Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Police Headquarters: Frame Up and Death of a Mystery Writer (EP1328)

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Police Headquarters: Frame Up and Death of a Mystery Writer (EP1328) · 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, send 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. Before we do get started, I need to let you
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know today's show is brought to you by the financial support of our listeners.
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Thanks so much for your support. Especially want to thank James. Will send
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acts to the premium thought as we do with all our nations of seven dollars
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or more, and you can support the show at support dot Great Detectives dot
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net. Well, now it's time for today's episodes of Police Headquarters are very
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last two frame up and death of a mystery rider at least us calling all
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Cause, Attention, All Cause, Broadcast number fifty six. Be on the
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lookout for a light and blue roaster make unknown license unknown, believed to been
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used in a murder a few minutes ago. That's all come in, Oh,
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may come in, Okay, I to find you home? Yeah,
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what brings you late at night? To amazing One of the boys in the
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Amazon. Didale cut me just as I write it? Had a murder case
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early this evening. Yeah, I heard the call, got over the radio.
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Yeah. H the boys laid the rest on the call. Yet they
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took someone in the custard in just a few minutes ago. I hope they
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hang it on the rat. Oh, that's what I wanted to come over
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and see you about Kaptain. I'll sell your mind somebody there. Ed You've
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been one of my best friends for years, ever since we started founding Pavement
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together during the years. Yeah, mine, Frank, just this young Tommy
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Evans was killed to night. Tommy, Yeah, he was killed just outside
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the Paradise Club on Grand Avenue. He was killed by a man in a
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blue roadster. How he was getting at rank Roman Kelly saw the whole thing,
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he said. Tommy Evans came out of the club and started to call
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a taxi. Some fellow had been farked across the street in a blue roaster.
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As Evans came up, the fellow got out of his car and killed
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Evans with a thirty eight automatic. Roman Kelly says he saw the flop quite
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clearly that as he saw how he was dressed, said The murderer was wearing
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a light gray top coat, a black derby, a bright red scar That's
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all you're intimating that my son Pat killed Tommy Evans. He was arrested just
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a few minutes ago. Oh, why he didn't do it? He admits
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fighting with Tommy Evans. You are ay fought with him, you'd admit that,
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just like it's drunk kids always fight over some girl. It isn't worth
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a time. But he didn't kill Tommy Evans. Of course, the state
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will have to prove that he did. But the state has a lot on
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its side here. It is. Yeah, you know who it is?
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Yeah, dronks to my son. Pat was fine of the scene of the
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crime. Was who Roman Kelly? Once more, we traced the blue ropechure.
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Kelly gave us a fairly good description and said he fired a couple of
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shots. That it does. A murderer drove away. When we found the
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car, it had a bullet hole in the right rear fender and your son
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patted me running the car. I don't believe it's it's it's a frame.
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Where is Pat? I'm taking him down? You want to see him right
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now? Come on, and I'm going to frame my boy, No,
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sir, not when I'm alive. You think it's just that it's path and
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murder. Yes, right, I know, sir. And they brought him
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in yet he's been booked out there, bring him in right away. Yes,
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no, I don't take it so hard. After all, if he
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is innocent, you'll be able to prove it. If he is your talk
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like you believed him kilty, you have to face the fact and look bad
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for him. Will face the facts. All that, we think up,
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all the facts, and we won't stop until we find out who's trying to
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frame my son. Come in there. Then I didn't do it. I
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didn't have anything to do with it that, yes, sir. What time
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was Timmy Evans Gills Commissioner ten thirty? Where were you at ten thirty?
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Son? I don't know, Dad, you don't know, no, sir.
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You see I went to the club, Jake Codge's Paradise Club, but
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tend to see Millie. I thought, I told you all right, now
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go ahead. I went to the club at ten o'clock. I met Jake
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Codges in the bar invited me to have a drinking. But that's all I
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remember, Dad, Honestly, you let me handle this commissioner. Sorry,
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you mean you were a drug? I don't know for sure. My head
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feels like it. Colla doesn't usually pass out after one drink. Where were
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you when you came to mine? In an alley behind Jake's club? I
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see what Then I went to the corner for a couple of coffee. Lieutenant
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Owens to the homicide squad, saw me and pick me up. I say,
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I want you to answer truth for the path. Yes, sir.
