ABC Mystery Time and Mr. District Attorney

Summary

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Case Closed! | Episode: ABC Mystery Time and Mr. District Attorney

Date: June 17, 2026 | Host: RelicRadio.com
Theme: Reopening classic crime stories from the golden age of radio—cops, robbers, investigators, and justice.

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Overview

This episode of Case Closed! features two crime-heavy radio classics:

1. ABC Mystery Time – "Death by Proxy"
2. Mr. District Attorney – "The Cop Killer"

Both stories plunge listeners into intricate mysteries where the specters of missing persons, murder, and justice loom large. The episode weaves suspenseful tales about mistaken identities, greed, and the dogged pursuit of criminals, all through the captivating lens of vintage radio drama.

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ABC Mystery Time: "Death by Proxy" (00:32–22:52)

Main Plot

Returning from five years lost in the Amazon, mining engineer Bart Lane finds he’s been declared legally dead—killed in a fiery car crash, body identified and buried by his wife, Mildred. With the help of a resourceful reporter, Lane unravels a web of deception involving murder, insurance fraud, and betrayal.

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Key Discussion Points & Developments

Bart Lane’s Return and Shocking Discovery

• Bart Lane escapes a minor court charge and meets Jeff Cobb, a hard-nosed reporter.
• Lane is stunned to learn he's legally dead:

  "Just that you're dead." – Narrator/Reporter (00:54)
  "You, my friend, were buried in New Lawn Cemetery a year ago." – Narrator/Reporter (00:57)

Digging into the Past

• Cobb investigates the supposed death and reveals that Lane’s wife, Mildred, closed out their joint savings and sold bonds after his disappearance.
• The body in the crash was only partly identified, "positively" by Mildred.
• Lane is uneasy:

  "If you're Bart Lane and alive, somebody else died for you by proxy, and it was probably murder." – Narrator/Reporter (06:18)

Confronting Mildred

• Lane finds Mildred, now married to builder Malcolm Dean and living under a new name.
• Tension crackles as he reveals himself:

  "I'm Mildred Lane's dead husband." – Bart Lane (07:55)
  "I thought you were dead." – Mildred Lane (09:53)

Plans for More Murder

• Mildred and Dean conspire, debating whether Lane can be bribed to disappear, or whether “there'll have to be another accident.”

  "If he won't take money...there'll have to be another accident." – Malcolm Dean (15:47)

Twist and Resolution

• A sympathetic switchboard operator warns Lane of the plot against him (16:23), prompting the reporter to call the police.
• The climax unfolds at Dean’s development, where the villains plan to kill Lane at a construction dig.
• Final standoff:

  "You're a dead man. You died in an automobile accident over a year ago." – Malcolm Dean (20:27)
  "Murder isn't like your kind of marriage. We're in this together, Mildred. Until death do us part." – Bart Lane (22:22)

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Notable Quotes

• On Identity & Betrayal:

  "The Amazon jungle makes you jumpy." – Bart Lane (02:37)
  "Some women are like jungle fever. They never really get over it." – Bart Lane (02:52)

• On Greed & Guilt:

  "You'd do anything for money, wouldn't you, Mildred?" – Bart Lane (19:43)

• On Justice:

  "You can't stay dead all your life." – Narrator/Reporter (13:13)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:54 – Lane learns he’s “dead”
• 06:18 – Murder by proxy theory discussed
• 09:53 – Lane and Mildred’s tense reunion
• 16:23 – Switchboard operator warns Lane
• 20:27 – Standoff with gun at the building site
• 22:22 – Dramatic conclusion with the police arriving

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Mr. District Attorney: "The Cop Killer" (23:55–49:54)

Main Plot

A dedicated constable is murdered on a lonely road by fugitive Rex Lang. With forensic clues and sharp police work, District Attorney Paul Garrett and Chief Harrington race to bring Lang and his accomplice—his girlfriend—to justice.

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Key Discussion Points & Developments

Murder and Manhunt

• Constable Wiley stops to help a stranded motorist (actually Lang) and is shot and killed (27:01).
• The crime launches a no-nonsense investigation, with somber notes:

  "Constable Wiley didn't have an easy death, Chief." – David Bryan as Paul Garrett (29:23)

The Killer’s Trail

• Investigators recover Wiley's stolen car and pursue clues—most notably, a magazine stolen from a subway cashier.
• The magazine becomes the key to tracing Lang’s movements:

  "That magazine may mean a lot." – David Bryan (34:17)

Closing in on Accomplice

• Lang’s girlfriend, Nita Moran, drops telltale linguistic clues (“You bet,” Lang’s favorite phrase), raising suspicions.
• Careful surveillance leads the detectives to a tenement building and a clever “drawbridge” escape route between two buildings (44:04).

Final Arrest and Justice

• Detectives catch Lang attempting to crawl between apartments; he is injured and captured with his girlfriend.

  "Your blasting days are over, Lang." – David Bryan (47:54)
  "Who tipped you off?...It's a police secret, Rex. You bet." – Chief Harrington (48:15)

Epilogue

• Lang is convicted and executed; Nita receives a long prison term; their landlord is also punished for harboring a fugitive.

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Notable Quotes

• On Law and Justice:

  "Crime is not a respecter of time or of places." – David Bryan as Paul Garrett (24:48)
  "You'll have a mad dog in your hands. But I want him taken alive if it's humanly possible." – David Bryan (31:49)

• On Deception and Clues:

  "Did you notice how that girl kept saying, 'you bet'?" – David Bryan (38:57)

• On Crime and Consequence:

  "Your blasting days are over, Lang." – David Bryan (47:54)
  "Rex Lang was tried and convicted for murder in the first degree." – David Bryan (49:34)

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Key Timestamps

• 27:01 – Constable Wiley is murdered
• 29:23 – Wiley’s body discovered; manhunt begins
• 34:17 – The magazine clue
• 38:57 – Detectives catch the linguistic clue
• 44:04 – Discovery of the escape “drawbridge”
• 47:54 – Dramatic arrest of Rex Lang
• 49:34 – Case closure: sentences delivered

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Memorable Moments

• Lane’s confrontation with his “widow” is tense and emotionally charged.
• The switchboard operator risking her job to warn Lane (16:23) stands out as an act of courage.
• Lang’s girlfriend’s habitual “you bet” becomes the subtle clue that cracks the case (38:57).
• The ingenious window-to-window escape setup reveals the era’s knack for creative crime drama (44:04).

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Tone & Language

The episode retains a classic noir radio style: clipped dialogue, wry asides, and a focus on suspense, justice, and the dark motivations driving crime. There’s an undercurrent of cynicism offset by a belief in justice.

