Personal notice, danger is my stock and trade. If the job is too tough for you to handle, you got a job for me, George Valentine. Write full details. Music The Standard Oil Company of California invites you to let George do it. In just a moment we'll begin tonight's adventure of George Valentine. You know, with spring right around the corner, now's a good time to put spring in your driving with a tank full of Chevron Supreme gasoline. It's the gasoline that gives you all eight high performance qualities in correct balance. Quick starting, fast warm up, anti-dock, vapor lock prevention, economy mileage, full power, smooth acceleration, and area blending. Yes, for all around performance, for all around driving pleasure, fill up with Chevron Supreme gasoline at standard stations and independent Chevron gas stations, where they say, and mean, we take better care of your car. And now, tonight's story, The Darkest Shadow, another adventure of George Valentine. Mr. Centner, I want you to make out my will. Your will? Yes, please don't ask any questions. Like you're only a child. How old are you, twenty, twenty-one? Age doesn't make any difference. If you don't help me, I'll have to go to someone else. Now, wait a minute. As your lawyer and executor of your father's estate, I have a right to know what this is all about. You see, Randall, you're standing on a threshold of life. You're in love, engaged to be married. Will's death. What kind of thinking is that? Mr. Centner, please, please, you're not my psychiatrist. Please make out my will. Don't cross-examine me. I don't understand. Lucy, stop this. I said stop this. Now, Lucy, we cannot put this over. You've always impressed me as a girl with both feet on the ground. What's the matter? I'm going to die in three days. Miss Davis? Miss Davis? Yes, Mr. Centner. Oh, I didn't know Miss Randall left. Here, incorporate these facts in the standard will form. Send one copy to Miss Randall and file the other. A will? For the young Randall girl? Yes, yes, file it. I'm sorry, it just seems strange. I didn't mean to bark at you, Miss Davis. You're quite right. It's more than strange. Will you phone that fellow, the one with the ad in the paper, George Valentine, and ask him to come in and see me as soon as he can? And you have no idea why the girl should talk about dying, Mr. Centner? No idea at all. And dying in three days. Why three days? That's just it, Miss Brooks. Why? I checked with Randall's personal physician. He says there isn't a thing wrong with her health. The Randalls, they live in that big, ornate place on Seminole Boulevard, don't they? That's right. Just Lucy and her older sister, Agnes. The father and mother have been dead for quite a number of years. Fine little family, one of the pioneer families of the city. But Mr. Centner, just how do you think we'll be able to fit into this? I don't really know exactly. I thought I might take you along with me to the Randall home. Say you're another lawyer, perhaps, an associate. You might be able to size up the situation better than I. Uh-huh. Well, it might be an idea. Didn't you mention that Lucy's engaged to be married? That's right. Do you know the young man? Just by name. Bill Cabell. George, he might be able to throw some light on this whole mystery. Yeah, he might at that, Brooks. Well, look, suppose you're trying to locate him and sort of have a talk with him. Aye. Then I will see you back here after we've seen the Randall sisters. But, Agnes, Mr. Valentine and I made this visit especially to see your sister. That's very kind of you. Well, you say you have no idea what's behind Lucy's visit to Mr. Centner this afternoon. Don't you think someone ought to try and find out, perhaps be able to help her? I told you, gentlemen, Lucy is not feeling well. Yes, I know you told us. Agnes, you've ruled your sister's life pretty well, haven't you? I don't know what you mean by rule. I've tried to take care of her. After all, I'm older than Lucy. Why did you really come here tonight, Mr. Centner? To help, of course. Father used to say you never did anything without a purpose. Your father was a very astute man. Agnes, Agnes, it's happened. Just as you said it would. The door locked, jammed. Lucy, my dear, we have visitors. Locked and jammed, you hear? Oh, Mr. Centner. Hello, Lucy. This is a friend of mine, Mr. Valentine. Lucy. Mr. Centner, have you ever felt as if you were in a dream? Tried to open a door and you couldn't? You're a boy, Mr. Centner, I'm sure. Fingers are fingers at all. Agnes, I think everything you said came true. You said I could hear voices that I did, strange voices that no one else could hear. And that awful cold feeling