Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Crime and Peter Chambers: The Regina Kent Murder (EP1438)

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Crime and Peter Chambers: The Regina Kent Murder (EP1438) · 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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slash Radio Detectives. Before we do get started, I want to encourage you
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you can pick up copies of my books, ebooks and audiobooks, including All
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I needed to know I learned from Colombo, my essay What Made the Golden
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Aid Shine, and my Detective Stories Announcer Prevention and Slime Incorporated. To just
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go to store to do Great Detectives dot Net. Well, now it's time
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for today's episode of Crime and Peter Chambers. Original air date May the eleventh
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of nineteen fifty four and the title is The Regina Kn't Murder Crime and Reader
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Chambers, created by Henry Kane, transcribed and starring Dane Clark, a private
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investigator duly licensed, and Julie Swan Chambers. You're a private eye. That's
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your business. Anything else that's for labs a lot of labs. Tonight.
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You were pub crawling, doing the visiting fireman bit at the taverns and the
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beast words. You're on your way home now, and you're going to stop
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off at Kraus's newsstand for the papers. Old man krows. He's been there
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as long as you can remember. And then you see the commotion. Somebody's
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working the old man over, beating him to the ground. You get there
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as fast as you can. Oh, it's you, mister Chambers. Look
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easy, easy, does it, mister Krause. Me Let me help you
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up. Hey, did you see him, mister Chambers, did you see
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who it was? No? He ran off as he saw me coming.
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Did you get a No, I was just close. He hit me from
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behind it and he jumped me. But why you where does a man like
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you fit in with a beating? It was more than that, mister Chambers,
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more than a beating. What are you talking about? Whoever it was
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wanted to kill me? Why you're a peaceful man, mister Krause, the
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thoughtful, peaceful, philosophical man. Everybody loves you, it seems not everybody.
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Well, look I'm going home with you. No, no, no,
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no, no no, I'm taking you home. You need not bother,
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mister Chambers. I am not afraid. Come along, Come along,
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I'm as crassed. Thank you, thank you. You are very kind.
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He doesn't live far and he's none the worse for his experience. And you
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get him home and he's fumbling with the key in the old fashioned locked car,
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so he's heard ice and not what they used to be. Please follow
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me, mister Chambers. I will put the light on. But he doesn't
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have a chance to put the light on. Neither of you have a chance
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to do a thing. The guy who was inside waiting for Kraus, he
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was in the dark room, but he was facing the light of the hallway,
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and that was all to the good. He couldn't see much of you
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or of Klaus, just your silhouettes, but you could see him, and
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better than that, you recognized him. Maybe Kraus didn't know who his assailant
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was, but you did. Well. He's gotten clean away. So there's
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nothing to do now but find the light switch and look to mister Krause.
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Come on, miss Krauseuse, you're right now. Look I'll get a towel
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and some water. Just here. We are right there on the floor.
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I don't think you're hurt very badly. It's nothing, it's nothing at all.
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It's a scratch of bullet crease. You're as good as new once more.
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Let me help you up. Be my guess, lucky. It's pretty
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lucky. Twice in one night, and I'm still around to talk about it.
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I will sit here. Why somebody should want to kill me? Maybe
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a month ago, but not now. A month ago? What you ever
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hear of Big Benny Larson? Who hasn't Big Benny big goon? But there
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was a fight one night in front of my new stand, Big Benny knife
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to man mister Snufflows Angelino. I saw it all mine. Mister Snufflows was
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in the hospital and they were wondering why he would live. The police assigned
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protection to me because I was the only witness. Then mister Snuffnos pulled through
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and he didn't press charges, and Big Benny was released and the protection of
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police was taken away. Ah, there's no reason anymore for Big Benny to
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harm me than who else. I have no idea, mister James, Look
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you ever hear of the dancer the dancer slick Hood from Chicago. His name
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is dancing or something, but they call him the dancer. I have never
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been to Chicago, missus. One of those tall, slender, handsome guys,
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beautiful but deadly is the front end of a loaded gun. Oh,
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murder that one for the ladies. But what does this have to do with?