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How did you and Tommy Evans fight over Billy? You mean that girl who
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dances in the club. Yes, sir, I've been going there for quite
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some time, and Tommy went with me one night. I was interested in
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Billy, and Tommy tried to cut me out. I told him to keep
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his hands off, and he get me and we mitched up for a few
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minutes, and then Jake threw us out. The officer on the beat ran
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us home. And that's all the risks toward Dad in this fight took place
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last night, Yes, sir, how about to night? I didn't see
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Tommy. I parked my car across the street from the club and went in
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early. Did you see this this girl? No? She hadn't come down
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yet. Here. You've got yourself in a fine mess. I'm gonna tell
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you something, your young fool, something that will hit you pretty hard and
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take a lot of win out of yourselves. Yes, sir, Now,
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I don't think for one minute the Duke you'll Tommy Evans, regardless of what
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the Commissioner lieutenant on to anybody else. Yes, sir, this dame that
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you've been playing around with us, she's just about the hardest type of dame
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you could run into it besides being old enough to be your mother. She's
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Jake Hodges there. What you mean the she? This isn't worth the powder
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to take the broad of No, you're in a damn son My job to
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get you out. You think you're gone with you to night? Yes,
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sir, you would. You had it on you when you went into Jakes.
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Yes, Dad, I had to keep to your kind in your pockets.
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Yes, sir, where you've been framed? So are you going back
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to jail and tell me why that block? Yeah, when you're sitting there
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in the dark just trying to remember what I told you about that day?
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Yes, Dad, they were with me, Frank, Yes, said I've
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been with you for twenty years too late the stuff now again? Ye?
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Who's right over? They were okay boy here, oh thank you boy,
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thank you. I'd over here, and it's well place like this on a
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surday. Twenty five bucks a week. That'll make me laugh. Come on,
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Frank, are you gonna do him? I'm going to find out what
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she knows. You think the ten boys? Tell my grandmama. Oh,
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don't get upset, young lady. Out of that door, past Milly,
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we're coming in. Oh, you both make me Yeah, I don't doubt
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it. Billy, get back out of the way. Hey, you can't
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man handle me that way. You don't, Copper. That's because your son's
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in a jamo. So you left the cat out of the bag. I
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didn't know if that was in trouble, and it was isn't out yet,
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but I had a phone card. Yeah, who'll call you, Jake?
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Say you leave Jake out of this. You'll get me fired. Don't make
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me laugh so you can't talk to me that h Oh the time you go
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to the club to that about ten you see, No, you see young
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Tommy Evans. You like to make take I just jealous, don't you?
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What's it to you? You like to keep him running at you, so
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you'll pay your rent and buy your clothes. Don't you get out of here?
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You Yeah, we're going now, Come on, Frank, sure.
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All I wanted to do is to make sure that she knew all about what
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was going on. Come on, we got the work to do. Mmm.
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You you think she will not put it over here to the apparenthise,
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clem to down, Jake. I've put it nothing. I thank one of
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the boys to bring her over. But just stop worrying. But he think
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it was your son. It was in the judge. That's you here.
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You're playing Jake's private rooms, Upham. They just started picking the pocket.
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He was drunk. Here we are, Sada Claus sweet Ivy. Come on,
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Jake, open up, open up, hello, Captain and commission O.
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Well well well this isn't the prime, is it. Sit down your
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heartboard yet? Hey, what's the arown? We're here to arrest you for
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murder. Oh, I don't try to be funny. I'm not trying.
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I'm not really funny. Anybody know you wouldn't stand for anybody pulling around to
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your girl, much less having two guys after What are you talking? Tom?
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You know what we're talking about. You saw that my son Pat and
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another young kunker didn't have any more sense, was after your girl. You
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thought you're doing yourself a favor by getting them all away, so you put
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knockout drops in Pat's beer, then dressed up in his hat coat and scarf
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and killed Tommy Evans and then beat it in Pat car. You're just dishing
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up a lot of hotter. Am I we've got it down in black and
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white. Yeah, well you're a lying Oh I am am, I joining
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my confession. We got from Milly commissioner that sign confections from Milly. Oh
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yeah, I'll read it to you. You got dumb ye state of let's
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get that. Yeah, yeah, he's what we want. And so because
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of these things, Jake Hodges lord Tommy Evans into a spot in front of
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the club and killed him with fat Weaver's done, signed Millie de Vo witness.
