Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Police Headquarters: Payroll Robbery and Helen Marsh Killed (EP1244)

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Police Headquarters: Payroll Robbery and Helen Marsh Killed (EP1244) · 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 get started, I want to remind you we
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have two other great old time radio podcasts for your listening pleasure. Check out
1:00
the Old Time Radio Superman Show at Lasernsword dot com. And also there's the
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War World War II podcast and you can follow that at Thewar dot Great Detectives
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dot net. Also this weekend up at a Great Detectives dot net is my
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review of the two nineteen forties Saint Movies with Hugh Sinclair. Now it's time
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for us to take a listen to Police Headquarters and today's episodes are episode seven
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Payroll Robbery and episode eight Helen marsh Killed Who He Said? Quarters. If
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you minute, I'll give you the desk Sergeant Police taking Argan Coombs. Oh,
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this is being press too long work. I'll go taking mister hog goodin
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for ready for our payroll. Stop on at the bank now all right,
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Uh, that's the Second National, isn't it. Yeah, I'll wait until
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you're gonna around, all right, sir, We'll got right on its bank.
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Radio Ben car fifty five to the Second National Bank was called a payroll
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master for the Industrial lin Works. Yes, call them go off of the
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five cars five five rough cast eighty one proceeds to the Second Nation, No
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bank, So why are called Hey that's us? Yeah, Well that's a
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miscored call, isn't it. Yeah? Probably the Industrial lin Works. They
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pay off twice a month. Much still almost forty thousand Perkins and I used
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to escort it all the time, that is before he got canned, and
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that's a lot of bill. Yeah, they used to bank it along,
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but they lost the whole caboodle about six months ago. Some yegg forced they're
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paying after to the urb and took it with him all the hard good head
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left with a bump on his head. A good, Yeah, he's a
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paymaster. Good's god? That is as far as I know. We're going
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to meet him at the bank. Well, all I can say is I
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wouldn't want to pack forty thousand dollars around with me unless I had a couple
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of tommy guns on each side. No, sir, not these tags.
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Here we are. You stay in the car. I'll duck in and meet
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Hargod. Oh, here he is. He's waiting for us. Holong,
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it's Hargood. Keep you waiting, well, not long. A couple of
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minutes as well. Meet my new partner, Alicer Adams. Oh, please
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to meet you, Adam wors wreaking. I don't know. The department let
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him go for some reason. Well, hop in, we'll deliver you to
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the foundry. He didn't tag. I hope, so well, here we
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are. I'm going to go in with you. Oh, it's not necessary,
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but perhaps you'd better. The old man's very fussy about the payroll since
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I lost that bag last you we carry it an armored tank. If he
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had his way. Well, I don't blame him much. Forty thousands a
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lot of money. It's fifty thousand today. Some special bulletses. I'm gonna
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knock over myself there in the car, Joe and I'll take Margaret inside.
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Right they open it, there's a fight around the corner. A couple of
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fruit peddlers are waiting, the sevens on each other. You better bring them
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up. I'll be around there in a minute. How are you better come
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right now? A real fight. I should not be around there in a
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minute. I'm waiting for my partner. Oh yeah, oh Dad, that
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will hold you. Yes, my comer, Joe, Joe, he said,
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you're away with a payroll. Had him off. Joe, where are
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you you got a payroll? Joe? Holy smoke, he's been fiened.
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Well, that's all. There is a towel chief that's is Hardgood. And
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I reached the alley. This guy steps out and slugs me. As I
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fell, I saw on strack Hardgood and the next thing I knew he was
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gone. He didn't quite knock me out, and as soon as I had
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my head carried, I took a couple of shots at him as he ran
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to the car where Joe was. I see he was too far away to
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hit, so I yelled at Joe to had him off. I couldn't see
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Joe anywhere, so I beat it to the car and found him laying on
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the seat coal as a cucumber. Yeah, a puller gave me the set
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before he lifted the payroll. Is he the man? Not very good?
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Sir? He came running up to the car telling me there was a fight
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around the corner, and when I refused to get out, he touched me.
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He sure had it all figured out, Jeef and I worked out just
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like he planned it. Why were you in the paymaster going in the back
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way? Don't you usually go in the front office? Yes, sir,
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but I would just fall into hardgood. I guess he had some reason we're
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going in that way. Well, it's done, and I don't mind telling
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you boys that you will have some ex to do when the Civil Service meets
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again. It was time to protect that pay hole. You fail, both
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of you. Well, I'll do what I can for you, but I
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don't mind saying that you're boat in this spot. Yes, that's all,
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thank you, sir. I knew the old boy and be hot under the
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collar about it. Yeah. What do you think they'll do? I can
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never tell? And they overlook it, and again the name bounces, what
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are you doing this afternoon? Oh? What? Well, we got ourselves
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into this mess, so I suppose it's up to us to get ourselves out.
