Marlowe and Mystery House

Summary

Case Closed! (Aug 27, 2025): “Marlowe and Mystery House”

Podcast by RelicRadio.com
Episodes featured:

• "Philip Marlowe: The Collector's Item" (originally aired Aug 25, 1950)
• "Mystery House: Time to Kill" (originally aired Jun 21, 1945)

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Overview

This episode of Case Closed! delves into two classic crime dramas from the golden age of radio: a gripping Philip Marlowe detective story about murder and a rare coin, followed by a layered whodunit from Mystery House centered around fame, blackmail, and murder in high society. Both stories immerse listeners in intricate plots, featuring colorful characters, witty banter, and the classic hard-boiled detective tone.

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Segment 1: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe - “The Collector’s Item”

(starts at 00:20)

Major Characters

• Philip Marlowe: Private investigator, narrator.
• Joe Joplin: Wisecracking cab driver.
• Leon Radi: Coin dealer, Marlowe’s client, soon murdered.
• Seth Appleborough: Eccentric Southern collector.
• Pierpont Bowman: Wealthy, obsessive coin collector.
• Christine: Bowman's niece, later revealed as a conspirator.
• Fred Locke: Poses as a Treasury agent (“T-man”); actually a criminal.

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Key Plot Points & Insights

• On the Chase (01:08)

  • Marlowe follows a suspicious man in a white Panama hat and exchanges banter with Joe the cabbie.
  • “Legal as Confederate money.” –– Marlowe, wryly underscoring the suspect legality of the deal. (02:05)

• The Setup (02:55)

  • Turns out the "man" they've tailed was only a hat on a car seat—a setup to lose them.

• The Murder (04:47)

  • Radi calls Marlowe, reporting an altercation with Appleborough over a rare Confederate coin. The call abruptly ends in gunshots.
  • Marlowe discovers Radi dead, the precious coin missing.

• Interviews and Red Herrings (06:18)

  • Joe Joplin uncovers that Appleborough was dropped at Wilshire Gardens, Villa 9.
  • Appleborough is hostile and claims innocence, feuding over “the South” and his family’s lost coin.

• The Bowman Connection (10:50)

  • Marlowe visits the ostentatious Bowman manor, meeting attractive Christine and learning that the coin has already been sold (for $37,000) to Uncle Pierpont, by someone posing as Radi.

• The Coin’s Trail (14:40)

  • Bowman is useless as a witness—“Only had eyes for the coin. And what a coin she is.”—showing comic collector obsession.

• Enter Fred Locke – False Ally (18:09)

  • Locke claims to be after Appleborough for other crimes, but Marlowe quickly exposes him as a fraud (“Like you’re a cockeyed liar. Like Treasury men don’t call themselves T-men any more than PIs call themselves private eyes.” [19:20])

• Another Killing (20:13)

  • Locke gets gunned down outside Wilshire Gardens. Appleborough is found unconscious in his car, badge confirming his Southern roots.
  • Marlowe realizes there’s a “third interested party.”

• The Unmasking (25:00)

  • At Bowman’s, Marlowe notes Christine slips up, knowing Locke’s first name—information she shouldn’t have.
  • With a chilling reveal, Christine holds them at gunpoint:
    • “This is one gun in here that’s no relic. It’s been fired something less than 300 years ago.” – Christine, threateningly. (25:03)

• Motivation and Resolution (26:13)

  • Christine confesses her hatred for her uncle’s collecting obsession, wanting to destroy the cursed coin and the fortune squandered on "junk."
  • “I want one thing more before I leave—that half dollar in your pocket. Hand it over. Come on.” – Christine to her uncle. (26:07)
  • Police arrive to clean up. Bowman is left mourning, clutching the coin.

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Notable Quotes

• Marlowe, opening the episode:
  "Get this and get it straight. Climbers are suckers road and those who travel it wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave. There's no other end, but they never learn." (00:20)

• Marlowe on dead-ends and persistence:
  "I went to work for Leon Rayadi to protect him. A job I didn't do. Also, losing clients this way is bad for my business and conscience. Good night and happy gathering coins in May." (15:54)

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Memorable Moments

• The gag of tailing a Panama hat propped up on a car seat (03:02).
• The Southern drawl and Civil War banter between Marlowe and Appleborough.
• The surprising reveal of Christine as the criminal mastermind, twisting the “family loyalty” trope.

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Segment 2: Mystery House – “Time to Kill”

(starts at 29:52)

Major Characters

• Andy / Andy Archibald: “Public relations counselor,” narrator, eventually exposed as the killer.
• Monica Manning: Glamorous movie star with a scandalous past.
• Michael: Bitter club owner and Monica's ex.
• The Count: Monica’s bigamist husband, soon murdered.
• Helene de Veroni: The Count's legal wife.
• Captain Reagan: Police investigator.

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Key Plot Points & Insights

• High Society Shadows (31:28)

  • At an upscale club, Andy discusses his flashy new client, Monica Manning, with Mike.
  • Mike warns, “She’s poison. Pure poison all the way.” (35:39)

• Personal Tangles (33:31)

  • Monica arrives; her frosty, acidic exchange with ex Mike Oozes old-school Hollywood venom.
  • Monica: "You haven't cultivated any manners, have you?" (34:06)
  • Monica’s marriage to a European Count is revealed to have been bigamous.

• The Club, The Count, and The Collapse (36:49)

  • The Count overdoses on pills given to him by Monica; dies suddenly, but the cause of death becomes murky.
  • Initial suspicion spreads rapidly to Monica and the club owner.

• A Classic Lockroom & Gun Gimmick (40:13)

  • A timed gun device is discovered in the air shaft, aimed at Monica, crafting an elaborate whodunit setup.