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Yeah, that crazy dams brang her in, Melly de Vere do you
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identify this man as a man who planned to kill Tommy Evans? So your
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snicked ay or you're getting double cross. I don't hold him. I don't
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think I killed him. You mean you're still careful him after tried to kill
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you. I know you didn't, Milly. That's why I spoke before you
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had a chance to warning. I caught him off his guide. He's like,
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you really signed the confession. Come on, Frank, I'll have his
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fill a day. But now set that sometimes actual and s. I'm gonna
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say the least head for its just the second place, the decord Bureau,
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Captain Ride. This is Bencer Barrow, the public Captain's mister Marion. I'd
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like to seek you, Cosion, that is very hurt, very well at
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your office. No, no, look me at the offices of the Seacon
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magazine. Yes, I know where it is. I'll be there in twenty
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minutes. Very well. Yeah, Honor brought comiccard to the rare door.
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I mean Captain Ryan. Yes, I know. I'm mister Marra. What
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do you do? This is mister Peters. What do you do? Sit
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down? Kata Peters here called me at home this morning. It was a
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very strange story. Are you telling Peters? That's as you told me.
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Do you know Whenston centered writer? Yes, he's probably the best known of
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modern detective story writer. Yes, I know. I'm doing a series for
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us known as the perfect murder. You may have read it, No,
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I haven't. Well, nevertheless, we contracted for a series of eight episodes
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from him. We go to press this week for the last the series.
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Well, the last episode is due to day before yesterday. I telephoned the
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department to find out when it was to be delivered, and I received the
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answer yesterday. I said a mission to the detention at home, and it
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was their reply. This morning I received this from the mail You read it
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from me with him? Well, it's a letter from Punches may last back
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from the post office station nears apartment made it the perfect orders shall never be
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completed. When you read these words, I shall be dead nine centries.
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Are you sure of the signature is genuine? Yes? And have you called
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his apartment today? A secretary is a phony all morning. I expect the
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best course to follow will be to go to the apartment ourself. Exactly set
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your quote something after right? We were going my cars waiting downstairs. Trench
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is a popular down this part. You're acquainted with him, mister marro Own.
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Truly, mister Trencher is unmarried. Yes, he was married once years
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ago. I believe here it's this door h it doesn't seem to be anyone
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stirring about his side. Not again, try the door. The door seems
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to be locked on the inside and set better fortune. Yes, sir,
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Allen's a head. Yeah, there's a light. Just to deside the door,
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captains, and I counted it doesn't seem to be anyone at home.
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This may be some sort of a well what is it Peter in that share
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look crunch said it? Now, don't rather want to be fucking kad.
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This is awful. They wouldn't get a little more light in here? Try
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raising that flying that sat into the romance marrow. This is a terrible thing
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that happened just now. Murders a bad business at any time. This is
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a ghastly things as if he shut himself in the forehead. Here's the gun
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and the attitude of the body is normal enough. I only had an idea
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what he was planning to do, I could have perhaps prevented this. How
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long has he been doing I won't be able to say definitely until the coroner
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got there, I'll hand I'd say twelve hours at least. Then he probably
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killed himself sometime last night, after he'd mailed a letter. What's this in
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a firefighter looks like a burned manuscript. We better leave that the men from
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the identification girl. All right, I just wanted to make sure it was
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a manuscript. It's the one we've been waiting for two mister Merrill, the
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last episode of the Perfect Murder. Yes, sir, yeah, let's lace
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this in a fighting predicament. Can you get a ghostwriter d time for press?
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I'm afraid not to. Well, then do it yourself. Yes.
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Isn't it the usual thing for a writer to make a carbon cop his material?
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Yes? Then, before we get all excited about it, I suggested
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we look around for the carbon copy and not now I want to telephone the
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headquarters for the fingerprint. Man, I'm not so sure that this is if
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you would die your finish Devens as Captain, everything's clean as a whistle.
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Found the ejected shell, and it looks like it's the one who did the
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dirty workon ballistics. Will call you just as soon as they finished. All
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right, Evans, what about the carbon copy of the story, Captain?
