WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:28.000 Mystery House. 00:28.000 --> 00:48.000 Mystery House. That strange publishing firm owned by Dan and Barbara Glenn, where each new novel is acted out by the Mystery House staff before it is accepted for publication. Mystery House. 00:48.000 --> 00:59.000 Well, Barb, I hope tonight's story is good enough to make a bestseller novel. I think it is. Let's see now, what's the title again? Dubrow's Adjusted. The folks all ready to act it out? Sure, they're out in the game room. I'll go get them. Fine. 00:59.000 --> 01:17.000 Say while Mrs. Glenn's rounding up the rest of them, here's something you should hear. 01:17.000 --> 01:21.000 Okay, places everybody. Set the scene, will you, Tom? 01:21.000 --> 01:30.000 Dubrow's Adjusted. Tonight's story opens in a doctor's office. Thorne Carlson is looking at the doctor with amused disfavor. 01:30.000 --> 01:35.000 Oh, come now, doctor. You're being too abstract. You're putting on that smug, complacent, professional face. 01:35.000 --> 01:41.000 I have tried to be as plain as possible, Mr. Carlson. In cases such as yours, one cannot be specific. 01:41.000 --> 01:55.000 One cannot be specific. Well, maybe not, but one can be blunt. Take a chance, doctor. Tell me something that adds up. All right, Mr. Carlson, you have one month to live. Maybe a little more, probably somewhat less. 01:55.000 --> 02:03.000 Thank you, doctor. Thank you. Now, one month to live. Now, that's quite amusing in a way. Oh, don't look so shocked. 02:03.000 --> 02:14.000 With an affliction such as yours, Mr. Carlson. That really is funny, doctor. An affliction such as mine. Do you know why I'm so little disturbed about dying? Because I've lost my affliction. 02:14.000 --> 02:23.000 You must be mistaken about that, Mr. Carlson. The x-rays show quite clearly. X-rays? Did you take an x-ray of my soul, doctor? Or isn't medical science that well developed yet? 02:23.000 --> 02:33.000 Oh, pardon me. I'm doing the identical thing I accused you of doing a few minutes ago. I'm being abstract. Perhaps I'd better explain what I mean. Or aren't you interested? 02:33.000 --> 02:42.000 But of course, I am very much interested. Fine. I think I'll enjoy telling someone about everything. It all began when Gretchen and I were married. 02:42.000 --> 02:58.000 Goodbye, everybody. We'll be back in three weeks. And here's a little surprise for all of you. Surprise? What are you talking about? 02:58.000 --> 03:23.000 See? It's a surprise on Thorne, too. We'll be at home at the old Tinley Mansion. Mother's giving it to us for a wedding present. 03:23.000 --> 03:32.000 You knew I'd rented an apartment for us. Why didn't you tell me about the Tinley Mansion? Why, I wanted it to be a surprise, Thorne. And it's a perfectly marvelous one, isn't it? 03:32.000 --> 03:42.000 It's odd, Gretchen. Completely odd. Hi, Thorne. Your joke. I can't afford to keep up the place. Besides, I couldn't be happy rattling around in a huge old barn like that. 03:42.000 --> 03:49.000 People can afford anything they want. Smart people. And I couldn't be happy in a stuffy little apartment. We'll get along. 03:49.000 --> 04:02.000 But I don't make enough money, Gretchen. That place must cost a fortune to keep it going. You're quite right, Thorne, about not making enough money. You don't. And that's one of the first things we're going to change. You must develop contacts. 