• The Poison Web (41:12)

  • Forensic analysis: Poison was administered to the Count hours before he died. The gun in the ventilator seems to be a red herring.
  • Helene de Veroni, the Count’s real wife, surfaces and collapses, staging her own “poisoning.” (42:42)

• Motives & Machinations (44:24)

  • Monica lays out her convoluted history with Mike and the Count, rationalizing her actions and expressing indignation at suspicion.
  • Blackmail is revealed: Monica was paying the Count to keep her past secret.

• Reversals and Final Showdown (51:14)

  • Helene is tracked to a seedy apartment, but Andy is there first—with a gun. In the struggle, Helene is killed.
  • “You shoot to kill, don't you, Andy?” – Mike, dismayed at Andy’s ruthlessness. (52:11)
  • The clever twist: Andy was trying to frame Monica for murder, using both poison and the club gun—but his fingerprints on the weapon doom him.

• The Concluding Moral (53:48)

  • Captain Regan: “Time… You’ll have time enough from now on. But it won’t be time to kill.” (53:52)

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Notable Quotes

• Mike’s venom towards Monica:
  “Turning on the charm, baby? The only effect it has is making me a little sick to the stomach. I’ve seen some of your pictures and you’re just as lousy on the screen as off, baby.” (34:48)

• Christine exposing Andy:
  “That gun in the ventilator shaft. Only he forgot one thing. Fingerprints.” (52:33)

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Memorable Moments

• The “timed gun in the airshaft” device, a delightfully silly old-school murder method.
• The layered motivations: scandal, jealousy, blackmail, and the baggage of silver screen illusions.
• The reversal, as the loyal publicist Andy turns out to be the true murderer.

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Timestamps – Key Segments

• Marlowe: Panama Hat Ruse: 03:02

• Radi’s Murder: 04:47

• Confrontation with Appleborough: 07:01

• Bowman’s Mansion/Christine Reveal: 10:50, 25:00

• Resolution and Wrap-up: 26:13–28:03

• Mystery House: Club Banter: 31:28–35:39

• The Count’s Collapse: 36:49

• Timed Gun Discovery: 40:13

• Helene’s (Fake) Poisoning: 42:42

• Showdown with Andy: 51:14–53:52

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Episode Tone

Both stories bristle with period wit, noir fatalism, and the cynical humor of their leads. Marlowe dispenses sardonic wisdom and tough-guy one-liners, while Mystery House layers social satire on top of its murder mystery, poking fun at Hollywood, fame, and crime tropes.

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Summary

This Case Closed! episode delivers all the pleasures of old-time radio drama: smart-talking detectives, criminal twists, false leads, femmes fatales, and era-defining soundwork. With The Collector’s Item, the hunt for a priceless half-dollar unravels obsession, greed, and a web of betrayal. Mystery House’s Time to Kill skewers Hollywood myth and human failing, unmasking the real murderer behind a convoluted plot. Both stories offer master classes in suspense, witticisms, and dazzling period charm.

Transcript

[Narrator]

With another hour of mystery and crime from the golden age of radio. This is Case Closed. We'll begin this week with the adventures of Philip Marlowe and his story from August 25, 1950, titled the Collector's Item. After that it's Mystery House and Time to Kill. That story aired June 21, 1945.

[Philip Marlowe]

Get this and get it straight. Climbers are suckers road and those who travel it wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave. There's no other end, but they never learn.

[Announcer]

From the pen of Raymond Chandler, outstanding author of crime fiction, comes his most famous character in the Adventures of Philip Marlowe. Now with Gerald Moore starred as Philip Marlowe. We bring you tonight six exciting story the Collector's Item.

[Philip Marlowe]

They turn the corner, cabbie, don't lose them.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Don't worry, mister. There they are up ahead of that new Nash. And a white panama hat shows up through the back window. That cab like a signboard. Besides, I've been doing okay so far, ain't I? We stayed in this tail for 20 minutes now.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah, but I' tagging the guy under that hat for six hours.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Six hours.

[Philip Marlowe]

Throw a movie, a Turkish bath, three bars, a restaurant and two museums. Close the gap a little, huh?

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Whatever you say, Mr. Delightless Fatis. And how much longer you going to keep this up?

[Philip Marlowe]

What difference does it make as long as your flag's down?

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Big difference. My old lady be awful sore if I don't get home tonight. And this father leader routine looks like an endurance contest.

[Philip Marlowe]

Take it easy, cabbie. At 10 o' clock tonight, a certain big deal will be closed. And then we can both forget about that guy up there and go home big.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

What kind of big deal? I ain't nosy. I just don't want no trouble.

[Philip Marlowe]

You'll get no trouble.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

It's approximately legal, ain't it?

[Philip Marlowe]

Legal as Confederate money.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Confederate? Nah, just a minute. I got a living thing. I'm serious.

[Philip Marlowe]

So am I. Serious is a rare coin dealer.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Oh, a new misbeh.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah, yeah, that's right.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Well, what do you know? I collect Indiana pennies myself.

[Philip Marlowe]

Small world.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

And a guy up there on a hat's trying to louse up a sale. Aunt that roughly?

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah. Keeping an eye on him till a deal goes through. At 10 he's a screwball from the deep sooth.

[Christine]

Hey, the light's changing.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

He's gonna be caught. Hey, you want I should slow down?

[Philip Marlowe]

No, no, no. Pull up behind him. It's okay.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Right. Hey, mister, look. You see that?

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah. Panama hat. It's gone.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Yeah, When I drive, it hit his brakes disappear.

[Philip Marlowe]

Pull up beside.

[Christine]

Can you see?

