"Good evening, fellow realtors and clients." "I'm very anxious to call your attention to the investment possibilities of our new subdivision, Pitted Hills." "Naturally, it lacks certain other luxuries, but this is the price one pays for getting in on the ground floor." "The sewers are not yet in." "However, there are enough craters to go around." "As for its lack of atmosphere and water," "I don't expect that to deter those of you with a real pioneer spirit." "Those of you with vision can, I'm sure, imagine the beautiful sight of the moon completely covered with the well-known inexpensive Hitchcock homes, all with picture windows giving everyone an unobscured view of his neighbor's picture window." "Naturally, each home would be individualized." "There are seven different models to choose from." "Seven, mind you." "Red, green, blue, orange, lemon, lime and the ever-popular chartreuse." "For those of you who are budget-minded, we do have cheaper lots in the upper area." "Very fine, of course, if you like a lot that completely disappears at half moon." "Like our prologue, tonight's story touches on real estate." "It begins immediately after this brief advertisement." "Sally..." "Yes, Mr. Hacker?" "Seems like we've got a customer." "Think we ought to act busy?" "Sure." "What should I type?" "Anything." "Write a letter to your boyfriend if you like." "Well, that's silly." "He's right across the street." "Now, just type what I just dictated in..." "Mr. Hacker?" "Yes, sir." "Something I can do for you?" "Might be, if I can find the right kind of house." "Well, you've come to the right place." "Would you sit down, Mr..." "Waterbury." "Hot today." "Almost as bad as the city." "Yes, it's unusually hot for around here." "Doesn't usually get this hot." "Mean temperature's around 78 in the summer." "Isn't that right, Sally?" "Sally!" "Cut out that darn racket." "Yes, Mr. Hacker." "Now, then." "How'd you happen to come here, Mr. Waterbury?" "See my ad in the Times?" "No." "I take one every week." "Lots of city people interested in a town like ours." "You'd be surprised how much business an ad brings in." "I didn't see it." "You didn't?" "Nope." "Oh." "I just happened to be passing through." "I remembered the town." "I used to drive through here on my way to Albany." "Before I retired." "Always thought I'd like to settle down here someday." "Ah, you couldn't do any better." "It's a nice little town." "I've got some real fine listings here." "Well, I've already seen a place I might be interested in." "Well, it's a little run-down, but a fella could have a lot of fun fixing it up if he didn't have anything else to do." "Did it have a realtor's sign on it?" "Yes, yours." "Oh." "It's that old house down at the end of Elm Street." "That place..." "Old Sadie Grimes' house?" "Well, what is it?" "What's the matter with the place?" "Well, it's not in very good condition." "Now, if you really like this town, if you're serious about settling down here," "I got any number of places that'd suit you much better." "Now, you look here, Hacker." "I think I know better than you what kind of a place would suit me." "I'm interested in that old house." "Do you want to sell it to me or don't you?" "Oh, yes!" "Yes, I'd like to move it, all right." "It's been on my books for five years." "How much you think that place is worth, Mr. Waterbury?" "You name the price, Hacker, then we'll see." "Oh, I'm not dickering with you." "I'd just like to know how much you figure it ought to go for." "I don't know..." "Nine thousand maybe." "9,500, tops." "Well, you're not far wrong." "But that isn't what Mrs. Grimes is asking." "What does she want?" "$50,000." "50!" "What is this?" "A joke?" "I wish it was." "Do you know how many buyers I've had for that place in the last five years?" "Seven!" "She ought to know she could never get a price like that." "She must be cracked." "Maybe." "Sadie's had her share of troubles." "Lost her youngest boy a few years back." "If you'd be interested in anything else, Mr. Waterbury." "No, no, I don't think so." "I kind of liked that old house." "I don't know, it just seemed like the right kind of a place for me." "Do you think maybe if I went out and talked to her?" "You'd be wasting your time, I've been trying for five years." "But maybe if somebody else tried, she might listen to reason from an outsider." "Well, if you want to take the trouble, it's all right with me." "It's worth the try." "Sally, call old Sadie and tell her" "Mr. Waterbury's on his way out." "Yes, Mr. Hacker." "Thanks." "Good luck." "Yes." "Afternoon, ma'am." "Oh, Aaron Hacker said you were coming." "I didn't get the name." "Aaron mumbles so..." "Waterbury." "Well, now you're here, I suppose you may as well come in." "Thank you." "Mighty hot today." "Well, it's cool in here 'cause I keep the door shut." "Now, if you've come here to bargain with me, Mr. Waterbury, you might as well save your breath, because I've set a price and I don't intend to budge." "So I understand." "But I thought we might just talk a little." "Talk's free." "But if you're not interested in my house at my price, there's nothing to talk about." "Ah, I wouldn't be here at all if I wasn't interested." "Very well." "Sit down." "Mrs. Grimes, your real estate agent says..." "Oh, Aaron Hacker's a fool." "He keeps sending people around to argue with me." "I'm too old for changing my mind." "I know, I'm getting along myself, Mrs. Grimes." "Retired a few months ago." "I made a fair amount of money in my time and now I'm getting ready to settle down." "So I started to look around for some nice