 And now, stay tuned for the mystery program that is unique among all mystery programs. Because even when you know who's guilty, you always receive a startling surprise at the final curtain. In the signal oil program, the Whistler. The famous Go Farther gasoline invites you to sit back and enjoy another strange story by 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. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. And now, for the signal oil company, the Whistler's strange story. Rebound. It was early evening, and the offices of Rogers and Bowman investment counselors had been closed for nearly two hours. The rows of desks were deserted, and the only light slanted in through the frosted glass partition from the outer reception room. But at the rear of the office, Henry Hutton kneeled in front of an open safe, shuffling hurriedly through a sheaf of papers spread out before him. Finally, he selected three negotiable bonds of $1,000 denomination, replaced the others, and after closing the safe, started out through the open door to the reception room. And then... Oh, Mr. Hutton. Oh, Charlie, what are you doing here? Worked late. I was just leaving. Oh, but I saw you leave at five. Oh, I just went down to grab a sandwich, came back, finished up the filing. Oh, I see. Well, that's very commendable. See you in the morning, Charlie. Sure, Mr. Hutton. Oh, Mr. Hutton. Yes? Did you, uh, lock the safe okay? Naturally. Good. Just wanted you to be sure. I'm glad you're so careful, Charlie, but everything's okay. I just came back to pick up a couple of bonds with my aunt. We handle her account, you know, she wants to use them in a little real estate deal in the morning. See? Nice. Good night, Charlie. Charlie worries you, doesn't he, Henry? You wonder if he accepts your explanation. Part of it is true, of course. They are your aunt's bonds. But you took them for yourself to cover today's wrong guess on the stock market, just as you've done many times before. Charlie presents a problem to you, and your thoughts are on him as you hail a taxi and ride out to the party you're attending this evening. In these expensive surroundings, you hope to forget the problem of Charlie's sudden intrusion at the office, and the pressure of continually losing your aunt's money on the stock market. As you take a drink from the buffet table, you see a beautiful reason to forget your trouble. Hello. Hello. Nice party, isn't it? Well, all of a sudden it seems very nice. I've never seen you before, have I? I mean, I've been to lots of parties out here. I just came out from the East. Oh, on vacation? No, I'm going to stay here. I've taken a house. Your husband here with you? I'm not married. Oh, well, that takes a load off my mind. I don't think I'd have ever recovered if you hadn't been. My name is Hutton, Henry Hutton. Lisa Morrell. Lisa? That's nice. Very nice. Dance, Lisa? I'd love to, Henry. Lisa's just the girl you've been waiting for, isn't she, Henry? And you manage to spend most of the evening in her company. Finally, as the party draws to a close, and you're about to phone for a taxi cab, Lisa stops you. She has her own car. And when you slide under the wheel of her cream-colored convertible upholstered with leopard skin, you're even more impressed. Then several minutes later, you pull the car to a stop in front of the palatial residence she's taken in Northridge. It's so late, Henry. I think you'd better take my car. I'll have my chauffeur pick it up tomorrow. Oh, no. No, that's too much trouble, Lisa. There's an all-night taxi stand a couple blocks from here. I'll just walk down and get one there. You're welcome to the car. That's unnecessary. Lisa, how about dinner tomorrow night, or am I a little quick? I'd have been disappointed if you hadn't had this. Well, I'll pick you up around seven. I'll be waiting. Well, Henry, you've found an answer to your dreams, haven't you? If you can only marry Lisa Morel and her money, your problems will be over. And during the next couple of months, you do everything you can to impress her. You're everywhere using money from your aunt's bonds as often as necessary. And finally, your efforts are rewarded. Lisa agrees to marry you, and you're sure your worries are over. Then a few days later, on your return to the office, following the luncheon. Hi, Mr. Hutton. Charlie. Well, you just missed seeing your aunt. Oh, she was here? Yes. I had quite a chat with her. She went to lunch with Mr. Rogers. How long ago did they leave? Just after you left. Oh, do you know where they went? But I heard your aunt say something about going to her attorneys after lunch. Her attorneys? What about them? How would I know? I only talked with her a couple of minutes. Well, she loves to talk, Charlie. What did she have to say? Oh, nothing in particular. Just kind of rambled on. Politics. Mr. Rogers. Stuff like that. You know