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah, the seat's empty. Oh, what a pair of chumps they've been chasing. Nothing but a hat propped up in the back of that seat.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

No kid. Gee, you sure looked natural, didn't it?

[Philip Marlowe]

Slip me out. Now, look, you get to the other driver. Find out where he dropped his passenger off and anything else you can. Here. Here's 30 bucks for your trouble.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Wow. For that kind of dough, my wife can go ahead and get sore. Hey, call me at the office, mister. Just ask for Joe Joplin.

[Philip Marlowe]

Come on, Rarity, be there. Be there. You'll go off like a Roman candle.

[Christine]

Come on, be there.

[Fred Locke]

Hello? Hello?

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Leonardi speaking.

[Philip Marlowe]

Here, Marlo Reality. I got bad news for you. Huh? A boy, Seth Appleborough, pulled a backwoods gag on me and I fell for it flat on my face. He shook me. I don't know how long it happened, but I do.

[Fred Locke]

I know exactly how long ago Applefort was here.

[Philip Marlowe]

He was.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

It was in my shop, your madman that.

[Fred Locke]

That madman swore he would kill me. But he did. What happened was after the coin, of course he got tough, but I. I got more tough. I'm not born the day before yesterday. I was forced to ruin a beautiful.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Renaissance vase of his stupid skull.

[Fred Locke]

But at least I got rid of him.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Do I say phooey on Seth Appleborough? I beat him up myself. Myself, you hear? And I throw him out. He's finished, though. At 10, I shall sell the coin to Pierre Bowman as a range and.

[Fred Locke]

That will be that.

[Philip Marlowe]

Well, glad to hear it. Riotdi to send the check to.

[Fred Locke]

Just a minute, Mr. Marlowe.

[Philip Marlowe]

Huh?

[Fred Locke]

What's that? What's back there?

[Pierpont Bowman]

Who is it?

[Philip Marlowe]

Rarity? Hey, Riotti, what's the matter?

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

No, wait, wait.

[Fred Locke]

No, listen.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Dog.

[Philip Marlowe]

Riot. Rarity. Rarity Riotti. I ran out of the phone booth, hailed the first cab that came along and headed for 113 Marion Avenue. Leon Riadi's shop was a narrow cell with tattered green shades drawn over dingy windows. The front door was locked, so I went around to the alley where I'd left my car earlier. The back door to Reotty's was half open. Radius sat on the floor, his legs spraddled out, his head slumped against the bottom draw of his desk like. Like a drunk too tired to look for the way home. Beside him on the floor was all that was left of the reason for it. A small open box lined with blue velvet and labeled Unique Confederate States of America. Half dollar. One of four struck at New Orleans Mint, 1861. Only piece of this series now in existence. Source Colonel J.J. appleboro Collection, 1880. But the box was empty. The four bits worth of Confederate money was gone. I picked the phone up in my handkerchief and called the cab company office. Two minutes later I had Joe Joplin.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

I got that other driver. Okay, mister. But I couldn't pry much out of him, even the hard way I tried. He left that Southern draw off at the Wiltshire Gardens, Villa 9. And he got orders to take the Panama hat on a $10 drive around town.

[Philip Marlowe]

That's all.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

That's all he knows, he thought was some kind of joke.

[Philip Marlowe]

Wiltshire Gardens, number nine. Okay, Joe. Thanks. I called Homicide, told Lieutenant Matthews where he could pick up the body and before he could order me to stick around Thomas to fill in the details later, and hung up. After that, I got my own car and drove to the Wilshire Gardens Hotel, Villa 9. What finally came to the door? Needs to open a cautious 2 inches. Had a mop of renegade hair the color and shape of tumbleweed, a body as gaunt as a piece of barbed wire and two sick gray eyes. I tried hard to hide under a pair of scrub brush eyebrows. Seth Appleborough wasn't glad to see me.

[Seth Appleborough]

Take your business, sir. What's more, I'm a busy man. I'm not well, so be brief.

[Philip Marlowe]

Okay, we'll start off with murder.

[Seth Appleborough]

Murder? Now see here.

[Philip Marlowe]

Follow that with a missing Confederate. Half a buck. How do I come in? Peaceful like or do I knock the door down?

[Seth Appleborough]

Don't go riling me up, Yankee. Well, you won't get in at all. What's your name?

[Philip Marlowe]

Philip Marlowe. My business at the moment is trying to square things with a client I let down very badly. Client?

[Seth Appleborough]

Then you must be referring to that low down, unscrupulous carpet bag of Leonrada.

[Philip Marlowe]

A little confused, aren't you?

[Seth Appleborough]

The earliest Middle east from northern Italy, sir. And a crooked, unprincipled carpetbagger.

[Philip Marlowe]

You said that.

[Seth Appleborough]

The kind who strips the south of her treasures, who pillages and loots and what a gun. What's the meaning of that firearm in your hands, huh?

[Philip Marlowe]

I haven't got time for another Civil War. Now get away from that door. I'm coming in. Let's knock off the nonsense. Apple Borough worth a half a buck.

[Seth Appleborough]

Where indeed? My poor old fool of a grandpappy, the colonel sold it. Sold it? For practically face value, sir. Just to keep body and soul together on the plantation back in 1880. And what he was give for it wasn't worth dirt. Compared to what that fine old piece of Confederate money's really worth.

[Philip Marlowe]

All right, all right. Where is it? Come on, hand it over.

[Seth Appleborough]

I don't have it, sir. Not yet. But by ginger, I'm going to get it. And when I do, it's going home where it belongs, you hear? To the South.

[Philip Marlowe]

You better go to the couch and take another pull on your mint julep, buster. You look bad. Then I want that coin. I'm not kidding.

