 was in a mess. It looked pretty bad before he met the girl from his hometown. Together they worked to extricate him from what looked like a hopeless situation with the deadline at dawn. Tonight we're bringing you a story from the pen of a man who wrote Phantom Lady, Mr. William Irish. He's written the tense fast-moving mystery drama which he calls Deadline at dawn. Our curtain rises on the old room. It's very late and the handful of couples still left, circled slowly and rather heavily around the dance floor. Near the center of the floor, a young man dances with a red-haired girl. Her face is young and pretty, but where at the look of sullen weariness. Plenty crowded in this dance hall tonight. Yeah. Is it always crowded, is this? No. After it closes, it's empty. New York's a great town, isn't it? Oh, sure. All it does is ruin everybody who comes in. It's a great town. Yeah, I suppose it is. Look, I'm paid to dance with you, not to dance. I just want a crop of closing up. Closing up? You mean I have to go out and say, do you mind if I walk home with you? Look, Mr. I'm on my own time now. Fair enough to talk to guys like that. Well, I have to go someplace. I mean, I haven't got any friends. Okay. Only remember, I didn't ask you to walk home with me, and it's a long walk. Oh, I like walking. I've never been in this neighborhood before. Well, you can't do much better than this for 12 bucks a month. Well, take it easy, Mr. I'll be staying around. Hey, look, I got to go inside with you. Now, wait a minute. No, please, you don't understand. Just in the hallway here. Just for a minute, and I'll leave you. What's your trouble? Nothing. I just wanted to stop in here out of the wind. Sure, and that police car going by had nothing to do with it. Now, look, you keep looking behind you, scared like all the time we're walking, and you hide behind in the dance hall all evening, and now you... What'd you say your name was? Quinn. Quinn Williams. Okay. I'm a chump, but you want to come up for a cup of coffee? Sure, I'd like that. Only, get one thing straight, Quinn. This is an invite to share a cup of coffee and nothing more. No sugar goes with it. I know. A fella can tell just by looking at someone. You'd be surprised how many ought to see an efficient. Throw your hat in the cup there. Take a chair if it doesn't fall apart. I'll get busy and make some coffee, and then we can talk. This is sure muddy nights of you there. Hey, wait a minute. This letter here on the table. It's postmark Glenn Falls, Iowa. You know someone there? Well, I ought to. He's my mother. Well, that's where I'm from. That's my hometown. I only came away from there a little over a year ago. You mean you're from there, too? So you're from Glenn Falls, huh? That's a new line, and I thought I heard them all. No, I did live there. Oh, yeah? Did you, um, ever go to the Bijou Movie House? Bijou? I don't remember any Bijou Movie House. No, because there isn't any. Maybe you're on the level. What street did you live on? Anderson Avenue up near Pine. Anderson Avenue? Oh, gosh, you're from Glenn Falls. Yeah. So, you know, I lived on Emmett Low. Oh, gosh. What's the next weekend to Anderson Avenue? How come we never met there? I don't know. We moved there about three years ago. Oh, that's the reason. Then I came to New York five years ago. Well, you haven't told me your name yet. Oh, it's Ricky Coleman. My real name's Bruce, but everyone calls me Ricky. I know because of your hair. Yeah. Well, gee, just think we're both from Glenn Falls. It's a great little town, isn't it? Folks saying good morning to you from all the way over the other side of the street, even if you had never set eyes on them before in your life. No music after dark, huh? No slide trombones that go in and out and break. Only crickets and things like that. Yeah. And people that took an interest in you then dropped in with jams if you were sick. People that would have gladly lent you money and just got a little older if you happened to be dope. Look at his mouth. Home. Well, don't talk about home, please. I've wanted to go back there for so long now. Then why haven't you? Oh, don't think I haven't tried. It's just one bus a day. It's six in the morning. Once I even bought a ticket, only I turned it in at the last minute. Why? I'd go home myself. Look, I haven't made good here. Back in Glenn Falls, they think I'm in a Broadway show, not just a taxi dancer. Oh, but that's not a real reason. All right, then. The real reason is New York. It gets you down. It's got a half Nelson on me right now. That's what's holding me. That's why I can't get away. But stone and cement buildings, they haven't got arms. They can't reach out and hold you back if you want to go. I knew you wouldn't understand. But New York's bad, and when you breathe too much of it for too long, it gets under your skin. It gets into you and you're sunk. The city's got you. All right, I guess I better clear out. It's 2 o'clock. Skip the coffee and thanks. Oh, wait, Quinn. They're after you for something, aren't they? Huh? Yeah. That is, they will be tomorrow. Why? Why, Quinn? There