Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / The Line Up: Hit and Run Murder (EP0842)

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The Line Up: Hit and Run Murder (EP0842) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

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Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it
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to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at
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Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com
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slash Radio Detectives. Well. Today's episode is brought to you by the financial
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support of our listeners. Thank you so much for your support. And this
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episode of We're going to Play Today occurred two weeks after the first one we
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played. This is the fifth of eight in the nineteen fifty summer series,
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replacing the FBI and Peace in War so Here Now from August the third in
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nineteen fifty titled two Girls Murdered by hid and Ron. Ladies and gentlemen,
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We take you now behind the scenes of a police headquarters in a great American
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city, or under the cold glaring lights will pass before us, the innocent,
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the vagrant, the thief, the murderer. We take you now to
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the line up. Anytendant. I haven't been able to get its faith out
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of my mind. Fine, missus Edward A fine. All we want you
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and mister Bush to do is identifying here, sadamn, where do I sit
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this in? It there right next to me? Oh? Yes, And
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I said to myself, mister Bush, Now there's the face you'll never forget.
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Oh those hitting run drivers actually not a hit and run driver, mister
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Bush. The driver of that car was a money You have your attention means
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premeditating you people out there on the other side of the y. I may
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I have your attention means thank you. My name is Greb Saget mat Grab.
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I'll explaining the line up to you. Each of the suspects you will
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see will be numbered. I'll call up a number their names and charge.
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If you have any identifications, please remember the number assigns of the prisoner as
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I call his name at the end of the line. When I call for
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questions or identifications, call out the number. If you're sure. I'm not
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too sure of the suspect. Have him held. The officers are took your
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name, will assist you. They're seated among you. Please be propped with
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your questions or identifications. He had the face of the killer. We'll need
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remember the woman respect into their jail quotes. It makes it quite difficult to
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bring them back after the media questions. I asked these suspects for merely to
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give a natural tone of boys, so they're not pay too much attention to
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their answers as they often lie. Bring on the line. All right,
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boys, all right, right down to the end of the stage. Okay,
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okay, that's far enough. Shunning around the face front you the second
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man faced the audience. That's it, and see a side all of you,
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look straight ahead so the people out there can see you. Number one
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argue for say, pep, where do you live? Argue the usual play
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where's that? Both jungles end of the bridge? Outside of town? What
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were you doing when the officer arrested you? Was asking the lady for a
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hand out of the back door? Are a gun in your hand? Well?
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I was just asking too of hood so I could hoold her pocket moves
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so she could give me something to Number two Melvin Cornell Vacuncy. Where do
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you live? Melbourne? Last Ball Hotel on Clovin? Where were you when
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the officer arrested you? Standing in front of the Last Ball Hotel on Clovin?
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Why were you doing there? Let's shift to my feet, getting ready
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to walk. Where were you going? I don't know, I haven't thought
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about it. Number three lild Brooks FEP three him the one him, number
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two, I'm sure, holder, Sergeant, Let's see number two again.
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Okay, step five here, moment getting around omen slowly, slowly, that's
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it. Okay, that's him, that's the man. What about it,
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mister Bush? Enough? Please, that's just a moment. I have to
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I can't get back to him. That's the nan I's all down down that
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girl. How could I forget that? Safe? Lieutenant, that's the man
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for interrogation, Sergeant, right, that's all you want with me, Lieutenant.
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No, you come with me, are you too, mister Bush?
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Cigarette, mister Bush, they'll thank you. No, I never smoked.
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And please don't offer me a glass of water either, I don't need or
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one thing. Relaxed moment. I know what you're after, Lieutenant, and
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I may as we'll tell you. No amount of catering to what you think
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of my desires will make me identify this man, much as it will please
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you. But missus at warning here identified him. She's sure she's positive going
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to missus Hardward, you're dead Wall because hear me, you've done and he
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did you murderer hurt Missus Hardwater, miss Redwa was a fine life. You're
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to missus atwater. You couldn't have seen me twelve and I had car,
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Missus atwater. I don't know how a priv a car, So how can
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I steal a car? Was missus atwater? She didn't the man, I'll
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swear twitter, I'll never forget his face. Never one day I shall describe
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him to my grandchildren. You will be deceiving him, Missus zach father,
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because that poor man is not the man. The man who was driving the
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murder car was fast. He was lean like this man. Here's this Melbourne.
