 Autolight and its 98,000 dealers bring you Mr. Ronald Coleman in tonight's presentation of Suspense Autolight brings you the story of a mind reader who discovers his nightclub act is not a fake a vision of death Our star mr. Ronald Coleman What's the trouble Oscar Otto? It's my battery Harlow water Why sure? But why not avoid that battery distress Oscar get an auto light stay full the battery that needs water only three times a year in Normal car use A fact that millions of cars and owners have proved for themselves Oscar and the auto light stay full gives longer life too Fiberglass retaining mats protect every positive plate to reduce shedding and flaking and give the auto light stay full longer life as Proved by tests conducted according to accepted life cycle standards. Where do I get this? No worry battery Harlow from your nearest auto light battery dealer to quickly locate him phone Western Union by number and ask for Operator 25 I'll tell you the name of your nearest auto light battery dealer where you can get an auto light stay full the battery That needs water only three times a year in normal car use and remember from bumper to tail light You're always right with auto light and now auto light presents a vision of death Starring mr. Ronald Coleman hoping once again to keep you in suspense If I speak too rapidly for your stenographer, you'll tell me won't you lieutenant no offense But um He impresses me as someone who has to sit on the floor to put on his shoes and stop me if I seem to wander away from the point Won't you I mean to say this is my first and I hope final appearance in a police precinct And I should hate to give a sloppy performance We were always known or aura and I for the smoothness and gem-like precision of our act as far as this murder Rap I suppose it's called is concerned and acquaintance with our act is the essential rabbit awfully good act smart informal Occasionally humorous and always mystifying Well the act always began with music never with the cliche fanfare of trumpets or a roll of drums I would saunter out to the center of the floor and say something like a good evening You're about to witness an exhibition of mental telepathy Ladies and gentlemen may I introduce Aurora my wife? They never fail to give her a hand What would they applaud? Why the vision she presented as she came toward me there has never been anyone as lovely as Aurora The most beautiful flesh in the profession Now Aurora would you care to tell the audience or shall I you tell them Judd while I tie the blindfold across my eyes Ladies and gentlemen all mind readers employ a gimmick a gimmick is a trick a device For example when the mind reader Threading his way through the audience says to the mind reader sitting blindfolded on the stage a lady has given me a small Object which I now hold in my hand What is it and the mind reader sitting blindfolded replies a silver coin the answer has not come through mind reading No, it has come through the gimmick a cue or signal Communicated through the very question itself, but we don't do that. We do not You will notice ladies and gentlemen that I never speak to Aurora at all now. Are you ready, Rory ready? Just here we go then now you sir you have something good Concentrate upon it like a good chap and the gentleman holds a coin in his hand It's a Mexican peso bearing the date one eight nine two That's very clever of you madam. I'll be surprised if she gets this one A sucker once born remains a sucker till death The audience never realized never in all the years We worked that although I was not speaking to Aurora directly my chatter nevertheless was loaded with signals and cues for her guidance By revealing the gimmick we concealed the gimmick and that lieutenant is the neat plus ultra of gimmicks Yes, it was as crude as that But it enabled us to work 50 weeks a year here and abroad at an average of over a thousand a week Of course, I always gave some credit for our success to to our agent Harry Arnold Although Rory was inclined to give him no credit at all Good knows Judt. I've managed to book the act into the college in in Chicago with a four-week guarantee It's not bad, huh? Get him. He managed to book the act. I suppose they never heard of us in Chicago I suppose we weren't held over there six weeks when we played the science who see in 1948 Well, you think it's easy to get a four-week guarantee these days money is short money is tight I have never yet heard you say money is long money is loose You have to sweat for your 10% don't you? Yes, you do and a pig's ear you do Agents they're all alike. There's gratitude for you. There's the milk of human memory What were you when I first saw you nothing not this much playing ten a day under canvas in Monash, Wisconsin and paid off in bottle tops I worked I schemed I Agents all of them all they know is how to live off a dead whale scum of the earth I'm not gonna take that from you hear me. You'll take it baby along with a 10% you'll take it You'll chew it you'll swallow it and you'll keep it down. How do you like that? I'm all in your kid Don't push me too far children children now on your way Harry and don't let it get you down I think a four-week guarantee is pretty good Thanks, Judd, but wasn't for you. I'd yeah, why go into what I'm going for a walk But aside from these altercations between Rory and Harry it was smooth sailing We wore the best ate the best drank the best Stated the