 The Whistler. I'm the Whistler, and I know many things for I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. Tonight transcribed, it's the Whistler's strange story, Night Melody. Shook as he dialed Helen's number from the phone in the drugstore a block away from the apartment. He realized he shouldn't be calling her now of all times. She knew he was coming back tonight, knew every step of the plan. But even though it was dangerous, he had to steal that terrible, unsure feeling in the pit of his stomach. And just as he expected, Helen was angry. But I told you not to call me, Marshal. I had to, Helen. I had to make sure. Prentice is coming home at the same time? Yes, regular as clockwork. Now, don't be silly, darling. You can trust me. Everything is just waiting for you to walk in. All right, Helen. I'll be talking to Melody in 15 minutes. Oh, Marshal, darling. Same as ever. Always doing the unexpected. Surprise? After all, have you barged in on me this way at one in the morning while I'm supposing you're in Phoenix? I think I know why you've come. Oh? You're going to say goodbye, aren't you? You're a very direct Melody. Why not? I haven't put much stock in these business trips of yours, you know. Who is she, darling? Anyone I know? I think that's beside the point, my dear. Call it. Only feminine curiosity. But whoever your new playmate is, Marshal, I hope she has money. Because you certainly won't get any of mine. We're just talking to my sister this evening. Helen? I don't have any other sisters, dear. I told her again that if anything happens to me, everything goes to her. Well, that's as it should be. You're quite sure about this woman? Yes, I'd say the lady has excellent potentiality. And how about a drink? Please, I'll go ahead with my make-up if you don't mind. We're just going to put on some perfume. I was surprised to find you dressed, Melody, going somewhere. Does it matter? What's that? My perfume bottle. Clever, isn't it? Perfumes called Nightmower, they say. You like it? Smells expensive. Here's your drink. Let me put back the stopper. Oh, you made me spill it, Marshal. I'm sorry. Look, I hope it won't show. Oh, we're my new suit. It doesn't have to show. You don't like it, do you, Marshal? You never like anything. Please, Melody, we're good friends, remember? Here. Well, all right. To the future, huh? To the future. I've never tasted anything quite so strong. Almost like... What is it, Marshal? What have you done to me? Well, it worked, didn't it, Marshal? Quickly. And one minute later, you're carrying Melody to the automatic elevator, held on the fourth floor by the little block of wood you left to prop the door open. You put her inside and let the door close. At 1.26, you're outside, standing in the shadows of the shrubbery near the building. At your feet, the suitcase you hid there. You wait. Mr. Prentiss! Oh, Blake! You started me. I didn't know you were coming along the sidewalk. I'm trying to catch up with you for a block. Suitcase, eh? Back from another business trip? I'm glad of it. There you are. Thank you. It's rather nice to meet someone for a change. I'm usually a lone wolf, you know. I suppose it's a lot of every nightclub manager. Did you ring for the elevator? Yes. It's already started down. Your wife expecting you, Blake? No, I didn't get a chance to fire her. Probably be quite a surprise. And it will be quite a surprise, won't it, Marshal? Yes. You'll probably have to pick Prentiss off the floor when that elevator door opens and he sees what's inside. But most important of all, Prentiss will produce an alibi no one could possibly break down. And now, as the elevator dial moves around, you begin to brace yourself. Four, three, two, one. You're ready now, waiting. Prentiss slides the door back. The elevator is empty. Well, what's the matter, Blake? Step in. There's plenty of room. In just a minute, the whistler will continue tonight's story. All of us are proud of our hometowns and rightly so. In this brief moment before we continue with our program, we'd like to offer a salute to one of our hometowns in America, Detroit, Michigan. Detroit is the oldest city of any size west of the Atlantic seaboard, having been founded in 1701, more than a century before Chicago was founded. The French were the first settlers, and they gave the city its name from the French word, meaning straight, a narrow passageway between two bodies of water. They referred to the 27-mile-long Detroit River, which connects Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. The