Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Police Headquarters: Mrs. Smallwood Killed and Dr. Thonton’s Wife Missing (EP1286)

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Police Headquarters: Mrs. Smallwood Killed and Dr. Thonton’s Wife Missing (EP1286) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

0:28
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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2:12
Now here are two episodes of Police Headquarters Missus Smallwood killed and then doctor Thornton's
2:19
wife missing. Police Headquarters Spelling Emergency Hospital in the one hundred block on Kenwith
2:29
Way in the middle of the block a hit and run selling car forty five
2:35
far four or five, and I'm going to follow up to run twenty seven
2:39
ken Rith Way at the seven m. I'll directly prem here because come on
2:59
here, what's going on here? Was it by a car? I stand
3:02
back, give a little room, so it's an old woman, Sam,
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Yeah, give me a hand. The time at across your waist. There's
3:10
so much we can do for until the ambulance stop you gets here. Just
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try to make it comfortable. And what's the matter? See your hands cold
3:20
answer. Her body is beginning to step in. This isn't a hit and
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run case. Sam, go to the box on the corner and call Captain
3:25
Reynolds last. I'm badly mistaken. We have a very poorly disguised murder on
3:29
our hands set that on, man, I can take it easy. Thanks
3:50
having Sorry, I couldn't get out of the scene of that accident when you
3:53
called me. I think Perkins, but these says you're not satisfied with the
3:57
investigation. That's right, sir. What's on your mind? Max? Oh?
4:00
I know I'm not on the detective detail, Captain, but I've got
4:02
some ideas on this case. And by all that's totally their rights and what
4:05
doesn't ring true everything In the first place, when we reached the scene,
4:10
the woman had just been found and her hands were cold. In fact,
4:14
the body was beginning to show rigor mortive who perhaps she's been struck down earlier
4:16
in the evening. That doesn't hit either, Captain. Kenwood Way is a
4:19
well lighted street. There's plenty of travel both ways at that time of night.
4:24
There isn't a chance of a body remaining undiscovered for more than ten minutes
4:27
at the most. That woman had been dead three hours or more. Ah,
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do what you mean, And there's something else. Fam and I have
4:33
answered a lot of hit and run calls. In every case where a person
4:36
has been run over by a heavy car, the body never moved after its
4:41
hit. We found this woman lying face down in the gutter, Yet the
4:44
tire marks were across the front of her body. Do you think she'd been
4:46
killed elsewhere and her body caught it to Kenwood? Way? You hit it,
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Captain, Pretty slim evidence, make all right? Here's the more.
4:55
This little old lady, whoever she was, was found in a house dress,
4:58
without pocket book, gloves or hat. During these cool leadings, women
5:01
don't go out without hat, her coat and gloves. If that isn't enough,
5:05
there wasn't any direct or grease on the back of her dress, and
5:09
ken Wood weighs a particularly dirty street. All right, for Grady, I'll
5:13
put an investigation into this thing, and if you're interested, I'll give you
5:15
a chance to follow it through. I'll try to make arrangements with your captain.
5:19
Hey, give me Captain Morris, please, oh, come in?
5:32
Make anything new on the case? Nothing worth mentioning, Captain. I questioned
5:39
everyone in the neighborhood, and no one has ever seen the woman before.
5:42
No one seems to know who she is or where she came from. I
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got something, though, Captain. Of course it may not be worthwhile,
5:48
but anything that looks like a lead would be welcome to me. That well.
5:51
A fellower runs a smoke shop nearver Seen says that the big blue touring
5:56
car passed up and down the street several times just before the body was found,
6:00
because the last time I passed his shop, that was traveling at a
6:02
high rate of space. All right, put a pickup out on the car.
6:05
You got a good description, not very good, but it'll be enough
6:09
to go on. It's all we got, Captain, No man, it
6:11
isn't all we've got. No No. Doctor Smith found a concussion on the
6:15
side of the head, but he said it might have caused her death.
6:17
He said it bore all the remarks of a blow from a sandbag. No,
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we're getting somewhere. If we only knew who this woman was, and
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I have an idea that we don't know that very shortly. It wasn't a
6:27
shred of identification on the body. But the Morgue attendant filed a ring off
6:30
the woman's finger, and it bore the inscription to Jesse from James eighteen seventy
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nine. I gave the news to the afternoon paper. There isn't much to
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go on, but it brought returns as soon as it was published in the
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paper. Do you know Frank Egan. Oh, a fellow who was once
6:46
hired by the city, is a public prosecutor. Yeah, called me up
6:48
about ten minutes ago that he saw the story in the paper and went down
6:51
to the morgue to identify the body. He thinks it was hit and run.
