(Like \"Captain of the Polestar\" (adaptation) and \"Time and again\" or \"The Vampire Plant\" (original), this IMO is what mystery radio should be. And while the original version I\'ve read of this tale didn\'t have the \"wife\" aspect, the CBSRMT scriptwriter did a fine job of incorporating it into the play. <span><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;index=aps&amp;keywords=The%20Hand%20by%20Guy%20de%20Maupassant&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=cbs-rmt-20\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"The Hand\">This is based upon a short story by the French writer Guy de Maupassant.)</a></span>

Monsieur Donet, a police magistrate on the French island of Corsica has a mysterious new neighbor.

The man constantly is involved in target practice and hunting. He\'s a rich englishman, Sir John Rowell, and he\'s relocated to the island for a private retreat. He guards his privacy ferociously...immigration records the police magistrate has seen say Sir John has a wife there too, but no one has seen her.

Then, Msr. Donet decides to make friends with Sir John. He visits the man at his mansion and is invited in for a glass of ale and english cheeses. While Sir John is a gracious host, the magistrate is somewhat unnerved by the vast collection of mounted animal heads on his wall, and is even more perplexed by what Sir John says is a spot for his greatest trophy - it\'s a large, velvet lined picture frame. Sir John hints that THAT trophy would be reserved for a man, the most dangerous creature, and that he may never fill it.

Shortly thereafter, Sir John is alerted by his servant that his dogs (which have been trained to kill on his command) have cornered someone. While he hurries to see what\'s happened, the magistrate twists his ankle in pursuit and has to stay by the house. At that moment, a mysterious, shaken woman appears at the doorway and begs Msr. Donet to mail a letter for her. The magistrate pockets the letter and she disappears...when Sir John returns the magistrate notices the englishman wears \"an American style gun belt\" with two matched pistols and that his hand is right above the right gun. The disturbance is quickly forgotten, the two men become friends, but the magistrate finally mails the letter, which he notices has a U.S. address.

Months later, Msr. Donet pays a friendly visit to Sir John bearing a mail package. Sir John is convinced he knows what it is and confronts the magistrate, who apologetically says that he was just trying to help. Even though Sir John seems to understand the magistrate meant no harm he says the magistrate may have signed the englishman\'s death warrant. Sir John asks Msr. Donet to watch as he unwraps the package. It contains a huge, dessicated but not skeletal hand.

Later, Sir John asks Msr. Donet to be a witness to his will and testament. The latter man is stunned to see the hand in the \"frame\" trophy case, but instead of being mounted, it is \"imprisoned\" with a huge chain bolted into a link that would hold \"an elephant\"...

(This one is a little more cerebral than \"Polestar\" but worth a listen if you\'ve not heard it yet....) <br>