that comes over me. Lucy, what are you talking about? Yes, Lucy, tell us about the things you're feeling here. No, stop it, all of you. I think you two better leave. My poor sister is quite upset. She ought to rest. Rest a long time. Good day, gentlemen. Thank you, Miss Davis. You're sure there was nothing else in the files on the Randall estate matter? Yes, Mr. Centner, that was all. Well, I made a lot. I made the same thing a very little, didn't I? I told you there was nothing complicated or important about the distribution of the Randall fortune. One half to each sister. Lucy's world erected that her money go to specifically named charities. Father died in a train accident eight years ago. Long were some dozen other poor souls. Mother died 11 years ago in St. Catharines after a lingering illness. I wonder what that lingering illness was, Mr. Centner. I read we could find out by checking the records, but Mr. Valentine, I fail to see what... George, I'm so glad you're back. All right, Brooks, you take it easy. Come on in, Bill. Yes, Miss Brooks. Bill? Oh, Bill Cabell, Lucy's fiance. Yes. Lucy's fiance. Okay, Bill, let's have it. What's this all about? Well, it's Lucy, Mr. Valentine. I'm so crazy about her, I don't know whether I'm coming or going. She felt the same way about me, too. That is until... Go on, Bill. Until what? Until about two or three weeks ago. Mr. Valentine, she's changed so completely. She's so morbid, so emotional. Not at all like her real self. What happened to her three weeks ago? Well, I'm not sure. I didn't know Agnes so well. Agnes? Oh, well, it's ridiculous. Agnes is a swell person. Matter of fact, she used to be my girl for a while. Nothing serious, we went to school together. Lucy was just a long-legged kid with braces on her teeth in those days. How did Agnes feel about your engagement to Lucy, Bill? Tickle pink. Gave a big party for us. Then what do you read about Agnes? I... Well, I can't... This is no time to play gentleman, Bill. Well, I don't really know, Miss Brooks. Nothing tangible. It's just that when Agnes and Lucy are together, there's something ugly near. Oh, I know what you mean. I've been trying to call Lucy all day. She won't speak to me. I don't know what to do, Mr. Valentine. I think I'm going to try and manage to see Lucy alone. What? Who are you? Hello, Lucy. Oh, it's you. Yes, I'm George Valentine, Mr. Sentner's friend. Well, aren't you going to ask me to come in? Yes, yes, of course. You know, I'm not going to be here. I'm going to be here. I'm going to be here. I'm going to be here. I'm going to be here. I'm going to be here. Of course. Agnes isn't at home. She went out shopping. Yes, I know. But I wanted to talk to you alone. Can we go to your room? Certainly, but... But what? I'm afraid of my room, Mr. Valentine. The door, I can never open it. Something inside of my mind won't let me. You were here the last time it happened. This afternoon, remember? My hands seem to freeze and I can't move them. Did Agnes tell you something like that would happen? I don't know. Yes, but she always knows. She remembers everything Mother went through before... They committed her to be an assailant. Yes, the darkest shadow. That's what Agnes calls it. How did you know that Mother... I checked and found out that St. Catherine's wasn't just a hospital. Can't you feel that awful cold that follows me? But it is cold in this house, Lucy. Agnes told me she keeps the fires going full blast. She's never cold, but I'm always cold. Just like Mother was three days before. Three days. First it was ten days, Mr. Valentine. Then seven. Five. Now it's only three. Wait, Lucy. I'd like to take a look at this door. It does stick a little. It's not the door, it's me. Don't you understand? It's inside of me. Let's see this lock. That's funny. Agnes. Wax in the lock. I don't think I'd do this, huh? I guess I'll have to get out of the other side. Let's get it. This door won't jam again. Nothing metal about a piece of wax. Look what it's doing with that foot, child. What are you doing, Mr. Valentine? Oh, Mr. Bright. He just wanted to talk to me. I couldn't help letting him in. I couldn't help it, honestly, sister. Mr. Valentine, you see what you've done to her by disobeying my orders. Now I want you to move this house. What I've done, Agnes? No, it's a lot of other things. Little things like this piece of wax. I've never saw it before in my life. Get out of this house. I don't like snooping and prying. Please, not how long anymore. Three days. Only three days more. Your sister needs help. Lots of help, Agnes. She needs nothing. No. No. No. No. All right. Thanks for your cooperation, Agnes. You must help