I am the whisperer, 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. And now the whistler's strange story. Anything for a friend. As Phil Harvey, youthful treasurer of Midfield Automatic Timer Incorporated, sat in his private office, a highly unwelcome visitor. He was both worried and nervous, and not without reason, for Phil had made a mistake. Yes, you've made a serious mistake, haven't you, Phil? One that seems impossible to rectify, as your visitor remains inflectible to your audience. But I tell you, I'll have the money in a month, Dan. That's what you told me last month, Phil. And the month before. But within this month, I'll be married to Francis Adams. Your boss's daughter? That's right. Now, Dan, it's only $5,000, and Mr. Adams will probably give us five times that, much for a wedding present. You're an engagement official? Oh, she'll say yes, all right. And we'll elope, you see. You mean you haven't even asked her yet? No, but... And you expect me to settle for a maven like that? Not settle, Dan. Just wait, because tonight I'm going to ask her to marry me. Okay. Call me in the morning. If you tell me the lady said yes, I'll phone her. What? If she verifies it, I'll wait till you're married. No, that might ruin everything. Dan, after all, you're known as a gambler. Your club... My club's on the square, and everybody knows. Well, sure, but... That's not the way guys like you, Phil. You're yellow. You get in a jam, and you run to the first guy you know with dough. Dan Fenton, a gambler. A gambler? Sure. He'll come through because you were kids together. No, no, you've got me all wrong, Dan. I've got you all right, Phil. And I'll bet you $10 to a dime you cheated somebody to get where you are with this friend. So you're getting all worked up over nothing, Dan. Five G's is more than nothing, and the spot you're in is a lot more than nothing. You used $5,000 of your famous dough to make a killing on a sure thing on the stock market. You lost. If I hadn't let you have the dough to cover up while the books were being audited, you'd be in the big house writing. I know it, and I appreciate it. Stop kidding yourself. You don't appreciate anything. Anyway, I want to know for sure why you're marrying that Adams girl by tomorrow morning, or I want that money by noon the day after. Then what if I can't raise it, Dan? Then everybody in town, including Miss Adams, is going to read the whole story in the newspapers. Ah, what a wonderful dinner, Phil. Lovely place, too. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Fran. I loved it. Fran. Yes, Phil? I've, I've, something I've been wanting to say. Oh, go ahead. All right, I will. I love you, Fran. I want you to marry me. Marry you? Yes. Oh, friend, you've been it for me ever since the first time I saw you walk through the plant. That's five years ago. Yes, I remember. It was a day or two after I graduated from college. And I fell in love with you the minute I saw you. Of course, I couldn't say anything then. I was just a mechanic. Well, now that I'm the treasurer of the firm, and, oh, what about it, Fran? Phil, why did you wait so long? There was a time when I thought, I thought there was no one in the world like you. But you never said anything. And now? What about now, Fran? Well, now I'm in love with someone else. Somebody else? I'm surprised you didn't know. It's Larry Wilson. Larry? Yes. We're being married in October as soon as Mother and Dad return from Europe. As close as the two of you are, I'm surprised Larry hasn't told you. Larry Wilson, you've always hated him, haven't you, Phil? Even though you've shared the same bachelor's apartment for years, and Larry believes you to be his closest friend, you and Larry started working for the company at the same time. Somehow he was always a step ahead of you. And he's still ahead of you, isn't he? Yes. He's general manager, and you're merely the treasurer subject to his orders. And now he's taken the key to your future and the girl you love from you. But has he, Phil? No, not yet. There's still many weeks before October, aren't there? And you're sure you'll find some way to get Larry Wilson out of your way. Meantime, you must find a way to pay Dan Fenton or see your entire career ruined. Since there's little chance of an audit for some time, you decide to use company funds again, and the following evening, an hour or so after the office closes, you slip into the main office and again take $5,000 from the safe. Then as you close the safe, the office door opens. Who's this? Oh. Oh, hello, Tex. Evening, Mr. Harvey. How's it going? Robbing the safe? That's not very funny, Tex. Oh, I'm just joking. Yes, I'm sure you were. Incidentally, what are you doing here? Check the office every night this time. Been doing it now under ten years, ever since they made me night watch. Ah, well, I'm glad to see you're so conscientious. Say, Tex, you haven't noticed any of the office