Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Police Headquarters: Blackmail and Forgery (EP1256)

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Police Headquarters: Blackmail and Forgery (EP1256) · 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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is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, send it
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Also over at great Detectives dot net my review of the Neurowolf book The Mother
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to search for Great Detectors of Old Time Radio on the blog subscriptions. Well,
1:30
now it's time for our two episodes of Police Headquarters. This one is
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Blackmail and Forgery. Let's take a listen to these two episodes Police Headquarters hold
2:02
the wire. Iyan, I'm a side detail. Its Roge McCumber. Hello,
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Mac, this is Mike Ryan. What's eating on your mic? We
2:14
got a case for you, fellow, Yes, yeah, in a Wagner
2:17
hotel all over the name of Gus Brockman, killed in his room. Brockman,
2:23
and I am surprised. Who found him? One of a bell hops.
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Okay, I'll be right down. Keep everybody away from the room,
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all right, Mac? I uh, Tuffy Travis is the gazette is here
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already? What's he doing there? Lives here? He says, Well,
2:36
keep him out of the room too. I don't want any newspaper guys.
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Spoiler's like right, I'm Segean McCumber. Police headquarters. We're investigating that shooting.
2:55
Oh yes, face foor. Oh there you are, Sargan. How
3:15
about a statement? When are you going to make an arrest? Was it
3:17
the work of a gang at one man? How did the murder get into
3:21
Bruckman's room? Layoff? You know I ain't been in the room yet.
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Can I get a description of the murderer? How about fingerprints? All right?
3:27
Layoff? Where is the room? Right here? Sage the officer on
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the beat, his garden. The remains good, you'll stay out here?
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Oh why pick on me, serge? After all, I'm I'm only earning
3:37
eleven. Besides I live in this hotel. I might know something of interest.
3:39
Yeah, I'll bet all right, come in and shut the door.
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Thanks, All right, where's it? Oh? Hello? Ryan? Here
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he is, sir, Yeah, I see you can get back on your
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beat. Ryan, sure, hard looking magasinnee sergeant, Oh Ryan? Now
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now our victim here, Brockman. Nobody will miss him. He's been in
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our books for years. Who do you think shot him? What do you
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think I am a crystal gazer? Nah? I just thought you might have
4:06
a hunch. Not on this case. There's one hundred guys right here in
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this town would bump him off for a hundred different reasons. Popular hunt about
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as popular as a skunk. Well, I'm expected to work as hard on
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this as if he was mister van Aster the third hold to the bell Hopper
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found him and get him up here? All right, Mac, how come
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you're in on this, Cuffy. I've just gone to my room to get
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some sleep from the bell hop runs and to be in the holly, he
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tells me. And there's a dead man and four twenty one. So he
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looks in and sure, hello, ah, the sergeant wants to talk to
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the bell hoper van Brockman. Okay, you're right up, Mac good.
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Well, there's no sign of a fight. Whoever killed Brockman walked right into
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this room and started pumping lid? Yep. I wonder if anybody heard the
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shot. I don't know nobody reported it. If they did. His coat
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has a button ripped off of it, and his inside pocket has turned out.
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Looks like the murder it was after something. Huh looks like an all
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right time? Come in? What do you want? Why? Well you
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see, sir? Oh you're the bell boy who found the body. Huh?
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Come in? What's your name? Jake Sodo? Sir? How'd you
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happen to find this man? Well? I was delivering ice water to four
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or nine when when I happened to see this door apart where you open and
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go ahead? Well, I've seen mister Brockman come in earlier. In Wait
5:26
a minute, what time did he come in? One? All right?
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Well, about one thirty. I saw the door open, as I said,
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so not a couple of times and went in. He was laying just
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you see him now you know who killed him? No, s anyone come
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up here tonight after Bruckman did in? No se How do you know?
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Well, because i'm the night elevator offered as well, sir, and I'd
5:45
have seen him. But they could have walked up, couldn't they. I
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guess so, sir. And you wouldn't have seen him in not if I
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was upstairs at the time. Anybody else downstairs? Who could have seen him?
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A switchboard operator sir, Miss William I want to talk to her,
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Yes, sir, yeah, yeah, he's here just a minute. It's
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the switchboard damon persons hard to has something? She thinks you gotta know?
