Originally Aired: June 12, 1956
In Suspense #654, "A Matter of Timing," a hired killer arrives in town to carry out a carefully planned assassination. Carl Loman has arranged to meet the professional hitman through a chain of contacts, hiring him to murder his business partner Mark. The two men set up in an empty storefront across from Mark's apartment building, with Carl promising an ironclad alibi. However, when their target fails to appear at the expected time of eight o'clock in the morning, the plan begins to unravel. The killer grows increasingly impatient, demanding answers and insisting he must leave town by nightfall.
As tensions mount, Carl reveals his motive: Mark thinks he's smarter than Carl, and eliminating him will allow Carl to take over the business from Mark's widow. When the killer forces Carl to investigate Mark's whereabouts, they discover Mark was delayed by his wife's illness but is now at the office. Carl learns that Mark has scheduled a secret evening meeting in an isolated location to finalize an important property deal. The question becomes whether Carl can redirect his hired assassin to this new time and place before the killer's deadline expires.