river forms part of the international boundary and marks the only point where Canada lies directly south of United States territory. Because of its strategic location, Detroit was fought over by the British, the French, and the Indians. During the Revolutionary War, it served as headquarters for the British forces in the Northwest. Today, an endless procession of ships passed the city, carrying the immense commerce of the Great Lakes. Detroit ranks fourth in the United States as an exporting port, and third as an industrial center. No other city in the world equals Detroit in the manufacturing of automobiles, and it is also a leader in the production of pharmaceuticals, rubber products, varnishes, aeronautic products, apparatus for television, and many other commodities that go to all parts of the world. Detroit, according to the 1950 census, is our fifth largest city, and the people of Detroit are proud of the part that their hometown has taken in the building of America. And now, back to The Whistler. You stand there at the door of the elevator like an idiot, too stunned to speak. It's unbelievable, isn't it, Marshall? You put Melody's body in that elevator not five minutes ago, yet the car is empty. Now as the car starts up, you realize that you must keep Prentice with you somehow. That wherever Melody is, you've got to find her together. Prentice, I was just thinking, wouldn't you like to drop in for a nightcap? Oh, I wouldn't think of it, waking your wife at this hour. You wouldn't mind? Come on, we're just across the hall from you, just a quickie. All right, you win. Good. I know Melody would be happy to see you. Melody? I didn't know your wife's first name, Blake. It's very nice. You're lovely girls, aren't they? Your wife, your sister, Helen. So different, though. They don't see more of each other, living in the same building and all. Yeah, it is. And here we are. Melody, darling, I'm home. Melody, I... She's not here. She's not in the apartment. There's an overnight bag next to the Devan. Was she going somewhere? Well, I don't know. She couldn't have... I mean, she couldn't have gone far. Oh, of course. Well, Blake, what about it? About what? She asked me in for a drink. Oh, yes. Help yourself, will you? It's on the sideboard. I don't... I'd say you could use a drink. It's almost more than you can bear now, Marshal. She wasn't in the elevator. She isn't in the apartment. She's dead. You're sure she's dead. The heavy scent of her perfume in the room makes you almost feel her there, watching you. The minute Prentice goes and his door closes across the hall, you start to search the halls on the fourth floor and then hurry down the stairs to the third floor landing. Suddenly, you stop. The perfume again. The feeling that she's near you. But she's not, is she, Marshal? Frantically, you cover the third floor. The perfume seeming to follow you everywhere to fill the air around you with her presence and her brittle, mocking laugh. Who is it? Oh. It's you, Mr. Blake. I thought I heard someone. Something wrong? No, no, Mrs. McPherson. I'm awfully worried about Mrs. Blake. She isn't in the apartment. Well, I thought she was leaving on a trip tonight. Oh? She didn't tell me. I just got in from Phoenix. Oh, dear. Me? You must have just missed each other. I'm sure I heard Mrs. Blake go out. Wait, I'll call the night man. He brought a trunk up from the basement this afternoon. I'm sure he'll know. You see, you saw Mrs. Blake leave the building a short time ago, Mr. Novella. What did he say? The night man saw her leave, about 1.30 or so. Wait a minute. What did he say? And she was carrying her overnight bag. I see. Well, thank you, Mr. Novella. Good night. Oh, weren't I? Tell me, what did he say about it? He was carrying it with her. What's the bag? Now, now, there's nothing to worry about, Mr. Blake. Come on. I'll fix you some tea. You only take a moment. Oh, thank you. All right. It's here in your apartment, too. Isn't that odd? Oh, great. Oh, oh, oh. I'm having a little trouble with my keys here. I'll get them in a minute. What's the matter? There's keys. A lot. Now, here. Let me... Here. There you are. Thanks. I don't mean to be curious, but good lord man, there's nothing to get so worked up about. Excuse me. It's gone. Her overnight bag. Melody's it. It was here a minute ago. I guess that's what she came back for. What? What did you say? Well, I thought it was she. I heard someone come and go just a moment ago. But she couldn't have... Why are you so sure, Blake? It's perfectly