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What do you mean? I mean if we wait for the dicks to
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run this thing down, it'll be warming park benches. I got a hunch
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and we're going to follow it up. Come on, where are you going
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to talk to missus hard Good? Well, that's all I know about it.
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Just oh, I wish he'd give up that job. He was hurt
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about six months ago and then yesterday. Oh, I know he'll be killed
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someday if he carries that money around all the time. I wouldn't worry missus
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Hargood. Well, thanks, it is your car up in front, Yes,
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henrybody about three months ago. Sure of goody. I'll bet it's set
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him back a pretty penny. He didn't tell me about cost you, but
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I know it was very expensive. If his brother called him a fool for
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buying it, yeah, they don't give away cars like that. Well,
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goodbye, we'll be seeing him. Yes, thanks for calling officers. Oh
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what do you make of it, Wiley? I don't know for sure,
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but I have a pretty good idea that this thing was an inside job.
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Yeah, I had a hunch from the first. I didn't tell you,
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but I had a feeling the day of the hold up that Hargood knew the
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fellow was Socist. He started getting nervous as soon as we approached the back
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of the factory. Why were we asking missus Hargood about the car and the
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house. I got a hunch to Harggod must have framed that other list six
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months ago. It's a since he doesn't make much do on that factory job.
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And right after the robbery, he buys a new car and moves to
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a swell house, saying that's right. Who do you think is Inhoman with
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him? His brother? His wife mentioned him, you know his brother,
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Yeah, and some other guy, the guy who tried to decay you out
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of the car. Yes, but I know, I know, I know
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you. You thought he was the same guy who black jack Meade. Well
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he wasn't. The guy didn't have time to get around to the alley after
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he sought you. It was done by two of them. Who was the
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other I don't know, but I'm looking into this brother of Hargood. He
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didn't like it when Hoggood bought that fancy car. Well maybe he had a
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reason. Oh, Adams, Well what did you find out? I don't,
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just like you told me, Wiley, and they nearly threw me out
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of his off Yeah, well tell me about it. Well, I looked
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him up in the city to and I find out how Good's brother is a
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lawyer, inquirer and around I find his reputation. Had any two savory?
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His name's Therman James them Oh, I go on, Well, I put
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on this whole suit of clothes like you told me to. And I went
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up there and I told him I was a lunger, didn't have much time,
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and I had to get some money to get out. West told him
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and that to go about seeing him down behind the industrial iron works if it
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give me five grand? And what did he do? Well? He called
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me everything from a blackmailer to a louse. And he told me to get
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out, and you got out? Huh? Yeah, was that all he
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said? Yeah? He didn't threaten to call the police. Oh oh,
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that's sattles it. He didn't want to call the police for a don good
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reason. He knew that he'd have to answer some questionings. What's that on
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the title arm must be some case for the chief intactive. I wonder what
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it is? Don't tell him? Then you ring that bell day and night?
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Oh can you find out? Sure? But why are you sing?
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Anderson? All just the new CoP's curiosity, I guess, And I just
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to satisfy your curiosity. I'll find out Hello, Tim, what's the deck's
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alarm on? For? Yeah? Fire? Where? Holy slop? What's
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up? What's up this lawyer? We're talking to this afternoon. Hardwood's brother
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just called the commissioner. Two yeggs walked into his office and shot it out
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with him, naw, with each other. We're going to follow that investigation.
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Come on, rookie, all right, all right, get back out
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of the way, Get back you, come on, Joe, here's the
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room. Oh, hello, chief, We didn't know that you'd be here.
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What brings you to patrol men in here? Oh? Off duty to
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my chief. I just wanted to follow this call up. I'll sit down
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over there and keep quiet. Yes, I was determined. You say you
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were seated at your dance. Yes, I was seated at my desk when
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the telephone rade. It was my brother this man. No, no,
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the other one, Holy smoke. One of the dead guys is a paymaster
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Hardwood. The other one is a guy that shucked me. Go ahead,
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mister Thurman. Well, my brother said he was in a sort of jam
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and wanted to see me. I waited about fifteen minutes, and then I
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heard those two men palling in the hallway outside my door. When they opened
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the door and came in, this dark man jerked out a gun and shot
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my brother through the head and went through the body. My brother pulled his
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gun and shot the other man through the head. As he fell, one
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of the bullets hit the light switch and shorted out the lights. The room
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was pitch dark, but I crawled across to the telephone and dialed your home.
