Fish for Entree | Death at 7-10 - The Crime Club

[00:00:06] Hello, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the Crime Club. I'm the librarian. Fish for Entree. Yes, we have that story for you. Come right over.

[00:00:23] You're here. Good. Take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The manuscript is on this shelf. Here it is, Fish for Entree. The very unusual story of a fishing expedition that was foul with murder. Let's look at it under the reading lamp.

[00:01:02] Being the son of the local chief of police never kept Barney Crawford from doing anything that was normal. Example? Well, Barney loved to go fishing.

[00:01:12] It was late one bright sunny morning and far out on the bay in a rowboat that was being rocked by the choppy water, Barney Crawford was holding a line. And Janice Turner, his fiancee, was just about holding her own.

[00:01:28] Hmm. Hmm. What a day. Yes. Why are they, Barney? Who, Janice? The fish. Oh. What's the matter, dear? You look green. I feel green. Well, why didn't you say so?

[00:01:43] I was trying to be very brave, Barney. Nonsense. I'll pull in my line and we'll get back to shore. Thank you, dear. I'll have it up in a... Wait a minute. I don't know if I can. Something's on there to catch. Can't you shake it loose? I'd rather not look at a fish right now.

[00:01:56] You have to sit in here all morning. Wow, it must be a whale. Look at the way the rod is bent. Would you mind if I didn't? Lucky I brought out the heavy equipment. Just a few more seconds, Janice, and I'll have them. Hold everything.

[00:02:07] I'm trying to, Barney. Easy does it. Easy. I've got to be careful he doesn't snap the rod. He's not fighting now. Well, when I get him to the surface, you'll see a battle. Some fish wait until that... He's breaking water. Don't look, Janice. It's a body. It's the body of a man. We're going back to shore and call my father. He'll want to know about this. Barney, take Janice away from here. This is no place for... I'm not going, Chief. Now, see here, Janice. I'm not going. You see what I mean, Dad? She's your woman, son. Chief. Chief. Chief.

[00:02:50] Chief Robert. Now, what is it, Bailey? The coroner's finished. He says the guy was killed by two bullets in the back of the neck. I saw that for myself. How long has he been dead? About three days. Three days, huh? Who was he? I didn't check him for identification, sir. I thought you might want... All right, all right. I'll do it. Let's go.

[00:03:04] Janice, that was no invitation to watch. But I'm accepting it anyhow, Barney. Do you have to see everything? Now, you make a list, Bailey. I'll check his pockets. Okay, Chief. You ready? Yep.

[00:03:12] Here. Chewing gun. Some cigarettes. Toothpicks. It's all in this pocket. Now, let's see. Nothing in the other. Now, the inside pocket.

[00:03:28] Hello? What's this?

[00:03:30] What? Barney, it's a dead fish.

[00:03:32] Here, Bailey. Throw it back in the water. Okay, Chief.

[00:03:35] Now, let's see what else there is.

[00:03:37] Hmm. Card. Press card.

[00:03:40] Dad, that fellow must have been a newspaper man.

[00:03:43] You don't say.

[00:03:44] Well, what I mean is...

[00:03:45] Janice, take him away before he solves this case.

[00:03:47] Oh, now, look here, Dad.

[00:03:48] Now, look, I'm too busy. Three days in the water's washed up while they're writing it off this card and the name, too.

[00:03:53] Bailey.

[00:03:53] Yeah?

[00:03:54] What do you know about a newspaper man who disappeared three days ago?

[00:03:57] A newspaper man?

[00:03:58] Check with missing persons when you get back to headquarters.

[00:04:00] A newspaper man. There was a call a couple of days ago from a family of a certain Cal Foster.

[00:04:05] Cal Foster, the Daily Register reporter?

[00:04:07] That's the one, Barney.

[00:04:08] You know anything about him, Barney?

[00:04:09] Well, he was a byline writer, Dad. He was working on a series exposing rackets.

[00:04:13] Sure, I remember him.

[00:04:14] If that's the body of Cal Foster, then I've got a hunch.

[00:04:17] Yeah.

[00:04:19] All right, Bailey. Get me pictures right away.

[00:04:21] I'm going to take one up to Sam Saliver, the publisher of the Daily Register.

[00:04:24] Maybe he can tell us what we ought to know.

[00:04:35] Mr. Saliver, do you recognize the man in this picture?

[00:04:38] Yes, well, certainly. That's Cal Foster, one of...

[00:04:42] But Chief Crawford, he looks dead.

[00:04:44] He is. He was murdered.

[00:04:46] What?

[00:04:47] My son, Barney, and Miss Turner here fished him out of the bay this morning.

[00:04:50] Good Lord, he was my best reporter. He was...

[00:04:53] Yes?

[00:04:54] You're going to find his killer, Chief Crawford.

[00:04:57] This is one crime that's not going to go unsolved.

[00:04:59] Name the one crime in this town we didn't clear up, Mr. Saliver.

[00:05:02] I'm not going to argue with you. I want action.

[00:05:04] This paper's been fighting crime for months, exposing rackets, helping to bring criminals to justice.

[00:05:09] Oh, we know all about it.

[00:05:10] Cal Foster was doing the job with my support. Every racket in this state involving...

[00:05:14] Dad, would you mind if I ask Mr. Saliver one question?

[00:05:17] Barney, now...

[00:05:18] Just one, Dad. It might help you.

[00:05:21] All right.

[00:05:22] Thanks.

[00:05:23] Mr. Saliver, what was Cal Foster working on three days ago?

[00:05:27] I don't know.

[00:05:28] But you're his publisher.

[00:05:30] Cal never talked about what he was going to write until he was ready to write it.

[00:05:34] Oh, then he was about to begin a new series, huh?

[00:05:36] I think so, but just what it was going to be...

[00:05:39] Well, this may sound strange to you, Chief Crawford, but I seldom saw Cal.

[00:05:44] He did all his work away from the office.

[00:05:46] When he came in, it was to get my approval of something he wanted me to run.

[00:05:51] Last time I saw him was two weeks ago.

[00:05:53] What'd he bring in then?

[00:05:54] The astrology racket.

[00:05:56] Mr. Saliver.

[00:05:58] I'm sorry I busted in, Mr. Saliver, but I just heard a rumor about Cal.

[00:06:03] Cal Foster.

[00:06:04] Is it true?

[00:06:05] Who are you, miss?

[00:06:06] I'm Ann Brewster.

[00:06:07] I run the woman's column for this paper.

[00:06:09] Cal Foster and I are engaged to be married.

[00:06:11] Anything else you'd like to know?

[00:06:12] Maybe.

[00:06:13] Then you can send me a letter.

[00:06:14] I give out all kinds of advice and information.

[00:06:16] Now, Mr. Saliver...

[00:06:17] And that's Chief of Police Crawford and those two people with him.

[00:06:21] Police!

[00:06:22] Then...

[00:06:23] Then it's true Cal's dead.

[00:06:25] They told me he was murdered.

[00:06:27] Murder?

[00:06:28] Janice, see what you can do.

[00:06:30] Don't be foolish, Barney.

[00:06:31] There's nothing anyone can do at a time like this.

[00:06:33] I...

[00:06:34] I was coming out of my office when I met one of the reporters.

[00:06:39] He told me he was going down to the bay.

[00:06:41] Something about Cal having drowned.

[00:06:43] I didn't believe him.

[00:06:44] He was shot twice in the back of the neck.

[00:06:46] Now, would you know...

[00:06:47] Would I know what?

[00:06:48] Who killed him?

[00:06:49] Well, Chief, your guess is as good as mine.

[00:06:52] Cal was a racket buster.

[00:06:53] He exposed a lot of rackets.

[00:06:54] Yes, and that...

[00:06:56] Who are you?

[00:06:57] Janice Turner.

[00:06:58] I'm his, Barney's.

[00:06:59] Were you with the police?

[00:07:00] Well, I'm sort of engaged to...

[00:07:03] Excuse me.

[00:07:04] I'll keep my mouth shut from now on.

[00:07:06] See that you do.

[00:07:07] There's one thing I can tell you, Chief Crawford.

[00:07:09] What's that?

[00:07:10] Every gangster in this state was out to get Cal.

[00:07:12] I begged him to give up his job and go away with me.

[00:07:15] And?

[00:07:16] Cal wouldn't do it.

[00:07:17] Why, only four days ago, the last time I ever saw him, he...

[00:07:21] He was all set to break a new story, another racket.

[00:07:23] What about?

[00:07:24] He didn't tell me, Chief Crawford.

[00:07:26] But he did say it was going to be the biggest thing that ever hit this town.

[00:07:30] And he mentioned names.

[00:07:31] Oh?

[00:07:32] The first time he ever did it before publication.

[00:07:35] I think he was frightened.

[00:07:36] He didn't say so, but...

[00:07:37] Whose names did he mention, Miss Brewster?

[00:07:40] Tony Cropin, the gang leader, and Lon Fairbanks.

[00:07:42] The nightclub owner?

[00:07:43] Yes.

[00:07:44] But he didn't tell you what he found out about them.

[00:07:46] I said he didn't.

[00:07:47] All right.

[00:07:48] I thought maybe you'd forget yourself and remember.

[00:07:50] Chief Crawford, do you think I've lied to you?

[00:07:52] I'll let you know when I'm ready.

[00:07:53] Come on, Barney.

[00:07:54] Janice.

[00:07:55] There's just one question I'd like to ask Miss Brewster, Dad.

[00:07:57] She doesn't have to answer it unless I ask it, Barney.

[00:08:00] I'll take that chance.

[00:08:02] Did Cal Foster keep any notes or did he write from memory?

[00:08:05] He kept notes, but I never saw them.

[00:08:07] Thanks.

[00:08:08] I'm ready, Dad.

[00:08:09] Then we don't have to waste any more time, do we?

[00:08:15] Chief, do you really think that girl was lying?

[00:08:18] Goodbye, Janice.

[00:08:18] But, Chief...

[00:08:19] It's a nice day.

[00:08:20] Now, why don't you and Barney take a walk in the park?

[00:08:22] Where are you going, Dad?

[00:08:23] Tony Cropin.

[00:08:24] Well?

[00:08:25] Nothing doing now.

[00:08:26] You're going for a walk in the park.

