Murder at Midnight 46xxxx (002) The Man Who Was Death

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Murder at Midnight – “The Man Who Was Death”
Date: October 19, 2025
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Original Airdate of Drama: 1940s (Murder at Midnight series)

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Overview

This episode features the classic suspense radio drama Murder at Midnight, presenting “The Man Who Was Death.” Through macabre atmosphere and psychological intrigue, the story dives into an artist’s obsession with truly understanding, embodying, and ultimately becoming Death itself. The plot unravels as sculptor Jan Rolfe spirals from artistic obsession into murder, with police and potential victims scrambling to comprehend and survive his descent.

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Key Discussion Points and Episode Breakdown

Introduction to the Theme and Setting

• [00:40–01:14] The haunting voice of “Death” and the Narrator establish the episode’s chilling premise:
  • Midnight as the witching hour.
  • The allure and fear surrounding death.

Notable Quote:

“Midnight, the witching hour. When the night is darkest, our fears the strongest, and our strength at its lowest ebb...when the graves gape open and death strikes.”
— Narrator (01:14)

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The Sculptor’s Obsession: Jan Rolfe’s Artistic Quest

• [02:45–04:16]
  • Jan Rolfe, struggling to sculpt the face of Death, confides in model Aline Moffat.
  • Dissatisfied with his work, he destroys his sculpture and declares his ambition: to reveal the true visage of Death—one rooted in understanding and personal experience.

Memorable Moment:

“Man! You know what that was supposed to be? Death.”
— Jan Rolfe (04:06)

• [04:45–05:09]
  • Rolfe’s realization: to sculpt Death, he must know it intimately, implying he must kill.

“How can I understand death, become death, if I don’t kill?”
— Jan Rolfe (05:09)

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The Crimes Emerge: Murder and Its Aftermath

• [05:25–06:16]
  • Detective Harold Jordan brings Nancy Craig to the morgue to identify Aline Moffat.
  • Moffat has been murdered—strangled—her body found in the river.
  • Craig is questioned about Moffat’s acquaintances and explains she posed for sculptors, including Jan Rolfe.

Tension and Motive:

• [07:01–07:35]
  • Rolfe, invigorated by his crime, ponders Death’s selectiveness and power.
  • He concludes that Death represents ultimate control—requiring him to kill yet again.

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The Second Crime and a Brush with Death

• [10:25–12:20]
  • At a subway platform, Rolfe, narrating his actions as “Death,” targets victims at random and kills a gray-haired man with a briefcase, staging it as an accident.
  • The chilling detachment with which he hunts for a victim underlines his psychological transformation.

“This is the place. The tunnel, dark as a yawning grave...Which one of you shall it be?”
— Jan Rolfe (10:34–10:44)

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Death.”
— Jan Rolfe (12:07)

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Investigative Turns and Supernatural Dread

• [13:55–15:00]
  • Back at police headquarters, Nancy Craig expresses a sense of supernatural presence:
    • She felt “Death himself was stalking through the city.”
    • This mirrors the testimony of Mrs. Dolan, who was present during the subway incident and sensed imminent doom.

"I felt that some horrible power was abroad. That Death himself was stalking through the city."
— Nancy Craig (14:45)

“Mrs. Dolan swears that just before it happened, she went all goose pimples...felt as if Death was breathing down the back of her neck.”
— Harold Jordan (15:04)

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Rolfe’s Confession and the Final Confrontation

• [17:11–18:54]
  • Nancy, seeking closure, returns to Rolfe’s studio and confronts him.
  • Rolfe admits to the murders and reveals his plan to immortalize Death in sculpture, needing one last victim—Nancy.

“Yes, Nancy, it was I who killed Aline Moffat. And also a gray-haired gentleman with a briefcase in the subway last night.”
— Jan Rolfe (18:03)

“I had just decided I needed one final victim. And I’m afraid that’s going to be you.”
— Jan Rolfe (18:29)

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Police Siege and Dramatic Rescue

• [20:20–22:28]
  • Police surround the studio; Rolfe threatens Nancy’s life, determined to complete his “masterpiece.”
  • Jordan tricks Rolfe by impersonating Death’s voice through a vent pipe, distracting him and leaping in through the skylight to subdue him.