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Conclusion

Case Closed! once again masterfully resurrects the golden age of radio mysteries, presenting stories where the past refuses to die, secrets are unearthed, and wrongdoers face justice—sometimes poetic, sometimes cold, but always certain. Whether it’s the chilling unraveling of an identity-swapping murder or the relentless pursuit of a cop killer, these dramas remind us why crime radio still fascinates.

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Transcript

[Bart Lane]

This is Case closed crime stories from

[Switchboard Operator]

the golden age of radio.

[Don Dowd (Narrator/Host)]

Mystery Time. Time now for the best in mystery. Tonight on Masters of Mystery, an exciting melodrama entitled Death by Proxy.

[Jeff Cobb]

Sure, I can prove I'm Bart Lane. What are you getting at, Cobb?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Nothing much. Just that you're dead.

[Switchboard Operator]

Dead?

[Narrator/Reporter]

That's right. Take a look at this. You, my friend, were buried in New Lawn Cemetery a year ago.

[Don Dowd (Narrator/Host)]

Good evening. This is Don Dowd, your host for Mystery Time. Back again to introduce another in ABC Radio's great Monday through Friday lineup of mystery dramas. Every night at this time, a new and different story. Our drama tonight on Masters of Mystery, presented live from New York, is written by Jerry McGill. Listen now to the story of a man who confronted his wife with a

[Jeff Cobb]

ghost of the past himself, as Masters

[Don Dowd (Narrator/Host)]

of Mystery brings you Death by Proxy.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Death by proxy was plenty offbeat. It started in night court after Bart Lane got out of a disorderly conduct charge with a $50 fine and cost. He was a big, handsome guy, sunburned the color of copper. I was curious. I latched onto him and got him into a neighborhood bar. He had trouble lots of

[Jeff Cobb]

Jeff Cobb. So you're a newspaper guy?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah. What's your line?

[Jeff Cobb]

Mining engineer? Prospector?

[Narrator/Reporter]

What were you looking for in that apartment you crashed?

[Jeff Cobb]

My wife.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Oh, so that's why you slugged the guy that opened the door.

[Jeff Cobb]

No. He thought I was after his wife. He got nasty, and I lost my temper. The Amazon jungle makes you jumpy.

[Narrator/Reporter]

How long were you there?

[Jeff Cobb]

Five years. I got lost.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And you came back and expected to find your wife in the same apartment?

[Jeff Cobb]

Yeah. It was foolish, considering we'd almost called it quits before I left for South America. But, you know, some women are like jungle fever. They never really get over it. It goes, but usually comes back. I gotta find her, find out if I'm cured. Let me buy a drink, pal.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Maybe I can help you find your wife.

[Jeff Cobb]

Thanks. A bartender. Two more doubles.

[Bart Lane]

Okay.

[Jeff Cobb]

How can you help me, Jeff?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, it's a lot harder for people to get lost in the city than in the jungles of the amaz. You leave her any money when you went prospecting?

[Jeff Cobb]

5,000 in joint savings and bonds. She closed the account and sold the bonds.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Any chance she could have used it to get a Mexican divorce?

[Jeff Cobb]

Maybe.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And you still want to find her?

[Jeff Cobb]

I was reported missing, probably dead.

[Narrator/Reporter]

But you want to find her.

[Jeff Cobb]

Yeah.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Okay. Bart. We won't find her here. Skip the drinks. Let's go dig the morgue file and see what gives. I took Bart Lane to the News Leader office and left him in the reception room to cool his heels while I dug through the MOG file for a lead on his wife. I found it all right, but with a twist that sent me out of the reception room for a fast double check on his story.

[Jeff Cobb]

You find anything, Jeff?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, plenty, boss.

[Jeff Cobb]

Where is she?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, first I want to know when you got back in the States.

[Jeff Cobb]

Yesterday, by plane from Rio. Why?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Under what name?

[Jeff Cobb]

My own name. Say, what is this?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Can you prove that you're Bart Lane, the mining engineer who was lost in the Amazon jungle five years ago?

[Jeff Cobb]

Sure, I can prove it by my passport.

[Narrator/Reporter]

All right, let's see it.

[Jeff Cobb]

Picture doesn't look much like me anymore. Here. The jungle does things here. What's the big idea?

[Narrator/Reporter]

You are dead.

[Switchboard Operator]

Dead?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, dead. Killed.

[Jeff Cobb]

Oh, that. Sure. Missing and presumed dead in the jungle. Not many get out once they're lost.

[Narrator/Reporter]

No, no, I don't mean that.

[Jeff Cobb]

What do you mean?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Here, look at this. Martin Lane, a mining engineer, only recently returned from South America, was instantly killed when his car went out of control on West Highway. That's impossible. I never came back.

[Jeff Cobb]

I don't own a car.

[Narrator/Reporter]

In spite of the fact that his body was partly destroyed by fire that followed the crash, the remains were positively identified by his widow, Mrs. Mildred Lane of 10 Highwood Avenue.

[Jeff Cobb]

That's my wife's name. Mildred.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Then you are legally dead and buried in New Lawn Cemetery.

[Jeff Cobb]

When did I die?

[Narrator/Reporter]

May 10, 1956.

[Jeff Cobb]

About a year ago.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah. Now, what goes?

[Jeff Cobb]

I don't know, but I'm gonna find out. What was that address where Mildred was living?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Oh, now, wait a minute. Hold it. You're in a spot.

[Jeff Cobb]

What do you mean, I'm in a spot?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, stop and think. Somebody was killed driving a car registered in your name, and your wife identified the body and buried it.

[Mildred Lane]

Why?

[Jeff Cobb]

That's what I'm gonna find out.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Were you carrying any life insurance when you left five years ago? Yeah, 30,000. Who was the beneficiary?

[Jeff Cobb]

Mildred, my wife. But the policies must have lapsed.

[Narrator/Reporter]

She could have kept up the payments. Couldn't wait seven years to have you declared legally dead.

[Jeff Cobb]

Yeah, but who was in that car?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Somebody was killed. Ah, now you're getting it. If you're Bart Lane on a line, somebody else died for you by proxy, and it was probably murder.

[Jeff Cobb]

It wasn't Mildred. She wouldn't have the nerve to try it.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, she may have had help. 30,000 would buy a lot of help.

[Jeff Cobb]

I gotta find her, talk to her.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, and I'm Going along for the interview. But you keep your shirt on. If you don't, you're liable to trade it in for a sheet on a slab in the morgue. And I don't mean our newspaper file. I got my car out of the garage and drove Bart Lane over to the last known address of his wife. Number 10 Highwood Avenue. Turned out to be a fairly plush apartment building. I questioned the switchboard operator.