[00:08:27] Well, Dad, we found...

[00:08:28] Now, look, son, would you mind if I did a police job all by myself?

[00:08:31] Well, you're not being fair, Dad.

[00:08:32] Don't tell your mother.

[00:08:33] See you at dinner.

[00:08:35] Tony Cropin doesn't turn out to be too telling.

[00:08:37] Yeah, maybe.

[00:08:38] Maybe.

[00:08:45] You got an idea?

[00:08:46] Mm-hmm.

[00:08:46] Those notes he kept.

[00:08:48] What was in them that made him dangerous enough to kill?

[00:08:51] Darling, aren't you assuming too much?

[00:08:53] Am I?

[00:08:53] Cal Foster wasn't killed by someone who didn't know what he was going to write about.

[00:08:57] No?

[00:08:57] Whoever killed him must have had a motive.

[00:09:00] Cal, in one of his published stories, stepped on somebody's toes...

[00:09:02] And that somebody got mad and boom.

[00:09:05] Let's walk away from here.

[00:09:08] I've got a theory about that girl, Ann Brewster.

[00:09:10] You think she's that somebody?

[00:09:12] She knows.

[00:09:13] And that act she put inside Mr. Saliver's office.

[00:09:16] Your father didn't fall for us.

[00:09:18] Well, maybe he didn't.

[00:09:19] But I'd like to see those notes anyway.

[00:09:21] Come on, we're going to Cal Foster's apartment.

[00:09:36] Imagine the son of a police chief picking a lock.

[00:09:38] Janice, please.

[00:09:39] And with a hairpin just like a racket.

[00:09:40] For Pete's sake, will you lower your voice the neighbors?

[00:09:43] Yes, dear, I'll shut up.

[00:09:46] Barney, you did that job like an expert.

[00:09:49] Let's get inside.

[00:09:50] Oh, my.

[00:09:51] Somebody's been here.

[00:09:54] You think maybe it was a hurricane?

[00:09:55] At least.

[00:09:57] Now what do we do?

[00:09:58] Let's go for that walk in the park.

[00:09:59] No, let's not.

[00:10:00] Somebody was looking for those notes.

[00:10:02] It couldn't be that someone was looking for something else, could it, Barney?

[00:10:04] Hmm?

[00:10:05] I've just had a brand new idea.

[00:10:07] Suppose Cal Foster and his girlfriend, Ann Brewster...

[00:10:10] You don't like that girl, do you?

[00:10:11] Suppose they were running a cute little blackmail racket.

[00:10:14] Janice.

[00:10:14] Cal Foster dug up a lot of dirt about dirty people.

[00:10:16] Whoever paid off was left alone.

[00:10:18] Whoever didn't was plastered in a newspaper column.

[00:10:20] Is that why Ann Brewster told Dad about Tony Croton and Lan Fairbanks?

[00:10:23] Exactly.

[00:10:24] Fall guys, you know.

[00:10:25] And the real killers, the ones Cal and she have been blackmailing...

[00:10:29] Right on blackmailing, eh?

[00:10:30] Sure.

[00:10:30] Fooey.

[00:10:32] Let's look for those notes.

[00:10:33] Now, if I wanted to hide some papers my life depended on, where would I put them?

[00:10:38] In your hat.

[00:10:39] Janice.

[00:10:40] All right, dear.

[00:10:41] Torture yourself.

[00:10:42] Where would I...

[00:10:43] Of course.

[00:10:44] I'm so glad.

[00:10:45] In my hat.

[00:10:46] What?

[00:10:46] My top hat.

[00:10:47] Let's see if Cal Foster owned one.

[00:10:48] Oh, now listen, Bonnie.

[00:10:49] I was only kidding.

[00:10:51] After all, dear.

[00:10:51] After all, darling.

[00:10:52] Look on the shelf in this closet.

[00:10:54] It doesn't prove a thing.

[00:10:56] You're just saying that because you're licked.

[00:10:58] Now, if this lining comes out without any trouble...

[00:11:00] Well, dear?

[00:11:05] Shut up.

[00:11:06] You don't have to be so proud of yourself.

[00:11:07] Here's a handful, darling.

[00:11:09] After all, if it hadn't been for me...

[00:11:11] What did you say?

[00:11:12] A handful of papers, Janice.

[00:11:13] Look through them.

[00:11:15] I'll read these.

[00:11:19] What's the matter?

[00:11:20] Proof.

[00:11:20] Right on this top page.

[00:11:21] The names of Tony Croton and Lan Fairbanks.

[00:11:23] What does it say about them?

[00:11:24] Engaged in a racket of international scope.

[00:11:26] Good heavens.

[00:11:27] What kind of a racket?

[00:11:27] I don't know yet.

[00:11:29] The pages are not in order.

[00:11:30] They're not even numbered.

[00:11:31] Oh, what a job we're going to have.

[00:11:33] Why don't we turn it over to your father?

[00:11:34] Later, later.

[00:11:35] Spread all your papers on the table.

[00:11:36] I'll do the same with mine.

[00:11:37] What good will that do?

[00:11:38] Come on, let's get moving.

[00:11:40] Just a minute, Bonnie.

[00:11:41] What now, darling?

[00:11:42] Here's some pages clipped together like a manuscript.

[00:11:49] Janice, do you know what this is?

[00:11:51] You want me to guess?

[00:11:52] It's a carbon copy of the first installment.

[00:11:54] What first installment?

[00:11:56] Cal Forster's about the racket he was investigating.

[00:12:00] Then the story was ready for publication.

[00:12:02] You bet it was.

[00:12:03] And that's why he was murdered.

[00:12:04] But there's not a thing in here about the racket itself.

[00:12:07] Isn't there even a hint?

[00:12:09] A slight hint?

[00:12:10] Just a reference to a fishing expedition that just should startle a nation.

[00:12:14] A fishing expedition?

[00:12:15] Bonnie?

[00:12:16] Yeah, I know what you're thinking.

[00:12:17] That fish dead found in Cal Forster's pocket.

[00:12:20] It meant something.

[00:12:20] Ridiculous.

[00:12:21] A freak.

[00:12:21] Well, just between you and me, I never heard of a fish getting lost.

[00:12:24] Cal Forster could have meant anything by a fishing expedition.

[00:12:27] It's a very common expression.

[00:12:28] Yeah.

[00:12:29] Very common.

[00:12:30] Huh?

[00:12:31] Bonnie.

[00:12:31] Don't tell me you're glad to see me.

[00:12:33] I won't believe it.

[00:12:34] Where did you come from?

[00:12:35] The bedroom.

[00:12:36] You ought to take a few lessons in snooping, pal.

[00:12:38] What?

[00:12:38] Lesson number one.

[00:12:40] When you break into somebody's apartment, always look in every room.

[00:12:43] You mean you're the one that...

[00:12:44] Yeah, I'm the guy that messed up this place.

[00:12:47] But you're the guy who found what I was looking for.

[00:12:49] And we're going to keep them, Mr. Croton.

[00:12:51] Oh.

[00:12:52] You know me, huh?

[00:12:53] I've seen your pictures in the papers.

[00:12:55] I look better in person, don't I?

[00:12:57] Well, if you want my frank opinion...

[00:12:59] Table it.

[00:12:59] And do the same thing with those papers.

[00:13:01] Now listen, Tony.

[00:13:02] Do it, mister.

[00:13:03] Bonnie.

[00:13:04] Don't prompt me, Janice.

[00:13:05] I see that gun too.

[00:13:06] All right.

[00:13:07] I'm clear.

[00:13:08] So am I.

[00:13:09] You don't mind if I say me too, do you?

[00:13:12] That's your privilege, Mr. Croton.

[00:13:14] Thanks.

[00:13:14] Me too.

[00:13:15] And now me and the papers will take a walk.

[00:13:19] What's so funny about it?

[00:13:21] I'd tell you if it'll do you any good, but I know it won't.

[00:13:24] Try it anyway.

[00:13:25] Okay.

[00:13:26] I get the evidence and you get the works.

[00:13:29] Will you please be not quite so technical?

[00:13:32] I'm going to kill you, baby.

[00:13:34] You wanted a note, didn't you?

[00:13:36] Hey, mister.

[00:13:37] Where are you going?

[00:13:37] Taking a walk.

[00:13:38] Get away from that door.

[00:13:39] Not to the door I want, Tony.

[00:13:41] Put the light switch.

[00:13:42] Hey!

[00:13:43] Get down, Janice.

[00:13:43] I'm going.

[00:13:46] Janice.

[00:13:50] Janice.

[00:13:53] Janice.

[00:13:54] Darling.

[00:14:06] You feel better now?

[00:14:08] A little.

[00:14:10] A little.

[00:14:38] Sam Saliver.

[00:14:39] Sam Saliver.

[00:14:39] Sam Saliver.

[00:14:39] Hello, police headquarters.

[00:14:40] Let me talk to Chief Crawford, please.

[00:14:43] Son.

[00:14:44] I'll wait.

[00:14:45] Now, Janice, what about Sam Saliver?

[00:14:47] Tell him what Tony Croton did and then tried to do to us.

[00:14:49] Make him splash it all over the front page.

[00:14:52] All right, dear.

[00:14:53] Hello?

[00:14:55] Hello?

[00:14:55] Uh-huh.

[00:14:57] He did, huh?

[00:14:58] Thanks.

[00:14:59] Goodbye.

[00:15:00] Dad went out a few minutes ago.

[00:15:02] He didn't say where.

[00:15:02] Well, of all the...

[00:15:04] Why didn't you tell somebody at police headquarters what happened to us?

[00:15:08] Hmm?

[00:15:08] They're all policemen down there, you know.

[00:15:10] Oh, I didn't think of that.

[00:15:11] I'll call right back.

[00:15:12] Wait a minute.

[00:15:13] Of course.

[00:15:13] But will Tony Croton wait?

[00:15:14] He's getting away.

[00:15:15] Hey, wait a minute.

[00:15:16] This paper under the table.

[00:15:18] It must have...

[00:15:19] Well, it did, Janice.

[00:15:22] I tickled a dance.

[00:15:23] Some of Cal Forster's notes must have dropped out of Tony's hand.

[00:15:26] I've got too much of a headache to care, Barney.