employees around here late in the evening recently, have you? Somebody been tapping the tail? Oh, I'm afraid so, although I'm not sure yet. But you haven't noticed anyone in the office after all, or have you, Tex? Nobody but Mr. Larry Wilson. He's a general manager. He wouldn't steal nothing. Oh, of course not. Anyway, I might be wrong. I'll check things over the next couple of days. Meantime, you might just forget this whole conversation, huh, Tex? Sure, Mr. Harvey. Good night. Good night, Tex. But Tex won't forget, will he still? No, the watchman will be certain to remember that he saw Larry Wilson at the office late at night. And if Mr. Adams should return unexpectedly from Europe, or by any other mischance, your best is discovered. You're certain you can throw suspicion in the direction of Larry. And then as you smile at the thought, the answer to your whole problem comes to you. You'll be able to eliminate both Larry and the necessity of replacing the $5,000. It will require several weeks of planning, but you're certain that if you move carefully, Larry Wilson will never marry Francis Adams, will never stand in your way again. And each move in the game becomes clear, doesn't it, Phil? Next morning, you give Dan Fenton the money you took from the safe. And late that night in your apartment, as you're chatting with Larry... I'll get it, Phil. Special delivery, Phil Harvey? Yeah, yeah, I'll send it for you. What is it, Larry? A special delivery letter for you. Oh? Money? Our turn address. Oh, that's important. Here, let's see it. Well, that's strange. What is it? Hey, look at this, Larry. Bad news? Well, read it and then you tell me. What? Say it. Say what is it? Go ahead, read it. Phil Harvey, you talk too much in court. I told you I wouldn't forget and I haven't. You'll hear from me soon. Holy smoke, Philip. Oh, this has got to be a joke. A joke? I wish I thought so. Oh, it must be. Why would anybody want to kill you? What does this mean? Talk too much in court? I was a witness in a criminal case a couple of years ago, a daytime robbery. I identified the stick-up man. His pal said then he'd get me if it was the last thing he ever did. Hey, you get your coat, Phil. We're going to the police. Oh, no, no, no, forget it, Larry. I feel silly showing this letter to the police. Yeah, well, you'd be silly not to. Now, maybe they can tell you something from that handwriting. Oh, I think you're being overly alarmed, but if it'll make you feel any better, come on. Let's go. What do you mean letters like this are fairly common, Sergeant? Yeah, that's right, Mr. Harvey. We see lots of threatening letters. I don't know whether this one's real or phony, but I'd keep out of dark alleys for a while if I were you. There. Now, you see, Phil, we'll check on this letter some more and keep an eye on your apartment just in case. Oh, no, no, that won't be necessary. We'll be okay. Thank you anyway. Yeah, be careful, Mr. Harvey. Oh, yeah, don't you worry about that, Sergeant. I never take chances if I can help it. Well, Phil, you took the first step in your plan to eliminate Larry Wilson, and it was a successful one, wasn't it? No one will ever trace that threatening letter back to you because no one will suspect you have any reason for writing such a message to yourself. Even Larry is concerned for your safety, and you're ready for your second step. You're grateful now for your days in the factory when the company was making timing devices for munitions plants. You know every tiny part that goes into a timed explosive of every kind, don't you, Phil? And a few days later... Hey, hey, Phil, Phil, are you home? Yeah, yeah, back here. Yeah, some kid outside handed me this package. It's addressed to you. Oh? I don't like the look in it. Well, let's open it up and see what's in it. No, no. No, wait, Phil. Listen, you hear something in that package? Something in the... No. Yeah. Yes, I do. It's... one of a ticking sound, like a clock. Yeah, well, don't open it, Phil. It could be a bomb. It could at that, yeah. Look, I better take this right to the police. I can drive to headquarters in ten minutes if I step on it. I'll go with you, Phil. No, no reason for you to go. Like you said, it might be a bomb. I said I'd go with you. Well, okay, Larry, let's get going then. Well, Lieutenant, was that a bomb? It sure was. You've got plenty of luck on your side, Mr. Harvey. It would open that package, it would have blown up the whole apartment building. And in another hour, the timing mechanism would have set it off. I had a hunch that package was a bomb when I brought it in the hospital. What gave you a hunch like that, Mr. Wilson? Well, it could have been just an ordinary clock, but I... I guess I'm just a little super sensitive right now. Oh, I got a threatening letter a little while back, Lieutenant. Oh, that's right. I heard about it, Mr. Harvey. You brought the letter here. That's right, and the boys