The Twelfth Rose

Originally Aired: June 5, 1956 Suspense #653, "The Twelfth Rose," presents a chilling murder mystery when Dolores Robbins is found strangled in her New York City apartment at 12:15 PM. The killer's weapon is as unusual as it is intimate: the twelfth rose from a dozen delivered to her apartment, its green support wire twisted around her neck until the stem broke but the wire held. Detectives questioning the maid and Dolores's friend Mildred Butler learn that the victim had mentioned meeting a man named Carl Owens, someone she'd just met but planned to see again. With no fingerprints and few leads, the detectives pin their hopes on one possibility: finding the florist who sold those roses and getting an identification of the buyer. The investigation leads to Helen Craig, manager of a small flower shop on the east side. Just as her shop closes for the night, a tall gentleman she'd served the previous day returns, claiming to deliver thanks from his mother who received the roses in the hospital. But as their conversation grows increasingly unsettling and Helen finds herself alone with this mysterious Mr. Johnson, it becomes clear that the killer may be thinking several steps ahead of the police.