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I see you. Who my number is? I've called you before?
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You remember? Well, I guess that's that. What was the matter,
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Wiley? Nothing cheap except that this guy is the biggest liar I ever heard.
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What? Why? Who is this man, Chief Wiley on our radio
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patrol? What'll make you say that? Wiley? Because he is, sir,
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a liar and a murderer. Why you load down, Dodgy, You
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can't say that about me. What's Mary's a payroll robber and he kills those
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guys to keep him quiet alive. What do you mean? This guy and
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his brother, hergood there on the floor, engineered the whole thing with the
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help of the other guy. Lamb. I demand at this whole to be
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arrested for making folks talking. Oh wait a minute, go ahead, Wiley,
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Well, sir, I had a hunts that Hargood recognized the guy who
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robbed us. I also found out that Hagod's spent a lot of money right
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after the first hold up six months ago. He immediately bought a new car
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and moved into a new house. Where'd you get that from, missus Hargood.
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She also told us that Harggood's brother, this man here, who calls
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himself Thurman, didn't like a sudden display. Well, mm, well,
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I sent Adams around to make a pretense of blackmailing Thurman, and this guy
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just threw him out instead of calling the police like any innocent citizen would have
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done. That's right, gee, I know, But where do you get
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the idea of the tourment here killed his brother and then this other man by
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his own story, sir, and the man on the floor, what do
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you mean? Thurman says, This man jerk got a revolver and shot Hargood
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twice, once through the head and once through the heart, two instantly fatal
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wounds. He also tries to tell us that Hargood, fatally hit in two
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places, was still able to pull out his gun and shoot the other man
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through the head. That's not possible. Sir, look up, stop him
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waiting for that one man Scott a ten story jump? Good lord, man,
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he knew he was caught dead. The rights, well, sir,
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that saves the state the expense of a trial police headquarters. All right,
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Chief, Hello, Tim, send an ambulance to the Fletcher Building on a
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trip to the Morgue police headquarters. Just a minute, I'll connect you to
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the homicide I decided today. Oh, Captain Harris, the Lawrence French,
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manager of the Melody Theater. I wish it'd hurry right over here. What's
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wrong with the friends? Oh we're not sure yet. It looks like a
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murder. Oh is it one of our performers? A girl? I wish
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it'd hurry right over here and see what you can make of it. All
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right, I will, and Captain Yeah, I come to the State and
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girl as little noise as possible. The show is still on and we want
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to avoid any excitement. All right, sir, we were Yes, sir,
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you two men get your things flashlight, powder, camera, and murphy.
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I get a fingerprint outfit and meet me in front as to the Melody
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Theater. Okay, somebody has a nice little show all arranged for us yeah,
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trying to cut him on this alley without attacking any attention. We were
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all right, captain, that's good. I'll turn into the stage entrance here.
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All right, come on, I'm making any noise. Watch these steps
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here, Take this camera, Murphy. Are you the officers? Yes?
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Where's mister French? He's expecting you up front there in the dressing room.
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No good? Anybody going out to this door since he called us? No,
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sir, I've been on this door every minute. All right, pop,
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you stay on this door. If anyone tries to leave, call me
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or one of the boys here. You bet, I will. Come on,
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boys, I watch these rope staff. You don't want to knock anything
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down. Yeah, pretty swell? Join all these lights? Blind me though.
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Hell whereas you're the officer from head quarters? Yeah? In this dressing
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room night here, she's lying right over there, stabbed in the back.
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Anything been moved? No, sir, I saw to that. Who's this
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fellaw? He was caught trying to slip out His name is Prince? What's
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your full name? Tompin? Know this girl? Yes, yes, I
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know. I've been quite friendly with her. But I didn't do it.
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You hear, I didn't do it. Who says you did this man here?
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French? What about it? Mister French? Only call boy trying to
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get this girl who answer for her second number? But there was no response.
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He opened the door and saw her lying on the floor that knife in
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her back. Immediately called me who is this girl? Her name is Marsh,
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Helen Marsh. He works in a night drawing act. It's a number
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two spot right now. She's supposed to make a quick change and stand in
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on an oriental number. Did she go through her knife act tonight? Yes?
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When the call boy called her for the oriental numbers, she was dead.