[00:15:28] Hmm.

[00:15:29] There's a woman in this case, Janice.

[00:15:30] A woman?

[00:15:31] Uh-huh.

[00:15:32] What's her name?

[00:15:33] Winnie Roberts.

[00:15:34] Oh.

[00:15:34] And here's something strange.

[00:15:36] After a name, Cal Forster typed in...

[00:15:38] Lan Fairbanks via Bayshore.

[00:15:41] Whatever that means.

[00:15:42] Lan Fairbanks.

[00:15:43] Let's go down to his nightclub and find out.

[00:15:45] Barney, the police in this town are still being paid.

[00:15:47] Come on, Janice.

[00:15:48] I've got an idea.

[00:15:49] And I've got a headache.

[00:15:50] But all right.

[00:16:02] Ah, good evening, Monsieur Trafford.

[00:16:03] It is always a pleasure to welcome such a distinguished...

[00:16:06] I'm here too, Henri.

[00:16:08] Oh, but of course, Madam President Turner.

[00:16:10] For you, I...

[00:16:11] Step this way.

[00:16:11] Well, that's staying, Henri.

[00:16:13] No?

[00:16:13] But why?

[00:16:13] As a matter of fact, we only stopped in to see Winnie Roberts.

[00:16:16] Winnie Roberts?

[00:16:17] Mm-hmm.

[00:16:17] Is it a reservation?

[00:16:18] No, it's an entertainer in the floor show.

[00:16:20] In the...

[00:16:21] Oh, but, Ramsel, there is no such lady in our floor show.

[00:16:23] Are you sure?

[00:16:24] How could I be otherwise?

[00:16:25] I know every charming lady in this establishment, and they are all charming.

[00:16:30] I see.

[00:16:31] Well, suppose we say hello to Lan Fairbanks, huh?

[00:16:33] Of course.

[00:16:33] You'll be most happy.

[00:16:34] You'll find him in the office.

[00:16:35] Thanks, Henri.

[00:16:37] You and your ideas.

[00:16:38] Yes.

[00:16:40] Bonnie Crawford, do you realize we've been on the go since this morning?

[00:16:43] Mm-hmm.

[00:16:43] Has it occurred to you that I might be tired?

[00:16:46] Mm-hmm.

[00:16:46] I'm so glad.

[00:16:47] I feel so much better now.

[00:16:50] Come on.

[00:16:51] We're not going to be polite.

[00:16:53] Now, look here, Lon.

[00:16:54] Come in quick and shut the door.

[00:16:56] Stay right there, Janice, and don't move.

[00:16:58] You don't have to worry about that.

[00:16:59] I won't even look.

[00:17:00] He's dead, all right.

[00:17:02] Two bullet holes in the back of the neck.

[00:17:14] All right, Henri.

[00:17:16] All right.

[00:17:16] Now, never mind the hysterics.

[00:17:17] But, Chief Crawford, I cannot believe it.

[00:17:20] Monsieur Fairbanks...

[00:17:21] You said you didn't leave this club all evening.

[00:17:23] Oui, monsieur.

[00:17:24] How come you didn't hear the shots?

[00:17:26] But I have told you, it is possible the orchestra was playing.

[00:17:29] When that is going on, it is impossible to hear anything else.

[00:17:32] Slappy excuse.

[00:17:33] I do not lie, monsieur.

[00:17:34] No, and you didn't see anyone going into this office either.

[00:17:37] I did not say that.

[00:17:38] What?

[00:17:38] You did not ask me.

[00:17:39] A very excited young lady inquired for monsieur Fairbanks.

[00:17:43] I told her she marched into the office exactly here.

[00:17:45] Oh, Chief.

[00:17:46] What is it, Janice?

[00:17:47] That sounds like it might have been Ann Brewster.

[00:17:50] Yeah.

[00:17:50] Say, Bailey.

[00:17:51] Yeah?

[00:17:51] Send out an alarm for Ann Brewster, columnist for the Daily Register.

[00:17:54] Do it right away.

[00:17:55] Right away, Chief.

[00:17:56] You go with him, Janice.

[00:17:57] Hmm?

[00:17:58] Take Bonnie with you.

[00:17:59] For Pete's sake, Dad.

[00:17:59] For my sake.

[00:18:00] This is not amateur night.

[00:18:02] Henri?

[00:18:03] Oui?

[00:18:03] Where does that back door lead to?

[00:18:05] That monsieur leads to a driveway.

[00:18:07] The door was used by monsieur Fairbanks as a private entrance.

[00:18:10] Can we go out that way, Chief?

[00:18:12] Any way you like, Janice.

[00:18:13] All right, Bonnie.

[00:18:14] Why the back door?

[00:18:15] It's quicker, and I've got things to say to you that can't wait.

[00:18:19] What have I done?

[00:18:20] You don't listen to me.

[00:18:21] When I say...

[00:18:24] Hey, what's that over there?

[00:18:25] Delivery entrance to the club.

[00:18:27] Now, Janice...

[00:18:28] Let's walk toward the street.

[00:18:30] There's a man in that truck I don't want him to hear.

[00:18:32] You're what?

[00:18:34] Bonnie Crawford.

[00:18:35] When I say to you that Ann Brewster knows who killed Cal Foster, I know what I'm talking about.

[00:18:39] Is that all you wanted to tell me?

[00:18:41] She killed him.

[00:18:41] What?

[00:18:42] She's Winnie Roberts.

[00:18:43] Good, Janice.

[00:18:43] Don't interrupt me.

[00:18:44] I've got a new theory.

[00:18:46] Oh, well.

[00:18:47] Ann Brewster as Winnie Roberts was mixed up in this racket that Cal Foster was investigating.

[00:18:52] Ann found out that Cal was ready to break the thing wide open, so she killed him.

[00:18:56] Lon Fairbanks, too?

[00:18:57] Of course.

[00:18:57] You heard what Henri said.

[00:18:58] A woman.

[00:19:00] Now, we'll have to find the reason.

[00:19:02] For what?

[00:19:03] Why she killed Lon Fairbanks.

[00:19:05] Don't you know, Janice?

[00:19:06] Well, how would I...

[00:19:09] These drivers...

[00:19:09] That truck wants to get to the street.

[00:19:12] Come on.

[00:19:12] Let's get out of the way.

[00:19:20] Well, Bonnie, what do you think?

[00:19:22] Darling, I know it smells bad here, but I'm talking to you.

[00:19:25] Fish.

[00:19:26] That's what that truck was unloading.

[00:19:27] Do you think I care?

[00:19:28] You should.

[00:19:29] You can build a brand new theory around that truck and the fish.

[00:19:32] What are you talking about?

[00:19:33] Winnie Roberts.

[00:19:34] Let's go for a drive.

[00:19:36] Where to?

[00:19:37] Bayshore.

[00:19:38] On a fishing expedition of our own.

[00:19:57] Bonnie, have you gone out of your mind?

[00:19:59] Not tonight, Janice.

[00:20:00] Let's get out.

[00:20:01] But this is the Bayshore Boat Club.

[00:20:03] Out, honey.

[00:20:04] All right.

[00:20:05] But since when does anyone live at a boat club?

[00:20:07] Anyone doesn't.

[00:20:08] But you said...

[00:20:09] Yes, dear.

[00:20:10] This is where Winnie Roberts is hiding out.

[00:20:13] I wish I knew what you were talking about.

[00:20:15] You will.

[00:20:17] Janice, darling.

[00:20:19] Have you ever seen such a beautiful moon?

[00:20:22] I'm not in the mood.

[00:20:24] Why did you...

[00:20:25] Stop dragging me toward the water.

[00:20:27] Can I help it if I want you in a rowboat?

[00:20:29] Hmm?

[00:20:29] There's one tied to the pier.

[00:20:31] Come on, let's get in.

[00:20:32] And forget all about life and people.

[00:20:35] Romance at a time like this.

[00:20:37] Well, we've had a tough day, sweetheart.

[00:20:41] We should be looking for Ann Brewster, that killer.

[00:20:44] Oh, why worry about her?

[00:20:45] Because she's Winnie Roberts and she knows all about the racket.

[00:20:47] Yeah, we're free.

[00:20:49] Now, down to the sea in a rowboat.

[00:20:53] Whatever that racket is, it must be something...

[00:20:56] I'm sure it is, dear.

[00:20:57] Something out of this world terrible.

[00:20:59] Of course.

[00:21:00] I don't get you at all, Bonnie.

[00:21:02] You spend a whole day digging for information.

[00:21:04] You almost get us killed by Tony Croton and now all of a sudden you don't...

[00:21:07] That's me, honey.

[00:21:08] Unpredictable Bonnie.

[00:21:11] Do you think I ought to stop talking, dear?

[00:21:13] I think you ought to look in back a few.

[00:21:15] Hmm?

[00:21:15] Just look.

[00:21:16] And then you can stop talking if you want to.

[00:21:19] Look, it's that moon again.

[00:21:22] Bonnie.

[00:21:22] Yes, dear?

[00:21:25] Yeah, it's Winnie Roberts.

[00:21:26] Beautiful, isn't she?

[00:21:28] Why didn't you tell me?

[00:21:29] I didn't know Janice.

[00:21:30] I was just playing a hunch.

[00:21:31] You mean...

[00:21:32] Shh, shh, shh.

[00:21:33] You're pulling up alongside Winnie.

[00:21:35] You don't want to wake her up, do you?

[00:21:37] Bonnie, are you thinking of going on board?

[00:21:39] Why not?

[00:21:39] The lights are out.

[00:21:40] On this side, but all boats have two sides, darling.

[00:21:42] And on the other side...

[00:21:43] Shall we find out?

[00:21:44] No.

[00:21:45] All right, you stay here.

[00:21:46] I'll climb up this ladder and do this whole job myself.

[00:21:49] Bonnie, listen to me.

[00:21:50] Goodbye, dear.

[00:21:50] If I'm not back by morning, don't wait for me.

[00:21:52] By morning?

[00:21:52] That's right, sweetheart.

[00:21:54] Have breakfast.

[00:22:05] How do you know that man on deck was sleeping?

[00:22:07] He was snoring.

[00:22:08] How do you know he wasn't fooling?

[00:22:11] Fish.

