Silent Witness | The Corpse Wore a Wig - The Crime Club

[00:00:05] [SPEAKER_10] Hello, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the Crime Club. I'm the librarian. Silent witnesses. Yes, we have that Crime Club book for you. Come right over.

[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_10] You're here. Good. Take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on the shelf. Here it is. Silent Witnesses by John Stephen Strange.

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_10] The very unusual story of a letter that was registered by death. Let's look at it under the reading lamp. It was early evening, and the blizzard that had been going all day gave no sign of blowing itself out. Mary Masterman didn't care. She was home in her upstairs apartment in the quaint two-story building in Greenwich Village. And she was comfortable.

[00:01:25] [SPEAKER_10] Too comfortable, as a matter of fact. Because in the midst of the mystery novel she was reading, the book dissolved on her lap. She dissolved on the sofa. And before long, she was sound asleep.

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_05] Well, you said something about a murder, didn't you? Yes. Well, where is it? Barney, are you going to be mad at me? Now look, precious. I'm not going to be. You're so sweet. I am. Hopping mad. Look, what's the idea of making me drive for an hour in that blizzard all the way from the Bronx?

[00:03:15] [SPEAKER_09] Too barney. I was frightened.

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_05] By whom? The mysterious traveler?

[00:03:19] [SPEAKER_09] I thought I heard two shots.

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_05] Huh? What's that?

[00:03:22] [SPEAKER_09] Two pistol shots. They seem to come from just below.

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_05] Frank Vaughn's apartment?

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_09] Mm-hmm. But I didn't really hear them. What? I was dreaming. I was reading a mystery book, and I fell asleep. And then...

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_05] Bing-bang. But it was all a dream.

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_09] It must have been.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_05] Aren't you sure?

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_09] Oh, yes. After I phoned you, I decided not to be a scary Mary, so I went down to Frank Vaughn's apartment. And there he was. Oh, how'd you do? And how are you? Oh, don't be silly. I didn't go in.

[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_05] Of course not. Why visit a live lawyer?

[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_09] I didn't even see it. Huh? I listened at his door, and I was satisfied. He wasn't moving around the apartment.

[00:03:57] [SPEAKER_05] How do you know?

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER_09] What?

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_05] How do you know it was Frank Vaughn who was moving around?

[00:04:02] [SPEAKER_09] Oh, now look, Bonnie.

[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_05] Maybe it was a murderer. Oh, Mary, you're lucky. What do you mean? Suppose he opened the door and seen you. What then?

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_09] Are you trying to frighten me all over again?

[00:04:13] [SPEAKER_05] You scared me, didn't you? I thought you stepped in on an author or something.

[00:04:17] [SPEAKER_09] You idiot.

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_05] No, you idiot.

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_09] Do you still love me?

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_05] Mm-hmm. Well, as long as I'm here. Oh, baby.

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_09] Darling.

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_05] Mm-hmm. Hmm. No sugar shortage here. All right. We've flirted long enough. Now.

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER_02] What?

[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_05] Fix me a drink. Then we'll go downstairs and tell Frank Vaughn about your dream. Ha, ha, ha. It ought to kill him for sure.

[00:04:55] [SPEAKER_09] You must have gone out, Barney.

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah. He's even crazier than I am.

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_09] What are you doing?

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_05] See?

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_09] Barney.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_05] Am I surprised? Does he always keep his door unlocked? Well, how would I now? I didn't say you should, Mary.

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_09] Then why did you ask? Just because Frank and I are the only tenants in this house doesn't mean...

[00:05:14] [SPEAKER_05] Look out for that table.

[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_09] I see it. Hmm. Imagine Frank keeping that window open as though it was summer.

[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_05] I better close it.

[00:05:23] [SPEAKER_09] No, no. Let's go back upstairs.

[00:05:24] [SPEAKER_05] Wait a minute.

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_09] We've got no right to be here. Frank isn't home. And besides, I'm cold.

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_05] Mary, you said you heard two shots.

[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_09] Oh, not that again. And I told you I was dreaming.

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_05] You weren't.

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_09] What?

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_05] That's right, honey. Look at that wall.

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_09] A hole.

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER_05] The kind of bullet makes. Where's my penknife?

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_09] What are you going to do? Dig, baby.

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_05] But you can't. Who says so?

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_09] Now listen, Bart.

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_05] Oh. What's the matter?

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_09] Over here by the fireplace.

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_05] Blood?

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_09] Broken cocktail glass.

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_05] Uh-huh. Well, here it is, precious.

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_09] A bullet?

[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_05] From a .25.

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_09] Well, then I wasn't dreaming. Oh, Barney, what happened here tonight?

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_05] I don't know, but I want you to do a little thinking.

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_09] All right.

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_05] Were there two shots or only one?

[00:06:14] [SPEAKER_09] I... I can't be sure.

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_05] You've got to be.

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_09] Well, it seemed like two, but...

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah?

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_09] But I was fast asleep, Barney. And if there were two, where's the other bullet? And where's... Oh! Get off the edge, Mary.

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_05] It's only the telephone. Oh! Yes?

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_11] Mr. Vaughn?

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_05] Uh-huh?

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_11] This is Mr. Masson. Thomas Masson.

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER_05] Yes?

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_11] I expected to hear from you today about that offer I made.

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_05] Oh, did you?

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_11] Now see here, Mr. Vaughn, I think I've been very generous. You know my step-sister Hilda hasn't got a case against me. She can't possibly break Aunt Helen's last will and testament. It's bona fide.

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_05] Then why bother to make offers?

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_11] As I told you the other day, I don't want the unpleasantness of a trial in court. And I'm not going to give Hilda the satisfaction of a cash settlement out of court. I'd rather do business with you, privately.

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_05] Yes.

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_11] Now think it over. And you don't earn $100,000 every day. Goodbye.

[00:07:04] Ouch.

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_05] Did you hear that, Mary?

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_09] I don't believe it, Barney.

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_05] You mean the $100,000?

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_09] I don't believe Frank Vaughn would sell out a client.

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_05] He hasn't done it yet, precious.

[00:07:14] [SPEAKER_09] He wouldn't even think of it. Such neighborly faith. Oh, Barney.

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER_05] All right, all right. Let's go.

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_09] By all means.

[00:07:21] [SPEAKER_05] We're going uptown to Ted Lassiter's nightclub.

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_08] Well, what's there?

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_05] Hilda. And when she opens her mouth, some call what comes out singing. I call it after you, sweetheart. You see Hilda around?

[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_09] No, but I see Ted Lassiter.

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_05] Hmm? Where?

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_09] That corner table.

[00:07:43] [SPEAKER_05] Oh, yeah. Oh, and watch. Doesn't look very gay, does he?

[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_09] Maybe you know what's wrong with him.

[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_05] Mm-hmm.

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER_09] What?

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_05] Keep your eyebrows on. I'll show you.

[00:07:53] [SPEAKER_09] Oh, tingling with excitement. Shh.

[00:07:56] [SPEAKER_05] I want to surprise him. You want to roll for the club, Ted? Huh? Who said that? Hiya, pal. Well, what's the idea, Barney? Just trying you out, that's all. Well, don't do that again, you newspaper guys. Anything for a laugh, huh? Anything.

[00:08:10] [SPEAKER_09] What's he got on you, Ted?

[00:08:11] [SPEAKER_05] Nothing. Who's been telling you things, Barney? Rumor has it, chum. And when rumor has it in this town, it's practically Winslow. Yeah. You're a nice kid, Barney. Thanks. So don't believe everything you hear. Make a note of that. And don't talk about what you don't believe. Sure.

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_09] Would one of you mind telling me?

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER_05] Well, you heard what he just said, Mary. It's a lie.

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER_09] What's a lie?

[00:08:29] [SPEAKER_05] The blizzard we left outside. Where's Hilda, Ted? She's in my office. Mind if I go in there? Yeah, she's on the phone. Oh, that's all right. I won't listen. That's what I said, Barney. She's talking to her lawyer.

[00:08:42] [SPEAKER_09] Frank Vaughn?

