Signal gasoline. Let every traffic signal remind you, you do go farther with signal gasoline. Yes, you do go farther with signal. The Signal Oil Company and your neighborhood signal dealer. Bring you another curious story by the Whistler. Tonight, I'll trade you murder. I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. Hate can be a weapon to use against the world, or it can be a slow and deadly poison that shrivels the human eye. For example, take the case of Henry Reichman, 55, unmarried, employed at the Dover Bookshop on High Street, who would suspect that behind Henry's very ordinary, very meek and mild exterior, there burns boundless hate for people. People who are successful, who have never known disappointment. On a rainy evening, surrounded by the printed thoughts of other men, Henry's own thoughts seem more fruitless than ever. And so when the door opens, his hatred envelops the man who enters. Just another customer, Mr. Eugene Parker, but he's someone else to hate. Mr. Parker stands inside the door in his streaming raincoat, shaking his umbrella. A jeweler by trade, no bigger than Henry. But he has a house of his own, a sense of his own importance in the world. In a nervous manner, Henry always finds annoying. Good evening, Mr. Parker. Oh, hello, Henry, hello. Nasty weather, very ugly weather. Yes, sir. Where is Mr. Dover? At his desk, back behind the partition. Henry, Henry, will you come back here a moment? There he is now. Yes, Mr. Dover, coming. I'll come with you, Henry. Yes, Henry, coming. Henry, it just occurred to me why... Why, good evening, Mr. Parker. Hello, Dover, hello. I thought I'd get in out of the rain. Well, I'm glad you did. As a matter of fact, you look as if you ought to be home right now. Yes, that's where I'm headed, but I stopped at the doctor's and he gave me another prescription to get filled. So I thought I'd do that first before I took a cab home. Only trouble is I didn't know that the weather would be so bad. Is it your old trouble? Yes, yes it is. But the prescription will fix me up if I get it filled. Why, Henry could do that for you easily enough. You just wait here and he'll run down to the drugstore. I'm sorry, Mr. Dover, but I didn't bring my raincoat with me today. Oh, you could use mine, Henry. Of course you could. You're both about the same size. And my umbrella too, if you'll be good enough to do it. Of course he will, won't you, Henry? Yes, sir. Good. Here's the prescription and the money. It's always exactly four dollars. Thanks very much, Henry. Yes, sir. You're entirely welcome, sir. Now you must take care of yourself. Yes, indeed. Not so fast, buddy. I didn't see you in that doorway. Don't move. Now don't get any funny ideas. Just get in that car. Who are you? What do you want? Go on, move over to the curb. What do you want? What's the meaning of this? You'll find out. Get inside. No, no, I won't. You've made some mistake. You... There's a car. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. That's a gun. Now will you quit arguing and get in that car? Yes, yes. All right. Yes, of course. I'll be right back. Okay, Floyd. Come on in. You heard him. Get inside. Well, I had to wait for him, Max, but here he is. I demand to know why you brought me here. Shut up. What's the matter, Max? What are you looking at me like that for? Why, you stupid, blundering moron. You picked up the wrong guy. But I couldn't. Take a look at him. He looked like the guy I told you to tail. Gee, I don't know what happened, Max. I thought I could depend on you. Well, sure you can, Max, but anybody can make a mistake. You know, I got to keep out of sight. I don't want anyone knowing I ever came near this town. That's why I holed up in this stupid hotel. And you got to pull a smart one like this. If you're the boss, Max, I'll go back after the right guy if you say the word. What do we do with this prize package? Where'd you pick him up? He came out of a book shop on High Street. I work there. My name's Henry Reichman. Forget it. I'm not interested. I don't know what this is all about, but I can promise you I'll never say a word. I can promise you I'll never say a word. You bet you won't. Get rid of him, Floyd. Get rid of me? You can't mean you... you can't kill me. You know too much, Reichman. Well, I don't know a thing about you. I never saw either of you before. I don't know what you're trying to do. Just seeing me is more than enough. When the news breaks, lady, you put one and one together and then go to the cops. No, I wouldn't. I'll never tell a soul about it. Reichman, I just don't take chances. It's too bad, but you stumbled into something that didn't concern you. Take him out, Floyd. Sure. Come on, you... No, wait, wait, wait. I'll do anything you want me to. Anything at all. Quit stalling, buddy. You put us behind schedule already. No, please, now please, listen to me. I'll make a bargain with you. I'll kill