me. Don't let anyone take me away. I'm always in control. But I'm acting exactly as Mother did those last few days before they took her to... Lucy, you might still be down there listening ever since you told me. I'm living my own life. Every day I wait, knowing what's going to happen. Knowing that I'm going mad and waiting for the symptoms. Thanks for staying by me. So help me, Agnes. I'm going to kill myself before I let them put me away. In just a moment we'll return to tonight's adventure, George Valentine. You know, if you were to stop five cars on the road today, you'd find four being gradually chewed to pieces from the inside in a way their owners would never suspect. If your car's like most cars, the manufacturer installed an oil filter to strain out sludge and grit and keep them from going back into the engine. Oil filters don't require much attention, actually only once every 6,000 miles. When it's time to get a new oil filter element, and unless you do, the oil filter becomes clogged and useless so the filter can't work any more than a vacuum cleaner can when the dust bag is jammed full. That's why it's a good idea to have your car saver check your oil filter element. If more than 6,000 miles have passed, your filter is full of dirt and sludge and due for a change. Car savers will be glad to install the Atlas Micronic filter element that's correct for your car. One more thing. Now's a good time of the year to be getting ready for warmer weather. So drive in soon for a friendly car saver checkup at any standard station or independent Chevron gas station, for they say, and mean, we take better care of your car. A 20-year-old girl comes to her attorney and insists that he draw her will immediately. The reason? None, except that she expects to be dead in three days. Well, you join the lawyer, Mr. Sentner, in trying to solve the mystery. But even if your name is George Valentine, all you seem to be able to find is that there's a deep and hidden secret between the girl, Lucy, and her older sister, Agnes. You and Brooksy have watched the Randall sisters go out for dinner and have sneaked into the gloomy and rambling old house. This way now, Brooksy. When I was here before, I noticed a big old-fashioned desk in the library. Speaking of the people's houses, you've been meaning to send people to jail, darling. Yeah, but in this case, we can't afford to be too squeamish. Besides, if we get caught, we'll let Sentner do some work. And for all, we're in this thing because of him. I'd better pull the drapes in here before we turn on the light. Yes, good night, dear. Yeah. Thanks, Angel. This may be as much of a dud as the other places we looked in, but... Oh, great. Locked? Yeah. Maybe that's a good sign. Well, we should use a little persuasion. They've a good armistice relationship. They should help in the television. I believe in them, too, but we'll try again. And I know... Oh, that'll be wonderful. Oh, don't worry about it. Well, let's see. Apparently, Alice's desk. Tax receipts, a photo on fur coat, insurance policy, Lucy's birth certificate. Wait a minute. That's odd. What's odd? Lucy was born in Wilkins Landing. So what? From what Sentner told me, I thought you was born right here in this very mansion. Come on, let's talk to our friend, Sentner. No, Valentine, it doesn't make sense. Why shouldn't rich women like Mrs. Randall go to a small resort town and have her baby there, when she could have all the best care right here? I don't know, but there's the evidence. She had no family there, no friends? Sentner, you do some more checking into this birth certificate business here in town. What are you going to do, Valentine? I know it's not the season for bathing, but Miss Brooks and I are going to take a train after Wilkins Landing. Wilkins Landing. They don't wait till ten o'clock to roll up the payments. They don't even put any down. That must be Dr. Withers-Hart. Yes, there's the shingle. Good, good. George, I still have a feeling we were followed on that train. Oh, now, Angel, look, he got a glimpse of a man in a long black coat with a hat pulled down over his eyes. He was the only one besides us who got off here, but we can't just go looking for him, can we? Give me one of these. Oh, bless my heart. It's dangerous. Dangerous, eh? Well, what can I do for you folks? I'm not a practicing doctor anymore. I've been retired for a year now. Keep that sign for old times sake. Yes, well, I'm George Valentine, Dr. Withers, and this is my assistant, Miss Brooks. Hello. Glad to meet you, glad to meet you. Got to say it twice, seeing there's two of you. I hope that that's the case. Well, come in, folks, come in. You catch your breath