something, Charlie? You're a pretty smart guy for your age. You know how to handle people. I'm going to see that you get a raise in salary. Now, you can count on this going through, too. See, that'll be swell. Only, I don't quite see... I think, for instance, the night you saw me pick up those bonds in the safe, a lot of guys your age would have told somebody in the office about it. Well, it wasn't any of my business. You're the office manager. Exactly, but between you and me, it could have been a little embarrassing. You see, I had forgotten about it. I was supposed to take care of the matter a couple of days earlier, and, well, my aunt and Mr. Rogers, too, they like promptness. You see what I mean? Yeah. Sure, Mr. Hutton. I see what you mean. Good. Good. I thought you wouldn't. And about that raise, Charlie, you can count on it. You're upset and uneasy, aren't you, Henry? What if the afternoon passes, you're sure your fears are groundless? Charlie thanked you several times for your efforts in his behalf. Tries desperately to please you in every way. And when he returns, Mr. Rogers is his usual self. Yes, you're sure you're safe for a while, but until you're married to Lisa and your aunt's bonds are replaced, your situation is increasingly dangerous. You decide you must marry quickly, late that night after another long evening of dancing and nightclubs, in the luxurious library of Lisa's palatial house. You carefully make the move. You're certain we'll dissolve your problems and ensure your future. And as you were sure it would be, it's a successful move, isn't it, Henry? Would it make you awfully happy, Henry? Oh, yes, it would. It would. Happier than you know. Well, to tell you the truth, I guess I'm as impatient as you are. Am I shameless? Oh, no, you're wonderful, Lisa. We'll be married Friday, then we can fly to Yuma and fly back to some nice spot near the ocean, say Monterey and spend a couple of days there, come back to town, and later we'll take a real honeymoon. Anytime you say, darling. Happy now? I guess I'm the happiest guy in California. Well, Henry, your problem is solved, isn't it? Once married to Lisa, you'll have everything you've dreamed of. You're sure she loves you. Her every action has shown you that. And you're certain that she'll never let the question of a few thousand dollars worth of bonds stand between her and happiness. For the next few days at the office, things move along as smoothly as usual. You approach Mr. Rogers regarding the raise you promised Charlie Rockwell. He listens attentively and agrees to grant it. When you tell Charlie the good news, his gratitude is obvious. That raise was a master touch, wasn't it, Henry? Just before the office closes, your aunt phones and asks you to have dinner with her at home. You seem preoccupied, Henry. Oh, no. No, I was just enjoying the chicken, Aunt Ida. No one can fix chicken quite like you, Aunt Ida. Sure you haven't anything on your mind? Of course not. I think you have. I don't know what you mean, Aunt Ida. I know about the bonds, Henry. The bonds? What bonds? You've taken eleven thousand dollars of my bonds, Henry. What have you done with them? You're wrong, Aunt Ida. Where did you ever get the idea? You shouldn't have tried to bribe that young man in your office with a raise in salary. He thought nothing of your being at the safe that evening but when you were so anxious no one should know of it and then offered to get his salary raised, he became suspicious. Felt it his duty to speak to Fred Rogers. Mr. Rogers, I just left him and he didn't say anything. He doesn't know, Henry. When he phoned me to come in the night before last and listed the bonds which were missing I told him you'd made several transactions for me and that everything was probably all right. Then he doesn't know. No one knows yet. I wanted to give you a chance to tell me your side. You have one? Oh, I do, Aunt Ida. Believe me. You see, I... I got a tip on a stock from one of our biggest customers. It's his own company, you see. He assured me it would be worth double the market in a few weeks. I wanted to surprise you. What's the stock, Henry? It's international television. I see. Very well, Henry. I want that stock by 12 o'clock tomorrow. But Aunt Ida, then. 12 o'clock, Henry, and I hope you're telling me the truth. If not, you'll have to pay the penalty. What do you mean by that? I mean that I'll have to report the loss to Mr. Rogers. Ever since your parents died, I've tried to do the best I could for you. I secured your position with Mr. Rogers, but you're a bonded employee in a position of trust. I can't abide dishonesty even in a relative. Henry, Henry, Henry! Just four more days left to enter Signal's big $10,000 contest. That's right. Thursday, June 15th is the last day to mail your entry that may win you a new Buick, or one of 200 valuable prizes. So if you haven't