6:56
Coming up here in a few minutes to give us a lowdown. What's
6:58
he been doing now? Only private practice as far as I know. He's
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a good lawyer, but a bum sport. I was in Judge McKinney's court
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one time on Yes, thank Hegan is here? You got this? Oh
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good? And show him in yes, I oh, captain, do you
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remember me? Yeah? Yeah, sit down, This is Officer McGrady.
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I don't know you're off them all right. I've identified you're hitting round victim,
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captain. Yes, she's a client of mine, missus des Smallwood.
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Are you positive of the identification? Yes? I knew her quite well.
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Where does she live over on Trenton? I think the number sixteen twenty one.
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He's been a client of mine since her husband died. He isn't a
7:38
living relation, not a soul in the world. Too bad. Fortunately she
7:42
left enough money to cover her funeral expenses. I don't make the necessary arrangement
7:46
the plans, Eagan, we'll be compelled to hold about him for a few
7:48
days, at least until the inquest. In quest. Yeah, you see,
7:53
we have an idea that her death wasn't accidental. All right? Do
7:56
you know of anyone who'd profit by our deaths? I know who'd want to
8:01
kill a four defensive old woman. He didn't have over one hundred dollars to
8:05
her name. That's just what we're trying to find out. Yeah, it's
8:07
your business, but it looks to me like I could handle that, but
8:11
not to us. Get your golden hat, Max. We're going out to
8:13
the lake missus smallwood house on Trenton. If you'll just make sure the address,
8:18
mister Egan, you can run along home. You won't be needed.
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Is a house, captain, Yeah, the door seems to be bolted on
8:48
the inside. That sound like doors, all right, Hey, I'll bet
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there's a door connecting the garage with the back part of the house. It
8:56
looks like a mac has a garage door. Yeah, right, it's luck
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to captain and let me try this. Stee. We are you'd make a
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good trashman, sir. I might try it. Some day sings the thin.
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Since Missus Smallwood didn't have a car, lookout, don't step therectter.
9:24
What do you see the tire prints happened? Look look at it. This
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is the same tread if we found on Missus Smallwood's dress. And here's a
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spot where the tire track stops for a footy dower happens. That space represents
9:35
where Missus Smallwood's body lay when the killer ran the car over to make it
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appear accidental. Yes, Arms and levels gotta lay down that call and find
9:56
it. Poss over an album or bring on a guy in good send them
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in as soon as they arrived. Oh, Mac, you can lay off
10:05
that phone him in this there's something new? What is it? Captain Owens
10:09
and Rivers just ran that big blue car down. They're bringing the driver in
10:11
for questioning. How we're getting somewhere? Who's the guy? I didn't say?
10:15
What'd you find out on the phone? Oh? I called every insurance
10:18
company in the book. One of them reported that Missus Smallwood recently took out
10:22
three five thousand dollars policies on our life, each carrying double indemnity in case
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of accidental death. There's how oldive whose named is beneficiary. They're looking that
10:30
up, they said, they call back around second. Come in, here's
10:35
the driver of that car. Oh good, good, come in. I'm
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Captain Reynolds. What's your name? Pet? Fuck? Do you own the
10:43
car that alficas owens and rivers hounds in? Yes, sir, But where
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do you work? Buck for the city. I'm a fireman. Where were
10:48
you the night before? I last? Between six and twelve o'clock? Well,
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that's what they've been trying to tell you. I was on duty.
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I went on duty at six that night and six the next morning. I
10:58
have a dozen witnesses. Have you in the expert do for your car being
11:01
on Kenwood Way the night before last? I certainly have by a lot of
11:05
to a friend of mine, Red Fisher. Fisher Fisher, I look that
11:09
name up. Mac. You needn't do that, Captain. I'll give you
11:11
all the information you want. Red Fisher served two times at state prison for
11:16
first degree robbery. He used to hang around the station. Now if after
11:20
he got out, he seemed to be trying to go straight. So Caap
11:22
McNeil got him a job wore. I don't know the job was driving for
11:26
someone, but I never heard who it was. They red Fisher borrowed your
11:30
car? Yeap? What did you want with it? He said he'd pulled
11:33
a rear end out of his boss's car and wanted to tod to the garage.
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How long we use it? I don't know. Gave him a note
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so he could get the car, but I don't know what time he brought
11:41
it back. Was there the next morning when he went home? Did you
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have any witness the red Fisher asking for your car? Yeah? Two of
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the firemen. Oh, I guess Fisher is the guy we want. You
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got to pick up out on him, Mac, Right, Captain, we'll
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have that burdens out of twenty four hours. Yeah, boy, the headquarter,
12:18
good work his mouth pieces with him? Who is he? The mouth
12:20
pieces? Frank Egan? Egan? Huh? Bring them both in, yes,
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sir? Send a sonographer in here. There's the president and his lawyer.
