 And now, another tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. One island amusement park, late one summer night. The smell of popcorn and Frank. The music of the carousel. The thunder of the lower coaster. The steady sound of shots from the shooting gallery. The seat was called the Barkers along the midway. All the garish life and color of a carnival. And hiding behind them, the shadows that off the lives of the carnival. From the hunchback of little balloons to Danny King, the diving wonder of the world. Oh, but this way, boss. Danny King is down at the end of the midway. Oh, this is fun island, isn't it? Somehow I've never been out here before. Yeah, you go more for nightclubs and racetracks, boss. But a lot of people like this kind of fun. I wonder if we shouldn't look into it. What a potential customer's out here. Yeah, they're all two-bit spenders, every one of them. Oh, there's Danny King's pitch. Hey, you see that diving tower? That's him now climbing up on it. This is where Danny's been hiding now. I wonder we couldn't find him. Yeah. You know, if I hadn't seen his mug and had newspaper, we'd better hurry, boss. He's already up on a platform. You mean he's really gonna dive from up there? He must be 60 feet up. 75. And he dives into a canvas pool six feet deep. Yeah, he's a bum, this guy. He's a no-goodnik, but in college, he was a diving champ. Yeah, we better stop here. I was getting too sick. I don't like that. Okay, boss. When you are featured attraction, Danny King, the human field. The diving wonder of the world. It's free, folks. It's free. Step up, step up, step up. In just a moment, this daring young man you see standing far above your head is going to dive a feet of water. Yes, folks. Can he perform the speed of their ink and defy feet into a tiny canvas tank? He's getting ready, folks. He's getting ready. What are you gonna do? And here he comes, folks. He's in the air. And he's plunging through the plane. He's passing for us. Is he going to miss the tank? Very neatly done. Charlie, if Danny has to earn his living like this, I gotta be as ten thousand dollars to pay. That's right. But he's got a rich uncle. A real rich uncle. Quite true. All right. Suppose we give him time to get dressed. Then we'll have our little chat with Danny King. Yeah, what is it? Two guys outside want to see you. I don't like your looks. They got to look at the racket to me. Call them off, Parker. I don't want to see them. That's too bad, Danny. Because we're here. Well, broken. You can't come busting in here like that. All right, little man. It's okay, Parker. I know these fellas. You heard them, man. Why don't you say so, Danny? Well, Danny, this is a pleasant surprise. What do you want? Just to say hello and collect ten thousand dollars. I don't owe you anything. You got twenty-five thousand from me and I stole part of that. My uncle threw me out. That ought to satisfy you. Unfortunately, no. I still owe ten thousand dollars of your IOU. Well, I haven't got it. Tell him, Mike. He knows somebody who does have it. Charlie means your uncle, Danny. Harvey K. Randolph. You'll never give me a cent. I forged his check for the last five thousand you suckered out of me and my uncle threw me out. Oh, that's too bad, isn't it, Mike? Listen. Someday I'll get at least a million. He's got it now, but it's held in trust for me. When I get it, I'll pay you double. Triple! All right, Danny. If you need time, we'll give you time. Yeah. I... I knew you'd be reasonable. I pride myself on being reasonable. So I've given you a whole week in which to pay me that ten thousand dollars or else, Danny. Or else. Not good, huh, Danny? They'll kill me, Bart. Yeah, my broken place for keeps, but... Look, if your uncle... He has absolutely no use for me. I've told you how I forged that check and then he... Yeah, and he tossed you out on your ear. Sink or swim, huh? Yeah. But look, with your life and Danny... My life. It wouldn't matter to Uncle Harvey. He told me to never come to him again and he met it. Boy, you really got yourself sold in a sec. There's no soul of... Wait. Betty! Who's Betty? Betty Thompson. I sort of a combination nurse and secretary for Uncle Harvey. She's a nice kid of you, like I'm playing with glasses. Well, what can she do? Oh, Uncle Harvey dotes on her. And she dotes on me. She's in love with me. Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll phone her. Make a date. She's around here? Yeah, I'm sure of it. Every summer, Uncle Harvey takes a suite at the Grand Beach Hotel. That's only a couple of miles up the beach from here. She might be followed. We're not able to get away. The Grand Beach, huh? That's a real Ritzy Joyce. He almost got to have a passport to get inside. I got it. The hotel's outdoor swimming pool. What about it? Well, it's open to the public on Tuesdays. Tomorrow's Tuesday. And Betty could flip down for a swim and Uncle Harvey wouldn't think anything of it. Here. I'll phone her now and tell her to join me in the pool tomorrow afternoon. Danny! Oh, Danny! Pretend not to notice me. Just swim alongside me. Oh, I thought you would never come to me. Well, I was late. Now listen. Okay. Climb out of the pool. Uh-huh. And lie on the couch. All right. Just casually. I'll come and lie down a couple of feet away. All right. I'll cover my face with a towel. You can talk and not be noticed. Yes, Danny. Anything you say. Go on. Climb out now. All right. And don't look back yet. No! No! Danny! We can talk now, Betty. But don't look at it. Danny, can't I even look at you after all this time? No, I don't want anyone even to suspect we've been in contact. Well, glad I'm here. Oh, you know I am. I've thought about you so much. You said you were going to write. Uncle Harvey wouldn't have liked it. If I love you, you're more important to me than he is. Oh, Danny, darling, where have you been? A lot of places. Right now I'm like a pretty good living. Two hundred a week. Danny, that's wonderful. Your uncle... Oh. What about him? If he knew he might forgive you. At least, well, he might. You know him better than that. Well, he's terribly stern, I know. But if he thought you turned over a new leaf... Well, I have. But I'm in trouble. Danny, no. Yeah, I need ten thousand dollars. If I don't get it, I'll be killed. Don't say that. Please tell me that isn't true. It is true. You've got to help me. I don't want to, but how? I don't know how. Danny! Don't talk. Pretend to be asleep. What is it? Your uncle. He's waving to me from his bedroom window. He's gone now. From his bedroom window? Yes. The apartment overlooks the pool. It's on the fifth floor, directly above us. See? Up there. Oh, see? See? Right above us. He often watches me when I come swimming. You see me? No, no, no. The towel hit your face. Hmm, so that's really old boy. Hangs up. The sea air is good for him. He gets terrible headaches sometimes. Yeah, I should weep. Now listen, I have to have ten thousand inside six days. Six days? Danny, how can we get it? From Uncle Harvey. You'll have to give him some sob story. My life depends on it. Elizabeth, you are not experienced in the art of life. But Mr. Randolph... This whole story about needing ten thousand dollars to save your brother in San Francisco from jail. It's a complete fabrication now isn't it? No, no, sir. Jack is desperate and I'll pay it back out of my salary. Oh please, my dear, your story is a lie. The only person you would lie for is Daniel. Am I right? Yes, Mr. Randolph. Danny needs the money. He needs it terribly. What difficulty is he in now? He's some gambler. They threaten to kill him. I see. But he's reformed. Really, he has. If you can only help him out of this trouble... Elizabeth, you may think me hard-hearted, but I've helped Daniel out of an endless succession of difficulties in the last few years each time he swore to recover. I know, but this time he has, I'm sure of it. Ah, you love it. You must help him. Please say that you will. There is only one help for Daniel to solve his own problems and stand on his own feet. Now these men are simply trying to scare him. Now it hurts me to say this to you, but for Daniel's own sake the answer is no. It's starting to rain. When it says we'll have three days of rain, maybe more. It's just dandy. Hey, Danny, this ain't doing any good lapping up the booze that way. You know, your timing is way off. Tonight you almost missed the pool. Pretty near, give me hot bed. Now don't worry about me. I can dive blindfolded on a pitch-dark night, drunk or sober. Oh, ease up, Danny. Listen, I passed that Betty kid in the hall, born a rise out. What'd you say to her? I told her to stop bothering me. I needed $10,000 and she brings me $500. Well, she loves you, Danny. She's doing her best. That uncle of yours just won't sell a shell out of time. No, no, I gotta sink a swim on my own, he says. You can only get my hands around his throat and choke and choke and choke. All right, Danny, now take it easy. Yeah, well, three days left, he tells me to take it easy. A million dollars I have coming to meet with Uncle Harvey. He dies or I reach 28. Only I'll never get it because I won't reach 28. You keep on living and I'll be dead. He'll only die now. He'll only die like a man his age should. What is it, Danny? What's the matter? It's just an idea. It's a really terrific idea. I don't intend to get killed, see? No matter what I have to do, I don't intend to get killed. You get me? No, no, I'm not sure I do. It doesn't matter. Just find me the name of a tailor who can make a bellhop uniform in a hurry and keep his mouth shut. How do you like it, Buck? How does it look, huh? You look just like a bellhop. Hey, what's a Santa pocket? A Grand Beach Hotel. Hey, Danny, what is this? Simple. Now I'm a bellhop of the Grand Beach. Okay, now, ready? Of course not. But I'm paying a call there tonight and if anybody notices me, I'm just a bellhop. Nobody to look at twice. You gonna go see your uncle? Look, forget everything. Just don't ever spill a word of it. Oh, not me. Now to keep my mouth shut. Hey, listen. Is that dungeon? Yeah. The weather's getting worse. Rain for two more days anywhere the radio shows. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Now listen, I have a date with Betty tonight. I called her up and told her I made a settlement with Brogan. Oh, yeah? Yeah, I'm to meet her at the Quartet Cafe at 1 a.m. She thinks I'm gonna ask her to marry me. I'll be a little late. You'll meet her and keep her there till I get there. Okay, if you say so. I'll be there at 10 after. Just keep her there. Who is it? A message from Miss Thompson. From Elizabeth? Just a moment. Let me see you. Oh, yes, one of the bellboys. Well, I'd like to be certain. All right, come on in. Thank you, sir. Now, you say you have a message. Let me have it. Daniel. Yes, Uncle Harvey. What the devil are you doing in that bellboy outfit? I had to see you. I had to talk to you. Elizabeth already has pleaded your case and the answer's no. Uncle Harvey, I need $10,000. They'll kill me if I don't pay it. Do you understand? They'll kill me. They'll leave me lying in the gutter. You'll like that, won't you? You've always said I belong in the gutter. Well, no melodramatics. Possibly someone is trying to scare you. And part of your growing up is to learn not to be so easily scared. I am scared of dying. For the last time, Uncle Harvey, will you let me have $10,000 of my own money to save my life? I'm sorry. I cannot go back on the principles that I live by. Then you'll have to die by them, too. Why yet? A gun. And loaded and silenced. Don't be a fool. Surely you know you can't kill me if that's what you plan. I have a million dollars coming to me and I can only collect it now if you die. Well, I need it. So you're going to die, Uncle Harvey. Daniel, you are being absurd as well as melodramatics. You always had a low opinion of me. If you had more faith in me, maybe I'd have a man of this something. But did you ever think I'd get down to murder, huh? Daniel, you're out of your mind. If you harm me, all the motive will point to you. You'll be electrocuted. Because you're going to commit suicide. You're going to hang yourself with your resting-down cord. No one will believe that. Oh, yes, you've had a lot of bad headaches. That's reason enough. Besides, you'll have to believe it. Even Betty, you see, the door will be locked from the inside and the chain will be in place and the door will be bolted, proving you had to be alone so no one could possibly have killed you but yourself. How? How do you propose to manage that? When you know, Uncle, you'll be dead. Hey, go, Harvey. How quietly you hang. Perfect model of a gentleman's suicide. The door. Locked and bolted. Inside. Chair under your feet. Kicked over to keep appearances. Oh, yes, your bedside clock. I must set it to head. No, and break it on the floor. There. Shift the chair. Knock against the dresser and the clock fell. We died at half past one. Well, I'll be drinking with Betty. Ask her to marry me. With perfect alibi. We'll keep her from being suspicious. And now for the graceful exit. First, open the window. It's still raining. Good. No one would be around in a night like this. Now, out on the window, Ledge. There, that's it. Close the window tight behind me. Now for the big dive. A million-dollar dive. The pool directly below me. I could see it there. About 15 feet out. Maybe deep. This trial's played for Danny King, the diving wondered. He pushed outward to clear the trials. Nothing to it. An uncle Harvey is left behind dead in a locked room. Even worse than a splash of lightning. The shield and the ice are better to be thrown on balance. Goodbye, Uncle Harvey. A million dollars, here comes Danny. Hey, Betty. You're wearing out that clumpy cup. Oh, I'm still stirring it. I guess I'm worried about Danny. He's so late. He's fine. He said he'd be a little late. Oh, I'm so glad he... He's got that business with those awful gamblers straightened out. I do love him, so I know he's going to be different after this. Sure he is. He's going to be all right. His uncle just misjudged him, that's all. Danny's a fine person, really. But it's after half past one and he isn't here yet. Oh, I'm being silly. I'll put some lipstick on. I must have chewed it all off by now. Hey, you dropped this piece of paper out of your purse. Paper? Let's see. Oh, it's nothing important. Just a notice from the management of the hotel it was in our box. It only says that the management is taking advantage of the bad weather to repair the swimming pool. It drained all the water out this afternoon and closed it until further notice. Suspense. You've been listening to The Big Die, written for suspense by John West. Heard in tonight's story were Leon Janney as Danny King, Rosemary Rice as Betty, Sam Gray as Mike Brogan, Vandell Cramer as Charlie, Ralph Bell as the Barker, and Bill Smith as Uncle Horace. Listen again next week when we return with Night Fairy to Paris by William N. Robeson, another tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.