And now, tonight's presentation of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense. Tonight, the story of a woman, a most attractive woman, who learns to her discomfort that even the smallest of arguments could lead to her death. So now with Virginia Gregg as Mrs. Russell and Vic Perrin as Henry, here is tonight's Suspense play, Goodnight Mrs. Russell. There's no escaping now. He hasn't said a word for ten minutes. I know he's turning over in his mind how he's going to kill me. It's almost dawn now. In a little while, the milkman and the paper boys will be making their rounds. I'll be dead. The cafe was just half a block away from where I worked. It was a small, pleasant little place, spotlessly clean with a large plate glass window on the sidewalk. There was always a beautiful looking roast turkey and a juicy baked ham in the window and you could watch Henry carve off succulent pieces of meat and arrange them into neat sandwiches with an olive and a dab of potato salad on the plate. Every noon, all of us who worked in the Hillmar building would go there for lunch. We crowded in on the high stools and jabbered as women do while Henry patiently served us and put up with our female chatter. He was always the only one there. How are you today, ma'am? Oh, I'm fine, thank you, Henry. I think I'll have some of your nice baked ham and, and... Yes, ma'am, coming up. He was always especially nice to me. I suppose that was because I'm, well, a little older than the others. The other girls were all quite young and very cute. Henry always seemed uncomfortable a little with them. Yes, ma'am, coffee? Yes, please, and I believe I'll have some of your cheering pie. You're an excellent cook, Henry. Thank you, ma'am. I'm glad you think so. Twenty, fifteen, thirty... Perhaps I should have realized then, at a moment like that, he'd been in the middle of adding up my check when he stopped and stood very still and looked out of the corner of his eye with his head cocked on one side as though he were listening to something. His expression was a little horrified. I thought maybe he'd heard a sound that meant something to him, you know, like the refrigerator out of order or something. Then all of a sudden he shook his head and brushed away whatever it was he had heard. Twenty and fifteen, thirty-five and forty-five. You should try one of my dinners sometime, ma'am. Henry, how about some service? We only have a few minutes, Henry. Excuse me, ma'am. That was Henry. Oh, one other thing. Funny, but Henry never laughed. Perhaps I should have realized about him because of that, but I didn't. He was so nice and clean and polite, I rather liked him. As a rule, I make my own dinner in the apartment, but one night I had to work quite late at the office and I decided to stop by Henry's and get a bite before catching the street car home. Ever since my husband died, I've felt just a little uneasy on the streets alone at night. I was glad to see the bright light in Henry's little cafe down the block. Henry was alone inside and I could see him fussing around cleaning up the place. He didn't hear me approaching. Oh, you. You frightened me, ma'am. I didn't hear you coming. I just thought I'd try one of your dinners tonight, Henry. You mentioned it the other day. Yes, I know. Sit down, won't you, ma'am? You weren't closing or anything? No, no, not at all. What would you like? Oh, I'll try your number four dinner. Number four, yes, ma'am. He seemed rather frightened about something or suspicious. Yes, that was it. He seemed suspicious about something, I thought. I wanted to help him somehow, but I didn't want to butt in. This is the first time you've ever been by here at night, ma'am. Yes. I had to work late tonight, Henry. Didn't want to go home without dinner, you know. I see. Is something wrong, Henry? No, no, I'll get the rest of your dinner. Mm, delicious soup. Thank you, ma'am. You don't often work late, do you? No, I don't. This is the first time, in fact, my boss asked me to stay late to touch some lettuce. I know. You work in the Hillmar Building. Yes, I do. How do you... I know lots of things, ma'am. This is a good dinner, Henry. I, uh, I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought I was. I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave some of it. I thought you liked my cooking. You said so just the other day. Oh, I do. I think you're a grand cook, Henry. It's just that I'm not hungry tonight. I waited too long to eat, I guess. You don't have to make excuses, ma'am. If you didn't like it, just say so. No, I mean it. Your food is wonderful, Henry. If it weren't, I wouldn't have come here. Wouldn't you? No. Now, could I have my check, please, Henry? Ninety-five cents, ma'am. All right. There you are, Henry. You may keep the change. I'd rather