Thriller s06e04 - Dial A Deadly Number

[michaellevenson]

A young man, Paul Kirby , walks up the stairs of a lonely country mansion, up to the landing, knocks on the door, wants to see Helen. Suddenly the door opens, someone holding a large curved blade, Paul is stabbed and crashes down the stairs, looking down on him is Helen Curry with knife in hand screaming. Helen then wakes up, in bed, a bad dream..or was it?
Helen picks up phone and calls a friend.
Helen, " Hello Audrey, Helen Curry here, how are you? Fine, erm that psychiatrist you recommended Dr Porton, have you got his number? No,it's not for me, a friend, yes thank you."


American small time actor Dave Adams returns to the London apartment he shares with Tim Foster, bemoaning the fact he was turned down for a role in the local theatre because he wasn't in Equity the actors union. Tim owns the apartment and is getting fed up with Dave and his constant excuses for not getting a job.Tim has lent him money many times and suggests Dave goes home. Dave wants yet another loan, his security he says is his future acting success and he'll pay it back. Tim is firm, no more loans, also he disapproves of how Dave is treating Susie a friend of them both. Dave says he squires her around town , gives her a good time, and says Tim , lets her pick up the bills. Dave is a louse and Tim's patience is running thin.


Suddenly the phone rings , it's Helen Curry, asking Doctor Porton for an appointment, she's suffering from violent dreams, she needs help psychiatric help urgently. Before Dave can say she's dialled the wrong number, she talks of money and she'll pay over the odds for a consultation now. Dave, the louse that he is, says sure he'll come over, takes down the address and hangs up. Tim wants to know what is going on, Dave says he's off out to help a poor neurotic girl, a poor neurotic very rich girl.

 

[michaellevenson]

Dave is at the mansion posing as Dr.Porton listening intently as Helen tells him of these terrible dreams she is having, murdering a young man she has never seen, there's lots of blood, and some of her dreams has her cleaning blood off the walls. Dave looking very earnest, using his acting skills, says Helen needs treatment, a number of sessions, which may he expensive , but he'll devote his time to helping her. He writes down a phone number to contact him, Tim's apartment number of course, doesn’t want her phoning the real Dr Porton and says he'll return tomorrow first thing. Into the room walks another young lady, this is Ann Curry, Helen's sister, Helen introduces Dave as just a friend, she doesn't want Anne to know she's getting psychiatric help.


Back at Tim's, Tim is appalled that Dave went through with it, Dave says Helen is just a spoilt rich girl with too much imagination and he's actually helping her by talking it all out, and it's all harmless. Dave looks for some saccharine tablets that he'll say are tranquillisers to give Helen. Tim says Dave is now acting below the louse level.

Paul Kirby, stabbed at the foot of the stairs, Helen gleefully holding the knife, blood everywhere, Helen screams.....

Dave returns, Helen has had another dream, at least she hopes it was s dream. Dave gives her the saccharine tablets, "take two , they may seem awfully sweet but they'll help". Helen goes upstairs for a rest, Ann enters the drawing room. Ann has worked out he's a doctor and says how worried she is for Helen. Ann says Helen is a worrier, worries about Ann, not getting married, being left on the shelf. Ann says she had a boyfriend, Paul Kirby, Helen got excited as if he was her boyfriend , Helen is very protective of Anne and when her relationship with Paul ended , Helen took it badly. Dave is beginning to get interested in this case despite only being here to get money out of the situation.

 

[michaellevenson]

Back at Tim's apartment Dave is relaxing on the couch while Tim is at his desk working on his P.C. Dave is reading a book on psychiatry and gives his verdict in the Curry case. " It's called transference , Ann had this boyfriend Paul Kirby, Helen actually wanted him, but she couldn't he was Ann's, so she tells herself she's just looking after her sister by getting involved. That's on the outside, but inside she really wanted him, so she can't so in her dreams she just does away with the guy." Dave laughs, Tim doesn't seem impressed, Dave mischievously says, " I wouldn't expect a layman like you to understand Tim."
Tim has just about had enough of this guy, " it's immoral and illegal."
Dave replies," no one is going to tell, not you Timmo or I'll spread you over these walls, relax Tim, don't be so serious."

In a detective agency, Mr O'Hara is listening to Sally Kirby, a potential client, who wants him to find her brother Paul who has been missing for several weeks. Sally tells him that Ann Curry is his girlfriend and she spoke to her sister Helen about Paul's whereabouts but Helen Curry told her they hadn't seen Paul either in weeks. Sally tells O'Hara that she has a feeling that Helen Curry was lying. O'Hara promises to visit the Curry mansion.

 

[michaellevenson]

O'Hara is at the Curry mansion, there was no answer at the front door, so he goes into the gardens, through the French windows and into the drawing room, no one is about, he pops his trilby hat on the hatstand then he climbs the stairs. At the top looks in horror, a curved blade is slashed at him, he falls, blood pouring out of him, he collapses at the foot of the stairs. Later Helen is at the top of the stairs looking at the bloodstained walls, " please no, not again."
Dave enters Tim's apartment and sees his luggage packed. Tim is unrepentant, " that's right Dave I'm throwing you out, what you do is your business, where you do it is mine, I want you out."

Dave protests that things are going great, he's paid back Tim all he owed, his stuff is out of hock, but Tim is unmoved and says if Helen calls here again he'll tell her the truth.
Back at Helen's Dave says he needs to move in, to be close to Helen in the critical part of her treatment coming up. Is there no depth Dave won't sink to?! Ann thinks it's a tremendous idea, but Helen is afraid, she privately tells Ann she wants him to go. Why are you afraid of him asks Ann, Helen replies she is not afraid of him.