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Huh, that's right. How much time is consumed between the knife act
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and the orindle number About ten minutes and she could have been killed at any
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time during that ten minutes. That's right. Where does this man fit in?
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Mister Prince has been one of miss Marsh's at Mars went with her quite
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steadily, I believe. Earlier this evening they had some words and Miss Marsh
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old in the lee. How do you find that out? And the other
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actors? It's common knowledge, backstage gossip, you know. I say,
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watch your story, Prince. What he told you was true. I did
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go with Helen and Miss Marsh. I've gone with her for a month or
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so, nearly every evening. Well earlier tonight. My brother told me that
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she'd come to demanding money or she'd involve me in a scandal of some sort.
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I didn't believe him, and we both came to the theater before the
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show tonight to see her. I see your brother came with you. Yes,
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she made Miss Marsh admit she was only trying to work me for some
17:56
money. In we both left Justice kosek in Jose? Who's he? Jose
18:02
Gonzale's her partner in the knife throwing egg? Oh where did you and your
18:06
brother go after leaving here? I had some passes, so we took in
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the show. He's still out there. I guess you were seeing the show
18:11
with him? Yes, and how do we find you back here? But
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mister French telling it that you were caught trying to leave during the show.
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I got to think that maybe Helen had some reason for saying what she did,
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so I came back through an exit door to give her another chance to
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explain. I told my brother I was going out for a smoke. I
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see your brother is still sitting out in front. Yes, and Missy got
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tired of waiting for me and left, And I'll find out about that.
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Oh what did you see when you came back here? I knew Miss March
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was in a dressing room between xs, so I knocked on the door and
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walked in. Yeah, and then Helen Moss was lying just as you see
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her now, that nice sticking out of her back? What did you do?
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I closed the door and tried to get back to the theater, but
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mister French caught me. Yes, the callboy and already not to find me.
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I see, well, mister Fence, there's only one thing to do.
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That is to empty the house. See if this man's brother in the
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audience, and bring him back here. Also, I want to see this
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Jose glenzalees. If I am not mistaken, that knife is sticking in her
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back looks very much like one he'd use. As you say, Captain,
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but you wait until later, say, after the last show, to make
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your investigation. I'm sorry, but we'll do it my way. Dismiss the
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audience and see if this other mister Prince is in the theater, and tell
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all the performers to remain in their dressing rooms until I see them as you
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wish. I'm sorry I have to do this, mister French, but murder
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is a serious matter. I understand. I'm from the audience right after this
19:30
member. All right, I don't frighten them. Just make some excuse refunded
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necessary. That's up to you. I'll handle it. Yeah, I get
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those pictures now, Weaver and I'm sorry, buddy, but you'll have to
19:41
stick around. Looks like you're in a spot. I didn't do it.
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I tell you I didn't do it. I will see. Ladies and gentlemen,
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we are worth to ask your indulgence and view of a tragedy which has
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just happened backstage. The remainder of tonight's performance will be canceled. There's no
20:00
reason for excitement. Those of you who wish may get the price of their
20:04
seats three fronted at the box office. If a mister Prince is in the
20:08
house, a brother of mister Tom Prince, he is one of backstage musical
20:14
example, you say you never saw this knife before. No, it is
20:33
painted like the rest of my knives, but this one is not like the
20:37
rest. It does not have the balance. And there's these other actors say
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you were downstairs playing poker from immediately after you're acting for Nal. Yes,
20:45
I did not know this until I am told all right, you can go.
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I dismissed the rest of the cast. Two French. I'm through with
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him, Yes, captain, Oh see, who it is my brother?
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What has happened to Wait? Who said anything had happened to your brother?
21:02
It was announced that there had been a tragedy backstage. My brother has not
21:04
returned to e see you're a Tom Prince's brother, Yes, I am,
21:07
doctor Prince. Did you know that your brother was coming backstage? No,
21:11
told me he was going out for smoke. Where ready, what's happened to
21:14
him? Nothing has happened to him. He's right in the next room,
21:17
doctor Prince. It looks very much like your brother is in a jam.
21:19
Jam What sort of a jam? Allan marsh was found dead in the next
21:23
room. Yes, we suspect your brother of the murder. It's impossible,
21:27
ridiculous, remember the last It looks bad for him. Mister Prince here found
21:32
him trying to sneak out. Who is mister French? This gentleman in the
21:34
tuxedo, he's the manager of the theater. Oh may I see my brother.