[00:22:13] Bonnie.

[00:22:14] We're getting close.

[00:22:15] What are you doing?

[00:22:16] I'm lighting a match.

[00:22:18] Look, Janice.

[00:22:19] Steel door.

[00:22:21] Bonnie, I'm frightened.

[00:22:21] Hold the match.

[00:22:22] I'm going to see if that door can be opened.

[00:22:28] For Pete's sake, Janice, what a time to cough.

[00:22:31] Oh, that odor of fish.

[00:22:32] Well, bring the match over here.

[00:22:34] Ah-ha.

[00:22:35] A light switch.

[00:22:37] If anyone should see that light, Bonnie...

[00:22:39] There's no one down here.

[00:22:40] Come on, and watch your step.

[00:22:43] Put a handkerchief over your nose.

[00:22:44] That smell's going to get worse.

[00:22:45] We're going into the hold of the ship.

[00:22:47] Oh, the things that happened to me.

[00:22:50] Bonnie?

[00:22:50] Yes?

[00:22:51] Are all those barrels loaded with fish?

[00:22:53] I don't know, but I...

[00:22:56] Yes, Janice, they are.

[00:22:57] Dead fish.

[00:22:59] Then we've got nothing to worry about, have we?

[00:23:00] Not a thing.

[00:23:01] I'm so glad.

[00:23:02] But the next time anyone talks to me about fish, even lobster thermidor, I'll...

[00:23:08] Bonnie, what are you doing?

[00:23:09] Squeezing a fish.

[00:23:10] Oh, for heaven's sakes.

[00:23:11] Do you have to?

[00:23:12] Uh-huh.

[00:23:13] Look what's popped into his mouth.

[00:23:15] Not now, please, dear.

[00:23:15] I'm too busy trying to stay conscious.

[00:23:17] It's a package, darling.

[00:23:19] See?

[00:23:20] Paper, oil skin, and...

[00:23:22] Look.

[00:23:22] A white powder.

[00:23:24] What?

[00:23:25] A white powder, Janice.

[00:23:26] What Cal Foster meant by a fishing expedition that would startle the nation.

[00:23:29] I don't follow you, Bonnie.

[00:23:30] Well, this powder's a narcotic.

[00:23:32] Every fish down here is stuffed with one of these packages.

[00:23:34] I see.

[00:23:36] And Cal Foster was killed because he was about to expose a narcotics ring that Tony Croton

[00:23:40] was operating...

[00:23:42] Bonnie.

[00:23:43] We're on our way, Janice.

[00:23:44] The boat's moving.

[00:23:45] Yeah.

[00:23:45] Tony Croton.

[00:23:46] Yeah.

[00:23:47] I thought I killed you two.

[00:23:49] But it's all the same now.

[00:23:51] What's a few hours among friends, eh?

[00:24:07] Tony, what would you look like without that gun, eh?

[00:24:10] Not so good.

[00:24:11] Get in.

[00:24:12] You too, sister.

[00:24:16] Company.

[00:24:17] You know Ann Brewster?

[00:24:18] Course we do.

[00:24:20] Hmm.

[00:24:21] Well, Barney, what did I tell you?

[00:24:22] Yeah.

[00:24:23] You don't have to be so glum about it just because I happen to be right.

[00:24:26] Right about what, Miss Turner?

[00:24:29] You killed Cal Foster in Lawn Fairbanks.

[00:24:31] You're the mastermind of this racket and...

[00:24:34] Tell her she's crazy, Tony.

[00:24:38] Okay, then I'll tell her.

[00:24:39] I'm handcuffed to this chair.

[00:24:41] If you don't believe it, walk behind me.

[00:24:43] That's true, Miss Turner.

[00:24:45] Mr. Saliver.

[00:24:46] Good evening.

[00:24:47] Where did you find them, Tony?

[00:24:49] In the hold, boss, with the fish.

[00:24:51] With the fish.

[00:24:53] What goes with fish?

[00:24:54] Wine.

[00:24:55] I wasn't expecting you, Mr. Crawford, but since you're here and I've gone to the trouble of getting this bottle from the other room...

[00:25:01] He's going to kill us.

[00:25:02] But not without kindness, my dear Ann.

[00:25:04] You murdered Cal.

[00:25:06] Naturally.

[00:25:06] He was treading on my toes.

[00:25:09] Come, let's have a drink and then we'll go fishing.

[00:25:11] With them as bait, huh, Sam?

[00:25:13] Open the bottle, Tony.

[00:25:14] Sure.

[00:25:15] How did they get you on here, Ann?

[00:25:17] Mr. Saliver did.

[00:25:18] He told me about the Winnie Roberts.

[00:25:20] I, like a fool, didn't go to the police.

[00:25:22] I was going to solve Cal's murder all by myself.

[00:25:25] Well, just as I thought.

[00:25:27] I was never quite sure how much you knew, Ann, about my business.

[00:25:30] Well, we know a lot now, Mr. Saliver.

[00:25:32] Yes, Mr. Crawford, but what good will it do you?

[00:25:34] Well, you never can tell...

[00:25:35] Hey!

[00:25:36] I've got the gun now.

[00:25:36] Tony, you...

[00:25:37] I didn't see him coming, Sam.

[00:25:38] You told me to open a bottle of wine.

[00:25:40] I had to put the gun down on the table.

[00:25:42] Don't be angry with him, Mr. Saliver.

[00:25:43] He might have holes in his pocket.

[00:25:45] Shut up, Miss Turner.

[00:25:46] Why, Mr. Saliver?

[00:25:48] Every newspaper publisher invites comment from the people.

[00:25:51] Saliver, give orders to your skipper to stop the boat.

[00:25:53] Of course.

[00:25:57] Hello?

[00:25:58] Saliver speaking.

[00:26:00] Full steam ahead.

[00:26:01] Barney, he's double-crossing us.

[00:26:02] What did you expect, Miss Turner?

[00:26:04] Give the order, Saliver.

[00:26:05] You're going with me, Mr. Crawford.

[00:26:06] And shooting me won't help you.

[00:26:08] I've got a dozen men above, not to mention...

[00:26:10] Give the order, Saliver.

[00:26:11] Police folks, Sam!

[00:26:12] My father's a great guy.

[00:26:14] Don't you think so, Janice?

[00:26:15] I certainly do, Barney.

[00:26:16] You never know what he's got figured out.

[00:26:17] He just doesn't talk, except a mom.

[00:26:40] Home again, darling.

[00:26:42] Say goodnight to Barney.

[00:26:44] But why did Sam Saliver kill Lon Fairbanks, too?

[00:26:48] He was clearing the decks.

[00:26:49] What?

[00:26:50] After Cal Foster found out what was going on, Saliver got worried.

[00:26:53] He didn't know where Cal got the information.

[00:26:55] Then Tony Croton might have been next.

[00:26:58] He was.

[00:26:58] Saliver was taking no chances.

[00:27:00] But how did he find out what Cal Foster knew, after all?

[00:27:03] Remember that carbon copy of the first installment?

[00:27:06] Yeah.

[00:27:07] Where was the original?

[00:27:08] Hmm?

[00:27:10] That's it, Barney.

[00:27:12] Cal Foster had given it to Sam Saliver for publication.

[00:27:16] Hey, but didn't he know?

[00:27:17] Maybe he did.

[00:27:18] Maybe he wanted to see what Saliver would do.

[00:27:21] Huh.

[00:27:21] Who can tell?

[00:27:22] Yes, who can tell?

[00:27:23] Anyway, expose the racket.

[00:27:25] Ann's going to write the whole series on the Foster's byline.

[00:27:28] And I thought...

[00:27:29] Yes, dear.

[00:27:30] But please don't think about it now.

[00:27:33] Barney's tired.

[00:27:55] And so closes tonight's story,

[00:27:58] Fish for Entree.

[00:28:00] Stedman Coles wrote the radio script.

[00:28:03] Roger Bauer produced and directed.

[00:28:05] Walter Kinsella played Barney Crawford.

[00:28:07] Virginia Dwyer was Janice Turner.

[00:28:10] Bill Smith was Chief Crawford.

[00:28:12] Reese Taylor was heard as Sam Saliver.

[00:28:15] Julie Stevens was Ann Brewster.

[00:28:18] Paul Hammond played Tony Croton.

[00:28:19] And Barry Thompson was only.

[00:28:22] Oh, I beg your pardon.

[00:28:24] Hello.

[00:28:25] I hope I haven't kept you waiting.

[00:28:29] Yes, this is the crime club.

[00:28:33] I'm the librarian.

[00:28:36] Yes.

[00:28:37] Come over a week from tonight.

[00:28:39] Good.

[00:28:40] We have the very intriguing story of a two-time

[00:28:43] that was double quick with murder.

[00:28:48] It's called A Frame for Murder.

[00:28:51] In the meantime...

[00:28:53] Well, in the meantime,

[00:28:56] there is a new crime club book available this week

[00:28:58] and every week at bookstores everywhere.

[00:29:03] Yes.

[00:29:04] It's available now.

[00:29:06] Fine.

[00:29:08] And we'll look for you next week.

[00:29:43] This program came from New York.

[00:29:47] Be sure to stay tuned now for that mystery-packed broadcast,

[00:29:50] Quiet, Please, which follows in just a moment.

[00:29:53] This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.

[00:29:55] I hope I haven't kept you waiting.

[00:30:06] Yes, this is the crime club.

[00:30:08] I'm the librarian.

[00:30:11] Death at 710.

[00:30:13] Yes, we have that crime club book for you.

[00:30:16] Come right over.

[00:30:31] You're here.

[00:30:32] Good.

[00:30:34] Take the easy chair by the window.

[00:30:37] Comfortable?

[00:30:39] The book is on this shelf.

[00:30:41] Here it is.

[00:30:42] Death at 710.

[00:30:44] By H.F.S. Moore.

[00:30:46] The very intriguing story of a beautiful woman

[00:30:49] who was in love...

[00:30:51] with death.

[00:30:53] Let's look at it under the reading lamp.

[00:30:56] The train was due to leave at 710 in the evening.

[00:30:59] And at exactly eight minutes after seven,

[00:31:01] Mark Kent, a well-known mystery writer,

[00:31:03] was in drawing room B,

[00:31:04] his own drawing room,

[00:31:05] when the door opened.

