uh... part of the next i don't think we need a gallop poll tell us that nearly everybody's in favor of a good mystery story would be sure like homes and most of us so that we get a kick out of the company solve a crime even if it's only on the radio get out those magnifying glasses mission pipes the night's adventure mystery playhouse the mystery playhouse gives you a matter of sleuths a chance to exercise your talent we invite you to match wits with the author of tonight's story earlier figures creator of the charlie chan series and see if you can solve his mystery before the solution is finally given you'll be presented with a murder and five likely suspect if you catch the various clues as they come you'll be able to put your finger on the murder before the curtain falls and here's a hint the most important clue of all it's contained in the title of tonight's tale fifty good hunting my name is george went i'll never forget that horrible night i stood alone in the library of my former employer had a group it was a stern and foreboding heavy yellow card from the fields of marsh grass seem to be pressing close against the window panes i've been invited to henry do's birthday party inside the big house it was pressively quiet and then suddenly around the door of the dining room table was set with green silver and white linen the center stood a cake with fifty pink candles i took a few steps across the room and stopped horrified there was a body on the floor let's go back to the event that led up to my shocking discovery four years ago henry drew the san francisco millionaire hired me to take charge of a couple nine china the mind had been a failure and drew promise that if i could make it pay he'd reward me with a third interest in the property well after four long hard and successful years in unan i returned to shanghai to see henry at went up you've done a splendid job and i'm proud of you thank you sir was a tough job and i can really earn my third interest in that property a third interest yesy you remember like to make the mind that you'd give me an addition of my salary of third interest the property of what the dreaming boy that's ridiculous i never made any such promise and you know it you gave me a word i assume if you have a witness of course not but i fulfill my end of the bargain i demand that you keep yours all and i'll accept it set what your resignation uh... so that's it when you won't get away with it i'm gonna i'm not interrupting something not at all come in carlotta have you finished your business yes my dear we're quite through through high hot mister winter if i suppose you'll be glad to get back to the state this is true today mister jill i'll see you in court i was young and ambitious and this act of injustice to my mind with hatred for henry droll i booked passage as soon as i could to san francisco the boat was crowded and i was informed that i'd have to share a state room with the ships doctor another male passenger when i went on board and down to my state room i found it all make yourself comfortable with the winds of thank you that there'll be another gentleman and they tell uh... but my bag said here on yes mister hello doctor what are you doing here these happened to be my quarters well in that case i have mine changed immediately come on but i character back to park the famous henry droll made his millions when the other people you have to admit he has good taste in women mrs droll is quite attractive sure sure but he's old enough to be a father who's the young american girl drew hardest traveling companion from the truth all these uh... married health care you must be interested i am but so far it's all on my side mrs droll like doctor parker come to prove state room right away or else it will be right along thank you you know thing about his relation to true small of a slay the servant about twenty years ago and reduce a dislike and for that hung pledge drew twenty years servitude you really exercise his right to the master too once even prevented hung from marrying a chinese girl that he fancied later the girl married old doctor sue well i imagine hung will be very happy when his twenty years of slavery and that he can do is it please any of us that a lot he has married it's really been very funny all man drew couldn't get another state room station you don't make the best of a comfortable situation bugging with me i can imagine but he's really been very nice to me wouldn't be nice to you looked down there on day all you know dr park and mrs joe and i'm going into true state room and her and her money and i think the good doctor has more than a professional interest yes i gave it to draw a set of the new sleeping quite sound the old fossil it would be too bad if he didn't wake up couldn't you arrange matters doctor no color that would be too obvious i think we'll just have to be patient and let nature take a course excuse me mrs roe asked me to tell you he would have been a little very well i'll be ready he knows more about henry's personal affairs and i do what about droves son mark is he made up with his father i remember the quarrel years ago he's a lawyer and he has no use for me he thinks i married henry for his money and just between ourselves doctor i think he was right we arrived in san francisco three days later and then came the surprise old henry drew