gotten an entry blank yet, hurry, hurry, hurry to your nearest Signal station and get one free, completely free, no purchase required. Then here's all you do. All those Signal cartoon billboards that show an angry bride waiting at the church door for the groom who was just arriving late because he ran out of gas. You can just imagine what that bride is probably shouting at the groom. Something like, Mother warned me you were dumb, but I thought you at least knew enough to use Signal, go farther gasoline. Well, just write on your entry blank what you think she's shouting in 25 words or less. And then, hurry, hurry, hurry, get it in the mail, so it'll be postmarked no later than this Thursday, June 15th. Winners will be selected on the basis of originality and humor, aptness and suitability in advertising Signal products. And your chances of winning are good because only entries mailed on official entry blanks from the six Signal states, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona are eligible to win. So act quickly. Your entry may still win one of 200 big prizes worth $10,000. Well, Henry, things aren't going so well, are they? Your marriage to Lisa Morrell is only a few days away, but now you're threatened with disgrace, loss of position in prison. You decide you must do something right away. As you glance around the room, you notice the electric clock on the wall. It's a little past seven and you wonder if Lisa is at home. You'll have to turn to her now, won't you, Henry? Find some way to explain your sudden need for quick cash. It's not the way you'd hoped it would go, but it seems the only way out. So you hide your concern and smile as you turn to your aunt. Don't worry, Aunt Ida. You'll have your stock by noon tomorrow. I'm glad to hear you say that, Henry. That will make me very happy. Happier than you know. I'm sure it will, Aunt Ida. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll drive over to Hollywood. I want to pick up some pipe tobacco, a couple of other things. I'll be back before long. You saunter out of the house, but once in your car you don't waste any time heading out over the pass toward Lisa's house in Northridge. All the way out, you debate just what to say and finally decide on the story that you're sure will go over. You push the buzzer and, sedgely, the butler greets you at the door. Good evening, Mr. Hutton. Good evening, sedgely. Is Miss Morrell in? Miss Morrell has left, sir. Left? You mean left town? Yes, sir. This morning. I don't get it, since she didn't say anything. It was rather sudden, sir. You see, the Hawthorns arrived unexpectedly yesterday afternoon. Who were the Hawthorns? The people who bought this house. Her employers. Her employers? Miss Morrell was secretary to the Hawthorns, Mr. Hutton. They sent her out here with the rest of the staff to get things in order. But no, that can't be true. No, no, you must be mistaken, sedgely. It is true, Mr. Hutton. Well, I can't believe it. She led me to believe that she was wealthy, that all of this was hers. I'm afraid Miss Morrell had set her cap for you. She was trying to impress you to make you think that she was as wealthy as yourself, sir. The Hawthorns were quite angry. When some friends of Miss Morrell dropped over unexpectedly and they discovered this deception, they insisted she leave town. Well, sedgely, it seems, she just wanted to marry me for my money. Yes, sir. Well, Henry, your vanity has played a cruel joke on you, hasn't it? Never once did it occur to you that the charming Lisa was anything but what she seemed. You were counting on her financial assistance, too. And now that she's gone, there's no chance to get the money for the stock your aunt expects by noon tomorrow. As you drive back home, you know you'll have to do something quickly. And you know what it is, don't you, Henry? Your aunt must die tonight. Once you accept that thought, a plan, a very simple plan, begins to form in your mind. And as you near your home, a comforting thought strikes you. Unpleasant as killing your aunt may be. There will be some financial gain. The remainder of her bond's about $20,000. You can go away, Henry, and forget about everything. Yes, Henry, you're convinced that this is the one way out. If you put your car in the garage, you know exactly what you're going to do. When you enter the house, you find Mrs. Martin, your next door neighbor, completing a visit with your aunt. Oh, hello, Henry. I was just going home. You're not leaving on my account, I hope, Mrs. Martin. Certainly not, but I must run along now, really. Henry will be glad to walk home with you, Margaret. Of course I will. No need for that at all. It's only next door. I'm just the same. I'll walk you over. You won't have to wait long, Aunt Ida. I'll just be a few minutes. All right, Henry. Good night, Margaret. Good night, Ida. You don't have long to