The Escape of Lacey Abbott

Originally Aired: January 19, 1950

Suspense #368, "The Escape of Lacey Abbott," stars William Powell as Lacey Abbott, a man who has spent two years confined in the psychopathic ward at Bellevue Hospital. When his lawyer Nicholas Westland visits, Lacey seizes his opportunity for freedom in the most violent way possible: he strangles Westland, switches clothes with him, and forges the lawyer's signature to walk out of the institution. Free at last, Lacey purchases a .45 automatic from a pawnshop and makes his way to a lavish Park Avenue apartment with a single-minded purpose.

His destination is the home of Martin Avery, a man from Lacey's past who appears to be living comfortably with his wife and son. As Lacey forces his way into Avery's study and draws the gun, he reveals that authorities believe he killed his own wife Kate, but Lacey insists it was Martin who committed the murder. Now, with his picture splashed across newspaper front pages and police searching the city, Lacey settles in for what he promises will be a long night of reckoning. He's waited two years for this confrontation, and whether Martin Avery sees another dawn depends entirely on what happens in the hours ahead.