“I figured that if he was crazy enough to do all the things he did, he might be crazy enough to believe Death could pay him a visit.”
— Harold Jordan (23:10–23:14)

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The Epilogue: Art and Madness Intertwined

• [23:27–23:49]
  • As Rolfe is captured, the group gazes upon his last work—a bust meant to represent Death.
  • In a final psychological twist, Jordan observes it is a self-portrait, underscoring Rolfe’s descent into the identity of Death itself.

“That bust he was working on...he said it was a study of death. And in a way, I guess it is. Because it’s a self-portrait.”
— Harold Jordan (23:32–23:49)

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Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• “Midnight, when the graves gape open and death strikes.”
  — Narrator (01:14)
• “To do a study of death, I’ve got to become death. And that means—”
  — Jan Rolfe (04:46)
• “How can I understand death, become death, if I don’t kill?”
  — Jan Rolfe (05:09)
• “This is the place...the tunnel, dark as a yawning grave.”
  — Jan Rolfe (10:34–10:44)
• “I am Death.”
  — Jan Rolfe (12:07)
• “I felt that some horrible power was abroad—That Death himself was stalking through the city.”
  — Nancy Craig (14:45)
• “Yes, Nancy, it was I who killed Aline Moffat...I had just decided I needed one final victim. And I’m afraid that’s going to be you.”
  — Jan Rolfe (18:03 and 18:29)
• “Because it’s a self-portrait.”
  — Harold Jordan (23:32–23:49)

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Structure and Flow

1. Establishment of eerie atmosphere: Voice of “Death,” setting the story’s suspenseful tone.
2. Psychological descent: Rolfe’s growing obsession, killings, and belief in himself as Death.
3. Police procedural: The investigation follows classic noir elements, centered on detective work and gradually unraveling the culprit.
4. Climactic confrontation and deception: Blending psychological manipulation with physical rescue.
5. Resolution: The sculpture as self-portrait symbolizes Rolfe’s madness and blurred line between artist and subject.

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Conclusion

“The Man Who Was Death” combines macabre thematic elements with psychological drama, focusing on the chilling consequences of a man’s obsession with personifying the ultimate force—Death. The episode’s script, moody score, and taut performances convey both a crime thriller and a meditation on mortality's allure and terror, all culminating in a final twist where art and identity become lethal.

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Transcript

[Nancy Craig]

What do you think makes the perfect snack?

[AM PM Spokesperson]

Hmm. It's gotta be when I'm really craving it and it's convenient.

[Nancy Craig]

Could you be more specific?

[AM PM Spokesperson]

When it's cravinient.

[Narrator]

Okay.

[AM PM Spokesperson]

Like a freshly baked cookie made with real butter, available right down the street at a.m. p.m. Or a savory breakfast sandwich I can grab in just a second at a.m. p.m.

[Nancy Craig]

I'm seeing a pattern here.

[AM PM Spokesperson]

Well, yeah, we're talking about what I crave.

[Nancy Craig]

Which is anything from AM PM what.

[AM PM Spokesperson]

More could you want? Stop by AM PM where the snacks and drinks are perfectly craveable and convenient. That's cravenience. AM PM Too much. Good stuff.

[Death]

Murder at Midnight.

[Harold Jordan]

This.

[Jan Rolfe]

Yes, this is the place for it. Deep down under the city, under the earth. The concrete, cold and damp as the stone of a mausoleum. The question is, which one of them shall it be? You, sir. You with the gray hair and the briefcase. Allow me to introduce myself.

[Death]

I am Death.

[Narrator]

Midnight, the witching hour. When the night is darkest, our fears the strongest and our strength at its lowest ebb. Midnight, when the graves gape open and death strikes.

[Death]

How?

[Narrator]

You'll learn the answer in just a minute in the man who Was Death. And now, Murder at Midnight. Tales of mystery and terror by masters of the macabre. Our story by Robert Newman is the man who Was Death. It's late afternoon in the studio of Jan Rolfe, the sculptor. The rays of the setting sun come through the smoke filmed glass of the skylight at an angle, casting long dark shadows on the dusty floor. His face intense. Rolf stands before a more than life size head of gray granite, cutting away some of the hard stone, then pausing to examine his work.