natural. She left without her bag. Remember, came back for it while you were downstairs. I tell you, I know something's wrong. I feel it. All right, Blake. All right. There's one way to find out. What do you mean? Isn't her sister's apartment on the sixth floor? Let's go up and check with her. But she's probably asleep. I don't want to worry her. Oh, anything's better than pacing the floor all night. Now come on, Blake. All right, Prince. Let's go. And that's not on the program either, is it, Marshal? You're too bewildered to even think now, as Mr. Prentice guides you up the stairs to the next floor and Helen's apartment. Then as the two of you start down the sixth floor corridor, something Helen said hits you between the eyes. Don't be silly, darling. You can trust me. Everything is just waiting for you to walk in. You stop short for a moment. Your mind's spinning. And then continue on after Prentice. Walk in, Marshal. Walk into what? Poor girl's probably sound asleep. Go ahead. Try it again. Yes? What's the matter? Why, Marshal? Something's wrong. What is it? We didn't want to disturb you, Miss Mason. I'm a little concerned about Melody, Helen. You know, I've been in Phoenix for the past two weeks. I just returned unexpectedly. Tell me. Tell me, Marshal, what is it? Well, she isn't at home. Isn't at home? There's really nothing to be alarmed about. You know, of course, that she planned a trip. I can't seem to convince Blake. Please, Prentice, would you mind if I had talked to Helen alone? Not at all. Good night, Miss Mason. Sorry to disturb you, but poor Blake... Oh, of course. Come in, Marshal. Thank you, Mr. Prentice. Not at all. What's the matter? Everything. Did you do it? Yeah, right on schedule. Only one thing. What? When Prentice and I opened the elevator door, she wasn't there. What do you mean? Just that. She wasn't there. It went off perfectly. I got up to her apartment just after one. We talked a while. I suggested a farewell drink and... and then... Go on. Wait a minute. Helen, you... What's the matter? She's been here too, hasn't she? Marshal, what are you... Night melody. Here in this room, I can smell it. What are you talking about? Melody's perfume. Perfume? What in the world? There's only one way it could have happened, Helen. Just one way. You're double-crossing me, Helen, trying to use me for a fall guy. It's Melody's money, isn't it? That's all you're asking. Wait a minute, Marshal. What did you do with her, Helen? What did you do with Melody? The next thing I know, she'll turn up in my lap with 15 witnesses. When are you set to spring that? Marshal, listen to me. I'm so listening to you. Please, darling, you've got to believe it. Helen, I... I couldn't believe it. Listen to me now. I know we're in this together. There's only one way we can win. We've got to stay together. Always. I love you. If she's gone, it's because someone found her. Because someone knows. They all know. There's no manager, even premise. There's only one way out now, Marshal. There isn't much time. What do you mean? They do know, darling. But they don't know enough. If they did, they'd be here by now. We've got to get out of here. When? Right now. My car is down in the basement garage. It'll be out of the state by daylight. You know what that means. Yes, Marshal. I know what that means. A minute on. The two of you are giving up all thought of the money. Admitting to the world and the law that you murdered Melody Blake. That bit, Marshal. Get the elevator door. Car's over here. So dark, I can't... Take my hand. Is there anyone on duty? A night man's working upstairs, I think. Oh, darling. What's the matter? Helen, look. On the table. On the table, over there, under the window. Where? I don't see it. What? I don't understand that. They brought her down here. Melody. Melody, you are dead, aren't you? You are dead. I'm afraid she is. Oh, please get off. Well, I had no idea when I touched her. Please, Mrs. McPherson. Who are you? Lieutenant Brackett, homicide. Mrs. McPherson, call this. But why? What are you doing here? I don't think it's necessary to explain that. Surprised, Helen? Aren't you stunned? Aren't you right out of a clear sky? You had no idea. Oh, darling, believe me. That's the trouble I did believe you. You should have had better sense, Helen. It won't work, you know. It's the wrong kind of a frame. There's still two of us. Two of us, Helen. You and I. Did you get that, Lieutenant? Two of us. I didn't kill her. I was the machine, the dummy. She pulled the strings. You don't know