 suspense this is the man in black here to introduce columbia's program suspense heading our hollywood cast tonight is the distinguished american actor the star of the broadway suspense drama angel street who has recently returned to this coast to resume his film career mr vincent price tonight suspense play which presents mr price and which is produced and directed by william spear relates an episode of recent years in the unfriendly nazi capital of berlin the strange death of charles umberstein by e jack newman is tonight's tale of suspense if you have been with us before you will know that suspense is compounded of mystery and suspicion and dangerous adventure in this series our tales calculated to intrigue you to stir your nerves to offer you a precarious situation and then withhold the solution until the last possible moment and so with the strange death of charles umberstein and with the performance of vincent price we again hope to keep you in suspense needed to think i had been trapped the thought that someone had discovered my intentions maddened me to the breaking point nothing had slipped everything had run smoothly as i had planned no evidence not the slightest trace nothing and yet i was trapped trapped but why how let me see papers in my briefcase train ticket information forwarded safely to my office and he knew how how how but he did know i stood quietly in my room watching him watching him watching me waiting for me standing by the lamp post beneath my window knowing knowing he had trapped me waiting for me i recognized him almost immediately captain von heint once before i had seen him briefly in her miller's office i'd been working on some corrections her miller was escorting him through the plant on an inspection tour they stopped for a moment outside my office i glanced up as her miller gestured my way through the partially open door well here it was they were talking about me my heart stopped he was explaining how i'd been recommended by the furor himself my qualification they continued on their tour her miller explained later when i went to his office her miller you sent for me yes umberstein this morning when captain von heint and myself passed by your office i knew it was you you knew it was me captain von heint is head of gestapo intelligence in this area he was conducting a routine inspection this morning and it was he who suggested that since your recommendations were by the furor himself yes your work here has been excellent i knew you were the man when i passed by today my work uh oh no no no of course not that uh why you have become one of our best man oh thank you her miller no this is it yes her miller through various posts we are releasing more prints on munitions areas in this country uh and other countries you are to be in complete charge of their release from the wall i understand her miller as a citizen of the rike i am greatly honored that i have been given such an opportunity an opportunity to show your loyalty and honor i will give you the combinations you will see that no other person enters the wall of course her miller one moment omberstein yes i think i should tell you that a few months ago in one of the neighboring plants the gestapo apprehended a spy yes he was working for an enemy espionage service found in possession of certain vital documents which he had access to in his work and uh what did they learn from him many things he was reluctant to speak at first but it's difficult to hold out indefinitely but he finally gave them enough information to locate other agents who had filtered in it was well he was detected the uh the gestapo is still on the alert for some of his co-workers still expected to arrive of course they are ignorant of his confession and his faith so here omberstein i must warn you to take all the necessary steps against the possibility of espionage we cannot be too careful i shall be careful in u omberstein is exemplify the efficiency of the close my suitcase and look down on the street i watched him standing there i kept asking myself how how how how could he know this captain fun hind how could he know the plan was perfect the best yet and yet i was discovered trapped it was a late saturday afternoon and the silence of the day hung heavy in the room outside it was cold very cold but in my room it was warm stuffy the radiator hissed and spewed as though it was a judge of the events to come i was almost angry at it a radiator it was still light enough that he might see me if i crossed to raise the window he wasn't aware that i was in the room i hadn't turned on the lights now he stood there waiting for me to return i lay down in the bed smoking my thoughts troubled by the one question how how how had he discovered me safely i had avoided all connections with anyone who might have a chance to spy on my work there was not the least cause for suspicion an established citizen of the right well recommended pure arian employed as an architect in one of the country's largest munitions plants certainly there was no reason for him to suspect me the gestapo this captain fun hind waiting to take me froy line keller absurd oh of course not not she but could you ever trust a woman froy line keller did i give her any reason any reason at all good morning froy line good morning my name is charles umberstein and i am to be at the munitions factory near here