04:02.000 --> 04:15.000 Contacts? Oh, you mean live off my friend's charity? That's just the point. Most of your friends couldn't afford any charity. We are going to move up, Thorne, and the Tinley Mansion is going to help us do it. 04:15.000 --> 04:27.000 Did it ever occur to you, Gretchen, that I might not want to move up? I'm pretty happy just as I am. You're brilliant, Thorne, but you lack ambition. That's one reason why I'm going to be good for you. 04:27.000 --> 04:36.000 I can think of some other reasons, Mrs. Carlson. Oh, Thorne, don't get mushy. Our marriage can be a tremendous success if we take advantage of all our weapons. 04:36.000 --> 04:49.000 Weapons? Your biggest asset is personal charm. You do have it, darling. And mother can help us socially, with money, too. You almost scare me, Gretchen. You talk like this was a business deal. 04:49.000 --> 05:01.000 You married a smart woman, Thorne. I married a lovely one. You don't really know how smart I am. No. Remember when you were running after Diana Tracy? Yes, I remember. 05:01.000 --> 05:08.000 Everybody was saying you'd marry her. Gretchen, please. And then she went to New York without even saying goodbye to you. You don't need to rub it in. 05:08.000 --> 05:17.000 You never knew why she left, did you? No, I didn't. It was because I told her you and I had been secretly married for six months. What? 05:17.000 --> 05:28.000 You see, I know how to get what I want. Everything I want. You told Diana that? Yes. And she fell for it. 05:28.000 --> 05:39.000 Thorne, don't stare at me like that. What's the matter? Nothing. I guess you do love me, don't you? 05:39.000 --> 06:04.000 Why, of course, Thorne. Of course I do. Oh, Thorne, you'll have to change in a hurry. I guess there's going to be a for dinner tonight. 06:04.000 --> 06:10.000 Oh, Gretchen, can't we just for once have some friends in for dinner? Must we be forever selling something? 06:10.000 --> 06:16.000 You should know the answer to that. Bills pass due at every store in town. You bet we should be selling. And Thorne. 06:16.000 --> 06:29.000 Well, what now? It's terribly important that you play up to Mrs. Sweet tonight. I can handle her husband, but she'll actually make the decisions. I'm sure of that. So be especially nice and charming to her. 06:29.000 --> 06:45.000 There's a word to describe you, Gretchen. Thorne. Get me sore enough and I'll use it sometime. 06:45.000 --> 06:54.000 There you have it, Mr. Shannon. What do you think? Oh, well, that's very good, Mrs. Carlson. I wish you weren't married. You'd be a great success in the advertising business. 06:54.000 --> 07:07.000 I will be anyway, Mr. Shannon. Oh, you mean you'd go to work for my agency? No, but my husband will. And I'll press the buttons. I'll be working for you almost as if I'm an office here. 07:07.000 --> 07:19.000 I don't doubt it a bit. What's your proposition? You have a fine agency. Your trouble is that you don't have enough good prospective clients. You're too cold-blooded a businessman. 07:19.000 --> 07:34.000 Cold-blooded? Well, go on. My husband's a business fool, but he has charm and social position. He has the things you need. I sell on the merits of my product. Oh, nonsense. You need what Thorne could give you and you know it. 07:34.000 --> 07:47.000 Well, what does Mr. Carlson think about all this? He's an architect, isn't he? Well, I haven't even consulted him yet. But he'll come into your agency if I tell him to. There's just one catch to it, Mr. Shannon. 07:47.000 --> 07:51.000 Yes, what's that? He'll cost you a half interest in your agency. 08:03.000 --> 08:13.000 Hello, Gretchen. Oh, you're looking beautiful tonight. I have two surprises for you, Thorne. What have you done now? But what do you mean? I've learned to distrust your surprises, Gretchen. 