was giving a party at his home that was to be a birthday party spite of the bad blood between us he insisted that i come most important reason for accepting the invitation was well before seeing mary again hunting chung called for me later we drove to the drew mansion on ob hill fogwood i'm delighted to see you went through take a chair for the fire i've been thinking over our little business discussion please mister to let's not spoil your party with business my lawyer calling tomorrow all right and all of them very you know where there's a picture of mary thank you kind it's good that they've been found out yet what is it with your permission i would go to my room all right but be back in time to serve dinner yes mister i don't imagine you to object to being left alone for a moment i want to have a look at the table i want to be sure all fifty candles are on the cake i was never with the with them richmond said that the candles and let him out he must be well over sixty if i'm not coming to be young men will underpin well perhaps it's it's the truth partner possibly in on what is she want i'll be right back it was then it happened everyone was upstairs myself i was standing alone in the drew library it was a personally quiet something i heard right french windows to the fog i took a few steps across the room table set with gleaming silver and white linen in the status of a cake with fifty pink candles not a step and i and we do was on the floor with a knife in his chest oh my god i was shocked and horrified as i stood there in the true dining room with henry drew's dead body that quickly the open french window and saw a dark shadow across the long which disappeared in the twinkling of an eye her growing footsteps in the gravel path outside about thinking of the danger of consequences i stepped out on the veranda stumbled down the stairs and try to follow along the path and then suddenly pay look out good lord will trip the park might let us to you what in the world are you doing out there terrible what is it speak up man henry drew has just been murdered return to the true house i met mark through and reduce some of the first time a good-looking brisk young man of thirty five he'd been detained and arrived at the party just a few minutes before i found his father two minutes later detective sergeant barnes arrived he was a cool quick little man and all business from the word go after a brief investigation in the house and outside he ordered us to the library quiet everybody i have here the place card of the guest for the first day party that's a little bit of help them went through the pocket mark through and i'm going to be on hand almost a drill yes yes i'm not going to be on hand with the few dollars on the block the name yes he does the only guest who has arrived i'm not a few minds anyone of the seven three thousand come over here of course i don't know now we'll start with you mister what happened i was standing in here alone suddenly i heard somebody cry out ran into the dining room and so must have drawn the floor their night for any other weapon i didn't look for her footsteps outside of the path and i went through the open french window and try to follow i've got lost in the fog and on the doctor parker came in what's your position here and then we drove sadly not the former employees but it would not what do you mean by that budget may i see right at the mister went to put them back on my husband in the and i'm not in china it went to a plane that my husband had promised to reward him with a third interest in mind and let's try to get he claimed he'd been treated unfairly parable about it with my husband who dismissed but not true i resigned but to admit there had been bad blood between you and roo well yeah yes i do roo what were you doing at half past seven i was in my room itself that was helping to dress when we heard the cry but then itself that started out of my room i've tried to leave but you have me back naturally out the office uh... where were you mark when your father was murdered i was on my way here in a cab i'll check that later with the driver the time being i'll assume that clear you when you're certainly don't suspect me i suspect everyone until he's proven innocent uh... who's that uh... but chin chong my father's servant or something about the work using the my father's service for twenty years i'm sure first morning good who have such a lot the i'd my mom tell me how where were you at seven thirty maroon on the fourth floor my mother gave me commission to go there the winds of here that yes did you hear the cry when i came down i found there's a lot of people out there now myself there what about you when i heard who scream i ran down there i looked in the dining room and so i missed a group there's no one i screamed and ran from the room did you see a weapon of any sort if you look frightened then this is a rush and when she felt the body she almost fainted i want to feel good knowing felt and i'm here when you took the time to get the smelling salt from the group you went to your own room first didn't you you want to add something you picked up from the side of the dead man in the dining room well i'm the arm that was a pretty obvious place to hide this jade handle chinese night uh... i know it was the worst thing i could have done i was so excited i didn't