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Right, our man found nothing, Just as I thought, Tencherd must have
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gone crazy, burning the manuscript and then shooting himself that way. So there
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you'd better get busy. Peters. That story must have you're an e next
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issue. I'll do my best, mister Morrow. If you will wait just
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a minute, I'll see what I can do about it. I must be
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a copy of that story somewhere. There were approximately thirty pages found burned one
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complete episode. There must be another copy. Where can it be? It's
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a very difficult question. Just now mit to morrow. If you and mister
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Peters who will return to your offices, I will see what I can do.
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In the meantime. If anything new turns up, i'll call you once
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very well. Do what you can captain right, I'll appreciate it. Our
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magazine must have as the final episode of that story by midnight tonight. I'll
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do my best. Good night, gentlemen, good night. Oh Evan's being
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the girl in Yes, I have a seat please, Miss Saunders. Thank
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you. You were mister Trunchard secretary, I believe in Yes, you were
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fairly close to his personal affairs, reasonably so. Did you do the typing
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on his last story, The Perfect Murder? Yes? Did you make a
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carbon copy of the work? Yes? Do you know where that copy of
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the present? No, I don't. I finished it sometime last week.
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I left both copies of mister I see. Do you have any idea where
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mister Trunchard could have put the carbon copy? We failed to find it in
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his files or on his desk. It wasn't in the file and I don't
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know where it is. Mister Trentett was very particular, Miss Saunders. Do
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you know of any reason for mister Trenchard killing himself? Certainly not, That's
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what do you mean by that answer? Well, I mean I know of
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nothing which would cause mister Trentcher to commit suicide. He was very much against
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suicide why and several of his books he had branded it as a cowardly asked
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you're familiar with mister Trentchard's handwriting? Yes, Would you tell me if this
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is his signature at the bottom of this letter? Well it looked very much
22:37
like his signature. This letter was mailed to mister Peters sometime last night and
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was posted sharply before eight o'clock. But I was on your mind, Mis
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Saunders. Oh, but that's impossible. Why mister Trentchett was with me last
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night from sixth THIRTI until eleven o'clock. He couldn't possibly have posted a letter
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does throw a different light on the matter. How was your memory, Miss
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Saunders? Fairly good? I believe all. If you have no objection,
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I'm taking you to lunch. And while we're lunching, I particularly enjoy hearing
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as much as you remember. The last episode of Winston Flincherd is the perfect
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murder. Oh, I mean i'd expected to hear from you last night.
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I'm sorry I disapplantaged, mister Merrow. You know Miss Saunders? Yes,
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how do you do? I'm very well, thank you? You made out
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all right with the story. Yes, Peters finished the last night. I
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was reading the Gallic Bruise as you came in, and I say, I'm
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too late. I thought you enjoy receiving the original original. How is mister
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Peters about? I believe so. Would you mind going in? Yes,
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that's mister Peters to step into my office. I've been doing a lot of
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work, mister Merrow. That's why I had no time to call you last
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night, as I promised work. Yes, and Miss Saunders there has been
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invaluable to me. Oh that's right. How do you do come in the
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spears? You know, Miss Sanders. Certainly I'm going to ask both of
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you, gentlemen, to sit down while I tell you how I found out
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that Winston Trenchard was not a suicide. Not a suicide exactly. Winston Trenchard
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was murdered, murdered at his own suggestion. Dulous. Nevertheless, it's true
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Winston Trenchard was murdered by his own suggestion. But I'll ask miss Sanders to
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read from a portion of the original manuscript. The killer turned for last survey
24:36
of the rooms. Then stealthily he closed and bolted all the windows from the
24:40
inside. Next, he withdrew from his inside pocket a small portion of fishing
24:45
cord and two pins. Kneeling beside the boat on the door, he worked
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feverously for a few minutes, thought us, quite at your pilot letters,
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I don't interrupt his fears, Go ahead, Massaunders. Within a few minutes
24:56
he had inserted the loose end of the string through the keyhole, and entering
25:00
the hall, closed the door softly behind him. Pulling gently on the cord,
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he heard the boat inside the room slip into place. Applying more pressure,
25:08
he felt the pin straighten, and with a slight jerk, he would
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threw it from the keyhole with a layer on his crewel list. He stepped
25:15
back and tried the door. It was locked, locked from the inside.
