... Quinn Williams was in a mess. And it looked pretty bad before he met the girl from his hometown. Together, they worked to extricate him from what looked like a hopeless situation. With The Deadline at Dawn. ... Tonight we're bringing you a story from the pen of a man who wrote Phantom Lady. Mr. William Irish. He's written a tense, fast-moving mystery drama which he calls Deadline at Dawn. Our curtain rises on the hall room of Ablishman Anna. It's very late, and the handful of couples still left. Circled slowly and rather heavily around the dance floor. Near the center of the floor, a young man dances with a red-haired girl. Her face is young and pretty, but wears the look of sullen weariness. ... It's plenty crowded in this dance hall tonight. Yeah. Is it always as crowded as this? No. After it closes, it's empty. ... New York's a great town, isn't it? Oh, sure. All it does is ruin everybody who comes in. It's a great town. Yeah, I suppose it. Look, I'm paying to dance with you, not to dance. ... Good night. It's one o'clock. We're closing up. We're closing up? You mean I have to go out on a... Say, you mind if I walk home with you? Look, mister, I'm on my own time now. Bad enough I gotta talk to guys like you. Well, I have to go someplace. I mean, I haven't got any friends. Okay. Only remember, I didn't ask you to walk home with me. And it's a long walk. Oh, I like walking. ... Well, this is it. I've never been in this neighborhood before. Well, you can't do much better than this for 12 bucks a month. Well, take it easy, mister. I'll be standing around. Hey, look, I gotta go inside with you. Now, wait a minute. No, please, you don't understand. Just in the hallway here. ... Just for a minute, and then I'll leave you. ... What's your trouble? Nothing. I just wanted to stop in here out of the wind. Sure, and that police car going by had nothing to do with it. Now, look, you keep looking behind you, scared like all the time we're walking. And you hide behind in the dance hall all evening, and now you... What did you say your name was? Quinn. Quinn Williams. Okay. I'm a chump, but do you want to come up for a cup of coffee? Sure, I'd like that. Only get one thing straight, Quinn. This is an invite to share a cup of coffee and nothing more. No sugar goes with it. I know. A fella can tell just by looking at someone. You'd be surprised how many ought to see in a petition. Here it is. Throw your hat in the cup there. Take a chair if it doesn't fall apart. I'll get busy and make some coffee, and then we can talk. This is sure mighty nice of you to... Hey, wait a minute. This letter here on the table. Postmarked Glen Falls, Iowa. You know someone there? Well, I ought to. She's my mother. Well, that's where I'm from. That's my hometown. I only came away from there a little over a year ago. You mean you're from there, too? So you're from Glen Falls, huh? That's a new line, and I thought I heard them all. No, I did live there. Oh, yeah? Did you, uh, ever go to the Bijou movie house? Bijou? I don't remember any Bijou movie house. No, because there isn't any. Maybe you're on the level. What street did you live on? Anderson Avenue, up near Pine. Anderson Avenue? Oh, gosh. You are from Glen Falls? Yeah. So you know who I lived on, on Emmett Road. Oh, gosh. Off the next street to Anderson Avenue. How come we never met back there? I don't know. We moved there about three years ago. Oh, that's the reason then. I came to New York five years ago. Well, you haven't told me your name yet. Oh, it's Bricky Coleman. My real name's Ruth, but everyone calls me Bricky. Oh, because of your hair? Yeah. Gee, just think. We're both from Glen Falls. It's a great little town, isn't it? Folks saying good morning to you from all the way over the other side of the street, even if you had never set eyes on them before in your life. And no music after dark, hon. No slide trombones that go in and out and braid. Only crickets and things like that. Yeah. And people that took an interest in you, they dropped in with jams if you were sick. People that would have gladly lent you money when you got a little older, if you happened to be dope. Yeah. And look at us now. Home. Oh, don't talk about home, please. I wanted to go back there for so long now. Then why haven't you? Oh, don't think I haven't tried. It's just one bus a day at six in the morning. Once I even bought a ticket, only I turned it in at the last minute. Why? I'd go home myself if I had. I haven't made good here. Back in Glen Falls, they think I'm in a Broadway show, not just a taxi