WEBVTT 00:00:18.829 --> 00:00:28.070 Come in. Welcome. I'm E .G. Marshall. Welcome 00:00:28.070 --> 00:00:30.929 to the exciting world of your own imagination. 00:00:33.030 --> 00:00:37.049 The live body, muscles rippling, seems suspended 00:00:37.049 --> 00:00:41.590 in air, twisted in its last agony. The goat legs 00:00:41.590 --> 00:00:46.039 flexed in their last spring. The beautiful boy's 00:00:46.039 --> 00:00:50.119 face transformed by a snarl of agony as the arrow 00:00:50.119 --> 00:00:53.200 bites through the back flesh to bury itself deep 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:57.579 in the heart. This is a legendary bronze statue 00:00:57.579 --> 00:01:03.399 called the Dying Fawn. Legendary in more ways 00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:13.480 than one. Jameson? Miss Harpett. Not any longer. 00:01:13.849 --> 00:01:17.090 This is my husband, David Kidnelli. How do you 00:01:17.090 --> 00:01:20.450 do, sir? I've heard so much about you. It's my 00:01:20.450 --> 00:01:23.310 pleasure, James. Congratulations, Miss Abbott. 00:01:23.549 --> 00:01:26.629 I mean, Mrs. Time for that afterwards. Are the 00:01:26.629 --> 00:01:30.109 others here? Mrs. Abbott and Mr. Pierce arrived 00:01:30.109 --> 00:01:33.829 this afternoon. Are they with my... Are they 00:01:33.829 --> 00:01:38.530 with him now? No, Miss Sarah. Like you, they... 00:01:38.530 --> 00:01:43.609 They were too late. Oh, no. You mean he's... 00:01:43.629 --> 00:01:49.450 Dad? It was to be expected. When? The statue 00:01:49.450 --> 00:02:04.310 started to bleed the night before last. Our mystery 00:02:04.310 --> 00:02:08.349 drama, The Bleeding Statue, was written especially 00:02:08.349 --> 00:02:12.009 for the Mystery Theater by Ian Martin and stars 00:02:12.009 --> 00:02:15.750 Patricia Elliott, and Tony Roberts. I'll be back 00:02:15.750 --> 00:02:30.270 shortly with act one. What is more mystical than 00:02:30.270 --> 00:02:36.229 a statue? The wounded fawn. No one is sure that 00:02:36.229 --> 00:02:40.030 it was not originally chiseled in marble. That 00:02:40.030 --> 00:02:43.969 the bronze we know today was not taken from a 00:02:43.969 --> 00:02:48.590 long -lost original. Where it comes from, no 00:02:48.590 --> 00:02:52.189 one knows. Where it was perhaps best known to 00:02:52.189 --> 00:02:55.409 the public at large was in its last appearance, 00:02:56.289 --> 00:02:59.210 or disappearance, on the stage of the Palace 00:02:59.210 --> 00:03:02.990 Theatre as the climax of the farewell tour of 00:03:02.990 --> 00:03:12.389 prior Abbott, the Merlin of the Magicians. And 00:03:12.389 --> 00:03:15.349 now a few ladies and gentlemen will permit my 00:03:15.349 --> 00:03:19.150 greatest illusion, the death of the wounded pawn. 00:03:19.830 --> 00:03:27.710 Park the curtains, please. There he is for the 00:03:27.710 --> 00:03:31.810 last time on any stage. I beg your pardon, dear 00:03:31.810 --> 00:03:35.430 audience, the second last time. For if I'm to 00:03:35.430 --> 00:03:39.050 make him disappear, I would have to make him 00:03:39.050 --> 00:03:43.000 reappear. and both in front of your very eyes. 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:48.319 Observe the dying fawn. One thousand four hundred 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:53.139 and forty pounds of cast bronze. I invite any 00:03:53.139 --> 00:03:56.199 member of the audience who questions this assessment 00:03:56.199 --> 00:04:01.300 of weight to join me on the stage. I only wish 00:04:01.300 --> 00:04:04.900 to know that all of you are ready to believe 00:04:04.900 --> 00:04:09.319 that this statue does have a life and volition 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:13.379 of its own. For it is about to disappear before 00:04:13.379 --> 00:04:21.079 your very eyes. Concentrate. Observe. Be aware. 00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:34.100 And beware. That was back in 1936, David. Fifteen 00:04:34.100 --> 00:04:38.250 years before I was born. 18 for you. How do you 00:04:38.250 --> 00:04:40.290 know about that final performance? You weren't 00:04:40.290 --> 00:04:43.949 there. No, there was my mother. She was about 00:04:43.949 --> 00:04:50.029 five then. Strange. What? I can't connect to 00:04:50.029 --> 00:04:53.730 your grandfather. Now what do I call him? Not 00:04:53.730 --> 00:04:57.870 what you do. A wizard. That's kind of corny. 00:04:57.970 --> 00:05:01.670 Not for me. It was my mother's second marriage. 00:05:02.250 --> 00:05:07.500 I was five years old. Mother was about 28. He 00:05:07.500 --> 00:05:12.019 was 57. Much as I loved him and as full his life 00:05:12.019 --> 00:05:16.600 as he was, I never could call him Dad, and Grandpa 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:19.579 would have been an insult. So because of all 00:05:19.579 --> 00:05:22.459 the marvelous tricks he did, he became the wizard. 00:05:23.779 --> 00:05:29.160 Oh, David, you never saw anyone so young as the 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:33.879 wizard, in body as well as in mind. That's why 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:36.439 I can't believe... Easy, easy does it, baby. 00:05:36.540 --> 00:05:40.060 You've done your crying for him. It's awful to 00:05:40.060 --> 00:05:46.680 think of him lying in that coffin, dead. I can't 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:49.920 believe it isn't just another illusion. When 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:52.800 we go down to dinner that he won't have escaped 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:55.779 like Houdini and be sitting waiting for us with 00:05:55.779 --> 00:05:59.939 a big smile. I'm afraid even the wizard can't 00:05:59.939 --> 00:06:04.279 spring himself loose from this one. I'd better 00:06:04.279 --> 00:06:07.180 get my best bib and tie on to greet your relatives. 