[00:08:43] [SPEAKER_05] What kind of drinks you want, kids? On the house.

[00:08:45] [SPEAKER_09] But, Barney, if she's talking to Frank... Yeah.

[00:08:47] [SPEAKER_05] Now, a scotch and soda, Ted. I'll get away then. How about you, Mary?

[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_09] Oh, I feel wonderful. How are you?

[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_05] Well, I... I... Barney, uh... Is she okay? Mm. Perfect. Then, uh... What is she trying to do?

[00:09:00] [SPEAKER_09] You don't understand, Ted? We had a terrible scare about Frank. You see, I was home alone, and around seven o'clock, I thought I heard two shots in Frank's apartment.

[00:09:08] [SPEAKER_11] You, uh... What?

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_09] But it wasn't two shots. It was only one shot. Because after Barney came over, we went downstairs and investigated.

[00:09:15] [SPEAKER_07] Where was Frank?

[00:09:15] What?

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_09] Oh, oh, Hilda. Was he there? No, but what's the difference? He's home now. Is he? You just spoke to him, didn't you?

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_07] No, Mary.

[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_05] Well, I... But, Hilda, baby, you were in my office half an hour.

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_07] There was no answer. You know what it means, Ted.

[00:09:30] [SPEAKER_05] Maybe.

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_07] Those two shots, Mary heard. Only one. He had that letter Aunt Helen sent me just before she died. He took it home with him tonight. He was going to have a handwriting expert check it. Maybe he didn't take it after all. I told you I saw him put it into his briefcase. I was with him in his office up to half past five, and I left the building with him.

[00:09:47] [SPEAKER_05] Okay, so the handwriting expert checked it and Frank went out someplace. Now, what's there to worry about?

[00:09:52] [SPEAKER_07] He didn't phone me, and he said he would. Tom would do anything to get that letter. He'd kidnap or murder.

[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_05] What was in it, Hilda?

[00:09:59] [SPEAKER_07] Three million dollars worth of evidence, Barney. My whole case against Tom.

[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_05] How about some particulars?

[00:10:04] [SPEAKER_07] Sure, why not? About a week before Aunt Helen died, that slimy stepbrother of mine got her to sign a paper. A will? Yes. She was having one of her bad days, and she didn't know what she was doing. But a couple of days later, she remembered something. The butler and the cook had been present when Tom gave her that paper to sign. Witnesses? That's right. And she couldn't understand why. Tom wouldn't tell her, and the servants didn't know. But she was worried. So she wrote that letter telling what happened and got the doctor to mail it to me. Well, why didn't she give it to you? I was in Europe.

[00:10:33] [SPEAKER_07] I didn't even know she was dying. By the time I got back to New York, she was...

[00:10:37] [SPEAKER_05] Come on, now, take it easy, baby.

[00:10:39] [SPEAKER_07] The will was filed. And all I got was one dollar. One dollar! And Tom walked off with the millions. And now he's going to keep them. He's got that letter.

[00:10:46] [SPEAKER_11] You don't know Hilda.

[00:10:47] [SPEAKER_07] He's got it, Ted. So long, kiddies.

[00:10:50] [SPEAKER_05] Where are you going?

[00:10:51] [SPEAKER_07] Yes.

[00:10:51] [SPEAKER_05] Your stepbrother? Of course. It's a logical move. I'm going with you.

[00:10:54] [SPEAKER_07] Thanks, Ted. But I can frighten him all by myself.

[00:10:57] [SPEAKER_05] Just a minute, Hilda.

[00:10:58] [SPEAKER_07] What is it, Barney?

[00:10:59] [SPEAKER_05] Your aunt owned a mansion on West 84th Street, didn't she?

[00:11:02] [SPEAKER_07] Yes. She died there. Anybody using it now? Nobody. It's boarded up. Why? No reason.

[00:11:09] [SPEAKER_05] I was just thinking about the housing shortage. Let's go, Mary. And give my best to your stepbrother, Hilda. And don't shoot without counting the steps to the death house.

[00:11:25] [SPEAKER_09] You're absolutely crazy, Barney.

[00:11:27] [SPEAKER_05] Mary, you say the nicest things.

[00:11:29] [SPEAKER_09] You'd have to be to believe that Frank's hiding out in that house.

[00:11:32] [SPEAKER_05] I didn't say I believe it, did I?

[00:11:34] [SPEAKER_09] Then why are we going there?

[00:11:35] [SPEAKER_05] To do a routine check. Look, Precious, there's something rotten in this state of Masson versus Masson, and it might be Frank Vaughn.

[00:11:42] [SPEAKER_09] You're crazy.

[00:11:43] [SPEAKER_05] Okay, by me, but where's Frank?

[00:11:45] [SPEAKER_09] I don't know. He might be dead.

[00:11:48] [SPEAKER_05] He might be. Who killed him?

[00:11:51] [SPEAKER_09] Tom Masson.

[00:11:52] [SPEAKER_05] Just like that, huh?

[00:11:53] [SPEAKER_09] Well, he had to get that letter, Barney, or lose three million dollars.

[00:11:56] [SPEAKER_05] There was only one shot, Precious, and we found the bullet in the wall.

[00:12:01] [SPEAKER_09] I'm not so sure about that now.

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_05] Huh?

[00:12:04] [SPEAKER_09] The more I think of it, the more I... Of course I was asleep. But, darling, even so, would I hear two shots if there'd only been one?

[00:12:13] [SPEAKER_11] Well, I...

[00:12:14] [SPEAKER_09] And that broken cocktail glass and the missing bullet, what do they mean? Those silent witnesses that something dreadful might have happened. Oh, Barney, I don't feel good about it.

[00:12:25] [SPEAKER_05] That's why we've got to keep looking for Frank Vaughn.

[00:12:26] [SPEAKER_09] All right, but why in that house?

[00:12:28] [SPEAKER_05] Because it's boarded up and out of circulation. If Tom Masson killed Frank, it'd be an ideal place to park the body. What if he didn't? Yes. He'd want people to think that Frank had disappeared. But if he didn't, Mary?

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER_09] Step on the gas, Barney. We've got to hurry.

[00:12:40] [SPEAKER_05] I hope you're not disappointed. What?

[00:12:43] [SPEAKER_09] What was that?

[00:12:45] [SPEAKER_05] Hallelujah. And on a night like this... Reach into that glove compartment, Mary, and hand me my flashlight, please.

[00:12:52] [SPEAKER_09] A blowout?

[00:12:53] [SPEAKER_05] In more ways than one.

[00:12:55] [SPEAKER_09] Oh, me?

[00:12:59] [SPEAKER_05] Yes, my adorable one.

[00:13:00] [SPEAKER_09] Why didn't you tell Hilda about that phone call Tom made?

[00:13:04] [SPEAKER_05] Is that all you've got to offer, precious?

[00:13:05] [SPEAKER_09] I just happened to think of it.

[00:13:07] [SPEAKER_05] Well, if it'll keep you comfortable, darling. It was because she already had murder in her heart, and I didn't want to put it in her hands.

[00:13:27] [SPEAKER_09] Here's something we didn't think of, Barney. How do we get into a house that's boarded up?

[00:13:32] [SPEAKER_05] That's easy. Show me a keyhole, and I'll show you a way to get in. And there it is, the front door. No boards.

[00:13:38] [SPEAKER_09] I still don't see how you're going to do it.

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_05] Live and learn, honey. And there's so much to do about. Watch now. I take this pass key, pass it into the keyhole, give a turn, like this. And...

[00:13:52] Presto!

[00:13:54] [SPEAKER_09] Full of tricks, aren't you? You can get into a lot of trouble doing such things.

[00:14:00] [SPEAKER_05] Not such things, honey. Come on. Let's get out of the store. Oh, hand me my flashlight. Thanks.

[00:14:10] [SPEAKER_09] Nice and warm in here.

[00:14:11] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah. Almost as though we're being lived in.

[00:14:15] [SPEAKER_09] That does smell like coal heat, doesn't it?

[00:14:18] [SPEAKER_05] Uh-huh. Let's look around. That room over there first. That should be the living room.