the man I was mistaken for. You'll what? I'll kill him for you. The man you intended to kill. That's what you were going to do, isn't it? I'll do it for you, if you'll let me go. What do you say? Is it a bargain? Tonight's the night, friends. For news, I've been waiting four years to bring you. New Signal Ethel is here. Post-war Signal Ethel. The gasoline of tomorrow that you can enjoy today. Many signal stations from Canada to Mexico already have it. And the rest of eating supply just as fast as deliveries can be made. I could tell you about the pep and pick-up and anti-knock of New Signal Ethel. Oh, but that'd be spoiling the surprise. Just get a tank full of New Signal Ethel and make that wonderful discovery for yourself. Touch your foot to the accelerator and feel that old motor get young again. Feel that performance you never dreamed was built into your car. Oh, there's real driving fun, New Signal Ethel driving. So keep up that good habit of stopping at the friendly station in your neighborhood with Signal's familiar yellow and black circle sign. Be among the first to find out how much fun driving can be with New Signal Ethel. I repeat, many stations already have it. Others are being supplied as fast as possible. And now, back to the Whistler. Standing there in that cheap hotel room facing the young gunman Floyd and the tall gaunt man called Max. You hear your own words with horror, don't you, Henry? You had offered to kill a man to save your own life. It's unthinkable, monstrous, and insane slip of the tongue. Yet in the same instant you know you meant it. For the hatred that has slowly festered in you has suddenly found an outlet, hasn't it? Perhaps if you had resorted to murder many years before. But Max is about to answer you, slowly licking his lips. He looks intrigued. Maybe he's the kind of a guy who will take a chance on a proposition like this. You're not very funny, Reichman. I mean it. I'm quite serious. How long are you going to listen to him make with the words, Max? Let me do it. I'm a failure. I'm a coward to nobody. But now, now for the first time, for the first time in my life, tell me the name of your, your victim. You're going to listen to him all night, Max? You've got to tell me. Tell me his name. I don't think so. You know too much already. Then what harm will it do? After all, if you're going to kill me anyway. Yeah. There's something to that. Of course there is. If I'm going to die, I have the right to know why. Whose place have I taken by accident? You ought to be able to figure that out for yourself. No, no. Tell me. Why do you think Floyd picked you up? Well, I've already told you. I don't know what this is all about. Whose raincoat are you wearing? That's the answer. You mean, you mean Mr. Parker? Sure. Mr. Eugene Parker. But that's impossible. Why, he's a respectable man. Mr. Parker's a jeweler, repairs watches, things like that. Things like that would get him into trouble. He's a double-dealing little weasel. Well, I'm sure you've made a mistake. Everybody knows Mr. Parker. He dropped into the store tonight because he didn't feel well. I say he didn't feel well. He knew I was tailing him. But he couldn't. He asked me to go to the drug store to get a prescription for him. It's right here in my pocket. Ah, never mind. But I... I just don't understand. I think you do, Reikman. Mr. Eugene Parker knew Floyd was following him. So he ducked into your place and lent you his raincoat to throw Floyd off. He knew Floyd would stop you or pick you up, maybe even plug you and run. But that means he knew I might be murdered by mistake. A little thing like that wouldn't stop Parker. His own skin always comes first. How do you know about him? What's your connection with him? You know what a fence is? A receiver of stolen property? That's Parker. But his arithmetic isn't too good. In fact, it's so bad, we came into town to subtract Mr. Parker from our scheme of things. Let me do it for you. I have a reason now. Are we going to listen to this chump all night, man? Wait a minute, let him talk. He interests me. You understand why, don't you? He was willing to let me die in his place. Now I have a right to kill him. Okay, let's say we let you do it. Then I'm free to go. I save my own life. To double-cross, Max. I better take care of him. But you haven't anything to fear. The risk is all mine. Do you think I'd dare tell anyone about you? I couldn't. You didn't mean my own neck. Sounds pretty good, Reikman. It's ideal for you. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You'll eliminate him at no risk to yourselves. He's right, Floyd. Get it put us in the clear. Nobody could touch us. Yeah? How do you do it with Parker still back in that bookshop? Well, let me call up the shop. I'll see if he's still there. Keep away from that phone. Well, then call the number yourselves. The Dover Bookshop. Look it up in the directory, Floyd. I can tell you what. I'm not taking any chances. Look it up, Floyd. What do you want to waste time for, Max? I'll take him out and then go find Parker. Get that number, I said. We'll find out where Parker is first. Then we'll decide what to do. Floyd looks for the number with infuriating slowness, doesn't he, Henry? You could have dialed it in a moment, but they don't trust you. Of course, Mr. Eugene Parker trusted you. Trusted you to die in his place. Strange, isn't it, Henry? And a little frightening how all the passive hate you've ever known seems to shrink and harden and focus on that respectable citizen, Mr. Eugene Parker. That pompous little man, that would-be murderer. But perhaps it isn't wise to want to rush towards murder. What's the matter? No answer? Oh, not yet, Max. Want me to keep ringing? Yeah, hang on a second. I suspect Mr. Dover decided to close up for the night. He'd expect you back. You got Parker's raincoat and umbrella. Well, maybe Mr. Dover left a note tacked on the door for me. What about Parker? He's going to take a cab home. Maybe he got tired of waiting. Yeah, I guess you're right. All right, forget it, Floyd. Now what? I think maybe we'll make a bargain. You're nuts. I don't think so. Come on, Weigman. We'll make sure they've left already. We're driving back to the shop. Mr. Dover's close up. There it is. You can see for yourself. The lights are out. Pull up, Floyd. Now what? We're going to sit here and look at the dump? You talk too much, Floyd. I told you there wouldn't be anybody here. Didn't expect to find him. Only wanted to make sure. Well, now what? You know where Parker lives, Weigman? Oh, yes. In a little house on the outskirts of town. About 10 minutes from here. He lives all alone. Don't give me that. He's got a housekeeper. She's in the hospital. She's been there since Sunday. Ah, okay then. We're driving over to the house. And what happens after we get there depends on you. You're on the way to Mr. Eugene Parker's house now, Henry. But you've made your bargain, Henry. Your life or Eugene Parker's? And you intend to keep your life, don't you? If only there was some way you could get rid of Parker and not have to pay the penalties. And at the same time save your own skin. But that's just wishful thinking. Well, this is the back of the house. It's dark. Looks like he's turned in already. Yeah, maybe he didn't get home yet. No, he's home. He told Weigman he was going straight home. Look, lights. Just came on upstairs. Yeah, I guess he just went up to bed. What do you want me to do now? You still want to go through with this, Weigman? If I say I don't... Brother, that's just too bad. I didn't ask you. Don't give me none of that. Easy, Floyd, easy. Not trying to back out, are you, Weigman? No, no, no, of course not. But you must promise me... You're not in any position to make demands. Take care of Parker. That's all. Where's the gun either used? Give me a shoulder automatic, Floyd. It's got a silencer. You're a nut. If I slip my Marauder, you'll start pumping us so full of lead we won't know what hit us. Take the clip out first, you moron. Go on and load it. What for? Do what I say. What good will an empty revolver do me? I don't take chances, Weigman. You can load it inside the house. Now, come here. Watch the way Floyd does it. He's like this. And this here's the safety catch. All right, all right. I understand how it's done. Well, now it's empty. Give it to him. Max, I still... Give it to him. All right. Now leave just one cartridge in the clip. Why just one? We're not taking any chance on you barricading yourself in there and using that on us. Put it in your pocket, Weigman. All right. Now listen to me. Floyd will get you in the back of the house. Are you sure? The door will be locked. I know it'll be locked, but Floyd will get you in. We'll give you five minutes to do the job after Floyd comes back into the car. That may not be long enough. I won't know my way around the house. I'll have to move around pretty carefully. All right, here. Here's a flashlight. You can use that. Thank you. Just five minutes? That'll be enough. If you're not out, we're coming in after you. And the cops couldn't get clear out here in less than 15 minutes. Remember that. I'll do it. I'll do it. You don't have to worry about me. Just worry about yourself, Weigman. Don't try any double-crossing. You've seen what happens to double-crossers like Parker. I know what to expect. I know our bargains. See you don't forget. Okay, Floyd. Get him inside. Thanks. The rain has stopped, but the sky is still clouded as you and Floyd move silently through the darkness to the back of the house. What's that noise you hear, Henry? Oh, nothing really. Just your heart thumping. It seems even louder than the scraping noise Floyd makes as he opens the back door with the key from his pocket. Then you step into the darkness of the house and close the door quietly behind