of gold standing there. I wouldn't be tipping me off like that, but I'm not practicing anymore. Well, I'd like to make you folks some coffee. My housekeeper's not here and I'm all alone. Yeah, well, that's quite all right, Dr. Withers. We're just here on a short business call. Yeah? About this birth certificate. This is your signature, isn't it? Just a minute. I'm putting my glasses on. Yeah, I reckon it is. What about it? Then you brought Lucy Randall into the world. Yeah, yeah, I did that all right. Were you alone at the time, Doctor? No, the mother was there. Oh, gee. Yeah, well, that's not exactly what I mean, Doctor. I know what you mean, son. Yeah, there was a nurse. Wilma Dowdy was her name. Was there anything strange about the birth, Dr. Withers? Strange? No, nothing strange. Perfectly normal, natural birth. Was Mrs. Randall a patient of yours before then? Yeah, I reckon I'd better not talk about that. But, Dr. Withers, please, I can't go into all the explanations now, but it's very important that we know. Well, it's been 20 years. See no reason I shouldn't tell you. I guess it don't make no difference now. One of the strangest cases I ever had. It gave me a lot to think about for a long time after that. Go ahead, Doctor, please. That's the back door. Tarnation, who could it be this hour of the night? I'll be right back there, folks. Looks like we're on the right track, Jerry. Probably on the right track. If what I suspect is true, Angel... George! Dr. Withers, you stay here for a seat. Dr. Withers. Somebody shot me, young fellow. See, Wilma Dowdy. Dr. Withers will be all right, Angel. Oh, it's fine. I might be able to talk to anybody for at least a day, maybe more. We can't take a chance on waiting. Wilma Dowdy? Yeah, she's next. Let's hope we get to her before the man in the long dark coat. I'm sorry about Dr. Withers. Is that all you have to say, Mrs. Dowdy? I told you I know nothing about Lucy Randall's bird. It's of the utmost importance... You tell us what happened. It's of the utmost importance to me that I live. I told you, you're in no danger. The sheriff has a man stationed right outside. He'll stay with you until his whole thing is cleared up. Now, look, you must realize there's a poor girl going mad, and you're the only one who can help her. I don't remember a thing. It's been such a long time, Dr. Withers. Mrs. Dowdy, you're a selfish woman who shut herself away from humanity so long that she's forgotten there are other human beings. Women beings, she owes something to. But, Mr. Batten, I... Now listen to me. You've forgotten that you're a nurse. You once took a sacred oath. Perhaps you no longer remember the words, but you couldn't have forgotten the ideals. No, I haven't forgotten. That isn't the point. That's the whole point. Here's a young girl, only 20 years old. She's just starting in life, engaged to be married, happiness ahead of her. But Lucy's slowly but surely going mad, being driven mad. Did you say it's Lucy who's going mad? Why, yes. Oh, tell me everything, Mr. Batten. Everything. She has only a few hours of sanity left. So let's not waste time, Mrs. Dowdy. I... I never thought I'd tell anyone. Never. Only Mrs. Randall and Dr. Withers and I knew. One day, Mrs. Randall came here to Wilkins Landing and gave Dr. Withers this proposition. Let's go. Agnes? Agnes? Agnes, where are you? Agnes, in heaven's name, don't leave me alone like this. Alone in this dark, cold house. Agnes, please. I'm right here, Lucy. Agnes, why did you leave me alone like this? Where were you all night? Hours and hours. I was here all by myself. I was here all by myself. I was here all by myself. I didn't leave this house at all. I told you I had a mild brain headache, Lucy. I was sleeping in my room. I locked my room because I didn't want anyone to disturb me. No, no, no, no. Early this morning, I couldn't stand it any longer. I went to your door. I pounded on it. I screamed for you. Here, look at my hands. They're scratched and bleeding. You didn't do it on the door. You imagined it, didn't you? No, you imagined everything. Do you hear? Yes. Maybe I did imagine it. I wanted to spare you, dear. But I'll have to be honest with you now. I talked to Mr. Stentler and Mr. Valentine last night. That's where I went. I begged them not to send you away. But they wouldn't listen to me, Lucy. They're coming for you any minute now. No, I can't. I can't protect you any longer. I'll try, but I can't. Don't let the Magnus, don't. They're going to lock you up, Lucy. Put you on a straitjacket, bind you, hands and feet. And you won't be able to move. Won't be able to protect yourself, not even kill yourself. And you'll lie there