What happens
Michael Cobb, a former convict who has been working straight for six months at the J.C. Devers department store, is trying to rebuild his life for his wife Elaine on Christmas Eve. When ten thousand dollars goes missing from the store's receipts, store manager Henry Humboldt questions the night watchman Gus and then dismisses Mike, leaving him bitter and unsure of his future. Walking the cold streets afterward, Mike struggles with temptation as his old resentments return. The Whistler's narration sets up the tension between Mike's past and his hopes for a better future.
A large department store in New York City and the streets around it, Christmas Eve, 1944
Characters: Michael Cobb, Elaine, Henry Humboldt, George Osborne, Gus, Reverend Hewitt, Mr. Samuel
Listen for: The store manager Henry Humboldt's dismissal of Mike and the music box Mike buys for Elaine
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.