00:06:08.180 --> 00:06:11.120 I wouldn't worry about them. Well, I don't want 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:14.120 to make too bad an impression. Your stepbrother's 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:16.899 a pretty important man in my life. Because he's 00:06:16.899 --> 00:06:20.819 president of Abbott's Tool and Machine. Piers 00:06:20.819 --> 00:06:24.620 is just a figurehead. There's only one man who 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:28.459 could... Come on now, Sarah. I just can't believe 00:06:28.459 --> 00:06:33.689 he's dead. He was... Oh, David. You just had 00:06:33.689 --> 00:06:36.629 to have known him to understand. He was... He 00:06:36.629 --> 00:06:40.170 was indestructible. Darling, he was going on 00:06:40.170 --> 00:06:44.470 76. But he didn't look or act more than 50. Well, 00:06:44.470 --> 00:06:47.329 you hadn't seen him in more than two years. Well, 00:06:47.769 --> 00:06:51.870 yes. You're right, of course. But even then, 00:06:52.089 --> 00:06:55.490 even with a heart attack and my mother dying... 00:06:55.490 --> 00:06:59.110 You don't have to tell me, Sarah. God knows he 00:06:59.110 --> 00:07:04.310 was a giant to me. But not as a magician. As 00:07:04.310 --> 00:07:07.110 an industrialist, an enhancer, an innovator. 00:07:08.089 --> 00:07:11.889 I never knew all that came from being a... Well, 00:07:11.889 --> 00:07:14.610 it sounds crazy to put it this way, but a plain 00:07:14.610 --> 00:07:18.410 magician. Oh, he was no plain magician. I've 00:07:18.410 --> 00:07:20.670 seen blueprints of some of his illusions, and 00:07:20.670 --> 00:07:22.709 they're more complicated than splitting the atom. 00:07:23.470 --> 00:07:26.389 Hey, hey, hey, it's almost 7 .30. Now look, I've 00:07:26.389 --> 00:07:30.680 got to have at least a clean shirt. Yes? Excuse 00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:33.500 me, madam, but dinner will be served in half 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:37.339 an hour. We'll be right down, Jamie. He's always 00:07:37.339 --> 00:07:40.259 so formal. Well, he kind of gives me the shivers. 00:07:40.540 --> 00:07:43.379 What was that bit about the statue starting to 00:07:43.379 --> 00:07:48.199 bleed? Oh, that's a silly old legend. You want 00:07:48.199 --> 00:07:54.379 to tell your silly young husband what? I think 00:07:54.379 --> 00:07:57.560 the wizard probably made it up for the act. Well, 00:07:57.579 --> 00:07:59.560 I'm persistent if nothing else. Made up what? 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:03.240 Well, it's a very old statue, you know. Quite 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:05.339 priceless. Well, since it happens to be my hobby, 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:08.060 I know as much about it as you. It's either fired 00:08:08.060 --> 00:08:11.660 from a mold of a Greek original and marble, or 00:08:11.660 --> 00:08:14.540 else it was commissioned by Cosmo de Medici in 00:08:14.540 --> 00:08:18.439 the early 1600s and is possibly by Benevenuto 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:22.240 Cellini himself. Right? Right. But impossible 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.329 to authenticate? That's right. But it did belong 00:08:25.329 --> 00:08:28.209 at one time or another to the Domenici's and 00:08:28.209 --> 00:08:31.689 to some later kings of France, they say. Whoever 00:08:31.689 --> 00:08:35.750 they are. And what exactly do they say? Whenever 00:08:35.750 --> 00:08:38.610 the head of a household to whom it belongs is 00:08:38.610 --> 00:08:42.509 marked for death, the statue starts to bleed. 00:08:48.669 --> 00:08:51.230 I don't want to be late for dinner. No, we won't 00:08:51.230 --> 00:08:55.080 be. I just had to see this fabulous statue. Well, 00:08:56.080 --> 00:09:03.279 there he is. Wow. What a setting. He's magnificent, 00:09:03.500 --> 00:09:07.799 whoever the sculptor was. He's sad. Poor wounded 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:14.600 God. God? Come closer. Look at him. He's not 00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:18.940 just a fawn. He has to be panned himself. Without 00:09:18.940 --> 00:09:23.610 the horn. Ageless. Deathless. The spirit of youth 00:09:23.610 --> 00:09:29.210 and life. Just like the wizard. I never thought 00:09:29.210 --> 00:09:33.669 he could really die. Hush, hush, baby. It's the 00:09:33.669 --> 00:09:38.350 only thing none of us can sidestep. Hey, where's 00:09:38.350 --> 00:09:42.289 this blood supposed to come from? From the air 00:09:42.289 --> 00:09:46.690 wound, of course. Right here? It's between the 00:09:46.690 --> 00:09:49.929 shoulders? Oh, I suppose. I've never seen it. 00:09:50.169 --> 00:09:53.799 It's... It's just the story, David. What is it? 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:57.460 It's nothing. Let me see your hand. You touched 00:09:57.460 --> 00:10:00.139 the statue. Look, it's just rust, darling. That's 00:10:00.139 --> 00:10:03.559 all. Bronze doesn't rust, David. That's blood. 00:10:10.570 --> 00:10:13.889 Are you sure this is Sherry Pierce? As advertised, 00:10:14.009 --> 00:10:16.409 and as always, nothing but the best. It doesn't 00:10:16.409 --> 00:10:18.929 taste right, somehow. I doubt if anything will 00:10:18.929 --> 00:10:21.889 until we all find out just where we stand. It's 00:10:21.889 --> 00:10:24.669 upsetting that he died so suddenly and unexpectedly. 00:10:26.850 --> 00:10:28.750 You don't suppose he could have left everything 00:10:28.750 --> 00:10:31.850 to Sarah? He couldn't do that to us. Suppose 00:10:31.850 --> 00:10:35.070 he has. I'll fight it to the nail. I'm his daughter. 00:10:35.370 --> 00:10:38.190 Daughter -in -law, to be exact. I'm the last 00:10:38.190 --> 00:10:41.309 best hope. At least my father, your husband, 00:10:41.450 --> 00:10:44.370 was his son. I hope he's recognized that in the 00:10:44.370 --> 00:10:49.110 will. And how do we handle this new husband Sarah 00:10:49.110 --> 00:10:52.570 has sprung upon us? I've no idea. It's too bad 00:10:52.570 --> 00:10:54.590 the wizard didn't know about him before he kicked 00:10:54.590 --> 00:10:57.450 off. I doubt if he'd have reacted too well to 00:10:57.450 --> 00:10:59.909 some European opportunist who wanted to pick 00:10:59.909 --> 00:11:01.809 up a nice American girl with a lot of money in 00:11:01.809 --> 00:11:03.970 the family. Well, he isn't here to react. It's 00:11:03.970 --> 00:11:06.929 up to us. Pardon me, madam. Yes, Jefferson, what 00:11:06.929 --> 00:11:10.019 is it? Mr. and Mrs. Cavalli have returned from 00:11:10.019 --> 00:11:12.600 the garden. Dinner is set. Thank you, Jefferson. 