[00:14:24] [SPEAKER_09] I'm beginning not to like this very much, Barney.

[00:14:28] [SPEAKER_05] Oh, you'll get over it. Just as soon as we... Ah, it is the living room. Mm-hmm. So this is how the 10% live.

[00:14:38] [SPEAKER_09] When they're living.

[00:14:40] [SPEAKER_05] Okay. Let's try the rest of the house. Barney! Barney! Hey! We've been locked in! Let us out here! Cut us out! We know you're here, Frank Vaughan. You'll never get away with us, you know.

[00:14:52] [SPEAKER_09] Don't wear yourself out, Barney. Yeah, but we're trapped. We...

[00:14:54] [SPEAKER_05] Well, don't you care?

[00:14:56] [SPEAKER_09] You still have the passkey.

[00:14:58] [SPEAKER_05] Oh, I swear. I was just about to think of it myself. Precious little passkey.

[00:15:06] [SPEAKER_09] Well, Barney, open it.

[00:15:08] [SPEAKER_05] I can't.

[00:15:09] [SPEAKER_09] But don't be silly. You opened the outside door.

[00:15:11] [SPEAKER_05] Yes, honey, but it's not working on this one.

[00:15:14] [SPEAKER_09] Well, now what do we do? The window's boarded up in that door.

[00:15:19] Well...

[00:15:19] [SPEAKER_09] Couldn't you break it down?

[00:15:21] [SPEAKER_05] That hunk of timber? Oh, I'm good, Precious, but not that good. Yeah. Frank Vaughan's a nice guy. He wouldn't sell out a client. Huh. Not much.

[00:15:31] [SPEAKER_09] That could have been Tom Masson out there, Barney.

[00:15:34] [SPEAKER_05] Sure. Sure, he was just waiting for us to get here.

[00:15:37] [SPEAKER_09] Barney.

[00:15:38] [SPEAKER_05] What is this between you and Frank Vaughan?

[00:15:40] [SPEAKER_09] Barney, don't you smell something?

[00:15:41] [SPEAKER_05] You bet I do. I smell a rat, and I...

[00:15:44] [SPEAKER_09] Nothing like coal gas?

[00:15:47] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah.

[00:15:48] [SPEAKER_09] Well, where's it coming from?

[00:15:50] [SPEAKER_05] I'll let you know in a minute. That hot air vent.

[00:15:55] [SPEAKER_09] Somebody's trying to kill us.

[00:15:56] [SPEAKER_05] You're not kidding. And whoever's fooling around with that furnace isn't kidding either.

[00:16:09] [SPEAKER_10] Good night, Joseph. Good night, Mr. Masson, sir.

[00:16:16] [SPEAKER_07] Turn a corner and look what you meet. Hilda. Hello, Tom. What are you doing here? Cute, aren't you? Let's go to your apartment. I have nothing to say to you. Really? Now look here, Hilda. After you, Tom. All right. But if you think you're going to bully me the way you... Step along, little man, or this gun will have something to say to you. I'm still after you.

[00:16:46] [SPEAKER_07] Very well. Hmm. You're so rich now, you can afford to go out and leave the lights on.

[00:16:53] [SPEAKER_11] Not your money, Hilda.

[00:16:54] [SPEAKER_07] Where's the letter? Letter? The one Aunt Helen wrote me. I sent you a photostatic copy. So don't pretend to look as innocent as you look. Oh. Do you want that copy now? I want the original. No. Frank Vaughn had it and you took it. Hmm.

[00:17:08] [SPEAKER_11] This is too good to be true. So you've lost your case.

[00:17:11] [SPEAKER_07] The letter, Tom. I haven't got it. Don't lie to me. Somehow you found out that Frank was going to take it home and have it checked. Did I? You murdered him and stole that letter.

[00:17:21] [SPEAKER_11] Really, you're slightly out of your mind.

[00:17:23] [SPEAKER_07] I'm going to kill you, Tom.

[00:17:25] [SPEAKER_11] Now look here, Hilda. Frank Vaughn was your lawyer. I had nothing to do with him except through my lawyer. I never even spoke to the man.

[00:17:31] [SPEAKER_07] I want that letter, Tom.

[00:17:33] [SPEAKER_11] You don't believe me. Well, how can I convince you?

[00:17:37] [SPEAKER_07] Don't even try.

[00:17:38] [SPEAKER_11] You'd be a fool to shoot me, Hilda. Everyone knows how much you hate me.

[00:17:42] [SPEAKER_07] Nobody knows how much I really hate you. Even if you manage to get out of this building.

[00:17:47] [SPEAKER_11] You'll be arrested sooner or later. Neither of us will have the money. Hilda, listen to me.

[00:17:51] [SPEAKER_07] What for?

[00:17:53] [SPEAKER_11] I'll make a deal with you. I'll give you $100,000.

[00:17:56] [SPEAKER_07] Of my money?

[00:17:57] [SPEAKER_11] Aunt Helen left it to me. It's in her will.

[00:17:59] [SPEAKER_07] Who do you think you're kidding?

[00:18:01] [SPEAKER_11] I don't care about that letter.

[00:18:02] [SPEAKER_07] You can't prove that Aunt Helen wrote it. No? Is that why you killed Frank Vaughn? I didn't. Didn't even know he was dead. Oh, a snake can take lessons from you. I'll give you a quarter of a million. All I want's the letter. But I told you... And I told you I don't believe it. Well? All right. Where is it?

[00:18:24] [SPEAKER_11] I'll get it for you. And let's have a drink first.

[00:18:28] [SPEAKER_07] What for?

[00:18:30] [SPEAKER_11] To celebrate your victory.

[00:18:32] [SPEAKER_07] It won't take a minute.

[00:18:34] [SPEAKER_11] What would you like?

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER_07] Nothing. From you.

[00:18:37] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, come now, Hilda. How about some brandy and... Now, you give me that gun!

[00:18:43] [SPEAKER_09] I'm going to tell you...

[00:18:45] [SPEAKER_11] It was very foolish, Hilda. What will the neighbors think?

[00:18:49] [SPEAKER_09] Oh, my... My wrist...

[00:18:51] [SPEAKER_11] That's better. Okay. Now, Hilda, you want to know about a letter? Yeah. I haven't got it. And I'm awfully sorry I had to ruin that beautifully made-up face of yours.

[00:19:10] [SPEAKER_05] Just another minute, Mary. I'll have to let the porch off the window. There's some air coming in the window. It's a good thing you thought of that. Fireplace. Great. What a weapon. There. We're through. Come on, Alice. Get out of here.

[00:19:29] [SPEAKER_08] Oh, you don't have to pass me quite. I see such a lovely blizzard.

[00:19:34] [SPEAKER_05] Hop to it, kid. We've got a lot of work to do.

[00:19:36] [SPEAKER_08] Oh, no. No, don't tell me we're going back into that house the front way.

[00:19:40] [SPEAKER_05] Not this team. There won't be anybody here to go back for.

[00:19:43] [SPEAKER_08] What do you mean?

[00:19:44] [SPEAKER_05] Whoever tried to kill us is far, far away by now.

[00:19:48] [SPEAKER_09] You didn't say it was Frank Vaughan, Barney.

[00:19:50] [SPEAKER_05] No? I must be slipping.

[00:19:52] [SPEAKER_09] You wouldn't be changing your mind about him, would you?

[00:19:55] [SPEAKER_05] Oh, look, honey. Right now, I'm too tired to change anything. What's the matter? Let's get back to Frank's apartment and see if he's taking anything for a change.

[00:20:11] [SPEAKER_08] There's toothbrushes here.

[00:20:12] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah, and shaving things. Mary, there's something funny to you here.

[00:20:16] [SPEAKER_09] Is there?

[00:20:17] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah, the brush is still damp.

[00:20:19] [SPEAKER_09] So?

[00:20:19] [SPEAKER_05] And the razor. There's soap on it. Hand me that towel, will you, please?

[00:20:23] [SPEAKER_09] All right, but what's the rumpus about?

[00:20:25] [SPEAKER_05] It's dry. It's a fresh towel, too.

[00:20:28] [SPEAKER_09] Barney, would you mind telling me?

