And now, a tale well calculated to keep you in...
Suspense.
The estate was remote and lonely.
The fortune was theirs for the taking.
The setup was perfect.
The setup for murder.
Listen now to The Impostors,
starring Reynolds Osborne and Charita Bauer,
and written especially for suspense by Peter Fernandez.
Taxi! Taxi! Taxi!
Evening, Miss. Where can I take you?
To the Cromwell place, please.
Cromwell estate. You got that right, Miss?
Well, I received this letter of instructions from the butler, Mr. Victor Hammersmith.
I've accepted a job as Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell's housekeeper.
Well, I guess it'll be okay then, but let me see if I can get a job.
That Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell are a couple of spooks.
What do you mean?
If they want anything, they telephone. It gets delivered.
But only to the gate, no further.
No one's allowed in and no one ever comes out.
Well, how about the butler on his day off? Doesn't he come to town?
They don't keep a car and it's a long walk to town, so I never see him.
Say, I thought it was clearing.
From the direction of that lightning, it looks like we're in for more of the same.
Well, maybe we can get there by the time we get there.
Well, maybe we can get there before it breaks.
Set your bag down there. That's it. Now turn around.
Are you Mr. Hammersmith?
Yes, turn around, I said.
You mean like this?
The agency said you were five feet four exactly.
I am.
Turn around again. Face me. Face me, I said.
Ah, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Listen, it was five hours on that train. I'm tired.
Would you mind telling me where my quarters are?
Oh, forgive me, Angela. I've been so anxious to see you,
to find out if you measured up to what they led me to expect.
And you're perfect. Just perfect.
Oh, here, let me help you with your raincoat.
Well, that's better.
I'll fix a nice supper for us. You must be hungry after the train.
As a matter of fact, I am.
Good. And a drink first, huh?
Why, thank you, Mr. Hammersmith.
Victor. My name is Victor.
Sit down.
I've been preparing for your arrival.
We're going to be friends, Angela.
And I'm very anxious to know you.
When you mentioned supper, I expected a few cold cuts,
but this was fit for a queen.
Thank you, Victor.
I'm very glad that you can truly appreciate good wine and excellent food.
You remember that was one of my requirements.
My height, my education, my taste, my ambitions.
You're the one who made all those requirements?
Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell had only two conditions.
That you have good experience in service, which you do have,
and that you're prepared not to make any personal contact
outside the walls of this estate.
You agreed to that in your notarized statement.
Sure I did.
Look at the salary I'll get in addition to room and board.
So you accepted for the money.
Six hundred bucks a month is good pay.
Yes.
Well, my dear Angela, it's after eleven
and they'll be expecting breakfast at eight promptly.
Yes, I guess I'd better get some sleep.
You'll have a lot to show me in the morning.
Thanks again for that wonderful dinner, Victor.
Good night.
Good night, Angela.
Yes, Angela?
Your tea is served in the drawing room, ma'am.
Oh, thank you.
Will Mr. Cromwell be joining me, do you know?
He's already there, ma'am.
Oh, good.
Walk along with me, Angela.
Yes, ma'am.
I wish to compliment you on the fine service
you've given us these past few weeks.
Thank you, ma'am.
I imagine sometimes you'll find a job
that you can't do without.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
I imagine sometimes you'll find it very lonely here.
Not too lonely.
Victor, hmm?
He's good company.
I'm relieved to hear that.
We've had several other housekeepers,
but Victor disapproved of all of them.
Here we are, Charles.
Yes, my dear.
I've been telling Angela how pleased we are with her.
That's a coincidence.
I already informed Angela that because she's worked out so well,
you're increasing her salary by $25 a month.
Sit down, my dear.
Thank you.
That will be all, Angela.
Yes, sir.
Close the door after you, Angela.
Yes, ma'am.
Agnes, I was upstairs in the attic this morning.
I noticed a good deal of moisture along the beams.
I'm afraid we're going to need a new roof over the main section.
Oh, no, not more repairs.
You know what that means, the workmen, the danger.
Why don't we get rid of this place?
And have to arrange all the financial details of such a move?
Have to come face to face with the attorneys
or the others who would become involved?
You're right, as usual.
Very well, telephone for the carpenters.
I'll start signing whatever must be signed.
Good. I thought you'd see the necessity.
Oh, Victor.
I never thought I could feel this way about anyone.
I love you, Victor.
So now you have two loves, hmm?
Two? No, no, just you.
Two loves, I said. Me and money.