00:11:12.620 --> 00:11:16.759 We'll be right in. Well, shall we start reacting? 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:29.159 Kiss the bride and meet the groom? Well, since 00:11:29.159 --> 00:11:31.200 we all seem to have finished dinner, shall we 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:33.419 retire to the drawing room for coffee? And the 00:11:33.419 --> 00:11:36.649 moment of truth. You can clear if you wish, Jameson. 00:11:36.889 --> 00:11:40.730 Yes, Mrs. Abbott. Oh, thank you, Jameson. I can 00:11:40.730 --> 00:11:42.529 pour the coffee and Pierce will serve the liqueurs. 00:11:42.610 --> 00:11:44.690 And Jameson, you can make your arrangements about 00:11:44.690 --> 00:11:47.289 the tape, whatever they are. Very good, madam. 00:11:47.570 --> 00:11:49.409 Will we have to come to the study to hear it? 00:11:49.789 --> 00:11:52.809 No, madam. There are speakers in every room in 00:11:52.809 --> 00:11:55.549 the house. And I was instructed by the late Mr. 00:11:55.710 --> 00:11:58.509 Abbott that the tape would activate itself at 00:11:58.509 --> 00:12:02.149 exactly nine o 'clock this evening. Activate 00:12:02.149 --> 00:12:06.309 itself? Aye, Mr. Cabelli. You see, I don't know 00:12:06.309 --> 00:12:09.590 where it is. You never knew my father, Signor 00:12:09.590 --> 00:12:12.590 Cavalli. In his later years, he was somewhat 00:12:12.590 --> 00:12:16.789 eccentric. Will you escort me to the drawing 00:12:16.789 --> 00:12:20.029 room? Of course, Mrs. Hanna. Nutty as a fruitcake, 00:12:20.129 --> 00:12:22.450 she means. Don't talk about the wizard like that. 00:12:24.009 --> 00:12:27.129 You know, Sarah, you weren't around in the past 00:12:27.129 --> 00:12:32.250 few years. I saw him two years ago. Well... Well... 00:12:32.869 --> 00:12:34.649 Well, that was right after his heart attack, 00:12:35.090 --> 00:12:36.889 and Mother's death right on top of that naturally 00:12:36.889 --> 00:12:40.049 was knocked out. But nothing could ever keep 00:12:40.049 --> 00:12:42.649 him down for long. That's what you think. He 00:12:42.649 --> 00:12:45.669 buried himself alive here with Jameson. None 00:12:45.669 --> 00:12:48.309 of us saw him since the day you went back. But 00:12:48.309 --> 00:12:51.009 he wrote me in Italy. That's more contact than 00:12:51.009 --> 00:12:53.690 Mother and I had with him. It's a pity you went 00:12:53.690 --> 00:12:56.289 back to the art school. Don't. Don't make me 00:12:56.289 --> 00:12:59.470 feel any worse than I already do. He made me 00:12:59.470 --> 00:13:02.419 go. I thought you were the apple of his eye. 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:05.659 I also happened to be a carbon copy of my mother. 00:13:05.860 --> 00:13:08.100 And the reminder was too poignant. You think 00:13:08.100 --> 00:13:10.679 I'd have gone back to Italy otherwise? There 00:13:10.679 --> 00:13:13.379 seemed to have been other attractions. You mean 00:13:13.379 --> 00:13:17.299 David? I hadn't even met him then. I wish you 00:13:17.299 --> 00:13:22.659 never had. I'd always hoped, I think the wizard 00:13:22.659 --> 00:13:28.389 hoped too, that you and I... Why, Pierce! For 00:13:28.389 --> 00:13:32.610 my older brother? Not quite. Not by blood, just 00:13:32.610 --> 00:13:36.830 by accident of the wizard's many marriages. Older? 00:13:37.009 --> 00:13:41.509 Yes, guilty as charged. Is 16 years or whatever 00:13:41.509 --> 00:13:44.429 it is all that important? Oh, come on, Pete. 00:13:44.509 --> 00:13:46.330 Oh, it didn't matter a hoot to the wizard, and 00:13:46.330 --> 00:13:48.370 your mother was damn near double that with them. 00:13:48.529 --> 00:13:51.429 It hadn't anything to do with age or family. 00:13:51.490 --> 00:13:55.970 Just choice. Well, all right. Oh, well, let's 00:13:55.970 --> 00:13:58.759 go in and... On our way, why don't you tell me 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:06.200 more of the man you did choose? I suppose we 00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:08.500 really should have had espresso for you, Signor 00:14:08.500 --> 00:14:11.240 Cavelli. No, no, no. Plain American coffee, Mrs. 00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:14.200 Abbott. Really? I thought all Italians like... 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:18.259 Mrs. Abbott, I'm not Italian. Oh? Sarah met you 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:21.629 in Rome? Florence. Well, Florence. And your name 00:14:21.629 --> 00:14:24.870 is Cavelli? Well, that's right, but Italian -American. 00:14:25.169 --> 00:14:27.950 My father and I were both born in this country. 00:14:27.990 --> 00:14:31.029 How nice, but you lived in Italy. Well, my father 00:14:31.029 --> 00:14:33.809 was an engineer with United States Motors two 00:14:33.809 --> 00:14:36.090 years ago while I was studying to be an engineer 00:14:36.090 --> 00:14:39.289 at MIT in Boston. The company moved him to their 00:14:39.289 --> 00:14:42.169 plant in Torino. When I graduated, I went over 00:14:42.169 --> 00:14:45.769 to join them and met Sarah. You said in Florence? 00:14:45.970 --> 00:14:49.389 Yes, at the Piazza della Signorina looking at 00:14:49.389 --> 00:14:53.240 the statues. You knew of course who Sarah's father 00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:57.840 was Well, I knew who prior Abbott was but I never 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:00.379 guessed that Sarah was his daughter stepdaughter 00:15:00.379 --> 00:15:05.980 The wizard actually only had one child Your husband 00:15:05.980 --> 00:15:10.100 which makes you prior Abbott's daughter -in -law 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:13.059 What time is it David? It's just about nine. 00:15:13.059 --> 00:15:16.460 Well people the moment of truth is almost upon 00:15:16.460 --> 00:15:19.279 us I don't know about the rest of you, but I 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:21.820 think I could do with something to calm the nerves. 