[Jan Rolfe]

It's still not right. I still haven't got it. And I don't know where I've gone wrong. The eyes. They would be brooding and half closed. But shouldn't they be all seeing? Let's try it. Who's that? Who's there?

[Nancy Craig]

It's Aline, Mr. Hall. Aline Moffat.

[Harold Jordan]

Aline?

[Jan Rolfe]

Oh yes, just a second. What is it, Elaine?

[Nancy Craig]

I told you I wouldn't be able to get here until late, Mr. Rolfe. That I was going to be modeling for Clayton in the early afternoon. But you said it didn't matter.

[Jan Rolfe]

Oh yes, I forgot.

[Nancy Craig]

If you don't need me, don't feel like working.

[Harold Jordan]

No, no. It's.

[Jan Rolfe]

It's. It's. It's all right. Maybe it would help if I worked on something else for a change. Come on in.

[Nancy Craig]

Something else? Oh, that. That head.

[Jan Rolfe]

Is that the first time you've seen it?

[Nancy Craig]

Yes. You always kept it covered up before. It looks very powerful.

[Jan Rolfe]

Powerful, eh? Go on over to it. Closer. Tell me who you think it is.

[Nancy Craig]

All right. It's. Well, it's a man. Pretty big man.

[Death]

Man.

[Jan Rolfe]

I knew it wasn't right, but if that's all you get out of it. Where's that mallet?

[Nancy Craig]

Mr. Rolf, what are you going to do?

[Jan Rolfe]

This. I'm going to smash it. Almost six months work. But man. You know what that was supposed to be? Death.

[Narrator]

Yes.

[Jan Rolfe]

For centuries, man has been haunted and obsessed by the feet of death. I'm going to do something no artist has ever done before. Show mankind the face of death.

[Nancy Craig]

Mr. Ralph, I don't think I feel like modeling this afternoon.

[Jan Rolfe]

You're frightened.

[Harold Jordan]

Why?

[Nancy Craig]

I don't know the whole idea of you too.

[Jan Rolfe]

What I wanted to show was the beauty, the peace that lies in death. That strength and inevitability and. Wait a minute.

[Nancy Craig]

I'll phone you tomorrow. Mr. Rolf.

[Jan Rolfe]

I said wait. It's beginning to come to me. What was wrong? To do a study portrays something. You've got to understand it inside and out. You've got to know how your subject thinks, feels. Project yourself into it. To do a study of death, I've got to know all those things about him. I've got to become death. And that means.

[Nancy Craig]

Mr. Rolf. No. No, you can't.

[Jan Rolfe]

But I can, Elaine.

[Harold Jordan]

I must.

[Jan Rolfe]

How can I understand death become death if I don't kill?

[Harold Jordan]

Ms. Craig?

[Nancy Craig]

Yes? Nancy Craig?

[Harold Jordan]

I'm Jordan. Harold Jordan of Homicide. I imagine you know why I asked you to come down here into the morgue.

[Nancy Craig]

They. They said it had something to do with my roommate. Aline Moffat is.

[Harold Jordan]

If you think you can take it. We'd like you to make the identification.

[Nancy Craig]

I think I can.

[Harold Jordan]

Good girl. She's right here under the sheet. Ready?

[Nancy Craig]

Yes. Lee. How did it happen?

[Harold Jordan]

I'll cover her up. Well, we traced the laundry mark. We're pretty sure we knew who she was.

[Nancy Craig]

How did it happen?

[Harold Jordan]

She was found in the river, but she was dead before she went in.

[Jan Rolfe]

Strangled, murdered.

[Nancy Craig]

But why? By whom?

[Harold Jordan]

We don't know. We thought you might help us with that, too. Tell us what you know about her.

[Nancy Craig]

There's not much to tell. She was a wonderful girl. Came from out of town, out west somewhere. She. You wouldn't know it from the way she looks now, but she was beautiful. She used to do modeling.