[Mildred Lane]

I'm sorry, but there isn't anyone by the name of Mrs. Mildred Lane Living here.

[Narrator/Reporter]

How long have you been working here?

[Mildred Lane]

About six months.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Mildred Lane's husband was supposed to have been killed in an auto accident about a year ago. She gave this address when she claimed the body.

[Mildred Lane]

I heard about that from the girl who ran the switchboard before I took the job.

[Jeff Cobb]

What did you hear?

[Mildred Lane]

Oh, just that her husband was killed right after he came back from South America. Been lost in the jungle or something.

[Jeff Cobb]

That's the woman.

[Narrator/Reporter]

What happened? She move out?

[Mildred Lane]

No, she's still here.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, under what name?

[Mildred Lane]

Well, I'm not supposed to give out information about our tenants.

[Narrator/Reporter]

How about making an exception to the rule and just giving us her new name?

[Switchboard Operator]

But who are you, anyway?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, I'm a reporter following up the story of her husband's death.

[Mildred Lane]

Who's the other gentleman?

[Jeff Cobb]

I'm Mildred Lane's dead husband.

[Mildred Lane]

Dead husband? Oh, yes.

[Switchboard Operator]

Shelton.

[Narrator/Reporter]

No, he's not. Now, do you want to give us her new name or do you want to tell the police where she.

[Mildred Lane]

She's married again.

[Jeff Cobb]

What's her husband's name, Mr. Dean.

[Mildred Lane]

Malcolm Dean. They live in the penthouse.

[Jeff Cobb]

Now, what's his business?

[Mildred Lane]

He's a builder. He has a new development out on Sunset Heights.

[Jeff Cobb]

Are they in now?

[Mildred Lane]

Well, Mr. Dean hasn't come in yet. But Mrs. Dean, I mean, your wife is.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And do you know when Dean moved into this building?

[Mildred Lane]

Oh, about two years ago, I think.

[Chief Harrington]

I see.

[Jeff Cobb]

Thanks. Well, what do you make of it?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Oh, it could mean that your wife knew this Dean guy before you died. And it could also mean that he was in on your accidental death.

[Jeff Cobb]

So what?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, that would mean that we're dealing with two murderers, not just one.

[Jeff Cobb]

I don't give a hoot. I'm going up to her apartment. Sure, sure.

[Narrator/Reporter]

But just let's play this smart. Let's get some proof, then let the police handle it.

[Jeff Cobb]

How?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, you go up there like these. The prodigal returning for the fatted calf. Like you didn't know that you're supposed to be dead.

[Jeff Cobb]

What good will that do?

[Narrator/Reporter]

You might find Out a lot of things. Try it. Keep your shirt on. See how she reacts, what she says, what she wants to do about it.

[Jeff Cobb]

I don't know if I can carry it off.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Try it. You can always call the cops. And I'll be waiting right here.

[Jeff Cobb]

Well, okay, I'll try it.

[Switchboard Operator]

Yeah. Twenty

[Don Dowd (Narrator/Host)]

dot.

[Jeff Cobb]

Hello, Mildred.

[Mildred Lane]

What is it really? You. You're supposed to be dead.

[Jeff Cobb]

Yeah, I know. Lost in the jungle.

[Mildred Lane]

How did you find me?

[Jeff Cobb]

Compared to getting out of the upper Amazon, it was a finch.

[Mildred Lane]

When did you get back in the States?

[Jeff Cobb]

Yesterday. Mildred, you don't seem very glad to see me.

[Mildred Lane]

I. I am. Believe me, I am. Barley, it's such a shock. I thought you were dead.

[Jeff Cobb]

The report was exaggerated, as they say. Well, aren't you going to ask me into your swank apartments?

[Mildred Lane]

Oh, yes, of course. Come in for a moment. But.

[Jeff Cobb]

But what?

[Mildred Lane]

Bart, it's awful. I don't know how to tell you. I'm married again.

[Jeff Cobb]

So I gathered from a new name in this place. You did?

[Mildred Lane]

All right, but I've got to talk to you, explain. But not here, not now.

[Jeff Cobb]

Afraid of this new guy you married?

[Switchboard Operator]

Dean.

[Jeff Cobb]

Malcolm Dean?

[Mildred Lane]

No. But he's coming home in a while.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Good.

[Jeff Cobb]

I'd like to meet him.

[Switchboard Operator]

No, please, Bart.

[Mildred Lane]

Let me talk to him first.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Alone. Why?

[Mildred Lane]

Well, explain to him.

[Jeff Cobb]

It'll be the same gal. The same, Mildred.

[Narrator/Reporter]

How much time until.

[Mildred Lane]

Until tomorrow. Where are you staying?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Nowhere.

[Jeff Cobb]

I've been looking for you ever since I landed.

[Mildred Lane]

Do I still mean that much? Dupard.

[Jeff Cobb]

What do you think? Baby, go.

[Mildred Lane]

But please give me time.

[Jeff Cobb]

Well. Well, this Dean guy must be pretty good.

[Mildred Lane]

Not like you, bud.

[Switchboard Operator]

Older, different.

[Mildred Lane]

But he's very kind. I don't want to hurt him.

[Jeff Cobb]

You've changed, honey.

[Mildred Lane]

Bart, tell me, have you any money? I mean, enough to stay somewhere near here until I can settle things with Malcolm.

[Jeff Cobb]

Yeah. I guess I can manage to live a few days.

[Mildred Lane]

Well, there's a motel down on the highway at the end of the street. Could you go there and wait till I phone you when?

[Jeff Cobb]

Okay. Okay, Mildred.

[Mildred Lane]

Oh, you darling.

[Jeff Cobb]

Let's save that.

[Mildred Lane]

All right, Bart. Tell me, do any of our old friends know that you're back?

[Jeff Cobb]

Just you, honey. I wanted it to be a surprise.

[Mildred Lane]

I'm glad. Please go now, Bart. Please. I'll call you at the motel later tonight.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Okay, Bart.

[Mildred Lane]

You're all set.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I told the motel manager you're expecting an important call, and he'll switch it to this cabin.

[Jeff Cobb]

Thanks, Jeff. I don't know that I want to go through with it.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Why Not.

[Jeff Cobb]

I don't know. It isn't the way I thought it was gonna be.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, how did you think it was gonna be?

[Jeff Cobb]

I thought I'd want to get Mildred back at any price. Or kill her.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And how do you feel?