[00:31:07] And he was surprised to see a young, beautiful woman.

[00:31:09] And he was even more surprised

[00:31:11] at the way she giggled.

[00:31:15] Hello.

[00:31:16] Hello yourself, and see how you like it.

[00:31:20] My name is Susan Ward-Steele.

[00:31:22] Well, I'm flattered,

[00:31:22] but haven't you made a mistake?

[00:31:24] You're Mark Kent,

[00:31:25] the mystery writer.

[00:31:27] I adore mystery writers.

[00:31:30] Hmm.

[00:31:30] Hmm.

[00:31:32] Well,

[00:31:33] your pictures don't do you justice.

[00:31:37] How about getting me a drink?

[00:31:38] Uh, don't you think you've had enough?

[00:31:40] I'll be a good boy and get me a drink.

[00:31:42] I better get you back to your compartment.

[00:31:44] I'm going to Reno.

[00:31:46] A long trip.

[00:31:48] I saw you come on the train.

[00:31:50] I knew it was going to be interesting.

[00:31:52] I'm not going to Reno.

[00:31:55] You should have seen Gerald's face this morning

[00:31:58] when I said goodbye to him.

[00:31:59] He's my husband.

[00:32:01] Hmm.

[00:32:01] Hmm.

[00:32:01] Such a pain in the neck.

[00:32:03] Oh, look, Susan, do you mind...

[00:32:04] And you should have seen Claire Ellis' face

[00:32:06] when I told her that I was going to marry Pierce Carlton.

[00:32:09] Hmm.

[00:32:10] And my stepbrother, Robert Ward's face

[00:32:13] when I wouldn't let him have the money.

[00:32:15] Hmm.

[00:32:15] So many faces.

[00:32:17] And all so long.

[00:32:19] Will you do me a favor, please?

[00:32:21] Hmm?

[00:32:21] Oh, Pierce will marry me.

[00:32:24] You just watch, Mark.

[00:32:26] In six weeks, when I come back from Reno,

[00:32:29] he'll never tell me again

[00:32:31] he's not the marrying kind.

[00:32:33] Yeah, yeah.

[00:32:34] How about that drink you promised me?

[00:32:36] I didn't, Susan.

[00:32:38] I want a drink.

[00:32:40] I've got to have a drink.

[00:32:41] Later, please.

[00:32:42] Anything.

[00:32:43] Water.

[00:32:45] Ginger ale.

[00:32:45] Take it easy, kid.

[00:32:46] Take it easy.

[00:32:47] I've never been so thirsty.

[00:32:49] Please.

[00:32:50] Water.

[00:32:51] Ginger ale.

[00:32:52] Can't go and pass.

[00:32:57] Susan.

[00:32:57] All of it.

[00:32:58] Uh.

[00:32:59] Stop.

[00:32:59] All of it.

[00:33:00] No, no.

[00:33:02] Conductor.

[00:33:03] Conductor, hold the train.

[00:33:04] There's a dead woman on board.

[00:33:08] Four days later,

[00:33:09] Mark Kent was in a room at police headquarters

[00:33:11] with Captain McNair, his friend.

[00:33:13] They were comparing notes,

[00:33:14] the results of intensive investigation

[00:33:16] and some speculation.

[00:33:20] We start with the atropine, Cap.

[00:33:22] That's what killed her.

[00:33:22] Yeah, one pill.

[00:33:23] That's usually enough.

[00:33:24] Now, here's what the book says about atropine.

[00:33:26] An organic alkaloid which causes death in humans

[00:33:29] without coarse anatomical change.

[00:33:32] No pain.

[00:33:32] That's right.

[00:33:33] Symptoms include dryness of mouth and throat,

[00:33:36] goodness, wild talk.

[00:33:38] Huh.

[00:33:39] Death usually takes place within eight hours.

[00:33:41] The coroner told me there's no set rule about that.

[00:33:43] It can happen in six hours,

[00:33:45] in four hours,

[00:33:46] in one hour.

[00:33:46] It can happen in ten hours.

[00:33:48] Well, we know from what Gerald Steele told us,

[00:33:50] Susan didn't get up until almost eleven o'clock.

[00:33:53] Yeah.

[00:33:54] Cap, are you willing to do some speculating?

[00:33:56] If it doesn't mess up the facts.

[00:33:57] What facts?

[00:33:58] All right, go ahead.

[00:33:59] But remember,

[00:34:00] you're not writing a book.

[00:34:01] This was a real murder

[00:34:02] and I'm a real policeman.

[00:34:04] Now, we've got a pretty good idea

[00:34:05] of the kind of man Gerald Steele is.

[00:34:07] There's no record that he ever had a job.

[00:34:09] His wife, Susan, was very rich.

[00:34:11] So?

[00:34:12] Okay.

[00:34:12] We know that she left a will

[00:34:14] giving him half her estate

[00:34:16] and we know that she was going to Reno

[00:34:17] to get a divorce.

[00:34:18] Another man, Pierce Carlton.

[00:34:21] Now, let's combine what Gerald told us

[00:34:23] about that morning four days ago

[00:34:25] and what for reasons of self-preservation

[00:34:28] he might have forgotten to tell us.

[00:34:30] Go ahead.

[00:34:30] I'm listening.

[00:34:31] All right.

[00:34:31] It's eleven o'clock.

[00:34:33] Susan Ward Steele has just gotten out of bed

[00:34:35] and after the usual routine

[00:34:36] she goes into the kitchen

[00:34:37] where she finds her husband

[00:34:39] sitting before a big breakfast.

[00:34:41] She's a little annoyed.

[00:34:44] Good morning, Gerald.

[00:34:47] Enjoying yourself?

[00:34:48] Any objections to my being hungry?

[00:34:50] Oh, no.

[00:34:51] I thought today

[00:34:52] you might have less of an appetite.

[00:34:54] I'm not responsible for today, Susan.

[00:34:56] Ham, eggs, toast, and coffee.

[00:34:58] Is that your first helping, dear?

[00:34:59] Oh, nuts.

[00:35:00] You don't say.

[00:35:01] You're so articulate.

[00:35:03] Where's Tomasso?

[00:35:04] I told him to take the day off.

[00:35:06] You told him?

[00:35:07] Yes.

[00:35:08] What's the matter with that?

[00:35:09] But, darling, you don't pay his salary.

[00:35:11] I had no idea

[00:35:12] that we wouldn't want any strangers

[00:35:14] around the house today.

[00:35:15] You're so sweet.

[00:35:16] But I'm not spending today with you.

[00:35:19] Oh?

[00:35:20] I'm having lunch with Robert,

[00:35:22] tea with Claire Ellis,

[00:35:23] and then...

[00:35:24] Mmm.

[00:35:25] Would you like to guess?

[00:35:26] Cocktails with Pierce Carlton.

[00:35:28] The Great Send-Off.

[00:35:29] Don't be so bitter.

[00:35:30] He works for a living.

[00:35:32] Sure.

[00:35:32] Well, at least he has an office.

[00:35:35] Pour me some coffee, please.

[00:35:36] Yes.

[00:35:38] You want eggs, too?

[00:35:39] No.

[00:35:40] Just black coffee without sugar.

[00:35:42] A full cup.

[00:35:43] You must have had a big night.

[00:35:44] Where'd Pierce take you?

[00:35:46] Places.

[00:35:47] Lots of people.

[00:35:48] I heard you slept well last night.

[00:35:50] Susan.

[00:35:50] You were snoring when I came in.

[00:35:52] Oh, for pity's sakes.

[00:35:53] First I get it because I'm eating.

[00:35:54] Now it's because I slept.

[00:35:55] You don't think much of me.

[00:35:57] You're a parasite, Gerald.

[00:35:59] And you're beginning to look like one.

[00:36:01] You don't care what you say, do you?

[00:36:03] Oh, don't tell me that there's pride

[00:36:05] under that expanding waistline.

[00:36:07] Just one more word out of you, and I'll...

[00:36:09] Yes?

[00:36:11] What's the use?

[00:36:13] I can't take it.

[00:36:14] I don't want you to go.

[00:36:16] Really?

[00:36:16] I'm thrilled.

[00:36:18] If you go through with the divorce,

[00:36:20] I don't know what I'll do.

[00:36:22] I know one thing you'll have to do.

[00:36:24] Get a job.

[00:36:25] Huh?

[00:36:26] Let me spell it for you.

[00:36:27] J-O-B.

[00:36:29] It's what people do for money.

[00:36:30] What'd you ever do for yours?

[00:36:31] Oh, smart.

[00:36:32] I picked a family with a rich uncle.

[00:36:33] Sure, you can talk.

[00:36:34] You inherit a million dollars.

[00:36:35] You're smart.

[00:36:36] Well, let me tell you one thing, Susan.

[00:36:38] Don't bother, honey.

[00:36:39] I've got something much more important to tell you.

[00:36:43] I'm not leaving you any money to live on.

[00:36:45] What?

[00:36:45] What?

[00:36:46] And I'm changing my will.

[00:36:48] I see.

[00:36:50] The half of my estate that you've been praying for will go to Pierce Carlton, if I should die.

[00:36:56] When do you perform the operation?

[00:36:58] After Pierce and I are married.

[00:37:01] In the meantime, if I should get hit by a truck...

[00:37:04] Yeah?

[00:37:05] Oh, darling, don't wish so hard.

[00:37:08] I'm really being very loyal to you.

[00:37:10] Yeah.

[00:37:11] Oh, well.

[00:37:12] What time's your lunch date with Robert?

[00:37:15] One o'clock.

[00:37:17] Good heavens, look at the time.

[00:37:19] I'll have to hurry.

[00:37:20] Takes me an hour to get my hair put up.

[00:37:21] Do you want some more coffee?

[00:37:23] Oh, I'd love it, but I can't spare a minute.

[00:37:25] Why didn't you tell me it was so late?

[00:37:27] It's your appointment, Angel.

[00:37:29] You sure don't...

[00:37:29] You don't want another cup?

[00:37:31] Oh, dear.

[00:37:32] I really need it.

[00:37:33] All right.

[00:37:33] Bring it in the bedroom.

[00:37:34] No cream or sugar.