here warned me to be careful. It's beginning to look like the warning was well-founded. Well, do you think you can learn anything from that bomb, Lieutenant? Yeah, we'll do the usual checking and the wrapping paper, handwriting, and so on. Yeah, and don't forget the kid who handed me the package either. Maybe he could tell you who gave it to him. Why not? We get much from him even if we find him. Somebody probably flipped him a half dollar to deliver the package, that's all. Well, thank you anyway, Lieutenant. And if you do catch the fellow who sent that package, be sure to let me know right away, will you? If we catch him, you'll be the first to know, Mr. Harvey. The police didn't tell you anything you didn't know, did they, Phil? You knew exactly the time the bomb would have exploded, didn't you? And now you're sure of something else. You're certain that when Larry Wilson is finally killed by a time bomb, the police and everyone else will believe it was intended for you. And once Larry is out of the way, it'll be easy for you to make it appear that he took the $5,000 you paid Dan Fink. Yes, with Larry out of your way, you're certain you will have little trouble in marrying your fiancé, Francis Adams. A few days later, Larry is sent north on a two-day business trip and suggests you take Francis out to dinner during his absence. This provides a perfect opportunity for your next step, doesn't it, Phil? And you take full advantage of it. Well, we're still good friends, anyway. Aren't we, Francis? Oh, of course we are. I don't know anyone except Larry that I feel as close to as you. That's what I hoped you'd say. You're still heartbroken if you're not marrying me instead of Larry. You know that, don't you? Well, I guess so. You say so, Phil. You will. But I'm sorry, anyway. I'm so fond of you. If it weren't for Larry, it would be me. Hmm? Yes, I suppose it would. But there is Larry. Yeah. Yeah, there sure is. I'm just a poor exporter. Bad loser, I guess. I do wish you and Larry the best of everything, always. I know you do. And Larry knows it, too. Sure he does. Well, care for anything else, honey? A cordial, more coffee? Not a thing, thank you. Would you like to take a drive along the beach, maybe, before we go home? I'd love it, Phil. It's a beautiful night. Wonderful. Sort of a night. Makes the fellow feel... Mustn't let my thoughts get in that severity. Oh, Phil, you are swell, God. You know, I've been terribly worried about you. Huh? That letter and that bomb. Oh, no, no, no. Let's not talk about that. I've got so many nice things to think about. Hey, what's wrong with my watch? What do you mean, what's wrong with it? It stopped. I don't know when it stopped. It's not running now. Oh, fine. What time is it? So what's the matter? What time is it, please, Fran? Tell me, tell me. Oh, I feel it's... 9.52. 9.52. And you're sure your watch is running? It's running, right. Oh. Why all the fuss over the time? Are you in a hurry to get rid of me? What? No, oh. You know better than that. No, it's just that I'm expecting an important long-distance call at 10.30. It's a business call, but I'll make it okay. Sure, you can make it easily. Call me about five minutes from my house right now. Oh, Fran, I just can't tell you how I have enjoyed being with you tonight. You sure you won't have time to come in for a nightcap? Oh, I wouldn't dare. I can't afford to miss that call. Oh, what? Oh, so what was that? That was my car. The front wheel blew right off. Your tire? Tire nothing. The whole wheel. Look. Oh, I guess I'd better just forget that long-distance call and phone the police. We're lucky that didn't happen while we were hitting 50 back there on the freeway. You think it was a bomb? We'll let the police find out. Oh, boy, that was close. Yes, Bill, it was close, wasn't it? But that's exactly the way you timed it, isn't it? Now, when the right time comes, Fran herself will testify that you were a marked man. You decide to wait a couple of weeks before your final step. Then a few nights later in your apartment, it's Larry who decides the time and the place for you. Cigarettes, Bill? Oh, yes, thanks, Larry. Bill, I... well, there's something I'd like to tell you. Oh, go ahead. France is not going to be married tomorrow. Tomorrow? Yeah, yeah, we talked it all over this afternoon. First, we weren't going to tell anybody about it, but not even here. Then Fran pointed out what a dirty trick that would be to play on someone's best friend. Well, you know. Yeah, I know, I know. Yeah, tomorrow morning we're driving to Arizona. But now, look... Yeah, we think it's the best way. Yeah, I know, lots of girls want a big wedding, but not Fran. No, no, not Fran. Well, sure is a big surprise. Is there anything I can do to help you on your way? No, no, thanks. Oh, no, no, there's got to be. Come on, kid. Must be something. No, no, not a thing, honest. I'm picking Fran up at eight in the morning, and