 I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the crime club. I'm the librarian. Island witnesses. Yes, we have that crime club book for you. Come right over. Good. Take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on the shelf. Here it is, Silent Witnesses by John Stephen Strange. A very unusual story of a letter that was registered by death. Let's look at it under the reading lamp. It was early evening, and the blizzard that had been going all day gave no sign of blowing itself out. Mary Masterman didn't care. She was home in her upstairs apartment in the quaint two-story building in Greenwich Village. And she was comfortable. Too comfortable, as a matter of fact. Because in the midst of the mystery novel she was reading, the book dissolved on her lap. She dissolved on the sofa. And before long, she was sound asleep. Let me see you, Barney. I'm afraid something terrible has happened. What? I don't know how to explain, but there's been a murder. Please hurry. Where's the corpse, Mary? Well, you said something about a murder, didn't you? Yeah. Well, where is it? Barney, are you going to be mad at me? Now look, precious. I'm not going to be. You're so sweet. I am hopping mad. Look, what's the idea of making me drive for an hour in that blizzard all the way from the Bronx? Dude, Barney, I was frightened. By whom? The mysterious traveler? I thought I heard two shots. Huh? What's that? Two pistol shots. They seem to come from just below. Frank Vaughan's apartment? But I didn't really hear them. What? I was dreaming. I was reading a mystery book, and I fell asleep. And then? Bing bang, but it was all a dream. Must have been. Aren't you sure? Oh, yes. After I phoned you, I decided not to be a scary Mary, so I went down to Frank Vaughan's apartment. And there he was. Oh, how'd you do? And how are you? Oh, don't be silly. I didn't go in. Oh, of course not. Why visit a live lawyer? I didn't even see him. Huh? I listened at his door, and I was satisfied. He wasn't moving around the apartment. How do you know? What? How do you know it was Frank Vaughan who was moving around? Oh, now look, Bonnie. Maybe it was a murderer. Oh, Mary, you're lucky. What do you mean? Suppose he opened the door and seen you. What then? Are you trying to frighten me all over again? You scared me, didn't you? I thought you stepped down an author or something. You witty. No, you witty. You still love me? Well, as long as I'm here. Oh, baby. Darling. No sugar shorted here. All right. Me flirted long enough. No. What? Fix me a drink. Then we'll go downstairs and tell Frank Vaughan about your dream. It ought to kill him for sure. Must have gone out, Bonnie. Yeah. He's even crazier than I am. Am I surprised? Does he always keep his door unlocked? Well, how would I know? I didn't say you should, Mary. Then why did you ask? Just because Frank and I are the only tenants in this house doesn't mean. Look out for that table. I see it. Oh, imagine Frank keeping that window open as though it was summer. I better close it. No, no, let's go back upstairs. Wait a minute. We've got no right to be here. Frank isn't home, and besides, I'm cold. Mary, you said you heard two shots. Oh, not that again. I told you I was dreaming. You weren't. What? That's right, honey. Look at that wall. A hole? A kind of bullet makes. Where's my pen knife? What are you going to do? Dig, baby. But you can't. Who says so? Now listen, boy. Oh. What's the matter? Over here by the fireplace. Blood? A broken cocktail glass. Uh-huh. Well, here it is, Princess. A bullet? From a 25. Well, then, I wasn't dreaming. Oh, Barney, what happened here tonight? I don't know, but I want you to do a little thinking. All right. Were there two shots or only one? I can't be sure. You've got to be. Well, it seemed like two, but. Yeah? But I was fast asleep, Barney. And if there were two, where's the other bullet? And where's? Oh! There ought to be edge, Mary. It's only the telephone. Yes? Uh-huh. This is Mr. Masson, Thomas Masson. Yes? I expected to hear from you today about that offer I made. Oh, did you? Now, see here, Mr. Vaughn, I think I've been very generous. You know my step-sister held hasn't got a case against me. She can't possibly break Aunt Helen's last will and testament. It's bona fide. Then why bother to make offers? As I told you the other day, I don't want the unpleasantness of a trial in court. And I'm not going to give Hilda the satisfaction of a cash settlement out of court. I'd rather do business with you, privately. Yes. Now, think it over. And you don't earn a hundred thousand dollars every... Do you hear that, Mary? I don't believe it, Barney. You mean a hundred thousand? I don't believe Frank Vaughn would sell out a client. He hasn't done it yet, precious. He wouldn't even think of it. Such neighborly faith. Oh, Barney. All