[00:37:37] Yes, ma'am.

[00:37:39] Anything you say, ma'am.

[00:37:41] I aim to please.

[00:37:46] That is, Cap.

[00:37:47] Gerald Steele had motive and opportunity.

[00:37:49] You're only guessing, Mark.

[00:37:50] Well, the will's on file, isn't it?

[00:37:52] We got the story of the second cup of coffee from Gerald himself.

[00:37:55] But the rest of the stuff about the argument, about her changing the will.

[00:37:58] Pure speculation.

[00:37:59] The deductions of a mystery book writer.

[00:38:01] Now, what about Robert Ward, the stepbrother?

[00:38:04] He's about 15 years older than Susan.

[00:38:06] Businessman.

[00:38:07] How's business?

[00:38:08] Well, we got a report from several banks that he's been trying to borrow money.

[00:38:12] They all turned him down.

[00:38:13] Uh-huh.

[00:38:13] That makes him an interesting suspect.

[00:38:15] Now, let's combine fact and fiction again and see what happened at lunch.

[00:38:19] Robert Ward told us that he'd reserved a private dining room for the occasion at the Swank Cafe Aurelia.

[00:38:25] Susan was very cheerful, all through life.

[00:38:28] What time is your train, Susan?

[00:38:30] 7.10.

[00:38:31] Oh, it's only half past two now.

[00:38:33] I'm meeting Claire Ellis at 3 o'clock.

[00:38:35] Tea and gossip at her apartment.

[00:38:37] Oh, I knew I shouldn't have eaten so much.

[00:38:39] Susan.

[00:38:41] Yes, Robert.

[00:38:42] I've been waiting very patiently.

[00:38:45] What do you mean?

[00:38:46] You didn't ask me here to a private dining room to discuss my unimportant life.

[00:38:51] You're very clever.

[00:38:53] Thanks, darling.

[00:38:54] Now, what is it that you don't want your servants to overhear?

[00:38:57] I, uh...

[00:38:58] I need money.

[00:39:00] You?

[00:39:01] You?

[00:39:01] I know it comes as a shock, but the truth is I've, uh...

[00:39:04] How much, Robert?

[00:39:05] $100,000.

[00:39:07] Really?

[00:39:08] Of course, it'll be a loan, Susan.

[00:39:09] I'll pay it back in due time.

[00:39:10] I'll give you a note or a mortgage, whatever you like.

[00:39:13] Business is bad.

[00:39:14] I've had a very serious setback.

[00:39:16] My entire output of washing machine motors is defective.

[00:39:19] Oh, my.

[00:39:20] What's the poor housewife going to do?

[00:39:22] We know what's wrong and we can correct it easily enough,

[00:39:24] but naturally it can't be done without money.

[00:39:27] Naturally.

[00:39:27] Naturally.

[00:39:28] I've never been without cash before, but I expanded recently and that took all my liquid assets.

[00:39:33] Even when you're in trouble, you talk like a bank statement.

[00:39:36] When did this delightful thing happen?

[00:39:38] Two weeks ago.

[00:39:39] Why didn't you come to me right away?

[00:39:41] I didn't want to bother you.

[00:39:42] I'm a businessman and naturally my first call was at the banks.

[00:39:46] Naturally.

[00:39:47] Did they turn you down?

[00:39:48] They didn't consider me a good risk over expansion.

[00:39:51] But darling, you're as skinny as a toothpick.

[00:39:54] Susan, please don't be facetious.

[00:39:56] I'm in serious trouble.

[00:39:57] Oh.

[00:39:57] If I don't get that merchandise out of my factory, I'll go bankrupt.

[00:40:01] I won't even be able to pay my creditors.

[00:40:04] A hundred thousand dollars?

[00:40:06] Yes.

[00:40:06] It shouldn't mean anything to you.

[00:40:08] You can spare it.

[00:40:10] Oh, I can spare it.

[00:40:11] But tell me, Robert dear.

[00:40:13] When did you ever do anything for me?

[00:40:15] Now, don't refuse me.

[00:40:16] You preached, called me a fool for not putting my money into a good sound business.

[00:40:21] A wild, empty-headed fool.

[00:40:24] I tried to make you realize your responsibilities.

[00:40:27] Uncle Jeffrey left his money to us in good faith.

[00:40:29] It was our duty to protect it.

[00:40:31] I've still got mine.

[00:40:32] And I've got mine in factories, machinery and merchandise.

[00:40:35] Now I'm asking you to help me liquidate it.

[00:40:38] No.

[00:40:39] Good Lord, Susan.

[00:40:40] How can you be so heartless?

[00:40:41] I've been practicing.

[00:40:42] But very well.

[00:40:45] Well, I'm not going to beg you.

[00:40:47] Don't give up hope, dear.

[00:40:49] I've taken care of you in my will.

[00:40:51] Thanks to Uncle Jeffrey, you have no choice.

[00:40:53] Half of your estate must go to me.

[00:40:55] And half of your estate should go to me.

[00:40:58] But where is it?

[00:40:58] You can look for it after I'm dead.

[00:41:01] Oh, what in the name of thunder did I do with those things?

[00:41:05] What things?

[00:41:06] My pills.

[00:41:07] My box of pickup pills.

[00:41:09] Oh, here it is.

[00:41:10] My best pocket.

[00:41:12] So you've come to that, huh?

[00:41:13] Just these last two weeks, doctor's prescription.

[00:41:16] I've been living in the devil's own basement, tired and depressed.

[00:41:20] What do they do for you?

[00:41:21] They give me a pickup, that's all.

[00:41:23] Get the tired feeling out of my system.

[00:41:25] Clear my head.

[00:41:26] Perfectly harmless.

[00:41:28] Sounds interesting.

[00:41:29] Would you like one?

[00:41:31] Why not?

[00:41:32] I had a big night when I've got a bigger day ahead of me.

[00:41:35] One pill will keep you going for hours.

[00:41:37] Flip it into the back of your mouth and wash it down with water.

[00:41:40] After you, darling.

[00:41:42] Very well.

[00:41:44] I never take chances.

[00:41:47] Well, here to you.

[00:41:51] How soon before it starts functioning?

[00:41:53] Very soon.

[00:41:54] And now I think we ought to go, Susan.

[00:41:56] I don't want you to be late for your appointment with Claire Ellis.

[00:42:05] Well, it's a possibility, Ken.

[00:42:07] Oh, sure, sure.

[00:42:08] So is a trip to the moon.

[00:42:10] You better stick to writing mystery books, Mark.

[00:42:12] If you make a mistake, nobody burns.

[00:42:15] Except maybe your publisher.

[00:42:17] Did Robert Ward take a pickup pill while you were grilling him three days ago?

[00:42:20] Now, wait a minute.

[00:42:21] Are you trying to tell me he had a box full of atropine pills when he met Susan Steele?

[00:42:25] Maybe.

[00:42:26] And that he passed them off as pickup pills?

[00:42:28] Maybe.

[00:42:29] But according to your own speculation, he took one of those pills himself.

[00:42:33] Now, why didn't it kill him?

[00:42:34] You might have had one in that box that was harmless.

[00:42:36] Huh?

[00:42:36] You know, a real pickup pill.

[00:42:38] Sure, sure.

[00:42:39] Put that in your next book, Mark.

[00:42:40] It'll read fine.

[00:42:41] I will.

[00:42:41] But for the time being, you won't mind if I keep it a secret from the district attorney, will you?

[00:42:46] No, no, I don't mind.

[00:42:48] Shall we go on?

[00:42:48] Go ahead.

[00:42:49] I'm on 24-hour duty.

[00:42:50] Well, the next stop that Susan Steele made was Claire Ellis' apartment.

[00:42:54] Now, what do we know about Claire?

[00:42:55] She served tea and ice cream cake.

[00:42:56] But not because she liked Susan.

[00:42:58] Oh, you've got a private line to her inner thoughts, huh?

[00:43:00] Didn't you notice how she was defending Pierce Carlton as you were questioning her?

[00:43:05] I noticed it.

[00:43:06] Yeah, he's the man Susan Steele expects to marry.

[00:43:08] And Claire's in love with him.

[00:43:10] Now, let's see what we can get out of the situation in which two women in love with the same man

[00:43:15] meet for tea a few hours before one of them dies on a train, the victim of murder by slow poison.

[00:43:22] I'll get the tea thing, Susan.

[00:43:24] They're in the kitchen.

[00:43:25] Oh, there's no rush, Claire.

[00:43:26] I'm not meeting Pierce until five.

[00:43:28] The lovely romantic orchid room.

[00:43:30] I told this week, boy, I must have orchids on our wedding day.

[00:43:33] Slews and slews of them.

[00:43:34] Mm-hmm.

[00:43:35] Susan, do you know why I asked you here?

[00:43:38] Of course.

[00:43:40] To plead with me.

[00:43:41] We used to be good friends.

[00:43:43] Used to be?

[00:43:44] I'm sorry to hear that, honey.

[00:43:46] Susan, don't marry Pierce Carlton.

[00:43:51] He doesn't love you, Susan.

[00:43:54] Pierce and I were practically engaged when I introduced him to you.

[00:43:56] Why did you make a play for him?

[00:43:57] You had a husband.

[00:43:58] I was smitten.

[00:43:59] You were smitten.

[00:44:01] Believe me, darling, I've been living in a delayed paradise for three whole months.

[00:44:05] You have never loved anyone but yourself.

[00:44:06] And the only reason you went after Pierce was because he was mine.

[00:44:08] He was a conquest.

[00:44:10] Does it make any difference?

[00:44:11] You'll never be able to keep him, Susan.

[00:44:15] Pierce is in some kind of trouble.

[00:44:17] You have money.

[00:44:18] Did he tell you all about it?

[00:44:20] Oh.

[00:44:21] Well, he told me.

[00:44:22] Doesn't that prove something?

[00:44:24] Well, what is it, Susan?

[00:44:25] What's wrong with Pierce?

[00:44:27] It's confidential, dear.

[00:44:29] Between sweethearts.

[00:44:32] I'll get the tea if you still want it.

[00:44:34] Oh, I want it.

[00:44:35] I'm a glutton for punishment.

[00:44:37] I hope you won't have to take much more of it.

