The Alligator People

1

Eric.

Wayne.

It was good of you to come,

busy as you are.

Never too busy for

an interesting case...

especially

one ofyours.

Thanks.

Appreciate your interest.

On the phone you said...

you were having a serious

problem with a young girl.

Yeah- Nurse here,

as a matter of fact-.

- Pretty?

- Here's her case history.

- Jane Marvin.

- Yeah, that's the name she's using.

- Very competent girl.

- And pretty.

It happened when

she volunteered...

to help me in my research

in narco-hypnosis techniques.

- When do I get to see her?

- Right now if you want.

- Fine.

- jane, would you come in, please?

Yes, sir,.

She always appeared

perfectly normal.

Pure accident that I discovered

this strange thing about her.

Yes, Doctor?

Jane, I'd like you

to meet Dr- Lorimer.

He and I were halfthe football backfield

at med school. I did the blocking.

- How do you do, sir?

- Very happy to know you,jane.

I wanted Dr. Lorimer to be present

at our research experiment today.

- That is, if you have no objection.

- No. Why should I?

Fine.

Excuse me.

WelLJane,

here we go again.

Okay.

Got a nice sharp one

for you this time.

Now,jane,

start counting backwards-

From 20. I know.

That's right.

20, 19...

18...

17...

I've never known a subject

under Pentothol to lie.

- Nor have I.

- Why the lie detector?

You'll see later.

What is your name?

Joyce...

Hatten.

Joyce Hatten

Webster.

Then you are married?

I was.

I was Mrs. Paul Webster.

- That is-

- Yes?

I'm not sure...

whetherl am married...

or ever reallym.

was married.

I'm not sure.

I'm just not sure.

Would you tell us

about itjoyce?

Everything about it.

Everything?

That's rightjoyce.

From the beginning.

I met Paul overseas.

He was a lieutenant.

I was nursing

in a hospital.

We made plans

to be married...

after we were both discharged.

Oh! Ho-ho!

Very well done, steward.

- Isn't he an expert, Paul?

- Well, he gets lots of practice.

After all, we aren't

the first newlyweds...

on this train,

Mrs. Webster.

Call me that again.

- Mrs. Webster.

- Mmm, that sounds so wonderful.

You know,

I was beginning to doubt...

whether I was ever

going to get to hear that-.

Youjust try

and get away now.

Will there be

anything else, sir?

Oh, no. No, thanks.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

- Good night, sir.

- Good night.

Paul...

I love you so much.

Why did we have to wait

so long?

Well, I, uh...

I wrote you after I

cracked up my plane-.

And scared me

halfout of my wits.

You wouldn't believe what that hospital

doctor told me when I called.

Well, what do you mean?

Well, according to him,

you were more dead than alive.

Almost every bone broken.

Completely torn,

mangled, smashed.

And you don't think

it was true?

Well, now, how could I?

Look at you.

You haven't got a mark.

You haven't got a scar.

You're much more handsome

than ever.

Do you know that nobody

would believe...

you were even

in a plane crash?

But it was true,

thoughJoyce.

By all rights,

I should be dead.

You don't mean that.

Lookjoyce,

you have a right to know. I...

I should have told you

before we were married.

- Told me what?

- How it was really.

Why I made us wait

so long-.

You see, honey-

- Who is it?

- It'; me again.

- I have some more wires.

- And nobody was supposed to know...

we were even on this train.

Come in.

Here you are, miss.

- Thank you. Here, you open these.

- All righty.

You folks certainly

must be popular.

Especially with the telegraph company.

- Oh.

- Is something wrong?

Well,

it's from the girls...

at the hospital

where I worked.

You know, there's such a thing

as being too well-informed.

- May I?

- You may not.

Those devils.

Oh, very nice-

An old buddy of mine-.

I didn't know we had

so many friends.

Yeah, me, either.

Oh, that's nice.

Ohh.

That's funny.

When's the next stop?

Well, let's see.

Yeah, 33 minutes.

No, it's 35 minutes.

- We're two minutes behind time.

- Not until then?

Actually, there's a mail pickup stop

just up ahead. That's why we're slowing down.

- But is there a phone?

- Yes. We only stop for a halfa minute.

No time for anyone

to leave the train.

Just so there's a phone.

Paul, what's wrong?

Please, honey,

tell me what's so important.

Paul,

I don't understand.

Please explain.

Paul.

Paul, hurry!

Paul!

Paul, hurry!

[Bell Rings J

Hurry. WW'- !

We're moving.

What?

Conductor, you've got

to stop the train.

It was supposed to be...

the happiest moment of my life-

my wedding.

And I'd just seen my husband's face

for the last time.

What did you do then,

Joyce?

I was frantic.

I got off

at the next stop.

I went back

to that platform...

but there was

no sign of Paul.

Nothing.

No one

had placed a call.

No one had seen him.

He'djust vanished.

And then what happened?

You wouldn't believe

it was possible...

would you?

A man you thought

you knew so well...

had married, even...

could just disappear...

completely

Even after talking to all

the people who knew him.

Finding nothing

at his last address.

I told the police.

hired private detectives.

checked with the army.

The only address they had

was an apartment hotel.

What about where he was born?

His family?

The army records

said Georgia.

Paul had never

mentioned his family.

I never thought

to ask him.

I loved him.

That's all that seemed

to matter.

StilLyou did

find something.

Months later.

Going through

Paul's things...

as I had a hundred times.

- His fraternity pin.

- And how did that help?

Ichecked

with the headquarters.

Wrote them.

They told me that Paul had

belonged to their chapter...

at Louisiana State University.

So... I went there.

They let me look

at the records.

I found an address

Paul had given them...

when he enrolled

in college.

And where was that?

Bayou Landing-

a whistle-stop

in the middle...

of the Louisiana

swamp country

I was the only passenger

to get off

Strangely, there wasn anothersoul to be seen.

The only evidence oflife was a deserted

day coach on the siding...

looking as alone

and out of place as I felt.

Well, I'll be.

Somebody meeting you here,

sweetheart?

No. I thought-

that is, I hoped somebody

would come to pick up this.

Well, that's me-

You just didn't get off.

You must have had

some good reason.

Do you know a place-

I think it's a plantation-

Called The Cypresses?

Uh-huh.

Would it be too much trouble

to take me there?

I'll gladly payyou.

They don't never

have no visitors.

- Was they expecting you?

- No, not exactly...

but they will know

who I am.

Well, for you, sweetheart,

I'll take a chance.

Go ahead.

just climb in-.

Go on. Climb in-.

Bet you never seen

nothing like that before.

You ever been in

the bayou country before?

It's so wild,

so primitive.

Yeah, and deadly.

You know

how long you'd last...

if you got 'I O0 yards

off of this road?

Maybe 'I O minutes-

lfthe Quicksand didn't get you-...

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