can't be anything so bad. Bad? It's plenty bad. Look. About $2,400. Where did you get it? I stole it, I guess. You see, I had a part-time job as an electrician's helper for a while. Then a few weeks ago, I was sent out on a job in the East 70's. A guy named Stephen Gray. While I was working there, I saw him opening his wall safe. I thought how easy it would be to rob him. I even had a key to the place. Then I lost my job, and the thought of that easy money kept praying on me. So the night I went over there, I stole it. I thought it would fix me up. Only it hasn't, it's made everything worse. I never stole before. I wish I hadn't done it. Listen, I've got an idea. Let's both go back home. Is that six o'clock first? Nah, that's too late for me. You'll go. Oh, Quinn, I could get back home if I had somebody to go with me. How much of that money have you spent? Oh, not much. $5 for a meal I didn't need, and $10 for a roll of tickets and that dance hall tonight. $15. Listen, Quinn, I've got enough money saved to replace that $15 and to buy two bus tickets. Sure, Bricky, but how can I? Well, you can put that money back where you got it, and then everything will be all right. Put it back? Well, sure, yeah. Maybe there's still time. Well, come on. We'll grab a cab and put that money back somehow and then go straight to the bus station. We've got plenty of time. It's only $2.30. Now, this is Graves' house right here, Bricky. Uh-huh. Hey, see, Bricky, what did I tell you? This is our lucky night. He isn't home. Quinn, what's that? A clock. Oh. Telling us we've got three hours yet. Quick, Quinn. We have to save. Right through here. Follow me on tiptoe. Okay. Here we are. Now, as soon as I turn the light on... Quinn! Don't get excited. There's nothing. Look! It's him, Bricky. It's Stephen Graves. Oh, there's blood all over his shirt. He's dead. He's been killed. Oh, Quinn. I didn't do it, Bricky. I didn't do it. I only took the money. Somebody else murdered him. Well, he wasn't even here when I... He must have come back. Bricky, you've got to believe me. Okay. I believe you, Quinn. Oh, it's the city. I knew it would let us get away. It's got us right where it wants us. I can't go back to Glen Falls now, Bricky. They'll think I did it. I've got to stay. But you can go home. Please go. Will you, Bricky? Please. You didn't do it, Quinn. Okay, I'm sticking with you. Oh, no, Bricky. We'll never. It's too late. The city will show it. We're not lit yet. Our deadline's still good. We still have until dawn. No one knows about the murder yet. Only us and whoever did it. What do you mean? I mean we'll catch the murderer ourselves and then everything will be okay. Oh, that sounds crazy. We're not detectives. We don't even know how to start. We'll look for clues, Quinn. We have to. It's our only chance. Yeah. Our only chance. Okay. Yeah. All right. Now, let's add up all the clues we've discovered. Okay. He didn't do it himself because then the gun would still be lying around the room somewhere and it isn't. Yeah. And the motive wasn't robbery because nothing's been taken out of the safe since I was here. Don't look at that, Clark. Quinn, don't look at it. Now, we know a man was up here tonight in the grave because there are two different cigar butts, two different friends, and on opposite sides of the train. That's right. And that match folder you found, it smells of powder and perfume. Then it was a woman. Right. And I smelled perfume out in the hall and the dark women were coming in. The woman was here in this room tonight. But the woman and the man who chewed the cigar couldn't have been here together. There's only two chairs facing each other here. Right. Then whichever came last, the man or the woman is the one who did the killing. Oh, that means out of seven million people in New York City, we got to find two, a man and a woman. Breaking it can't be done. We've got to find them, Quinn. We've got only two and a half hours to do it in. It daylighted, thick. There's a bus that leads for home. The last bus. And for us, it's the last bus in the world. Oh, what's that? A burglar alarm that we touched off something? It's the telephone over there. Oh, don't answer it, Quinn. You'll bring the police down on us. Don't know it's not his voice. Well, maybe I can get away with it. Maybe if I talk low and indistinct. It's our only chance, Bricky. We may find out something more. Come on, stand close by me. Okay. Pray for all your work. Here I go. Now to Steven Graves for $12,500 and no sense. Signed Arthur Holmes. And on the back, it's endorsed by Graves and stamped return. No funds. This is a pretty good chance that Holmes was the guy here tonight, isn't it? I'm betting on it, at least at the low of. Holmes tried to give Steve Graves a bomb check. Graves threatened him, so Holmes shot Graves. Look, Quinn, it just caught my eye. Graves has a hole in the heel of one sock. He's too well-dressed for it. Quinn, it's a note. Read it, Bricky. Uh, Mr. Graves, I would like to speak to you in private at your home after you have taken the young lady home. I mean right tonight. You don't know me, but