[00:20:30] [SPEAKER_05] I was just wondering, Mary. Frank was a pretty neat guy.

[00:20:33] [SPEAKER_09] Was?

[00:20:34] [SPEAKER_05] He wouldn't leave dirty stuff lying around. None of it wasn't his habit.

[00:20:37] [SPEAKER_09] Barney, if you're saying that Frank was murdered...

[00:20:39] [SPEAKER_05] I'm only thinking, precious. Let's go into the living room. Frank was expecting somebody tonight. Well, why bother shaving?

[00:20:45] [SPEAKER_09] Well, Hilda told us, the handwriting expert.

[00:20:47] [SPEAKER_05] Uh-huh. But would I shave for a handwriting expert?

[00:20:50] No.

[00:20:51] [SPEAKER_05] I would shave if I were expecting a beautiful woman. Hilda? Why not? How do we know that she was really trying to get Frank Vaughn on the phone?

[00:20:58] [SPEAKER_09] We don't.

[00:20:59] [SPEAKER_05] Might have been an act to impress Ted Lassiter. Just in case she might need an alibi.

[00:21:04] [SPEAKER_09] I don't get it. Why should she kill her own lawyer?

[00:21:06] [SPEAKER_05] I didn't say she did, Mary. But suppose she found out that there was going to be a deal. That she was going to lose that letter.

[00:21:12] [SPEAKER_09] I don't believe it. I don't believe Frank Vaughn would...

[00:21:14] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. He wouldn't sell out a client. But there's a possibility there was going to. And Hilda came here and killed him out of sheer venom and took back her letter.

[00:21:23] [SPEAKER_09] And then what did she do with his body? Make a hocus pocus until it evaporated?

[00:21:27] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah, well, that's what I don't understand. Is Frank Vaughn alive and somewhere or is he dead and... Mary. I'm listening. A little while ago you said something about silent witnesses.

[00:21:39] [SPEAKER_09] Yes. The broken cocktail glass and the bullet in the wall and the missing second bullet.

[00:21:43] [SPEAKER_05] How about that open window?

[00:21:44] [SPEAKER_09] Well, what about it?

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_05] This is a ground floor apartment and that window faces the backyard. It's possible, Mary. It's just possible. What are you doing? Climbing out. Turn on all the lamps, will you, honey? I want plenty of light. But Barney! Mary, the lamp...

[00:21:58] [SPEAKER_09] Oh, right, but I know you're crazy. I just know it. I'll never believe what you're thinking. We couldn't have been running all over town while he was...

[00:22:09] [SPEAKER_05] Barney! Stay away from the window, Mary. Yeah. Buried in the snow. In his own backyard.

[00:22:25] [SPEAKER_09] But Barney, of all the places to leave it...

[00:22:28] [SPEAKER_05] Maybe that's... In snow. Well, maybe that's all the killer needed.

[00:22:30] [SPEAKER_09] But in a couple of weeks...

[00:22:32] [SPEAKER_05] Somebody had to make it look as though Frank had disappeared. Somebody who had a lot to do with a little time. Oh, hello, Mr. Thomas Madison.

[00:22:41] Yeah?

[00:22:41] [SPEAKER_05] This is Frank Vaughn.

[00:22:43] What?

[00:22:44] [SPEAKER_05] I decided to make that deal with you. Come down to my apartment and bring that...

[00:22:47] [SPEAKER_11] But, Mr. Vaughn, I...

[00:22:48] [SPEAKER_05] You still want that letter, don't you?

[00:22:50] [SPEAKER_11] Well, certainly, but I...

[00:22:51] [SPEAKER_05] All right, then. Bring the money. A hundred thousand dollars. That was the price, wasn't it?

[00:22:57] [SPEAKER_11] Well...

[00:22:58] [SPEAKER_05] Have you changed your mind?

[00:22:59] [SPEAKER_11] If you wish to talk to me, I'll... I'll pay you a visit. I'll... I'll...

[00:23:06] [SPEAKER_05] Thank you. Goodbye. That's that. You're a pretty cagey guy. He knows something.

[00:23:13] [SPEAKER_09] Is he coming?

[00:23:14] [SPEAKER_05] So he said. We'll see. If he doesn't show up, then we'll know he knows we know. Or somebody knows. Now for suspect number two. And such a cute little suspect. Good evening, Mr. Lasseter. May I speak with Hilda Mason, please?

[00:23:31] [SPEAKER_04] Okay. Who's calling?

[00:23:32] [SPEAKER_05] Our attorney. Frank Vaughn.

[00:23:34] Who?

[00:23:35] [SPEAKER_05] Frank Vaughn. I promised to call Ms. Mason about a certain report, but I was detained. Will you put her on, please? Certainly, but she's doing it. Do you want me to give her a message? If you don't mind. Tell her to come to my apartment. It's very important. I'll do that. Thank you. Goodbye.

[00:23:53] [SPEAKER_09] Now all we've got to do is wait. And worry. Why, Barney? You said the killer wouldn't come.

[00:24:09] [SPEAKER_05] I've been fooled before, and I don't want to... Will you do as I say, please? I can't keep our visitor waiting.

[00:24:13] [SPEAKER_09] All right. But you're detained.

[00:24:15] [SPEAKER_05] Be right with you. Sorry to have kept you... Hello, Barney. Ted. You thought you fooled me, didn't you? You ought to take lessons in voice disguise. Ted Lasseter. Now, back away from that door, pal. Sure, but you don't have to point that gun right at me. I can have just as much respect for it if we're looking somewhere else. Yeah? Where's the girl? Mary? She's upstairs in her apartment. You don't say. She was very tired, and tomorrow is just another working day, you know. You don't mind if I look around, do you? How can I mind?

[00:24:45] [SPEAKER_05] But she would be in that kitchen. She's got a kitchen of her own upstairs. And it's very, very cute.

[00:24:51] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. Well, I'll have to go up there and see it sometime. Okay, I'll search the rest of the apartment when I get through with you. Well, sit down, Barney.

[00:25:01] [SPEAKER_05] Do I have to? Well, I want you to be comfortable. You're a pal. Well, you tip me off to things before the cops find out. How do you know the cops didn't find out? Where are they, Barney? Well, I... They'd be all over the place if they knew, and they aren't. They're not even hiding. All right, Ted. You're going to kill me. You were a nice guy, Barney. Wait. Every dying man is allowed one last request. Will you tell me... Why did I kill Frank Vaughn?

[00:25:30] [SPEAKER_05] No, I just figured that out for myself. Yeah? Well, that's good. You dropped $50,000 in a dice game. The boys gave you 30 days to pay up, but they wanted collateral. You got a nose for news, Barney. It's too bad it's going to be cold. So you put up your nightclub. And then tonight, Hilda told you that Frank had taken that letter home to have it checked. You're not wrong. And that letter was worth a lot of blackmail money. So I took it. Is that all, pal? One last request. Did you collect on it? Not yet.

[00:26:00] [SPEAKER_05] Who are you going to talk to about it? Hilda or Tom Masson? Tom. He's got the dough. Why bother with outsiders? Then Hilda and Tom didn't know that you got it. No. But Tom's going to find out tomorrow. Oh. Well. By the way, Ted, how'd you get that key to that house on 84th Street? I borrowed it from Hilda's dressing room. Well, any more questions? Yeah. Just one more. Nice work, Mary. You knocked him cold.

[00:26:29] [SPEAKER_09] Don't catch me, Barney. I'm going to faint. Well, hey, you can't do that, honey. I never hit a man with a bottle full of soda before.

[00:26:34] [SPEAKER_05] Well, you couldn't affect a better time, precious. Oh, you wonderful microbe. Where were you when Ted looked in the kitchen?

[00:26:42] [SPEAKER_09] I was under the table.

[00:26:44] [SPEAKER_05] What?

[00:26:44] [SPEAKER_09] And Barney, that's where I want to be from now on.

[00:26:51] [SPEAKER_10] And so closes tonight's Crime Club book, Silent Witnesses, based on a story by John Stephen Strange. Stedman Coles did the radio adaptation. Roger Bauer produced and directed. Chet Stratton played Barney Gantt. Sharita Bauer was Mary Masterman. Arthur Vinton was Ted Lassiter.

