 WROW Albany, fair and cool tonight, gradually diminishing winds, the low 25 to 30, Monday continued fair and mild, high in the low 50s, present temperature 45 degrees. And now, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. In a moment, act one of memory of a murder, starring Philip Sterling as Harry Jonas, and written especially for suspense by John Robert. This first portion of suspense is brought to you by the makers of alpine cigarettes. What's it like to smoke an alpine? Well, it's like many fresh little things that please you. It's like the stirring of leaves when a breeze comes up, like a weather vane turning in a summer sky, the way the air feels in the morning when you open the door to get the paper. That's what it's like to smoke an alpine. Alpine is nothing at all like the sort of smoking you may be used to. Alpine is a fresh, free-wheeling kind of smoke, a bright, bracing, even invigorating kind of taste. If this sounds good to you, try alpine filter cigarettes. There's something more to smoking with an alpine cigarette. I let my thoughts project once. It was while I was sitting on a bench in Cumberland Park. I saw a scene suspended in time. I saw it, just me and nobody else, like I was getting a sneak preview of something yet to happen, or maybe something that had already happened. An old scene that keeps wandering in space because it never found its place in time. In the scene, there's a young guy screaming, the scream of a man looking into the face of his murder. It's in Windgate Cemetery. In the scene, I'm hiding behind a tombstone, watching a gray digger working away by lantern light as a body on the ground. The young man, blue in the face where the moon touches his cheeks, and very dead. The digging stops, then soon the earth is restored. The digger is a tall man with sunken cheeks like deep holes in his face. The last thing he does is pick up an object that looks like it might have fallen from the corpse's pocket. He exams it, then heats it in the direction of my hiding place. It hits the tombstone I'm hiding behind. When I can, I pick it up. It's a medal, the size of a half dollar. He's engraving on it, Queen Isabella of Spain, and the words Boinexito, good luck in Spanish. Then I lose the digger. The following day, I find him again. I find him on a colored poster nailed against the wall of the pageant theater. There was this picture. The tall man with sunken cheeks wearing a flowing black cape. The poster read, Constantine Prince of Illusion, assisted by the beautiful Marietta. Constantine Prince of Illusion was a vaudeville act. It was a guy outside the theater nailing up a sign. Man wanted it read, apply it inside. I applied outside. I'll take that job, mister. You don't even know what the job is. I'm adaptable. I learn fast. It's sweeping floors. Well, I'm a whiz with a broom. It's troubleshooting backstage. If a wire's short or a fire's dark. I've been handling trouble since I was born. What's your name? Harry Jonas. All right. I'm Charlie Prince, the theater manager. Okay, Harry. Looks like you've got the job. Well, maybe a better way to put it, Mr. Prince. The job's got me. The job did have me. I saw the floors changed fuses when they blew and announced the act from 1 p.m. to closing. Closing was Constantine Prince of Illusion, assisted by a beautiful blonde named Marietta. And an old lady Anna, a kind of a wardrobe mistress to Marietta. Constantine's act was the one the audience really paid to see. It was straight terror. The regular routine of sewing Marietta in half, knife throwing, setting her on fire with a new wrinkle for a smash finish. A guillotine. Marietta stuck her head on a chopping block and an overhead knife came slicing down the head roll. It makes you sick. What? What'd you say? I say Constantine's act with a guillotine makes you sick. It was old Anna, the woman who got Marietta in and out of her costumes. Yeah, it looks so real. It gave me the shivers. Even knowing it's phony. I know. Always you are afraid for Marietta. Like Nino always was afraid for her. Who's Nino? Nino stood here in the wings like you, sick for Marietta. I asked you, who's Nino? You have his job now. And you have his medal. What? I have his what? Nino's medal with the face of Queen Isabella. What? I saw it in your hand today. A lucky medal for most. But for Nino, very unlucky. It is one of a kind. They care not to lose it. Anna, wait! Take care never to lose the Isabella medal. Anna had said, one of a kind. When there was a lot I didn't know. When I got him alone, I asked Charlie Prince, the theater manager, a few questions. What happened to my predecessor here, Nino? The guy whose job I've got now. He's skadood. What do you mean, he's skadood? Quit. He got an advance on his pay, then beat it, without notice. Just disappeared. Why would he do that? Constantine, Nino and Marietta were sweet on each other, and Constantine was pretty jealous. As a tip for you on how to hold your job here. And stay away from Marietta, huh? You get the idea, Harry. You get the idea. But I didn't stay away from Marietta. Even if I had wanted to, I couldn't. I joined Marietta in her dressing room an hour before the theater opened. Got something I have to show you, Marietta. The lady on it is Queen Isabella. Nino's