right, all right. Let's go. By all means. We're going uptown to Ted Lasseter's nightclub. Well, what's there? Hilda. And when she opens her mouth, some call what comes out singing. I call it... after you, sweetheart. Is he Hilda around? No, but I see Ted Lasseter. Where? That corner table. Oh, yeah. Hold on. Watch. Doesn't look very gay, does he? Maybe you know what's wrong with him. Mm-hmm. What? Keep your eyebrows on. I'll show you. Oh, tingling with excitement. Shh. I want to surprise him. You want a roll for the club, Ted? Huh? Who said that? I did, pal. Well, what's the idea, Barney? Just trying it out, that's all. Well, don't do that again. You newspaper guys. Anything for a laugh, huh? Anything. What's he got on you, Ted? Nothing. Who's been telling you things, Barney? Rumor hath it, Chum. And when rumor hath it in this down, it's practically a whindle. Yeah. You're a nice kid, Barney. Thanks. So don't believe everything you hear. I'll make a note of that. And don't talk about what you don't believe. Sure. Would one of you mind telling me? Well, you heard what he just said, Mary. It's a lie. What's a lie? The blizzard we left outside. Where's Hilda, Ted? She's in my office. Mind if I go in there? Yeah, she's, um, on the phone. Oh, that's all right. I won't listen. That's what I said, Barney. She's talking to her lawyer. Frank Vaughn? What kind of drinks you want, kids? On the house? But, Barney, if she's talking to Frank... Yeah. A scotch and soda, Ted. I'll get away to him. How about you, Mary? Oh, I feel wonderful. How are you? Well, I... Hey, Barney, uh, is she okay? Mmm. Perfect. Then, uh, what is she doing? You don't understand, Ted. We had a terrible scare about Frank. You see, I was home alone and around 7 o'clock I thought I heard two shots in Frank's apartment. You, uh, what? But it wasn't two shots. It was only one shot. Because after Barney came over, we went downstairs and then back again. Where was Frank? What? Oh, Hilda! Was he there? No, but what's the difference? He's home now. Is he? You just spoke to him, didn't you? No, Mary. Well, I... Well, Hilda, baby, you were in my office half an hour. There was no answer. You know what it means, Ted. Maybe. Those two shots, Mary heard. Only one. He had that letter Aunt Helen sent me just before she died. He took it home with him tonight. He was going to have a handwriting expert check it. Maybe he didn't take it after all. I told you I saw him put it into his briefcase. I was with him in his office up to half past five and I left the building with him. Okay, so the handwriting expert checked it and Frank went out someplace. Now what's there to worry about? He didn't phone me and he said he would. Tom would do anything to get that letter he'd kidnap or murder. What was in it, Hilda? Three million dollars worth of evidence, Barney. My whole case against Tom. How about some particulars? Sure, why not? About a week before Aunt Helen died, that slimy step-brother of mine got her to sign a paper. Oh, well? Yes. She was having one of her bad days and she didn't know what she was doing. But a couple of days later, she remembered something. The butler and the cook had been present when Tom gave her that paper to sign. Wouldn't she? That's right. And she couldn't understand why. Tom wouldn't tell her and the servants didn't know, but she was worried. So she wrote that letter telling what happened and got the doctor to mail it to me. Well, why didn't she give it to you? I was in Europe. I didn't even know she was dying. By the time I got back to New York... Come on, now take it easy, baby. The will was filed and all I got was one dollar. One dollar? And Tom walked off with the millions. And now he's going to keep them. He's got that letter. You don't know, Hilda. He's got it, Ted. Not... So long, kiddies. Where are you going? Guest. Your step-brother? Of course. It's a logical move. I'm going with you. Thanks, Ted, but I can frighten him all by myself. But just a minute, Hilda. What is it, Barney? You ran on a mansion on West 84th Street, didn't you? Yes. She died there. Anybody using it now? Nobody. It's boarded up. Why? No reason. I was just thinking about the housing shortage. Let's go, Mary. And give my best to your step-brother, Hilda. And don't shoot without counting the steps to the death house. You're absolutely crazy, Barney. Mary, you say the nicest things. You'd have to be to believe that Frank's hiding out in that house. I didn't say I believe it, did I? Then why are we going there? To do a routine check. Look, precious, there's something rotten in this state of Masson versus Masson, and it might be Frank Vaughn. You're crazy. OK, my me, but where's Frank? I don't know. He might be dead. He might be. Who killed him? Tom Masson. Just like that, huh? Well, he had to get that