think very did that for me one then this is your life with the wind yes yes that's my night how do you account for the fact that it was found by the body quality it was stolen from me of course of course well i did it must have been taken from my luggage in the stateroom on the boat just three men who had access to that luggage i was a dead man the second was hung jim and the third dr parker on that what motive what i have both of them up a secret love affair with my father's wife that's been going on for more than a year lost for money in a well-known lack of scruples by the doctor i tell you i didn't feel with the night why not a man who would feel another man's wife would hardly stop at the top of the bank ever my mark now that the detective sergeant barb i think just don't have to think until the police arrived something wrong that was the third and two sent for dr through the unknown the doctor coming i'm afraid not doctor tui and hun hasmelkin estimated part of one ик iconic ph vi release all of us since we were with you we obviously could not have had enough part you weren't with me when Drew was killed but are you implying I'm implying nothing. The last time may I point out that everyone in this house is under suspicion until this murder is solved. But I was up there and my husband was dead and so it was myself here and hung in for what. Anyone of the three of you could have gone down the back steps out the back door through the garden and at the French doors killed Henry Drew and then returned the same way without being seen one moment sergeant may I say a word. Of course Mark one of the curse to me there's one important link in this mystery that hasn't been explained the fifty birthday candles fifty birthday candles yes whose birthday is this anyway father was sixty nine Dr Sue was over seventy look may I speak to you privately. All right come along. Maria I didn't kill Henry Drew you believe that don't you yeah. And that's all that matters no matter how this evening ends it's talking one wonderful thing. That you love me. I have an important. My investigation is at an end you're all free to go now except George went to the. First to be called later as witnesses. You don't mean that. I'm afraid it is Mary. I asked you for the murder of Henry Drew. I dropped into a chair beside Mary to shock and stunned to speak. And then strange things began to happen. All the guests left except Mary and myself a sergeant Mark Drew went into the next room and appeared to be consulting together. When they came out sergeant Barnes warns to be quiet and turned out the lights stamped around the hall and open and close the doors and everything was quiet. For us Mark Mary the sergeant I sat there in the dark. Minutes passed like hours. What did sergeant Barnes have in mind. It was. Quite. Now Mark. Anyone attempting to leave or enter the house would have to pass through this hallway right. Good you better slip out take your place in front of the house now right. I can't I agree why I do fool you ruin everything. Are you that is a we wait waiting as you mean if you both will be quiet and listen and wait and see what I mean. The word. George you have something. In. The. I take care of that what happened with the murderer who else. No no not George don't know the life. The life of mine I have. Good Lord. On Jim John. No. But he's coming to. Mark I caught Marley the Chinese girl outside in the car your man are holding a Chinese girl who's not. The wife of Dr. Suey and hung she killed Dr. So no I'm committed both murders but two of them plan to run away together that's why I hung out the suitcase with it. Then you mean you don't think no no. Sorry to give you such a bad time of the George but we had to in order to grab the real murderer. You see everyone thought hung was in his room when Henry drew with killed but it was very simple for him to go down the back stairs over the doctor to murder him come back here and murder Henry Drew and then return to his room again the killing was simplified because both men trusted hung and probably had no warning. Of course it was the clue about the fifty candles. I don't know. How about my broad right. All right how. What have you got to say for yourself let me speak to him so I'm sorry. I always thought you were loyal to my father. Long ago he saved your life. On. Return you swore no certain for twenty years. They were to be free men. Yes. That is so. Those fifty candles on the cake for you. This is your fifty. So that's why I will do that fifty candles before I died you're trying to indicate the murder of all right hung you and the Chinese woman alone she did not she was only waiting for me well then what connection did you have you I tell nothing. The wizard drove everything. All this was to be. Long ago the gods arranged it. Who is man if he should struggle against the gods. Yes ago I wanted to marry Molly. I asked permission of your father but he would not share my services with Molly he took me on a long voyage when we returned Molly had been given to the evil doctor so you know I hated the doctor Mr Drew for that. Swore that when I was free. Would kill them. They. Kept my. Another big. Desire decree gods. Now gentlemen by. Yes. Even. An물 for its own. Return a good job. He's done a good job. This is horrible. Poor Hong. You might think it's strange, but my father never