08:13.000 --> 08:24.000 You have the nerve to say that. Haven't they always worked out for the best? Haven't I brought you right up the ladder? All right, what now? First, we're going to have a baby. Oh, that's wonderful, darling. 08:24.000 --> 08:47.000 Just a minute. Second, you're through with architecture. The arrangements are all made and I drove a hard bargain. You're going into an advertising agency. 08:47.000 --> 08:56.000 Daddy, can you help me with my arithmetic? Why, sure, Topsy. Thorne, I wish you wouldn't call the child by that ridiculous nickname. Other children in the neighborhood are beginning to pick it up. 08:56.000 --> 09:09.000 Oh, but I like being called Topsy, Mother. Well, you shouldn't. Mother, why is it that the things I really and truly like are always the things I shouldn't like? I suppose that's because you'll take after your father, dear. 09:09.000 --> 09:22.000 Oh, for heaven's sake, Gretchen. You don't have to let the child... Let her know the facts of life? You're quite wrong, Thorne. Won't you help me with my arithmetic, Daddy? Sure, Topsy. You know, we got to get E. E. Cunning's book of poetry, Is Five. 09:22.000 --> 09:35.000 Is Five? What does that mean? Well, you see, Topsy, a lot of stuffy grownups have made a lot of rules. And because they've made those rules, certain things are so. And the rules say that two and two are four. 09:35.000 --> 09:48.000 Well, aren't they? For most people, yes, Topsy. But not for you and me. You see, Topsy, you and I are among the privileged few. And just because some old sour-faced schoolmaster's made a rule, you and I don't have to believe it. 09:48.000 --> 09:59.000 Well, what do we believe then, Daddy? Well, we think that quite possibly, under the right circumstances, two and two aren't four at all. No. Maybe when the moon's in the right phase, two and two is five. 09:59.000 --> 10:07.000 Thorne, I won't have it to here. I work to keep her from being an impractical fool, and you tear down everything I do. Not quite everything, I'm afraid, Gretchen. But I try hard. 10:07.000 --> 10:16.000 Oh, are we expecting guests this evening? Only Bob Shannon. I asked him over. Run on up to bed, Dorothy. I'll take you, Topsy. The child's quite capable of going to bed by herself. 10:16.000 --> 10:26.000 Come on, Topsy. Last one up the stairs is a purple-pink bamboo. Oh, Bob. Come in. Hi, Gretchen. Why the command summons? 10:26.000 --> 10:33.000 I thought there were some things we should discuss. Ah, Gretchen, you know I love this house. It's so cool and efficient-looking. Where's Thorne? 10:33.000 --> 10:41.000 He went upstairs to put Dorothy to bed. He'll be down in a minute. He's a swell guy, Gretchen. You did me a big favor that day that you came in and sold him down the river. 10:41.000 --> 10:52.000 I don't do favors. A business deal is mutually advantageous. I've never been able to figure you out, Gretchen. You make the Mona Lisa look like an open book. Nonsense. 10:52.000 --> 11:00.000 Were you ever in love with Thorne? I mean, before you married him? Well, of course. I saw great possibilities in him. 11:00.000 --> 11:11.000 I'm glad you never fell in love with me, Gretchen. Oh, I don't know. I could have done a great deal for you, Bob. Actually, you'd have been much better material than Thorne. 11:11.000 --> 11:16.000 Can I hear my name? Hi, Bob. Hi, Thorne. We were just admiring Gretchen's handiwork. 