letter, Barney, or lose $3 million. There was only one shot, precious, and we found the bullet in the wall. I'm not so sure about that now. Huh? The more I think of it, the more I... Of course, I was asleep. But, darling, even so, would I hear two shots if there'd only been one? Well, I... And that broken cocktail glass and the missing bullet, what do they mean? Those silent witnesses that something dreadful might have happened. Oh, Barney, I don't feel good about it. That's why we've got to keep looking for Frank Vaughn. All right, but why in that house? Because it's boarded up and out of circulation. If Tom Masson killed Frank, it'd be an ideal place to park the body. But if he didn't... He'd want people to think that Frank had disappeared. But what if he didn't, Mary? Step on the gas, Barney. We've got to hurry. I hope you're not disappointed. What was that? Hallelujah. And on a night like this... Reach into that glove compartment, Mary, and hand me my flashlight, please. A blowout? In more ways than one. Oh. Well, yes, my adorable one. Why didn't you tell Hilda about that phone call Tom made? Is that all you got to offer, precious? I just happened to think of it. Well, if it'll keep you comfortable, darling. It was because she already had murder in her heart, and I didn't want to put it in her hands. Come on, honey. Here's something we didn't think of, Barney. How do we get into a house that's boarded up? That's easy. Show me a keyhole, and I'll show you a way to get in there. And there it is, the front door. No boards. I still don't see how you're going to do it. Live and learn, honey. And there's so much to do about it. Watch now. I take this past key. Pass it into the keyhole. Give it a turn like this. And... Presto! Well, look, Trek, aren't you? You can get into a lot of trouble doing such thing. Not such things, honey. Come on. Let's get out of this door. Hand me my flashlight. Thanks. Hmm. Nice and warm in here. Yeah. Almost as though we're being lived in. That does smell like coal heat, doesn't it? Mm-hmm. Let's look around. That room over there first. That should be the living room. I'm beginning not to like this very much, Barney. Oh, you'll get over it just as soon as we... Ah, it is the living room. So this is how the ten percent live. When they're living. Okay. Let's try the rest of the house. Honey, honey! You've been locked in, honey! Let us out. We know you're here, Frank Vaughan. You'll never get away with it, you know? Don't weigh yourself out, Barney. Yeah, but we're trapped. Why don't you care? You still have the pass key. Oh, I sure. I was just about to think about myself. Praise this little pass key. Well, Barney, open it. I can't. Don't be silly. You opened the outside door. Yes, honey, but it's not working on this one. Well, now what do we do? The windows boarded up in that door. Couldn't you break it down? That hunk of timber? Oh, I'm good places, but not that good. Yeah, Frank Vaughan's a nice guy. He wouldn't sell out a client. Not much. That could have been Tom Masson out there, Barney. Sure. Sure, he was just waiting for us to get here. Barney. What is this between you and Frank Vaughan? Barney, don't you smell something? You bet I do. I smell a rat and I... Nothing like coal gas? Yeah. Where's it coming from? I'll let you know in a minute. That hot air vent. Somebody's trying to kill us. You're not kidding. And whoever's fooling around with that furnace isn't kidding either. Good night, Joseph. Good night, Mr. Masson, sir. But turn a corner and look what you meet. Hello. Hello, Tom. What are you doing here? Cute, aren't you? Let's go to your apartment. I have nothing to say to you. Really? Now look here, Hilda. After you, Tom. All right. But if you think you're going to bully me the way you... Step along, little man, or this gun will have something to say to you. I'm still after you. Very well. Hmm. You're so rich now you can afford to go out and leave the lights on. It's not your money, Hilda. Where's the letter? Letter? The one Aunt Helen wrote me. I sent you a photostatic copy. So don't pretend to look as innocent as you look. Oh. Do you want that copy now? I want the original. No. Frank Vaughn had it and you took it. Hmm. This is too good to be true. So you've lost your case. The letter, Tom. I haven't got it. Don't lie to me. Somehow you found out that Frank was going to take it home and have it checked. Did I? You murdered him and stole that letter. Really? You're slightly out of your mind. I'm going to kill you, Tom. Now look here, Hilda. Frank Vaughn was your lawyer. I had nothing to do with him except through my lawyer. I never even spoke to the man. I want that letter, Tom. You don't believe me. Well, how can I convince you? Don't even try. You'd be a fool to shoot me, Hilda. Everyone knows how much you hate me. Nobody