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:24.899 Brandy for anyone? I have my coffee. I don't 00:15:24.899 --> 00:15:26.980 know. Why don't you, darling? I might join you. 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:29.759 Why not? Oh, Senior Cavalli, would you help? 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:33.519 Since we are family, may we make a David? Very 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:36.419 well, David. I'll help Pierce get the brandies. 00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:41.279 I'll pour the coffee. As you wish. Tell me, Sarah, 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:44.419 did the wizard know about this hasty marriage 00:15:44.419 --> 00:15:49.210 of yours? It wasn't. All that hasty. Except at 00:15:49.210 --> 00:15:51.970 the last moment. You haven't answered my question. 00:15:52.149 --> 00:15:55.850 No. The answer is no. But let me explain exactly 00:15:55.850 --> 00:15:59.870 what... Art is the witching hour. Well the whole 00:15:59.870 --> 00:16:03.590 thing is a bit spooky, mother. And in seconds 00:16:03.590 --> 00:16:06.350 all of us are going to face our futures. Just 00:16:06.350 --> 00:16:10.370 where each of us is going. And all manipulated 00:16:10.370 --> 00:16:14.649 like puppets from beyond the grave. I wonder 00:16:14.649 --> 00:16:17.289 what particular trick the wizard has up his sleeve 00:16:17.289 --> 00:16:27.210 this time. We're about to find out. Pierce Abbott 00:16:27.210 --> 00:16:31.090 termed it the moment of truth. Are we to hear 00:16:31.090 --> 00:16:34.429 it from a disembodied voice speaking out of the 00:16:34.429 --> 00:16:38.389 past? And what will the truth mean for the four 00:16:38.389 --> 00:16:43.029 people sitting, awaiting that voice? I'll return 00:16:43.029 --> 00:16:59.250 shortly with Act Two. Built in the late 20s, 00:16:59.490 --> 00:17:02.649 Abbott House is a Gothic castle perched on a 00:17:02.649 --> 00:17:05.329 promontory that juts out into the mouth of the 00:17:05.329 --> 00:17:09.450 Connecticut River. Now bathed in fitful moonlight, 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:13.579 Its flying buttresses and ornamental gables seem 00:17:13.579 --> 00:17:17.259 almost as much of an illusion as any of the great 00:17:17.259 --> 00:17:20.740 ones that made the immortal PJ Abbott the beginnings 00:17:20.740 --> 00:17:24.579 of his fabulous fortune on the stage. An illusion 00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:28.180 of immortality fostered at this moment as his 00:17:28.180 --> 00:17:36.410 voice speaks from the grave. seems like the good 00:17:36.410 --> 00:17:39.630 old days when I stepped out behind the footlights. 00:17:40.309 --> 00:17:43.829 Of course, in those days, I never dreamed that 00:17:43.829 --> 00:17:47.210 I would one day exercise my powers from beyond 00:17:47.210 --> 00:17:51.130 the grave. When you hear this, I shall be dead, 00:17:51.690 --> 00:17:54.849 my will signed, sealed, attested, and delivered 00:17:54.849 --> 00:17:58.089 to the hands of my attorney. It leaves everything 00:17:58.089 --> 00:18:04.049 I have completely and totally to my beloved Sarah. 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:09.140 without let nor hindrance, now that she is 21 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:13.660 years of age. Everything! How dare he! God, what 00:18:13.660 --> 00:18:16.240 am I going to do? Oh no, I don't want it all! 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:20.940 Subject to these provisions, in the event that 00:18:20.940 --> 00:18:24.599 my daughter -in -law and her son will sign papers 00:18:24.599 --> 00:18:28.319 prepared by my attorneys waiving all right or 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:31.819 claim to my estate, or legal moves to contest 00:18:31.819 --> 00:18:35.039 it, They will receive jointly an income yearly 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:39.339 till their deaths of what I shall call 30 pieces 00:18:39.339 --> 00:18:45.039 of silver, the equivalent of $30 ,000. I further 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:48.640 make it a condition that until the will is probated, 00:18:49.099 --> 00:18:52.380 that all three of you shall stay here at Abbott's 00:18:52.380 --> 00:18:55.700 house, nor shall any of you leave the grounds 00:18:55.700 --> 00:18:59.680 for any reason whatsoever. He's crazy! Don't 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:03.509 ever say that about the wizard! And just in case 00:19:03.509 --> 00:19:07.769 any of you question my sanity, my will is attested 00:19:07.769 --> 00:19:10.769 to by three objective psychiatrists who have 00:19:10.769 --> 00:19:15.609 found me sound of mind. And now for a few personal 00:19:15.609 --> 00:19:17.769 messages. Can someone turn that off? I don't 00:19:17.769 --> 00:19:21.170 want to hear anymore. I've arranged there's no 00:19:21.170 --> 00:19:24.390 way for you to turn this recording off. I want 00:19:24.390 --> 00:19:28.890 you all to hear. Sarah, you and your mother were 00:19:28.890 --> 00:19:32.000 the two bright spots in my life. Your mother 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:35.960 was taken from me. I don't think it was an accident. 00:19:36.559 --> 00:19:39.640 But I can't prove otherwise. So the best I can 00:19:39.640 --> 00:19:43.700 do is what I have done. But please, Sarah, whatever 00:19:43.700 --> 00:19:48.160 the others do, you stay here. For here, I promise 00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:52.279 you, you are safe. If ever you need help, run 00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:56.000 to the statue and ask for it. You will find it. 00:19:56.740 --> 00:20:07.930 A last good night. salute the mad as a hatter 00:20:07.930 --> 00:20:10.650 what was all that about sarah's mother he's trying 00:20:10.650 --> 00:20:12.670 to suggest that we had something to do with her 00:20:12.670 --> 00:20:17.029 death oh sarah i hope you don't think yes i don't 00:20:17.029 --> 00:20:19.450 want to think at all at the moment i've been 00:20:19.450 --> 00:20:21.670 traveling for something like 16 hours and my 00:20:21.670 --> 00:20:24.410 head is splitting i'm a bit cross -eyed myself 00:20:24.410 --> 00:20:27.009 if you'll excuse us i think we'll turn in yes 00:20:27.009 --> 00:20:31.250 we're all a bit rocky come on sarah yes david 00:20:31.250 --> 00:20:34.670 will you excuse us mrs habbit of course we're 00:20:34.670 --> 00:20:37.640 both really bushed Good night, Uncle. Good night. 