Dave and Helen are having another 'session' when the doorbell chimes, Helen answers it, it is Sally Kirby, looking for Paul. Helen repeats what she already told her on the phone, they haven't seen him for ages. Sally is unhappy with this answer, and tells her that she's hired a private detective named O'Hara and that surely he's been here. Helen says, no, no one has been here. Sally leaves, and Dave listening to all this is concerned, especially as he sees on the hatstand a trilby, the hat is labelled under the brim , the label says 'J. O'Hara.'

 

[michaellevenson]

The next day Dave and Ann are at breakfast when Helen walks in dressed in black. It is the anniversary of Mother's death, and Helen as usual is going to visit the grave. This year Ann says she's not going, it's morbid, Helen stalks off. Dave sits there eating until Ann reminds him, '" as her doctor shouldn't you go with her?"

At the grave, trouble, the gravestone has been vandalised, Helen runs back home crying, Dave tells her what's happened, then picks up the trilby hat and asks Ann how did this hat belonging to J O'Hara get here? Ann says it's obvious, " J O'Hara brought it here on his head." Dave reckoned that too, Helen was lying about O'Hara not coming.


Tim meanwhile is smartly dressed for an evening out when the door bell rings, he sighs as he opens the door to see Dave. Dave just wants a chat, he reckons he's got in a bit too deep with the Curry situation. Too many things just don't add up, the hat, the gravestone, Helen Curry might actually be dangerous. Tim mocks, " no one can be more dangerous than you Dave."
Dave notices Tim's smart clothes, Tim replies, " yeah I'm taking Susie out, you remember her, your previous meal ticket."
After Dave has gone the phone rings, it's Helen wanting to speak to Dr Porton, she's had another dream. Tim is resolved to doing the correct thing, he tells her the truth about Dave...oh dear!

Sally Kirby is at O'Hara's office, he's gone missing now, the caretaker hasn't seen him for a few days.

 

[michaellevenson]

Dave is back at the mansion, Helen looks daggers at him, but says nothing, she is going out for an evening walk, alone, Dave says okay, see you at dinner.
The mansion has a stables and Ann and Dave go riding while Helen is out on her own. They dismount by a tree and rest on the grass. Dave says Ann needs to have no worries about being left on the shelf, they kiss.
Tim is on the phone to Susie cancelling their dinner date, he apologises but it's Dave," I feel I've let him down , yeah he deserves it but that's how I feel, I'm going to try and resolve this mess."
Dave notices the wine bottle on the sideboard is almost empty, no bother, there's a well stocked wine cellar in the basement. He enters the basement, racks of wine bottles, he bends down to pull a bottle from the rack, and stops in horror, behind the rack is a body in a transparent polythene body bag, it's Paul Kirby. He stands up, stumbling backwards, looks down, another body bag, it's O'Hara .
The door of the basement opens, a curved blade is seen then a figure holding it, Dave backs away. From the hallway we can hear screams as Dave is stabbed.

Helen awakes from sleep, is startled to see Sally Kirby over her bed. Sally apologises for entering the house," but there was no answer at the front door. O'Hara is missing, that's two people who were last seen at this house that have vanished."
Helen ,"I haven't seen anyone."
Sally, " you haven't, but what about Ann?"
Helen, " she hasn't either."
Sally," I'd like her to tell me that. Where is she?"
They are now in the downstairs hall ,
Sally ," if I don't get to see her then I'll have to go to the police."
Helen relents, " you better see Ann then, she's in the cellar."
Sally is about to go into the cellar when the doorbell chimes, Sally answers it, it's Tim looking sheepish, " my name's Tim I'm a friend of Dave Miss Curry, Dave , you see he was here posing as a Doctor Porton, and I've rather let the side down, I'd like to explain, where is he ?"
Suddenly a cry is heard from the cellar, it's Dave. Helen turns to a portrait in the hall, of her and Ann's mother, she says to the portrait, " I've tried mother, to look after Ann, I've kept my promise. "


Tim rushes over to the cellar door as Dave is heard crying out. At the foot of the stairs is Dave , covered in blood, Ann standing over him with a curved blade in her hands, licking the blood off of it, and hysterically laughing.

 

[michaellevenson]

Police and ambulance arrive, Helen and Ann are taken away. In the drawing room Sally Kirby and Tim listen intently to the police psychiatrist who had pieced the puzzle together.

Doctor, " this started with the mother, she was unstable and recognised this instability in her daughters, particularly Ann. She extracted a deathbed promise from Helen to look after Ann. Helen did this so completely that when Ann murdered her boyfriend Paul Kirby because he was walking out on her, as her father had done, Helen assumed the guilt. But her mind couldn't take it, that's why the dreams began, then when O'Hara was murdered the mental collapse began"
Tim "are they going to be okay?"
The Doctor, " given time Helen can be a normal healthy girl again, but Ann, sadly no, insane "
Passing the door are two paramedics escorting Dave out, he is mumbling incoherently, and moaning.
The Doctor sadly looks on, " we counted nearly 200 knife wounds on him, most barely broke the skin, but they broke him psychologically, broke his spirit and courage, he'll need psychiatric treatment for a very long time"

Cast:
Dave....Gary Collins
Helen.....Gemma Jones
Sally.....Beth Morris
Ann....Linda Liles
Tim.....Cavan Kendall
O'Hara....Peter Schofield
Paul......Dennis Blanch

On to next episode

Thriller- s06e05- Kill Two Birds

Charley Draper is out of prison and his first port of call is his old friend nicknamed Busby, an old boy, living in a dingy bedsit. Charley walks in proclaiming, " Charley 's home and Charley's rich." Unfortunately Busby is dead on the bed, throat cut. Into the room walks three men, London...

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