not, ma'am. Yes. Very well. Good night, Henry. Ma'am? Yes? Next time you come, I'll have something you like. But I did like... Oh, good night, Henry. Good night, Mrs. Russell. It was good food, but I felt rather ill at ease in there for some reason. That's why I couldn't eat. I decided not to go back there alone. It was rather hard to talk to Henry, and I didn't go back alone. That is, not for three weeks. I should never have gone back. We all continued to have our lunch there, and Henry was the same quiet, polite young man. Gradually, I came to feel that that odd business in the cafe that night had just been all my imagination. Then came tonight. I had to work late and again, and for the last time, I went to Henry. Hello, Henry. You've decided to try me again, I see. Why, Henry, I've been eating here every day. Not at night. What's the difference? In the daytime, you're always with your friends. I like to eat with my friends. Now let's have no more of this silly talk, Henry. How about one of your wonderful dinners? I promise to eat all of it tonight. All right, ma'am. Which one? I'll try the number four again, please. I think that way I can convince you I really like it. Why? Why? Oh, because I think four is lucky, don't you? All right, ma'am, it's all ready. You don't have many customers at night, do you, Henry? No, ma'am, not many. I'm surprised you stay open. Are you? There you are. I hope you... I hope... Oh, what is it, Henry? You seem to be listening for something. Is there a... Are you enjoying your dinner? Henry, I hate to sound like I'm prying. I know it isn't my business at all, but I think something's wrong. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I think something's bothering you. Do you? Yes, there... There isn't any way I can help, is there? Nothing's bothering me, ma'am. Yes. You know, I had a son like you. Did you? He was in the army, killed in the war. He was very much like you. I see. That left me all alone in the world. My husband Leonard died four years before. He was a wonderful man. Everyone admired him. The contractor, you know. I began to notice that as I talked away about my family and everything, he became very quiet. He sat down on the cooler back of the counter and just watched me, his face absolutely blank. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I was getting uneasy again. I just about decided to make up an excuse to pay my bill and leave. It was getting quite late. When my head began to feel heavy, and I began to feel sick, strange. Mrs. Russell? Henry, I feel ill. Henry, I'm... I'm awfully dizzy. I don't think I can... Henry? Can't you hear me? I believe I'm going... going to faint. Perhaps you'd better help. Did you do something? Good night, Mrs. Russell. You are listening to Good Night Mrs. Russell. Tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of frills, Suspense. A one-man crime wave comes to an abrupt end when the FBI swings into action in an exciting tale tomorrow night on CBS radio. The G-men break up the gentleman friend racket in brisk, efficient style. Listen to your FBI in Peace and War tomorrow night on most of these same stations. And now we bring back to our Hollywood soundstage Virginia Gregg and Vic Perrin in tonight's production of Good Night Mrs. Russell. A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. I don't know how long I was unconscious. It seemed just for a moment. A moment crowded with horrible nightmares and dreadful sounds. I remembered hearing a woman screaming. Screaming and crying horribly. It was ghastly. I must have been unconscious several hours. And when I opened my eyes, it was dark. Pitch dark. A clock was ticking somewhere. And I realized that the screaming woman had been me. Is anyone here? Where else? I'm tied up. Who's there? Jim? Can anyone hear me? Help. Help! Help! Where am I? You're in my room Mrs. Russell. It was Henry. Where was he? The room was black as night. I could see nothing. What was I doing here? Why was I tied up? How did I get here? I remembered nothing after, after feeling dizzy and... So that was it. You put something in my food, didn't you Henry? Yes I did Mrs. Russell. I didn't want to kill you at the cafe you see. Kill me? Yes Mrs. Russell, dead. Why Henry? Why? Because you're my enemy. You and all the others. You're enemy? I like you Henry. I've always liked you. Don't lie Mrs. Russell. You thought I didn't know, didn't you? I thought I didn't know what you were up to. What I was up to? Planning to kill me. Night after night I've heard you, all of you. Outside my window, whispering. Whispering and talking about how you were going to kill me. Didn't you know I could hear you? You're insane! Oh no, I'm smart Mrs. Russell and you know it. That's why all of you planned to kill me, to get rid of me. Just lucky I found