00:20:40.579 --> 00:20:42.940 I'm not going to let him get away with it, Pierce. 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:45.400 Take it easy, Mother. Not in your life. For that 00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:47.660 matter, on both our lives. That's what we're 00:20:47.660 --> 00:20:49.559 going to have to fight for, baby boy. Oh, would 00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:51.880 you please stop that? I'm sorry, Pierce, silly 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:54.720 habit, but you're all I've ever had. Well, let's 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:58.380 not start down that road. No, no, you're quite 00:20:58.380 --> 00:21:02.200 right. That isn't what has to concern us at the 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:07.700 moment. That little witch, that someone from 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:11.619 nowhere, just like her mother. She's not going 00:21:11.619 --> 00:21:14.160 to take away Abbott's house and the business 00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:16.940 and everything else from us without a fight. 00:21:17.940 --> 00:21:20.440 It's ours. Not if the wizard left the will, he 00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:23.220 said he did. Wills can be voided. I wouldn't 00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:26.839 count on it. I'll take odds his can't be overturned. 00:21:27.019 --> 00:21:30.339 He sure to have covered every angle. Except one. 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:35.500 What's that? The air. has got to be alive to 00:21:35.500 --> 00:21:44.420 succeed to the estate. I think I'm too tired 00:21:44.420 --> 00:21:51.539 to get ready for bed. David? What? What are you 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:55.319 staring at out the window? That damn statue. 00:21:56.599 --> 00:22:02.839 It haunts me. Why? Oh, a lot of reasons. Sarah, 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:05.740 I don't like this. I don't like any part of it. 00:22:06.099 --> 00:22:10.420 What, David? It's all so crazy. Statues that 00:22:10.420 --> 00:22:15.319 bleed and disembodied voices on hidden tape recorders. 00:22:15.700 --> 00:22:18.140 Your stepsister, whatever relation she is to 00:22:18.140 --> 00:22:21.160 you, and Pierce. The suggestion that your mother's 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:25.799 death was... How did she die, darling? Well, 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:33.369 I was away. So I only know what I was told. The 00:22:33.369 --> 00:22:36.170 wizard has had a heart attack and she'd been 00:22:36.170 --> 00:22:40.069 nursing him She came downstairs and told them 00:22:40.069 --> 00:22:42.730 that she wanted a breath of air and she went 00:22:42.730 --> 00:22:47.230 wait a minute. Wait a minute. Who is them? then 00:22:47.230 --> 00:22:51.690 Pierce and Rose and Jamison Where were they? 00:22:52.450 --> 00:22:55.849 Rose and Pierce were in the drawing room Jamison 00:22:55.849 --> 00:22:59.269 was in the pantry and none of them followed your 00:22:59.269 --> 00:23:07.500 mother followed her How did she die? She... I 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:11.039 guess she had a sort of fainting spell. And she 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:13.500 fell and hit her head somewhere on the statue. 00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:18.940 And while she was unconscious, she drowned in 00:23:18.940 --> 00:23:21.680 that little pool behind the statue. You're sure 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:24.039 of that? Well, what else could have happened? 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:27.640 There was a coroner's inquest, a lot of newspaper 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:30.599 stories, of course. Then what do you make of 00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:35.410 your... father's obvious accusation that they 00:23:35.410 --> 00:23:40.950 were responsible I don't know maybe they're right 00:23:40.950 --> 00:23:44.569 that the wizard was was never really himself 00:23:44.569 --> 00:23:49.309 again oh David I wish you could have known him 00:23:49.309 --> 00:23:53.150 he was marvelous the most marvelous person I 00:23:53.150 --> 00:24:02.410 ever knew before you holy smoke The statue, it's... 00:24:02.410 --> 00:24:08.549 it isn't there anymore. It's... gone. What do 00:24:08.549 --> 00:24:13.710 you mean? Where? Wait a minute. Cloud just drifted 00:24:13.710 --> 00:24:17.950 across the moon. As soon as it clears, you'll 00:24:17.950 --> 00:24:22.529 see. But it couldn't just disappear. But it did. 00:24:23.809 --> 00:24:26.750 There's nothing there but the empty pedestal. 00:24:27.470 --> 00:24:29.710 And the grotto and that little pool rippling 00:24:29.710 --> 00:24:33.789 in the moonlight. Wait a minute. That cloud's 00:24:33.789 --> 00:24:37.750 just about to clear and we'll... I don't believe 00:24:37.750 --> 00:24:43.089 it. Well, you have to. There it is. Largest life. 00:24:43.529 --> 00:24:46.750 But it wasn't there a moment ago. Darling, there 00:24:46.750 --> 00:24:49.049 must have been a tree branch in the way. How 00:24:49.049 --> 00:24:53.410 could it disappear? David, David, I'm just wrung 00:24:53.410 --> 00:24:56.920 out. I've got to go to bed. I... I just want 00:24:56.920 --> 00:25:00.420 to sleep away today. Do you mind if I use the 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:03.279 bathroom first, dear? Of course, darling. I want 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:05.440 to run downstairs for a moment anyway. Where 00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:07.859 are you going? I won't be a minute. I just left 00:25:07.859 --> 00:25:16.740 something in the car. I want to get it. Oh, thank 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:18.480 you for bringing me upstairs, Pierce. That's 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:21.700 all right. What are we going to do about Sarah? 