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You will forgive me for differing with you, Missus Dadwather. But the
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man in the car that ran down that girl was fat. I have seen
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fat people in my life, and he was fat. And you need eyegrass
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as he was leaning. He was this Melbourne. Here, my eyes are
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in perfect order. He was fat. What's more, he had unneat blonde
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hair. He needed a haircut. He was bald. He was bald,
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and he was lean. He was Melvin Melvine is bald and leaning. Your
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brain, missus, the man was heavy, even in all that green was
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better stop it both, you stop it that's all. Go at that door,
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he insulted me. Instead, Please, you'll be the jackass, haven't
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that? How about you too? Out and I'm sorry? Oh forget things
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like this happened. Forget it, let's go way out. Her outs were
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the boy forget not Yeah? Man, where is Heppy five? Melvin too?
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Yeah? What's that? Moment identified him? Then a girl was deliberately
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run over. We know that because two witnesses saw the cars stop, back
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up and run over her body once more to make sure she was dead.
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Yesterday, on August second, a girl was murdered. Elane Kirk was murdered.
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Anything else, man? A woman identified the murderer and you let him
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go. He stole the car and murdered that girl. Ben, you throw
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yeah? Yeah, what do you want with me? Ben? We're gonna
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have to do it the hard way. Neither push no, no that what
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a woman saw the man who was driving that car, I were just trying
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to be important. I'm gonna have to do it the hard way. Oh
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what can I do? Ben? You got that engagement book we found on
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Lane Kirk. It's in my office. Get it, Matt. I'm going
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to keep Elane Kirk's engagements. What can I do for you? I'm from
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the police, Ben Guttring, So what can I do for you? I'm
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looking for Frank Bennett. Why is he in? Don't you catch on?
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I'm Frank Bennett. What do he want to see me about? I got
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a girl named Elane Kirk in the head. About a girl named Elaine Kirk.
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You know she's dead, don't you? I know? In her belongings
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was an engagement book on yesterday's day, August second, was your name?
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Did you see you yesterday? She wrote it down? Eh? Did you
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see him? Yeah? Sure I did. We had cocktails yesterday afternoon about
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five. That's too long ago, and my prince wouldn't be on the glass.
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Now what was the occasion? She taught me? Yesterday morning? Said
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she wanted to see me. And I always said yes to Elaine. Whatever
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she asked me to do, I said yes, all right? What about
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yesterday? Over cocktails? She told me she was going to get married.
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Why should she single you out to them? Because once I've been there myself.
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Once she was telling her friends that she was going to marry me and
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it didn't work on all. A friend said it another way, but didn't
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work out does it nicely? Wait a minute, I tell you she was
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gonna get married to a man named David Finley. And his name's on the
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list too, lucky him. Do you know this David Finley? Oh,
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I've got nothing, guessed and mister Guthley, except that he got the last
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kiss in the world from Elaine Kirk. I don't know why. I'll never
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know why, but that's the way it was. Not to a guy like
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David, not a girl like Elaine. A special kind of girl, wasn't
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she. I'll do it nicely too, say do something for me. Mister
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Guthley talked to David Finley, and I was going to come back and explain
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to me why Elaine should give her life to him. David gest doing his
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work. He's an accountant. You know. One of the bed that's this
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room was j. Gafley schol writing thank you, and may I ask who
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you are? I wondered you didn't ask right off to Kennon. I'm door
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to send me David's sister. Don't keep David waymouth works and long. You're
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waiting a minute. It's a totals column of thicket and go right ahead.
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That doesn't let me take a second to winter right now. I don't know
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you do. I someone recommended you to me and Ben Guthrie from the police,
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Buddy Lane. That way you're here, that's right. Your name was
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in her engagement book. Saw yesterday. I saw her when she came for
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dinner at seven. It was an occasion, kind of a anniversary? What
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kind personal? How long did she stay until ten o'clock? And she went
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away, walked down a long street. Death was waiting for her. Nona
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wouldn't have let her go. You were going to be married. We were
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going to be married. David didn't think it was right we should get married.
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No. No, you never saw Elane, did you? I mean
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once she was No, you never spoke to her. You weren't fortunate like
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me. You only saw her when death made her ugly. Hu, David,
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we you never saw the other way, and you'd know that what I
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told her was right. She shouldn't marry me, not me. I'm sorry?
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Did she ever mention anyone talk about it? Elane is dead? What
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are you staring at? Yelling? Mh didn't you know, mister Gutman,
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I'm a cripple from the waist down. I have to use my crutches to
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show you to the door. Yeah, what is it? My name is
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Ben Guthrie. Yes, mister Guthrie. What can I do for you?
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I'm on the police. What do you want? Can we go inside?
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No, we can't. What do you want? I'm trying to locate a
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girl named Janet Irish. I'm her mother. Her name was on a list.