quiet, small town." "Why did you choose Ivy Corners?" "Oh, I don't know." "Always liked the place." "Then you've been here before?" "I passed through here many times when I was on the road." "A salesman." "Well, I thought I'd come up here today and look the place over..." "Town looked as good as I remembered." "So I decided right then and there that this was the town and this was the house." "Why?" "How do you explain a thing like that?" "It just seemed like the right kind of house for me." "I like it, too." "That's why I'm asking a fair price for it." "Fair price?" "Now, Mrs. Grimes, a house like this shouldn't cost more than 9,000, 10,000." "That's enough." "I told you I wouldn't argue." "I've got better things to do." "But Mrs. Grimes..." "If you're not interested in my house at my price, there's nothing more to be said." "Now, wait a minute..." "Good day, Mr. Waterbury." "Look, I didn't say I wouldn't pay your price, did I?" "After all, I can afford it." "I've got plenty of money now." "Why shouldn't I enjoy myself?" "I worked a good many years to get it and I've got nobody to leave it to." "You don't have a family, Mr. Waterbury?" "No, no, I'm all alone in the world." "My wife died a good many years ago." "I've got nobody to account to except myself." "You know, I've got a darn good notion to take you up on it." "The telephone is right there." "Why don't you call Aaron Hacker and tell him so?" "By george, I'll do it!" "I've got some lemonade in the icebox." "While you're drinking it I'll tell you the history of this house." "Fine." "I could stand something cold." "I'll get it." "That's 4121." "Four, 1,2,1." "Aaron Hacker, Realtor." "One moment." "It's Mr. Waterbury." "Mr. Waterbury?" "Well, I've still got some mighty fine listings in my book..." "You what?" "Well, how much did she come down?" "You wouldn't be pulling my leg, would you?" "Oh, no!" "No, I think it's fine." "Real fine." "Congratulations, Mr. Waterbury." "Goodbye." "He's paying 50,000 for that old wreck." "She must have hypnotized him." "Well, sir, this house has been in my family since 1872." "Thank you." "All my children were born here in the upstairs bedroom." "All except Michael." "He was the youngest." "He was born in the new hospital." "I guess he was my favorite." "Anyway, everybody says I spoiled him." "This is his picture." "He's a fine-looking young man." "Yes, he was handsome." "Black hair, dark eyes, he was full of high spirits." "He was not like the others." "They were all steady, reliable." "Got married, raised families, bought homes." "But Michael was different." "He had big dreams, ambition." "He couldn't wait to leave Ivy Corners and go to the city." "I know, I was exactly the same when I was young." "I didn't see him for nine years." "But he did very well in the city, and regular as clockwork, every month, there'd be a check in the mail for me." "Not that the money didn't come in handy, but mostly it was because Michael had sent it." "Mr. Hacker mentioned something about him." "Yes, you can't have secrets in a small town." "Everybody knows Michael got into some kind of trouble." "He never told me what it was, but I knew from the moment I saw him, that something was wrong." "He came home in the middle of the night." "The knocker woke me up and I knew it was Michael even before I got downstairs." "It's not unusual." "I can't explain it, but a mother frequently knows these things." "I knew Michael had come home." "Ma..." "Michael!" "Close the door, Ma." "I don't want the whole town to know I'm back." "Oh." "Oh, why didn't you let me know you were coming?" "Are you hungry?" "I'll get you something to eat." "Don't bother." "I ate on the road a couple of hours ago." "You're thin." "You've been working too hard." "You're not sick, are you?" "No, I'm just beat, that's all." "I've been on the road since yesterday morning." "Michael." "What's wrong?" "Wrong?" "There isn't anything wrong." "I got fed up with my job, so I quit, that's all." "I needed a rest, so I thought I'd come home for a little while." "Anything wrong in that?" "Oh, I'm glad." "Go on back to bed, Ma." "We'll have plenty of time to talk about it." "I'm gonna be around for a few weeks." "Give me that!" "What do you think you're doing?" "Well, I was going to unpack it for you." "Oh, well..." "These aren't my clothes, Ma." "I had everything shipped on ahead." "Should be here tomorrow or the next day." "These are just some things I cleaned out of my desk when I quit." "If you want to know the truth, Ma, I didn't quit." "I got fired." "Oh, I'm sorry, Ma." "Maybe that's why I'm so jumpy." "Don't pay any attention to me." "I'll be all right after I get a good night's sleep." "Good night, dear." "Good night, Ma." "Nothing more was ever said about that little black bag and I don't know what Michael did with it." "I never saw it again." "You know, Mrs. Grimes, I think I'm beginning to understand why you set such a high price on this house." "After all, you've lived here all your life, your children grew up here..." "It must hold a lot of memories for you." "Yes, memories." "Happy ones and sad ones." "I never had a family myself." "Missed a lot in life, I suppose, but maybe I was spared a lot, too." "Just how much did Aaron Hacker tell you about Michael?" "Nothing." "But he just mentioned that you'd lost him about five years ago." "He didn't explain what he meant by it." "Well, you won't live here long before you hear it from somebody." "So you might as well hear it from me." "Michael stayed at home that whole summer." "Never went out any further than the front porch." "That