out you were one of them. You'll be the first to die Mrs. Russell and you're going to die slowly. In the dark. How do you like that Mrs. Russell? Be quiet Mrs. Russell or I'll have to beat you up before I kill you. I tried to make myself think. I remembered you're supposed to humor people that are like Henry. I tried to control myself. No one can hear you, no one even knows you're here. They're not going to untie you either. Not until you're dead. Henry, I'm just, I'm only... You'll lie here in the dark and listen to the alarm clock for half an hour. Just half an hour Mrs. Russell. And then I'll kill you. You see I want you to suffer, like you've made me suffer. Henry, I'm just an ordinary woman. Just, how can you think these things about me? Oh come now Mrs. Russell, I'm smart enough to see through those remarks you made. Remarks? Always talking about what a good cook I was, as if you felt I wasn't a man. I know what you're thinking. Henry, I didn't mean anything of the sort. I really meant... Men rubbing it in about your precious son in the army, rubbing it in and torturing... Henry, all those things, they were your imagination. I didn't mean them that way at all. You're like all the rest. I'm too smart for you and you know it, so you want to kill me. I'm a dangerous enemy Mrs. Russell. How long have I got to live, Henry? Half hour, I don't know. The alarm will ring, then I'll kill you. I was resigned to it then. It seemed so hopeless. But then I thought, if I could just get him to turn on the light, I might see a way out. It was a forlorn hope, but I tried it. Henry? Henry? How do you know you set the clock right? Henry? I heard you. You didn't answer, I thought... You thought you could get me to turn on the light. Sorry Mrs. Russell. Henry, you're torturing yourself more than you are me, Henry. Do you know that? What do you mean? You don't know when the alarm's going to ring either. You must be sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to hear it. Aren't you? You see, when it rings, I know that I'll have to die. But you know that you'll have to commit a terrible crime. Murder, Henry. Shut up. It is true then, isn't it? You're... You can't trick me into turning on the light. I'm too smart for that. You're going to suffer in the dark, as I have. I decided to turn on the light, Mrs. Russell. At first I was blinded, after having been in the dark so long. Then I saw his hands. They were long and slim and brown. Blue veins stood out on the backs of them. I looked up at him. He was just staring at me. Then he picked up the alarm clock and looked at it. Ten minutes to three, Mrs. Russell. You have ten minutes to live. Can you wait? It was a tiny, neat living room. I was on a couch. The shades were down. There was no phone. The front door might be unlocked. It might be. I can wait, Henry. Eight minutes now. The hands were racing each other around the face of the clock. But if I could just get untied now, there'd be a chance. I'd have to be careful. But quick, quick. Five minutes, Mrs. Russell. Henry, what are those things trapped to that board over there on the wall? Oh, that's my collection. A collection? Match folders. Oh, do you collect match folders? Oh, yes. I'll show them to you. I held my breath as he took them down off the wall. The clock would only stand still for five minutes. Yes. See? I have folders from all the famous night spots here. Searo's and the store club in 21. Bet you didn't think I'd been to all those places, did you? Oh, I know. Have you, Henry? Sure. Lots of times. People would never believe me. That's why I have these. They're lovely, Henry. Yes. Henry, my arms and legs are numb from being tied up like this. Could you? No. I want you not to get tricky, Mrs. Russell. I just wanted you to loosen my hands so I could look at your collection. Well, just your hands. He'd forgotten about everything but his collection for the moment. But that alarm would go off any second and that would remind him. As he untied my hands, my eyes fell on a large jade bookend beside the couch. There. Now be careful, Mrs. Russell. You just wanted to see my collection, remember? Yes, Henry. Show it to me. Now, see this one? It's from the Coconut Grove. Yes, Henry. I let my hands deal along the couch toward the bookend. Isn't this beautiful? Yes, it is, Henry. You're not paying attention. Oh, yes, I am. Look. I had it in my hands now. Good. Oh! I don't even remember doing it. But somehow I'd gotten the bindings off my feet and I was outside in the night. He'd been telling the truth. His house was the only one on that block. I ran as hard as I could. I didn't even think about direction, just ran. I knew he'd come too in a minute and I had to get out of sight. I'm not used to such exercise and my heart was pounding so hard it ached. In the