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It's important that I see a missus Irish. You can't. No one
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can see you. No more. No one sees Janet. I'm afraid I'll
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have to insist insisting. Listen to me. Janet is dead. Janet is
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dead, mister Guthrie. She was killed. Killed. Oh, the hit
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and run driver killed her. I'm sorry. It's just that a girl named
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Elaine Kirk had Janet's name on her a point list. She came here yesterday.
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It sold me. Yes, yesterday was the anniversary of my daughter's day.
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Yesterday, on August two, Janet had been dead a year. Abraham
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Lincoln once spoke of a government of the people, by the people, and
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for the people. Members of the armed forces are as dedicated to the proposition
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of maintaining this government today, as were those soldiers who sacrificed their lives on
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the battlefield of Gettysburg during the War between the States so many years ago.
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They know that as US citizens in uniform, our military personnel have definitely responsibilities
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to their guard, to their country, and to themselves. Then oh,
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come in, Matt, come in. You find anything? All newspaper companies,
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power reports, nothing very satisfact. All right, let's have it.
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That's just about what missus Irish told you. You're ago. A daughter,
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Janet was hit by a car. The car did stop, Janet got on
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the way to the hospital of the car driver. A car was never found.
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I wonder missus Irish was better when I told her I was from the
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police. Yeah, I wonder, she told me Lane kirk Hatt stuffed into
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offer condolences. Not people do that. But doesn't it bother you that they
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were both killed by hit and run drivers? Yeah? It bothers me.
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What do you think? I don't know. You spoke to the man who
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owned the car that killed a Lane, didn't you sure? Sure? The
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car was stolen? All right? And his wife went to the movies with
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some friends. Fock, the car left the keys. When they got out
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of the movies, the car was gone. Nothing there except The man was
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screaming when they found the car later because his fender was bent. I bleed
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for him. Let's go back a minute, Matt. We were saying that
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Janet and Elaine were probably friends. That fact keeps throwing itself at me,
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and both killed the same way. You can call it coincidence, would you?
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How do you expect me to answer that? Ben? I don't know
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anything more about this than you. I know. I know the thing to
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do is to find out two girls friends, their manner of death was not
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a coincidence. What was it? What secret? What thing did they share
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together? If you could find that out? Yes, if I could find
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that out, well, I'm going to try a neat trick, Ben,
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how are you gonna do it? He learned Kirk was going to marry a
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man, man named David Finlay. Maybe she loved him enough to tell him
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her secrets. What is? Oh? It's you, Lieutenant. I'm glad
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you've come back. I wanted you to come back. You are a brother.
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Miss Finley. May I talk to him? Please? He's not here.
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He's at the Athletic Club swimming pool. He's swimming very day, very
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exercise. Because I know I know of course. You know everyone knows about
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David. It's so brave and good, so efficient, so helpless. I'd
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drive him to the pool every day. I'm going back to pick him up
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in a little while. Well, I'll come back a little later then.
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Will you tell David? Please don't go Miss Finley at just tell David that
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I tell you what I'm going to tell you about that. You want to
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know, what is it, Miss Finley n House, Well, what do
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you want to tell me? I murdered Elaine Kirk. I'm in the house
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with him, Kathy. We can go into David's room. He doesn't mind.
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He lets me help him, lets me do the things I want to
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do. It are always for him. But David, sit my band David
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to Chad agin it you said you murdered Elane. I didn't mean the murder
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after so. He loved her so much. She was so beautiful. You
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won't tell him I killed him. Why did you do him? I don't
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know. Somewhere deep inside my brain there must have been a hate for her,
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big enough to make me kill big enough to me, Miss Finlay,
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Miss Finlay did it? Pint I wanted to be brave like David. I'm
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right now, all right? Do you realize what you've said to me?
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Yes, it was murder. And if I'd committed it with my own hand,
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wow, as if I'd struck her down with my own hand. Tell
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me about it. The nighty Lane died, it was raining, remember there
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was thunder and lightning. David wanted it to stay with us overnight. She
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said no, she wanted to walk home and all that rain, long long
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walk home through the park. I should have made a stay. With my
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fault, I should have made a stay, Miss Finley. Stop, stop
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it. It's not your fault. It happens that way sometimes it's not your
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fault. It's time for you to pick up David, isn't it. Oh?
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Yes, I'll be late. Thank you, Thank you for helping me.
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I'll go pick up David. That's better. That's much better. And
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miss Finley. There was a name on the Lane's engagement book, Elsa Weaver.