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Nothing? Nothing? Nothing? Just started a train of thought. I
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look, mister Krause. You're going to the police with them? No,
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no, no, I have had enough ways. I have a gun and
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a license, and I am not afraid. It is only that I do
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not understand it. Do you have a family, mister Krause, just a
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daughter and adopted daughter, Irene. She is married now to a lawyer,
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Frank Buckley. Well you're going to tell her about this? No? Why
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not? Well they are not really friends anymore. She has gone away from
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me. I hardly see her anymore. Well you mind if I talk with
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her? Well, I cannot stop you. That sort of wraps it up.
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I suppose. Okay, I'm getting out of him as the Krouse.
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But you bolt that door after me and use that gun if you have to.
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Thank you very much, mister Chambers. And please do not worry about
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me. But you do worry. You go home, and you try to
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sleep, but it tampers with your dreams. Where is the connection? Why
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should a doll boy like the dancer be looking to eradicate a peaceful citizen?
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The old man said he never heard of him, And you believe Krauss.
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You sleep finally, but it's like sleeping under a winking neon light. And
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in the morning you're looking up an address in the phone book. Frank Buckley,
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it's on fifty seventh Street, and it turns out to be a combination
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of home and office. A lawyer that's plugging at his business. Nothing more,
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No rich big estate guy. Yes, mister Chambers, please sit down,
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make yourself comfortable. Frank Buckley, bald, thin and fifty ish,
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a lot of loose skin hanging under his jowls. Would you like a cigarette,
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mister Chambers, No, no, thank you, not now. Uh,
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mister Buckley, it's really your wife I want to talk to so why
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well, sir, I'm a private detective, private detective. Oh, this
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is not in the line of business. I'm a friend of an elderly gentleman.
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And mister Krauss, oh, yes, yes, my wife's father.
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Well, an attempt was made on his life last night he won't go to
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the police with it, and I thought perhaps if I talked with Kraus's daughter,
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your wife. My wife and I have been separated for the past six
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months. She's already institute a divorce proceedings. I'm sorry to hear that night
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in a matter like this. She's now living at Eastbourn Apartments on seventy four.
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Thank you, sir. How is the old man working as always?
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Well, he won't have to work long. You'll be quite independent, you
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shot, old man Kraus independent You mean rich or something? How come?
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I am sorry, slipper the tongster a matter of my profession, attorney in
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client privilege. Kay, okay, okay with me. All I want her
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to know is where I could reach Irene missus Buckley, Yes, of course,
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and if there's anything I can do for the old gentleman, please don't
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hesitate. All right then, good morning, mister Buckley, and a very
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good morning to you, sir. Next up Eastbourne Apartments. Not too swanky,
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not too slummy, about in the middle. But the occupant of apartment
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seven g nothing in the middle about that one. The word is gorgeous,
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not soft. Gorgeous and mushy, gorgeous but hard like granite, glittering,
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gorgeous like a diamond, but gorgeous nonetheless. Well, ain't you a handsome
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one, missus Buckley, I'm using my maiden name, Irene Cordoni. I
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thought it was Krauss, should have been, but it ain't. I was
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in show business before I got married. How would you like this? And
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now, ladies and gentlemen, Miss Irene Krause, black hair, black eyes
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and a loose red mouth. Young and quite a figure. She's wearing high
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heel lounging shoes, white shorts and a white bandana. And that's about it.
