Murder Takes Practice

Mystery! 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! Barbie, I've read the script for tonight's story, and I'd be willing to bet it'll fool the folks. Well, it certainly fools me. Shouldn't you change it then, Mr. Glenn? Change it. Why? We want to keep folks baffled.

Well, with a detective story, I guess that's right. Oh, guess it. I know. People don't want to be fooled about facts though, Mr. Glenn. They want the absolute truth. I think this is leading up to something, Tom. What absolute truth are you trying to put across tonight?

Thanks, Mrs. Glenn. Thanks for the opening. Just listen and you'll find out. Okay, pleasure everybody. Set the scene for Night Story. When you're Tom... Murder takes practice. Tonight's story opens in the luxuriously furnished study of Fred Elsman.

The elderly gentleman who has called a private detective to his home. I want you to live right in this house with us, Barton. And if you'll need more men, get them. Expense is not to be a factor.

Understand? Are you sure somebody's trying to murder you, Mr. Ellsworth? You know, murder isn't a very complicated thing. All a killer has to do is kill. I've told you somebody's trying to murder me. You're to accept what I tell you while you're working with me.

Okay. But there might be another angle. If anybody wanted to kill you, why wouldn't you be dead by this? time. Consider what happened. First my great-dane dog dies. The veterinarian performs an autopsy and the cause of death is arsenic, enough to kill a herd of horses.