dancer. Oh, but that's not a real reason. All right, then. The real reason is New York. It gets you down. It's got a half Nelson on me right now. That's what's holding me. That's why I can't get away. But stone and cement buildings, they haven't got arms. They can't reach out and hold you back if you want to go. I knew you wouldn't understand. But New York's bad, and when you breathe too much of it for too long, it gets under your skin. It gets into you, and you're sunk. The city's got you. Well, I guess I'd better clear out. It's two o'clock. Skip the coffee and thanks. Oh, wait, Quinn. They're after you for something, aren't they? Huh? Yeah. That is, they will be tomorrow. Why? Why, Quinn? It can't be anything so bad. Bad? It's plenty bad. Look, about $2,400. Where did you get it? I stole it, I guess. You see, I had a part-time job as an electrician's helper for a while. Then a few weeks ago, I was sent out on a job in the East 70s, a guy named Stephen Gray. While I was working there, I saw him opening his wall safe. I thought how easy it would be to rob him. I even had a key to the place. Then I lost my job, and the thought of that easy money kept preying on me. So tonight I went over there, and I stole it. I thought it would fix me up. Only it hasn't. It's made everything worse. I never stole before. I wish I hadn't done it. Quinn, listen, I've got an idea. Let's both go back home. There's that six o'clock bus. Nah, that's too late for me. You go. Oh, Quinn, I could get back home if I had somebody to go with me. How much of that money have you spent? Oh, not much. $5 for a meal I didn't eat, and $10 for a roll of tickets in that dance hall tonight. $15. Listen, Quinn, I've got enough money saved to replace that $15 and to buy two bus tickets. Sure, Bricky, but how can I? Well, you can put that money back where you got it, and then everything will be all right. Put it back? Well, sure, yeah. Maybe there's still time. Oh, come on, we'll grab a cab and put that money back somehow, and then go straight to the bus station. We've got plenty of time. It's only 2.30. Hey, this is Grave's house, right here, Bricky. Uh-huh. Hey, see, Bricky? What did I tell you? This is our lucky night. He isn't home. Quinn, what's that? Only a clock. Oh. Telling us we've got three hours yet. Quick, Quinn, where's the safe? Right through here. Follow me. On tiptoe. Okay. Here we are. Now, as soon as I turn the light on... Oh, Quinn! Shh, don't get excited. There's nothing. Look, there on the floor, a man. Oh, Lord. It's him, Bricky. It's Stephen Grave. Oh, there's blood all over his shirt. He's dead. He's been killed. Oh, Quinn. I didn't do it, Bricky. I didn't do it. I only took the money. Somebody else murdered him. He wasn't even here when I... I must have come back. Bricky, you've got to believe me. Okay, I believe you, Quinn. Oh, it's the city. I knew it would let us get away. It's got us right where it wants us. I can't go back to Glen Falls now, Bricky. They'll think I did it. I've got to stay. But you... you can go home. Please go. Will you, Bricky? Please. You didn't do it, Quinn. Okay, I'm sticking with you. Oh, no, Bricky. We'll never. It's too late. The city. We'll show it. We're not lit yet. Our deadline's still good. We still have until dawn. No one knows about the murder yet. Only us and whoever did it. What do you mean? I mean we'll catch the murderer ourselves and then everything will be okay. Oh, that sounds crazy. We're not detectives. We don't even know how to start. We'll look for clues, Quinn. We have to. It's our only chance. Yeah. Our only chance. Okay. 3.30. Oh, Quinn, we've got to hurry. Yeah. All right. Now let's add up all the clues we've discovered. Okay. He didn't do it himself because then the gun would still be lying around the room somewhere and it isn't. Yeah. And the motive wasn't robbery because nothing's been taken out of the safe since I was here. Don't look at that, Quinn. Don't look at it. Now, we know a man was up here tonight, the grave, because there are two different cigar butts, two different friends, and on opposite sides of the tray. That's right. And that match folder you found, it smells of powder and perfume. And it was a woman. Right. And I smelled perfume out in the hall in the dark when we were coming in. The woman was here in this room tonight. But the woman and the man who chewed the cigar couldn't have been here together. There's only two chairs facing each other here. Right. Then whichever came last, the man or the woman is the one who did the killing. Oh, that means seven