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Ye? Good? Hello, Yeah he did? What time was it?
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What name did he give? Yet? This stuff? Okay, hello Thomas
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Drake. All right, thanks, Well it's not such a sticker after all.
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The switchboard operator says Brockman got a call right after he came up.
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She overheard what was said. Oh sure, they always do. The call
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was from a house phone and someone says this is Thomas Drake, and Brockman
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answered, come up. Oh yeah. All we gotta do is find is
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Thomas Drake. And I got a hunch it won't be a very hard job.
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We were hello Tuppy first started in mccumbered in the next room sweating the
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guy. What is it, uh Thomas Drake? Yeah, uh huh.
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I heard that he picked him up? Where did he find him at his
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hotel? Get anything out of him yet yet? Guargan's still working on him.
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We've been at him for about four hours now. And do you think
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he did it? Sure? Uh huh, Well, I gotta get back.
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You'll have a statement from him in the side of the hour. You're
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helping the Sarge Gridel a guy, aren't you. Yeah, mind if I
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come in for a few minutes. It's not money. And well, that's
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right. I didn't kill him. I didn't said why did it pull up?
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I didn't call him up. I was in the gate He club all
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even me. You ain't got any witnesses, but I was there right next
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door, went over for just a few minutes, didn't you? Why not?
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I tell you I didn't you admit knowing miss Brockman. No, that's
8:07
a lie. The door man at the Gaiety Club told us that you had
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a fight with him in front of the club one night. Well, what
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if I did, then you must know him. But I didn't kill him.
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You're head out of the Gaety club at one o'clock, A cold rock
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went up, and when you reached your room, you're shot him. No,
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I didn't. I tell you, I didn't. You add something you
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want? Won't you believe me? I keep holding at me like this for
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hours? You'll admit killing Brockman. No, I didn't kill him. I
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didn't. I didn't. Please, won't you let me have a glass of
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water? Yeah? Sure, if you'll admit that you're killing but I didn't.
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That's a lie I do in Brockman tie, I did you call him
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up? Last flight? You got three room? Are you too? I
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didn't. I didn't listen. I feel sorry for you, and I want
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to help you. You're just a young fellow. You've got a whole lifetime
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ahead of you. This is the first time you've ever been in trouble,
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isn't it? Yes, all right now, this isn't the first case of
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humpacide we've ever had. You don't forget that. You heard of justifiable homicide,
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haven't you. Yeah? Oh, maybe this is a case of justifiable
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homicide. Maybe you had a good reason to kill Black. Maybe it's a
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reason that any Julie in the count would have quit you. All we wanted.
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The crew is simon a statement giving you a reason for shooting brock me.
9:31
But I didn't shoot him. That's a lie. You fuck with him
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in front of the gate. It took about a week ago. What about
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blackmail? Ye, you're blackmailing me. We've been at it for years.
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I saw him for the clubbing. Well, I lost my temper. So
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last night you went to see him a chop? No? Great, Why
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don't you confess and we'll all go home and get some sweet from But I
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didn't kill him. What was he blackmailing you about? Something I did years
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ago? Woman? Well? Something to be married next month? And he
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tried to tell my fiance how much did he want? Twenty thousand dollars?
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I didn't have it. I gave him five and told him you'd have to
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wait for the rest. When did you give him the five grand earlier?
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Last night? Time about ten o'clock, met him in front of the post
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off any witnesses, No, I was alone that five grand with all your
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head? Wasn't this? Yeah? And paying him after paying him, you
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got your thinking about it? Didn't show you're calling him in the hotel,
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you call him up and kill him. I didn't. I didn't. We'll
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continue that tomorrow. Take him away, Weaver, Come on you how sad?
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Yeah, you didn't get anywhere, did you not yet? But I'll
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get us. I'll have a confession out of him by morning. If you
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do, it won't be the truth. Mack. What do you mean by
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that? I mean that Drake didn't kill backman. Weloney, I know a
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guilty man when I see one. I know you usually do. Sorry,
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but this time you're wrong dead wrong? Hello? Yeah, just a minute,
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are you Tubby? Thanks? Hello? Oh yes, Owens good good.