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At last, he had committed the perfect murder, Captain right. That was
25:22
the method the killer used to kill Trenchard. He used trenchard down murder scheme.
25:26
But he didn't dare let Trenchard's solution of the crime appear in print.
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He was afraid that it would set someone to thinking, so he carefully destroyed
25:33
the remaining copy of the manuscript. The copy. Yes, the burned portion
25:37
which we found in the room was the carbon copy. The killer already had
25:41
the original in his possession. But this is ridiculous, Oh not so much
25:44
as you'd think. How much were you paying trenched for the story in,
25:45
mister Merril? Five thousand dollars an episode and pailboat the poor publication of each
25:49
episode. And you signed the checks personally? Yes, then they were sent
25:53
to the officers of the magazine for delivery to Peter's here. Yes, would
25:57
you be surprised to know, mister Merrill, that those checks never reached their
26:02
destination to right. That's a lie, bloody Peters, not a move out
26:04
of you. It's true, mister Merrill. Those checks were cashed but not
26:07
by Trenchard. Peter's cash those checks forging Trenchard's name. I repeat it to
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lieve Peter's made arrangements to pay Trenchard after the last episode, thinking that his
26:15
winnings on the market would replace the money. Unable to pay, he read
26:18
Trenchard's last episode and using it as a guide, killed him. Why you're
26:22
lying, Oh no, I'm not, Peters. I searched your home this
26:26
morning. I found the fish cord, the vent pin, and best of
26:30
all, the original manuscript. Where you made your mistake, Peters was in
26:34
taking Trenchard's story too much to heart. There's no such thing as a perfect
26:40
murder. Welcome back, well, a couple of observations. I think these
28:18
were two fairly good episodes to close out the series. The first episode was
28:25
somewhat interesting in the fact that the that the captain basically seemed to be of
28:32
the view that when you are a police captain, it's like being able to
28:37
send your kid to the room, except you're now using the jail cell,
28:41
just the way that he talked about sending him back to jail. The second
28:45
one was good, and I think that's probably one of the worst things.
28:51
The worst possible timing with a writer to dies when there is some unfinished work.
28:56
Probably the most famous instance of that is Charles dickens Mystery of Edwin Drude,
29:03
where he died before finishing the work. Well, folks, that's it
29:11
for Police Headquarters and you know what that means. Next week, Jack Webb
29:17
Barton Yarborough in the series that would redefine police procedurals forever, coming next Saturday.
29:25
It's dragnant. I'm excited and looking forward to going through that series with
29:30
you. This will also be probably the last split episode we'll do for a
29:34
while. Ever since we started the Bob Bailey Johnny Doller serials, we've had
29:41
at least one show a week where we would have two episodes of one series,
29:47
or one episode of one series one episode of another. And that'll end
29:51
for quite a while unless we find some additional episodes of Police Headquarters or some
29:56
other fifteen minute show. Probably won't happen again until we go through mis Keen
30:00
Tracer of Lost Persons. Now for some listener comments and feedback from our feed
30:04
review in Canada, Magnificent Terrence says, thank you for making these wonderful shows,
30:14
and Jones says Hi, Adam. As always, you have the most
30:18
information about each show, and I finally got caught up to date with yours.
30:22
Truly, Johnny Dollar, keep up the good work. That's Joan from
30:26
Southern Ontario. Guess one one rights high, Adam, fall is here.
30:34
This was from October twenty twelve, and rain is coming down in full force
30:38
up here in British Columbia. We're so thankful to have such wonderful programming to
30:42
keep us cozy during these windy months. Thanks so much, and happy Halloween.
30:52
Well that's the peril when you realize you have reviews on the Canadian Tunes
30:56
store after five years of doing the show. So sorry we didn't get to
31:00
that sooner, but I appreciate the wish and thanks so much to Ryan and
31:07
Christine. That will do it for today. We will be back Monday with
31:14
Pursuit and join us back here Saturday for the first existing episode of Dragnet second
31:21
episode of Dragnet overall. In the meantime, send your comments to Box thirteen
31:26
at Great Detectives dot nett, follow us on Twitter, Radio Detectives, and
31:30
become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com. Slash Radio Detectives
31:34
from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off.