Announcer (4:13)

Hello.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (4:14)

Oh, hello, Bill. Look, I've been dying to hear what you thought happened the other day.

Robert Holmes (4:22)

29, I thought. He looks 23. Got beauty, youth, money too. Always gregariously. She become a bit calmer though, after marriage. She did, I suppose, but only for a year or two. Oh, then I didn't look old. Hair hadn't even begun to recede. Gray now. Falling out about 80. Getting a double chin. Can't get away from it. Really unfair. It's all happening to her. She got a few lines as well. Said woman's going backwards. She's getting younger.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (5:16)

Bye. Yes, of course, they all love.

Robert Holmes (5:20)

Bye. Bye. Robert, you see, felt his security imperiled. In fact, he had completely by this time convinced himself that the only answer to his problem lay in his wife. Death.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (5:36)

Oh dear, that barrel. She is the limit. She really is. Well, you know Beryl.

Robert Holmes (5:43)

No, I don't.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (5:44)

Oh, of course you do, darling. Beryl Crimmer. She got married last spring to that tennis player, John something or other. You're all terribly surprised. He's at least seven years younger than she is. Nevis thinks he's the most beautiful man she's ever known. I've never seen seen her affair and he's got so much of it here.

Robert Holmes (6:03)

So was had youth. Vitality and longevity was a family trait. This combination virtually eliminated all chance for a natural death. Thus, Robert Holmes found himself with a sole possibility. In order for Elaz to die, he would have to kill her himself. There we are, Mr. Holmes. One dry martini. Oh, thanks. You and the martinis, Mr. Holmes. I always thought it was only Americans who drank them. Give me a nice pint any day of the week as the desert breeze. You've never been to America, have you, Mr. Holmes? No, no, no, I've never been to America. They say it's a wonderful country. That's a nice cigarette case, Mr. Holmes. Yes, so. Wife gave it to me for my 30 for my birthday. You live out at Huntington, don't you, Mr. Holmes? That's right. 134 on my home. That's nice house. I know it. It's got a tennis court, garage for four cars. It's big. I used to work for the bloke who owned it during the war. Jack Conyers owned it then. He was a bootlegger. A what? That's why they call him in the States, Mr. Holmes. Distillers of and runners of market liquor. During the war, the customers telephone orders and we get the stuff out of the stock room under the garage and send it out to them at black market prices. Police were never able to. Under the garage? But there's. There's no room under the garage. Well, it's probably been filled in a long time ago, but there used to be one under there. There was a trap door in the garage floor and some steps leading to. Down door was on a spring and you had to push it in a certain place to make the trap open. Oh, yes. Oh, excuse me. Got to go as customers. Hello, Bobby boy, how are you? Oh, Charlie, you celebrating? Wife's going away, Mrs. Inger. Sister. First time. The old first time. She's left me for 15 years. Oh, look, I might be telling tales out of school and all that, but I just saw your charming bride. Well. Well, I mean, maybe I ought to keep my big mouth shut. What? Come on, come on, you old drunkard, up with it. Well, I been around the town to a few pubs today, that I can see. Well, I was in the Domino earlier on, and that's when I saw Elwife. She was with a youngster called Mathis. Mathis? Edward Mathis? Yes, Edward. That's the word. Edward. Not sure. Well, look, Bob, I've had a few drinks, but there's nothing wrong with my eyesight. Oh, he's a smart one, that Mathis is. That is smart.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (9:22)

What would you like to do on your birthday, Bob? It's only a couple of weeks off, you know. You'll be 40.

Robert Holmes (9:28)

You don't have to remind me.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (9:31)

What would you like? To get a crowd together and go to the club.

Robert Holmes (9:36)

I'm not particularly looking forward to this birthday, if you don't mind.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (9:39)

Why go? To be 40.

Robert Holmes (9:42)

Oh, don't be sad.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (9:44)

You know what they say, life begins at 40.

Robert Holmes (9:47)

The cliche. I don't act so blasted smug. One of these days you two are gonna be 40.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (9:53)

The long, long way off for me yet. Oh, still, it's nothing to be afraid of.

Robert Holmes (9:58)

He glanced down the long table at his wife. She had a secret, of that he was sure. Nine years they'd been married. Now, nine years on her money. Even his job in her father's brokerage firm would go down the drain if anything happened to their marriage.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (10:15)

Is anything wrong, Bob?