12:33
Sir. Yeah, that chair please? Thanks? Having half a noon
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off there? Close that doormac. Right, you can sit over there,
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Mac, I don't be sure. I don't mind telling you that you're in
12:43
a pretty tough spot as you You bulls ain't got a thing on me.
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Nevertheless, I say you wrote a lawyer down with your car. I brought
12:50
him. He's my boss. I drive for him. I'm why you bulls
12:54
you'd frame me the first tan God frame him because like you said, we
12:58
did twice before. Huh, only this time we do it with a noose.
13:03
How you listening to me? We have witnesses that you borrowed Ted Bucks
13:07
car at eight o'clock you drove out to Missus Smallwood's house and on some pretext
13:11
or other, got in fast. No, there's two witnesses, and how
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the car drive into the garage. When you got inside the garage, you
13:18
hit her with a fanbag and then ran the car over her to make it
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appear as an accident. Then loading her into your car, you drove across
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town to Kenwood Way and jump around back and suggest, captain, and you'll
13:28
be a bit more careful in arresting my client. These things you'll have to
13:31
be proved, you know, after all, you failed to show motives.
13:37
Hello, eh who all right? Thanks now? As I were saying,
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hard in me just a moment, Hello Tim thend the desk rotch into my
13:52
office with a couple of murder warrens. Right, a couple of couple of
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what murder Warrenshigan murder Warren. That was the insurance company calling. It seems
14:03
that in addition to managing missus Smallwood's affairs, you also took three insurance policies
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out on our life, naming yourself as beneficiary and egan, there's your motive.
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I late headquarters, doesn't matter. I late headquarters. All the wire
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plays coming for you. I'd like to see the captain on judy O God,
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tell him it's doctor Thornton. Doctor Thornton, doesn't matter, Captain rold
14:54
whatllo happened? Doctor Thornton? See your sir okat right down the car,
15:00
the second already left out? Thank you happened? Well, yes, I'm
15:09
that the thought. Oh they're coming on this take that chair over there,
15:13
Thank you. Captain Wells. I want you to find my wife. Your
15:16
wife is waiting, well, yes, of course it may be. Well,
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I don't know when did you see her last? The night before last
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left me waiting at the lobby of the Churchill Hotel, and I haven't seen
15:28
us in Why haven't you reported the latter sooner? Well? I kept thinking
15:31
she'd return. You see, well, we weren't on exactly friendly terms once
15:37
you left. I thought she was probably trying to punish me. What do
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you mean by that? I meant that we've been arguing, you know,
15:43
one of those husband and wife affairs. I didn't consider the matter serious.
15:46
But when I called all our friends and they hadn't seen her, and she
15:48
didn't come home today, I thought it best to notify the police. Fare
15:52
for you did exactly right. Do you know of any reason for her disappearance?
15:58
Yes? I do. I had one hundred and sixty thousand dollars in
16:00
her handbag. What carrying one hundred and sixty thousand dollars in her purse when
16:06
she disappeared? And he waited almost two days to notify the for me,
16:10
I tried to explain how it was. I thought that she was just staying
16:12
away from home to make me worry. Just a minute, doctor, Yes,
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come in Bradford to down. This was doctor Thornton. How do you
16:22
do? Not too bad for this? One of our best men on this
16:26
kind of work. Bad Doctor Thornton's wife has disappeared. Yes, the last
16:32
time he saw her, she was carrying one hundred and sixty thousand dollars around
16:34
in her handbag. What that's exactly what I said. Well, now that
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bad for this here, doctor Thornton. I want you to tell us everything
16:42
you can about her disappearance, and also I want you to tell us how
16:47
she came to be carrying a sum of money like that around on the inner
16:48
purse. It wasn't bills, yes, bill's and negotiable security. Well,
16:55
start at the beginning, doctor, Oh, the day before yesterday, my
16:59
wife a valuable corner to one of the big stores. She had the money
17:03
from that deal with her when I met her for dinner that she felt like
17:07
celebrating, so we went to the churchyard. Was there that she got mad
17:11
at me for dancing with a friend of ours and walked out on me.
17:15
We joined the party later and everything seemed or she still had the money.