[00:44:39] Ever.

[00:44:50] Why not?

[00:44:51] Hello, and don't keep me waiting.

[00:44:53] Oh, it's you.

[00:44:55] Of course, Gerald.

[00:44:56] Are you surprised to hear I'm still breathing?

[00:44:58] Where's Claire?

[00:44:59] Oh, she's downstairs sweeping the sidewalk.

[00:45:01] She pays off the back rent that way.

[00:45:02] I'd like to talk to her, please.

[00:45:04] Oh, she can't be disturbed.

[00:45:05] Now, look here, Susan.

[00:45:06] But I can give her a message.

[00:45:07] Ask her to call me back.

[00:45:09] No love and kisses?

[00:45:10] Not yet.

[00:45:12] Go for a walk in the park.

[00:45:14] A walk.

[00:45:15] How thrilling.

[00:45:16] Gerald, darling, when did you give up driving?

[00:45:18] Oh, not yet.

[00:45:24] You might have held that phone for me, Susan.

[00:45:27] Who called?

[00:45:28] Pierce.

[00:45:29] He simply had to tell me how much he loved me.

[00:45:32] Claire, dear.

[00:45:33] Watch your manners.

[00:45:34] Trace were meant to be put down, not dropped.

[00:45:36] I'm sorry.

[00:45:37] And those exquisite ice cream cakes.

[00:45:39] You almost ruined them.

[00:45:40] That one's for you, Susan.

[00:45:43] Thanks, dear, for remembering that I adore blueberries.

[00:45:46] I never forget.

[00:45:48] A lot of things.

[00:45:53] Motive and opportunity.

[00:45:54] Love and ice cream cake.

[00:45:56] Hey, Mark?

[00:45:57] Well, that's how it looks on paper, Cap.

[00:45:59] You think Claire Ellis buried the atropine in the cake?

[00:46:01] Oh, she did.

[00:46:02] She's darn clever.

[00:46:03] But I don't know anybody who chews ice cream.

[00:46:06] If she did.

[00:46:07] Now, how do you figure out the business about that phone call?

[00:46:10] Well, Claire Ellis told us that Susan had received a call from Pierce.

[00:46:13] Go on.

[00:46:14] Pierce denied it.

[00:46:15] But Gerald admitted that he phoned Claire and spoke to Susan.

[00:46:18] Claire didn't know about the call.

[00:46:20] Therefore, Susan told her it was from Pierce Carlton.

[00:46:22] Q-E-D.

[00:46:23] Whoops.

[00:46:24] Not yet, Cap.

[00:46:25] We've still got to prove a murderer.

[00:46:27] Now, what about Pierce Carlton?

[00:46:29] He's in the stock brokerage business with his father.

[00:46:31] Good, solid family background, old stock.

[00:46:33] And that doesn't keep him from being a playboy, does it?

[00:46:35] I'm not interested in what he does, Mark.

[00:46:37] Only in what he did four days ago.

[00:46:39] And in what he did before that.

[00:46:40] That goes without saying.

[00:46:41] My boys are checking.

[00:46:43] I think they're going to find that he's in a mess.

[00:46:46] A money mess.

[00:46:47] Anything's possible with you around.

[00:46:49] Okay.

[00:46:49] What happened the day we spoke to Claire Ellis?

[00:46:51] Your eyes popped.

[00:46:53] You saw a beautiful woman.

[00:46:54] Could be.

[00:46:54] But she was upset.

[00:46:55] Every time you mentioned Pierce Carlton, she had jitters.

[00:46:57] Why?

[00:46:58] Somebody told me she's in love with the guy.

[00:47:00] I told you, Cap.

[00:47:02] I knew it.

[00:47:02] Oh, sure.

[00:47:03] I knew.

[00:47:04] I couldn't have gotten it from the facts.

[00:47:05] She kept saying over and over that Pierce was innocent.

[00:47:07] He had no reason for killing Susan.

[00:47:09] Cap, that girl knows something.

[00:47:11] So does everybody else in this case, except me.

[00:47:14] About Pierce Carlton, I mean.

[00:47:15] And I'm sure she didn't know it the day Susan was killed.

[00:47:19] Who told her?

[00:47:20] I don't know.

[00:47:21] Mark, did I hear right?

[00:47:23] Did you say you don't know?

[00:47:25] Let's go on to item number four.

[00:47:27] Susan and Pierce at the Orchid Room.

[00:47:29] Dinner before train time.

[00:47:31] Soft lights, orchids on the table.

[00:47:33] A perfect setting for romance.

[00:47:41] Darling, darling.

[00:47:43] Six weeks.

[00:47:45] Six long weeks without you.

[00:47:49] He'll get used to it.

[00:47:50] Don't laugh at me, please.

[00:47:52] I'm going to miss you terribly.

[00:47:54] There's a lot of excitement in Reno.

[00:47:55] And cowboys.

[00:47:57] Pierce, how can you say that to me?

[00:47:59] Don't you like cowboys?

[00:48:00] I like you better.

[00:48:03] How was Gerald this morning?

[00:48:04] Oh, I talk about him.

[00:48:06] Why not?

[00:48:06] He's human.

[00:48:07] What's the matter with you?

[00:48:09] You'd rather talk about everyone but us.

[00:48:11] It's a wonder you don't ask me about Claire.

[00:48:14] You know, I saw her this afternoon, too.

[00:48:16] Why don't you have to ask me about her?

[00:48:17] You never could take kidding, could you?

[00:48:20] Oh, I didn't realize.

[00:48:23] Pierce will be married just as soon as I can get back from Reno.

[00:48:26] Have some more wine, Susan.

[00:48:28] You'll be waiting for me at the station.

[00:48:30] I don't want to come back to New York and be alone for a minute.

[00:48:33] Suppose I'm not waiting.

[00:48:35] You've got to be.

[00:48:36] Why?

[00:48:36] Because I'm depending on you.

[00:48:38] I'm going through a divorce for you.

[00:48:40] For me?

[00:48:41] I thought it was because Gerald ate too much.

[00:48:44] Pierce, would this come under the head of what you call kidding?

[00:48:47] Put your head on my shoulder and I'll tell you a secret.

[00:48:51] I'd rather look you straight in the eye.

[00:48:53] I've been doing a lot of thinking.

[00:48:55] Yes?

[00:48:56] I've come to the conclusion that Gerald is a nice guy.

[00:49:00] What does that mean?

[00:49:01] You ought to stick with him.

[00:49:02] You know, till death do you part.

[00:49:05] You didn't think so last night.

[00:49:07] I wasn't thinking last night, honey.

[00:49:09] The whole process started this afternoon.

[00:49:12] I woke up and there was a vision of a wedding bell.

[00:49:15] It scared the wits out of me.

[00:49:17] You're out of luck, Pierce.

[00:49:18] Pierce, I'm not letting you out of your promise.

[00:49:21] Look, Susan, be sensible.

[00:49:22] Marriage and I were never meant for each other.

[00:49:24] I'm just not the marrying kind.

[00:49:27] No?

[00:49:28] Put your head on my shoulder and I'll tell you a secret.

[00:49:31] I'd rather just keep sitting beside you.

[00:49:33] Do you remember a certain crying jag that you had on a couple of weeks ago?

[00:49:37] Susan, I've never been drunk in my life.

[00:49:39] You were that night.

[00:49:40] And you told me a whole lot of things that you're going to regret in just about a minute.

[00:49:45] Suppose you tell them right back to me now.

[00:49:47] You lost a lot of money on a gambling boat before I met you.

[00:49:51] Huh?

[00:49:52] You paid off in IOUs.

[00:49:54] And when the gambler got tired of waiting for the cash, he threatened to see Papa.

[00:49:58] That's when you became a thief.

[00:50:00] Good Lord, Susan, what are you talking about?

[00:50:02] You took bonds out of your father's safe.

[00:50:04] He's got so many of them you were sure they'd never be missed.

[00:50:07] I told you that?

[00:50:09] Your conscience was bothering you.

[00:50:12] Bet you didn't know you had one.

[00:50:14] It's a sense you haven't.

[00:50:15] No, dear.

[00:50:18] I might really like beating your father.

[00:50:20] Telling him about those bonds.

[00:50:22] Yeah?

[00:50:24] I'm so glad you'll be waiting for me when I get back from Reno.

[00:50:27] Yeah.

[00:50:28] Come to think of it, not every woman wants to marry a thief.

[00:50:32] Oh, I'm lucky, huh?

[00:50:34] All right, let's celebrate with a drink.

[00:50:36] Friends?

[00:50:37] What else?

[00:50:38] You hold all the aces.

[00:50:40] Then we'll drink to that.

[00:50:41] Oh, no.

[00:50:42] Don't waste it that way.

[00:50:43] What's wrong?

[00:50:44] Let's lock arms.

[00:50:46] Then I'll drink out of your glass and you'll drink out of mine.

[00:50:50] Why, of course.

[00:50:51] Just like real sweethearts.

[00:50:54] Yes, dear.

[00:50:55] There's nothing like good old sparkling burgundy for launching a new life.

[00:50:59] Properly.

[00:51:04] There it is, Cap.

[00:51:05] The last episode.

[00:51:06] And you finish it with the old switch trick.

[00:51:08] The atropine pill in Pierce Carlton's glass.

[00:51:11] I'm surprised at you, Mark.

[00:51:12] It's corny.

[00:51:13] Well, it happens to be true.

[00:51:14] Poison or no poison.

[00:51:15] Found out about it only this afternoon.

[00:51:17] You don't say.

[00:51:18] Who told you?

[00:51:18] Waiter in the orchid room.

[00:51:19] He saw them lock arms.

[00:51:21] And he remembered for ten bucks.

[00:51:23] What?

[00:51:23] You give me the name of that guy.

[00:51:24] I'll have him brought in here and I'll book him.

[00:51:27] Easy.

[00:51:28] Oh.

[00:51:29] Hello.

[00:51:30] Captain McNair talking.

[00:51:31] Homicide.

[00:51:32] It's all right, Finley.

[00:51:33] Go ahead.

[00:51:35] What?

[00:51:36] Are you sure?

[00:51:38] Mm-hmm.

[00:51:38] Okay.

[00:51:40] Check in at headquarters and file a report.

