Night Watch
by Lucille Fletcher
Unable to sleep, Elaine Wheeler paces the living room of her Manhattan townhouse,
troubled by unsettling memories and vague fears. Her husband tries to comfort her, but when
he steps away for a moment Elaine screams as she sees the body of a dead man in the
window across the way. The police are called, but find nothing except an empty chair.
Elaine's terror grows as shortly thereafter she sees still another body-this time a woman's-but
by now the police are skeptical and pay no heed to her frantic pleas. Her husband, claiming
that Elaine may be on the verge of a breakdown, calls in a psychiatrist, who agrees with his
suggestion that Elaine should commit herself to a sanitarium for treatment. From this point
on, the plot moves quickly and grippingly as those involved-Elaine's old friend and house
guest Blanche; the inquisitive and rather sinister man who lives next door; and the nosy
German maid Helga-all contribute to the deepening suspense and mystery of the play as it
draws towards its riveting and chilling climax.
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