million people in New York City. We've got to find two, a man and a woman. Bricky, it can't be done. We've got to find them, Quinn. We've got only two and a half hours to do it in. It's daylight. It's thick. There's a bus that leads for home, the last bus. And for us, it's the last bus in the world. Oh, what's that? Brickler along? Did we touch something? It's the telephone over there. Oh, don't answer it, Quinn. You'll bring the police down on us. They'll know it's not his voice. Well, maybe I can get away with it. Maybe if I talk low and indistinct. It's our only chance, Bricky. We may find out something more. Come on, stand close by me. Okay. Here I go. Hello? Darling, this is Barbara. Yes? It's a woman. Steve, we've never parted angry like this before. Who was she, Steve? That tall redhead in the light green dress. Steve, and answer me, who was she? I don't know. Well, then why did she force herself in between us like that and the con girl, mine at the parakeet club? Why did she slip a note into your hand? Steve, won't you meet me halfway? Won't you answer? Uh-huh. That's something big. The biggest thing that we've picked up so far. Graves must have gotten a note. Come on, we've got to look for it. Any luck, Quinn? I don't think so. No note, but I did find a check lying in the bathtub covered up by the shower curtain. Let's see it. Made out to Stephen Graves for $12,500 and no cent. Signed Arthur Holmes. And on the back it's endorsed by Graves and stamped returned. No fund. It is a pretty good chance that Holmes was the guy here tonight, isn't it? I'm betting on it. At least it's a motive. Holmes tried to give Steve Graves a bomb check. Graves threatened him, so Holmes shot Graves. Look, Quinn, it just caught my eye. Graves has a hole in the heel of one sock. He's too well dressed for... Quinn! It's the note! Read it, Bricky. Uh, Mr. Graves, I would like to speak to you in private at your home after you have taken the young lady home. I mean right tonight. You don't know me, but I feel like a member of the family already. I wouldn't want to be disappointed and not find you there. Unsigned. Look, Bricky, there isn't anything to do but split up two ways, whether we like it or not. We've got to find those two people. A redheaded girl in a conga line and a guy named Arthur Holmes. I'll look for the woman at the parakeet club. And I'll find Holmes if I have to ring every Holmes in the phone book. And it's four o'clock. Only two hours to do it in. Oh, Bricky, we can't do it. It's impossible. We gotta do it. Quinn, we gotta. We can't be afraid or quit. Okay, we'll meet back here. Yes, here in the house where he's lying. Not later than a quarter to six, with him or without him. We'll have to if we want to make that buck. Quinn, we'll make it. If there's a star that looks out for a fellow and his girl, then there must be one. We'll make it. Hello. I want to talk to Arthur Holmes. Oh, you do, do you? Well, he ain't here. He's over to the station house at the Arbor's this, at this time of night. And you've got your nerve calling at four thirty in the morning. I guess I got the wrong Mr. Holmes. Oh, Robert, die! I thought you'd never call. I've been waiting for Holmes. I'm sorry, but this isn't Robert. I just wanted to talk to Arthur Holmes. Oh, brother, my husband went to Canada fishing a week ago. I guess I got the wrong Holmes. Sorry. Who is it wishes to speak with, Mr. Holmes? I want to return a check that belongs to him. Is this the Mr. Arthur Holmes who knows Mr. Stephen Graves? Yeah, this is. It is? Well, may I speak to him? You are. Oh, well, this check I have is made out to Stephen Graves, and I just want to return it to you. How do I know you're not making this story yet? Well, the number of the check is six hundred and two, and it's drawn for a sum of twelve thousand five hundred dollars. Very well. Where are you now? Come along and pick up my car. Maybe I can do something for you. A tall, red-headed girl wearing a green dress. Here's the paracet. Girl, there ain't nobody here like that. Maybe she means Joan Briscoe. She comes here a lot. Was she in here tonight? Come to think of it, now she was. Where can I find her? At four-thirty in the morning. Why don't you try our hotel? It's the Concord. Mr. Holmes, why are we parking here next to the river? So we can talk without being disturbed. Now, if you've got that check of mine, I'll give you two hundred dollars for it. Huh. What makes you think I want money for it, Mr. Holmes? Oh, you don't want money? No. All I want is a written confession that you killed