medal. That's right. Nino's medal. Where'd you get it? I found it. I've been lying about where to everybody, but I'll tell you. I found it in Wingate Cemetery. And Nino? He's dead. Constantine killed him. I knew Constantine had killed him. I only saw Constantine burying him. Why would Constantine kill Nino? Because he was, he was insanely jealous of Nino. Jealous enough to commit murder? You don't know Constantine. Are you, uh, are you involved somewhere? Yes. Yes, and Constantine will see to it that I'm blamed for the murder of Nino along with, with everything else. What is everything else? Robbery. Constantine's not just a paid performer. He's also a master thief. And Nino was his accomplice? Yeah. And you? And me too. You're asking me to protect Constantine? No. Just to, to protect me. My reason for protecting you? Seeing your eyes. You're, you're men, aren't you? Accepted Marietta's story, that Constantine was a master criminal, that her fate was bound up with his fate. I worked at my job and I amounts the acts, and Marietta on the chopping block still gave me the shivers. One night, she seemed to hesitate before putting her head on the block as if she was afraid. See how Marietta is afraid? Yeah, yeah, I mean she looks scared stiff. Marietta knows Constantine means to kill her tonight. In front of a thousand people he wouldn't dare. It will be an accident. Something goes wrong and Marietta is killed. Constantine is very clever. And I've got to stop him. It is too late to stop him, see? Then I've come down. The wait stop! Marietta! If it was phony, it was a perfect elusion. If it was phony. For the first time there was blood. Blood is real as if Marietta had been beheaded. The cage and Marietta's head rolled, then lay still in the purple light. As the curtain came down, the audience was applauding, so there was only an act. I went to Constantine's throat. Constantine! Yes, oh fuck! You killed Marietta deliberately, it wasn't any accident! You crazy! You're more pommered off as an actor! Marietta! You once thought I'd really lost my head. Yeah. All the blood! Examine it, idiot. Is it really blood? Oh no. That all seems real. Even the phony head looked real. The man's insane. Come on, Marietta. I won't forget that you tried to strangle me, Harry Jonas. You're a perfect illusion and a phony witch talk of old Anna. In your mind now you are blaming Anna for telling you things that are untrue, huh? Getting me to make a fool of myself. So Constantine was going to kill Marietta tonight, accidentally on purpose. But yes. You're not starting that again. But it is true. It is another accident that Marietta still lives. One accident cancelling out another, huh? Yes. Mr. Charlie Prince saved Marietta's life. How? He moved the guillotine knife just enough away to save Marietta's beautiful head. I checked Anna's story with Charlie Prince. Yes. I inspected the guillotine knife and ordered it moved eight to ten degrees. How come you inspected it? It was routine. I do a theater-wide safety check all the time. But how come you inspected the guillotine knife? One of Constantine's own professional prompts. Marietta asked me to. She said the act had her nervous and could I adjust the position of the knife even if it meant the illusion would lose something. Marietta didn't want to lose her head for the love of the act. Oh, Harry, it wasn't the devil you're driving at. Look, Harry, if there's something you think you know, I don't only think. I know Constantine is a murderer. What? I know he murdered the guy whose job I've got, Nino. Oh! What's so funny? Ah, you! I just got a wire from Nino. He's in Mexico City having a time of his life. He even wired me the advance money he'd picked up with. Here, read it for yourself. It's a phony. Constantine murdered Nino and buried him in Windgate Summit. Oh, Harry, go soak your head somewhere. I like a joke as well as that little guy, but... Look at that. Belong to Nino. An Isabella metal, one of a kind. One of a kind, eh? Have a look. I got a mint of them. It was an actor two years ago, a gal who billed herself as Isabella, queen of the dance. We handed these metals out to the cash customers as a stunt. I went to the Windgate Cemetery for another look. I found the same tombstone I'd hidden behind before. I found the spot I'd seen Constantine digging at, but... No grave. The spot was flat and even. The patch of grass and flowers were sprawling on it. The ground had never been touched. I got back to the pageant theater an hour before showtime when looking for Marietta at a dressing table. White faced and strained. Beautiful. Yes, Harry? Harry, I told you about Nino. About Constantine burying Nino at Windgate Cemetery and me there, watching? Yes, Harry. Right now there isn't any grave or Nino in Windgate Cemetery. I just came from there. I can't explain it, can you? Just that Constantine's clever? It's a master of illusion. Grandmaster at the rate he's going. Another thing. Charlotte Prince says Nino is in Mexico alive and kicking. Another of Constantine's tricks? I guess that just about covers every missing explanation, huh? It's a Constantine plan on killing you last night. I want to know, Marietta. Yes. And tonight again Constantine plans to kill me. But he's fixed to kill a teen knife back? No. This time