[00:27:21] [SPEAKER_10] Julie Stevens was Hilda Masson. And Ted Osborne played Tom Masson. Oh, I beg your pardon. Hello. Hello. I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the Crime Club. I'm the librarian. Yes, come over a week from tonight. Good. We have a very exciting story of a ghost that haunted like murder.

[00:27:48] [SPEAKER_10] It's called The Sun is a Witness by Aaron Mark Stein. In the meantime? Well, in the meantime, there is a new Crime Club book available this week and every week at bookstores everywhere. Yes, it's available now. Fine. And we look for you next week. Oh, yes.

[00:28:13] [SPEAKER_10] Do you know any young American who doesn't like to play ball and take hikes in the woods with a gang? Sure, they all like it. But what about the youngster in his wheelchair? He'd like it most of all. But it's not for him. He needs special teachers, medical care, and a camp planned for disabled kids. If he's to have his chance to grow into a useful citizen.

[00:28:40] [SPEAKER_10] You can give him this chance through Easter Seals sent to you by your neighbors during the month before Easter. It's new life and hope for disabled children. Don't forget them. Don't neglect them. Buy and use Easter Seals.

[00:29:12] [SPEAKER_04] This program came from New York. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.

[00:29:18] [SPEAKER_10] I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the Crime Club. I'm the librarian. The cops wore a wig. Yes, we have that Crime Club story for you. Come right over.

[00:30:01] [SPEAKER_10] Take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on this shelf. Here it is. The corpse wore a wig by George Bagby. The very intriguing story of a method of dying that was as deadly as murder. Let's look at it under the reading lamp. It was a few minutes before noon and Inspector Schmidt was already having his troubles in his office at New York City's police headquarters.

[00:30:31] [SPEAKER_10] As a matter of fact, he was having his hands full. Rubbing his aching feet. And oh, how they ached.

[00:30:40] Oh!

[00:30:51] [SPEAKER_11] All right, you bloodless devil, you... Hello, Schmidt talking. What do you want? Inspector, this is Cassidy. Cassidy, huh? That's a big help. Which Cassidy are you? The sergeant, sir. I suppose it's wondering you are what me, an Inspector McKee man, is doing on one of your cases. Well, you see, it's like... I don't start wondering until I know what you're talking about, Cassidy. Oh, sure, sure. And it's right you are. You know, the good Inspector McKee went on his vacation last night. Yes, yes. But what's that got to do with me? Well, I'm working for you now. Inspector McKee's orders.

[00:31:20] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, my aching feet. That's the reason, sir. Well, I'm down here in the coroner's autopsy room. You know that suicide cadaver that was brought in this morning? I had him brought in. That's Dr. Jeremy Bullock. I wanted an autopsy done. It's been done. And it was no suicide, Inspector. What? What? Open and shut case of murder. Let me talk to the coroner. Well, he just left a few minutes ago. He got a call to go out on another killing. And he asked me... Stay where you are. I'll be down as soon as I get my shoes on and learn to walk again.

[00:31:56] [SPEAKER_11] What's this about murder? It is the mortal remains of Dr. Jeremy Bullock, Inspector Schmidt. On that table. And here's the coroner's report, sir. Right. It's enough to make you wonder what people will do next a case like this. In all my 32 years on the police force... Shut up, Cassidy. Yes, sir. Hmm. Time of death between 11 o'clock and midnight. Last night. Contents of stomach rye whiskey and chloral hydrate. They're to sleep in medicine, thank you. Darn it, Cassidy. There's nothing here that I didn't know before.

[00:32:23] [SPEAKER_11] I found the bottle of chloral on the desk in Dr. Bullock's consulting room. Where does the murder come in? It was no overdose of medicine that killed him, Inspector. No? No. According to what the coroner told me, there ain't enough of that stuff in the cadaver to be cause of death. Well, why isn't that on the report? Oh, no, no. Don't blame the poor fellow. He's doing the whole job alone. Because the rest of the staff is out giving them smallpox vaccinations. All right, Cassidy. What killed Dr. Bullock? He was shot in the head, sir. What's that? It's a fact. And at very close range, too.

[00:32:53] [SPEAKER_11] There's powder marks and burns all over. Are you trying to tell me I looked at that corpse less than three hours ago and didn't see a bullet hole in the head? Well, nobody's seen it. Not even the coroner. Till the wig came off. The what? Like it was his own hair, it was. The coroner was just about to perform an autopsy on the brain when it happened. I see. It was a moment for start-outs. Oh, Inspector. Right through the top of the head. Where's the bullet, Cassidy? Here it is. It's a slug from a .25. Small, huh?

[00:33:23] [SPEAKER_11] But why did this guy need a wig? He's got more hair than I have. That's the one thing I couldn't understand. The wig he was wearing was the exact duplicate of the hair that was growing right out of his head. That's it on the chair. Now bring it here. Yes, sir. Well, yes, it's a puzzler, all right. Because there's only blood on the inside of this thing. On the lighting. No bullet hole? No, sir. Mm-hmm. Then Dr. Bullock wasn't wearing it at the time he was killed. It was put on his head afterwards. Yes, sir. Come on, Cassidy. We'll take a ride uptown to Dr. Bullock's place.

[00:33:52] [SPEAKER_11] Yes, sir. This time I'm going to do a complete job on it. And on that cute little nurse of his, too. Miss Teresa Chalmers. If she's still around. Yes, I heard you first, I... What do you want? Who are you? I beg your pardon. Do you always lead with that tone of voice? I sometimes lead with my left. I'm Inspector Schmidt, police headquarters. Please. Oh, oh, my goodness. Well, come right in.

[00:34:22] [SPEAKER_11] I didn't mean to be brusque. But there's so much to do here. Yeah. So much. Oh, dear. I suppose this character with you is a policeman, too. Why, listen, you... Hold it, Cassidy. But he called me a character, Inspector. This terrible day, this dreadful day... What are you doing here? I'm Spencer Talcott, scalp specialist. My salon is just around the corner from here, one flight up. I give treatments for every known variety of scalp disorder. I also give beauty treatments, hair waving, rinses of every description. My salon is a byword. Have you got a card?

[00:34:52] [SPEAKER_11] Yes. Keep it. Now, Mr. Talcott, what are you doing here? I heard about the horrible tragedy, Jeremy's... Dr. Bullock's suicide. I was in the midst of giving someone a treat when my assistant, Miss Foley, brought me the news. You can just imagine how I felt. Not now, if you don't mind. Jeremy Bullock's suicide. Unbelievable. He was so perfectly balanced. Good heavens, Inspector. What are you doing? Taking off my shoes. Any objections? Well, I must say... Well, don't.

[00:35:24] [SPEAKER_11] So you're a scalp specialist, huh? What do you know about wigs? Wigs? Are you talking to me? I hope so. I don't know anything about wigs. My job is to do everything I can to avoid them for my clients. I am a scientist. Yeah. Where's the girl? Would you be crudely referring to Dr. Bullock's nurse? Where is she talking? Oh, well, you don't have to shout, Inspector. Miss Chalmers is resting in Dr. Bullock's living waters. The shock of her employer is unexpected death, I'm afraid. Tell her to come in here.

[00:35:53] [SPEAKER_11] Inspector Schmidt. The poor child is just a tangle of nerves. Couldn't you forego the usual procedure? Get going, Tal. Well, can... Of course. You give me no alternative. If only there were not so many brutes in this world to tell decent people where to go. And that calls me a character. Forget it, Cassidy. You notice anything about this place that's out of line? Only that worm that just crawled out of here.

[00:36:22] [SPEAKER_11] If I were a private citizen without the dignity of a whole department to uphold, I'd show... Why, Inspector, this room is all wrong. Thanks for the cooperation. The furniture's old and broken down. Now, this is a high-class building in a fine high-class neighborhood. Pretty expensive, huh? Well, if I'm any judge of rentals, it's more than the likes of me. Well, I'll be an Englishman. What's the matter, Sergeant? Now, what would that dirty, dilapidated moosehead be doing on the wall of a doctor's waiting room?