you. And then you're alone, Henry. As if you're really alone for the first time in your life. A life that will remain yours only if you take another man's life without delay. You've got to go through with it now. You know that. You're trapped here. That thought makes you switch on the flashlight, doesn't it, Henry? And then carefully, slowly, you go out of the kitchen and into the front of the house and then up the staircase. Softer, Henry, softer. Suppose Mr. Eugene Parker should hear you. But he hasn't, not yet. You can see the light from his bedroom sliding into the hall. And then in another instant, barely a footstep away from his door, you suddenly remember. You haven't loaded the automatic pistol in your pocket. Now really, Henry, if every murderer went about his business so carelessly but then not all murderers are so intent on preserving their own lives at the expense of others. That's it. That's more like it. Now you may enter Mr. Eugene Parker's bedroom. What? Good evening, Mr. Parker. Oh, it's you, right? Were you expecting someone else? What are you doing here? I wanted to return your raincoat and umbrella. They, uh, they're downstairs. My raincoat? Just how did you get in my house? I walked in. What's the matter with you, Reitman? What's wrong? Why didn't you come back with my prescription? I was delayed. You didn't even go to that drug store. Now you've broken into my house. What's got into you anyway? I'm here about a debt, Mr. Parker. Well, if it's the four dollars, you mean, I could have picked them up from you tomorrow. I'm not thinking of your four dollars. Well, what do you mean? What kind of debt are you talking about? I'm here to collect a debt, not repay it. What kind of nonsense is this? You don't know what you're saying. The debt, Mr. Parker, is your life. Your life or mine. I have listened to enough of this. I'm going to call the police. I wouldn't advise it. I said I would not advise it. Do you think you can... Where did you get that revolver? From certain friends of yours. The friends you knew would see me wearing yours. They would see me wearing your raincoat and carrying your umbrella. I don't know what you're talking about. Yes, you do, Mr. Parker. You know exactly why I ought to kill you. Kill me? Well, does that surprise you so very much? Well, I don't know what you mean. I can't imagine what's got into you. You only waste time by lying, Mr. Parker. You see, I've met Max and Floyd. You do know them, don't you? What are they? What have they told you about me? They've told me enough to make me want to kill you. No, no, you can't. You can't. Why shouldn't I? You'll be caught. You have no reason to kill me. Well, you expected Floyd and Max to murder me. No, no, I didn't. I swear I didn't. What I wanted was a little time. I knew they'd learn their mistake right away. And you knew they'd rectify their mistake by killing me. Or perhaps you hoped they'd kill me and not realize they'd made a mistake. That was it, wasn't it? No. That's exactly what you were counting on. No, I was desperate. But I didn't mean you any real harm. When I came into the shop, I thought I could slip out the back way. And Dover insisted you get the prescription for me. I didn't really think about you, Henry. Yes, I know. You can't gain anything by killing me. Not a thing. I stand to lose my life if I don't. If it's money you want, I'll pay you well. No, Dover pays you starvation wages. I'll give you enough so you can leave the bookshop. You won't have to work there again. I don't want your money, Mr. Parker. Don't be a fool. Nobody need ever know about tonight. I'll certainly never tell. Five thousand dollars, Henry. I'll give you five thousand dollars if you'll simply walk out of here now. Ten thousand. I have the cash in the house. I can get it for you now. Don't move, Mr. Parker. You only let me get it for your... You can't shoot me, Henry. You can't do it. You can't. I think I can, Mr. Parker, because I must. No, no, Henry. I'm a sick man. You know I'm not well. If you had any mercy, I... No. No. No. Well, Reichman. He's dead. All right. Get in the car. But you promised me... I'm still keeping my bargain. But I'm making sure you don't get picked up until we're out of this burg. But he's dead. And nobody will know why I ever had anything to do with it. Get in the car, I said. And give Floyd the gun. All right. Here you are. Thank you very much. What's so funny? Well, you expect me to mourn the saving of my own life? We can talk about that at the hotel. Let's go, Floyd. Haven't you kept me in this room long enough? Yeah, maybe you're right. Maybe it's time we all got out. Am I free now? You will be when we get to the street. Just remember what I said. Keep your mouth shut about tonight. I will. I will. Nobody should ever know. All right, Floyd. Open the door. Now you, Reichman, follow Floyd. Wait. What's up? There's a cop at the end of the hall. What? A