11:16.000 --> 11:23.000 Sit down, Thorne. Why so solemn? I have a little surprise for you men. Watch out, Bob. You don't know what surprises like I do. 11:23.000 --> 11:29.000 I've been checking the firm's books. Well, we've come a long ways in the last nine years, haven't we? I checked them myself the other day. 11:29.000 --> 11:37.000 Yes. Yes, we've come a long ways. And nearly 80% of the billing is Thorne. Sure, I get it. And Bob takes care of it. Not a bad deal. 11:37.000 --> 11:48.000 Not a bad deal for Bob. Huh? What do you mean? I mean that, well, frankly, you're not carrying your share of the load, Bob. You aren't contributing as much as we are. 11:48.000 --> 11:56.000 No? What are you going to do about it? Thorne's pulling out of the agency. He's moving over to Modern as a senior partner. 11:56.000 --> 12:04.000 Thorne, you'd do that to me? Oh, this is a complete surprise to me, Bob. I've made all the arrangements. Thorne's clients have agreed to the change. 12:04.000 --> 12:13.000 But you can't do that to me, Gretchen. You'd tear down overnight all that I've been years building up. Well, it's more than a business to me. It's everything I have in the world. It's my life. 12:13.000 --> 12:22.000 Don't worry, Bob. I won't do it. You won't have anything to say about it, Thorne. You see, I knew you'd be swayed by sentiments, so I got your clients to approve the change. 12:22.000 --> 12:29.000 I started, Thorne, out in the business. We're partners. You never gave us anything we didn't earn. It was always business, and it's still business. 12:29.000 --> 12:34.000 Goodbye, Gretchen. Thorne, where are you going? Out. I may be back and I may not. 12:34.000 --> 12:43.000 He means it, Gretchen. Your plan won't work. He'll be back. You're forgetting Dorothy. 12:43.000 --> 12:59.000 Yes, Dorothy. Poor little kid. Poor, poor little kid. I think I'm going to do her a favor. A great favor. 12:59.000 --> 13:20.000 Gretchen? Gretchen? Oh, Gretchen! Great Scott! No! 13:20.000 --> 13:29.000 You woke me up, Daddy. You shouldn't shout so... Oh, Mother. Daddy, something's happened. Mother's hurt. 13:29.000 --> 13:34.000 No, no. Not hurt, Topsy. Your mother's dead. She's been strangled to death with a handkerchief. 13:34.000 --> 13:45.000 No. She can't be dead. She can't be. Mother, speak to me. Oh, please, Mother. Say something. 13:45.000 --> 13:53.000 Topsy, honey. Sometimes things happen that little girls can't understand. Maybe later and maybe never. 13:53.000 --> 14:00.000 You'll have to be a brave kid. Now, go on back to bed, honey. Untie the handkerchief from around your neck, Daddy. 14:00.000 --> 14:06.000 It's so tight. All right, darling. Daddy, what are you doing with the handkerchief? 14:06.000 --> 14:10.000 I'm going to put it in my pocket, Topsy. Oh, but it belongs to whoever killed my mother. 14:10.000 --> 14:18.000 It's a man's handkerchief. A man with the initial S. It must be Mr. Stanton. He was coming here when I went to bed. 14:18.000 --> 14:23.000 Topsy, no. You mustn't say that. Don't ever mention it. Your mother was killed by a man while I was gone. 14:23.000 --> 14:30.000 People say bad things about that, honey. Bad things about your mother. This is our secret. Promise, honey. 14:30.000 --> 14:46.000 All right, Daddy. It's our secret. 14:46.000 --> 15:08.000 Say, if there have to be murders, I'm all in favor of having them happen to people like Gretchen. 15:08.000 --> 15:17.000 And now, we go back to the living room of Thorne Carlson's home. The twisted body of Gretchen Carlson is still on the floor behind the piano. 15:17.000 --> 15:20.000 The police have just arrived on the scene. 15:20.000 --> 15:25.000 I'm sleepy, Daddy. And I'm scared. I want to go to Grandma's. 15:25.000 --> 15:31.000 In just a little while, lass, you can go to your Grandma's. Maybe I'll take you in a squad car. Wouldn't that be fun? 15:31.000 --> 15:34.000 Topsy, this is Mr. Dolan. He's from the police. 