finest hotels and every Saturday night after the performance Harry will bring us our salary. We bring it in cash thousand twelve fifty fifteen hundred I've the old performers distrust of checks been given too many with a high latex content Anyway, life couldn't have been more classic and then one evening About five weeks ago soon after we opened at the Grove here in town The frightening thing occurred. We just begun the act and I was out in the audience You will notice ladies and gentlemen that I never speak to Aurora at all. Now. Are you ready, Rory? Ready, Judd? Here we go then now you madam you have sold in her hand a Compact it is platinum it bears her initials are C You sir the gentleman is holding an engagement ring In it are three small diamonds Miss what would you be a young lady is holding? It's a small cameo brooch Rory Rory Maurice music I Picked Rory up from the floor and hurried with her to our dressing room almost beside myself with anxiety I placed her on the couch dampened a towel and put it on her forehead and began to chafer wrists Rory Rory honey Rory Judd Judd. I'm here Rory. Are you all right? I guess so. I don't know what happened. Well, you fainted away try to remember what happened I felt funny. I don't remember try Rory try try to remember. It's important. I can't Why is it important? You don't know Rory? You don't know You were calling out the answers before I even had a chance to give you the cues Do you believe in telepathy lieutenant? I don't mean the sort of thing Rory and I usually did I mean real telepathy I Never did either until that night I don't mind telling you I was badly shaken I mean after all I I knew we'd been using a gimmick and suddenly it began to happen without the gimmick Scared us to death. We didn't know what we were getting into but we went on with the act and in my mind I began to search about for the answer. I found it Of course, you'll find a gimmick in almost everything if you look hard enough. I Got it Rory We work together so long that you know what I'm about to say before I say it from my inflection my pauses even my movements You see oh Judd that has to be it. Oh, this is marvelous when Harry gets back I'll tell him about it and if I last told him I we can ask the management for more dough soon as he gets back next Thursday tonight How much more should we ask for? tonight What made you say tonight? Well, I don't know. Well, you were there when he told me he'd be in Palm Springs till Thursday. What made you say tonight? I don't know what difference does it make stop picking on me? So I made a mistake. So what I don't see how you can make such a mistake That's all just leave me alone I've been worried have crazy about really being able to read your mind. I've been under a strain So Harry's coming back Thursday and not tonight. All right. He's satisfied. He'll be here Thursday not tonight You just as a stone mister this dresser room a what is it telegram sign here sign for it. Will you Rory? There you are kid Judd I'm sorry. I blew up in your face. Judd. What's the matter? It's it's from Harry He's coming in tonight And he did too lieutenant Rory was so upset by it. She couldn't go on at all that evening. She had no explanation for how she knew none I don't know jet. I just don't know my mind seemed to go blank. I seem to hear a voice whisper in my ear Harry Arnold will be with you tonight. That's all When we got back to our suite at the hotel Harry was there waiting for us. Oh, what happened? Well, what happened you both look like ghosts Harry. I'll tell you some other time leave us alone. Will you all right? I'm going I just came to wish you a happy birthday to give you this birthday. Oh Thanks, Harry. Thanks. What is it? We'll open it. Why don't you? It's a bathrobe a red silk bathrobe with your initials. That's right. It's a red How does she know How do you know get out of here? I won't be talked to like that. I don't care who she is I won't be talked to shut up for heaven's sake shut up and go away leave us alone go get out get out you To jet she's got you talking against me, too All right, I'm going I'm going but from here on it it's strictly business between us. I wash my hands He kept his word lieutenant And that time on he kept himself to himself And I was prepared to let it go at that much as I liked Harry Until the night I was awakened by Rory Mourning in her sleep. No No, please. No, don't Rory Rory wake up. You're having a bad dream Rory. No, I'm here What Rory? the voice Whispering again. Yes. Oh Judd what? He's going to kill me Harry Arnold is going to kill me and that lieutenant was the beginning of the end of that Light is bringing you mr. Ronald Coleman in a vision of death tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of thrills suspense Shoot Oscar Otto. I got it and I have it you've got an auto light stay full battery And now you have a power-packed Paragon that gives quick dependable starts and needs water only three times a year in normal car use Just what every driver should say when he needs a battery Oscar an auto light stay full with the fiberglass retaining mats Protecting every positive plate to reduce shedding and flaking and give that brawny battery longer life as proved By tests conducted according to accepted life cycle standards So friends choose the battery that states right on the case needs water only three times a year in normal car use To learn quickly where to get an auto light