A Story of Poison

Originally Aired: September 13, 1955 In Suspense #615, "A Story of Poison," Dr. Neil Cream arrives in London seeking a fresh start after the death of his wife Emily in Hull. What the kindly boarding house proprietress Mrs. Minnes and her daughter Daisy don't know is that Cream methodically poisoned Emily over six months, watching with clinical detachment as she slowly succumbed. When Cream arrogantly submits an anonymous medical paper about the case to a journal, it catches the attention of Inspector Waring at Scotland Yard, who suspects the author may be describing his own crime. As Cream settles into his new lodgings and charms his way into the Minnes household, he begins a romance with Mildred Vickers, a young woman he meets at a Hammersmith pub. He lavishes her with flowers, dinners, and theater outings, but when Millie casually announces she must end their relationship because her real sweetheart is returning from sea, Cream's veneer of civility cracks. What follows is a chilling demonstration of the cold-blooded killer's methods, leaving Cream haunted by nightmares as the police investigation begins to close in.