[00:36:50] [SPEAKER_11] A moosehead with one eye and a crack under the chin. It ain't the sort of thing that gives peace of mind to the sick and the troubled, is it now? Not exactly, Cassidy. But it is something to wonder about.

[00:37:02] [SPEAKER_01] Inspector Smith.

[00:37:03] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, Miss Chalmers.

[00:37:05] [SPEAKER_01] Mr. Talcott said you wanted to see me.

[00:37:06] [SPEAKER_11] Mm-hmm. Come in, come in. We don't have to talk long distance.

[00:37:11] [SPEAKER_01] I'm... I'm not feeling well, Inspector. I hope you'll understand.

[00:37:14] [SPEAKER_11] Don't expect him to do anything so human, my dear. I told him exactly how miserable you were, but he insisted on your... Cassidy. Yes, sir? Go through this place and see what you can pick up. I'll do that, sir. Start with the consultation room. That's where the body was found. Yes, sir. The consultation room. Well, there must be that room. Now, Miss Chalmers.

[00:37:29] [SPEAKER_01] What do you want? I told you everything hours ago.

[00:37:33] [SPEAKER_11] You told me you came to work this morning and found Dr. Bullock sitting at his desk, dead. That isn't everything, young lady.

[00:37:41] [SPEAKER_01] What?

[00:37:42] [SPEAKER_11] I'd like to know more about Dr. Bullock. Why a sloppy waiting room like this and why that moose head?

[00:37:51] [SPEAKER_01] I don't know, Inspector.

[00:37:52] [SPEAKER_11] How long have you been his nurse?

[00:37:54] [SPEAKER_01] Six months.

[00:37:54] [SPEAKER_11] What kind of people came into this dump of an office?

[00:37:57] [SPEAKER_01] All kinds. What are you getting at?

[00:37:59] [SPEAKER_11] Miss Chalmers, I've been a policeman too long not to recognize a phony setup.

[00:38:04] [SPEAKER_01] You saw nothing wrong with it this morning.

[00:38:06] [SPEAKER_11] Bright girl. I wasn't looking for the same kind of evidence.

[00:38:10] [SPEAKER_01] The same kind... Inspector. Inspector.

[00:38:12] [SPEAKER_11] You're catching on fast. Jeremy Bullock didn't commit suicide.

[00:38:17] [SPEAKER_01] I knew it. He took an overdose with that chloral hydrate by mistake. I knew he wouldn't kill himself.

[00:38:23] [SPEAKER_11] You're so right. He was murdered.

[00:38:26] Murdered?

[00:38:27] [SPEAKER_11] Murdered? You take second money, Talcott. What of all the ridiculous, utterly fantastic... Now go back to your stall. What you won't think of next, you policemen. Good heavens. Go back, Talcott, or I'll have Cassidy give you a scalp treatment. Oh, good patience.

[00:38:40] [SPEAKER_01] I don't believe it. It can't be true.

[00:38:43] [SPEAKER_11] Somebody dropped enough chloral hydrate into some rye whiskey to put Dr. Bullock to sleep. And then shot him in the head.

[00:38:49] [SPEAKER_01] In the head? Oh, I know this is a trick. You're only fishing.

[00:38:54] [SPEAKER_11] The top of the head, Miss Chalmers. Did you ever see this wig before?

[00:38:59] [SPEAKER_01] No. And what's more, I... Wait a minute.

[00:39:03] [SPEAKER_11] Yeah?

[00:39:04] [SPEAKER_01] That looks like Jerry's hair.

[00:39:07] [SPEAKER_11] Jerry, huh?

[00:39:08] [SPEAKER_01] Was he?

[00:39:09] [SPEAKER_11] No, he wasn't. How long has it been Jerry, Miss Chalmers?

[00:39:13] [SPEAKER_01] We were going to be married in two weeks. Is that so? I know what you're thinking. He was old enough to be my father. But I didn't care. I loved him.

[00:39:20] [SPEAKER_11] There's no law against it. Yet.

[00:39:23] [SPEAKER_01] Inspector, was Jerry really murdered?

[00:39:25] [SPEAKER_11] Would you like to see his body again?

[00:39:27] [SPEAKER_01] Talcott. She killed him. Kate Foley killed him.

[00:39:30] [SPEAKER_11] Kate? My assistant? Why, you must be out of your mind.

[00:39:33] [SPEAKER_01] She threatened. She was here yesterday screaming bloody murder because he was going to marry me.

[00:39:37] [SPEAKER_11] Don't stop, Miss Chalmers. This is becoming very interesting.

[00:39:39] [SPEAKER_01] She said she'd kill me too. That jealous lunatic. She had no claim on Jerry. He never promised to marry her.

[00:39:45] [SPEAKER_11] How do you know?

[00:39:46] [SPEAKER_01] Suppose he did and he changed his mind. He didn't love her. That's no reason to be murdered.

[00:39:51] [SPEAKER_11] Yeah. Talcott, would Kate Foley be in your finger-waving paradise now? Of course. But my dear inspector, you can't be thinking that... I'm going to tell you, huh? Come on. I want to get her side of the story and quick. But Kate, she's one in a million expert assistants. Oh, I almost forgot my shoes. Dear me. What am I going to do? Don't say another word. The minute I get into these, I start hating things. All things.

[00:40:24] [SPEAKER_11] Kate. Oh, Catherine. Save your breath, Talcott. The bird has flown. But she left the door unlatched. And she has appointments. It could be she's got other things on her mind. Well, where does she live? She didn't run away, Inspector. Oh, dear. Such a splendid assistant. And with just the right attitude... Miss Foley's address, Talcott. Yes. Yes. It's in my book, right there on the desk.

[00:40:52] [SPEAKER_11] How can you be so unsympathetic? It's a tough world. Hmm. Say, this is quite a display of bottles you've got in this cabinet. I? Oh, those are my products. Talcott's dandruff lotion. Talcott's henna rinse. Talcott's golden rinse. Talcott's hair dyed black. Talcott's hair dyed brown. Talcott's for dry scalp. Talcott's for oily scalp. You believe in talcott's, don't you? Those are my own concoctions, Inspector. I'm a scientist. Oh, I see. Dr. Bullock was about 55, wasn't he? About.

[00:41:21] [SPEAKER_11] And not a gray hair on his head. Oh, there were many, my good man. Many. But thanks to Talcott's hair dyed black... He was able to fool the ladies. All right. Let's get back to Miss Foley. It won't be necessary to go to her home, Inspector. Dear child left this note for me. She's gone lunch. Where? For goodness sakes, how should I know? Miss Foley has a life of her own. She doesn't have to tell me. What time will she be back? She has an appointment with a very distinguished Park Avenue matron at four o'clock. That gives me two hours. Inspector Schmidt. I was just leaving, Cassidy. Yes, sir.

[00:41:50] [SPEAKER_11] The young lady told me where to find you, and I ran as fast as we'd like to get... What is it? Well, sir, it's evidence I've located. Real evidence. In Dr. Bullock's office? In his file of cases. You know the file where a doctor keeps the records of his patients? I know. I know. Well, sir, there was nothing in it. Not one record of a single patient. And that set me to... Sergeant, what about the evidence? Well, I'm coming to that, sir. It was thinking I was something kosher. And then I looked and I found it in the bottom drawer of the desk. In a medical book. You found what? This card, Inspector.

[00:42:20] [SPEAKER_11] With Louie Denby's name and address on it. Louie Denby? St. Louie, Louie. The slick artist that gave us all the trouble eight years ago. But he disappeared. Nobody ever saw him again. Nobody but the dead Dr. Bullock, sir. Because there's his name and address in the card. And it says... 974 West 52nd Street. Let's go, Cassidy. We'll find out the connection between Bullock and Denby. Inspector Schmidt. Now, what do you want, Talcott? What shall I say to Miss Fuller when she returns? Tell her not to get lost. She's got an appointment with me, too. All right, Cassidy.