Or am I wrong?
You're right, my dear.
Oh, to have both, I'd want nothing more.
You can have both.
We can get married and we can be rich.
Victor, you don't have to hand me a line.
It's true, Angela. It's true.
What are you talking about?
I've got it all worked out down to the finest details.
It's absolutely foolproof.
It just depends on you.
If it means marrying you, honey, I'll agree to anything.
Anything, Angela?
Anything.
Would you agree to murder?
Did you say murder?
How would you like to be mistress of this place,
to own the fortune that belongs to her?
Oh, Victor, how could we ever do that?
By following my plan.
It's a perfect setup.
And, Angela, when both Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell are dead,
you and I will have everything within the walls of this estate
and all the money sitting in that bank in town.
But won't they be missed?
Won't the police come searching?
Not if we make no mistakes.
You see, Angela, you and I will become Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cromwell.
What do you mean?
Angela, can't you see the resemblance between Mr. Cromwell and me?
Well, yes, I guess so.
Yes.
And Mrs. Cromwell is five feet four in height,
brown hair like complexion, brown eyes.
You are five feet four, brown hair and eyes like complexion.
I made very sure before I hired you, remember?
Tell me, Victor, how can we get their money from the bank?
Suppose other members of the family show up.
Suppose there are doubts about it.
I've checked very carefully.
There was a brother, but he died last year.
He left his money to the Cromwells.
Now there are no relatives.
Good.
I'm a very skillful forger.
I can sign his name so that even he can't tell the difference.
I tested him once.
Perfect.
I'll teach you how to forge her signature.
But I...
You see, all transactions with their attorney, with their bank,
all their contacts with the world outside these walls
are made only through the mail.
Perfect.
And it gets better.
No one is certain anymore of exactly what they look like.
The fools have built their own little world within this estate.
Only it's going to turn out, my dearest Angela,
they built it for us.
Ah!
Perfect.
A perfect forgery.
You've acquired speed and facility.
The lines no longer appear studied or uncertain.
Perfect forgery.
Now, when did your father die?
July 25th, 1948.
Ah!
What's the matter?
Too pat.
People remember birthdays, but seldom the days of death.
Forget the exact date.
Just remember it was the summer of 48.
All right.
He died in the summer around July or August 1948.
Bless his soul.
Very good.
That's one of her phrases.
Victor, when? When?
I've learned everything.
I can write exactly as she can.
I can move like her, talk like her.
You are perfect as Mr. Cromwell.
It's been two months, Victor.
When? When?
You're right.
Yes, it is time.
Very well.
Tonight.
Tonight?
I'll say you're indisposed.
You can stay in your room.
Or touch a virus.
I'll serve them dinner.
Rose capon with wild rice.
A robust red burgundy.
And arsenic.
Tonight.
Tonight.
Angela. Angela?
Yes, Victor.
You can come downstairs now.
They are dead.
And buried.
In the center of the plum orchard.
I covered the area with sod.
The ground looks hardly disturbed.
Oh, Victor.
And we're rich now, Angela.
This place is ours.
And we can have everything we want now.
Come, my angel.
We'll dine in the dining room.
And toast the future.
The future.
Angela, I've just been to the mailbox outside the gate.
Well, did it come?
The bank accepted our signatures as I knew they would.
Look, Angela.
Our first withdrawal. Five thousand dollars in cash.
Let me hold it.
Oh, Victor. The feeling of money.
The glorious green luxurious feel of so much money.
It even smells rich.
I know exactly how you feel.
Now think of it, Angela.
There's two million dollars more where that came from.
I thought of nothing else for weeks.
What can we do with this, Victor? What can we buy?
I want to spend and spend and spend.
Well, I have some dresses sent here on approval.
Some fumes, some jewelry.
Here. Here's the rest of the mail which came.
Stacked catalogs, pamphlets.
Look through them and order whatever you wish.
I'll be down by the pool if you care to join me.
Victor? What's this?
That envelope. Where did you get it?
It was stuck in the fold of this pamphlet.
Well, I must have overlooked it. Let me see.
Huh. Addressed to a Mr. Frederick Mason.
Well, I guess the mailman must have dropped it into our box by mistake.
But it says in care of Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell.
Well, so it does. Return address Zurich, Switzerland.
Open it.
Yes. Then we can burn it.
Whoever sent it will think it was lost.
What does it say?
Just a minute.
Um, dear father,
you shouldn't have paid the entire four years' tuition to the university here.