[Harold Jordan]

Any boyfriends?

[Nancy Craig]

Oh, no one in particular. She went out with a lot of different men. Everyone liked her. That's why I can't understand.

[Harold Jordan]

Who does she model for?

[Nancy Craig]

A few photographers, but mostly painters and sculptors. Let me see. There was Jensen, Clayton, Rolfe. As a matter of fact, I. I think she was posing for both Clayton and Ralph.

[Jan Rolfe]

Better this time. Much better. Things I can put into it that I never knew, never felt before. Now, let's see. No. Still not right. Still something missing in not just a shade of expression, but something basic. One of the keys to the whole concept.

[Nancy Craig]

But what?

[Jan Rolfe]

Haven't I played death's role? Killed just as he does?

[Harold Jordan]

Haven't I?

[Jan Rolfe]

Wait, that's it. Of course. Is that how Death strikes? Without thought, on the spur of the moment?

[Harold Jordan]

No.

[Jan Rolfe]

He picks and chooses, Decides just who shall die and who shall not. What's missing is the consciousness of power. The knowledge that there is no appeal from death. That he is the supreme authority. And that means that, yes, I must kill again. And this time.

[Harold Jordan]

Who.

[Jan Rolfe]

Who's that?

[Harold Jordan]

Police department. Can we come in and talk to.

[Jan Rolfe]

You for a minute?

[Harold Jordan]

Why.

[Jan Rolfe]

Why, yes, of course. Just a second. Police. They don't know anything. They can't know, but I better cover this up.

[Harold Jordan]

Mr. Ralph?

[Jan Rolfe]

Yes.

[Harold Jordan]

I'm Jordan of Homicide. This is Nancy Craig. Sorry to bother you at this time of night.

[Jan Rolfe]

No bother at all. Please come in.

[Nancy Craig]

Thank you.

[Harold Jordan]

I'm. I'm investigating the murder of Ms. Craig's roommate, Aline Moffat.

[Jan Rolfe]

Murder?

[Nancy Craig]

You didn't know?

[Jan Rolfe]

Well, I know I never read the papers. The last time I saw her, two or three days ago.

[Harold Jordan]

Well, it happened just two days ago. Now, we've been checking back. We have an idea that you may have been one of the last people to see her alive.

[Jan Rolfe]

If there's anything I can do to help, anything at all.

[Harold Jordan]

Could you tell us what happened when you did see her last?

[Jan Rolfe]

Of course. She was due here at 3 o', clock, but actually came at about 5. She said another artist had delayed her.

[Harold Jordan]

Clayton.

[Jan Rolfe]

That's right. I had already started working on something else. And since she looks so tired, I suggested we call the whole thing off. She seemed pretty happy about it.

[Harold Jordan]

Left.

[Jan Rolfe]

And I'm afraid that's all I know.

[Nancy Craig]

Was there anyone else here? Anyone that actually saw her leave?

[Jan Rolfe]

I'm afraid not. You see, I'm the only tenant in the building who lives here. And I'm afraid everyone else had gone by then.

[Harold Jordan]

Well, that sounds pretty straight to me. I guess that's that. Thanks very much, Mr. Rolfe.

[Jan Rolfe]

Not at all. Afraid I haven't been much help. But if you can think of anything I can do.

[Harold Jordan]

We'll keep in touch with you. And in the meantime, well, maybe you should start reading the papers just every once in a while, huh?

[Jan Rolfe]

Right. I hope you read them too, my friend, especially tomorrow's papers. Because I have a feeling that there just might be something in them that will interest you. Night and a fine, small rain. Yes, this is how he would move. Walking slowly through the darkness, searching, weighing, selecting his victim.

[Harold Jordan]

I beg your pardon, sir, but could you tell me if that's the uptown subway over there? Why.

[Jan Rolfe]

Why, yes, I believe it is.

[Hanrahan]

Thank you.

[Harold Jordan]

Thank you very much.