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Like a drink, mister, mister Chambers, Peter Chambers, did you
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like a little drinking, handsome? Well, it's a little too early in
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the morning for me. Oh look, miss Cordoni, I wish you'd talk
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to your father. Father. Oh, what's with him? A couple of
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attempts were made on his life last night, the old man, somebody somebody
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near to him or to tell him one of two things like what Either he
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goes to the police or he kind of stays holed up at least until this
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thing clears. What's your interestro friend? Well, if you're such a good
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friend, why don't you tell him? I've told him, But he' stubborn,
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stubborn with you, stubborn with me. Furthermore, the old man and
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I, well we kind of don't see eye to eye anymore. When'd you
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see him last? I haven't seen him since I broke up with my husband,
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maybe six months been in Chicago, maybe five months of that, only
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up back a few weeks ago. I still think you ought to talk to
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him. Quite a busy body, aren't you. Well, some say yes,
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some say no. But you cute, I'll say that. You know
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I'm a sucker for a good looking man. Are you sure you won't join
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me Midrin some other time? Sister? Oh, make it soon, brother,
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sure, sure, I'll be expecting you. A man eater that Irene
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CORDONI Buckley Cross. You take your leave slightly reluctant, but you take your
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leave. You figure you've done your bit and you've got your own work to
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attend to, like pulling open the office window and letting the air in and
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looking over the mail. But you need tour to pick up the papers at
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Cross's. But Krouse's news stand is closed, so you're on your white horse
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again making for Krause's apartment. Ah, come in, mister Chambers. I
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just got back myself. Where have you been, mister Cross? A funeral?
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Funeral, the old lady Regina Kent. You must have known the old
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lady Regina Kent. Her funeral. Yeah, well, look, you can't
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take that so hard. She must have been past ninety years of age.
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Death must come, mister Cross, sooner or later. Sure, but not
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by murder. Murder the old lady. Look, you're not making sense,
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mister Kross. It' see since I wish it wasn't I wanted it happen a
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couple of days ago. She was coming from the movies bank shot and do
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you mean a mugger, a thief, one of those things. Nothing was
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stolen. She was killed, the kind old lady, killed meaningless for no
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reason. She was a good friend of yours, wasn't she, mister Frank.
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Yes, yes, twenty years she is a customer, and many evenings
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we talk and talk for hours. A fine, wonderful old lady and rich
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too reputed to be worth though maybe half a million riches. My boy is
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in the heart. Doesn't hurt in the pocket book either, That is too
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too. Wait a minute, you're not quite as impractical as you sound.
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Didn't you once tell me that you recommended a lawyer to her. If she
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didn't think you had a practical size, she wouldn't have asked your advice for
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a lawyer. Yes, yes, it's a long time ago. Recommended my
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son in law, Frank Buckley, and she was very satisfied. The main
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disclient all the way till now. And what about your problem? Is the
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cross problems me last night? Mah, crazy people, crackpots. Somebody must
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be making mistake. Oh look, you're not going back to work, are
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you sure? I'm not afraid, mister Chambers, not at all. And
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do not worry you. See I carry how do you call it, the
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neutralizer? I have it from the first warhead. And you're not going to
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talk to the cops about it. No, do not worry about old Kraus.
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You are a good hind man, mister Chambers. So the good kind
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man starts minding his own business. You go to the office and pull up
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the window, let the air in, and read your mail. Then you
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listen to the ballgame. Then you call downtown to headquarters to Detective Littenant Parker
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but they tell you he's out of town and looking back until ten in the
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evening. Client falls in and you're busy for the rest of the day,
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and pretty soon it's nighttime after ten and you're at headquarters because that krous thing
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is buzzing around in your head like it's a beat. Hire. Hello,
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it's a pleasure, mister private eye. You bring the breath of springtime into
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this dank old Officeer is that the breath is scotch? Detective Lieutenant Louis Parker
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aces all the way, good friend, good cop, good companion. Well,
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seriously, Pete, you look a little worried. Something I can do
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for you? Maybe just tell Papa Parker anything to get the creases out of
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your fore it. Old man Kraus guy owns a news stand up you'll,
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yeah, has he got anything to fret about? Like what Big Benny Larson
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or his goons? No, not a thing. Snuff knows Angelina was a
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rabbit afraid to sign a complaint? What's Big Benny and the clear And Benny's
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not looking to make trouble for the old man. Benny makes trouble only when
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he has to. That's one worry off my mind. Oh, you got
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more, got a little curiosity, fire away for it. Regina Kent,
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little old dame ninety years of age, gets knocked off with a bullet in
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her brain and strictly a professional job, real peculiar deal. He's got any
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angles, No, not yet, it ain't unless you call a battlement an
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angle. And you got an idea about the torpedo. We got better than
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that, got a full and perfect description. And what's holding you back?