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I'll get him to come right over. Well, sad, you got
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the wrong man, and I'll prove it. Yeah. What makes you so
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sure? Because Brockman's murderer just registered at the Wagner Hotel under the name of
11:16
Tony Steele, and you're going with me to make the pinch. He's hard.
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I found this Thomas Drake before you fellas did and convince him that he
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was in a gym. And if he didn't give me the load down on
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what happened, what did he tell you? He told me about the black
11:50
man, how Brockman wanted twenty grand, and how he only had five to
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give him. Well, I had a hunch that Brockman has been working with
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a mob, but that he had tried this Drake by mac Millan on his
12:00
own hook. I see. I figured that Brockman had been killed because some
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other members of the gag knew about his collecting five grand from Drake. So
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I pulled a fast one. I breeze around that Drake had paid Brockman twenty
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grand in full, I see, And the guy that killed him would think
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that there was still fifteen grand hidden in Bruckman's room, right and right now.
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That fellas in the next room, Brockman's room looking for what the game?
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A quick? Ryan, Are you hurt? Oh? But I had
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to wing this guy, sir. He were searching this room in space and
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he ran across me in the closet he reached versus Roden and let him have
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it. Or he just done good work. Get that man's gun TOPI yeah,
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we'll check it with the bullets. Nice work, Ryan, Don't thank
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me, sir. Thanks Toffy. It was his idea. Well, it
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was the first one he ever had. Oh yeah, well maybe you'll learn
12:46
that when you want results on your just a fire bahamicides to call on Tuffy
12:50
Travis, that town's top knots journalist Lease headquarters right, hello, Tim,
13:11
send the car to Wagoner Hotel. Sergeant mccomber's holding the confessed murderer. Police
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headquarters, Hollo wire please checked if you're Captain McCarthy, Horold will do hold
13:30
the of the Merchants Bank. Yes, what can we do for you?
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Mister here? It's a bogus check for ten thousand dollars. He there now
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you see? Yeah, well stole him. I'll get a man right over.
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Oh well, captain Captain Rammers short, call powers and beat it over
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the Merchants Bank. There's a man over there right now trying to cash a
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hot check for ten thousand dollars. Wow, ten thousand? Good going?
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All right, all right, Joe, pull up here, stick out here
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in front of the bank in case the guy who makes a break point.
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Okay, Ray, I'll be right out with a customer trying to cash a
14:16
hot check for ten grand. That's a good one. The older man from
14:24
the headquarters. Yeah, where's this check passer? Right over there at the
14:28
window and leaning against the counter with a small bag in his ten I see
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him. Come on, all right, buddy, you're under arrest, arrest
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for what you know, for what? But I haven't done anything. No.
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I suppose it's all right to try passing hot checks if you're too latey
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to make an honest living. But I'm not passing hot checks. It must
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be a mistake. Oh there's a mistake, all right, and you made
14:48
it trying to slip the bank of bad check. Come on, come on,
14:52
wait a minute. I work for the Davis Construction Company. This is
14:56
a regular payroll check cash here every week. What about the mister Withers,
15:00
The man's wrong officer. The David Terror check was cashed about thirty minutes ago.
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The teller had the other check presented. Tom He called me, and
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I called you. What why? I just left the office. I'm sure
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there was no other check made out. Say wait a minute or something,
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screwy. Here got an office we can use for a minute, mister,
15:20
he was mine right over here. All right, come along, buddy,
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if you can prove the turn employee of the Davis Construction Company. Somebody has
15:26
pulled out fast one. All right, mister Davis. We're still at the
15:50
bank. Yeah, and I don't see what I can do about it?
15:56
Well, you're satisfied. Yes, you're the office rise bearer, all right?
16:00
But who was this other man who beat your hair? You've got me
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there also, not your weathers. I'd like to see the check that your
16:08
teller cashed and ask him to write out a detailed description of the man who
16:11
brought it in. Oh right, I'll get it for you. Listen outside
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phone yeah, in the police headquarters. Let it on, Buddy and de
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Larry report this thing. Hello, give me Captain macarther. Hello, Captain
16:30
Powers. And the fellow came over the pinch with the real McCoy. I
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don't know yet. I'll phone the description as soon as I get it,
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but you might get the radio going for the guy with ten grand and a
16:42
little black bag. Okay, captain, it's good. Let me see the
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real one here. It is need work, Yeah, take an expert to
16:56
tell him apart. Now what's this paper? Well, that's the money Requisiti
17:00
came with the check. How they want the money? Is requisite the same
17:03
as the one year company made on tell him let's see, yes, it's
17:07
identical. Well, this job was done by an expert, somebody who planned
17:12
it for weeks who handed all the information he needed. And so here we've
17:17
got a tough job on our hands, right, we'll do our best.
