The Unsuspected - Noir - 1947

The life of Victor Grandison, a successful New York City radio host of a crime program largely focusing on the psychology of murder mysteries, is upended with the passing of two important people in his life in quick succession. First, Matilda Frazier, his niece and ward since the passing of her father, was lost at sea in a shipwreck in the South Atlantic. Matilda was deeded the bulk of her father's vast estate, including the suburban New York mansion where she and Victor - "Grandi" - lived with Matilda's cousin, Althea Keane, and her husband, Oliver Keane, who was romantically involved with Matilda before he left her for Althea. Now unhappy in their marriage in the union being borne out of something other than love, at least on her side, Oliver, an artist, has turned to the bottle to cope. And second, Victor's personal secretary, Roslyn Wright, was found hanging from the chandelier in Victor's soundproofed office in the mansion, an apparent suicide, she alone in the mansion at the time while Victor was at the studio in the city doing his regular broadcast. Despite being in somewhat of a similar situation in being a close female employee of Victor's, Jane Moynihan, the show's sharp tongued producer, does not fear a similar fate for herself. Two subsequent items happen following also in quick succession that may have a bearing on these events. First, Steven Francis Howard, a cordial enough young man no one in their circle has ever met, claims to have been Matilda's husband. And second, news gets back to New York that Matilda has been found in Brazil, she who has been recovering there from her trauma, hence the reason news did not make it back to Victor and Steven before. Upon Matilda's arrival back to New York, she seems to be healthy enough, both physically and emotionally, with the exception of not remembering either being married let alone to Steven, who she does not recognize. The question then becomes if Steven is or is not truly her husband, and if not what he wants out of Matilda and/or if his presence has anything to do with the remaining tragedy in Victor's life, namely Roslyn's death, especially as the police eventually do rule her death a murder and not suicide.