i wish to take a room oh one facing the outer street froy line if you can accommodate me oh i think so we have one it is on the second floor overlooks the street corner and i'm glad it it looks comfortable here small and comfortable oh yes you will like it i'm sure i am the owner and manager here froy line sign here please there you are thank you although would you show her umberstein to his room yes who is it is i froy line keller oh just a moment yes froy line i i have brought you some extra blank you may be called that's very thoughtful of you froy line and her umberstein down the street a little cafe you may find nice meals and a little music too oh wonderful i have been indebted to you froy line but you are my charge i look after my guess it is my job oh that is most kind froy line here umberstein i i also dine at a little cafe often oh froy line for your wonderful hospitality oh to you froy line is growing late i must be off i have a great many things to do tomorrow and so do i oh it has been a wonderful evening wonderful here's your coat i growing colder now isn't it yes the winter will be here soon too soon yes but i won't be eh you won't be nothing froy line nothing you will be here alone certainly froy line certainly i was just uh wishing of wishing for what now i had done it i'd started to thinking perhaps she could for what nothing froy line nothing important only the hopes of every man they become so near sometimes they're almost reality so what else could i do i had to lead her thoughts away somehow she took the lead you mean a woman yes yes froy line you oh but we have known each other for such a short time only two weeks that's true but i've been aware of you for a longer time though i've just met you oh oh here umberstein i Charles oh Charles at first i was uneasy about the whole affair and after a while i i did grow rather fond of her she was so accommodating and we dined together each evening and i i played my role to the letter never once did she mention my work oh froy line tell her what are you doing in my room well i was i was you've been looking through my papers why i was looking for something but what right have you what are you looking for i was well i was looking for a letter a letter what letter one that you haven't got i thought perhaps you might have it now out with it a letter from a woman very well child if you must know i i suspect you have left me feel too much she was actually looking for a letter from some woman any woman she didn't trust me she didn't trust her child no no it couldn't have been froy line keller who then could it have been i walked over the window and looked down at the figure who so patiently kept his vigil there captain von heinz waiting why if there had been something wrong with the passport but no that was perfect not the passport all in order you can take your luggage to valine yeah this way next next here you are name charles umberstein presidents belin nationality german all in order take your luggage all in order thank you train master you must be careful you know when may i catch my train for belin it should be by any moment next i stood there in the shadows waiting for my train i i examined my passport again as i had done a hundred times before no one would have any reason to doubt anything so genuine is that oh god oh god must we stand passport inspection again hey uh the army intelligence will accommodate you on the train yeah well free stops my passport was inspected a good test if the passport had been suspected or investigated it would only prove that i was charles umberstein i had come by the passport through hans at the time hans was employed as an austrian customs inspector this gave him access to many such passports according to hans there had been a person named charles umberstein who had suddenly disappeared in 1936 since there had been no friends or relatives to make an inquest well you can see no no i was charles umberstein why i even resembled the badly scarred photograph on the identification card from the front view he was evidently a large man big shoulders large head wore a short prussian haircut as i certainly looked enough like the photograph passport was flawless it couldn't have discovered me through that this fun hind something else what else the plans no no no of course not they couldn't have discovered that i merely made copies and left the originals no no no not the plans by hans and i oh no not hans never it worked so well together oh no no not hans a strange silent boy perhaps but surely at night 1936 when he gave me the passport he was our man in austria but strange things happen even to the most loyal or said charles then i will not see you again hans until until i arrive eh i will be attached to an army ordinance division in the city you will receive additional information on the first day of each month from you yes there's a hotel not far from the factory here is the address for lincala rance's hotel now on the second floor in one corner sits a mahogany table on it are a set of silver candlesticks for them beneath candlestick nearest the right you may find your information on the first day of each month it will be written in code naturally be very careful when you pick it up i see and make no effort to contact me in any other way and can i leave anything i might learn in the same place is it safe yes now remember