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It looks like you'll have to give it up. Powers. I've been working
17:40
on it for pre weeks. Now I'm making one last stab, captain.
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What's that you know? I've maintained all along if this hot check was the
17:48
work of an expert, Yeah, a man who's passed plenty of him any
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time. That's right. I've got to figure it out that this fellow wouldn't
17:53
risk cashing a check himself, so he probably got a duke to do it
17:56
for him, a guy who wouldn't know the checkton It sounds reasonable. How
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are you getting in touch with a man like that? He'd advertised? Yeah,
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see these clippings. Yes, I've got every advertisement that might be hot
18:11
from all papers for a month before the forgery. I've got a hunch that
18:14
one of these ads or leaders of a man who forged that check. You
18:17
mean you intend to pull up all those leads? Yeah, lord man,
18:21
that'll take you months. Nevertheless, it's all we have to go on.
18:23
Well, if you want to wear your shoes out, it's up to you
18:26
go to it. But I think you're wasting your time. Oh, mister
18:45
Martin, did you ever have a man living here? Put this ad on
18:48
the paper that head let me see. Yeah, yeah, it was a
18:56
man living here. Put that add in paper. It kind of the German
19:00
looking fellow. What was his name? Well, let me see. Yeah,
19:06
his name was the staperer? He is he in? Now? He
19:12
left her? Say about a months ago? Yeah, the newspaper clipping advertisers
19:19
for a clerk. Do you know if the shaper ever hired his man?
19:22
Well, yeah, yeah he did. Nice young fellow too. The only
19:27
thing he didn't like about him was that he spent his spare time at the
19:32
pool parlor around the corner. Huh do you remember his name? Well?
19:36
Higher, no, no, no, but I see him going in now
19:41
to the pool parlor. Occasion name you do? Yeah, mister Martin,
19:45
could you tell me what this young man looks like? I'd like to have
19:48
a nice little talk with him to bet you don't make it. You're on
20:00
there, there you are, eight ball in the side pocket. Now,
20:07
pretty good, shout, aren't you, young fella? Oh? Better on
20:11
Saturday, and uh, let me talk to you for a minute. Sorry,
20:14
buddy, this is a big game. So was my game? Here?
20:17
Take a squint at this. I'm an officer. Oh that's different,
20:21
Take mike cue? Will you read supposably? Step outside? Oh right,
20:25
what's wrong? Oh? I want your own name? Anderson, we'll be
20:30
Anderson Ever worked for a fellow named Shaper. Yeah. What did you do
20:34
for him? Pendle? His correspondence ran Errands Ever cashun in checks for him?
20:40
Yeah, several big checks. Yes? Why did you cash one for
20:45
ten thousand dollars at the merchant's bank about a month ago? Yeah? Say
20:51
we should let me you know in this I will you know where Shaper is
20:55
now? No? He gave me two weeks advance pay and let me go.
20:59
When was this about a month ago? But after you cash the check
21:03
for ten thousand? Uh? Yes? Why, well, it looks like
21:07
you'll missed your game on Saturday, Anderson, you'd better come down to headquarters
21:11
with me. That check you cashed was forged. I'm convinced the kid didn't
21:30
know anything about this captain. He thought Schafer was on the upper and left.
21:33
What did you get on Shaper? Nothing? You've no one in our
21:37
records who answers to his description. Anderson says that Chaffer received some letters addressed
21:41
to a Count von Braun. The name is probably a phony too, but
21:45
it might be worth checking up. Yeah, wait a minute, it counts
21:51
on Braun reported in the papers sailing for Germany tomorrow. Oh yeah, well
21:55
maybe i'd better look into this count all right, but go easy. Remember
21:59
if he's a real count, we wouldn't there throw him in the jug.