stay full battery Just phone Western Union by number and ask for operator 25 I'll tell you the location of your nearest auto light battery dealer the expert on all makes of batteries and remember from bumper to Tail light you're always right with auto light And now auto light brings back to our Hollywood soundstage Mr. Ronald Coleman in Elliot Lewis's production of a vision of death a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense Rory get a grip on yourself. He's gonna kill me. Harry's gonna kill me. Don't be ridiculous. Stop it now It was just a bad dream. He's gonna kill me. Will you stop that? Will you stop saying that? Hold me. I'm frightened Harry's gonna kill me. You've had a bad dream. He hates me. He hates me. Oh He's gonna kill me I'm a rational man lieutenant I've always felt for example that when Hamlet says there is stranger things in heaven and earth than a dream Tov in your philosophy Horatio Horatio water reply tell that to Sweeney. I knew there was no such thing as mental telepathy I knew it as well as I know. I'm sitting here talking to you Up here in my head. I knew it and yet the next afternoon I found myself entering a gun shop and purchasing a revolver and a box of bullets Determined that before Harry Arnold could so much as injure one hair of Rory's head. I would kill him. I Should have gone directly to the police first You're using hindsight lieutenant. I had all that out with Rory Please Judd, please go to the police. Tell them about this. Let them handle it. Tell them what? That by reading his mind we've learned Harry intends to murder you they'll believe us They've got to believe you're reasoning like a child They'll decide that it's either a publicity stunt or else it were both lunatics If I tell them about the telegram on the birthday, Rory, we have no proof We have to do something what tell me what you know he intends to kill you. I know he intends to kill you But what can we do? Do you know when he's going to do it or how he's going to do it? No He hasn't decided yet Oh, Judd, isn't there anything we can do? Nothing Except wait I Reacted to the waiting as you might expect lieutenant sleeplessness loss of appetite growing irritability I flared up at everyone waiters Chambermaids elevator boys the manager of the club The manager of the club He finally said to me stone what the devil's gotten into you. I'd really like to know none of your business Well, I'm only trying to be nice. Oh shut up and leave me alone. Sure. I'll let you Alone, I'd let you alone right now if your contract didn't have another week to run But after that, I'll let you strictly alone. You'll never work this club again maniac I began to drink quite heavily quite noticeably I Was going crazy just from the waiting and then the waiting came to an end It was around three in the morning I was sitting up in bed in the dark smoking when Rory opened her eyes and said Judd Yes the voice Yes He is going to kill me here Right here in this room Rory Saturday the Saturday at midnight Rory Rory sweetheart. He's gonna shoot me. He has a gun. He's gonna shoot me He's gonna he's gonna get you downstairs in the manager's office at the club and while you are there He's gonna come up here. No Rory Rory. Listen to me. I want you to listen to me. You're mistaken. Do you understand? You've been having another bad dream and that's all there is to it. No Judd. I swear it He just thought of it just this minute He's standing at a bar Standing there all by himself drinking and he's just this minute decided You're you're making it up Judd. No It's It's the bar over Tuscany Hotel. I See it's so clear You're wrong. I'll prove you wrong Get me the bar at the Tuscany will you over on Sunset one moment, please you'll see Rory He's not there at all. You'll see it's just a dream. Just a bad dream Hello, he's a Harry Arnold there at the bar No, I'm sorry. He's not he's not you're sure of that. I'm sure I'm sure He was here all evening left about a minute ago. I said good night to him myself. Want me to have Look look lieutenant my hands Just the memory of how I felt at that moment of my hands begin to tremble again Amazing, isn't it? Now there was last Thursday night or rather Friday morning Towards daybreak Rory subbed herself to sleep, but I was restless. I got dressed and went downstairs and Got into my car The long drive has always relaxed me, but when I got behind the wheel Oh, I don't know what it was possibly the fresh air, but but all of once I felt as though I couldn't keep my eyes open for another moment Simply had to have some sleep so I Crawled into the back seat Curled myself up in one corner pulled the rug over me and went out like a light I was awakened around noon by the sound of voices Don't slap at me you idiot. They may see us look business-like. Where is he? I don't know since he hasn't got the car. He must be out walking But he fought for it last night just like he fell for all the rest of it the red bathrobe Stooges you planted in the audience Even phoned the bar just after you left. Oh, I timed it beautifully Satin skin satin skin I can have it keep away from after tomorrow night will have all the time in the world for each other Harry You bought the whole story that it's going to happen at midnight tomorrow your place every word Just do what you have to do now. Remember to come to the dressing room before the 8 o'clock show Tell them you've set up a meeting with stamper the manager