[00:51:42] I'll take care of the rest.

[00:51:44] What sign of the horoscope were you born under, Mark?

[00:51:47] I don't know.

[00:51:47] Why?

[00:51:48] Well, you're either very smart or very lucky.

[00:51:50] Pierce Carlton lost $80,000 on Jimmy Bryson's gambling boat four months ago.

[00:51:55] Uh-huh.

[00:51:55] Finley just got it from Bryson himself.

[00:51:58] The debt's been paid.

[00:51:59] That's how it is, Cap.

[00:52:00] When you go by character, you can't go wrong.

[00:52:02] Maybe I ought to have a little more respect for you, huh?

[00:52:05] Well, just read my books and I'll be happy.

[00:52:06] Yeah.

[00:52:07] Now, let's see.

[00:52:08] We've got four suspects.

[00:52:10] Yes.

[00:52:11] Gerald Steele, the husband who was going to be left holding the empty bag.

[00:52:14] And who was still in the will for half of the fortune.

[00:52:17] Right.

[00:52:17] Robert Ward, the stepbrother who needed money and was turned down.

[00:52:21] He's in the will for the other half.

[00:52:22] My money's on him.

[00:52:23] Yeah, maybe.

[00:52:25] Claire Ellis, the lovesick rival, and Pierce Carlton who didn't want to get married but who talked too much to Susan.

[00:52:32] Every one of them had motive and opportunity.

[00:52:34] What does your imagination advise us to do now?

[00:52:37] Uh, I got an idea, Cap.

[00:52:40] Mm-hmm.

[00:52:40] Can you get me a sample of Susan Steele's handwriting?

[00:52:43] Yeah, her signature's on her will.

[00:52:44] I've got a copy of it over there in the case file.

[00:52:46] All right.

[00:52:47] Let's get the best handwriting, man, you've got.

[00:52:49] And then you and I will go to work catching a murderer.

[00:52:52] Mm-hmm.

[00:52:52] Does your imagination tell you where?

[00:52:54] Oh, of course.

[00:52:55] At my apartment.

[00:53:01] Mark, if this works, I'll buy you a new hat.

[00:53:04] And I'll eat your old one.

[00:53:06] You do.

[00:53:07] I'm supposed to be all alone, Cap.

[00:53:11] Uh, Gerald Steele?

[00:53:12] Yes?

[00:53:12] Uh, this is Mark Kent.

[00:53:14] Are you free to talk?

[00:53:16] What kind of a question is that?

[00:53:17] You'll understand.

[00:53:18] I was the last one to see your wife alive.

[00:53:22] So I read in the papers.

[00:53:23] You're also a friend of the police.

[00:53:24] Ha-ha.

[00:53:25] Only when it's convenient.

[00:53:26] For example, I didn't tell them that Susan gave me a note before she died.

[00:53:32] A what?

[00:53:32] Uh, there's a name in it.

[00:53:34] A murderer's name.

[00:53:35] Look here, Ken.

[00:53:35] What's that got to do with me?

[00:53:36] It's for sale, Gerald.

[00:53:38] I had nothing to do with Susan's death.

[00:53:40] Oh, of course.

[00:53:40] But who's going to believe it?

[00:53:43] Hey, miss.

[00:53:44] Is that what Susan's done to me?

[00:53:46] I'll be in my apartment until 710, Gerald.

[00:53:49] Uh, you're going to inherit a lot of money.

[00:53:51] I'm sure you'll want a partner to help you enjoy it.

[00:53:55] You've certainly got your nerve with you, Mark.

[00:53:57] I've also got you for protection, Cap.

[00:53:59] Now we'll just do a repeat performance on Robert Ward.

[00:54:02] Good.

[00:54:03] And, uh, then we'll, uh, go down the line.

[00:54:06] Claire Ellis and Pierce Carlton.

[00:54:08] One of them's liable to bite.

[00:54:15] Stay in that other room, Cap, and don't wait for gunfire.

[00:54:18] Don't worry about me, kid.

[00:54:20] Hmm.

[00:54:21] Yes, yes.

[00:54:21] I heard you the first time.

[00:54:24] Hello, Miss Ellis.

[00:54:25] Come right in.

[00:54:27] Uh, would you mind if I called you Claire?

[00:54:29] I want that letter, Mr. Kent.

[00:54:31] Uh, you wouldn't mind.

[00:54:33] And I thought this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

[00:54:35] All I want from you is that letter.

[00:54:37] I've got a gun in my handbag, and I'm not afraid to use it.

[00:54:40] I didn't think you would be.

[00:54:42] How much money did you bring?

[00:54:43] I didn't bring any.

[00:54:46] Well, Mr. Kent?

[00:54:47] I've got the answer, lady.

[00:54:48] And I'll take the handbag, too.

[00:54:50] I didn't kill Susan.

[00:54:51] Now, please, give me a chance to explain.

[00:54:52] Sure, sure.

[00:54:53] Come on.

[00:54:53] No, no.

[00:54:55] Pierce told Susan that he wasn't going to marry her.

[00:54:57] And I know she put his name on that letter.

[00:54:59] You don't have to protect that guy anymore.

[00:55:00] He told me the whole story the day after Susan died,

[00:55:02] about her threat and why she threatened him.

[00:55:04] I made him tell me.

[00:55:05] Yeah, let's go.

[00:55:06] No.

[00:55:06] No, no, please.

[00:55:08] Hmm?

[00:55:08] Somebody wants to come in here, Kent.

[00:55:09] No, another one.

[00:55:10] Uh, here's a magazine.

[00:55:12] Take Claire into that other room and read the advertisements to her.

[00:55:15] Yeah, come on, you.

[00:55:16] When that guy works in a case, you never know what's going to pop next.

[00:55:19] Coming.

[00:55:22] Oh.

[00:55:23] Get out of my way, Kent.

[00:55:24] Uh, with pleasure.

[00:55:26] But I'd be glad to do it, even if you didn't have a gun.

[00:55:29] Mr. Ward?

[00:55:30] Are you alone?

[00:55:31] Uh, now that you're here, practically.

[00:55:34] I don't trust you.

[00:55:35] Put up your hands and walk toward that other room.

[00:55:37] Oh, you're kidding, aren't you?

[00:55:39] Move along.

[00:55:39] I'm not going to waste any time on you.

[00:55:40] All right, but since when do blackmailers work with an audience?

[00:55:43] Just walk directly in front of me and into that room.

[00:55:45] I'm in.

[00:55:46] Ha ha.

[00:55:47] You're a bigger fool than I thought, Mr. Kent.

[00:55:49] You should have protected yourself within a lie.

[00:55:51] Well, we, uh, all make mistakes, Mr. Warren.

[00:55:55] You've made your last one.

[00:55:56] I'm going to kill you.

[00:55:58] Don't you want that letter?

[00:55:59] I'll find it later, or I'll burn your apartment out of existence.

[00:56:03] I've got a right to my share of Susan's estate, and the law won't take it away from me now.

[00:56:06] So it was you, Kilda.

[00:56:08] Of course.

[00:56:08] I needed money for my business, and she refused to lend it to me, the fool.

[00:56:12] No intelligence.

[00:56:13] Is she to know when I was prepared for every emergency?

[00:56:15] Yes, I sort of had that figured out.

[00:56:17] This box of pills.

[00:56:19] Pick-up pills.

[00:56:20] A wonderful tonic.

[00:56:22] Mark, unfortunately for Susan, the one I let her pick was Adropine.

[00:56:26] Uh, don't look now, Mr. Ward, but there's a man behind you.

[00:56:32] Drop that gun.

[00:56:33] Drop it.

[00:56:35] Captain McNair.

[00:56:36] Yeah.

[00:56:37] With bracelets, you can't buy a Tiffany's.

[00:56:39] You, uh, should have looked when I told you, Mr. Ward.

[00:56:42] Well, sure.

[00:56:44] Well, Mark, it gets me how you figured this whole thing out.

[00:56:48] Ah, I'm a dreamer.

[00:56:49] Uh, would you, uh, like to take care of my old hat now?

[00:56:53] Your old hat?

[00:56:54] What do you expect me to do with it?

[00:56:56] Well, you said you were going to eat it, didn't you?

[00:56:58] Oh.

[00:56:58] Oh, yeah.

[00:56:59] But I said I'd buy a new one first.

[00:57:02] Well, a deal's a deal, but, uh, I hope you won't mind waiting.

[00:57:06] I, uh, no, I won't mind.

[00:57:18] And so closes tonight's Crime Club book, Death at 710, based on a story by HFS Moore.

[00:57:25] Stedman Cole did the radio adaptation.

[00:57:27] Roger Bauer produced and directed.

[00:57:29] Raymond Edward Johnson played the part of Mark Kent.

[00:57:33] Helen Shields was Susan Ward Steele.

[00:57:35] Cameron Pudon was Captain McNair.

[00:57:37] Ted Osborne played Gerald Steele.

[00:57:39] Eleanor Phelps was Claire Ellis.

[00:57:42] King Calder was Pierce Carlton.

[00:57:44] And Reese Taylor was heard as Robert Ward.

[00:57:48] Oh, I beg your pardon.

[00:57:50] Hello.

[00:57:51] I hope I hadn't kept you waiting.

[00:57:52] Yes, this is the Crime Club.

[00:57:55] I'm the librarian.

[00:57:57] Yes, come over a week from tonight.

[00:58:00] Good.

[00:58:01] We have the very exciting story of a night that was made for fun and remade for murder.

[00:58:07] It's called Coney Island Nocturne.

[00:58:10] In the meantime?

[00:58:12] Well, in the meantime, there's a new Crime Club book available this week and every week at bookstores everywhere.

[00:58:19] Yes, it's available now.

[00:58:22] Fine.

[00:58:24] And we'll look for you next week.

[00:58:37] This program came from New York.

[00:58:40] This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.

[00:58:57] This has been a Cryptic County Podcast.

[00:59:00] To check out our other storytelling podcasts like Let's Not Meet and Odd Trails, go to crypticcountypodcasts.com.

[00:59:08] We'll see you next time.

[00:59:11] You know what ought to happen next?

[00:59:13] If this was a horror story?

[00:59:16] That's what ought to happen next.

[00:59:19] It did.