Three Secrets Page #2

Hey, where's the news?

You'd think they'd get out bulletins.

Who is this Johnnie Peterson, anyway?

Why are you so interested?

A terrific story.

Plane crash up in the Sierra,

man and his wife killed.

Somehow the little boy survived.

He's Johnnie Peterson.

Not even injured?

Nobody knows. There's no way of getting

to him except on foot.

Bill, how terrible.

Great day for a youngster

to spend his birthday, isn't it?

Hey. What about my drink?

Oh, I'm sorry, darling.

Here. See if it's dry enough.

Perfect. Perfect as usual.

We have just concluded the program

of recorded favorites.

This is station KWB, the voice of San Diego.

Here we go, now you'll hear all about it.

Hello, mother.

Hello, Bill.

You're all packed and ready to go.

Drink, mother?

Thank you.

We take you now to the editorial room,

for our round-up of the news.

Here it comes.

In the deepening shadow of Thunder Mountain,

preparations are under way to rescue

little Johnnie Peterson,

believed miraculously alive after a plane crash

that killed Eric and Helga Peterson

of Los Angeles.

When Army Air Force pictures gave the

first hint that Johnnie might be alive

a helicopter twice tried to land

a volunteer rescuer, Sargeant William Lions,

but failed because of perilous downdrafts.

State patrolmen, forest rangers

and mountaineers

are now converging on Jackson's Lodge

at the base of Thunder Mountain.

There, an effort will be made at dawn to scale

the sheer face of the cliff literally hand over hand.

Meanwhile the tragedy takes on added poignancy

with the revelation that Johnnie Peterson,

whose fifth birthday it is today,

was an adopted child.

The sturdy little boy, whose plight

in the darkening mountain

has captured the tense imagination

of the entire country

was adopted from the foundling home

The Shelter in Los Angeles.

It was while en route to Los Angeles

in a private plane piloted by Mr. Peterson...

I'm sorry.

Forget it honey, it was giving me

the jitters too.

I'll do it, Bill. You'd better hurry.

You haven't much time.

All right. I won't give it another thought.

I'll just go upstairs and change.

Susan... Susan, get hold of yourself.

Susan, do you think yours was the only child

born five years ago today?

He came from The Shelter.

And hundreds of babies.

Mother, you only have to look at him.

What do you expect me to see?

He has my mouth and my colour...

Is that your evidence?

A newspaper picture five years later?

Be sensible.

I can't help it. I can feel it, he's mine.

All right, what if he is?

There isn't anything you can do about it.

Except throw away your marriage.

What do you think you can tell Bill?

What I should have told him

a long time ago.

The truth.

It's too late for the truth.

Darling, listen to me.

If I hadn't listened to you my child

wouldn't be in that mountain.

I'm trying to help you.

You made a mistake

and you've done your penance.

Five minutes ago you told me

you'd wrapped up your girlish grief.

Don't bring it out in the open again.

Don't do this to yourself.

And Susan, don't do it to Bill.

If that's Ralph, honey,

tell him I'll be right down.

It's written all over your face, Susan,

pull yourself together.

Come in, Mr. Lewis.

Thank you.

Hello, Mrs. Connor.

Hello, Ralph.

Hi, Susan. Our boy ready?

He's coming right now.

Are you all set for the case, Ralph?

If Lewis&Chase don't win this one

we're hocking our law books

and going to the beach.

It would be more like it if we don't

get there on time.

Is Betty driving us to the station?

She certainly wants to.

Hi, Mrs. Connors.

Hello, Betty.

Bill.

Oh, excuse me, folks, official business.

I do love you.

Don't tell me that now, honey.

I've got to go to Sacramento.

Miss me.

I will, darling.

Bye, mother.

And keep the wolves from the door.

Shall we see a movie when I get rid

of the legal eagles?

Perhaps tomorrow, Betty.

Right, I'll call you.

Bye.

Come on.

Susan.

You sit down, darling. I'll see about dinner.

Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this program

to bring you another on the spot report

from Thunder Mountain.

This is Bill Welsh.

In the glare of the emergency lights...

men are working feverishly to prepare

for the ascent which will start at dawn.

This reporter hasn't seen such team work

since the war, five years ago.

Five years ago, five years ago,

five years ago...

Joe gave me your message.

What happened, what's wrong?

We got our Christmas presents early.

We're shipping out.

Oh, Paul.

They wouldn't let me call.

And I couldn't leave without saying

good-bye to you.

Paul, darling,

I love you so.

Don't say that.

Supposing I don't come back to you.

You will, nothing's going to happen.

That isn't what I mean.

Susan, I had to see you because I...

Because I had to talk to you.

I haven't much time.

But... is it something more

than shipping out?

Susan...

This...

hasn't just been another short leave.

You've got to believe that.

If you weren't so wonderful I'd have

just gotten on that ship and gone.

Paul, what are you trying to say?

There's someone else.

Someone else?

Back home.

Before I met you.

I can't forget her, I tried to,

but I can't.

You really love her?

We went to school together,

we've known each other since we were kids.

Susan, I can't even explain it to myself.

All I can ask is please forgive me.

Say something.

Say good-bye to me.

Tell me you hope I get killed,

but don't just stand there looking at me.

Hold it!

What are you doing here?

You're in shipment?

Yes, sir.

All right, get his name.

Forget it.

We're gonna give you a break.

Get back to your barracks and stay there.

Thank you, sir.

Don't thank me, thank Christmas.

And her.

You better go on home, Miss.

Your feet are wet.

You're liable to catch cold.

Susan.

Susan.

Susan.

Operator... operator!

What'll I do?

What'll I do now?

You've got a whole life ahead of you,

darling.

A rich, full life.

You've got to go on living.

I'm so ashamed.

When I went to the doctor...

I pretended I was married.

He knew I wasn't.

Why didn't you let me die?

No, Susan.

You made one mistake, a bad one.

I won't let you make another.

I've thought it all out.

We'll go away until it's all over.

And then we'll come back.

Alone.

No one need ever know.

Trust me, darling.

I want to forgive you.

I hope God will, too.

In the last few months I've begun to feel

as though the bookstore were really my own.

All your usual customers come in and ask

how you and Susan are enjoying your trip

I know they'll be delighted when I tell them

you're returning in about two weeks.

Mother, I can't go through with it.

I won't let my child be adopted.

All the arrangements have been made.

I can't help that, I won't give him up.

What do you plan to do instead?

Keep him, bring him up.

And what pose will you maintain?

He'll never know.

I'll tell him I was married...

that his father was killed.

You can't keep that kind of secret forever.

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