A Terribly Strange Bed

Originally Aired: June 7, 1954 Suspense #555, "A Terribly Strange Bed," young Englishman Gerald Titchener finds himself in Paris with his friend Henry Calder, searching for thrills beyond the respectable gambling houses. Their quest leads them to a poverty-stricken gaming establishment where Gerald experiences an unprecedented winning streak, breaking the bank and accumulating a fortune tied up in his handkerchief. His extraordinary luck attracts the attention of Fabian Nero, a disreputable old soldier with bloodshot eyes, mangy moustaches, and suspiciously dirty hands who ingratiates himself with the young winners. As champagne flows and Gerald's intoxication deepens, Fabian celebrates the triumph with excessive enthusiasm while Henry watches with growing unease. The eerie silence of the desperate gamblers they first encountered and Fabian's overeager attention create an atmosphere of mounting dread. Gerald's newfound wealth, so easily won in this place of quiet tragedy and barely concealed evil, may prove far more dangerous than either young man anticipated in their search for forbidden pleasures along the dark Seine.