[00:42:49] [SPEAKER_11] Well, well, well, what do you know? This fellow believes in advertising, doesn't he? Talcott's dandruff lotion, Talcott's head, I black... Come on, come on. We've given him enough free time. Yes. Are we going to pay Louie Denby a visit? You are. I'm going back to headquarters. Oh, it's your feet again. My feet and my head. But in between, there's a hunch I'll do better at headquarters than anywhere else.

[00:43:17] [SPEAKER_11] Are you having a good lunch, Kate?

[00:43:27] [SPEAKER_06] Oh, you checking up on me, Mr. Talcott?

[00:43:31] [SPEAKER_11] We didn't be so formal, dear.

[00:43:32] [SPEAKER_06] With you, how can a girl be otherwise?

[00:43:35] [SPEAKER_11] I've just done you a tremendous favor and at a great risk to myself.

[00:43:39] [SPEAKER_06] I'll bet. How much is it going to cost me?

[00:43:42] [SPEAKER_11] I told the police I didn't know where you were, but of course I knew all along.

[00:43:45] [SPEAKER_06] Police?

[00:43:46] [SPEAKER_11] I knew you were a child of habit, that you eat in this dreadful place every day.

[00:43:51] [SPEAKER_06] What do the police want with me?

[00:43:53] [SPEAKER_11] A certain Inspector Schmidt is frightfully upset about the death of Jeremy Bullock.

[00:43:57] [SPEAKER_06] So?

[00:43:57] [SPEAKER_11] Seems your friend did not commit suicide.

[00:44:01] [SPEAKER_06] What?

[00:44:02] [SPEAKER_11] He was murdered.

[00:44:03] [SPEAKER_06] You're crazy.

[00:44:04] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, yes. The police have all the proof they need. He was shot.

[00:44:07] [SPEAKER_06] Oh, no.

[00:44:08] [SPEAKER_11] Kate, where were you last night between 11 o'clock and midnight?

[00:44:12] [SPEAKER_06] I was... Say, who appointed you Chief Constable of Madison Avenue?

[00:44:17] [SPEAKER_11] The police are going to ask you the same question, dear.

[00:44:19] [SPEAKER_06] Yeah, why?

[00:44:21] [SPEAKER_11] Inspector Schmidt knows that you threatened to kill Jeremy.

[00:44:24] Did I?

[00:44:25] [SPEAKER_06] When?

[00:44:26] [SPEAKER_11] Yesterday afternoon. He was mad as a hatter because Jeremy threw you over for Tracer.

[00:44:31] [SPEAKER_06] Oh, so that's it.

[00:44:34] [SPEAKER_11] Isn't funny, Kate? If anything should happen to you...

[00:44:38] [SPEAKER_06] It won't.

[00:44:38] [SPEAKER_11] I wouldn't know where to look for another assistant.

[00:44:40] [SPEAKER_06] Have some coffee, Spencer, and I'll tell you the story of my life.

[00:44:43] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, you don't have to.

[00:44:45] [SPEAKER_06] Oh, but I do. Jeremy Bullock never meant any more to me than you did.

[00:44:49] [SPEAKER_11] Now, look here, Catherine.

[00:44:50] [SPEAKER_06] Nothing personal. He was a guy I went out with a few times. I went out with you, too, didn't I? Sure, but did we ever talk of getting married?

[00:45:00] [SPEAKER_11] Well, not the marrying kind.

[00:45:01] [SPEAKER_06] It was he. He liked women, but too many of them.

[00:45:06] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, dear. It gets more and more and more complicated. Why did Teresa tell Inspector Schmidt?

[00:45:10] [SPEAKER_06] Oh, so that's where he got it, huh?

[00:45:12] [SPEAKER_11] But naturally, didn't you know?

[00:45:14] [SPEAKER_06] No, my pudgy little lamb. I thought it was from one of the other 2,000. Well, goodbye for now.

[00:45:19] [SPEAKER_11] Where are you going?

[00:45:20] [SPEAKER_06] To choke somebody with a wagging tongue.

[00:45:22] [SPEAKER_11] But Catherine, you didn't have your coffee. Oh, dear. I wonder if she put too much sugar in it.

[00:45:40] [SPEAKER_06] So darling. Kate. So you're still holding down the fort? You're not on the payroll anymore, honey. You can't come in here. Prove it. I used to be wrestling champ with a finger-wagging league. Nobody ever beat me. What do you want? A heart-to-heart talk. And yours better be wide open or I'll stop it for good. You're going to kill me. Well, that's up to you. Why did you tell the police I threatened to kill Jerry? Because you did. You said that if he married me... I know what I said, but why did you tell the police?

[00:46:09] [SPEAKER_06] What did you expect me to do? Jerry was murdered. So right away you set me up for the frying pan. You robbed me of the only man I ever loved. Oh, that's corny, Teresa. I don't care what it is. It's the truth. And I'm not going to see you get away with it. You're not going to see anything, honey, unless you start telling the whole truth. Kate. I put a lot of curls in hair in my time. I wouldn't like to put one in your neck. Help. Help! You little fool. What are you trying to do? Start a riot? Don't worry. Say when and I'll let you breathe again. You've got a lot of talking to do and you're not doing me any good yelping into my hand. All right.

[00:46:40] [SPEAKER_06] Don't try to catch any more flies. You almost smothered me. Almost never counts. Well, shall we talk now? If there's any... When I came in here last night at 10 o'clock, you ran into the examination room and locked yourself in. I didn't want another scene with you. That's not what Jerry told me. Huh? He said you were crying. That's not so. He also told me that you and he were in the midst of a terrible bust. What? He wasn't going to marry you.

[00:47:07] [SPEAKER_01] I'll see here, Kate, if you're making this up...

[00:47:10] [SPEAKER_06] When I left at 10.15, you were still in the examination room where Jerry kept all his medicines and drugs. He never had chloral hydrate. Who's going to believe you? But I... It doesn't pay to talk out of turn, does it, Teresa? I left a few minutes after you did. Good for you, but who saw you? Why, the... No, you're wrong, honey. There was no night watch in this building last night. No doorman.

[00:47:30] [SPEAKER_01] You... You can't prove I was here last night, Kate. That's right. And if you say anything about it, I'll... I'll deny it. It'll be your word against mine.

[00:47:38] [SPEAKER_06] That's what it is now. About my threat to kill Jerry and about everything else. Now, what were you crying about last night? It's none of your business. Oh, please don't be cute. I've been around a long time. That's too bad. And I knew Jerry before you did. He told you last night that he never intended to marry you. Shall I go on? I can't stop you. He also told you that he was using you to get rid of me. What? But... I'm a veteran of the same dirty war that licked you.

[00:48:07] [SPEAKER_06] Jerry used that stunt on me to get rid of a previous commitment. Oh. So we're two of a kind. You fight for your life and I'll fight for mine. Maybe, if we say the right things to the right people, we'll both live to a ripe old age.

[00:48:36] [SPEAKER_11] Yes, Captain. We'll put some men to work on it right away. Okay. Now get the board to switch me to the toxicologist. Hello, Inspector Schmidt talking.

[00:48:47] [SPEAKER_10] Sergeant Cassidy, if you're in, sir.

[00:48:48] [SPEAKER_11] Well, hold it. I'm on the interoffice line. Hello, Dr. Jones. Schmidt. I want a complete story on everything chloral hydrate is used for. Here. Get the report down to me as soon as it's ready. Right. Go ahead, Cassidy. Thank you, sir. Inspector. You don't say. What is? I'm... What about Louie? Oh. He stretched out in the middle of the floor. What's that? In the showroom, sir.

[00:49:18] [SPEAKER_11] And it was a bullet from a .25 that put an end to his lifelong career of crime. Murdered? Well, I'll be. Yes, Inspector. I felt exactly the same way about it. How do you know it was a .25 that killed him? Well, sir, the bullet went right through his body and packed itself in the wall. He was a very skinny fellow. It was a .25 that killed Dr. Bullock, too. Okay, Cassidy. I'll be there in 20 minutes.