[Seth Appleborough]

That reality crowned me with an iron pot. But that won't stop me, sir. I'm not going to stand by and let that rare old half dollar be desecrated any farther. I'll prevent it being sold to any rich darling. Oath of a collector who has the audacity to live in Sherman Oak. If it's the last thing I do, then you. You, sir, you won't stop me either.

[Fred Locke]

Sit down.

[Christine]

I caught it.

[Philip Marlowe]

That cracked pot. I should have known. Win, lose or draw, I'm turning you over to the police right now. Appleborough charge is murder and larceny. It's too bad, but you're a cinch to beat both raps on a goofball. Please, you big boy. Put down the phone. Drop your gun. Oh, Rebel reinforcements. Drop it, I said.

[Fred Locke]

Oh, friend. Indeed.

[Seth Appleborough]

Providence is still smiling, sir.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah, sure, she's hilarious. Miss Apple bro. Right, big boy? Or don't you see the humor of the situation?

[Christine]

Oh.

[Philip Marlowe]

The stranger had a flat saucer face. A sour grin in the left hand like a. Like a trip hammer I'd done my best to roll with a punch, but I'd still caught enough of it to jar my brains loose. When I finally got up again, Villa 9 was empty. It took a while for that to soak in, along with another fact. I was up against a team. Appleboro and Saucerface. Also. It was now 9:30, which gave me just half an hour to get the Sherman Oaks for what had to be the next scheduled meeting. The Boneman mansion on Cluny Drive, from giant iron gate out front through overgrown grounds up to the entrance looked a lot more like the prop room at the Metropolitan Opera than anybody's residence. When I lifted the brass ring in the brass lion's mouth and let it fall. Another surprise. She had deep hazel eyes with long lashes, close cropped copper colored hair and packed full green suede dress that put no strain on the imagination. A bare shoulders made you think of toasted marshmallows.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Hello.

[Philip Marlowe]

Hello. You. You wouldn't be Pierpont Bowman, huh?

[Pierpont Bowman]

And you must have had some reason for knocking? Other than window shopping.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah. My name's Marlow. I used to work for Leon Rardi before he was murdered tonight.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Murdered?

[Philip Marlowe]

Mm.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Is this supposed to concern my Uncle Pierpont?

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah, I think it does. The fuss that's being kicked up about four bits worth of Confederate money. You'd think that it was a chest of Easterling sterling silver.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Only four bits. Yes, yes, I'm afraid he is vitally interested. Come in, Marlowe. Wait here. Uncle Pierpont. Come here.

[Fred Locke]

Huh?

[Pierpont Bowman]

What's the matter, Christine? There's a man here to see you and Mr. Marlowe. You'd better talk soon.

[Christine]

What do you want?

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, you.

[Pierpont Bowman]

What is it, Marlo?

[Philip Marlowe]

It's about the half a dollar. The one you intend to buy from Leon Raate, mister.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Oh, yeah? Yeah.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Well, what about it, man?

[Philip Marlowe]

Rarity was murdered tonight.

[Pierpont Bowman]

That murdered, you say? If that's true, he hasn't had time to hit the ground yet. What's your game, sonny?

[Christine]

You must have some kind of a game. What is it?

[Philip Marlowe]

No games. I'm telling you. Rarity was shot and the coin stolen.

[Fred Locke]

Are you sure about that?

[Philip Marlowe]

Are you positive?

[Pierpont Bowman]

No mistake? Are you certain?

[Philip Marlowe]

I couldn't be more certain if it was tattooed on my forehead. I heard it happen and saw his body over an hour ago.

[Pierpont Bowman]

What do you think of that, Uncle Pierson? Marlow looks at dead bodies too. I think it's puppy fuck.

[Christine]

What do you think, Chris?

[Philip Marlowe]

Wait a minute. Let me tell you what I think. That's more to the point. I came here because I'm also certain that the man who killed Ray Arty is the man who took the coin. And it'll show up here in the next few minutes posing as Ray and try to sell you that half a buck as planned. I want you two to help me get him.

[Pierpont Bowman]

You know, Marlo, I think you're a bomb.

[Philip Marlowe]

Now look, baby, I've had quite an. Hold on, hold on now.

[Pierpont Bowman]

There's just one teensy thing wrong with your little steam olo. You see, ten minutes ago, Leonardi, or someone who said he was Leonardi, was here. I gave him $37,000 cash as agreed.

[Monica Manning]

And he gave me this. The only one of its kind in the world, the 1861 Confederate half dollar.

[Announcer]

In just a moment, we will return to the second act of Philip Marlow. But first, there are songs for Sale. And one of them may turn into the nation's newest hit as you listen in to CBS on Friday night. This hour long program of melody is called Songs for Sale. And during the hour, you Hear four songwriters with unpublished music as they present their tunes to a panel of veteran top flight songwriters. At the end, the panel picks out one song to be published and plugged and you'll hear the reasons they give for their choice. Be listening to songs for sale tonight on most of these same CBS Stationed now with our star Gerald Moore, the second act of Philip Marlowe and tonight's story, the collector's item.

[Philip Marlowe]

When the wobbly screwball collector clinked the $37,000.50 piece on the tabletop in front of me, his eyes flashed on like a pair of unfrosted light bulbs and something close to frost started to collect in the upturned corners of his mouth that smiled like the cat that had just eaten the canary cage, birdseed and all. There was little doubt about it that the generian Pierpont Bowman was what an eccentric would call eccentric. And he was very unconcerned with the murder of Leon Radi, very fuzzy about what Radi's impersonator had looked and sounded like.

[Pierpont Bowman]

I'm afraid I can help little on that score. Mr. Marlowe only had eyes with a coin. And what a coin she is.

[Philip Marlowe]

Why, said Mr. Bowman. You've got to remember something. Height, build, color of eyes, hair, voice.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, voice.