[Jeff Cobb]

Sick. Tired.

[Mildred Lane]

Old.

[Jeff Cobb]

Almost as if I were really dead.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Oh, come on, snap out of it. You can't stay dead all your life.

[Jeff Cobb]

Why not?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Look, aren't you forgetting that you didn't just die a natural death? It looks like you were murdered for your insurance. It looks like your wife and this guy Dean are parlaying your money into a fortune.

[Jeff Cobb]

I don't care about the money.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, then think about the guy they must have killed to take your place. You owe him something.

[Jeff Cobb]

And I owe you a story, don't I?

[Narrator/Reporter]

There'll be a story no matter what you do. I know enough already to be certain a crime has been committed. Now, if you don't want to help, find out how and why I'm calling the cops.

[Jeff Cobb]

Okay. You're right. Besides, I would like to know what Mildred's gonna do. And I've got a pretty good notion.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And I don't think we'll have long to wait.

[Jeff Cobb]

Hello?

[Don Dowd (Narrator/Host)]

Sunset Heights Development.

[Switchboard Operator]

Malcolm.

[Jeff Cobb]

Oh, hello, Mildred.

[Switchboard Operator]

Why haven't you come home?

[Jeff Cobb]

Well, I'm busy. I told you I'd be late.

[Switchboard Operator]

You've got to come home right away. Something terrible has happened.

[Jeff Cobb]

What?

[Switchboard Operator]

I can't tell you over the phone, but I'm afraid to leave the apartment.

[Jeff Cobb]

What's happened?

[Switchboard Operator]

He. He's alive. He didn't die in the jungle. He's back here in the States. Found me somehow.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Came here just a while ago.

[Jeff Cobb]

Alone?

[Switchboard Operator]

Yes.

[Jeff Cobb]

Does he. Does he know about the accident?

[Switchboard Operator]

He didn't act as if he did.

[Jeff Cobb]

How long has he been back?

[Switchboard Operator]

Only since yesterday.

[Jeff Cobb]

Where is he now?

[Switchboard Operator]

I persuaded him to. To give me a chance to talk to you first.

[Harrington]

Alone.

[Switchboard Operator]

You gone to the Highway Motel and

[Mildred Lane]

promised to wait until I called him later tonight.

[Jeff Cobb]

Well, good girl. Good girl. That was using your head.

[Switchboard Operator]

What are we going to do? What did he find out about?

[Jeff Cobb]

How did he act? What did he say? Does he want to meet me?

[Switchboard Operator]

Yes, he wants to talk to you. He acted strange. Not at all surprised. I'm married again.

[Jeff Cobb]

Well, good. Good. That gives us time. A chance to do what? To sound him out, maybe buy him off.

[Switchboard Operator]

He said he had money. He's a prospect.

[Jeff Cobb]

Does he want you to get an annulment, go back to him?

[Switchboard Operator]

No, he didn't say. I made him leave. Go to the motel until I could Talk to you.

[Jeff Cobb]

Okay. Okay. That was smart. Now, listen. You call him and get him to come up here to the development. Get your car out of the garage, pick him up at the motel, bring him up here to the office.

[Switchboard Operator]

But what if he won't take money to go away?

[Jeff Cobb]

Well, in that case, there'll have to be another accident. Now, you call him. No matter what you have to say or do, get him up here tonight.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There's your call, Bot. Take it.

[Jeff Cobb]

Oh, she wants to come here. Let her come.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Listen to what she has to say. I'll get up.

[Jeff Cobb]

Yes?

[Switchboard Operator]

Are you Mr. Lane?

[Jeff Cobb]

Yes. Who's calling?

[Switchboard Operator]

I'm the girl on the switchboard at your wife's apartment building.

[Jeff Cobb]

Oh, yes.

[Switchboard Operator]

Look, I don't know if I should be telling you this, because I really shouldn't have been listening, but your wife called your husband her husband. I mean, her other husband, Mr. Dean, at his office.

[Jeff Cobb]

All right, miss. Why did you call me Mrs. Dean?

[Switchboard Operator]

I mean, your wife is going to call you.

[Jeff Cobb]

Yes, I know that, but she's going

[Switchboard Operator]

to get you to go up to the new development on Sunset Heights and meet Mr. Dean.

[Jeff Cobb]

Good. But why are you calling and telling me this?

[Switchboard Operator]

Because. Because I think if you don't take money to go away, they're going to kill you.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Once in a blue moon, you run into a yarn that has more tw than the rope that hangs a lot of people who think they can get away with murder. When Bart Lane told me what the switchboard operator had passed on to him, I knew it was time to call in the long arm of the law. But before I could persuade Lane.

[Jeff Cobb]

Never mind the cops, that'll be Mildred. Let me handle this my way.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Not a chance, Lane. If you go with Mildred, it's an even bet. Somebody will be killed. Maybe.

[Don Dowd (Narrator/Host)]

Hello?

[Switchboard Operator]

Hello, Bart. Listen, I've just talked to Malcolm at the office.

[Jeff Cobb]

What did he say?

[Switchboard Operator]

Well, naturally, it was a terrible shock.

[Jeff Cobb]

How did he take the news I'm alive?

[Switchboard Operator]

Oh, Bo. He's so kind, so understanding.

[Jeff Cobb]

What's he gonna do about it?

[Switchboard Operator]

He wants to see you at his office, meet you and talk to you.

[Jeff Cobb]

I'm willing. When?

[Switchboard Operator]

I'll come for you in my car. Wait for me on the highway outside the motel. I'll be there in 10 minutes.

[Jeff Cobb]

All right, Mildred. I'll be waiting. Ten minutes.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Okay, bot. You've made your date. Now let me make mine.

[Jeff Cobb]

Who are you gonna call?

[Narrator/Reporter]

The homicide squad. Just in case Mildred and her new hubby decide to kill you A second.

[Jeff Cobb]

How much farther, Mildred?

[Mildred Lane]

Oh, it's just ahead in the woods, along the ridge.

[Jeff Cobb]

What? What are you stopping for?

[Mildred Lane]

Oh, boy.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Let's talk for a moment.

[Jeff Cobb]

Why? What's there to talk about?

[Bart Lane]

You.

[Mildred Lane]

I. What really happened?

[Jeff Cobb]

I got lost. Died, remember?

[Mildred Lane]

I. I mean, did you find what you went after?

[Jeff Cobb]

You mean the gold?

[Mildred Lane]

Yes. Did you find any? A little much.

[Don Dowd (Narrator/Host)]

Enough.