I feel like a member of the family already. I wouldn't want to be disappointed and not find you there. I'm signed. Look, Bricky, there isn't anything to do but split up two ways, whether we like it or not. We've got to find those two people. A red-headed girl in a conga line and a guy named Arthur Holmes. I look for the woman at the parakeet club. And I'll find Holmes if I have to ring every Holmes in the phone book. And it's four o'clock. Only two hours to do it in. Oh, Bricky, we can't do it. It's impossible. We've got to do it, Quinn. We've got to. We can't be afraid or quit. Okay. We'll meet back here. Yes, here in the house where he's lying. Not later than a quarter to six. With him or without him. We'll have to if we want to make that buck. Quinn will make it. If there's a star that looks out for a fellow of his girl, then there must be one. We'll make it. I want to talk to Arthur Holmes. I guess I got the wrong Mr. Holmes. Sorry, but this isn't Robert. I just wanted to talk to Arthur Holmes. I guess I got the wrong Holmes. Sorry. Turn a check that belongs to him. Is this the Mr. Arthur Holmes who knows Mr. Stephen Graves? Well, may I speak to him? Well, this check I have is made out to Stephen Graves, and I just want to return it to you. Well, the number of the check is 602, and it's drawn for a sum of $12,500. You can talk without being just that check of mine. I'll give you $200 for it. What makes you think I want money for it, Mr. Holmes? I want money. No. All I want is a written confession that you killed Stephen Graves tonight. I'll wait a minute. I know you were up there, Mr. Holmes, but then you were very right. Well, that has nothing to do with it. Come on now. I want that confession fast. Do I get it, or do I go to the police? Well, you won't go to the police. Talk too much, young man. You talk yourself right into a grave. What do you want, sister? Are you Joan Bristol? Yeah, but I don't know you. We have a mutual friend, a Mr. Stephen Graves. Stephen Graves? Okay. Come on in. Did I name Graves, huh? Did he mention me to you? He couldn't very well. He's dead. Dead? Yeah, I just came from his place. Only you and I know about it. Did you hear that, Chris? Yeah, I heard it all right. Take it easy, sister. He's carrying this gun just for decoration. She knows all about it, Chris. That means we've got to get rid of her, too. I don't mind drilling her right here and now. I've got a sound. No, Chris. Begging for it. Listen, you two are... Shut up. Now, look, girlie. You didn't pull my name out of a hat. I want to know how you learned it. Talk fast, sister. Well, you see, I... This Bristol dropped a hotel bill over there in Graves' apartment. What? I found it beside the body. You might have known you do it something like that. He's lying. Yeah? We'll see about that. What were you doing in Graves' apartment, sister? Well, he was a friend of mine. Oh, like that, huh? And you had a key. And I went there and I found the body and the hotel bill. Chris, if I did leave the bill there, we've got to get it back or else. The bill is still there on the floor beside the body. All right, then we've got to get that bill. We've got to hurry. It's 5.30. Almost daylight. Right. We can leave it there with blades. Fix it so it'll look like she did it and then turn the gun on herself. Give the police a double header to worry him. Got it, Captain. We'll tie her up and take her out like she was drunk. We're at the bottom of the East River. They won't get away with it. There's two of us. It's still breaking. Breaking. Was it there by his body? Where's that bill? Have you hit it? That's your problem. Wait a minute, sister. You're fooling with the wrong party. You don't seem to understand. All I know is that you killed Mr. Graves. Shut up. Shall we kill them? Don't pull the fake marriage with his kid brother. Kid was good for plenty of dough. You'll be quiet. Mr. Graves down, but he was wise. Said he was going to call in the police. So we let him have it. I want to know how she found out about me. All right, sister. You're going to talk right now. Oh, no, you don't! I'll hold him for a while. She's out too, Quinn. She had a head when I tripped her. Born speaking of the Marines. Thank you, the one. Tricky, Donna. I was here ahead of you. I looked out of the window and I saw them coming in with you. So I hid. They did, Quinn. We've got the right one. The police now. I traced them all right, only he didn't do it. And he thought I was blackmailing him. He was scared he'd be implicated in the murder and he started to throw me in the river. But then I mentioned your name and he realized if he killed me it would be traced to him. So that brought him back to his senses. Quinn, it's a quarter of six in our bus of doodleies. Well, come on. We'll make it yet. I've already replaced it. Come on. And these two? Oh, Mr. Holmes will take care of them. He overheard everything about that blackmailing scheme. He's even found letters to prove it. We're going home at last. Tonight's performance in the mystery playhouse. Closing the doors of the mystery playhouse. Good night. Sleep tight.