This is another Charles B. Smith script and has a surprising ending that punishes a killer in a manner his narcissistic and manipulative personality would never have believed. Paula Winslowe stars with fine narration by Stacy Harris.
The story begins when police find the body of a young woman, strangled using florist wire. She received a dozen roses, but one of them was missing. It may have wire from that rose that was used to kill her. Police interview a cleaning woman who knew her. She said that the woman recently met someone. The maid suggested talking to a friend in the next building who confirmed that and remembered his name as “Carl Owens.” Police wondered if the killer who brought the roses to her and thought that tracking the sale would give a clue as to his identity and whereabouts. They are concerned that if news leaks out that the police are seeking the florist that the killer might want to harm her to be sure she is not able to give information to the investigators. The florist is visited by the next day. The original purchase was a cash transaction, so he needed to plant an alibi with an identity and purpose that would remove him from suspicion. He says his name is “Bill Johnson” and he bought the flowers for his hospitalized mother. He made sure to have a memorable conversation with her, and was semi-flirtatious as he talked to her. In the process, he learned her name, and could learn her address. The next day, there was an early-morning milk delivery at her apartment, but she did not notice that the bottle was tampered with. Owens tampered with it and poisoned the milk. (Mild cartons were not very secure in the 1950s, usually a glass bottle with a foil cap that could be easily removed and put back in place). When her cat came in, she put milk in a bowl. The feline was soon writhing in pain. A rush to the vet did not help; the cat was dead, poisoned. The police make progress in narrowing all of the Carl Owens in the phone book, but they don’t get very far. They visit the florist and she relates that “Mr. Johnson” bought roses for his sickly mother. They are suspicious of the transaction, but can really do nothing. Owens calls the florist and realizes she is fine and never consumed the tainted milk. He realizes he may have to take more direct action, and visits her. It is there that he realizes that this florist is someone he should never have tangled with...
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THE CAST
Paula Winslowe (Helen Craig), Stacy Harris (Narrator), Virginia Gregg (Maid / Peggy), Don Diamond (Pete Clymore, the Detective), Eleanor Tanin (Nancy Wassel), Herbert Ellis (Lou, the Detective / Lt. Carver), Miriam Wolfe (Janet), Jack Carol (Dr. Michaels the Vet), Fred MacKaye (Carl Owens aka Bill Johnson), George Walsh (Suspense Narrator), Bill James (Cat)
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