Robert Holmes (10:19)

What did you do today?

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (10:20)

Oh, nothing important. Went to the club, played nine holes.

Robert Holmes (10:27)

And with whom did you play?

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (10:29)

What is this, Robert, an inquisition? Well, just what is this? All of a sudden? You're acting like A suspicious, peevish old man.

Robert Holmes (10:36)

Oh, forget I've had a bad day at the office. Forget it. Disasted. Well to sleep it was. I know those six looks all right. It's not the first time either. That time at Bournemouth. Thought something was going on there with Bert Franklin. Then in the south of France, North Carlsgrove. She was always being seen as a cocktail lounge of a grand with young Lewis Ingram. Soon after he got his divorce too. Something was going on there all right with all of them. She always had a great fondness for transacting business and pleasure and cocktail lounges. She's always come home to daddy in the past, though. Does she know I'm getting old? 40. If I lose her to another man and I'm sunk. Job, house, car. Something's got to be done here. Something's definitely got to be done. Oh. Oh, brother. Now that's a car and a half. Yes, she's a beauty, isn't she? Lovely yellow. Oh. Oh, hello. Ah, one of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen. Yeah. Oh, mama mia. Would you. Would you ask Matth if he's not too busy? I. I'd like to see him, please. Oh, it won't be in again until this afternoon.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (13:03)

Shall I ask him?

Robert Holmes (13:04)

No, no, no, never mind. I'll. I'll come back again some other time. To blazes. That's what Holmes thought. That morning he drove home again. Her car was not in the garage. He moved moodily about the house for a while, drank two drinks, and then suddenly remembered what the barman had said about the old trapdoor in the cellar of his house. With a strange excitement, he went to investigate. Something had clicked in his mind. He must be right. I filled the belly thing in. Doesn't seem to be in yet. Monster. No, no, he wasn't telling fairy stories. And it isn't filled in either. Quickly, Holmes grabbed the flashlight and climbing through the trap, made his way down a flight of stone steps. Into what? The room under the floor was large, approximately the size of the garage itself. The mold encrusted ceiling was formed of steel I beams surmounted by the concrete garage floor. The four walls were concrete too. The floor was hard packed to earth. The air was close and fetid. This is it. This is the answer. A few details here and there and my future is secure.

Announcer (15:06)

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Robert Holmes (16:35)

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Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (17:18)

Clean, clean.

Robert Holmes (17:20)

Everything soon will be clean, clean for all the world to see. Soak, soak, stand away easily when you use new biotechs. Get amazing new biotechs today and let soaking do the washing. On a Thursday, a week and two days before his 40th birthday, Robert Holmes decided not to to go to work. He told his wife he had some paperwork to wade through and accordingly he shut himself into his study and waited. An observer hidden with him in that room, though, would have observed that the gentleman in question opened no books, picked up no pens. Instead, he merely waited and listened close by the door. After while he heard was go to the telephone, make a call and agree with one of her witnesses, women friends to play golf that day. She replaced the phone just as Robert stepped out into the hall.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (18:32)

Oh hello, darling. Finished already?

Robert Holmes (18:36)

No, just taking a breather.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (18:38)

Well, I hate to make you jealous, but what's that?

Robert Holmes (18:43)

What's that on your neck?

Announcer (18:44)

Neck.

Robert Holmes (18:45)

Just. Yes. Robert did a very well workmanlike job of throttling. Otherwise, as soon as he had finished, he carried her down to the room under the garage and buried her in the shallow grave he had dug the day before. By the time he carried this out, washed his hands and straightened his tie, barely five minutes had passed. In another 15 minutes he was sitting at his desk at his office in town. Came 4:30 that afternoon. Known. I've got a bit of a nasty pain in my stomach. In fact, I. I don't feel well at all. I'd like you to ring my wife, please. If she's not at home, she'll be either at the Dawsons or with some friends.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (20:03)

I'm sorry, Mr. Holmes. Awfully sorry. I. I've tried all the places you said, but no one's seen her today. This Mrs. Mrs. Bascom, did she talk to your wife this morning? They were supposed to play golf together. Apparently Mrs. Holmes just didn't turn up.

