. Well, yes, well, I'm dreadfully sorry, but I just hired a man. I was sitting pretty. The only thing I was afraid of was death from sheer boredom. Because from the moment we started out, all Mr. Hendricks talked about was London. Have you spent much time in Soho, Raymond? I never lived there, if that's what you mean. No, no, no, no, no, no, I mean the restaurants and so on. Do you know them? You see now, there's the Moroccan, no, what was it? Oh, the Algerian cafe in Dean Street, isn't it? Quite right, the Algerian in Dean Street. A big French woman ran it. We used to call her Madame Couscous. Oh, quite. As a matter of fact, I saw her there only a short time ago. Well, seems to be she died a few years back. Oh, well, you probably met her daughter. No doubt, no doubt. Well, there's a sign, Cleveland, 38 miles. Uh, spend the night there, I'd expect. Good idea. Now, let's see where we're... Oh, yes, we were talking about Soho. Yes, we were talking about Soho, and we continued to talk about it the rest of the way to Cleveland and most of the night in the hotel room. I began to think the man doubted my authenticity and was trying to trip me up. Next day, we covered Whitechapel, Beatspeak, Bloomsbury, Mayfair. He still hadn't stuck me, but I was beginning to feel like a well-found Vedica's guide by the time we reached Chicago. As soon as we checked into our hotel room, I tried to get away from him for a while. Uh, say, Mr. Hendricks, I wonder if I might have a small advance on my salary. Well, I suppose so. It's still rather early, and I thought I might look over the windy city. Yes, of course, Raymond. Uh, here, let me open my valise. Hmm. Now, this infernal lock is always acting up. Ah, there we are. Oh, 20 AB enough. Fine, thanks. Hey, look here, I believe I'll join you. Stretch the legs a bit, eh? There was a horse-choking wad of bills in that valise, but I was so burned at him tagging along, I didn't give it a thought then. My favorite joint was just around the corner from the hotel, hanging out for touts and bookies. But I didn't see anybody I knew at first. We had a club sandwich, and at Mr. Hendricks' request, I was expounding scholastically on the difference between Chicago and London bacon when... Kelly! Tommy! Good to see you, Kelly. I thought you were in Miami. Leaving in a couple of days. How about coming along? I can't. I'm on my way to San Francisco. Oh, this is, uh, Mr. Hendricks? Tommy to wit. How are you? How you do? Uh, listen, Kelly, I gotta talk to you. I've got a big deal cooking. I'm afraid I... You know, my an excusing is for a minute, do you, Mr. Hendricks? No, no, go on, please. Look, Kelly, I'll get right to the point. We bought us some jockeys. Mm-hmm. It's coming up next week at Hyalaya. 500 will get you 10 grand on the parlay. But I've got to drive that stiff to San Francisco. Uh-huh. What if you just, uh, walk down? No, because I could. But where do I get 500? Has he got any money? No, I don't... Wait a minute. That release. Huh? For sure this can't lose. I'm sorry, sir. Why, listen, you go back to the booth and keep Hendricks busy for a few minutes. Tell him I have to make a phone call or something. I'll meet you at the IC station in half an hour. I slept out through the kitchen and in two minutes I was back in our room at the hotel. There was the police just as he left it. And to make things even easier, the faulty catch wasn't locked. There were $680 in $20 bills in the wallet and a chief of legal-looking documents in the portfolio next to it. I glanced at them idly as I pocketed the money. On top was a letter from a law firm in San Francisco. It was dated two months ago and addressed to Hendricks in Bedford Park, London. It said, since you are completely unknown personally to either relatives or legal counsel in the United States, it has been necessary to establish proof of your right to your uncle's estate entirely by documentary evidence. And we are happy to state that such proof is now thoroughly established. We ask that you present yourself at your earliest convenience at our San Francisco law offices so that final disposition of the estate may be accomplished. First certificate, affidavits from friends. Notarized statement from the Department of Records, a chief of letters. It was a long shot. A long shot that would pay off at least $100,000. Everything. Every affidavits statement was a guarantee of Walker Hendricks, the bearer. And to tie it up tighter, one of the letters said pictures wouldn't be necessary. Just a passport. And I knew a place in San Francisco that made passports to order. A long shot. But did you ever see odds like that? We continue with the second act of suspense. Memo on Medals. Information about our military awards and decorations. The highly honored Legion of Merit is a five-pointed white star of heraldic form bordered by purple-red enamel. In the center of this beautiful decoration is a constellation of 13 white stars on a blue field breaking through a gold circle of clouds. Backing the star is a green enamel laurel wreath