The Lady In Red by The Mysterious Traveler

My name is Bill Storm.

I'm a newspaper reporter, and I'm writing this because I have a date tonight, a date with a gorgeous brunette with big, dark eyes and the softest voice in the world.

[laughs] Sounds nice, doesn't she? Well, I'd like to believe she's nice, but I can't.

In my heart, I know she's the most dangerous woman in the world, and up to a week ago, I'd never even heard of her.

A week ago, the day of Rusty Dean's funeral, you know, the big shot, gambling, slot machines, killed by a solitary gunman while stepping out of his nightclub.

They didn't catch the killer, but they gave Rusty the biggest funeral since Prohibition.

I was on the rewrite desk that afternoon.

My best friend, Tom Jarvis, was covering the funeral.

Well, along about 4:00, he phoned in.

First, he gave me all the dope on the funeral, and then he started telling me about some brunette he'd just met.

He was always a sucker for brunettes.

Bill, she's a knockout, big, black eyes, and the smoothest, softest voice in the world.

I want you to meet her.

No, blondes are more my style, Tom.

Anyway, you're supposed to be working, or have you forgotten?

I am working.

Listen, Bill, I got a front-page story here.

Theda led me to it.

Who did?

Theda, that's her, T-H-E-D-A, Theda, like Theda Bara, the old silent picture star.

Now, this is how it happened.

I was watching the crowd at Rusty's funeral when I spotted a trim little number in red whispering to Joe Nelson.

Who's Nelson?

Joe Nelson, a small-time thug.

Well, anyway, she moved off, and I thought she might be a relative of the deceased, so I asked Joe about her, but he claimed he'd never seen her before, and that all she said to him was, "4:00 at the Banner Bar and Grill."