Robert Holmes (20:19)

That's strange.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (20:20)

Yes, sir.

Robert Holmes (20:21)

That's strange. Not like a lot at all. Let's try my home phone.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (20:25)

Oh, yes, sir. That's the first place I tried. No one answered. How is your tummy feel now?

Robert Holmes (20:32)

Seems to be getting worse, if anything. Must have been something I had at lunch.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (20:35)

Well, you shouldn't go home if there's no one there.

Robert Holmes (20:38)

Yeah, that's the number of the woman who does for us. It's Thursday today, her day off. I'll call her and explain the situation. Tell her to take a taxi out to the house and say I'll be there within the hour.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (20:52)

Would you like me to drive you home, Mr. Holmes?

Robert Holmes (20:55)

Very nice of you. I hate to inconvenience you, though.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (20:57)

Oh, it's no trouble, sir. I'll get you a hat and coat. Chai, you won't need your briefcase, will you? Or. Or even something.

Robert Holmes (21:08)

Yes. No, no, no, quite. Yes, of course. No, no, I. Yes. No, I suppose not. Oh, thank you. What about the last of the hospitals? It is the last within 20 miles anyhow.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (21:29)

Well, could she have gone on a trip, do you suppose?

Robert Holmes (21:31)

Oh, no. She'd have told me there were cars still there.

Wife (Elwise) or Female Companion (21:35)

Maybe you should call the police. Mum had to do that about dad once. They found him three months later sitting in a park in Manchester feeding the pigeons.

Robert Holmes (21:44)

If I don't hear anything within the hour, I will call them. Here's a I better do that now. Well, Mrs. Ronnie Watson. You phoned her. She promised to be here. Look, I don't want to keep you. I've told you before, Sergeant Wilkins, and I'll tell you again. People do not simply disappear. She's got to be somewhere. No, we've checked and rechecked every way she could have left the town, Inspector, and she didn't leave. She's still here somewhere. Yeah, perhaps we better let the newspapers have a crack at it. You know that's out. Her father's a very big man. The editors of some of the biggest national papers are like Siamese twins to him, let alone the locals. He doesn't want anything in the paper about it. He says she might have just gone away for a while and doesn't want to be embarrassed. You know, mad husband knows more than he's saying. Maybe he killed her. That wouldn't surprise me one bit. And what did he do with the body? Maybe he buried her. Maybe he dissolved her in acid and washed her down the drain. I don't know what he did with it. We've been through and over every darned inch of the ground on the property. If you're supposing he did bump her off, Sergeant, where the heck did he bury her anyway? Holmes can account almost for every second from the time Mrs. Bascom talked to his wife on the phone until the time he found in the missing persons report. His alibi's too darn good. A jury doesn't convict people for having good alibis. And suddenly, a whole new world opened up. Before Robert Holmes, exciting possibilities were no boundaries. It seemed to him now the world was his oyster. He decided that it was a holiday he was needing. A long, long holiday. Of course he'd keep the house. He would refrain from letting it or anything stupid like that. Can't let the rudder. Not with what the room under the garage contains, not with what stout trials. Although, of course, who could ever find it. But then, no one could ever find it. They might just get into conversation with the barman. Mike just happened to talk with old Dutch in the bar. Oh, that's a bit dodgy. Certainly would imagine it. Oh, so you're renting number 134 on the hill. Used to work eight three years ago. Before the prison owner, of course. Rich Gees, as is now. His wife disappeared in mysterious circumstances. It's never been found. Some people reckon he had something to do with it.

Announcer (24:13)

This episode is brought to you by Spreaker. The platform responsible for a rapidly spreading condition known as podcast Brain symptoms include buying microphones you don't need, explaining RSS feeds to confused relatives and saying things like, sorry, I can't talk right now, I'm editing audio. If this sounds familiar, you're probably already a podcaster. The good news is Spreaker makes the whole process simple. You record your show, upload it once, and Spreaker distributes it everywhere. People listen. Apple podcasts, Spotify, and about a dozen apps your cousin swears are the next big thing. Even better, Spreaker helps you monetize your show with ads, meaning your podcast might someday pay for, well, more microphones. Start your show today@spreaker.com spreaker because if you're going to talk to yourself for an hour, you might as well publish it.