middle of the next block, I stopped for a moment and leaned against a tree to breathe. Then I looked back and I saw him. I could see him beneath the streetlamps. He stopped, not knowing which way I'd gone. He was wild. His mouth was hanging open loosely. I shrank back further in the shadows and prayed he'd go the other way. He didn't. He started walking rapidly again in my direction. There was a house on this block, a big rambling place. It was after 3 a.m. and the people would be asleep but I knew I could run no farther. Help! Let me in, please! Oh, please, open the door! Open the... Then I saw the note pinned to the door. It said, no milk for 10 days. I could hear Henry's footsteps down the street and I knew he must have heard me. My heart felt as though it would burst. The street was deserted. And then I heard a car approaching. It was a block away. I ran up in the street and waved my arms. Help! Oh, help me! Stop, please! Oh, please, stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Hello, Mrs. Russell. Henry! Come on, Mrs. Russell. Come on! We're going home again, Mrs. Russell. There's no escaping now. He hasn't said a word for 10 minutes. I know he's turning over in his mind how he's going to kill me. It's almost dawn now. In a little while, the milkman and the paper boys will be making their rounds. I'll be dead. You shouldn't have tried to get away, Mrs. Russell. You made me very angry. I know. You shouldn't have hit me either. You were even smarter than I thought, Mrs. Russell. You almost made it. But you weren't smart enough, were you? If you're going to kill me, Henry, please do it. Haven't you tortured me enough? You see? It just didn't do you any good to be my enemy, did it? I don't like to kill you, but I have to. It's the only way I can protect myself. Don't you see you're not well, Henry? Please try to listen to me. I have to kill all the others, too. If I don't, they'll kill me. The others? Don't pretend you don't know. I've heard them whispering about me. You must have heard them, too. The voices. The voices? All the time, just like I told you. When I'm at work, even here at home, I hear them plotting. They don't know. I know. Henry, there's no one. It's all an illusion, don't you see? Just like you are, they're afraid of me because they know I can outsmart them. I'm too clever for them, and they know it. That's why they want to kill me. That's why you want to kill me, isn't it, Mrs. Russell? I don't want to kill you, Henry. If only there were someone... I've rather gotten to like you, Mrs. Russell. If you weren't dangerous to me, I might let you live. I'm not dangerous to you, Henry. Oh, yes, you are. I've decided to strangle you. If you close your eyes, it will happen very quickly. You'll hardly know it. Are you ready, Mrs. Russell? Now, please, don't struggle. It'll be much easier for both of us. Aren't you going to close your eyes? No. What's that? What? Listen, you can hear them. Don't you hear them? The voices. The voices? The voices? Don't you hear them? Yes. I hear them, Henry. See? Now you believe me, don't you? You hear what they're saying. Yes. Yes. It's just as you said, Henry. They must be right near. Yes, right near. There are a lot of them. There are too many. You'd better hide, Henry. Yes, yes, but where? They sound louder all the time. They're getting closer. Have you a closet? Yes, that's it, the closet. Over here. Shall I help you, Henry? Yes, yes, but be quick. This closet. I'll hide in here. All right, Henry. I'll protect you. There. A good place to hide. What if they find me here? I'll... lock the door, Henry. No, I don't like that. They're getting closer, Henry. You'll unlock the door when they're gone? Yes, Henry. Lock the door, Mrs. Russell. You'll be safe now, Henry. Suspense, in which Virginia Gregg and Vic Perrin starred in Ben S. Hunter's story, Good Night, Mrs. Russell. No crime is foolproof enough, no hideaway secret enough, when both Captain Cannelli and the 21st Precinct get on the job. Listen to Marlene's story. Good Night, Mrs. Russell. Next week, the story of a supermarket and a young man who finds that after closing time, once the Daily Bus List filled, this very ordinary store becomes a place of danger and terror absolute. That's next week on... Suspense. Suspense is produced and directed by Norman MacDonald, the music composed by Lucian Morawieckin, conducted by Lud Blaskin. Good Night, Mrs. Russell was written for suspense by Ben S. Hunter and starred Virginia Gregg as Mrs. Russell and Vic Perrin as Henry. Others appearing in tonight's cast were Jill Jarman and Eleanor Tannen. And remember next week, James Poe's suspense story, Never Steal a Butcher's Wife. Stay tuned now for Johnny Dollar, which follows immediately over most of these same stations. This is the CBS Radio Network.
