The Flame Blue Glove

Rogue Male

Originally Aired: December 31, 1951 Suspense #454, "Rogue Male," follows an English big game hunter who undertakes what he claims is merely a "sporting stalk" of the most dangerous quarry imaginable: a dictator with a familiar toothbrush mustache. Captured before he can pull the trigger, the hunter insists to his half-English interrogator that he never intended to actually fire, but the brutal consequences are swift regardless. After severe torture and a staged execution that leaves him broken and bleeding, he's thrown from a cliff in what's meant to look like a sporting accident. Against all odds, he survives the fall and begins a desperate escape through enemy territory. Helped by a courageous fisherman and a sympathetic ship's mate named Mr. Vayner, the hunter manages to return to London, but his ordeal is far from over. Even in England, mysterious watchers lurk outside his lawyer Saul's office, suggesting that his pursuers have followed him home. Now the hunter must disappear completely, unable to involve friends or family, as he realizes the hunt has only just begun—and this time, he's the prey.

The Case History of a Gambler

Originally Aired: December 17, 1951 Suspense #452, "The Case History of a Gambler," Matt Miller drags himself through the streets with a bullet in his body, six blocks from the hospital, as his mind drifts back to where it all began three years earlier. The story unfolds through flashback as Matt recalls borrowing $10,000 from his friend Frank to bet on a rigged prizefight, part of a $100,000 gamble spread across the country. When his fighter wins at twenty-to-one odds, Matt suddenly finds himself with two million dollars and uses it to open a massive suburban gambling casino. Flush with success, Matt becomes known as an easy touch for desperate criminals and grifters who need operating capital, always collecting his debts through intimidation and threats. When his bookkeeper Lou mentions how insurance policies protect the wives of men like Charlie, one of Matt's debtors, it sparks a sinister new scheme. Matt consults his lawyer about forming a dummy corporation to sell life insurance policies, with himself named as beneficiary on policies sold to the very men he loans money to, creating a twisted business model where their deaths become his profit.

Blackjack to Kill

Originally Aired: December 10, 1951 Suspense #451, "Blackjack to Kill," presents the chilling story of Johnny Damon, a cold-blooded assassin who makes his living killing on contract. When crime boss Moyer deals the high card to Johnny among five hired guns, Johnny wins a lucrative job: travel to Havana and eliminate a target for ten thousand dollars up front, with another fifteen waiting when he returns. The assignment takes an intriguing turn when Johnny meets his employer, Jose Deonte, a wealthy Cuban businessman who reveals the target: Penny Cullen, a deported American gangster who has fled to Cuba and is now trying to muscle in on Deonte's operations. For Johnny, this becomes personal - Penny Cullen is a man from his past, someone he once fingered and had deported, and someone he deeply hates. Johnny accepts the job with cold professionalism, employing the methodical approach Penny himself once taught him. He spends three days observing Cullen's routine through binoculars, watching as the exiled crime boss sits on the same bench each evening at six o'clock, feeding breadcrumbs to pigeons and gazing out over the Havana waterfront. As Johnny meticulously notes every detail of Penny's habits, the stage is set for a fourth day when the hunter will strike.

A Murderous Revision

Originally Aired: December 3, 1951 Suspense #450, "A Murderous Revision," takes listeners inside the increasingly volatile relationship between Christopher Turner, a frustrated radio scriptwriter, and Ken Avery, the demanding producer of the show "Murder Please." After two years of writing a murder a week for Avery's program, Chris has reached his breaking point. When Avery butchers yet another script ending and then fires him, Chris snaps and vows to show his producer what a real murder sounds like. In a chilling act of premeditation, Chris begins secretly recording what he calls "an actual murder" using concealed microphones in his office. Chris carefully orchestrates his deadly plan by luring Avery's daughter Lois to his office under the pretense of offering her scriptwriting advice, knowing this will eventually bring Ken himself to the scene. As he speaks into his hidden microphone, Chris narrates every step of his preparations, from loading his gun to making his calculated phone calls, all while creating what he believes will be his masterpiece: a real murder recorded for radio broadcast, dedicated to the very producer who drove him to this desperate act.

The Hunting of Bob Lee

Originally Aired: October 29, 1951 Suspense #445, "The Hunting of Bob Lee," brings listeners a dramatization of one of Texas's most notorious feuds. Bob Lee, a prosperous rancher returning home after the Civil War, finds himself targeted by his less fortunate neighbors who resent his success. When Lee rides into the village of Pilot Grove wearing a distinctive plumed hat, townsman Hugh Evans and his allies confront him, mocking his fancy dress as an insult to their poverty. The confrontation turns violent, and Evans dies in the scuffle. Though Lee insists it was a fair fight and accidental death, the men of Pilot Grove—including Bowerin, Sam Bear, and others—vow revenge. What begins as a street brawl escalates into a deadly manhunt. Lee returns to his ranch, preparing for the worst with his brother Henry and wife Cloy by his side. When two apparent Union soldiers arrive to arrest him for murder, Lee surrenders peacefully, trusting in military justice. Too late, he discovers they are imposters who deliver him directly to his enemies in Choctaw Bottom, where he finds himself tied to a tree, surrounded by the very men who want him dead.