I tried to tell you when I last saw you years ago
that I had serious doubt about my ability to get a degree.
Now I have quit and they refuse to return any of that money.
I have enough, however, for a flight back to the States.
I'll see you soon to ask your forgiveness, Paul.
Victor, who are these people?
I haven't the vaguest notion.
But he says he's coming here to see his father.
I know, I know. I read it, didn't I?
Victor, could you have flipped up somewhere?
Not anywhere. But I don't understand this at all.
Well, we've got to do something. I mean, if he's coming here...
He's not. I won't let anyone pass that gate.
Let me see that envelope. Tell you...
It tells us nothing.
Some fool has made a mistake, that's all. Frederick Mason.
Well, now, we...
We mustn't let someone's silly mistake bother us.
I'll burn the letter.
Just forget all about it, my love.
Someone at the gate. I'd better check.
Who is it?
Who's that out there at the gate?
Father? Is that you?
Please, take that flashlight off my face. I can't see.
I'm not your father. No one lives here but my wife and myself.
Oh, Mr. Cromwell, I didn't recognize your voice.
I'm sorry to disturb you.
Who are you?
Paul Mason. If you'll just tell my father that I'm here...
I don't know you or your father.
But... But you must. I'm Frederick Mason's son. You know the butler.
The butler?
It's been a long time since I visited, Dad, and I guess I have grown.
I tell you, I have no butler here at all.
You haven't? When did Father leave?
When? Well, I...
It must have been very recently. If you'll just give me his forwarding address...
Young man, I never even heard of your father.
Why?
Now, if you'll just get back into your taxi over there...
Just a minute, Mr. Cromwell. You're making a mistake.
No, no, my young friend. You're the one who's making a mistake.
Now get out of here and stop bothering me.
Yes?
Good morning, Mr. Cromwell. This is Lieutenant Russell of the Township Police Department.
Oh? Well, what do you want, Lieutenant?
I'm sorry to disturb you so early, but I must talk to you as soon as possible.
I should be out there in a few minutes.
Talk? What about?
I'll tell you when I see you.
Lieutenant, I'm sorry, but we never admit anyone here.
I know. That's why I called first.
When I get there, I expect that gate to be open for me.
It won't be. Just because you're a policeman...
don't think you have any more right than anyone else to trespass on private property.
Mr. Cromwell, I have a search warrant.
A search warrant?
I anticipated your attitude about talking to anyone.
Now I expect you to have that gate open.
Goodbye, sir.
You listen to me. Hello, hello.
What is it? What do they want?
I don't know. But some cop's on his way out here.
A cop? We've got to get out of here before he comes.
Don't be a fool. We have nothing to hide.
That young man from last night. I'll bet he put the police up to this.
What if he did? He's making a mistake.
Victor, I'm scared.
Then control yourself.
If you just remember that you're Mrs. Cromwell, nothing can go wrong.
Here. Put on this sun bonnet. I'll wear these dark glasses.
We'll go outside and make ourselves casual by the swimming pool.
Let the police search all they want for Frederick Mason, whoever he is.
I'm positive. I've never heard of anyone by that name.
Here comes the car, Victor.
I see it.
It's the cop's, all right.
And that young man from last night is with him.
Stay right there, Paul, while I talk to them.
Yes, sir.
Take a look, Mr. Cromwell. Here's the warrant.
I see it. What do you want?
Just some information.
What kind of information?
I'm looking for Frederick Mason. He was your butler.
That's what that young man claimed last night.
But I assure you, Lieutenant, I don't know what he's talking about.
Well, that's very peculiar.
Why do you say that?
Well, this letter that Paul Mason gave me, it was mailed from right here only two weeks ago.
You're certain?
Take a look at the envelope.
Yes, I see.
But this envelope doesn't indicate that it was sent from our mailbox out by the road.
Yes, I know.
So I checked with the mailman who has this route.
He doesn't handle many letters which are sent to Switzerland, so he couldn't help noticing them.
He told me that every two weeks for years he has picked one of them up from your mailbox.
Then someone else was using that box. Look, Lieutenant, you're here on a wild goose chase.
I told you, I don't know Frederick Mason.
Well, he could have worked for you under an assumed name.
I doubt that.
It's possible, isn't it?
Here, Mr. Cromwell, Paul gave me this snapshot of his father.
It isn't a very clear picture, but maybe you can recognize him.
Take a look.
Yes.
I'd like to see it too.