meant much to me. Yet Hong, well he, he was my friend for as long back as I can remember. If I had only known earlier what the 50 candles meant, this might have been prevented. Yes, Mark. If. Well, that's the curtain on tonight's mystery, 50 candles. How did you do? Were you able to outsmart the orphan and put the finger on the murderer? Or did you just jump from one suspect to the other, finally drawing a blank? Well, if you got it right, congratulations. If not, well, better luck next time. Say, before you put those detective tools away, follow me to the green room and see if you can't pick up a clue or two about our next performance in the mystery playhouse. Follow me, please. Come. I am alone now. The last of the funeral guests have gone, and I am alone in my study. There's been a queer sense of freedom in the house since the coffin was carried away, the coffin that now lies hidden in its solitary grave beneath the brown earth. Claire is dead. She was my wife. And yet I feel no sorrow. Little wonder. It was I who murdered her. Yes, I murdered her, but it was done too cleverly for anyone to suspect me. The power of mind over matter. Now that I look back on it, I marvel. Less than a month ago, she was strong and healthy. Then I began working on her, working on her ignorant fears, convincing her that she wasn't well. I could almost see the seeds taking root. Her appetite left her, and she began to complain of stomach pains. She took to bed. The doctor, a stupid fool, could find nothing wrong, but it was clear he was worried. I waited patiently, letting her tortured mind ravish her body. And then one evening, I walked into her bedroom. There was a cup of broth on her night table. In the half darkness, I dropped the white powder into the broth. Five grains of arsenic. An hour later, she was dead. Now the worst of it is over. The long night when she lay cold and still in her room adjoining mine. The funeral, the tearful platitudes of our friends, the weeping and wailing. Over, done and gone with. The money is mine to do with as much as I can. I'm not going to let you get away with it. I'm going to get away with it. The money is mine to do with as much as I can. No longer will it be doled out to me at her whim and pleasure. All mine. I shall close the house. No one will question that the memories of familiar things are too keen to bear. But first I must discharge the cook and the housemaid. Immediately. Come in. You wanted to see me, Mr. Godden? Oh yes, Hannah. Come in and close the door, please. Yes, sir. What's that you're carrying? It's a picture of the madam. I found it in the attic and I polished the silver frame. I thought you'd like to have it, sir, to remind you. Oh yes, of course. Thank you, Hannah. It's a very good likeness. That is, until she was taken ill. I never saw anyone change so fast. The nature of her disease, Hannah. Somehow I can't believe she's gone. Every now and then I have a queer feeling that she's still here. You're just upset. I have a feeling she wants to tell me something. Hannah, please. I didn't mean to talk about it, but I keep listening for a voice. Waiting to hear what she wants to tell me. When they took her out of her bedroom, I wouldn't let Millie straighten up. I wanted to do it myself. And there, on the night table, was the last thing I brought her. A cup of broth. She drank part of it, but I... Hannah, I'd rather not discuss it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't really go on like this. Not after what you've been through. Waiting on her hand and foot. I wondered why you didn't hire a nurse those last weeks. I preferred to do it myself. I was afraid a nurse would have alarmed Mrs. Goddard. Yes, and they're always prying into what doesn't concern them, aren't they? They think they know more than doctors do. Of course, some doctors don't know much at that. Mrs. Goddard couldn't have had a better doctor. And nobody could have done more for her than you did, sir, I'm sure. There are few husbands who have done what you did. Very few. You wanted to speak with me about something, sir? It's not important, Hannah. It can wait for another time. For long minutes after the door had closed behind her, I could feel my heart pounding madly. The palms of my hands were cold and damp. Everything had changed. The feeling of well-being and satisfaction was gone, and in its place was nervous, uncertain fear. Why had she made it a point to mention the cup of broth? And what else had she said? Oh, yes, few husbands would have done more for their wives. More than I did. Very few. The words had double meaning. Had she meant them that way? No, it was impossible. Just a coincidence. A ghastly turn of a phrase. There was nothing to worry about? Nothing. Well, it doesn't look like you'll have much detective work to do in this one. The murderer's already told us who he is. Sounds to me like our next production is going to be one of those psychological stories going all out for terror. No, sir. I don't think there's going to be anything light and airy about our next attraction. So if you like them grim and frightening, be right back in your seats when we raise the curtain on the Web. This is Sergeant X closing the doors of the Mystery Playhouse. Good night. Sleep tight. This is the Armed Forces Radio Service. The Armed Forces Radio Service. The Armed Forces Radio Service.