22:02
I don't know accounts no better than anybody else these days. Where is that
22:06
camera the homicide man left in here over there in the cabinet? What well,
22:08
I'm making an investigation of all the hotels I figure I might need it.
22:12
Well, so long, Captain, I'm going big game hunting with our
22:15
camera. Count On, Yes, he's registered here. That's him right over
22:32
there with the lady in Thanks, Count von Braun, I'm powers with the
22:40
chronicle. I'd like a picture of you and the contis. Oh no,
22:41
my man, Sorry, no pictures. Sorry, count too, right now,
22:47
thanks, hope you have a nice journey. He's American newspaper man hit
22:51
rife on crazy. Well what do you say? I don't finish? Captain
23:11
Anderson identified this picture of Count von Braun as out of shaper for whom he
23:15
worked. He did. Yeah. That means that this Count von Braun is
23:18
a fake and that he's the same guy who slipped the hot checkover on Merchants
23:22
Bank. And I told you we'ld get him, and I'm not so sure
23:25
of that. I see what the Columbia is sailing four hours early. I
23:29
don't know if you can make it, so don't worry about me. Captain.
23:32
I'm on my way. What that game play? Call it here from
23:41
your rope? Good, Here we are, what's up? Don't stop me?
23:45
Now? Here's the perser this Wait a minute, it won't be necessary
23:48
after all. Here the man I'm looking for. Hello, Count I'm Power
23:52
is from headquarters. I'm sorry, but you're under arrest for forgery. That's
23:56
right, lie, maybe it is, But just wait a minute. I
24:00
know you don't come make here. Hey, stop him, don't let that
24:03
name jump stop him board. You're wrong, buddy, make it two men
24:10
overboard Police headquarters. Okay, Powers, Hello Tim. Send a car to
24:30
pick Officer Powers and the prisoner up at Peer forty seven and take some blankets
24:34
they've been in swimming Police Headquarters, st welcome back. I have to say
26:32
that that splash at the end of forgery was probably one of the very quietest
26:38
splashes I've ever heard. Those guys must not have weighed much. Okay,
26:44
other than riffing on the sound effects, this was not a great two episodes
26:48
for the police, particularly episode eleven where they were really trying to strong arm
26:55
a confession. And this gives you an idea of the top of media portrays
27:00
as well as perhaps in some places the practices that gave rise to a lot
27:04
of public cynicism about police. Plus the whole case ends with a reporter solving,
27:11
and you wonder why the reporter doesn't have the radio show. Then in
27:15
the second episode, that one I think went better, despite them rushing through
27:21
and starting to arrest somebody without actually determining what was going on. Apparently false
27:26
arrest suits were not a big concern back then. But there are some definite
27:33
better and enjoyable episodes later on, So just continue to hang with us on
27:37
this one, all right. Well, some listener comments from Twitter and began
27:45
with Talking Donkey tweeting in I heard you mentioned the possibility of airing Rocky Jordan.
27:52
What a great series, and aug King of Bashan says love Rocky Jordan.
27:56
Hope you add it to your lineup, and this was also a tweet
28:02
that was favorited by Atwood UNDERSCORESOA and I do appreciate your feedback. Rocky Jordan
28:12
will definitely be added Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise, but as it's
28:18
gonna take two years to get through, we will need to find a really
28:22
good space to air it in, but I appreciate your feedback on that.
28:26
Coming up this weekend, we're going to bring you Diagnosis Unknown. It's one
28:33
episode of a summer replacement series. It's gonna be about an hour and it's
28:37
a very interesting series. It appears to have been recorded live for East Coast
28:44
broadcast and then rebroadcast on the West Coast, and so it's go one of
28:49
the last few of the TV mysteries to have that live recorded feel to it
28:56
since it was from nineteen sixty and there are some suggestions that it could have
29:03
been a loose basis for the idea of Diagnosis Murder. So it'll be a
29:08
good fifty plus minutes of a video entertainment. So be sure and watch tomorrow
29:15
for Diagnosis Unknown, and then join us on Monday for our last episode of
29:22
Manhunt and next Saturday, two more episodes at police headquarters. In the meantime,
29:26
send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net and follow us
29:32
on Twitter. Radio detactives Become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot
29:37
com. Slash radio detactives from Boise, Idaho. This is your host,
29:41
Adam Grahamson and Off