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Do you knowa No, But I've heard Elane talk about her. She
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could socie to get it on the globe. Are you going to talk to
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her too? Yes, by lieutenant, thank you for your kindness. You
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say you're a policeman. Mister Guthrie's Ryan, I was trying to match you
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with a profession when you walked into my office. Funny, I didn't think
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policemen. May I ask exactly what it is you do in this office,
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miss Weaver? As society editor? How was the Weaver? And I know
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that's your name? How was the Weaver? I hear rumors and rights innuendos.
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I'm a columnist society. You seriously didn't know who I am, Miss
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Weaver. I want to talk to you about Elaine Kirk. Why me,
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your name was found on Elaine's person when she was killed? Oh? Why
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you tell me why my name was found on Elaine's person? Regarding what on
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her engagement list? She came to see you? She certainly did. Why?
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Yeah, Now I've got to Lansley, don't I? A? Lain
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Kirk came to me to announce her wedding to David Finley. She told me
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that so I could put it in the papers. People tell me things.
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I put it in the papers each Friday. I draw a check meat.
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Doesn't it bother you that Eline was killed? I loathed her and making my
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mind about people, and I keep it that way. Elaine is dead,
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when let's person to lothe all right, so you're honest about it. Let's
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keep that that way. Why did you hate Elane? The reasons a woman
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has for hating another woman, The reasons a woman makes up her mind about
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another woman. Elain Kirk was a beautiful girl, and she knew us.
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That's a made her intolerable. Her beauty, her brains, her capacity for
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enjoying herself. It's taken me, that's all. Did you know a friend
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of hers, Janet Irish? Casually? I think about this, miss Weaver.
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It's important. Was there anything these two girls had in common shared?
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Of course? What Thank Bennett? Frank Bennett, that hulk, that gorgeous
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boy with the hair, smile and the black eyes. How well did you
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know him? Arm's length? That's one of my burdens. Let me tell
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you how it was, mister Gutley, when I knew Frank he was engaged
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to Elaine Kirk. Janet Irish was a Lane friend. So so join me
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in my thoughts. Thank Bennett was never lonely? Am I clear? Mister
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Gutley? He came back to tell me that Elane wanted David and not me.
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That's why you came back, No, Frank, David with his conditions
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creates a big pity in people, you know, like you did in Elane,
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so much pity that she just had to marry him. See, I
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knew the answer all the time, Frink, Lieutenant, help yourself. You
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told me Elane was something very special to you. He told me. I
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agreed with you. What about Janet Irish from left field? Lieutenant, from
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out of nowhere, like a boat from the blue. Why do you spring
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Janet Irish on me all of a sudden? I hear she was something special
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to to me? What you hear is a lie? What does a policeman
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have to do to hear a lie like this? Where does he go?
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Janet Irish? Frank? Tell me about what Elsa Weaver? Perchance you went
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for this? About me and Janet? When you who went to the right
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place? And Elsa's a bitter girl. Frank doesn't light Elsa's cigarette, open
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doors for Elsa, kiss Elsa good night for not doing these things and more
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Elsa loads Frank makes up lies about him and Janet about you, and watch
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the truth, Frank, That's all I want. Well, Janet was a
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pretty girl. Janet was Elane's best friend. And if she hadn't been,
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I wouldn't have looked at her twice. Janet was not one to make me
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hungry for her. True. Janet was killed in a hit and run a
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year ago on August second. Elaine was killed the same way, also on
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August second. We know it was murder. Do you think Janet was murdered,
23:22
Frank, unless your department think about things like that. If it was
23:25
murder, they could have been murdered for the same reason. You know,
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it's interesting the way you come to me to think things out, to use
23:32
my place, you take my time, not that I mind. You know,
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the girl's very well, Frank. Only Elane I told you Elaine.
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Did she ever tell you anything about Janet? Some secretly shared some Well,
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there was a thing, but it wasn't a secret, Oh it wasn't.
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Or it was Elaine and Janet that made David Finley what he is today.
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What are you talking about? Happing up in Canada on a lake, David.
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He was a stranger to the girl who was swimming, and the girls
23:56
were in a motor boat. They didn't see David. They ran him down,
24:00
hit him on the back with the boat, paralyzed him from the waist
24:03
down. That's what the girl did to David upon meeting him. I never
24:07
read anything about it, but it didn't come out for a months later.
24:08
David didn't want it to come out. When it finally did, it wasn't
24:11
used. That's why you didn't read the papers. By didn't David want a
24:15
norm You never saw e Lane, did you, Lieutenant? Would be crippled
24:19
by a girl like that? Well that could be a caress. Are you
24:26
leaving me, lieutenant without a good bye? Without a thank you? Your
24:30
briye, Frank, thank you? Well? I took you a long match.