00:25:22.059 --> 00:25:24.440 What do you mean? Oh, now, don't play games with 00:25:24.440 --> 00:25:27.730 me. Are we just going to sit still for her taking 00:25:27.730 --> 00:25:30.109 over everything? What else can we do? We didn't 00:25:30.109 --> 00:25:31.390 when we thought it was going to be her mother. 00:25:31.569 --> 00:25:34.130 Look, we got away with it once. We're not going 00:25:34.130 --> 00:25:36.210 to get away with it again. We're going to have 00:25:36.210 --> 00:25:38.890 to. And within the next few days if we're going 00:25:38.890 --> 00:25:41.470 to. Not here. We don't have any chance anywhere 00:25:41.470 --> 00:25:45.750 else. The girl has got to die. What good would 00:25:45.750 --> 00:25:48.650 that do us? The estate would go to her husband. 00:25:49.009 --> 00:25:52.809 Her husband? That's very interesting, Pierce. 00:25:53.809 --> 00:25:56.609 This young upstart. ambitious carefully marrying 00:25:56.609 --> 00:25:59.269 a young girl without her family's knowledge obviously 00:25:59.269 --> 00:26:01.529 anxious to make profit out of it what do you 00:26:01.529 --> 00:26:04.569 have in mind mother why wouldn't he be just as 00:26:04.569 --> 00:26:07.269 anxious to get rid of Sarah as we are I would 00:26:07.269 --> 00:26:09.170 never be able to get away with convincing anyone 00:26:09.170 --> 00:26:17.029 of that now there's only one way how now that 00:26:17.029 --> 00:26:20.329 grandfather's dead and we know the secret of 00:26:20.329 --> 00:26:25.259 the statue I can fix it so it will seem to kill 00:26:25.259 --> 00:26:31.779 them. Both of them? Was that necessary? It's 00:26:31.779 --> 00:26:44.480 the only way. There's nothing there now. Heaven 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:48.960 knows it seems solid enough. I wonder... Who 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:53.170 is that? It's Jameson, sir. Miss Sarah was asking 00:26:53.170 --> 00:26:56.529 for you. Oh, yeah, sure. I'll be right in. Jameson. 00:26:56.990 --> 00:27:00.089 Yes, sir? You've been with the family a long 00:27:00.089 --> 00:27:05.069 time. With Mr. Abbott, I was, sir. Nearly 55 00:27:05.069 --> 00:27:08.369 years. I started out with him as an assistant 00:27:08.369 --> 00:27:13.150 in his magic days. He was about the grand illusionist 00:27:13.150 --> 00:27:17.109 of all time, I guess. No one better, sir. He 00:27:17.109 --> 00:27:20.700 was beyond peer. And this statue was one of his 00:27:20.700 --> 00:27:24.279 better ones, huh? Before it got cemented into 00:27:24.279 --> 00:27:27.599 place here at Abbot House, I thought that's nearly 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:30.940 40 years ago. But he used to make it disappear 00:27:30.940 --> 00:27:34.759 right on stage, didn't he? Well, in a manner 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:37.920 of speaking. What does that mean? An illusion, 00:27:38.460 --> 00:27:42.660 don't you see? It never moved. It took 11 tons 00:27:42.660 --> 00:27:46.740 of mirrors and 14 helpers to make it happen. 00:27:47.480 --> 00:27:52.079 That was the oldies. They won't come again. Magic's 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:56.140 all gone. What about the rigamarole of the statue 00:27:56.140 --> 00:28:00.599 bleeding? That's something else again, sir. That's 00:28:00.599 --> 00:28:03.619 way out of the past. I don't know. I thought 00:28:03.619 --> 00:28:07.259 I found blood by the arrow wound earlier tonight. 00:28:07.660 --> 00:28:10.819 It's dry now. It's been wiped off. I don't know 00:28:10.819 --> 00:28:14.119 by whom, sir. What shall I tell Miss Sarah, sir? 00:28:14.740 --> 00:28:17.039 You don't have to tell her anything. I'll... 00:28:17.130 --> 00:28:32.130 I'll go in with you. When you're tired, fancy 00:28:32.130 --> 00:28:36.450 play strange tricks, Mr. Cabelli. I was thinking 00:28:36.450 --> 00:28:38.710 of making a toddy for Miss Salah if she'd like 00:28:38.710 --> 00:28:41.609 it. There's nothing better for putting you off 00:28:41.609 --> 00:28:44.170 to sleep. I'm sure I don't have to ask her. She'd 00:28:44.170 --> 00:28:48.480 love it. And yourself, sir? No. Oh, I'll skip 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:51.079 the hot drink. Maybe you'd like to join me in 00:28:51.079 --> 00:28:54.579 a nightcap, David. Where did you spring from? 00:28:54.579 --> 00:28:57.599 The wall? No, as a matter of fact, I was headed 00:28:57.599 --> 00:28:59.799 for the pantry here to ask Jameson to make one 00:28:59.799 --> 00:29:02.400 of his famous tardies for Mother. And for you, 00:29:02.400 --> 00:29:05.039 Mr. Habit. Oh, no, thank you. I'm a cigar freak. 00:29:05.500 --> 00:29:09.059 Oh, Jameson, when you've made the drinks, I'll 00:29:09.059 --> 00:29:11.880 take them up. Oh, that's all right, sir. I'm 00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:14.279 happy to be of service. I'll bring them up when 00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:16.819 they're ready. Want to join me in the nightcap 00:29:16.819 --> 00:29:20.279 while we're waiting, David? Okay. Just a quickie, 00:29:20.380 --> 00:29:29.619 though. Then I'll walk you upstairs. Come on, 00:29:29.700 --> 00:29:32.000 Mother. I took the rest of the powder out of 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:35.279 the sleeping pills for Jane. It's right here, 00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:37.500 Pierce, but how are you going... Sheer luck. 00:29:37.710 --> 00:29:40.009 Jamison is making a hot toddy for both of you 00:29:40.009 --> 00:29:42.650 girls. With this, I can fix Sarah's so she'll 00:29:42.650 --> 00:29:45.089 never wake up. We can't get away with it. Leave 00:29:45.089 --> 00:29:48.109 it to me. David and I just had a good night drink. 