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Hadn't got anybody that fits the full and perfect description. This is confidential.
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Pet. Of course, we got a witness that that Regina Kent killing that
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nobody knows about, not even the newspapers. Lady by the name of Benson,
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she was sitting in her bedroom. It was dog she couldn't sleep.
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Happens to have the next apartment of this Regina Kent. She saw our torpedo,
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saw him clear, and saw him long. He was hanging around for
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quite a time, waiting for the old lady missus. Benson kept watching him.
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Then when Regina Kent appeared, she saw the actual shooting, saw him
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jump into a car driver and she looked over your rogues gallery, looked over
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everything most cooperative furnished this a full description, ready to identify the guy whenever
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we pick him up. Let's hear that description, Louis, Well, he's
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a good looking boy about six feet. Parker talks and your heart starts rapping
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at your chest like a fist on a door, because what you're listening to
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is a perfect description of the dancer. I wonder they can't find a guy
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to fit the description. This is a Chicago guy, and a guy who
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was never arrested, never printed, never mugged. What are you getting excited
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about? Pete? Stick around? Pal? Why I may be of some
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help. So why should I stick around? Why shouldn't I go with you?
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Because that's the way I wanted this trip, the private Eye and his
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various moods. Okay, detective ies, stick around? What do I stick
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around for? Phone call from me? I'll like a little more dope.
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I'd love a little more dope. Your friend Kraus, he's gonna be rich.
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That's a second time I've heard that. This time it's authentic. Gina
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Kent made a will. She leaves all the dope to charity except two hundred
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thousand dollars. I guess who gets that? Oh man Kraus yeah, two
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hundred thousand solid smackers. But remember it's still confidential. Will ain't been probated
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yet. We got to see it in police business. He has gotta be
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a lawyer, eh, who made that will? For? Who was a
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lawyer? Govin and Frank Buckley? That's it? Goodbyoi? Hey, what's
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your hurry? Where are you going? Hey? Kep? So back to
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fifty seventh Street. You rouse Frank Buckley out of his dreams and you set
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him up on the facts. He tries to make with the legal palava,
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but you shake him out of it, and finally you throw him the jackpot.
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Question did your wife know about Regina kentzwill? Well? My answer to
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me, mister Buckley, yes, yes, I told her. When the
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old lady originally made a will, I thought it'd please her to know that
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someday have forced to follow. After all, she was my wife. Then
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we were living together a husband and wife. Next up East Bourn apartments and
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the lady herself answers, she's wearing tight silk slacks and a tight silk flower
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in her hands. You shove in before she got a chance to shut you
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out. Easy. You asked me to come back, Remember you said,
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you'd be expecting me, But you're a little premature, sweetie. Right now
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I'm expecting my future husband. Answer well, he sent me with a message,
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messages, messages. He's do her any minute, and he sends me,
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hey, how do you know about the dancer? What are you doing
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here anyway? Patching up with a little hunk of murderer. You get up
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before I fling his glasses. You'll fling what she misses, but it gives
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you the excuse to do what you were going to do. Anyway. You
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clip her under the chin, not too hard, just enough, and she
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sighs and slides to the floor. Then you're go into action with the adhesive
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bit. The underworld teaches the upper world a lot of little tricks. You
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find the tape in the medicine cabinet and you wrap her wrist behind the tire
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ankles tight, put a gag across the mouth. You carry it to the
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bedroom and lock the door, and then you're back in the living room and
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you're waiting for a murderer. You open the door for the dancer and you
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hit him first, and you're call him in afterwards, and you take his
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gun away from him, and you slap him back to consciousness. What come
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on? There's going on? Nothing, nothing except a little chit chat before
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you get hauled off first police headquarters. And after that there's a hot little
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chair up it sing sing, wow you careful, fella, careful, you're
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looking at your own gun, and I take it it's loaded. Who the
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devil you on? A busy body by the name of Chambers, Nemesis to
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you, what's it all about? One the murder of an old lady Regina
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kent to the attempted murder of old man krous I got a witness by the
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name of Benson, says, I ain't Why should I want to bump an
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old woman? All right? Let me tell you. A doll by the
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name of Irene Cordoni shows up in Chicago a few months ago. She goes
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for good looking guys, and you're a good looking guy. You're also a
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hard guy, and she makes you a proposition like why this? She knows
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from her former husband that an old lady made a will leaving two hundred thousand
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clamps to old man Kraus. Krause happens to be this doll's foster father.