he'll try to take my life in the dagger throwing act. And you're waiting for it to happen? Yes. Period, huh? You're scheduled to die and you got your shroud all laid out. I can't do anything about it, Harry. I'm powerless to resist Constantine. Funny thing. I was in kind of a spell myself. Marietta was scheduled to die and all I could do was stand in the wings and watch Constantine throw his daggers. The daggers bit into the wooden frame. I watched him hold the last dagger and I could tell by his face that this was it. This was the dagger that was going to be murdered by accident. I didn't need old Anna pulling at my sleeve to tell me... His dagger goes to her heart. Watch. I couldn't do anything for Marietta if I wanted to. My legs felt nailed to the floor. I saw the dagger rain and go. Marietta... Right into her heart. The dagger bit right into her heart. Blood spurred at soaking her costume. I heard the audience applaud as the curtain dropped. They thought it was all part of the act. I came out of my paralysis and went for Constantine. I pulled the dagger out of the board. Marietta was impaled against and went for him. I got behind him and circled my arm around his neck. Constantine, I'm going to kill her. Give me what you gave, Marietta. Don't, don't, don't. I thought Constantine dropped the dagger, twisting my arm and turning the blade around to me. Turning the blade into my chen. I'm going to open it before I can finally strike home. I got it finally. I played past the murdered Constantine the way Marietta wanted it. I can set up to do it and I've done it. Marietta read my eyes and confirmed it. Yeah, Harry. Yeah, you... you freed me from Constantine. The way Constantine freed you from Nino. Yeah. Nino's grave? I moved the headstone you were hiding behind. You looked in the wrong place. The dagger in your heart and the blood? Constantine was a prince of illusion. No, no, I'm not buying that anymore. Constantine was clever, sure. But you... you were the real queen bee of the act. The illusion was your trick. You're the queen mother of illusion. Yes. The illusion was always my part of the trick. It happens to me. Or don't you care? My... I care a little. Just a very little. Sure. Run. Run? Escape quickly. It's better to be a fugitive murderer than a captured one. Run, Harry. Run! I was weak from loss of blood, but I ran. I got my chest sewed up where Constantine ripped a dagger across it. 40 stitches, and then I kept on running. Right to the cops. But the hitch is that Lieutenant Belson won't let me settle down. He's nibbling at my confession like a guy being fed food to exotic for his taste. 48 hours now and Belson's still only nibbling. About your confession of murder, Harry. The story you just told me. You read it somewhere. I lived it. Look, wasn't the murder of Constantine officially reported? Yes, it was. Some of them books is an unsolved matter. Well, then it's solved now. But it happened in the year 1922. 40 years ago. I'm about to play it right here. There was a ward where I called Constantine Marietta, booked into the old Pageant Theater. Now look here, tell me what happened to Marietta. She died in a railroad crash. She's been dead since 1934. Dead. Pageant Theater was torn down in 1932. 30 years ago. You still insist you were a pawn in the murder of a long ago ward Vilden named Constantine? Yes, I do. Look here, inside my shirt. I've got 40 stitches and a scar across my chest to prove it. Well, you got a scar, all right? A survivor coming in. Seems you recognize him. Hello, this man, Harry. Yeah, sure, sure. Mr. Charlie Prince was 40 years older. He was 30 then. He's almost 70 now. Mr. Prince, do you know this man? Is he the one you told me about, Lieutenant? Yes, he's the one. Never saw him before? Never saw me before, Charlie. You hired me right off the sidewalk. You were nailing up a man wanted sign and I applied right on the spot. Yeah? That's how it happened, all right? Way back. The lad came up and had me take down the sign right there. But how could you know about that? Because I was the lad. Crazy, Sergeant, crazy as always. What do you mean, I'm crazy? Why are you both looking at me as if I am crazy? Harry, it all happened 40 years ago. Okay, okay, so some things got lost in space. Some things never find their place in time, but it's all true. Isn't it? 40 years ago, Harry? How old are you now? How old? I don't bother answering. You're closer to your 25th birthday than you are to your 30th? Well, I don't even give him that much, Lieutenant. I say he's not a minute more than 21. Face up to it, Harry. You read the story somewhere and made it your own. Lieutenant, are you sure? Are you really sure it happened like that? Am I sure? Of course I'm sure. Aren't you? Spence, who have been listening to Memory of a Murder, starring Philip Sterling as Harry Jonas, and especially for Suspense by John Robert. This is produced and directed by Bruno Zirato Jr., music supervision by Ethel Huber. Heard in tonight's story were Connie Lemke as Marietta, Ralph Bell as Lieutenant Belson, Ethel Everett as Anna, James Monks as Constantine, and Lawson Zerbe as Charlie Prince. Listen again next week when we return with You Died Last Night, written by Robert Arthur, another tale well calculated to keep you in... Suspense.