[00:49:49] [SPEAKER_11] Right through the heart at close range. He's been dead around six hours. Somebody didn't want Louie to talk, sir. Thanks for telling me. But why, Cassidy? That's the question. Well, Inspector Smith, it's all on the record. What record? Louie's. When I came to this little bare room with the mirrors all around the walls, the first thought that came into my mind was, why a bare room with mirrors? So I made a thorough investigation. Yeah? It was in that room over there that I found the reason. Keep going, Cassidy.

[00:50:17] [SPEAKER_11] A factory where Louie Denby manufactured wigs. What? Yes, sir. All colors and all descriptions. Good Lord. Bullock gets a wig from Denby and they're both killed by the same caliber gun. We've got to find out why, Cassidy. Well, sir, it's about that record I was telling you. After I see what the setup was here, I decided to look around the... Just tell me about the record. I found it on this card in the drawer of Louie's work table. Let me see it. Dr. Jeremy Bullock, 123 Main Drive, St. Louis.

[00:50:47] [SPEAKER_11] Well, this is a business card. It's on the other side, the information that might be... January 6, 1940. Lead poisoning. In St. Louis. Lead poisoning. Chloral hydrate. A wig. A moose head. Cassidy, we're almost in. The table, you say? Now, go back to headquarters, get the St. Louis police on the phone. I want a full report on Dr. Jeremy Bullock up to the time he left the city. Would you be saying that... Later, if I'm right.

[00:51:14] [SPEAKER_11] Now I've got to pick up some suspects and hold a conference in Dr. Bullock's office. Inspector. My goodness, you must try to understand... Sit down, Talcott. You make my feet tired. But you have no right to detain Miss Foley. She has appointments. You're ruining my business.

[00:51:37] [SPEAKER_06] Don't disturb him, Spencer. I like it here. It's almost like a vacation.

[00:51:41] [SPEAKER_11] Miss Foley, how long have you been in New York?

[00:51:42] [SPEAKER_06] All my life, honey. I'm from Brooklyn, and I root for the Giants. Would you call me a traitor?

[00:51:48] [SPEAKER_11] Don't tempt me. How about you, Miss Chalmers?

[00:51:50] [SPEAKER_01] I came here from Philadelphia two years ago.

[00:51:53] [SPEAKER_11] Your next, Talcott. Appointments are going to waste, and you dare hold a geography class. How about it? Where did you float in from? I don't float. I'm a native New Yorker. And if you don't stop asking this ridiculous... I'm going to... Shut up. So none of you has ever been in St. Louis, huh? What? And I suppose not one of you ever heard of Louis Denby. Not even you, Miss Chalmers?

[00:52:16] [SPEAKER_01] No. Who is he?

[00:52:18] [SPEAKER_11] A man who knew too much about lead poisoning.

[00:52:20] [SPEAKER_06] What? I know lots of people who know too much about lead poisoning, Inspector, and wish they didn't.

[00:52:26] [SPEAKER_11] Thanks, Miss Foley.

[00:52:27] [SPEAKER_06] Artists and painters.

[00:52:28] [SPEAKER_11] Would you know what usually happens to them?

[00:52:30] [SPEAKER_06] Are you kidding? They lose their hair. They even get bald.

[00:52:33] [SPEAKER_11] But Dr. Bullock didn't get bald, did he?

[00:52:35] [SPEAKER_06] He didn't have lead poisoning, dearie.

[00:52:37] [SPEAKER_11] He did, seven years ago. He had to have a wig.

[00:52:40] [SPEAKER_01] But Jerry wasn't bald.

[00:52:43] [SPEAKER_11] No, Miss Chalmers, he wasn't. But he was a terrible mess at one time. What did Dr. Bullock keep in that moose head?

[00:52:50] [SPEAKER_01] In that... Nothing.

[00:52:52] [SPEAKER_11] Huh. I suppose we find out. Do you think this couch will mind if I stand on it?

[00:52:57] [SPEAKER_01] What are you going to do?

[00:52:58] [SPEAKER_11] Find out if this crack under the chin was the result of a fight with another moose. Or the work of...

[00:53:04] [SPEAKER_06] Holy angels. Spencer, look, there's a door in the darn thing.

[00:53:09] [SPEAKER_11] I'm not going to look. It's too disgusting.

[00:53:11] [SPEAKER_06] Well, what won't Mother Nature think of next?

[00:53:13] [SPEAKER_11] And I'm not going to stay here while a vandal wastes my precious time. Tarket. You have nothing more to say to me, Inspector. There are two blue uniforms out in the hall. And they're very anxious to go for a ride. You've got no right to keep me prisoner. I won't stand for it.

[00:53:28] [SPEAKER_06] Say, Inspector, did that water paper come out of that moose head?

[00:53:31] [SPEAKER_11] Surprised, Miss Foley?

[00:53:33] [SPEAKER_06] Well, aren't you? Since when does a moose read newspapers?

[00:53:35] [SPEAKER_11] From St. Louis. And papers seven years old at that. But there's something else. A list of some of the worst gunmen in New York. What about these, Miss Chalmers?

[00:53:47] [SPEAKER_01] I don't know anything about them.

[00:53:48] [SPEAKER_11] Hmm. You wouldn't even try to remember, would you?

[00:53:51] [SPEAKER_01] I said I don't know.

[00:53:53] [SPEAKER_11] All right. We'll give you a chance at police headquarters.

[00:53:55] [SPEAKER_01] You're not going to arrest me. I haven't done anything.

[00:53:57] [SPEAKER_11] Oh, no one ever does. Come here, Talcott. What do you want? So you've never been in St. Louis, huh? I didn't say that, Inspector. I said I was a native New Yorker. So you did. Now tell me your name's always been Talcott. Well, aren't you going to? Are you afraid of this news photo of a man called Tal Spencer? Who's the image of you? Well, so I did make a mistake.

[00:54:25] [SPEAKER_11] I did manufacture a hair dye that Jeremy, uh, Dr. Bullock and other people used that had a lead compound in it. This paper says that you were sued by 128 people and that you skipped town. Naturally. I didn't have enough money to face it. But I'm ready to pay all damages now. Of course, it was a terrible mistake. Seven years ago. But you can't hang a man for that. Not for that. But for murder. Let's take a ride downtown. There's so much I'd like you to tell me. About the truth.

[00:54:54] [SPEAKER_11] Yes, Schmidt talking. What do you want? Sergeant Cassidy, sir. What? Do you know what time it is? Uh-huh. It's exactly 942. I'm sorry to disturb you at home. You're sorry.

[00:55:21] [SPEAKER_11] I was giving my feet a hot bath and you dragged me across the living room to the telephone. What for? Well, I'm still down here at headquarters. I just got a teletype report. He lost his license four years ago because he... Patching up the wounds of robbers and gunmen. Yes, that's what he was doing in New York, too. Oh, my... His real name was Spencer and Bullock was blackmailing him. Oh, that again. Yeah. Spencer made up a hair dye in St. Louis that almost ruined Bullock's scalp. It was a big scandal.

[00:55:57] [SPEAKER_11] Carl Hydrate. Used at the base in most dandruff remedies and Spencer Talcott used it in his. Oh, my... Our great city of New York. A criminal has to get out... Good night, Cassidy.

[00:56:11] [SPEAKER_10] So closes tonight's Crime Club book, The Corpse Wore a Wig, based on a story by George Bagby.

[00:56:44] [SPEAKER_10] Stedman Coles did the radio adaptation. Roger Bauer produced and directed. Cameron Pudum played Inspector Schmidt. Ted Osborne was heard as Spencer Talcott. Barry Thompson was Cassidy. Elspeth Erick was Kate Foley. And Elaine Kent played Teresa Chalmers. Oh, I beg your pardon. Hello. I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the Crime Club. I'm the librarian. Yes.

[00:57:15] [SPEAKER_10] Come over a week from tonight. Good. We have a very unusual story of a double cross, but doubled and redoubled with murder. It's called Death is a Genius. In the meantime... In the meantime... Well, in the meantime, there is a new Crime Club book available this week and every week at bookstores everywhere. Yes, it's available now. Fine.

[00:57:44] [SPEAKER_10] And we'll look for you next week.

[00:58:14] [SPEAKER_00] This program came from New York. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.