wait, do you, Henry? But as you say good night to Mrs. Martin at her door, you're sure your plan can't fail. It's so simple, so final, you're certain it'll work. Once you're back home, you go up to your room and rest for bed, leaving your aunt downstairs at her reading. When you come back downstairs, you're ready to put your plan into action. I'm not going to sleep yet, Henry. I thought you'd gone up to bed. Well, I just remembered something I wanted to check down in the basement. I noticed something the other day. It won't take long. You turn on the basement light and start down the stairs. You must move rapidly, Henry. You stop at the third step. With deft fingers, you stretch a thin wire across the step which you've taken from your room. Make certain it's taught. And wrap it securely at each side. Turn out the basement light. Very quietly slip down the rest of the stairs. You're breathing heavily as you reach the basement floor. This next move is all important, Henry. You must be calm, and you are. You sound quite normal as you call upstairs. Aunt Ida. Yes, Henry? Did you call Henry? The basement lights are out. Can you bring me a fuse, please? Of course. Just a moment. You hear her footsteps overhead. She's gone for the fuse. You stand there in the basement waiting. Very shortly you hear her light footsteps approaching the door at the top of the stairs. Where are you, Henry? I can't see a thing. Just come down a few steps, Aunt Ida. I'll meet you. All right. Henry? It's done, isn't it, Henry? Your aunt lies quite dead at the foot of the basement stairs. You stand there for a few moments and then slowly make your way up the stairs again, stopping at the fateful third step to remove the now broken wire that you take back to the basement toolbox. Within a few minutes you're back upstairs in your own bedroom. You rumple the bedclothes and open a book in the nightstand. It's all part of the plan, isn't it, Henry? Part of the convincing story you must tell in a very few minutes. Then you place a call to your aunt's doctor, the one who's looked after her for years. It'll be coming shortly, Henry. And finally you place another hurried call. Hello, Mrs. Martin? Yes, this is Henry. Can you come quickly if Aunt Ida, something horrible has happened. She's dead. The next few minutes flash past. Mrs. Martin arrives first and you tell her your story. A few minutes later, and because it's an accidental death, the doctor calls the police. You play the grief-stricken nephew to perfection, Henry. And then finally you're telling your story to the lieutenant. And you say you were reading in your room, Mr. Hutton? Yes, that's right. I left Aunt Ida reading downstairs. I was in my room upstairs reading. Suddenly the lights went out. Viewers must have blown. Well, I called down to Aunt Ida that I'd be right down, but she didn't hear me. When I started downstairs to her in the darkness, I heard her scream in the fall. And when I reached her, she was dead. I... I know this is very difficult for you, Mr. Hutton. Just one more question now. How long would you say the lights were off? Well, about five minutes, I guess. Yes, I replaced the fuse called the doctor and Mrs. Martin, and later we called you. That's all. Well, Mr. Hutton, I'm sorry. I'm sure you ran Mr. Footing and fell down the stairs. It seems the only way it could have happened. Lieutenant, I'm sure you understand that I'd rather not stay here tonight. Yes, of course I understand, Mr. Hutton. I'll just go up and throw a few things in the bag. I won't be long. You're welcome to leave whenever you like, Mr. Hutton. I have no further questions. There's no limit to the number of times you can enter Signals Big $10,000 Contest in which the first prize is a Buick. So if you've already sent in one entry, double your chances of winning by sending in another. But hurry, hurry, hurry, because this Thursday, June 15th is the last day, your last chance to win one of 200 big prizes, including an Apex three-piece automatic laundry, one of six Packard Bell television sets, one of two O'Keeffe and Merritt gas ranges, a Frigidaire refrigerator, electric range or home freezer, one of 10 solid gold case wristwatches by Hellbroth, one of five Halliburton makeup cases, filled with Anatole Robbins cosmetics, one of 10 Packard Bell radios, one of 10 Westinghouse vacuum cleaners, or one of 50 Westinghouse pop-up toasters. Imagine winning prizes like this for just writing in 25 words or less what you think the bride on the signal billboard is shouting at the groom and entry blanks are free at any signal station. So hurry, hurry, hurry, get your entry blank quick because Thursday, June 15th is closing day in this easy, easy signal contest in which you may win a Buick or one of 200 big prizes. Well, Henry, it's over at last. For the first time in months, you can breathe easily. Secure in the knowledge that no