What is it, Mrs. Cromwell? You... you recognize him?
I... no. No, of course I don't.
Obviously, this is upsetting Mrs. Cromwell.
I must ask you to leave us alone.
Then you don't know the man in this snapshot.
No, I don't. Now will you please go?
All right. Probably some mistake.
I'll have another talk with Paul Mason.
I'm sorry for disturbing you.
Goodbye, Mr. Cromwell.
Goodbye, Lieutenant.
Victor.
You saw that snapshot.
Didn't you recognize that man?
Yes. We knew him as Mr. Cromwell.
He's the one I killed.
But he was the young man's father.
I'm afraid he was.
You've made a terrible mistake.
I only know that for years they lived here as if they owned this place.
They must have been impersonating the Cromwells, just as we've been doing.
That would account for the isolation since secrecy.
Will you shut up? What's the matter with that cop?
Why doesn't he pull off here?
He's talking to the young man.
I don't like it, Victor.
It's all right. Just don't panic. Smile. Smile, I said.
That's it. If we pretend nothing's wrong...
Victor, they're both coming over here.
I can see.
Mr. Cromwell, I thought you were through bothering us, Lieutenant.
Paul just told me that he couldn't see you in the dark last night...
and he hasn't been able to get a good look today, but...
He's not interested in me. He's trying to find his father, isn't he?
Paul, what do you say now?
I still can't be sure.
Mr. Cromwell, would you please take off those dark glasses?
Why should I?
You've imposed on me enough. Now get out of here.
I recall that Mr. Cromwell was taller and he had less hair than this man.
What kind of nonsense is this?
When I was about 15 years old and my father was the butler, I visited here.
I can remember Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell very clearly.
You are not Mr. Cromwell.
He's lying, Lieutenant.
And her. I've never seen her before in my life.
This is absolutely ridiculous.
We can prove who we are. Victor, go and get the...
Shut up.
Victor, you're not going to believe this.
Victor.
Oh, is that your name, Victor?
Of course not. She's upset. She's...
Exactly. She's upset and she didn't take the time to think.
No, I...
What's your last name, Victor?
My name is Cromwell, Charles Cromwell.
And she calls you Victor.
And this young man can't recognize you.
And you deny that until two weeks ago, Frederick Mason was sending mail from here.
I tell you, we're Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell.
Well, maybe you are, but I'm beginning to doubt it very much.
Nothing adds up.
Come on, I'm taking both of you into town.
I intend to find out just exactly who you really are.
All right, you two. Come out of that cell.
So, you're finally letting us go.
You're satisfied now that we're Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell.
I'm taking you over to Judge Slater to be booked for murder.
Oh, no.
Murder? That's ridiculous.
Is it?
We took up the cement floor in the basement.
We found the bodies.
The...
cement floor?
Man and woman.
Killed by gunshot about four years ago.
From dental charts, we've identified them as the real Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell.
You have.
I see.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I see.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
What's the matter with you?
Don't you realize what we're facing?
I realize very well, very well indeed.
Come on, the judge is waiting.
Is he?
Well, we certainly can't keep him waiting.
But, Lieutenant...
You can't book us for the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell.
It's impossible.
Is it?
You said they were killed about four years ago.
Well, four years ago, I was finishing a term in Atlanta for forgery.
I know.
We've got your records.
You...
Well, you can book me for forgery again, or fraud, or any of those lesser crimes.
You might be able to pin on me, but murder?
Oh, no.
I did not kill Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell.
Oh, I never said you did.
Huh?
Well, I thought you...
We also did some digging in the plum orchard.
Ah!
And we found two more bodies recently killed by arsenic.
Paul Mason has identified his father.
Those victims were murderers themselves who impersonated the Cromwells.
And they're the ones you killed.
We'll have no trouble proving that.
And you'd figured this for years, you said.
No one would ever know. A perfect setup.
It was.
It was.
Only someone beat us to it.
Suspense.
You've been listening to The Impostors, starring Reynolds, Osborne, and Charita Bauer,
and written especially for suspense by Peter Fernandez.
Suspense is produced and directed by Bruno Zorato Jr., music supervision by Ethel Huber.
Featured in tonight's story were Cliff Carpenter, Arlene Blackburn, Melville Rooik, and Bill Lipton.
Listen again next week when we return with The Black Door, written by Robert Arthur.
Another tale well calculated to keep you in...
Suspense.
Enjoy the Gary Moore Show weekdays on the CBS Radio Network.