[Jeff Cobb]

But what do you care? You seem to have done pretty well.

[Mildred Lane]

Not really. Malcolm isn't rich. His real estate development is speculation. But that isn't what I'm getting at.

[Jeff Cobb]

What are you getting at?

[Mildred Lane]

Oh, but, you know. Couldn't we try again? Go away, out of the country, far away?

[Jeff Cobb]

What about Malcolm?

[Mildred Lane]

I can handle him. He wouldn't dare say anything. We might even be able to get some money out of him. If you haven't enough.

[Jeff Cobb]

You'd do anything for money, wouldn't you, Mildred?

[Mildred Lane]

But don't say that. I'm only thinking of you. Oh, how you must have suffered all these years.

[Jeff Cobb]

Stop it, honey. You're breaking my heart.

[Switchboard Operator]

Oh, Pa. Don't you believe me?

[Jeff Cobb]

No, Mildred, he doesn't.

[Switchboard Operator]

Malcolm.

[Jeff Cobb]

Yes? I saw your headlights from the office. I saw you park here. In fact, I thought I'd come over and see how you two were getting on. Great. I gather you got an earful. Oh, yes. Yes, quite an earful. And don't bother to get out of the car. We're going on from here.

[Don Dowd (Narrator/Host)]

Where?

[Jeff Cobb]

Well, I want to show you our new development. It's quite interesting. We have several excavations dug, all ready for the pouring of the concrete. One of them will make a very nice grave.

[Mildred Lane]

Malcolm, you said.

[Jeff Cobb]

Just too much has been said, my dear. Now start the motor. I'll get in the back of the car. Wait a minute. What's the idea of the gun? Let's have it on the line. It's really very simple, Lane. You're a dead man. You died in an automobile accident over a year ago. Yeah, so I found out.

[Mildred Lane]

Malcolm, he knows.

[Jeff Cobb]

I suspected as much. I think he came here to blackmail us. Bleed us white as the price of silence. Wrong, Dean. Dead wrong. It doesn't matter. What about Mildred, our loving wife? I haven't quite made up my mind, Malcolm.

[Mildred Lane]

I was only leading him on, trying to find out if he had any money.

[Jeff Cobb]

Well, now, that was greedy, Mildred. Foolish. But you've always been greedy, haven't you? Never quite satisfied with what you have. His insurance wasn't enough.

[Mildred Lane]

How?

[Jeff Cobb]

Well he knows you, my dear. And by the way, Mildred, who is the guy you identified who died in the car in my place? Go ahead, tell him Mildred, it doesn't matter.

[Mildred Lane]

You did it. You arranged it. Picked up that hitchhiker, wrecked the car, burned the body.

[Jeff Cobb]

Oh, so that's how it was done. Yes. So now let's go over to the side of my first model house, shall we? Being built with your insurance.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Let's not.

[Jeff Cobb]

Dean, walk him.

[Mildred Lane]

Behind you.

[Narrator/Reporter]

That's right, Dean. Drop that gun. And without turning around. That was smart. I'd hate to have to shoot anybody in the back. You better get out of that car, Bart. You died in one last year, remember? Yeah.

[Jeff Cobb]

Thanks, Jeff. Where are the cops?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Oh, I thought they might be a little tardy, so I tagged along behind when you drove off with Mildred. They'll be here any minute.

[Mildred Lane]

God help me. Believe me, I didn't kill that hitchhiker. Malcolm did.

[Switchboard Operator]

He planned the whole thing from the very beginning. It was his idea.

[Don Dowd (Narrator/Host)]

It won't do.

[Jeff Cobb]

My dear, murder isn't like your kind of marriage. We're in this together, Mildred. Until death do us part.

[Don Dowd (Narrator/Host)]

This is Don Dowd again, your host for Mystery Time. You have just heard Masters of Mystery, live from New York. Tonight's play, Murder by Proxy, was written by Jerry McGill and produced by Clark Andrews in association with Ronald Dawson and Robert Arthur. Featured in tonight's drama were Everett Sloane, George Petrie, Kathleen Cordell and Lyle Sudro. Next Wednesday and every Wednesday night, another presentation of Masters of Mystery Mystery. Tomorrow night, Mystery Time brings you Mystery classics, presenting Death Rides the Storm by John West. Be with us then, won't you? This is Don Dowd, your host for Mystery Time. See you tomorrow night. This program came to you live from New York. This is the ABC Radio Network,

[Chief Harrington]

Mr.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

District Attorney, starring David Bryan. Mr. District Attorney, champion of the people, defender of truth, guardian of our fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And it shall be my duty as district attorney not only to prosecute to the limit of the law all persons accused of crimes perpetrated within this county, but to defend with equal vigor the

[Chief Harrington]

rights and privileges of all its citizens.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

This is David Bryan. In a moment, we'll bring you another case from the files of Mr. District Attorney. But first, a word from our sponsor. And now, here is our star, david bryan as paul garrett. Mr. District attorney. Crime is not a respecter of time or of places. A district attorney knows that. It may strike at high noon on

[Chief Harrington]

the streets of the city or at midnight in the country.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

This one started on a lonely stretch of highway between two small towns on the outskirts of the country.

[Ms. Miller]

Hey. Hey. Stop.

[Bart Lane]

Having some trouble?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Yeah.

[Chief Harrington]

My car.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Con Got on me. I'm trying to get it started again for a half hour.

[Bart Lane]

Maybe I can get it going for you. I know a little something about cars.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Okay for trying?

[Chief Harrington]

You bet. Go ahead.

[Bart Lane]

Looks like you ain't about to start friends. You must be out of gas. Gage says she's half full. That Gage must be busted then, choking her like I did. Should have flooded the carburetor if gas was worth feeding through. We'll get the smell of it. We had better check the tank. Get a stick or something to shove in here for measuring, will you? You bet. If branch ought to do it, it's good enough. Get it here.

[Chief Harrington]

Cancer guy's a bone. That leaves me in great shape.

[Bart Lane]

I got a siphon hose in my trunk. I'm kind of low myself. But you know, we can drain enough out of my tank to get near to Peterville. It's only four miles. I live there.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

An all night station there.

[Chief Harrington]

Oh, afraid not.

[Bart Lane]

Just a village. But I can put you up for the night if you don't mind barking in the jail.

[Chief Harrington]

What do you mean the jail?

[Bart Lane]

I'm the constable.

[Chief Harrington]

Oh. Oh, don't worry.

[Bart Lane]

The jail's clean. Now come on if we're gonna get you started.

[Chief Harrington]

Yeah, you bet.