15:34.000 --> 15:40.000 How do you do, Mr. Dolan? How do you do? So your name's Topsy, huh? That's cute. 15:40.000 --> 15:46.000 Oh, it's not my real name. Mother got off her mad when Daddy called me Topsy, but I liked it. 15:46.000 --> 15:53.000 So your mother got mad, huh? At your Daddy? Yes. She didn't like the way Daddy always jokes and teases. 15:53.000 --> 16:00.000 I guess she was sort of mad at him a lot. Topsy, didn't your Daddy ever get mad at your mother? 16:00.000 --> 16:06.000 Oh, no. He just looked sad when she scolded him. Kind of like he'd fallen and hurt his knee. 16:06.000 --> 16:10.000 Dolan, this can't go on. You've got to stop it. Maybe you could stop it, Dolan. 16:10.000 --> 16:17.000 Me how? By signing a confession, Mr. Carlson. A confession to your wife's murder. 16:17.000 --> 16:20.000 Well, now that you've learned that Gretchen and I had our quarrels, what next? 16:20.000 --> 16:24.000 I figured that was kind of up to you. What do you mean? A man has a quarrel with his wife. 16:24.000 --> 16:27.000 The wife is murdered. But I tell you, I wasn't even here when she was murdered. 16:27.000 --> 16:31.000 Sure, you tell me that. I wasn't mad tonight. I was just disgusted. 16:31.000 --> 16:36.000 So disgusted that I walked out on them. Them? You hadn't said anything about them. 16:36.000 --> 16:40.000 I was just a little bit upset. I was just a little bit upset. 16:40.000 --> 16:47.000 You tell me that. I wasn't mad tonight. I was just disgusted. So disgusted that I walked out on them. 16:47.000 --> 16:51.000 Them? You hadn't said anything about anyone else. You said you and your wife were alone. 16:51.000 --> 16:55.000 I... we were. When a woman gets murdered, there's a reason. 16:55.000 --> 16:58.000 Either you're lying about you and her being alone or you killed her. 16:58.000 --> 17:01.000 No, no, that's not true. You had a motive. You hated your wife. 17:01.000 --> 17:04.000 You fought with her. You had the opportunity. You were alone with her tonight. 17:04.000 --> 17:07.000 Stop it! Don't you have any feelings at all? I'll get it. 17:07.000 --> 17:12.000 Oh, Newton. What? Well, I'll be darned. 17:12.000 --> 17:17.000 You don't tell me. That just goes to show you never know, doesn't it? 17:17.000 --> 17:21.000 Okay, thanks, Newton. I'll see you later. Goodbye. 17:21.000 --> 17:25.000 What was that? Never mind. Are you ready to sign a confession? 17:25.000 --> 17:31.000 No. You hang Carlson. You get a rope around your neck just as tight as the one you tied around your wife's neck. 17:31.000 --> 17:34.000 It wasn't a rope. Oh, so it wasn't a rope. 17:34.000 --> 17:39.000 Well, now we're getting somewhere. Come on, you might as well come clean, Carlson. 17:39.000 --> 17:43.000 You'll spill the whole work sooner or later. No, listen, you can't talk to my daddy like that. 17:43.000 --> 17:48.000 Topsy. You're a bad man and I hate you. Besides, you don't know what you're talking about. 17:48.000 --> 17:51.000 Topsy, I thought you were in bed. I was sitting at the top of the stairs listening. 17:51.000 --> 17:53.000 Hang it, Dolan. You can't torture the youngster this way. 17:53.000 --> 17:56.000 So I don't know what I'm talking about, huh, Topsy? No. 17:56.000 --> 18:00.000 Topsy, please. But I'm sure I do know what I'm talking about, Topsy. 18:00.000 --> 18:04.000 But it wasn't a rope at all, just like Daddy says. He was telling you the truth. 18:04.000 --> 18:06.000 Then what was it? Toss for the love of Mike. 18:06.000 --> 18:10.000 It was a handkerchief. That's what it was. A man's handkerchief. Wasn't it, Daddy? 