00:29:48.490 --> 00:29:50.950 I only had some chloral hydrate to slip in that. 00:29:51.329 --> 00:29:53.130 But he's going to wake up with a large headache 00:29:53.130 --> 00:29:56.049 tomorrow. Dare we risk it. We have no choice, 00:29:56.049 --> 00:29:59.509 mother. We've got to go for broke. If we don't, 00:29:59.529 --> 00:30:02.509 I'm dead. And as you well know, I'm just selfish 00:30:02.509 --> 00:30:05.269 enough to make sure that everyone else goes before 00:30:05.269 --> 00:30:18.190 me. David? Oh, thank the Lord, it's you. Come 00:30:18.190 --> 00:30:22.970 here, darling. Quickly. Sorry. I don't know. 00:30:23.190 --> 00:30:26.569 I gotta get to bed. What is it? I just looked 00:30:26.569 --> 00:30:30.109 out the window again, and you're right. The statue 00:30:30.109 --> 00:30:33.609 just isn't there. It's completely disappeared. 00:30:34.509 --> 00:30:38.569 Statue? Statue? Something about a statue. Darling, 00:30:38.730 --> 00:30:41.819 I'm sorry. What's the matter, David? I'm down 00:30:41.819 --> 00:30:44.319 on one drink. I guess I've undrinked too many. 00:30:44.539 --> 00:30:48.559 I've just, um... I'm blind drunk. That was the 00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:51.220 one who was sleeping before. Now I'm wide awake 00:30:51.220 --> 00:30:56.359 and you're... Jameson, bring you a nice hot toddy. 00:30:56.400 --> 00:31:01.220 Put you to sleep, like me. David? No, David. 00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:07.509 Don't leave me alone. I'm scared. David! David, 00:31:07.509 --> 00:31:10.130 I don't know what I'm scared of, but I'm scared. 00:31:15.970 --> 00:31:19.490 And well, she should be scared. For with David's 00:31:19.490 --> 00:31:22.829 collapse, the forces of evil, real and unreal, 00:31:23.529 --> 00:31:26.490 swarm about Sarah, threatening her very life. 00:31:27.069 --> 00:31:30.009 Perhaps most terrifying of all is the absence 00:31:30.009 --> 00:31:34.349 of the statue. For with it gone, and David drugged 00:31:34.349 --> 00:31:37.880 in sleep, Where can she run to for sanctuary? 00:31:38.900 --> 00:31:53.779 I'll return shortly with act 3. Those scudding 00:31:53.779 --> 00:31:57.380 clouds that alternately mask and unmask the moon 00:31:57.380 --> 00:32:00.940 play a ghostly light across the long curving 00:32:00.940 --> 00:32:05.079 staircase as Pierce Abbott descends it. The file 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:08.500 of lethal powder spilled from the sleeping pills 00:32:08.500 --> 00:32:12.619 hidden in his hand. Silently, he crosses to the 00:32:12.619 --> 00:32:16.240 swinging door of the pantry, edging it open slowly, 00:32:16.980 --> 00:32:20.440 disappointed to find Jamie facing him. Yes, Mr. 00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:22.460 Rabbit. Oh, just wondering if the drinks were 00:32:22.460 --> 00:32:25.059 ready to take, huh? You'll just have to add the 00:32:25.059 --> 00:32:27.960 hot water. Anything I can do for you, sir? Oh, 00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:31.660 uh, yes, um... Excuse my back, sir. Oh, that's 00:32:31.660 --> 00:32:34.170 quite all right. Just getting the kettle? That's 00:32:34.170 --> 00:32:38.809 fine, that's fine. What did you say before? I 00:32:38.809 --> 00:32:42.170 wondered what brought you down again, sir. Anything 00:32:42.170 --> 00:32:45.490 I can help you with? I thought perhaps I might 00:32:45.490 --> 00:32:48.750 have left my lighter down there. Indeed you did. 00:32:49.190 --> 00:32:51.190 I put it right here on the tray with the glass 00:32:51.190 --> 00:32:55.650 for your mother. Yes, thanks. Jameson, it's all 00:32:55.650 --> 00:32:58.190 right. I might as well take this tray up with 00:32:58.190 --> 00:33:08.759 me. If you wish, sir. All set, mother. Here you 00:33:08.759 --> 00:33:12.440 are. What is it? One of Jameson's nice, uncomplicated 00:33:12.440 --> 00:33:15.740 toddies mixed by his own hand. As of this moment, 00:33:15.779 --> 00:33:18.460 he's delivering the same to Sarah. The same? 00:33:18.619 --> 00:33:21.359 He couldn't testify, otherwise his back was turned 00:33:21.359 --> 00:33:24.380 when I sorted it. Is Margo Vittre? Enough to 00:33:24.380 --> 00:33:26.640 kill a gorilla. We can't get away with drowning 00:33:26.640 --> 00:33:28.740 them the way we did her mother. We won't even 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:32.460 try to. No, they'll die quite differently. How? 00:33:33.309 --> 00:33:36.150 I've been experimenting with a statue and I've 00:33:36.150 --> 00:33:39.890 made a discovery. It moves on hinges and counterweights 00:33:39.890 --> 00:33:42.789 and escapes into the pool. Take those hinge pins 00:33:42.789 --> 00:33:45.730 out, reduce the counterweights, and it will collapse 00:33:45.730 --> 00:33:48.990 and crush anything in the way of its fall. The 00:33:48.990 --> 00:33:50.890 secret room would be exposed. Oh, no. There's 00:33:50.890 --> 00:33:53.470 a false base which slides into place. The whole 00:33:53.470 --> 00:33:56.009 thing will seem nothing but a tragic accident. 00:33:56.490 --> 00:33:59.430 Another chapter to add to its legend. When will 00:33:59.430 --> 00:34:01.349 you get them there? Tonight, when everyone's 00:34:01.349 --> 00:34:04.750 asleep. Sarah may be dead already. David is dead 00:34:04.750 --> 00:34:07.190 weight, but I can drag them through the secret 00:34:07.190 --> 00:34:10.329 tunnel. It's mostly downhill. Come on, drink 00:34:10.329 --> 00:34:13.590 your toddy, go to sleep, and leave this to me. 00:34:14.110 --> 00:34:16.989 I won't draw an easy breath all night. By tomorrow, 00:34:17.030 --> 00:34:31.130 you'll be able to. We both will. Oh, it's you, 00:34:31.429 --> 00:34:33.909 Jamie. I thought you might like a little toddy 00:34:33.909 --> 00:34:36.949 before you turn in, Miss Sarah. The Scottish 00:34:36.949 --> 00:34:40.949 panacea? Not exactly, but it does make for a 00:34:40.949 --> 00:34:43.610 long, peaceful sleep. I could use that tonight. 