[Philip Marlowe]

Was it a Southern accent? Think, Mr. Bowman.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Southern accent?

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah.

[Pierpont Bowman]

No, no, Mr. Marlowe can't say if it was or not. My hearing isn't all it used to be, you know. But Christine here, now maybe she can. No, no, no, no. Christine wasn't in the room. Answered the door myself. But I did see him come up the walk, Mr. Marlowe, from my room upstairs. He was tall, about your height? Oh, no, perhaps a mike shorter. And he wore a gray suit? No, no, no, darker than gray. Sort of light blue shirt.

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, that's great. Yeah, thanks a lot. Before I start reaching for a butterfly net myself, I think I better get back to Seth Appleborough's place on Wilshire.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Why there?

[Pierpont Bowman]

Surely it be the guilty one, Mr. Marlow. He won't wait to be apprehended.

[Philip Marlowe]

Not on purpose, no. But when I last ran into him and his buddy. Buddy Sauce. A face. He was fighting an acute case of vertigo. Might have collapsed since. And besides, I don't know where else to go.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Oh, but sir, why must you go any place? The police will attend to that, Mr. Mr. Appleborough. Now look, Mr. Marlowe, here on the rim of Mr.

[Christine]

Bowman.

[Philip Marlowe]

This may mean nothing in the numismatic League, but I went to work for Leon Rayadi to protect him. A job I didn't do. Also, losing clients this way is bad for my business and conscience. Good night and happy gathering coins in May.

[Monica Manning]

Mr. Marlow, wait. Please.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Let me see you out and explain something. Be just a minute, Uncle.

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, what is it?

[Pierpont Bowman]

I pay you $500, Mr. Marlowe, not Confederate dollars either. To see that uncle gets his money back and that the coin is returned to that Mr. Rardi's estate.

[Philip Marlowe]

Why you're against the deal? Why?

[Pierpont Bowman]

Because it's the hundredth one in the.

[Philip Marlowe]

Past two years you hate to see the money you'll one day inherit go to a bunch of screwballs, huh?

[Pierpont Bowman]

Why, you foul minded.

[Seth Appleborough]

Oh, good.

[Pierpont Bowman]

I got news for you, Mr. Marlowe. It's not my inheritance I'm concerned with, it's my uncle. In spite of this mansion and all the junk in it, that $37,000 was every cent he had left.

[Philip Marlowe]

Okay, kid, in that case, two points. One, I had the slap coming. So I'll do my best to back up everything to where I came in. Good night.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Good night. And Mr. Monroe. Yeah? I. I didn't enjoy slapping you.

[Philip Marlowe]

She said it like she meant it. Twenty minutes later, I was back at the Wiltshire Gardens, where I found Villa 9 as dark and quiet as the bottom of a well. I had just about decided to quit playing long shots labeled I hope he passed out on his front doorstep. When from a nearby clump of pepper trees, I caught a glimpse of a shadowed figure moving toward me, one slow step at a time. I knew that I was spotted and strictly sitting duck. So I tried the only possible out general nonchalance, my back to the pepper trees long enough for the not so stealthy hunter to get within hunting distance. And a good good evening to you, brother Appleborough. Now, sir, get up and start talking. Well, sorts of fate. Thought I had your partner.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

What wrong, Hasty?

[Philip Marlowe]

You're still doing it.

[Fred Locke]

Apple Borough's my partner.

[Philip Marlowe]

Like you look good in tights.

[Fred Locke]

The name is Locke. Fred Locke.

[Philip Marlowe]

Treasury Department treasure. You mean you're after Appleborough? I sapped you because from the gab I overheard, I figured you were nothing but a lone wolf shooting. But a coin? Oh, Appleboro friend is big game.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

He's wanted on half a dozen counts.

[Philip Marlowe]

A lot more important than this Confederate. Half a buck. Yeah, but he must have gotten away from you because I.

[Fred Locke]

He did.

[Philip Marlowe]

He did. Jumped out of my car a couple.

[Fred Locke]

Of blocks from here.

[Christine]

But how do you know about that?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Who are you?

[Philip Marlowe]

My name's Marlow. I'm a private detective, license included. Winner here. I know that appleborough got away because he's already been up to the boneman place where he posed as my client leon radi, who incidentally, he killed so he could sell the confederate lucky piece up there for 37,000 bucks. Quite a hunk of change.

[Fred Locke]

Sorry we crossed our wires, marlon.

[Philip Marlowe]

Thanks for the word.

[Fred Locke]

Don't worry, he won't get far. Us t men will see to that. Keep in touch with the department if.

[Christine]

You find out anything.

[Philip Marlowe]

What is it? Sure. Oh, they lock.

[Fred Locke]

Yeah.

[Philip Marlowe]

Just a hunch.

[Fred Locke]

More.

[Philip Marlowe]

Like what? Like you're a cockeyed liar. Like treasury men don't call themselves t men Any more than private detectives call themselves private eyes. Now, locke, let's try inside your jacket. Get rid of this non treasury department luger. And two, check the wallet and see if at least fredlock is your real name.

[Christine]

It's my name.

[Philip Marlowe]

It's my name.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Yeah.

[Philip Marlowe]

Surprise. It is out of imagination, t man. Come on, get up and start working on a fuel questions. Like where seth appleborough is at the moment and exactly what that guy in is.

[Seth Appleborough]

It was, boss.

[Philip Marlowe]

Well, do we keep this up all night?

[Christine]

I'll say.

[Philip Marlowe]

Everything okay? Oh, first the setup. Come on. Yeah, yeah, it was cool.

[Seth Appleborough]

Me and adam.

[Monica Manning]

No, not.