[Bart Lane]

Rose is in here at some page, if I can find it. Got a match on you?

[Harrington]

You bet.

[Bart Lane]

Gotta be here something. Guess I let a lot of junk pile up.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Can't hold this match much longer.

[Bart Lane]

Let me.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

It was the last one in the book. Well, come on. Have you got that hose or haven't you?

[Bart Lane]

Point getting sore at me, mister? How come you didn't know the gas gauge in your car was busted?

[Chief Harrington]

It must have just happened, I guess.

[Bart Lane]

Seems to me there's a sedan just like yours on my state bulletin.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

A hot car seat.

[Bart Lane]

Say, you got proof of ownership on you?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I got proof all right. My pocket pointed right square at your belly.

[Bart Lane]

Oh, use your head, young fella. A stolen car is a bad charge, but it ain't nearly as bad as using a gun to resist arrest. You better hand that gun over and come with me.

[Chief Harrington]

Why, you rube. You small town hick. You stinking rule.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Come on, there's a car coming.

[Harrington]

On your feet. Good. Come on. I lay down your feet into that brush.

[Chief Harrington]

Now say stop.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

You're gonna get it right through the middle.

[Harrington]

You'll get yours for this.

[Ms. Miller]

Help.

[Harrington]

Cross country bus cop. Go ahead and yell. Yell your heart out. Try to out yell that motor.

[Chief Harrington]

Now we can make a deal. Copy. I ain't making deals with you. Oh, yes. You are. And here it is. A bullet in exchange for your car. You're one cop nobody's gonna worry about anymore.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Constable Wiley didn't have an easy death, Chief.

[Chief Harrington]

Look at that. I see it, hon.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Try to call out to the road. Did he have a family?

[Chief Harrington]

Yeah, he had an invalid wife, two daughters, three grandchildren.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Well, he's got a hot seat out on Wiley's car. We might get a break.

[Chief Harrington]

I doubt it.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

He probably got where he wanted to go and ditched it during the night. The medical examiner figured Wiley's been dead since about 3am and was probably shot a couple of hours before that.

[Chief Harrington]

Yeah, sure.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I had a good start. All right, let's get back to the road. Chief, we've got one thing going for us. Prints of the man we're after might have been among the ones the lab

[Chief Harrington]

crew lifted from the car he abandoned when he stole. Wiley.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I know. They're checking him all through the Record Bureau in the city. I asked Ms. Miller to bring out the report if they come across anything promising. If only we knew which way the killer took off. Best guess is that he was headed

[Chief Harrington]

for the city now.

[Harrington]

Why?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

The car he abandoned was pointed that way. He wouldn't try to hide out in any of the smaller towns between here and there. Be too easy to trace. It looks like they let a car to our road lock down there. Yeah, that's a Central Division squad car. That's Ms. Miller. Must have been something in the fingerprint report. Yeah. Hi, Ms. Miller.

[Ms. Miller]

Hello, Harrington. Mr. Garrett, the lab thought you'd better have the fingerprint information right away.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

What is it?

[Ms. Miller]

One set of prints they lifted from the car has been positively identified for interstate records. They belong to Rex Lang?

[Mildred Lane]

Yes, sir.

[Ms. Miller]

Morgan said the impressions were clear. There can't be any mistakes. I made a copy of Lang's criminal record.

[Chief Harrington]

I don't need it.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I know Lang's record by heart. You better get back to the city, Ms. Miller, in case anything comes up at the office.

[Ms. Miller]

Yes, sir.

[Mildred Lane]

Where will you be?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I want to make some stops along the road. Diners, service stations, places like that. We'll see you later.

[Ms. Miller]

All right.

[Chief Harrington]

Rex Lang.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Born in Idaho. Yes, Pocatello. I think he fancies himself as a

[Chief Harrington]

ladies man before he went to the reformatory. Pretty young, chief.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

He was a high school girl who smuggled in the knife he used to kill a reformatory guard. And there have been indications that he used a woman as a lookout on burglaries where his prints have been found. I'd love to get him. Harrington What I'm going to say now isn't an order. I want that to be clear in your mind.

[Chief Harrington]

What are you driving at, Chief?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

If you ever corner Rex Lang, you'll have a mad dog in your hands. But I want him taken alive if it's humanly possible.

[Chief Harrington]

I understand, Chief.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Now remember, it's not an order. You may have to play it his way. I still think maybe I'll be able to recognize him from that old mug shot. He's a cop killer, Hank. And just make sure you don't recognize him too late.

[Ms. Miller]

Oh, Mr. Garrett, I've been trying to get you for two hours.

[Chief Harrington]

I'm sorry.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I told you we were checking places on the highway into town.

[Ms. Miller]

I know. I just missed you at a service station and two diners. Constable Wiley's car's been found.

[Chief Harrington]

Yeah? Where?

[Ms. Miller]

An empty lot at the end of Jasper Avenue. Harrington. Lab crew's working it over now. How'd you make out?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Nothing, I'm afraid. Better come to my office, Harrington.

[Ms. Miller]

Oh, maybe the lab report now. Mr. Katerni's office. Yes, Morgan. He just came in.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I'll take it, Miss Miller. Hello, Morgan.

[Harrington]

Hello, Chief. Just faced checking Wiley's car. I got some more of Lang's fingerprints.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

That pins it to him all right. You find out how long the car's been there?

[Harrington]

Yeah. Guy in the house across from the lot was up walking his baby last night. Kid was teething. Said he heard the car, looked out of the window, saw a man leaving the lot.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

You get a good enough look to give us a description?

[Harrington]

No.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Did he know what time it was?

[Harrington]

He said 1:30am and then check with what? End of the subway line is only a block from where the car is ditched. I had one of the boys check, make a call to the night cashier. I figured if Lang left the neighborhood, he left by subway.

[Chief Harrington]

No.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Good thinking. Did the night cashier see him?

[Harrington]

Yeah. At least he saw a guy. Came in just in time to get the 140. Only passenger at that station.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Could the cashier give you a description?

[Harrington]

Not much. Brown suits and half. That's all. Hat was pulled way down, he said. He sure was burned.

[Chief Harrington]

Who?

[Ms. Miller]

The cashier.

[Harrington]

Lang stole a magazine from him.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

A magazine?

[Harrington]

Yeah, thing called Magic Mirror. You know, the picture magazine.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

How'd that happen?