00:34:44.469 --> 00:34:48.130 Your new husband didn't want any. No, he's sound 00:34:48.130 --> 00:34:51.389 asleep already. Well, see you tomorrow, Jamie. 00:34:51.949 --> 00:34:55.570 You'd better, or the old wizard would never forgive 00:34:55.570 --> 00:34:59.909 me. I only wish you were here. So do I, Miss 00:34:59.909 --> 00:35:04.429 Sarah. But don't you worry. Wherever he is, he's 00:35:04.429 --> 00:35:07.690 looking out for you. Turn the key in the door 00:35:07.690 --> 00:35:11.190 after I leave. You'll sleep sounder. Maybe I'll 00:35:11.190 --> 00:35:14.570 do that. Good night, Jamie. Good night, Miss 00:35:14.570 --> 00:35:24.610 Sarah. All locked up, Jamie. Aye, Mr. Rabbit. 00:35:25.349 --> 00:35:30.860 And off to bed then. Are you off yourself? Hardly 00:35:30.860 --> 00:35:34.059 keep my eyes open. You've given Miss Abbott her 00:35:34.059 --> 00:35:38.659 drink, all right? Oh, yes. Did... As did I once. 00:35:38.920 --> 00:35:42.039 Did you get your mother's to her? Oh, yes, yes, 00:35:42.039 --> 00:35:46.639 indeed. Well, this is where I leave you. Up the 00:35:46.639 --> 00:35:50.820 wooden staircase? My nightly climb. Sleep sound, 00:35:51.300 --> 00:35:57.760 Jamie! Sorry, Jamie, old boy. I just have to 00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:10.079 make sure. What? Who is it? Don't turn on that 00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:12.940 - Pierce! What are you doing with that bell? 00:36:13.059 --> 00:36:16.519 You're going awake! Keep away from me! Pierce, 00:36:16.639 --> 00:36:19.480 keep away! I'll scream! Don't do you any good. 00:36:19.719 --> 00:37:15.789 There's no one to hear. use the gun and don't 00:38:01.000 --> 00:38:04.019 Did you get the police? Aye, Miss Sarah. They're 00:38:04.019 --> 00:38:08.019 on their way. On an ambulance. How is Mrs. Abbott? 00:38:08.340 --> 00:38:13.099 I'm afraid she's... she's... Oh, poor Rose. I 00:38:13.099 --> 00:38:15.639 wouldn't spare her much sympathy. She only got 00:38:15.639 --> 00:38:19.260 the drink that was meant for you. Thanks to Jamie. 00:38:19.739 --> 00:38:23.559 Aye, I switched them. Is Mr. Abbott? He's alive. 00:38:24.380 --> 00:38:34.880 Pierce is dead. Oh, Sarah. Yes, Wissett? I have 00:38:34.880 --> 00:38:39.659 a lot of apologies to make. Don't worry about 00:38:39.659 --> 00:38:45.460 that now. Police, doctors, they're coming. To 00:38:45.460 --> 00:38:50.800 raid? No, no. Look, David, Jamie, if all three 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:55.039 of us try, we can... You couldn't move it an 00:38:55.039 --> 00:40:20.280 inch. But why would they want to? them responsible 00:40:20.280 --> 00:40:24.739 for Sarah's mother's death? None. And you dreamed 00:40:24.739 --> 00:40:28.659 up this this this crazy masquerade just to bring 00:40:28.659 --> 00:40:33.960 them out in the open? No. I tell them, Jamie. 00:40:35.840 --> 00:40:39.460 A few months ago Mr. Abbott discovered he had 00:40:39.460 --> 00:40:47.519 a carcinoma. The prognosis was very bad. So since 00:40:47.519 --> 00:40:53.530 I was scheduled to die I decided to advance the 00:40:53.530 --> 00:40:58.090 date a little he was worried about you miss Sarah 00:40:58.090 --> 00:41:01.769 and he wanted to protect you he was afraid of 00:41:01.769 --> 00:41:05.030 mrs. Abbott and mr. Pierce after what happened 00:41:05.030 --> 00:41:09.530 to your mother in this house from his secret 00:41:09.530 --> 00:41:12.429 vault there's a system of reflecting mirrors 00:41:12.429 --> 00:41:15.190 that lets you see what's happening in any room 00:41:15.639 --> 00:41:20.159 A hand equipment to here. He knew he could protect 00:41:20.159 --> 00:41:23.639 you here and maybe unmask Mr. Pierce and his 00:41:23.639 --> 00:41:26.920 mother. Oh, Wizard. I didn't need your money. 00:41:27.699 --> 00:41:33.480 I couldn't have left it to them. Rest here. Please. 00:41:34.840 --> 00:41:38.619 The ambulance will be here soon. Great. For me, 00:41:39.059 --> 00:41:44.940 child. This is my real farewell appearance. Wizard. 00:41:45.670 --> 00:41:54.130 Please. Sing no sad songs for me. I had it all. 00:41:55.090 --> 00:42:02.750 I leave it all. And I'm glad that in the final 00:42:02.750 --> 00:42:10.510 grand illusion my old partner shares it for me. 00:42:11.329 --> 00:42:17.960 The day before you came. I cut my hand on this 00:42:17.960 --> 00:42:24.079 arrow buried in my chest. It was blood signaling 00:42:24.079 --> 00:42:30.380 the death of the head of the house. Now, Sarah, 00:42:31.320 --> 00:42:39.079 this statue will never bleed again. We die together, 00:42:39.780 --> 00:42:50.809 he and I. I am about to disappear before your 00:42:50.809 --> 00:43:15.210 very eyes. Concentrate! Observe! did not disappear. 00:43:15.989 --> 00:43:19.969 Restored, it still occupies the grotto. Abbott 00:43:19.969 --> 00:43:23.489 House is a curiosity. Its periscope mirror system, 00:43:23.750 --> 00:43:26.250 its intricate sound wiring, its secret passages 00:43:26.250 --> 00:43:29.429 in subterranean vault, a mecca for tourists. 00:43:30.250 --> 00:43:34.369 And the statue doesn't bleed. Enough blood has 00:43:34.369 --> 00:43:37.349 been let, one hopes, to still the legend forever. 00:43:38.250 --> 00:43:53.780 I'll be back shortly. A sober reflection. One 00:43:53.780 --> 00:43:57.159 can't be too sure, of course, that a legend will 00:43:57.159 --> 00:44:01.340 die. They tend to persist. But since the head 00:44:01.340 --> 00:44:04.300 of the Abbott household is now Sarah, and she 00:44:04.300 --> 00:44:08.239 has at least 50 years ahead of her, few of us 00:44:08.239 --> 00:44:13.619 will be around to find out. Still, circa 2025, 00:44:13.820 --> 00:44:17.800 if you have nothing better to do, you might visit 00:44:17.800 --> 00:44:21.880 Abbott House. Our cast included Patricia Elliott, 00:44:22.199 --> 00:44:25.400 Tony Roberts, Grace Matthews, Kurt Benson, and 00:44:25.400 --> 00:44:28.420 Paul Hecht. The entire production was under the 00:44:28.420 --> 00:44:31.639 direction of Hyman Brown. This is E .G. Marshall 00:44:31.639 --> 00:44:34.119 inviting you to return to our mystery theater 00:44:34.119 --> 00:44:39.099 for another adventure in the macabre. Until next 00:44:39.099 --> 00:44:42.539 time, pleasant dreams.