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He's got no other family, but hers. So if the old Dame Regina
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Kent, if she dies, old man Kraus gets two hundred thousand. But
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if after that he dies, dear old Irene Cordoni Kraus, she inherits from
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hymns. So the doll propositions the dancer knock the two of them off in
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that order, first of the old Dame and then the old man, then
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the dollar. The dancer get married, and they live pretty good, and
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they can pay their rent for quite a while with two hundred thousand dollars.
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Yeah, good story, but go prove it. Don't start bullying me about
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No Benson, who was a witness. I'm bullying your kiddo. Sure,
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I'm bullying you. Let me show you how I'm bulling. You. See,
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first you pull a phone over like sol. Then you dial oh for
22:07
operator, like so. Then you say like so into the phone, at
22:14
least quickly and so. A few days later, you're back at Krause's newsstand.
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You see, mister Chambers, I do not hit the gun anymore.
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There's no need. And I see by your papers that the grand jury's already
22:40
indicted those two first agree murder people are so crazy you gone to retire on
22:48
a two hundred thousand me retire right die, No, maybe a few vacations
22:56
perhaps, but cows works, Coryls loves to work. By the way,
23:02
mister Chambers, there would be a fee for you. Certainly you did fine
23:07
work. You will send a bill send them no, no, no,
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no, no bill, missus cross. This one was on the house.
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Oh tired, I think I'll take the News and mirror, and so to
23:21
bed with the News and Bureau. And there you've had Crime and Peter Chambers.
23:48
Dane Clark was starred as Peter Chambers. Crime and Peter Chambers Transcribed was
23:53
created and written by Henry King. I was in the cast where Bill zuckerd
23:57
heard as Lieutenant Parker, Guy Repp as Krauss, and Rita Lynn as Irene.
24:03
It was directed by Fred Way. And this is Fred Collins inviting you
24:07
to tune in next week, same time, same station for Dane Clark in
24:11
Crime and Peter Chambers. Crime and Peter Chambers has come to you through the
25:30
worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. Welcome back.
26:55
While Peter didn't get any phase, it was good to see him do
26:59
a good deal for the day. Sort of magnanimous gesture. I do wonder
27:04
how often Peter's going to introduce Louis Parker by stating how great their friendship is
27:11
the first episode of Mate Sins. Going through the series is kind of odd,
27:15
particularly since Parker shows how close the friendship is by revealing information that the
27:21
police have been keeping under their hat. All right, well, that'll do
27:25
it for today. We will be back tomorrow with the adventures of Philip Marlowe,
27:29
and then next Tuesday join us for crime and Peter Chambers. In the
27:33
meantime, send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow
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us on Twitter at Radio Attactives, and become one of our friends on Facebook,
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Facebook, dot com, slash Radio Attactives From Boise, Idaho. This
27:47
is your host, Adam Grahamson and off