day after day, night after night, just with a horror in your own mind. The darkest shadow. This is your last chance, Lucy. Look, Lucy. Do you see what's there? A gun. You can still save yourself, I'm afraid. I'm thinking only of you. Good you're my sister. You suffer as much as you did. Suffer horribly, endlessly. Yes. Take the gun, Lucy. Go on. Take the gun, Lucy. Hit your head. Just pull the trigger and hit me off in here. Lucy. Don't come near me, Mr. Valentine. Stay away. Stop that gun, Lucy. Please, please. Lucy, hold that trigger. Don't come near me. Save me. Take me away. Nobody's going to take you away, will you? That's right, no one's going to take you away. Here, look at this birth certificate, Lucy. You're not Agnes' sister. You're an adopted child. He's lying. Valentine, I don't understand. There's no insanity in your family, Lucy. Agnes has been trying to drive you mad. He's lying. Mrs. Downey told us the whole story. A young girl in Wilkins Landing was going to have a baby Mrs. Randall went to Wilkins Landing and lived there six months waiting for the birth of this child. Only Dr. Withers and Mrs. Downey knew what she had in mind. When Mrs. Randall came back here, she passed you off as her own baby. No! Why did she adopt a child five years after Agnes was born? Mr. Randall wanted her to. He knew from the time Agnes was a few years old that she could never be any stronger mentally than her mother. I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you! No, you aren't going to do anything to anybody else. I'll kill you! We found a house with muddy footprints in the hall. Those footprints led to a clothes closet. In there we found a long, dark overcoat and a slouch hat. We also found a pair of shoes, muddy shoes. The same kind of mud you see on our shoes. That mud came from a little country load leading to Dr. Withers' house. I'm like my mother. Why should I be the lucky one? I'm like my mother. I'm like my mother. I'm like my mother. I'm afraid the last act will have to take place in the sentence office. Long before we could say that heavy duty RPM motor oil doubles engine life, the time between major overhauls due to lubrication, there had to be proof. Hundreds of motor oils were tested in the laboratory and on the road. Atomically treated piston rings were installed in test cars to measure actual wear as it occurred. And now heavy duty RPM users are sending in performance facts that back up every claim ever made. One cab company, for example, reports that heavy duty RPM actually reduced engine wear in its cabs 71%. Salesmen and people like you and me are sending in similar reports. So why take chances? Get heavy duty RPM motor oil for your car at independent Chevron gas stations and standard stations where they say and mean we take better care of your car. And you'll find attached here with a deposition from Dr. Wilbur Dunston, head of the State Lunacy Board. You still in the rest of the status? Yes, Mr. Stettner. And see that you take care of all the random papers that need notarizing. I'll do that. Right away. Poor Agnes. The darkest shadow. Yeah. Well, she'll be better off where she's going, Bruxy. After all, she did try to kill not only Lucy, the doctor with her. I still don't see why Agnes was so anxious to keep Lucy's true identity a secret. As the doctor tells me, she was jealous. Jealous of Lucy and of Bill. And I guess there were other motives, too. Well, we'd better get going. We don't want to be late for the wedding. Mr. Lee is just willing to bail. Valentine, I am very grateful for what you've done. And Lucy? Well, she insists she's going to name her first baby after you. That's great. As a matter of fact, she wanted something from me, too, George. Before I told her what to do. Yeah? She's going to throw the bridal book in where I can't possibly miss it. Am I doing some sort of looking there? Tonight's Adventure of George Valentine has been brought to you by Standard Oil Company of California. On behalf of independent Chevron gas stations and standard stations throughout the West, Robert Bailey is starred as George with Virginia Gregg as Brooks. Let George Do It was written by David Victor and Jackson Gillis and directed by Kenneth Webb. Virginia Eyler was heard as Lucy, Laurene Tuttle as Agnes, Ted Osborne as Centner, Junious Matthews as Withers, Rolland Morris as Bill, and Barbara Lee Benton as Miss Davis. The music is composed and presented by Eddie Dunstetter. The announcer, John Heaston. Let's begin next week, same time, same station, to Let George Do It. Let George Do It is heard overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. This is the mutual Don Lee Broadcasting System.