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I've been waiting fifteen minutes. Take it easy, Ben, I had
24:51
to find somebody to take over the lineup for me. What do you got?
24:55
Answers? And a murderer? Come on in here, oh, Lieutenant
25:12
Catherine, please come in, and you too, the lieutenant thing. There's
25:17
a sergeant grapple. What do you do? Sergeant? Hello? You want
25:19
to see David, don't you? Gives me his room all over? Not
25:22
yet? I think we want to talk with you. We want to tell
25:25
you we know who killed Elane Kirk. I told you I did. Let's
25:30
go in here and sit down, of course, sit here in lieutenant,
25:36
sergeant right over there, Miss Finley, Killy Lane Kirk, Yes, I
25:42
did. I explained it to the lieutenant. If I had insisted that Lane
25:47
stay here that night, nothing would have happened to her. I would have
25:48
taken care of her. I see. Oh no, you don't, man,
25:52
Why the way I figure it? Man, the person who killed Elane
25:56
Kirk also killed Janet Irish? Miss Findley, did you kill Janet? Who?
26:03
The lieutenant said, Janet Janet Irish? Oh no, I hardly knew
26:06
we I'll tell you something else. Man, whoever killed Janet and a Lane
26:11
at the identical motive? Oh? What? My brother in here with me?
26:15
All right? Ben, relax? Law was to Guffrey. My sister
26:34
tells me the other gentleman and saw Greb. That's right, Javin. It
26:38
also tells me, you know killed e Lane and Janet. That's also right.
26:42
Tell me, David, how long ago did you have your accident?
26:47
Two years ago? On August second? Yes? How are you getting along?
26:55
Pretty good? Swimming exercises, I take, I even drive a car.
27:00
I'm making progress. Before long, I'll even be able to take care
27:04
of myself. David. It will be a long time. You know that.
27:07
It's all I've got in our time. I'm glad your sister brought you
27:11
in here, David, so I can tell you who killed Elane and Janet,
27:17
someone who despised them for what they did to you. Lane made it
27:21
up to me. She made it up a thousand times, Miss Finlay.
27:26
Tell us how you killed Janet, Irish. I told you I hardly knew
27:32
her. You ran over him a year ago on August second, killed her
27:34
with a car, like you killed Elane yesterday on August second, with a
27:40
car, both of them on the anniversary of your brother's accident. No,
27:45
I didn't David kill them. I didn't, Dorothy tell them. I can't.
27:52
I can't tell him that, David, though the only one could have
27:56
hated themselves. They did it for you, for you, David, for
27:59
what they did to you. But Cripple looked at you, a helpless cripple.
28:03
My sister. Yes, I killed Janet, but we've been late.
28:07
I waited. I thought it was happening, you're falling in love with The
28:12
longer I waited, the more she had to lose one year of loving you.
28:18
And then I chilled her, and then I killed her. Take ralligh
28:22
All, David HELLI could she have done that? Thank ralligh Man, you
28:30
better come with us, Miss Finraen. The lineup was produced and directed by
28:56
Elliot Lewis, written by Morton Fine and David Freakin, and stars William Johnstone
29:00
as Lieutenant Ben Guthrie and Wally Mayer as Sergeant Matt Grebb. Music was composed
29:06
and conducted by Eddie Dunstetter. Featured in the night's cast were Peggy Weber,
29:11
Anne Stone, Lillian Bayef, Howard mcneer, Lou Krugman, Sheldon Leonard,
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and Larry Dopkin. Milup has come h through the worldwide facilities of the United
29:44
States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. Welcome back. Well. The Fine
30:00
and frea can influence definitely felt here in this scrap, and I think there
30:07
were probably a few clear comparisons to Broadway as my beat in the way that
30:15
this one was told, both the method that was used to arrive at the
30:18
solution as well as some of the dialogue. But this is actually the last
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of those eight summer episodes. The other ones that were that came after that
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Witness Drops Dead from Poisoning, Death and Bleachers, and then the Arson murder
30:38
case, and then The show went off the air on August twenty fourth,
30:48
to return on September second. So it was a hit with audiences and the
30:52
lineup was set for another two and a half years broadcasting on radio. There
31:00
was even more ahead, but we'll get into that next week. In the
31:03
meantime, Sandra comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives, not Net, follow
31:07
us on Twitter, Radio Detectives, and be sure and rate the show on
31:11
iTunes. From Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Grahamson and all