interlaced with crossed war arrows in gold pointing outward. The ribbon is purple-red, edged with white. The Legion of Merit can be awarded to any personnel of the armed forces of the United States and of the government of the Philippines and to personnel of the armed forces of friendly nations who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. When awarded to the military of other countries, the Legion of Merit is divided into four ranks. Chief Commander, Commander, Officer, and Legionnaire, depending upon the degree of the service we honor. Since its creation by active Congress in 1942, the Legion of Merit has become a highly honored symbol of our nation's acknowledgment of the bravery and dedication of free men. And now, Starring Herbert Marshall, act two of the Long Shot. Yes, it was a Long Shot. Anyway, I put the papers and the money back in the valise and called Tommy DeWitt, told him the highly ordeal was off. There wasn't any money in the room. And the next morning, Hendricks and I left Chicago westbound on Route 30 and Old London Town rode with us. You were saying you know the George Inn, Raymond? Yes, but it's not in London proper. It's in Southwark on the other side of the river. Oh, I believe you're right at that. Rare road in the George with its posting yard. I did a lot of thinking during those long, dull miles across the plains. You know, my heart had looked like a cinch but by the time we hit Cheyenne, I began to waver a little. And when we rolled into Salt Lake City I was almost ready to give up the whole idea. It was too cut and dried. Too easy for a Long Shot. Almost like a trap someone set for me with a hundred grand as the bait. And once I went for it, there'd be no turning back. It was a good gamble. But the stakes were too high and there was no way of telling what the payoff would be without tossing everything on the line. That's what I was thinking at about six o'clock last Wednesday night when we pulled up in front of the Warsaw Hotel in Salt Lake. Joe, I'd be glad to wash up. That prairie country is a poorly... It's good to have some trees for a change. Yeah. Pretty town, Salt Lake. You have an aunt here, you know. Oh, how long since you've seen her? We've never seen her. I don't intend to. She's a sister of my mother's, Marguerite Stoddard. Thoroughly Americanized, I understand and probably a frightful boy. Probably. That was... just as if I'd asked for it. A way of telling about that payoff ahead of time. A laboratory test right there in Salt Lake City with nothing to lose if it didn't work out. I got away from Hendricks after dinner, found Marguerite Stoddard's address in the phone book and took a cab out to her house. Yes? Good evening. Are you Mrs. Marguerite Stoddard? Yes. I'm Walker Hendricks. Walker? I just can't believe it. Come in, come in. Please make yourself comfortable. Thank you. Well, you're a pleasant surprise, Walker. I suppose I am. I may call you Aunt Marguerite, and I... Of course you may. Well, I expected you to be a little more like... like I am. Like who? Perhaps I'd better not mention it. Oh, please do. I think we should discuss everything, don't you? Of course I do. You'll never know how much your Uncle Gerald regretted what he did. You mean the will? No, long before that. Your mother never told you, I suppose? No, she never mentioned her family. I don't suppose she would. After all, she loved your father, and your Uncle Gerald hated him. And so Uncle Gerald forced her to leave home? Yes. I know Gerald would have been the last to admit it, but I've always felt the will was his stubborn way of making it up to her. Perhaps. I'm sure of it. But at least you will benefit, Walker, now that there's nothing any of us can do for you. If there was any doubt in my mind, it disappeared then and there. The American branch of the family knew absolutely nothing of Cecilia Hendricks from the time she left home until her brother, Gerald, died, leaving her $100,000. At that point, they made a pretty thorough search, for both she and her husband had died in England, and their son, Walker, was the only heir. Everything, everything I needed was back in the hotel in La Fonise. It's 521 miles from Salt Lake to Reno, but I convinced Hendricks we could make it in one jump. I had a special reason. We had to hit the desolate section of Central La Varda about midnight. When you get right down to it, killing a man is a pretty tough job, even when it's as perfect as this was going to be. For once I was thankful for London. It gave us something to talk about, and there was so much in my mind that I might have given myself away in silence. Oh, I prattled on like a phonograph. Oh, yeah, good old whoppy. Yes, yes, whoppy. There's a lovely pub there called Prospect at Whitby. Oh, don't believe I know it. No, I'm not surprised. It's amazing thing about London. It seems that the greenest tourist knows more about it than the Londoners themselves. Hell, I'd say you've done rather well. Mainly because I've been on my own since I was 14. Now, you take yourself, for