Robert Holmes (25:01)

But I never managed to make anything of it. Yes, well, underneath the garage floor there's this cellar place. All you do, as I remember, is to find a certain place on the wall. Oh, no, definitely not Robert Holmes. Certainly not. Lock the whole place up, put it in the hands of reliable lawyers and that they get a return from time to time. Of course, of course. Otherwise, otherwise people might think I've run away. South of France, I think, then Switzerland. Ah, it'd be wise to check with that inspector chap, I think. After all, it's only been nine days. All the beautiful ladies in the world are waiting for you. Bob Holmes. 40. 40. What sort of an age is 40 anyway, to a man with money? Oh, hello, Inspector Jason, please. Yes, I, I think he is expecting me to ring. Thank you. Bless you. Touch you for reminding me of a moment. Hello, Inspector Robert Holmes Here, here, here. No, no, no, I, Look, Inspector, I, I, I've got to get away. Just, just for a while. It, it's been a terrible strain on me, as you can imagine. France. Yeah, yes, of course. And if she turns up, as I, I'm sure she must, the silly girl. Now, if you can contact me. No, no, I, I'm sorry, Inspector, I, I will not allow such a terrible possibility to play on my mind. Now, I, I'm sure she merely decided on the spur of the moment to. Oh, thank you, that's nice of you, but it's perfectly all right. Then. I mean, I thought I'd just check. Good, good, fine. Well, as soon as I put an address out. Yeah, right. Julia, thank you for all your help. No ordinary day, this. It was Robert Holmes 40th birthday. He had allowed the woman who did for him leave for an indefinite period, on a generous retainer, of course. He began to pack Then he discovered an annoying thing. He couldn't find the diamond studded tie clip that Elwise had given him for his 39th birthday. He tried to remember when his last worn had been. The day he had killed Elwise. He remembered dressing and waiting for her to make a phone call. Later, he had carried her down to the room. He had placed her in the grave and covered her. It's got to be down there. It's the only place it can be. I can't believe it cost at least a thousand pounds time in the huge where anyone ever found the room and found her. And a tight clip of her too. No, there's no risk. Anyway, I'm alone. And so accordingly, he got a torch, opened the trap and started down the stairs. He was halfway down when he heard the car approach. Who the place is. With his ear to the trap door above him, Robert realized that the car and whoever had driven it there had come into the garage. It had to be the police. I'll wait till you're here. Who's there? It's not the police. Several minutes passed. Then came another voice. Nobody seems to be home. The back door's open, but no one came in. My rank might be in the bar, she said. Deliver it this morning. I'm wonderful of that. It's his birthday. What shall we do? Suddenly, Robert recognized the second voice. Ed Mathis. Mathis. We'll leave it however it is. It's tape, huh? Waiting a decent interval, Robert searched for the tie clip and found it. Now he was ready to go. South of France, Blue waters and film starlets with loose morals awaited him. Swimming, fishing, sailing, golf. The door remained shut. He placed his back against the trap. He strained against it with all the power of his back and legs. And then he felt a wave of terror like a page slowly unfolding before him. He saw it. Ed Mathis. The secret meeting was. Matthis was a car salesman at the place where he had admired the beautiful car that day, his birthday 40. And standing there like a poised missile, just inches above him, the yellow beautiful sports car with one wheel resting firmly on the trap door. Darling, let's go out and paint the town red. But what about your headache? Oh, that's gone. Grandpa headache powders did the trick. Grandpa headache powders kill pain, soothe, strain nerves and lift depression. Grandpa headache powders are extra effective because they have a triple action. Grandpa headache powders work extra fast because they dissolve almost immediately. Get fast effective relief from any pain. All pain. Get Grandpa headache powders. Ah, Grandpa, that's all you have to do do do chop for an hour or two. You fine it's soak as old as you. When you use your biotech with amazing new biotechs, the stubbornest stains will vanish. Yes, vanish clean away just by soaking your laundry overnight in cold water or for an hour or two in warm water or by pre washing it quickly in your washing machine. Get amazing new biotechs. Today Beyond Midnight is presented every Friday night at Halfast 9 by Biotech the New Soak and pre wash Powder. The program is is adapted for broadcasting and Produced by Michael McCabe.