[Jan Rolfe]

Not at all. Subway. What better place to make my choice than there, deep under the earth, the concrete, cold and damp as the stone of a mausoleum. Thank you, my friend. Thank you. Yes, this is it. This is the place. The tunnel, dark as a yawning grave. The platform edge like the verge of infinity. And this is how he must feel, studying, selecting. Which one of you shall it be? You, madam, with the worn coat and the draggled hat. Why are you looking at me like that? Do you know what's in my mind? Don't be afraid. It won't be you. You, young man, with the books and the glasses. No. Then what about. Yes, down there at the end of the platform. My friend has suggested this. My prosperous looking friend with the gray hair and the briefcase. Don't look up at the track so impatiently. A train is coming, but so am I. Good evening.

[Harold Jordan]

I beg your pardon, sir, but I'm afraid.

[Hanrahan]

Oh, I didn't recognize you at first.

[Jan Rolfe]

Well, you're the chap directed you down here. Yes, but I felt that you should know exactly who it was you spoke to. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Death.

[Harold Jordan]

What?

[Hanrahan]

What do you mean?

[Jan Rolfe]

What are you doing to me? Let go.

[Nancy Craig]

Let go.

[Harold Jordan]

Quietly.

[Narrator]

The man who is Death steps back from the edge of the platform as the train grinds to a stop. The woman screams. Somewhere in the distance, a clock strikes 12 for murder at mid.

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[Jan Rolfe]

Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[Liberty Mutual Announcer]

Cut the camera. They see us.

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[Narrator]

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And now back to the story of the man who was death. It's late the next afternoon and Jordan is alone in his bare cubbyhole in police headquarters when there is a knock on the door.

[Nancy Craig]

Hello, Mr. Jordan.

[Harold Jordan]

Oh, hello, Nancy.

[Nancy Craig]

You don't seem very happy to see me.

[Harold Jordan]

I am and I'm not. It's a nice change to have someone as pretty as you come down here. On the other hand, you haven't gotten.

[Nancy Craig]

Anywhere with the lean to murder.

[Harold Jordan]

No. No motive, no clue, no nothing. I'm afraid we're licked.

[Nancy Craig]

But you can't be. You can't give up.

[Harold Jordan]

I'm sorry, Nancy. I don't like it either.

[Jan Rolfe]

But.

[Harold Jordan]

Well, it happens sometimes.

[Nancy Craig]

But you can't let it happen. Not in this case.

[Harold Jordan]

You're pretty well wound up, aren't you? How about letting me take you out by your dad?

[Nancy Craig]

No. I am upset, yes, but.

[Jan Rolfe]

What's the matter?

[Nancy Craig]

Oh, maybe it's nerves. That trip down to the morgue, the whole atmosphere around the case. But would you think I was mad if I told you I. I felt that some horrible power was abroad? That Death himself was stalking through the city?

[Harold Jordan]

You and Mrs. Dolan.

[Nancy Craig]

Mrs. Dolan? Who's she?

[Harold Jordan]

Oh, I had an accident in the subway last night. A guy who fell or jumped in front of a train. Didn't you read about it?

[Nancy Craig]

No.

[Harold Jordan]

This Mrs. Dolan was one of the witnesses. And she swears that just before it happened she went all goose pimples. Felt as if death was breathing down the back of her neck and that she was going to die.

[Nancy Craig]

It's true, Hal. I know it is. I mean, well, that's exactly how I felt. I can't remember just where or when, but sometime during these past few days, I. I felt that I was in the same room with Death myself.

[Death]

Hmm.

[Harold Jordan]

Like you said, it's probably nerves, strain you've been under. Just the same, it's kind of a funny coincidence. I think maybe I'll go see Mrs. Dole and talk to her.

[Hanrahan]

Do you want to come?

[Nancy Craig]

I don't believe so, Hal. Somehow I feel we're awfully close to the answer. If I could just remember where and when it was I felt that way. That I was in death's presence. I think I'll go home.

[Jan Rolfe]

Okay.

[Harold Jordan]

Nancy, I'll call you there after I talk to Mrs. Dolan. And, well, maybe we'll find that we really have something.