18:10.000 --> 18:13.000 Honey, honey, please go on back up to bed. You shouldn't be down here. 18:13.000 --> 18:17.000 So it was a man's handkerchief. And what happened to it? 18:17.000 --> 18:20.000 Daddy stuck it in his pocket. That pocket right there. I'll remember this, Dolan. 18:20.000 --> 18:25.000 And your daddy put it in his pocket because he didn't want anybody to know it was his. Is that right? 18:25.000 --> 18:29.000 Oh, but it wasn't his, Mr. Dolan. It wasn't Daddy's at all. It was Mr. Shannon's. 18:29.000 --> 18:33.000 Daddy said I mustn't tell, but you won't tell anybody we're new. 18:33.000 --> 18:36.000 Hand it over, Carlson. I won't do it. You can't thank me. 18:36.000 --> 18:40.000 This isn't a game, Carlson. This is a murder I'm investigating. A cold-blooded murder. 18:40.000 --> 18:43.000 And I think I can make you. Now give it here. 18:43.000 --> 18:47.000 All right. Here. 18:47.000 --> 18:52.000 All twisted. I can see where there's been some hard knots tied in it. 18:52.000 --> 18:56.000 Initial letter S in the corner. You'll be sorry for this, Dolan. 18:56.000 --> 19:00.000 Did your daddy say why you mustn't tell anybody about the handkerchief, Topsy? 19:00.000 --> 19:06.000 Yes. He said something about my mother being killed by a man while he wasn't here. 19:06.000 --> 19:12.000 And something about people talking there. He said maybe someday I might understand. 19:12.000 --> 19:17.000 Oh, I see. You're quite a guy, Carlson. I'd like to shake your hand. 19:17.000 --> 19:20.000 What for? You take a murder rap to protect your wife's name. 19:20.000 --> 19:23.000 But Shannon didn't kill her. Shannon wouldn't do a thing like that. 19:23.000 --> 19:27.000 Was Shannon here when you left the house this evening? I... No. No, he wasn't. 19:27.000 --> 19:31.000 Why, Daddy, that was a whopper. He was. You know he was. 19:31.000 --> 19:34.000 Thanks, Topsy. Now you can go up and go to sleep. 19:34.000 --> 19:37.000 And you won't talk bad to my daddy anymore? 19:37.000 --> 19:42.000 No. I won't talk bad to your daddy. I think I'll talk kind of respectful to him. 19:42.000 --> 19:45.000 Good night. Good night. Good night, Daddy. 19:45.000 --> 19:49.000 Good night, dear. It was all right for me to tell Mr. Dolan our secret, wasn't it? 19:49.000 --> 19:52.000 Yes, honey. I guess it was all right. 19:52.000 --> 19:57.000 You probably won't believe this, Mr. Carlson, but I already knew Shannon was the murderer anyway. 19:57.000 --> 19:59.000 All I had to do was bust somebody in up to get the truth. 19:59.000 --> 20:02.000 So you picked on a child? Yes, I suppose you could say that. 20:02.000 --> 20:07.000 But I don't think I did wrong. Murder is something I've seen a lot of, but it still gets under my skin. 20:07.000 --> 20:09.000 Every time it's just as bad as the time before. 20:09.000 --> 20:11.000 You didn't know it was Shannon. You couldn't know. You're bluffing. 20:11.000 --> 20:16.000 No, I'm not bluffing. Remember that telephone call I got from the station, the one you were so curious about? 20:16.000 --> 20:21.000 Yes. Your partner, Mr. Shannon, tried to commit suicide tonight just a little while ago. 20:21.000 --> 20:25.000 Turned on the gas in his apartment. He's dead? 20:25.000 --> 20:29.000 No, he didn't get off that easy. He'll pay the full price for this. 20:29.000 --> 20:32.000 He'll suffer a lot more than inhaling gas. 20:45.000 --> 20:48.000 You can have ten minutes with him, Mr. Carlson. I'll tell you when your time's up. 20:48.000 --> 20:53.000 All right. I'm sorry, Bob. Grievably sorry. 