Telling

Originally Aired: July 20, 1954

Suspense #561, "Telling," presents a troubled young man desperately seeking validation and respect. Terry Ellis returns home to England after being dismissed from his job in Ceylon, the latest in a string of failures that includes expulsion from school and Cambridge. His father warns him this is his last chance, while his successful older brothers John and Charles stand in stark contrast to his own shortcomings. Terry believes that winning the love of Josephine, a young woman with chestnut hair who treats him with polite but distant affection, will prove his worth. When his brother Charles warns him that Josephine isn't the settling type and hints at her reputation, Terry's obsession intensifies.

As Terry stands in the ruins of an old chapel, his mind racing through these recent memories, he notices with sudden surprise the blood on his hands. The gardener's fresh-cut grass lies nearby, and Terry grows anxious at the thought of someone discovering him. What has driven this desperate young man to violence, and what terrible act has he committed to finally make people believe in him?