by four or five in the afternoon we'll be married. Yeah, well, I sure wish you all the luck in the world, kid. Fran's a wonderful girl. She sure is. Hi. Get to bed, take a shower, and get over to her house. Still got a few things to talk about. And while you're showering, I'll fix us a drink, and we'll toast the bride to beer. All right, well, 20 in 10 minutes. You have to move fast now, don't you, Phil? And while Larry's taking his shower, you slip down to the garage, disconnect a couple of wires under the hood of Larry's car. Before he finishes dressing, you're back in the living room. Hey, uh, you'll be up by the time I leave in the morning, Phil? What time did you say you were going to find a leave in? Well, it takes me about a half an hour to get to Fran, so I'll start from here about 730, and that means I'll be on our way about a little after eight. Ooh, early. If I'm not up, you'll wake me. Okay, okay. I might even see you later tonight. I won't be long, Fran. All right, all right. I'll walk out the garage with you. Well, don't be planning to be gone very long, but for days maybe, weeks. I will not ask you where you're going on your honeymoon. You know, Phil, it's something we haven't even decided ourselves. Really? Yeah. It's one of the things we're going to decide tonight. Oh, I see. Oh, yes. Now what's wrong? Engine a little cold, I guess. Oh, I wonder. That's funny. I've been running fine. Could be out of gas. No, no, full of gas. The tank fell before I came home. I didn't want to have to stop for that in the morning. Times like this, it makes us tell a witty little something about automobile engine repair. You said it. Hey, wait a minute, wait a minute. Let up on this thing, why don't you take my car? It's in perfect shape. I have it all fixed up. It has to be exposed. No, really. After you get on your way tomorrow, I'll have a mechanic over here to fix yours up, and I'll drive it until you get back. Oh, Phil, I couldn't. You go ahead and do as I say. Well, you really don't mind, do you? I don't mind. I'd feel hurt if you didn't. Now you just hop in my car and get on over to France. Okay, okay. I won't ever forget this, pal. There's only one more detail, and you prepared for it more than a week ago, didn't you, Phil? So you'd be certain you'd be ready for any emergency. As soon as Larry leaves, you open your dresser drawer. Remove the carefully constructed bomb you've hidden under some shirts. You set the timing device for 745 the next morning, when Larry will be midway between the apartment and the home of Francis Adams. Then you place it in your briefcase and wait for Larry. When he returns, the two of you drink a final toast to the bride, and as soon as Larry is in bed, you pick up your briefcase, flip down to the garage, place it on the floor of your car by the back seat, and cover it with the evening paper. Early the next morning... Hey, hey, Phil. Phil, Phil, come on, wake up. Wake up. I'm leaving. Oh, yeah, sure. You're sleeping so soundly I didn't want to wake you until I was ready to go. Yeah, I'm awake now. I'm awake. Thanks again for your help, Phil. See you in a few days. Sure. And good luck. Yeah, thank you. Well, we made a slight change of plans last night. Plan wanted to start a little earlier, so we compromised. Oh, I'm picking her up at 7.30 instead of 8. You're still half asleep and groggy when the impact of what Larry said hits you. Then you leap out of bed in time to see him driving away. If they're leaving at 7.30, that means Fran will be in the car at 7.45 when the time bomb explodes. Yes, the bomb you've hidden in the briefcase in the back of your car. You can't lose a second, can you, Phil? You must reach Fran's house before Larry does. Find a way to delay her departure. It takes you only a moment to replace the two wires you disconnected and get Larry's car started. Then you use every shortcut you know to Fran's house. Fran's life and your future are in the balance. You have to win this race, don't you, Phil? Come on. Oh, good morning, Mr. Harvey. Is Larry and Fran, are they gone? Yes, they left about five minutes ago. Oh. Oh, you should have seen them. They were so happy. Won't you come in for a couple of minutes? No, no, no, no, thanks. Maybe I should still catch them on the highway. I've got a present for them. You've got to catch them, haven't you, Phil? And you have only a few minutes. As you reach the main highway, you suddenly notice a piece of paper wedged into the glove compartment with your name written on it. You hate to slow down, but you quickly decide you'd better see what it is. Dear Phil, thanks again for loaning me your car for our honeymoon. Hope you don't have too much trouble getting mine running again. Incidentally, I checked your car before I left and found your briefcase in the rear seat. Figured you would need it before we returned, so I put it in the backseat of my car for you. His car? Oh, no! Oh, no!
