Fragile-Contents Death

Originally Aired: May 22, 1956 Suspense #651, "Fragile-Contents Death," Postmaster Doug Jordan's routine morning is shattered by a chilling anonymous phone call. A time bomb has been mailed to someone in his city, set to detonate at 2:30 that afternoon—less than five hours away. The caller, troubled by conscience, warns that the device will explode either on timer or when opened, but refuses to reveal the intended victim's name before the line goes dead. With thousands of packages flowing through his post office and no way to identify which one contains death, Jordan faces an impossible task. He immediately assembles his team—Fox, Stuart, and postal inspector Ed Williams—to begin a desperate search through the mail. As the clock ticks toward detonation, Jordan orders all delivery trucks recalled, substations contacted, and every package brought back for examination. The team calls in the state police explosive expert and arranges for a fluoroscope to be flown in, hoping technology can help identify the bomb without triggering it. The memory of a carrier in Bowling Green, Kentucky, nearly killed by a similar device, haunts their efforts as they race against time to prevent tragedy.