example, 10 to 1, you've never been in petticoat lane. It's a very marvelous place. Regular Oriental Bazaar right in the heart of the city. Every kind of junk you could imagine. In the middle of the night. At midnight we were somewhere between William Mucker and Reno, passing through St. Barron Hills. I knew the time had come, and my hands began to shake so much I had to grab the wheel with both of them. I felt beneath the cushion when I had put the wrench. It was still there. Finally I held my breath, pulled over on the shoulder. I say, what are you stopping for? Look. Over there, the moonlight on that cliff. Oh, I see. I said, he's lovely. It was all over. I never knew what hit him. I turned up the lights and pulled the body out from the right-hand side. We hadn't passed the car for an hour, so I wasn't worried much about being seen. He was pretty heavy, but I managed to carry him over on my shoulder. About a quarter of a mile from the road I found a small cave at one side of the ravine. I shoved the body in and rolled a large rock over the opening. It started as a small landslide and it covered the hole. No one could possibly find it. I had just about gotten back to the road when I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks. There, behind my car was another one with a seal on the door. The seal of the state of Nevada. In just a moment we continue with the third act of suspense. We have together ample capacity in freedom to defend freedom. This is NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The extensive and varied grouping of NATO military forces called for the establishment of several unique supporting organizations. Among them, the military agency for standardization, London, the advisory group on aeronautical research and development, Paris, and the NATO Defense College, also in Paris. All are vital subordinates in the complex of the NATO Defense Program. The United States of America is a part of NATO. You should be aware of and alert to the programs and objectives of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And now, starring Herbert Marshall, act three of the long shot. Nobody was in the patrol car. The officer must be wandering around looking for me. I lifted the hood of my car and knocked the battery cable off one of the terminals. Then I waited and waited while the coyotes jeered at me from the hills. At last he appeared from the other side of the highway. Hi there. What's trouble? I don't know, officer. She just went dead on me. I was having a look up the road when you arrived. Say she went dead on you? Yeah. Lights went out and motor just died. Then under the hood? Wouldn't do much good, I'm afraid. I'm pretty green at that sort of thing. Let me have a look at it. Would you please? See, the battery cable's jarred loose, mister. You got a wrench? Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Twist this. There you are. Try it now. That looked pretty simple. Yeah, it was. Ah, there she goes. Thanks ever so much. That's okay. Let's see, your name's Hendricks, huh? Yes. Check your registration slip. You're a long way from home. Yeah, that's right. Thanks a lot. You're welcome, sir. Good night. Well, there it is, Lieutenant. It was a long shot. It was a sure thing until I found you waiting for me in the attorney's office. Even then, I'd have gotten away with it if you hadn't told me that the body had been found. Well, aren't you going to say something? Don't you still think I could have carried it off, Lieutenant? Well, Raymond, we arrested you for the murder of Walker Hendricks. Where it appears we were wrong. Well, what are you talking about? It was a long shot, Raymond. And it was almost a sure thing. Maybe that's why both of you gambled on it. What do you mean, both of us? You and that guy you bumped off in Nevada. That guy? Well, that was Hendricks. Oh, Hendricks was murdered all right. But you didn't do it. What? You see, he beat you to it, Raymond. Who beat me? You're a traveling companion. He wasn't. He was an out-of-work actor. He wasn't even an Englishman. That was why he was pumping you so much about London. He was, what do actors call it, getting up in his park? What are you talking about? I thought you found Hendricks' body in Nevada. We haven't found a body in Nevada yet. But one thing's sure, I don't think you're going to find a body in Nevada. I don't think you're going to find a body in Nevada. Well, one thing's sure, Hendricks was never in Nevada. Poor guy never left New York. The New York police turned up the real Hendricks in the East River the day after you left town, chauffeuring for the guy who killed him. Suspense. In which Herbert Marshall starred in William and Robeson's production of The Long Shot by Harold Swanton. Supporting Mr. Marshall in The Long Shot were Florence Walcott, Ben Wright, Joe DeSantis, and Norm Alden. Listen. Listen again next week when we return with another tale well calculated to keep you in. Suspense. Suspense has been brought to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.