sooner or later we are bound to be introduced you and i my duties with the ordinance division will of course be a near and yet so far kind of thing eh yeah very far once inside the city i'm obeloid not hans neumann of army ordinance understand him here charles umberstein architect right well time grows short i must go everything checked your passport perfect i even resemble the photograph from the counselor she thinks oh yes not bad well i consider the whole umberstein to have looked this way tickets right here through the berlin i report to france miller in the munitions factory produce my credentials he's been expecting me i haggle a little about the sour eh then i accept at first opportunity become acquainted with md plans and i will see that you are highly recommended for more reliable source just as a matter of curiosity hans who will recommend me you needn't worry how umberstein it'll be good i assure you and goodbye hans obeloid not neumann if you're please obeloid not hans neumann well then my heart charles umberstein i'll be the same yes everything hans had said came about i picked up my information each month with a little hotel i left an occasional report for hans it was the only way we ever communicated and then obeloid and hans neumann began to appear in france miller's office and eventually miller introduced us in fact hans was with miller quite frequently and they dined together regularly hans played his part well but one day something was worrying him i don't wait here for you miller i'll be with you in a moment ah elmerstein it's good to see you again don't worry no mind and miller speaks very highly of your work here thank you be very careful of this getting one hand there's something wrong i don't know what it is he looks at me very strangely and there is something i'll recognize about the man the eyes are yes yes yes who was just chatting a moment i've seen van haen somewhere before be very careful and don't come with us in case they ask you well well you're ready why yes of course umberstein would you care to join us at lunch no no thank you i i have some work to do always working well then let's go hans yeah certainly oh by the way will captain van haen be joining us today no van haen sends his regrets something is delayed oh that's too bad van haen a remarkable man no one like him in the service no one like goodbye leugnance van haen such a brief warning kurt and sinister hans was frightened he would never have taken the chance to speak to me if he had not been frightened something that he recognized about van haen saturday was the first of the month and there was no information at the hotel hans didn't appear again to lunch with her miller something was wrong something had happened to hans today i found out oh we will enjoy ourselves today umberstein yes we should lunch together more often you and i i like good company when i eat good food good company good digestion ever and this is a wonderful restaurant that we are going to you know they serve norwegian smoked salmon that is exquisite and and and cheap too nothing like these new foods we are getting from norway i've heard of norwegian salmon and this is the best you and over like that noiman dying here often don't hunt noiman out here we came here often yeah hunt noiman will not come here for a long long time again i'm afraid i i don't understand uh yeah you don't you remember captain von haen oh yes the costafo man who was inspecting our factory a few weeks ago oh yeah most efficient man he has apparently been observing hunt noiman for some time oh over like that noiman is being detained by captain von haen now was he it was a spy spy how do you know von haen the rest only spies and von haen never makes a mistake the man is in credit was there something suspicious about hunt there's something suspicious about everyone to von haen he himself asked me to cultivate oberleutnant noiman so that he could better observe his action yes i noticed that you two lunch together very often yeah we lunch together at this very same restaurant you and i are going to now that made it easy for von haen easy well to study the man in leisure von haen always wants to be certain of his quarries and uh where is hunt now who knows who knows what happens when captain von haen takes a man don't you admire such efficiency umberstein well of course yeah well the captain did indicate that there were others to be rounded up too well here we are oh look look you see them in the window nor region summer though they are beautiful so red so delicious are you hungry umberstein one oh yes yes oh they they do look delicious captain von haen i looked at him out of the window again i could see his breath now it was growing very cold he was well dressed and neatly tailed over coat and dark hat it was too dark to tell the exact color the only thing i was sure of hands the gloves on the hands heavy thick powerfully mounted prongs encased in a gray tightly fitting material style lines running across the back i noticed when he lifted them to light a cigarette what beautiful weapons his back was to me i couldn't help but admire the fine breath of his shoulders and the thick closely barbed neck he stood quietly by the lamp post smoking watching his breath and the smoke battle for existence in the icy air once when he turned to look up in my window the single eyeglass he wore