what you're saying. Shut up! I'm pulling the strings now. All of them. All right, officer. Make yourself comfortable. I've got quite a story to tell you. Don't be half-right. Use usuffy. Are you planning to build your own home? How about the roof? For example, do you know how many planes there are in a gambrel-type roof? Two? No, that's only half-right. Brush up on your architecture. Tell your I and E officer you want to study with the United States Armed Forces Institute. Usuffy. It's easy. It's simple. If you don't want to be half-right, use usuffy. And now, back to the whistler. It's a terrible thing, Marshal. The four of you standing in the gloom of the basement garage. Just enough light from the street lamp outside, filtering through the dirty window, to give the whole picture an ethereal ghostly power. You'll hear yourself talking now, slowly at first, and then faster as the hatred inside you drives the whole thing out of your brain and in the flood of words you tell everything. How you fell in love with Helen. About the night you discovered you were both thinking of murder and of Melody's money, of the poison drink, the elevator, the maddening discovery that Melody's body was gone, Helen begins to sob. Mrs. McPherson and the lieutenant just stand there, quietly, listening. That's all, Lieutenant. I don't know what she's done to try to implicate me, what kind of a yarn she's told you, but that's the truth and no one will ever make me change it. Oh, Marshal, why? Why? Well, what about it, officer? It's amazing what you can run into in an apartment house garage. Come on. Where are we going? The night man's room is down here. I'd like to have you talk to him. The night man? Bring the lady, Mrs. McPherson. This way, Mrs. McPherson. No, I won't! I'm not going to! You do what I tell you. You're both under arrest. Suspicion of murder. But the night man, what's he got to do with... Take it easy. Take it easy. You'll see in a minute. How are you now, Mr. Novello? I... I don't know, Lieutenant. You know Mr. Blake here. Well, Mr. Blake. Mr. Blake, please believe me. I didn't mean to do it. I've tried to explain. What happened? I got scared and I lost my head. That's why I lied about seeing you go out and everything. Just a minute, Mr. Novello. Tell Mr. Blake exactly what you did. I was cleaning on the fourth floor and I found Mrs. Blake in the elevator. She fainted. Fainted? Go on, Mr. Novello. I picked her up to carry her back to her apartment as I passed the stairway. I tripped. I fell down all the way to the landing. She hit her head. I thought I killed you. I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. You mean he... Funny, isn't it? We thought he was lying. Had him all ready to book until you cleared him. Oh, good lord. Tell him. Tell him. Never mind, myself. No use now. Well, let's go, you two. Oh, uh, Mr. Novello, a word of advice. Next time you fall downstairs with a body in your arms, you would lose your head and hide it in the air conditioning intake. Every apartment in the building is full of that perfume. Now, a question. Do you know who Simon Lake was and what part he played in the building of your Navy? Lake is considered to be the father of the submarine, being the man who invented the even keel submarine and the first to use an internal combustion engine in a submersible. His first submarines had wheels on the bottom so they could run along the ocean bed and doors with double-air chambers so divers could emerge underwater. In 1894, during the attack on Fort Henry, Simon Lake, despite great personal danger, successfully took his submarine through the minefields, protecting the fort, and showed the powers to be the value of underwater craft in wartime. This is but one of many interesting facts which can be found in the history of your United States Navy. Featured in tonight's transcribed story, the bill foreman as the Whistler, Lou Merrill, Virginia Gregg, Alice Reinhardt, Jack Moyles, Paul Dubov, and Victor Rodman. The Whistler, directed by Gordon T. Hughes, with music by Wilbur Hatch, is produced by Joel Malone and transmitted overseas by the Armed Forces Radio Service. Tonight's Whistler was written by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. The Whistler was entirely fictional and all characters portrayed on the Whistler are also fictional. Any similarities of names or resemblances to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This is George Wall speaking, and we're going to listen again next week for another strange tale by the Whistler.