17:18
Yes, I saw it several times during the rest of the evening, and
17:22
she made quite a flourish when she handed the waiter a big bills for the
17:25
dinner or where anyone could have seen it. Yes, well we're having the
17:27
story, doctor. Well we left the dining room and went out into the
17:32
lobby. What time was this about eleventh herty? She excused herself, saying
17:37
that she'd be back in a minute or so. And I haven't seen her
17:38
since that time. We asked about her at the hotel. Yes, I
17:41
asked the headwaiter and the woman in charge of the lady's room. They hadn't
17:45
seen her. Why did you do then, doctor? I figured she was
17:48
still mad at me, and it slipped out he'd done it before. So
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I just drove home and went to bed, And the next morning she was
17:56
still missing. Yes, what did you do? The next day, doctor,
18:00
I'm quiet around with all our friends and finally drove down to our ramps
18:03
at tell them out to see she'd spent the night there. She hadn't,
18:07
I see. What do you think about it? Granford? Oh, I
18:08
don't know, capt'n. She might just be out staying with friends, as
18:11
the doctor says, seeing it's how she's done her before. But that one
18:15
hundred and sixty thousand dollars changes the look of things. That's my idea.
18:19
Watch in the morgue. But there haven't been any unidentified body for a week,
18:22
Captain. Will you take doctor Thunkton back to the identification Bureau and have
18:26
powers issue a general description of the woman, Get it on the radio right
18:30
away. Send a picture of the story of the newspapers and get the commercial
18:33
radio stations to broadcatching for her. We need some quick action on this scene.
18:56
Well what you, Brad, got much of anything? Cappen? We're
18:57
doing everything we can. I find this woman, but it looks like a
19:00
hopeless state. If you ask me, the dame's been bumped off. Why
19:04
do you say that? Well, because no dame with one hundred and sixty
19:07
grand can stay out of tide for very long unless she is bumped off.
19:10
How did you find out on the east side? Elevens and I talked to
19:12
every stool Pregon. We know there's no style of heavy dough down there,
19:17
and of a regular pullman. The job we know it. And if she's
19:19
been killed, you figured the job was done by someone that we don't have
19:22
a line on, right, sure, why one of the rest protective dual,
19:27
Captain Wells put it on. The woman in charge of the lydy's room
19:33
with the Churchill wants to talk to me. This might be hello. Yes,
19:37
yes, this is Captain well speaking. I see, yes, yes
19:44
we do. Oh well, well, thanks for calling something on the Thornton
19:51
case, Captain Yes. The woman in charge of the ladies room says that
19:53
she's been reading the newspaper accounts, but the disappearance and that she is positive
19:57
Missus Thornton didn't come in at all night before last. And what's more,
20:02
he said that doctor Thornton didn't come around asking for his wife like he came.
20:06
Oh huh, I'm thinking the same thing, Bradford. Now listen,
20:10
you hustle out of the Churchill and see the head waiter. Find out if
20:12
doctor and missus Thornton were there on the night Missus Thornton disappeared, and be
20:17
sure to ask him if Missus Thornton paid for the dinners with a large bill.
20:21
Right, I'll be back within an hour. That's the stuff. Hello,
20:27
hello Evans, Listen, I've got an important job for you. I
20:30
want you to dig up all the information you can on doctor Wallace Thornton,
20:34
Yeah the dentist. Find out how much yearns Querry Bank, how his credit
20:40
is, and above all, try to find out if he has a safe
20:44
deposit box in any of the banks. Take a picture with you. He
20:47
may rent the box under a phony name. Let's see you got my messry
21:15
Guessers told me home, I was just counting to one dress. What's up?
21:18
Well? I talked to the head waiter, and the guy tells me
21:19
that doctor and Missus Thornton did not throw up. Finally in the hotel last
21:22
night, just as I thought. After that, I went to the garage
21:26
where doctor Thornton keeps his car, made a few inquiries. I found that
21:29
they had filled the gas tank to night of Missus Thornton's discipends, and the
21:32
next morning after Thornton that used the car, they have to fill it again.
21:36
I won't be satisfied until I know or all that gas went to Why
21:40
Brett? You don't think if I don't know, Captain, These charge murders
21:41
are getting pretty popular these days, and gasoline, you know, makes a
21:45
good fire. Yes, I know. End there's another possibility. Doctor Thornton
21:48
mentioned something about a ranch and here's near Palomar. Did it takes just about
21:52
a tank of gas to go then back? Hey, I thought that maybe
21:56
you'd be interested in driving down there with me tonight, Captain, to see
22:00
see what we can find. As my report, Chief good, that's completed.
22:12
The only thing we lacked is the body of Missus Thornton. I didn't
22:15
get in at Evans report, cap I'd be fine. And now here's the
22:18
whole case boys the way I have a summarized. Evans found out that doctor
22:22
Thornton has a safe deposit box at the security under the name of Farsteed.