[Harrington]

Well, this cashier is some kind of screwball. I think. About a year ago, this magazine did a feature story on the subway system. The cashier's picture was in it. I guess he kept it around to show people whenever he got a Chance? Well, the Lang was sitting on the platform waiting for the train. He offered him the magazine to look at. Expected Lang to come across his picture and notice it, I guess. But then the bell rang for the train and Lang galloped off with a magazine. The guy couldn't leave the cash booth and chasing.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

So look, Morgan. Excuse me, but that magazine may mean a lot. I'm hanging up. Talk to you later.

[Chief Harrington]

Keep what a break maybe.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Ms. Miller, I want you on the phone right away.

[Ms. Miller]

Yes, sir.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Call Magic Mirror magazine. Get the editor. Get the date and the description of a cover for an issue they put out last year with a feature story on the city subway system.

[Ms. Miller]

Yes, sir.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

You, come in here. Angon.

[Chief Harrington]

Coming.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Take that phone, extension 3. Call the city sanitation department. Tell them to hold up all pickups of refuse from subway containers and subway entrance containers.

[Chief Harrington]

Yeah, but why are you so.

[Harrington]

Just do it.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I'm going to contact the transit commission, get their inspectors out. Lang had a year old copy of that magazine. If we're lucky, he might not have left it on the train. He might have carried it off and dropped it in a refuse container.

[Chief Harrington]

And if we find out which container,

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

we'll know where he left the train. And it'll give us a good idea of what part of the city he's hiding in.

[Chief Harrington]

Get to it.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

This is David Bryan. Before we continue with Mr. District Attorney in the case of the cop killer, here is an important message I'd like you to hear. And now back to david bryan, starring as paul garrett. Mr. District attorney. Constable had been killed on the outskirts of the county by a known and much wanted murderer. He had driven the constable's stolen car into the city, abandoned it and taken a subway, inadvertently stealing an old copy of a magazine from the subway cashier. We traced the magazine to a trash box at an uptown station, but there all clues faded out. Four days in this crummy neighborhood is beginning to get me down.

[Chief Harrington]

Chief.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Even if Lane did come to this area, it might have gone by now. Just the same, we'll keep looking until we're sure. The whole district has been under around the clock surveillance since we found that old magazine. Now, how about some breakfast? There's that Spanish place across the street. Lobos. Yeah, it's as good as any place

[Chief Harrington]

around here, I guess. I'm so hungry I'll even eat enchiladas for breakfast. Let's cross now, Chief. Why is it that every mug we're after hides out in a tenement district? Now what makes you think he isn't in the Better section around here where the hotels and the shops are. It's only two blocks away.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

There are more people around here and fewer questions asked. Yeah, I guess you're right.

[Bart Lane]

Buenos dias. Oh, hello.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Oh, let's take a booth there.

[Chief Harrington]

I'm tired of eating off counters.

[Bart Lane]

You wish to see the menu, senor? I have everything. Yeah?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Make mine fruit juice, couple of eggs,

[Chief Harrington]

scrambled, easy, with bacon and toast and jelly.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

That sounds good to me. Double it.

[Bart Lane]

Buenos, dear Senorita. I will be with you in one moment.

[Ms. Miller]

You bet.

[Bart Lane]

Coffee now.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And later?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Later.

[Chief Harrington]

You go ahead. Wait on the lady first. I just want to sit here and give my feet a rest. Perfect.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Thought you were going to have enchiladas for breakfast.

[Chief Harrington]

Well, when he gets through with the eggs, maybe I'll wish I had.

[Ms. Miller]

I just want a container of coffee

[Bart Lane]

to go, Lobo, please. You want it black?

[Ms. Miller]

No cream and sugar. Here.

[Bart Lane]

13 cents change. Thank you, senorita.

[Ms. Miller]

You bet.

[Chief Harrington]

Ship tight, Hine.

[Harrington]

Oh, miss.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Just a minute, please.

[Ms. Miller]

Were you speaking to me?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Yes. I happened to look out of the booth and saw you. Don't I know you from someplace?

[Ms. Miller]

I don't think so.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

You look familiar. You live around here, don't you?

[Ms. Miller]

You bet.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Well, I'm a photographer. Used to have my shop around here about a year ago. Maybe I took some photos of you.

[Ms. Miller]

No, not me. I've only been in the neighborhood for six weeks.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Oh, well, maybe it was someplace else. Where do you come from?

[Ms. Miller]

New Jersey.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

That's your home state?

[Ms. Miller]

You bet.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Well, my mistake, I guess. I was sure I knew you.

[Chief Harrington]

Excuse me, please.

[Ms. Miller]

You bet.

[Bart Lane]

You have the wrong signora. No.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Maybe. Cancel our orders. Here's a dollar for your trouble. Come on, Harrington, we're leaving. See you later, Lobo.

[Chief Harrington]

There she is, turning the corner. She? You mind letting me in on this?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Did you notice how that girl kept saying, you bet?

[Chief Harrington]

Yeah, and what about it?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

That reformatory report on Lang, the part about his habits. His favorite expression was, you bet. So she picked up that habit someplace. Harrington. Probably from being around somebody who uses the expression constantly. And that could mean Rex Lang. Let's see where she's taking that container of coffee.

[Chief Harrington]

Well, there she goes, chief.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Jewelry store.

[Bart Lane]

Yeah.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

It doesn't look like we're gonna find Lang in there. She went to the back of the store. I'm going for a phone booth. Have Ms. Miller check on a few things. You stay right here on this block, though. Walk to the corner with me.

[Chief Harrington]

If she's Lang's girl, she wouldn't be working.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Taji, I Can think of a good reason.

[Chief Harrington]

She might be working in a jewelry store. You mean casing it for Lang to knock over?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

It's been done before.

[Chief Harrington]

Well, it's pretty dangerous for her, Chief.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I'm going to have Ms. Miller check on Lang's methods and robberies he's pulled in the past. You see what you can find out along the street here. She's a very pretty girl, so it's a safe bet she's been noticed by

[Chief Harrington]

other shopkeepers along here.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Maybe one of them will know her name, where she lives. I'll tip our hand if I go

[Chief Harrington]

around asking too many questions.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Well, don't make them sound like official questions. Make them sound like you're just another man who has seen a pretty girl. Now get going. I'll call Ms. Miller and wait till she calls me back. Meet you at the car in about an hour.

[Chief Harrington]

Hello, Mr. Garrett.

[Harrington]

Yes.

[Ms. Miller]

I got the out of state record, Mr. Garrett. Lang's known burglaries in the past include two jewelry stores, four finance companies, and a private home where the owner was in the habit of keeping expensive jewelry and cash in the safe.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

How about the girl angle?