[Jan Rolfe]

Just a little more off the cheekbones. Get the gaunt feeling of a skull under the flesh. No, no, it's still not right. Still something missing. But what is it this time? Didn't I stalk and select my victim? Didn't he recognize me for what I was? Death himself and didn't wait. Of course, it's never just the victim alone who knows fears and fights against death. It's all of society, medicine, science, the police. All of man's resources from time immemorial lined up against death and he still triumphs over them. That is the secret and the measure of his omnipotence. That is the last missing element. And that means that I must kill yet again. And this time not just. But the whole world must know it. And be powerless to stop me this time.

[Harold Jordan]

Who.

[Jan Rolfe]

Who's that? Who's there?

[Nancy Craig]

Nancy Craig. Mr. Ross. I don't know if you remember me, Nancy.

[Jan Rolfe]

Oh, yes, just a.

[Nancy Craig]

I'm awfully sorry to be bothering you again.

[Jan Rolfe]

That's perfectly all right. Isn't Mr. Jordan with you?

[Nancy Craig]

No, I came alone. Well, there was a little experiment I wanted to try.

[Jan Rolfe]

Oh, please come in.

[Nancy Craig]

Thank you.

[Jan Rolfe]

Just what was this experiment?

[Nancy Craig]

It. Well, it was probably pretty silly, but I had to try it. Thinking back, I had a queer feeling. What's that?

[Jan Rolfe]

I bust something. I'm working on something I hope will be my masterpiece. Do you like it?

[Nancy Craig]

I'm afraid I. No, it's awful. It's terrible. It was here that I felt it here in the studio. And you?

[Jan Rolfe]

Yes, Nancy, it was I who killed a lean Moffat. And also a gray haired gentleman with a briefcase in the subway last night.

[Nancy Craig]

At least in the paper, Mrs. Dolan.

[Jan Rolfe]

Exactly. You see, that bust over there is a study of them. And to do a study you must project yourself inside your subject. That meant I had to become this. Where are you going? No good, Nancy.

[Hanrahan]

No good.

[Jan Rolfe]

I locked the door when you came in.

[Nancy Craig]

Oh, but you can't. You can't.

[Death]

Help.

[Harold Jordan]

Help me.

[Death]

Help.

[Narrator]

Help.

[Jan Rolfe]

No good either. We're five stories up and all the other tenants have gone. You came here at a very opportune time for me. I had just decided I needed one final victim. And I'm afraid that's going to be you.

[Nancy Craig]

I'll Never forget it, Mr. Jordan. It was pretty late, about 12 o'.

[Jan Rolfe]

Clock.

[Nancy Craig]

And it was raining. There were only a couple of people on the subway platform 3 or 4. And I was standing by myself, not thinking about anything in particular, when suddenly this. This feeling came over me.

[Harold Jordan]

Now, what kind of a feeling?

[Nancy Craig]

Oh, a feeling that this was the end. A feeling that death was standing there right close behind me. I got so weak and shaky that I thought I was going to faint. I shut my eyes and leaned against one of the posts. And that's how it was that I didn't actually see the accident.

[Harold Jordan]

Well, did you. Did you turn around when you had that funny feeling? Did you notice whether there actually was anyone standing behind you?

[Jan Rolfe]

I did.

[Nancy Craig]

There was just a young fellow with glasses and another man. Kind of strange looking, now that I think of it.

[Harold Jordan]

Strange how?

[Nancy Craig]

He was about 35 or 40. Pretty big, I guess it was his hair. He wasn't wearing any hat. And, well, he was almost white and very long and bushy.

[Harold Jordan]

What did he have?

[Jan Rolfe]

A thin face, gaunt and deep set eyes.

[Nancy Craig]

Well, yes, I think he did have. Do you know him?

[Harold Jordan]

I'm not sure if I do. Then I may know a lot of other things too.

[Jan Rolfe]

Good Lord. Nancy.

[Nancy Craig]

What?

[Harold Jordan]

I. I've got to get out of here.

[Hanrahan]

Just a second, young fellow. Where do you think you're going?

[Harold Jordan]

In there. No one's going to. Hanrahan.

[Hanrahan]

Oh, there you are, Jordan. Where the blazes have you been?