knows how much I really hate you. Even if you manage to get out of this building, you'll be arrested sooner or later. Neither of us will have the money. Hilda, listen to me. What for? I'll make a deal with you. Give you $100,000. Have my money. Aunt Helen left it to me. It's in her will. Who do you think you're kidding? I don't care about that letter. You can't prove that Aunt Helen wrote it. No? Is that why you killed Frank Vaughn? I didn't. Didn't even know he was dead. Oh, a snake can take lessons from you. I'll give you a quarter of a million. All I want is the letter. But I told you. And I told you I don't believe it. Well? All right. Where is it? I'll get it for you. Let's have a drink first. What for? To celebrate your victory. It won't take a minute. What would you like? Nothing. From you. Oh, come now, Hilda. How about some brandy and something? Now, you give me that girl. I'll tell you. It was very foolish, Hilda. But what about the neighbor's thing? My wrist. That's better. Now, Hilda, you wanted to know about a letter. I haven't got it. And I'm awfully sorry I had to ruin that beautifully made-up face of yours. Just another minute, Mary. The board's off the window. There's some air coming in the window. It's a good thing you thought of that. Fireplace. Great. That's what I'm whipping. There. We're through. Come on now, let's get out of here. Oh, you don't have to ask me quite. I see such a lovely blizzard. Hop to it, kid. We got a lot of work to do. Oh, no. No, don't tell me we're going back into that house the front way. Not this team. There won't be anybody here to go back for. What do you mean? Whoever tried to kill us is far, far away by now. You didn't say it was Frank Vaughn, Barney. No. I must be slipping. You wouldn't be changing your mind about him, would you? Oh, look, honey, right now I'm too tired to change anything. What's the matter? Let's get back to Frank's apartment and see if he's taken anything for a change. There's toothbrushes here. Yeah, and shaving things. Mary, there's something funny here. Is there? Yeah, the brush is still damp. So? And the razor. There's soap on it. Hand me that towel, will you, please? All right, but what's the rumpus about? It's dry. It's a fresh towel, too. Barney, would you mind telling me? I was just wondering, Mary, Frank was a pretty neat guy. Was? He wouldn't leave dirty stuff lying around. None of it wasn't his habit. Barney, if you're saying that Frank was murdered... I'm only thinking precious. Let's go into the living room. Frank was expecting somebody tonight. Or why bother shaving? Well, Hilda told us the handwriting expert. Uh-huh. But would I shave for a handwriting expert? No. I would shave if I were expecting a beautiful woman. Hilda? Why not? How do we know that she was really trying to get Frank Vaughn on the phone? We don't. Might have been an act to impress Ted Lasseter, just in case he might need an alibi. I don't get it. Why should you kill her own lawyer? I didn't say she did, Mary, but suppose she found out that there was going to be a deal. That she was going to lose that letter. I don't believe it. I don't believe Frank Vaughn... Yeah, yeah, I know. He wouldn't sell out a client. But there's a possibility that he was going to. And Hilda came here and killed him out of sheer venom and took back her letter. And then what did she do with his body? Make a hocus pocus until it evaporated? Yeah, well, that's what I don't understand. Is Frank Vaughn alive in somewhere, or is he dead and... Mary? I'm listening. A little while ago you said something about silent witnesses. Yes, the broken cocktail glass and the bullet in the wall and the missing second bullet. How about that open window? Well, what about it? This is a ground floor apartment and that window faces the backyard. It's possible, Mary. It's just possible. What are you doing? Climbing up. Turn on all the lamps, will you, honey? I want plenty of light. Good morning. Mary, the lamp. All right, but I know you're crazy. I just know it. I'll never believe what you're thinking. We couldn't have been running all over town while he was... Stay away from the window, Mary. Buried in the snow. In his own backyard. But, Barney, of all the places to leave him. In snow. Maybe that's all the killer needed. But in a couple of weeks. Somebody had to make it look as though Frank had disappeared. Somebody who had a lot to do with a little time. Oh, hello, Mr. Thomas Mason. Yes. This is Frank Vaughn. What? I decided to make that deal with you. Come down to my apartment and bring that... But, Mr. Vaughn, I... You still want that letter, don't you? Well, certainly, but I... All right, then. Bring the money. $100,000. That was the price, wasn't it? Well... Have you changed your mind? Thank you. Goodbye. That's that. You're a pretty cagey guy. He