cop? I told you, Max. You should have let me take care of him in the first place. I know. Nothing's gone right for me since I hit this rotten town. But he's dead. Parker's dead. I don't know anything about any policemen. I didn't think you'd have nerve enough to cross us up, Reichman. What? Parker's dead, I tell you. It's too bad you can't prove it. But I can. I can prove it. Maybe you can at that, Floyd. Open the gun. That's it. You see, I fight. Oh, no. No. No, don't. What's the matter, Reichman? You've got to believe me. Sure, we'll believe you. Pull the clip out of the gun, Floyd. How about it? He's double-crossed us. No, no, he's dead, I tell you. This rod hasn't been fired since I gave it to him. No, no, wait. Wait. Let me explain. Kind of late to explain, Reichman. You made a deal with Parker, didn't you? No, no, no, he's dead. Sure, without a shot being fired. Yes. You had him call the cops. And now they're outside. Max, I told you. No, he couldn't have called the police. He was dead. Open up, come in. You've turned us in, Reichman, but it's the last double-cross you'll pull. Wait a minute, Floyd. Wait, nothing. What, the record I've got? I killed this... Don't kill the seat. The announcement I made at the opening of this program is so important, I want to repeat it. Tonight's the night, friends, for news I've been waiting four years to bring you. New Signal Ethel is here. Post-war Signal Ethel. The gasoline of tomorrow that you can enjoy today. Many signal stations from Canada to Mexico already have it, and the rest are being supplied just as fast as deliveries can be made. Now, I could tell you about the pep and pickup and anti-knock of New Signal Ethel, but that'd be spoiling the surprise. Just get a tank full of New Signal Ethel and make that wonderful discovery for yourself. Touch your foot to the accelerator and feel that old motor get young again. Feel that performance you never dreamed was built into your car. Ah, there's real driving fun, New Signal Ethel driving. So keep up that good habit of stopping at the friendly station in your neighborhood with signals, familiar yellow and black circle signs. Be among the first to find out how much fun driving can be with New Signal Ethel. I repeat, many stations already have it. Others are being supplied as fast as possible. And now, back to the Whistler. Music Well, Henry, the police broke down that door, but not quite soon enough for you, did they? And as you lie on that police cot, you realize that murder is a pretty rugged business to fool around with. You're dying, Henry, dying. And all for what? A murder you didn't commit, a misunderstanding. Yes, it was a misunderstanding. You didn't kill Mr. Parker. Well, not with a gun anyway, but he was dead. Yes, Mack and Floyd found that out at the police station a little later. Look, you got nothing on me. It's because Floyd here loses his head and plugs a guy, you got nothing to hold me on. Take it easy, Max. You were there, and if we can't hang a wrap on you as an accomplice, we get plenty of other charges. We've been looking for you a long time, Max. Floyd, you stupid dope. Why'd you have to go and lose your head? What difference did it make? They had us anyway. Reichman double-crossed us, and Parker phoned the cops. They had us cornered. What are you talking about? Who's Parker? See if you didn't know. Mr. Eugene Parker, who tipped you off where we were. Nobody tipped us off where you were. What? And if you mean the Eugene Parker who lives out on Elmhurst Road, he couldn't have tipped us off. We just had a call out there. He's been dead for a couple of hours. Dead? Yeah, neighbors thought they saw somebody snooping around and got suspicious, so we went out. Found Parker dead. From a heart attack. A heart attack? That's what the coroner says. Looks like he had some sort of a shock. What do you know about it? Nothing. Nothing at all. We must have gotten the name mixed up. Yeah? And what was that about Parker calling us? You thought that was why the patrolman came to your room at the hotel? Well, yes, sir. That cop was coming to tell you you parked your car in a loading zone. In this town, it's a $5 fine. But I guess it's going to cost you two a whole lot more than that. More than that. Next Monday at 9 o'clock, The Whistler will bring you another strange tale. The Whistler is broadcast for your entertainment by the marketers of Signal Gasoline and Motor Oil and fine quality automotive accessories and by your neighborhood Signal Dealer. This program directed by George W. Allen with tonight's story by Les Edgeley, music by Wilbur Hatch, is transmitted to our troops overseas by the Armed Forces radio service. This is Marvin Miller speaking and suggesting that you let every traffic signal remind you that you do go farther with Signal Gasoline. Yes, you do go farther with Signal. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System. Thank you.