[Philip Marlowe]

It had come from the street that was just beyond the pepper trees and slammed in a lock front and center. Folded him up like he was built on hinges. By the time I was out of the impact area and had my.38 in hand, the only target I had was a pair of tail lights blinking out of sight in a funnel of dust red locke was blood smeared dead, and made an ugly centipedes With a little ring of startled faces that began to converge. I stepped back and became just another sightseer When a small bald man with a large white eyebrow and lots of worries tant on his face Began to do his lamenting out loud. He was the wilshire gardens hotel manager and didn't care much for public spectacles on the home ground. Oh, my goodness.

[Seth Appleborough]

One minute that Mr. Appleborough unconscious in.

[Philip Marlowe]

His car and the next ditch man is shot to death. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Appleborough's unconscious in his car? Where? At the other end of the ground.

[Fred Locke]

There's a nasty cut in the swallow.

[Philip Marlowe]

One of the guests just found in there. I was just about to call a doctor. Never mind the doctor. Show me the way. Come on, come on. Come on, dick. Easy, boy. Breathe deep.

[Christine]

Who?

[Seth Appleborough]

Oh, you again.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah, me again. And you're up to your drawing a couple of untidy murders. Now snap out of it.

[Christine]

Oh.

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, my. It's no use.

[Fred Locke]

He doesn't even hear you.

[Philip Marlowe]

That's all right. While it's this peaceful, I think I'll check on this drooping flower of the Old South. His wallet should do it. Do what? Whether or not he gave me a straight pitch. Yeah, what do you know? Membership card. Sons of the Confederacy, New Orleans chapter.

[Fred Locke]

Here, let me see.

[Christine]

Oh, that's his picture, all right.

[Philip Marlowe]

Sure is. Well, when the police get here, they. Hey, look. What is it? His wristwatch was smashed against the dashboard.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

So it is.

[Philip Marlowe]

He must have held his hand up to protect his head when he fell forward. Yeah. Now, look, friend, the name's Marlow. When the law gets here, tell them they can find me at Sherman Oaks. The Pierpont Bowman, resident.

[Fred Locke]

Oh, now, wait a minute.

[Philip Marlowe]

You can't leave me here with all this on my hands.

[Seth Appleborough]

The police are going to want to know what this is all about.

[Philip Marlowe]

I'll try and have an answer for them, but first I gotta ask a crazy collector a not so crazy question.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Well, hello, Mr. Marlow. I was hoping you'd come back.

[Philip Marlowe]

No flowers and candy? Honey, this isn't a social call.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Then what brings you here?

[Philip Marlowe]

Your uncle. Is he still up?

[Pierpont Bowman]

Yes, but he asked not to be disturbed. Why?

[Philip Marlowe]

I got a picture I want him to look at.

[Pierpont Bowman]

What kind of a picture?

[Philip Marlowe]

A man. Possibly the man who stole him the coin tonight. Now, where is he?

[Pierpont Bowman]

In the gun room. But he'll scream bloody murder if we bother him.

[Philip Marlowe]

That's the subject on hand.

[Pierpont Bowman]

You mean you found out who killed Leon Riarty?

[Philip Marlowe]

No, no. I found out someone else has been killed. Come on. Huh?

[Monica Manning]

Over that coin?

[Pierpont Bowman]

Who was it? Marlow?

[Philip Marlowe]

Guy named Locke. We'll get to the fine print later. Is this the room? Yes, but I'm here just the man I want to see. Oh, Mr. Bowman, I hear you well. Quite a blunderbuss. Look, point that somewhere else.

[Christine]

So it is.

[Pierpont Bowman]

But don't let it worry you. Mr. Marlow, this harquebus hasn't been fired in 300 years.

[Philip Marlowe]

That's great. Let's not spoil its record tonight, shall we?

[Pierpont Bowman]

Here, have a look.

[Christine]

Fine workmanship.

[Philip Marlowe]

Later on. Right now, Mr. Bowman, I want you to have a look. This picture. It's Seth Appleborough. Is this the man who sold you the coin? The one you couldn't remember?

[Pierpont Bowman]

No, no, not the party. Now on this gun.

[Philip Marlowe]

Mr. Uncle, we've had another murder.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Oh, my, that's too bad.

[Monica Manning]

But what's all that got to do with me?

[Philip Marlowe]

I'm not sure, but Mr. Bowman. If Appleborough wasn't the one who sold you that hot half a buck, it must have been an item named Locke. The saucer faced Buddy. Buddy I told you about before. The one who sapped me at Wiltshire Garden.

[Pierpont Bowman]

They're very interesting.

[Christine]

And perhaps tomorrow.

[Monica Manning]

Uncle.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Please go on, Ms. Marlowe.

[Philip Marlowe]

Well, there isn't much more. When I left here and I went back for Appleboro, I ran into Locke, mixed it up and I was just about to get him to talk when he was shot out from under me.

[Pierpont Bowman]

What? Appleborough did it. He shot Locke?

[Philip Marlowe]

No, he couldn't have.

[Christine]

Why not?

[Philip Marlowe]

Because Appleborough was out cold in his car at the time.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Then all you really know is that Appleborough didn't kill with Locke.

[Philip Marlowe]

I know a little more. I also know now that there's a third interested party mixed in. Who? You? Maybe.

[Monica Manning]

Uncle. What, me?

[Philip Marlowe]

Sure. You could have killed Rardi via hired flunky like Locke. Sold yourself the coin. After all. You're broke. It's been done before.

[Pierpont Bowman]

You're mad. It's insane, Marlow. The idea to think that uncle would hire the likes of Fred Lock. Wyatt slips.

[Philip Marlowe]

Christine. You shouldn't have known Locke's front name was Fred, should you? I never mentioned it.