22:26
That box recently contained a huge stack of bills and negotiable securities. When we
22:30
unlocked the box, however, they were gone. Yes, but Evans dug
22:34
up the information that doctor Thornton had recently paid a bonding company one hundred and
22:40
fifty thousand dollars on a twelve story office building that he's been planning to build
22:45
for some time now. We paced every source of a man's income. The
22:48
only place that money could have come come was from Missus Thornton. H Yes,
22:53
doctor Thornton made two trips to his ranch. He made one night Missus
22:56
Thornton disappeared, and another the one he told us about. The next morning,
23:00
Bradford and I talked to the caretaker. He says that he isn't sure,
23:04
but he thinks that he heard a car shortly after midnight. He told
23:08
us that doctor Thornton came in the next morning and didn't ask about his wife,
23:14
but saddled a horse and rode out into the hills. Later, the
23:17
two of them did some work about the house laying some flagstones and somebody in
23:21
the bottom of no system. That's yes, all right, sent him in.
23:26
We'll have to work fast, boys. Doctor Thornton just came in.
23:30
He'll talk to him in the next room. Come on, you shaid over
23:33
there, Evans, A right, take this chair here, bred yes,
23:36
sir, now leave everything to me. Come in, Oh, come in,
23:41
doctor Thornton. Have a chair, you know, Detective Bradford. I
23:45
believe this is the detective Sergeant Evans, Yes, yes, I did.
23:53
We've discovered several new things regarding your wife's disappearance. She's not for you,
23:59
think doctor there, I know what I think that you'd have a better idea
24:04
than any of us. Doctor, however, let it pass. We just
24:08
found out that neither you and your wife were at the Churchill Hotel the night
24:12
she disappeared. Well, we found out that you, under the name of
24:15
Forstead, had a safety deposit box at the security that's not I don't interrupt,
24:19
doctor. We found out that your own bank account was rather small,
24:22
but the two days after missus Thornton disappeared, you managed to pay one hundred
24:27
and fifty thousand dollars on an office building which you've been planning for over a
24:32
year. I saved that money, every cent of it, did you,
24:37
Doctor Fansel. I'm going out of here for a little while. I'm going
24:41
to leave you all alone with your conscience. Now what are you going to
25:02
tell them now? Doctor? You know, doctor, what are you going
25:07
to tell them? Now? They know that you weren't telling them the truth?
25:11
And you know you're lying? Doctor whether you're going to tell them now?
25:14
Are giving an adopted Why don't you tell them the truth? They know
25:18
you're lying? What are you going to tell them now? Doctor? Two
25:23
hours? Doctor, you're getting tired about I know you're lying. You're going
25:30
to tell them now about? What are you going to tell them now?
25:33
Doctor? You know you're getting tired? Doctor, why don't you tell him?
25:36
You minute? In the captain's death there there's a name before you,
25:47
right, doctor, confession right doctor? Right? Doctor it right? Right?
25:56
Uh? Doctor Wallace Bonton killed my wife for her and buried her body.
26:03
I know the gun, the guns, the gun? How I forgot
26:14
about that gun? The science confession captain is that yes, his conscience was
26:21
too much for him. Evian, welcome back. Well we got an example
26:42
of the brilliant dialogue that has been lost from criminal of ages past, and
26:48
I intend to learn from that. So next time I get a critical review,
26:53
I'll just say Rod to the reviewer, says, you just kidding a
27:00
out that I have to say that the uh missus Thornton case. Really,
27:08
that ending was weird. You know, when I was listening to it,
27:11
I thought maybe the police were setting him up, pretending to be the voice
27:17
of his conscience. What sounded kind of silly. But the way it ended,
27:22
with his conscience actually speaking into him in an audible voice to sign the
27:29
confession and then kill himself, that was even more silly. Even sillier still
27:36
was the fact that that even though the police captain didn't know that he kept
27:41
a loaded gun in his drawer, and why would he do that, his
27:48
conscience had X ray vision apparently and was able to locate it. I'm trying
27:56
to think if we've had a cheaper way to get rid of a suspect,
28:00
but I don't think that we have heard it yet. All right, Well,
28:07
that will do it for today. Coming up tomorrow, be sure,
28:11
and if you have video theater to be watching, we'll be bringing you an
28:17
episode of Beverly Garland in decoy and we'll bring you a total of three episodes
28:22
this summer. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter at radio detacktives,
28:26
and if you have a voicemail or would like to talk about the show,
28:33
you can call us too. Eight none nine one four seven eight three that's
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too eight none one great d But from Boise, Idaho, this is your
28:44
host, Adam Grahamson and off