[Harold Jordan]

What do you mean? What's going on?

[Hanrahan]

A devil of a business. A lunatic in the top floor studio there. He phoned headquarters, asked for you. Said that he had a girl there that he was going to murder. Said that he wanted us to know even though there was nothing we could do to stop him. We thought it was a gag at first.

[Harold Jordan]

Well, what are you doing about it?

[Hanrahan]

Everything that can be done. I've got men all around the building, up in the roof, across the street, outside his door.

[Harold Jordan]

Can't you break down the door?

[Hanrahan]

Sure, and finish her off quick. He said that if we tried it, he'd bash her brains out with that big hammer that he's working with.

[Harold Jordan]

But there must be something. A tommy gun from the roof across the street.

[Hanrahan]

He's got her right in front of him so that if you got him, you'd get her too. I tell you, there's nothing, absolutely nothing anyone can do.

[Harold Jordan]

You're wrong, Hanrahan.

[Jan Rolfe]

There's just one person, one thing that can stop him.

[Harold Jordan]

What's that?

[Jan Rolfe]

Death. You're getting impatient, my dear.

[Nancy Craig]

Oh, why are you doing this? You know you can't get away with it, you know.

[Jan Rolfe]

Get away with it? You think I care that it matters to me whether I live or Die. When I finish this, I'll never be able to surpass this. But neither will anyone else. I know now how death must feel. And I've caught it forever. For all men to see in stone.

[Death]

Yes, friend Rolf, you have. And you've made me very proud.

[Harold Jordan]

What?

[Jan Rolfe]

Who's that?

[Death]

You don't know? Even though I've been on your mind for months now? Even though you're just finishing my portrait.

[Harold Jordan]

You.

[Jan Rolfe]

Where. Where are you?

[Death]

Where would I be? Everywhere.

[Harold Jordan]

Outside.

[Death]

In the hall, down in the street. Here? In the studio with you.

[Jan Rolfe]

Can. Can you be seen? I. I must see you. I must.

[Death]

Very well. Walk this way. Over towards the door. A little further. A little further.

[Harold Jordan]

All right. Here I am. Ralph. Maybe I don't look the way you thought I would.

[Jan Rolfe]

Jordan.

[Harold Jordan]

Yes. Now drop that mallet and get your hands out.

[Hanrahan]

It was you.

[Jan Rolfe]

And I thought.

[Harold Jordan]

Get him up. Rolf.

[Jan Rolfe]

I said okay. If that's the way you want it.

[Nancy Craig]

Help. Help.

[Harold Jordan]

It's okay, baby. It's all over now. Have you loose in a minute. Jordan.

[Hanrahan]

Are you all right? Yes.

[Harold Jordan]

Break the door down if you want to come in. I'm busy.

[Hanrahan]

Oh, you got him.

[Harold Jordan]

But how? I talked to him through the vent pipe from up on the roof. I figured that if he was crazy enough to do all the things he did do, he might be crazy enough to believe death could pay him a visit. When I'd maneuvered him far enough away from Nancy here, I jumped through the skylight.

[Nancy Craig]

Hell. Hell. Look.

[Harold Jordan]

Good.

[Jan Rolfe]

Good Lord.

[Hanrahan]

What is it?

[Harold Jordan]

That. That bust he was working on. He said it was a study of death. And in a way, I guess it is. Because it's a self portrait.

[Narrator]

Two men and a girl staring down at the body of the dead sculptor lying next to his weird masterpiece. But is it possible there is still someone else in the studio? An unseen presence that has been there since the clock first struck 12 for murder at Midnight. Remember to be with us again when death walks through the darkened streets While the clocks strike 12 for murder at Midnight. The part of Jan Rolfe was played by Frank Behrens with music by Charles Pollard. Murder at Midnight was directed by Anton M. Leader.

[Liberty Mutual Announcer]

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[Jan Rolfe]

Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[Liberty Mutual Announcer]

Cut the camera. They see us.

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty.

[Jan Rolfe]

Liberty. Liberty.

[Liberty Mutual Announcer]

Liberty Savings Vary underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates excludes Massachusetts.

[Narrator]

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