[Fred Locke]

What?

[Monica Manning]

Christine? You mean.

[Pierpont Bowman]

I mean that nobody moves.

[Monica Manning]

Christine.

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, fine.

[Pierpont Bowman]

This is one gun in here that's no relic. It's been fired something less than 300 years ago.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah, to be exact, less than an hour ago at the Wilshire Gardens. When you used it to keep Locke quiet. Huh?

[Monica Manning]

You, Christine.

[Pierpont Bowman]

You're the third party Marlowe is talking about. You hired Fredlock's and Apple had nothing.

[Philip Marlowe]

To do with it. Mr. Bowman was your niece's partner. Fred Locker killed Ray in his shop and stole a half a buck. After that, he followed me to Apple Borough's place in Wilshire Garden. There he k owed me and Apple Borough both. Then came out here and sold you the coin.

[Monica Manning]

Posing as they are.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Correct, you can both go to the head of the club.

[Philip Marlowe]

Not yet. One question, teacher. Why did Luck go back to Apple Boroughs? Couldn't have been just luck that I found him there.

[Pierpont Bowman]

It wasn't. He was afraid Apple Burrow had seen him kill Ray Arty at the shop. He had to know for sure. Your turn, Uncle. Why did you do it, Christine? I was sentimental, Uncle. I wanted at least the last of your money as a keepsake. And now that I've got it, I want one thing more before I leave that half dollar in your pocket. Hand it over. Come on.

[Monica Manning]

The half dollar.

[Philip Marlowe]

But worthless to You, Christine. You can never sell it again. Every collector in the world will be on the lookout for it.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Don't you think I know that? Then what do you want with it? The pleasure of getting rid of it.

[Monica Manning]

I hate it.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Like I hate every piece of junk you've squandered your fortune on. The fortune I'd have inherited. Someday I'm gonna throw it in the.

[Monica Manning]

First deep river I come to. Hand it over.

[Philip Marlowe]

No, you don't.

[Joe Joplin (Cab Driver)]

Christine.

[Fred Locke]

Drop it, Profit.

[Philip Marlowe]

Sit in that chair while you can. You may end up in another one. The police arrived. They always do. After a long hour of questions and answers, there were only two of us left. Here upon Bowman standing close to a window, tears crowding his eyes. The fingers of his right hand nervously toying with the Confederate coin. And me thinking about Leon Radi and Fred Locke and Christine. It was the old man who finally broke it up.

[Monica Manning]

A rotten thing I left after that.

[Philip Marlowe]

So I don't know if Appleboro got the coin or not. You might check if you're ever running through the New Orleans museum. Foreign.

[Announcer]

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe. Bringing you Raymond Chandler's most famous character. Star Gerald Moore are produced and directed by Richard Sanville and written for radio by Robert Mitchell and Gene Levitt. Featured in the cast were D.J. thompson, Anthony Barrett, Shepard Menken, Tom Tully and Jack Crucian. The special music is composed and conducted by Richard Arundt. Be sure and be with us again next week when Philip Marlowe says, this.

[Philip Marlowe]

Time an old man dead in a flophouse, a sot who carved wood, a fallen lady with an eye for gold lockets and a snake with big ears all led me to a soft spot in the killer's hard heart.

[Christine]

FOREIGN.

[Announcer]

CBS brings you stories taken from the files of parole boards of the 48 states with only the names changed. These stories give and detail the events of a criminal's life up to the time he is up for parole. Then, before you hear the board's decision, you can make up your mind. Is this man ready to be set free? It's been hailed by press and public alike as an outstanding anti crime show. And you can hear it now by staying tuned because up for parole follows immediately on most of these same CBS stations. Roy Rowan speaking. This is cbs, where you play Sing It Again every Saturday night, the Columbia Broadcasting System.

[Philip Marlowe]

Mystery House.

[Fred Locke]

Mystery House. That strange publishing firm owned by Dan.

[Philip Marlowe]

And Barbara Glenn where each new novel.

[Fred Locke]

Is acted out by the Mystery House staff before it is accepted for publication.

[Philip Marlowe]

Mystery House.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Well, Barbie, you're looking very pert tonight.

[Monica Manning]

Well, thank you, kind sir. I'm going to play the part of a glamour gal in the story we're testing for a mystery house novel tonight.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

You'll be a hit, baby.

[Monica Manning]

Well, I don't think I'd like being a glamour girl if it means being.

[Pierpont Bowman]

The kind of person I'll portray in this story.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Oh, a meanie, hm? Well, somebody has to play the bad parts.

[Philip Marlowe]

That's what I like about my job, Mr. Glenn. I'm always a hero.

[Monica Manning]

Why, Tom, you never play any of.

[Pierpont Bowman]

The parts in the story.

[Philip Marlowe]

Not in the stories, maybe, Mrs. Glenn. But I always feel like a hero because of the good news I bring our listeners.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

For example, listen to this. Okay, places, everybody. Set the scene for tonight's story, will you, Tom?

[Philip Marlowe]

Time to kill.

[Fred Locke]

Tonight's story opens in a swanky, nameless.

[Philip Marlowe]

Exclusive, exclusive little private club hidden away on the street level of a fashionable hotel building. And the Archibald Seer, sage, poet, philosopher.

[Fred Locke]

And press agent is just taking a.

[Philip Marlowe]

Table in the almost deserted room as.

[Christine]

A sweet little racket of yours, Mike, calling this restaurant a club?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

You're getting a little mixed up, Andy. I don't let the customers insult me. I insult them.

[Fred Locke]

Oh, yeah?