Stephen Graves tonight. Now, wait a minute. I know you were up there, Mr. Holmes, and you killed him because of that check. Young man, you are very rash. Well, that has nothing to do with it. Come on now. I want that confession fast. Do I get it or do I go to the police? Well, you won't go to the police. You talk too much, young man. You talked yourself right into a grave. I'm going to kill you. Well, what do you want, sister? Are you Joan Bristol? Oh, yeah. But I don't know you. We have a mutual friend, a Mr. Stephen Graves. Stephen Graves? Okay. Come on in. Oh, you know a guy named Graves, huh? Did he mention me to you? He couldn't very well. He's dead. Dead? Yeah, I just came from his place. Only you and I know about it. Did you hear that, Chris? Yeah, I heard it all right. Take it easy, sister. Ain't carrying this gun just for decoration. She knows all about it, Chris. That means we've got to get rid of her too. Sure, I don't mind drawing her right here and now. I've got to fathom it. No, Chris. Not here in this room with us. They know we were in this room. That's begging for it. Listen, you two are. I want to do it. Shut up. Now, look, girlie. You didn't pull my name out of a hat. I want to know how you learned it. Talk fast, sister. Well, you see, I... Well, ladies, I... Miss Bristow dropped a hotel bill over there in Graves' apartment. What? I found it beside the body. It might have known you'd do it something like that. She's lying. Yeah. We'll see about that. What were you doing in Graves' apartment, sister? Well, he was a friend of mine. Oh, like that, huh? And you had a key. And I went there and I found the body and the hotel bill. Chris, if I did leave the bill there, we got to get it back or else. Well, the bill is still there on the floor beside the body. All right, then we got to get that bill. We got to hurry. It's 5.30, almost daylight. Right. We can leave it there with Blades. Fix it so it'll look like she did it and then turn the gun on herself. No. Give the police a double-header to worry about. This gun against her. We'll tie her up and take her out like she was drunk. No. So you can't. Quinn's waiting for me. Quinn's waiting for me. Oh. Where am I? Sorry I have to tie you up so tight, kid. But in 30 seconds it won't make any difference. Anyway. Guess you'll be at the bottom of the East River. You won't get away with it. There's two of us here. It's still breaking. Breaking. All right, sister. Where's that hotel bill? Right over there by his body. It ain't here. You were lying. I knew it. Where's that bill? Where'd you hit it? That's your problem. Wait a minute, sister. You're fooling with the wrong party. You don't seem to understand. All I know is that you killed Mr. Graves. Shut up. Sure we killed him. Don't pull the fake marriage with his kid brother. The kid was good for plenty of dough. Will you be quiet? He came over here tonight to shake Graves down, but he was wise. Said he was going to call in the police. So we let him have it. I want to know how she found out about me. All right, sister. You're going to talk right now or else this guy's going to... Oh, no. You're going. Quinn! Oh, Quinn! That little boy knocked his head off. They went and gripped off. Talk to them with it. Oh, no, you won't. Oh, you just played it, sister. It's going to be good. Stop it, Quinn! That'll hold him for a while. Oh, she's out too, Quinn. She hit her head when I tripped her. Boy, speaking of the Marines, ain't you the one. Ricky, darling, I was here ahead of you. I looked out of the window and I saw them coming in with you. So I hid. They did it, Quinn. We've got the right one. Yeah, I know. Mr. Holmes and I heard them telling you. Holmes? Yeah, he's phoned the police now. I traced them all right, only he didn't do it. And he thought I was blackmailing him. He was scared he'd be implicated in the murder and he started to throw me in the river. But then I mentioned your name and he realized if he killed me, it would be traced to him. So that brought him back to his senses. Quinn, it's a quarter of six and our bus is due to leave. Well, come on. We'll make it yet. Oh, but the money. I've already replaced it. Come on. And these two? Oh, Mr. Holmes will take care of them. He overheard everything about that blackmailing scheme. He's even found letters to prove it. Come on, we'll have to run. I can't believe it. Me and the boy next door, we're going home at last. And so ends Deadline at Dawn, tonight's performance in the Mystery Playhouse. Closing the doors of the Mystery Playhouse. Good night. Sleep tight.