knows something. Is he coming? So he said. We'll see. If he doesn't show up, then we'll know he knows we know. Or somebody knows. Now for suspect number two. And such a cute little suspect. Good evening, Mr. Lassiter. May I speak with Hill and Mason, please? Okay. Who's calling? Our attorney, Frank Vaughn. Who? Frank Vaughn. I promised to call him, Mr. Mason, about a certain report, but I was detained. Will you put her on, please? I certainly will, Mr. Lassiter. If you don't mind. Tell her to come to my apartment. It's very important. I'll do that. Thank you. Goodbye. Now all we've got to do is wait. And worry. Stay here in the kitchen, Mary. But why, Barney? You said the killer wouldn't come. I've been fooled before, and I don't want to. Will you do as I say, please? I can't keep our visitor waiting. All right. But you're cheating. You're right with her. Sorry to have kept you. Hello, Barney. Ted. You thought you fooled me, didn't you? You ought to take lessons in voice disguise. Ted Lassiter, back away from that door, pal. Sure, but you don't have to point that gun right at me. I can have just as much respect for it if we're looking somewhere else. Yeah? Where's the girl? Mary, she's upstairs in her apartment. You don't say. She was very tired, and tomorrow is just another working day, you know? You don't mind if I look around, do you? How can I mind? But she wouldn't be in that kitchen. She's got a kitchen of her own upstairs. And it's very, very cute. Yeah. Well, I'll have to go up there and see it sometime. Okay, I'll search the rest of the apartment when I get through with you. Well, uh, sit down, Barney. Do I have to? Well, I want you to be comfortable. You're a pal. You tip me off to things before the cops find out. How do you know the cops didn't find out? Where are they, Barney? Oh, well, hey. They'd be all over the place if they knew, and they aren't. They're not even hiding. All right, Ted, you're going to kill me. You were a nice guy, Barney. Every dying man is allowed one last request. Will you tell me... Why did I kill Frank Vaughn? No, I just figured that out for myself. Yeah? Well, that's good. You dropped $50,000 in the dice game. The boys gave you 30 days to pay up, but they wanted collateral. You've got to know this for news, Barney. It's too bad it's going to be cold. So you put up your nightclub, and then tonight he'll tell you that Frank had taken that letter home to have it checked. You're not wrong. And that letter was worth a lot of blackmail money. So I took it. Is that all, pal? One last request. Did you collect on it? Not yet. Who are you going to talk to about it? Hilda or Tom Masson? Tom. He's got the dough. Why bother with outsiders? Then Hilda and Tom didn't know that you got it. No, but Tom's going to find out tomorrow. Oh, well. By the way, Ted, how did you get that key to that house on 84th Street? I borrowed it from Hilda's dressing room. Well, any more questions? Yeah. Just one more. Nice work, Mary. I knocked them cold. Catch me, Barney. I'm going to finish it. Well, you can't do that, honey. I never hit a man with a bottle full of soda before. Well, you're going to take the better of time, precious. Oh, you wonderful microbe. Where were you when Ted looked in the kitchen? I was under the table. What? And, Barney, that's where I want to be from now on. And so closes tonight's crime club book, Silent Witnesses, based on a story by John Stephen Strange. Steadman Coles did the radio adaptation. Roger Bauer produced and directed. Chet Stratton played Barney Gant. Sherita Bauer was Mary Masterman. Arthur Vinton was Ted Lasseter. Julie Stevens was Hilda Masson. And Ted Osborne played Tom Masson. Oh, I beg your pardon. Hello, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the crime club. I'm the librarian. Yes, come over a week from tonight. Good. We have a very exciting story of a ghost that haunted like murder. It's called The Sun is a Witness by Aaron Mark Stein. In the meantime? Well, in the meantime, there is a new crime club book available this week and every week at bookstores everywhere. Yes, it's available now. Fine. And we'll look for you next week. Oh, yes. Do you know any young American who doesn't like to play ball and take hikes in the woods with a gang? Sure, they all like it. But what about the youngster in his wheelchair? He'd like it most of all. But it's not for him. He needs special teachers, medical care, and a camp planned for disabled kids if he's to have his chance to grow into a useful citizen. You can give him this chance through Easter Seals sent to you by your neighbors during the month before Easter. It's new life and hope for disabled children. Don't forget them. Don't neglect them. Buy and use Easter Seals. This program came from New York. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.