21:38
Yeah, sure, get him weaver, Yes, son, John,
21:45
I'm glad you here. They've gotten me in the nowful miss, I'll break
21:47
sometime. I want you to answer that one question. He do kill Helen?
21:51
No? No, for heaven's sake. No. Don't you believe me
21:52
either? Yes, Tom, I believe you. Well, I'm sorry,
21:55
doctor Prince, but I don't. I'll have to take him down for questioning.
21:59
May I see the body? I'm a position, you know. I
22:00
guess it'll be all right in here there? Hmmm, bab Yeah. What's
22:11
more, she was stabbed while facing her killer. How you know that by
22:15
the position of the knife. It was driven into her body by a left
22:18
handed man who reached over her right shoulder and drove the knife home. My
22:22
brother is right handed. Yeah no, but that doesn't prove anything. Here's
22:26
a point, though. Do you mind if I turned the body over?
22:30
No? No, I guess not. We have all our pictures, all
22:33
right there, give me a hand here. It's a good looking woman,
22:38
wasn't she? Yes, terribly unscrupulous. I'm rather inclined to agree with Schopenhauer
22:45
that women are an unscrupulous race. Chopin hour, Who's he? You probably
22:49
wouldn't know him, you old philosopher like Napoleona Well Hartney, hmm, look
22:56
it is. What'd you find, doctor? I don't know exactly. Look
23:00
at this little round bruise in the center of a forehead, about the size
23:04
of a pea worthmark. Maybe not this. There's coagulation of blood here.
23:11
It's a bruise from water her fall. No what caused it then, I'm
23:17
just trying to decide. Let me see, captain, how does this sound?
23:22
Does it sound reasonable to you? When Helen Marsh started playing around with
23:27
my brother with the obvious intention of getting all the money she could, she
23:32
invoked the displeasure of someone else. Yeah, but now that's someone I spent
23:37
a lot of money on this Marsh girl. It's done a lot for And
23:40
when he found out that her game was making suckers out of men like my
23:42
brother, he resented it even more than my brother did. Well, it's
23:47
a sense that whoever killed her must not have liked her very much, I
23:48
granted. Now this man finds out what sort of a woman she is,
23:52
and he gets very angry. He plans to kill her and throws suspicion on
23:56
the Jose the Knight thrower by using a gilded knie like the one in the
24:00
eck. Maybe now the killer sneak back here in between acts and of the
24:07
room. He embraced her with his left arm over her right shoulder, and
24:11
with her face pressed firmly to his chest to suppress the stream, he drove
24:14
a knife into her body and glad sounds okay the murderer. That one little
24:19
clue, Captain? What was that? A small bruise on Helen Marsh's forehead?
24:25
Captain? How tall is this mask? Girl? Oh? Five one
24:29
or two five even, I'd say? And how tall is one of us
24:33
men? Stay French over here about six street. Then Helen Rush, standing
24:38
up and facing one of us, would stand with the top of her head
24:41
just under our chin. Yeah, but Captain, that mark on Helen Marsh's
24:45
forehead was made by just one thing, a stud, a touch sto stud
24:49
on the front of a man's shirt, such as French is wearing, and
24:52
Captain and Frenchy's shirt front of the marks and Helen Marsh's lips, for he
24:56
pressed a ruse mouth close to his body to go from screaming there, madress,
25:02
the theater manager, please headquarters all right, Kevin. Hello, Tim,
25:19
send a car to the Melody theater. The manager is just confessed the
25:22
murder. Police Headquarters, Oh, welcome back. Well that second episode helps
26:11
me rest assured knowing that when crimes occur, that some random doctor will actually
26:18
solve the case for the police. I have to admit that that is an
26:22
ending I've never heard in all of the crime dramas I've listened to. Some
26:27
character, not a regular on the show, not part of the police investigation,
26:33
not some super sleuth, just a random doctor in the audience who happens
26:37
to be the brother of one of the suspects, solves the case for the
26:41
police. I also didn't know that nineteen thirties policemen thought napull In was a
26:48
philosopher. And episode seven was, I guess, a more typical mystery story.
26:53
I think particularly we've heard the plot before of the job, and this
27:00
was it was a decent version of that here though once again with patrol men
27:07
having to do the job of detectives. Hopefully the police detectives will have some
27:14
better luck next week, and so be sure and join us back here next
27:18
Saturday for another episode of Police Headquarters. And we'll be back on Monday,
27:23
with yours truly, Johnny Dollar. In the meantime, I send your comments
27:29
to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio
27:33
Detactives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com.
27:37
Slash Radio Detactives from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Grahamson and Off