caught the reflection of the light i wondered how much he weighed carefully i retraced each step over again in my mind i couldn't find the flaw that made me a marked man the absurdly easy way i had gone through Mueller's office carrying an innocent looking bundle of blueprints then to the vault the super the superstition of copies no one could suspect what i had done no one had any reason to why why then was i trapped of course he was after me waiting down there i wondered why he didn't come up and wait in my room surely he didn't know i was in the room perhaps he had searched my room one day while i was out but what could he find nothing absolutely nothing a passport proving i was charles umberstein a monogram suitcase bearing the initial c u a few letters and old papers nothing nothing at all i had never talked i had never known anyone else in service except hans france miller was too stupid to suspect anything for a line keller no the passport perfect only one other way only one other way could he possibly know an instant possible answer flashed through my brain for a full five minutes i watched him watched him very discerningly could it be could it possibly be the stillness of the street below was broken from time to time by the Blair of an occasional horn and the rattle of armored cars carrying soldiers to different parts of the city turning from the window i groped about the darkness of my room searching for the automatic i had concealed in the slit compartment of my traveling bag when i found it i tested the chamber it was loaded i jammed it in my coat pocket and putting on my hat i stood there by the window watching him he seemed very ominous very assured waiting for me he must have been getting anxious with his long vigil i watched him signal to an accomplice across the street walking back and forth under the streetlight i noticed something familiar very familiar a bone from off the bed tied to a piece of cord attached to the light switch near the radiator pipe room enough to pass it through the weighted end dragging the string to the lobby below i picked up my suitcase and stepped out of the door the hall was dark and quiet i walked downstairs the lobby was empty deserted the bottom of the stairs i placed the suitcase by the door and i crossed the desk hastily i jammed a few bills in an envelope and addressed it to proline keller now as i picked up my suitcase i could see him very plainly on the corner he was only a few feet from the entrance the cord with its weighted end had fallen just short of the door i stood there quietly he looked up at my room i pulled the cord he was startled when the light went on upstairs searching the window for a view of the occupant i walked to the door as i opened it he looked my way gazed at me point blank seemed surprised and assuring himself he took a step toward me you are you are charles umberstein why yes i charles umberstein who entered germany 1936 from austria here's my passport your passport yes i have always wanted to meet you charles umberstein i have always wanted to meet you face to face you know who i am why yes you were i wonder you know the others i have had my men pick up but you i wanted to attend to personally it's because you are charles umberstein now we will just i'm sorry my friend sat down hard on the curb looked up at me mumbled strangely then fell over with his head in the gutter his hat fell off and i saw that his hair was closely cropped there were other people on the streets i ran till i was out of breath the next day i picked up a burlin paper on the railroad station on the second page i read the headline gestapo official murdered saturday january 25th captain charles von heim high ranking official of the gestapo intelligence service was instantly killed last night by the bullets of an unknown assailant when he was attempting to arrest on charges of espionage captain von heim had been connected with the gestapo since 1936 prior to his affiliation with the gestapo intelligence he had been known by his real name charles umberstein his entry into such dangerous work made necessary a complete retirement from all public life the rike will long honor the memory of charles umberstein i wired flowers from geneva with a card marked sympathy signed see you and so closes the strange death of charles umberstein by e jack newman starring vincent price tonight's tale of suspense vincent price will soon be seen in the 20th century fox production song of bernadette the producer and director of suspense is william spear music was composed by lucian morrowick and conducted by ludd gluskin this is the man in black who would like to draw your attention to the new day in time for suspense beginning next week when kerry grant will be our star beginning next week listeners in the eastern and central time zones will hear suspense on thursdays at eight p.m eastern wartime and seven p.m central wartime listeners in the mountain and pacific time zones will be brought their next story of suspense on monday december the sixth and each monday thereafter at nine p.m pacific wartime don't forget suspense on thursdays beginning december the second if you live in eastern and central time zones and monday's beginning december the sixth for listeners in the mountain and pacific time zones with kerry grant our opening guest star this is cbs the columbia broadcasting system