[Ms. Miller]

Yes, sir. A girl answering the description you gave me. Worked in almost all the places I've mentioned. In each case, she quit a job a month or two before the burglary took place.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

That's the modus operandi I've been looking for. Well, thanks for the information, Ms. Miller. I think we're getting close to Lang, Mr. Garrett.

[Ms. Miller]

If you are, don't you want a few more men up there?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

No, I would only give Lang a few more targets. Goodbye. I'll check with you later.

[Chief Harrington]

What time you got, Chief? Almost one. She'll have to be going back to work soon. Yeah. Comes home for lunch every day. Bought quite a lot of stuff at

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

the delicatessen for one person. What did you say the name was again?

[Chief Harrington]

Nita. Nita Moran.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

She had the search warrant for 74.

[Chief Harrington]

Look, why don't we walk right in and fletch?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Because if Lang isn't up there with her, I don't want her to know we've been there.

[Chief Harrington]

She. Oh, there she comes.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Back in the doorway, quick.

[Chief Harrington]

It's a good thing we ducked. She sure does look around when she comes out.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Let's go up.

[Chief Harrington]

Here are the mailboxes. Yeah, here. Here it is. Second floor, right. Try the.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Hold on.

[Chief Harrington]

Open. Go ahead, Then.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I have your gun ready, and I've got it right here in my pocket.

[Chief Harrington]

This is it.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I'll knock.

[Chief Harrington]

Stay back to the side.

[Ms. Miller]

Well, who are you looking for?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Oh, the lady in this next apartment home she worked. Maybe her husband's home.

[Ms. Miller]

She ain't got no husband. She is alone. You want me to tell her something for you?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

No, no, thanks. We're just selling magazine subscriptions.

[Ms. Miller]

The sign downstairs says no peddlers. You better get out of here before the landlord kiss.

[Chief Harrington]

Now, which magazine?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I had to tell her something in case she mentions this to the Moran girl.

[Chief Harrington]

Dumb me. And what now? Got a master key?

[Switchboard Operator]

Yeah.

[Chief Harrington]

Let's get inside.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Not so much noise.

[Chief Harrington]

Oh, I got a fit. There it is.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Now we can have a look around.

[Chief Harrington]

Well, we can see a girl lives here, all right.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Yes, but there's no sign of a man

[Chief Harrington]

closet. No men's clothing. Bedroom. Nothing in there.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Right. Just a second.

[Chief Harrington]

You've got good eyes if you can see anything through that window chair. I can't with that thick clay glass.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

I wasn't looking through the window.

[Chief Harrington]

I was looking at this. Huh? What?

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

The windowsill.

[Chief Harrington]

Paint is chipped off in two spots. Old building paint, dried and cracked years ago.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Bath comes right under the window.

[Chief Harrington]

Look at it. Hey, that looks like the mark of a rubber heel. A man's heel wouldn't have taken a bath with his shoes on. Now, let's raise this window slowly and

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

carefully just a fraction of an inch

[Chief Harrington]

so I can see out under it. That's enough. Window sashes are well oiled. Can't you see anything? Opens on an air shaft between this tenant and the next one.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

That window across the shaft would be

[Chief Harrington]

second floor left in the next building. All right, close it, Hal. What do you think, Marlowe? Sashes marks in the old paint on the sill. That shaft is about six feet wide.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Anybody could stretch a ladder or a

[Chief Harrington]

piece of plank from that building to this. There's no ladder or plank here.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

That'll be in the other building.

[Chief Harrington]

Rex Lang's private drawbridge. Holy smoke, what a gimmick.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Gimmick is right. Never have to leave the place. Nobody ever sees him come in or go out. Come on

[Chief Harrington]

now, watch our play.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Well, we go next door. Check that second floor left apartment.

[Chief Harrington]

If lines are crossed there, Chief, he'll be barricaded in with an arsenal.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

We're not going to take him over there.

[Chief Harrington]

Where are we going to take him? We'll take him tonight when he crawls

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

across that air shaft for his dinner. Get going. I want everything set up before Nita

[Chief Harrington]

Moran comes home from workplace closet 5:15. She got to be home.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Morgan pulls him.

[Chief Harrington]

Yeah, in the basement window. Leads from it to the bottom of the airshaft. Good thing you thought of that building next door. Manager that second floor left nailed up tight. You'd never suspect it was being used in the hall. That's the way Lang wants it to look. The owner has a petty record. Must be helping Lang for an extra high rental.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You pick him up later, he can put him in.

[Chief Harrington]

She's coming. I told. She has stuff to hang up in this whole closet. No, I can see a little. She's going into the bathroom. Come on. She won't see us now. Wait. No. There goes the bathroom window. Wonder how she signals. There it is. Those pebbles or something against his window. Hey, listen. That must be his window going up. Yeah. Get ready. Pushing something across.

[Ms. Miller]

All right, I got it resting right. Come on.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Now. Stay right out there, Lang.

[Harrington]

Right on your hands and knees.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Keep quiet, miss.

[Harrington]

Don't try to crawl back. There's another man with a gun right under you.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Push the ladder. Coming down on the chair.

[Harrington]

Grab it, Martin.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

By the way, let me up. Hold the girl, Harrington. I'm going down.

[Harrington]

Watch the cash.

[Chief Harrington]

Chief.

[Jeff Cobb]

There.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Jeff Anderson, over here. I see him, Chop.

[Harrington]

I'd have blasted you all if I could have.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Your blasting days are over, Lang. How is he, Morgan?

[Bart Lane]

Looks like a broken leg.

[Harrington]

That's all arrogance.

[Chief Harrington]

Yeah.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Chief, call for a police ambulance.

[Harrington]

Okay.

[Chief Harrington]

Who tipped you off?

[Harrington]

You'd never catch me without a tip off.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

Or was it Nita or the Steven landlord? Well, answer me.

[Chief Harrington]

What is it, a police secret or something? You bet, Rex. You bet.

[David Bryan (Paul Garrett)]

This is David Bryan again. I hope you've enjoyed this case. From the file of Mr. District Attorney. I'll be back in just a moment after this message from our sponsor. Now here's the star of Mr. District Attorney David Bryan with a word about the program you have just heard. Rex Lang was tried and convicted for murder in the first degree. He was executed in the manner prescribed by law. Nita Moran was convicted of major crimes in several states. And is serving accumulated sentences of more than 50 years. Lang's landlord, Fritz Rudel, is serving 10 years for knowingly harboring a fugitive. Now, this is David Bryan inviting you to join us when we present our next case based on the facts of crime. From the file of Mr. District Attorney. Mr. District Attorney was originated by Philip H. Lord.

[Bart Lane]

Sa.