and stampers office at 12 Yeah, I want them to shake hands and be friends again I'll tell him yes, and don't forget when you come to our door at midnight keep talking to the elevator boy Don't let him go whatever you do you want him to testify for self-defense. Don't worry. I won't forget a thing You'll handle all the rest of it Just leave it to me. I mean about his gun That's pretty important. You know Don't worry. It'll misfire It'll be difficult for me to tell you what I felt as they walked away lieutenant One part of me felt the way a man ought to feel I suppose when he When he learns that the woman he loves is not only unfaithful, but plotting his death as well But another part of me felt only relief Relief at learning there was a gimmick in this tool They'd been fairly clever for amateurs Harry had a good excuse for carrying a gun to protect the cash. She brought me each Saturday My own behavior in recent weeks would lend weight to what he would probably offer in his defense that I must have been crazy But for no reason at all I'd opened the door pointed a revolver at him and threatened his life that he had a shoot in self-defense The presence of the elevator boy They could mean only that Harry would shoot just as soon as I opened the door I'd be found dead with a revolver in my hand and a heartbroken agent at my side Tableau I Found myself hoping as I never hoped before that they'd come to their senses before Saturday That they'd realize what a vicious inhuman thing it was they were planning But just before the eight o'clock show that night. There was a knock at the door of our dressing room come in Judd I've been talking to stamp of the manager. He's sorry. There's bad blood between you and wants to square it I told him you'd be in his office at 12 to talk things over all right with you Yeah, we don't want it. So this will never work here again. Do we I mean there's no reason we should no reason at all But my dress judge see you later judge Yeah, later We did the show and then went up to our suite. I Convinced Rory that I should meet Harry alone and then I helped her pack a small overnight bag I loaded the revolver and then there was nothing to do but wait The minutes passed nine o'clock ten ten thirty and I waited Judd Yes It doesn't seem right to leave you here alone Harry might know you go Things might not turn out as I planned am I not be able to stop him and if I fail to stop him No, no, it's best that you go just wait at the motel until you hear from me What time is it? almost 11 two minutes of 11 I I'm out of cigarettes This is mr. Stone in 1101 please send up a carton of players William right away. I want you to go now Rory Judd, let me call the police, please. It'd be useless. We've gone into it and it would be useless Well, then come with me. He won't find anybody here and he choose another place another time Here's your release. You have your gun in my pocket. You you won't take any chances I don't know what I'd do if you were hurt. I won't take any chances Let me help you on with your coat Oh John, I love you so yeah, I know and I love you Rory. I really do you know You ready? Yes 11 o'clock You'll be here in an hour. Yeah. Yeah go now Rory kiss me. Good. Bye John No, the cigarettes Get them will you darling. Well, I find change. I shall always remember the look on Harry's face Lieutenant as she sank to the floor They'd concocted a bad dream between them and it had come true I'll bet he still doesn't know how it happened if you pass his cell you might tell him just whisper the word gimmick into his ear Yeah, that's what I said gimmick. I Gimmicked the clock while Rory was dressing set it back a full hour. It was 11 to her But 12 to him. I adore gimmicks. Don't you? Suspense Presented by auto light tonight star mr. Ronald Coleman This is Harlow Wilcox speaking for auto light and bringing back our distinguished star mr. Coleman Thank you, Harlow You know it's been over two years since I last played in auto lights theater of thrills But I've listened to suspense Attain new dramatic heights this season with such exciting fairs Edwin Drude and of course Othello Harlow my congratulations to our producer director Elliott Lewis and to water light for magnificent radio entertainment Thank you, mr. Coleman and friends You can always expect the finest from auto light the world's largest independent manufacturer of automotive electrical equipment Every auto light product is backed by constant research and precision built to the highest standards of quality and performance No wonder auto light serves the greatest names in the industry. Yes from bumper to tail light You're always right with auto light Next week we recreate one of the great mysteries of the sea a ship found drifting in perfect condition But with no human aboard the mystery of the Marie Celeste our star mr. Van Heflin That's next week on suspense Suspense is produced and directed by Elliot Lewis with music composed by Lucian Morrowick and conducted by Ludbluston a Vision of death was adapted for suspense by Walter Brown Newman from the original story by Jerry Hausner Into night story. Mary Jane Croft was heard as Aurora featured in the cast were high-ever back Benny Rubin Julie Bennett and Charles Calvert A full battery is auto light resistor or standard type spark plugs and auto light electrical parts at your neighborhood Auto light dealers switch to auto light. Good night. This is the CBS radio network