wasn't like him." "He was always on the go when he lived at home before, so I knew there was something bothering him." "But there was no use questioning him about it." "If he was going to tell me, he'd do it in his own good time." "The rest was good for him." "He got back some of his weight and his nerves were better." "He was much more like his old self." "And I was happy as a mother could be, having him home again." "Then one night, it ended." "Hello, Mike." "I told you once and I'll tell you again." "It wasn't me." "I didn't get it." "I don't know who did." "You can take it or leave it." "Where is it, punk?" "I haven't got it!" "Michael!" "Michael?" "Michael!" "Michael!" "Michael!" "Oh, Michael." "I'm sorry I have to burst in on you at a time like this, but I got to." "It's all right, Joe." "Sit down." "Oh, this is Detective Sergeant Singer, from New York." "How do you do, Mrs. Grimes?" "Seemed like a real nice funeral, Sadie." "Over half the townsfolk turned out." "Mike had a lot of friends." "Curiosity." "That's what brought them out." "Yeah, I guess so." "Sadie, you're gonna have to hear this sooner or later." "I hate to be the one to tell you, but I guess it's up to me." "Mike got himself into a lot of trouble in New York." "Yes?" "Serious trouble." "Him and three other fellas held up a bank and stole over $200,000." "The way it looks now, Mike made off with all the money and came back here to hide out." "One of the gang found out where he was and came here to get his share." "Now, from what you told me the night he was shot," "Mike wouldn't hand it over." "I never told you anything of the kind, Joe Taylor." "I said Mike told the man he didn't have it." "So you did." "Well, that's why Sergeant Singer is here from New York." "I guess you'd better take it on from here." "Mrs. Grimes, it's my job to find that money and to return it to the bank." "I think you can help us." "Who is going to find the man who killed my son?" "Chief Taylor is working on that." "Now, we are, too, to a certain extent, but the murder is out of our jurisdiction." "Now, did you ever see the money?" "No." "Did your son ever say or do anything that would indicate he had the money?" "No." "You think maybe it's hidden somewhere in the house?" "I don't know." "Have you looked for it?" "Why should I look for the money?" "I don't want the money." "I only want the man who killed my boy." "Now, Sadie, we're doing everything we can." "You know we don't have much to work on." "If you'd just gotten a look at him." "I heard his voice, that was all." "Mrs. Grimes, when the bank was robbed the loot was carried away in a small black bag." "It might have been transferred into something else, but then again it might not have been." "Do you recall whether your son ever had such a bag?" "Well, do you, Mrs. Grimes?" "No." "You never saw a small black bag in this house?" "I never saw it." "That was five years ago." "I buried my boy and then I put this house up for sale." "For $50,000." "It's a strange story, Mrs. Grimes." "I'm glad you told it to me." "I had my own reasons for telling you." "I need advice." "Mr. Waterbury, you're a business man." "Do you think the bank will accept $50,000 as the full restitution?" "Why shouldn't they?" "It's a bird in the hand." "But it's only a quarter of what Michael stole." "Well, I don't imagine they expected to get any of it back." "They probably wrote it off years ago." "Very well, then." "That's settled." "Have you had any more trouble from the police?" "The police?" "Well, you did lie to them about the stolen money." "I said I never saw that money." "You told them you never saw a little black bag, either." "But you told me Michael had one the night he came home." "Yes, I lied." "Michael hid that little black bag somewhere in this house." "To this day I don't know where." "I never tried to find it." "I left it for the man who killed my son to come back and get it." "How could you tell?" "You said you never saw him." "I didn't." "That's why I put this old house up for sale for $50,000." "Only someone who knew there was $200,000 hidden here would pay five times what this old place is worth." "And that person would be the man who killed my boy." "I see..." "Very clever of you, Mrs. Grimes." "I don't think it took cleverness." "Just patience." "I knew someday you'd come back to get the money." "All I had to do was wait until I could find a man who was willing to pay too much for an old house." "And now I suppose you'll phone the police." "Yes, I'll phone the police." "I don't see how I can let you do that." "If you'd been smart, Mrs. Grimes, you'd have phoned them before you told me the story." "Mr. Waterbury," "I didn't tell you the story until after you drank your lemonade." "Poison." "Enough to kill you three times over." "Aaron, this is Sadie Grimes." "You can put my house back on your books." "Mr. Waterbury has decided not to buy it after all." "So much for life in these United States." "Unfortunately, Mrs. Grimes' crime..." "Mrs. Grimes' crime was discovered and her reputation ruined." "Prior to this, she had never been known to make a bad glass of lemonade." "Prices have gone sky-high on the moon, so I'm seeking land that isn't so close in." "I think I shall have a look at Venus." "Most of you seem too young, however, so I think you should look at something more wholesome." "I suggest the following, after which I hope you'll rejoin me." "Very dull." "I couldn't see anything but a planet." "I might as well have looked at the commercial, a practice I may take up at our next meeting." "Until then, good night."