20:53.000 --> 20:56.000 You ought to hate me, Thorne. Yet you're the only friend I have. 20:56.000 --> 21:01.000 The only one who tried to save me. Didn't do any good, but you tried, Thorne. 21:01.000 --> 21:03.000 You're not guilty, Bob. Even if the jury said you were, I know that. 21:03.000 --> 21:08.000 I'm afraid I am guilty, Thorne. I remember saying to Gretchen something about Topsy. 21:08.000 --> 21:14.000 I said, I'm going to do her a favor. Then Gretchen laughed at me and I slapped her face. 21:14.000 --> 21:18.000 Everything went black and the next thing I remember I was in the hospital. 21:18.000 --> 21:20.000 They didn't believe me when I told them that, Thorne. 21:20.000 --> 21:22.000 I don't suppose I'd believe it if I were on the jury. 21:22.000 --> 21:24.000 I believe you, Bob. There's still a chance the governor... 21:24.000 --> 21:29.000 No, no. It's better this way. Our business is gone now, you know that. 21:29.000 --> 21:31.000 Everything I worked for all my life. 21:31.000 --> 21:35.000 Gretchen had her way, Thorne. I'd have lost it if she'd have lived. 21:35.000 --> 21:37.000 Her death took it away from me anyway. 21:37.000 --> 21:39.000 She was the most evil woman I ever knew. 21:39.000 --> 21:42.000 I'd gladly trade places with you, Bob. 21:42.000 --> 21:44.000 No, no. I thought about that, Thorne. 21:44.000 --> 21:48.000 About trying to throw suspicion on you, but that was no good. 21:48.000 --> 21:49.000 Why not? 21:49.000 --> 21:50.000 There's Topsy. 21:50.000 --> 21:53.000 Yes, there's Topsy. 21:53.000 --> 21:58.000 Higher. I don't regret a thing, Thorne. I've no relatives, nobody to humiliate. 21:58.000 --> 22:02.000 And I've done the kid just what I said I would. I've done her a favor. 22:02.000 --> 22:06.000 So waste no tears, Thorne. It's a good job all around. 22:06.000 --> 22:11.000 Just forget about the governor. No dramatics, no scenes. 22:11.000 --> 22:13.000 Your ten minutes is up, Mr. Carlson. 22:13.000 --> 22:15.000 Thank you, Dolan. 22:29.000 --> 22:31.000 That's the story, Doctor. 22:31.000 --> 22:35.000 When I said I could laugh at death because I had lost my affliction, 22:35.000 --> 22:36.000 you see what I mean. 22:36.000 --> 22:39.000 But you have undergone a terrible shock, Mr. Carlson. 22:39.000 --> 22:41.000 It's no wonder. Shock, Doctor? 22:41.000 --> 22:43.000 Yes, I suppose I have. 22:43.000 --> 22:47.000 But there's something extremely amusing about the whole thing. 22:47.000 --> 22:49.000 Amusing? My dear Mr. Carlson. 22:49.000 --> 22:52.000 You see, Shannon was telling the truth, Doctor. 22:52.000 --> 22:53.000 What? 22:53.000 --> 22:55.000 He didn't know what happened after he struck Gretchen. 22:55.000 --> 22:58.000 I found him wandering about the streets incoherent. 22:58.000 --> 23:01.000 I took him to his apartment and turned on the gas. 23:01.000 --> 23:04.000 Then I went home and strangled Gretchen. I killed her. 23:04.000 --> 23:06.000 You? You murdered your wife? 23:06.000 --> 23:11.000 Certainly. I was willing to pay for my wife's murder, but there was Topsy. 23:11.000 --> 23:14.000 She couldn't go through life with the world thinking her father a murderer. 23:14.000 --> 23:17.000 Shannon had nothing to live for with the business gone anyway, 23:17.000 --> 23:21.000 but I'd have taken his place in a second if it hadn't been for the youngster. 23:21.000 --> 23:24.000 Well, I hardly know what to say, Mr. Carlson. 23:24.000 --> 23:26.000 Oh, you don't need to say anything. 23:26.000 --> 23:30.000 I got justice for Gretchen without ever resorting to the law, 23:30.000 --> 23:34.000 and, well, with one month to live, it looks like somebody. 23:34.000 --> 23:39.000 And something got justice for me the same way.