more questions will be asked about your aunt's missing bomb. Downstairs, the lieutenant and his men are completing their routine examination. But as you pack your bag, you feel certain there will be only the formalities and then what's left of your aunt's holdings will be yours. Not a great amount, but enough to let you get away and forget all that has happened. You're not even too angry about Lisa anymore, are you, Henry? You can almost smile now as you realize that Lisa was after your money just as you were after her. And you're still thinking about her a few minutes later as you move down the stairs and into the living room where Lieutenant Ames is talking with Mrs. Martin and the doctor. Oh, Hutton, come in, will you? Yes, Lieutenant? I was just talking with the doctor here. I understand that you're with Rogers and Bowman, the firm that handles your aunt's finances. Well, yes, Lieutenant, I am, but I don't quite see... Your aunt's accidental death was quite convenient for you, wasn't it, Hutton? I don't know what you mean. I mean those bonds you stole from your aunt. About $11,000 worth. Stole? Well, that's ridiculous. I handled my aunt's affairs. It's no use, Hutton. When you were upstairs, the doctor here phoned your aunt's attorney to tell him of her unfortunate accident. Then I spoke with him. He told me the whole story, Hutton. She told him yesterday she was going to expose you tomorrow. Oh, well, she didn't really mean that, my aunt and I were on the very best of terms. Weren't we, Mrs. Martin? I'm sure she was quite fond of you, Henry. Yes, her lawyer told me that, but he said she was a stickler for honesty, too. Your aunt thought more of you than you realized, Hutton. When she came to see me a few days ago, and I had to tell her that she had only a few weeks to live, she told me she was going to turn over her entire fortune to you while she was still alive. In a few weeks, you've been a very wealthy man. Wealthy doctor? My aunt wasn't wealthy. Her holdings exceeded a quarter of a million dollars, Henry. She thought you might accomplish more if you were unaware of it. Oh, no, no, no. You must be wrong. She never spent anything she didn't have to. She wanted you to have it all, Henry. She used to laugh about how surprised you were going to be. I'm sorry, Hutton, but I'm going to have to arrest you for the murder of your aunt. Arrest me. You can't tie me into this. I think we can. I know I was prepared to accept your story of an accidental death, but since you went upstairs, my men have turned up two or three very interesting things. Oh, this, for example. Why, it's just an ordinary piece of wire. That's right, Mrs. Martin. We found it coiled up in a toolbox down in the basement. But we found some other things, too, Hutton. Marks on the posts of the basement stairs. Marks made by this same piece of wire stretched across where your aunt tripped. Particles of rust from the wire, too. You stretched that piece of wire across the stairs. I... That's ridiculous. Tell me, how long were the lights out, Hutton? Well, here. Five minutes or so? How do you know it was five minutes? Did you check the time? Of course not. After I heard Aunt Ida fall, everything else went out of my mind. I wasn't thinking about clocks. No, I suppose not. Too bad for you, you weren't, though. Let me show you something. What is it? Up there, on the wall. What is it? The clock? An electric clock, Hutton. Well? Is this the room where your aunt was reading? Yes, yes, I told you. The lights were never out in here, Hutton. What do you mean? Come here, I'll show you. I'm going to pull the plug that leads to that clock. There you are. See that red dot in the face of that clock? That's what happens when the current goes off. If the current had ever been off in here tonight, that red dot would have been there. Well, it wasn't. But wait a minute. You've been lying, Hutton. Come on, we'd better go down to headquarters. That whistle will be your signal each Sunday for the signal oil program, the Whistler. And remember, this Thursday, June 15th, is the last day of signal's $10,000 contest with 200 valuable prizes, including a Buick Super. So hurry, hurry, hurry! Ask any signal dealer for a free entry blank. No purchase required. Featured in tonight's story were Bill Foreman, John Daener, Georgia Ellis, and Gloria Gordon. The Whistler was produced and directed by George W. Allen, with story by Georgia Martin, music by Wilbur Hatch, and was transmitted to our troops overseas by the Armed Forces Radio Service. The Whistler is entirely fictional, and all characters portrayed on the Whistler are also fictional. Any similarity of names or resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Remember at the same time next Sunday another strange tale by the Whistler, Marvin Miller speaking for the Signal Oil Company. This is CBS The Columbia Broadcasting System.