[Christine]

It's a club, not a restaurant. And you've made it very smart to be insulted by Michael, haven't you? You know, Mike, maybe you and I should change jobs.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

No, thanks. I'm making a good living. And you owe me a neat little bill for last month, Andy. Who's gonna pay it?

[Christine]

Why, my new client, of course, Michael.

[Fred Locke]

Client?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

When a cheap press agent starts talking about clients.

[Christine]

I'm not a press agent anymore, Michael. I've risen. I am now a public relations council.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Yeah, well, I'll be impressed when you pay last month's bill.

[Christine]

Oh, come on. Get me a club sandwich and a.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Cup of coffee and your new client will pay for it, eh? Who is this new client?

[Christine]

Get ready to bow your head reverently, Michael. It's the incomparable, the lovely, the glamorous Monica Manning.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

What, that? Now, look, Andy, I've always kind of liked you. Take a tip from Uncle Mike and run. She's poisoned.

[Christine]

Oh, you wouldn't say that if you knew her, Michael.

[Fred Locke]

She's lovely.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

That's what it says in the movie magazines. She's a pony in a heel. Do tell.

[Christine]

I didn't know you were a buddy of hers, Mike. Since when did you start traveling in her set?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

A long time ago, sonny boy. And her set ain't much, I'll tell you that. We jerked sodas together out of the same tap, then?

[Christine]

Surprise, Mike. She's gonna meet me here.

[Fred Locke]

What?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Got no right to bring her here.

[Fred Locke]

Why not?

[Christine]

I have a card for this club, haven't I?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

When's she coming? I'm not gonna be here.

[Christine]

You think she wouldn't remember you, Mike? Say, he's as democratic and friendly as anybody. You'll find nothing high head about her at all. Say, it'll give you a thrill.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Well, my eye. She wouldn't come here if she knew I ran the joint. I would.

[Christine]

Ah, Monica, end it.

[Monica Manning]

Darling, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Will you? Oh, yeah.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Go ahead. Sit down.

[Monica Manning]

Michael, what are you doing here?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

What am I doing here? I'm making a living, and a fairly honest one, too. Suppose I've got to wait on you.

[Monica Manning]

Now, Michael, is that anyway?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Turn off the charm, baby. The only effect it has on me is to make me a little sick of the stomach. I've seen some of your pictures, and you're just as lousy on the screen as off, baby.

[Christine]

Mike, you've no right to talk like that.

[Fred Locke]

No?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

How about it, baby? Have I got a right to talk like that?

[Fred Locke]

Hmm?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Go ahead, tell the man.

[Monica Manning]

Mike, you haven't cultivated any manners yet, have you? Just as much as peasants as ever.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

I bet you didn't learn much about peasants over in Europe with that county yours, did you, Mike?

[Christine]

Miss Manning isn't married.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Ah, come on, Andy, catch up with the score. I remember when it happened, don't I, Monica?

[Monica Manning]

Really, Mike.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Oh, don't give me that lofty dame stuff, baby. Count said he was going to make a lady out of you. Boy, what a job he was tackling.

[Monica Manning]

Mike, nobody knows about the count. You'll have to keep quiet about it, understand my career.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

A lot I care about your career or the count. I could show you something, baby. Something that ought to mean a lot more to you than the count or a career. Yeah, I got a notion to do it, too. Excuse me while I go to the Forum.

[Monica Manning]

Mike, no. What?

[Christine]

Don't get upset, Monica.

[Monica Manning]

Upset? Why wouldn't I be upset? He'll make a scene.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

I'll make a scene. That's a Jim Dandy, baby.

[Christine]

I'll cut it out, Mike.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Oh, I'm enjoying myself, Andy. Stick around. Maybe there'll be some laughs.

[Christine]

Monica, we've got to get out of here. Come on.

[Monica Manning]

No, no, I can't leave, Andy. I'm supposed to meet my husband here, the count.

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, the count.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Hmm.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

That ought to be fun. I'd like to see that. Maybe I Can give the count a few tips, baby.

[Monica Manning]

You wouldn't dare. Oh, wouldn't I, Andy, you wait here for the count. Bring him to the hotel dining room. Frayed, baby, I don't choose to allow you to humiliate me. The hotel dining room, Andy.

[Christine]

Right.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

I should have let her have it. I should have.

[Christine]

What's gotten into you, Mike? You acted like a crazy man.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

He's poison. Pure poison all the way.

[Christine]

Who would ever have guessed you'd know a woman like Monica Manning well enough to talk to her that way? You really hate her, don't you?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Well, I couldn't bother hating anybody else, Andy, because maybe I wouldn't have enough hate left to concentrate on that dame.

[Christine]

What's it all about?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Nothing you'd want to use as a press agent, that's for sure. You still want that sandwich and cup of coffee? I'll go back to the kitchen and get it for you if you do. No, just the coffee.

[Christine]

I guess I'll drink it while I'm waiting for the count.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Okay. I'd kind of like to see that count myself.

[Christine]

Oh, Count.

[Fred Locke]

Oh, I thought Monica was to be here waiting for me.

[Christine]

There's been a little change in plans, Count. Sit down.

[Fred Locke]

Change in plans? See here. No, no, no.

[Monica Manning]

Don't get excited, Count.

[Fred Locke]

There's nothing wrong.

[Christine]

It's just that Monica had to change the meeting place.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Here's your coffee, Andy. Oh, now, don't tell me that this is a count.

[Fred Locke]

Well.

[Christine]

Oh, now, Mike, listen.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

I had always thought royalty was supposed to be kind of glamorous. He's just funny. And, Count, your babe stood you up, Babe.

[Fred Locke]

See her, my man. You'll use respect in addressing me.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

You want to bet? You're just one of the boys here.

[Christine]

I don't suppose I ought to take time to drink this. Monica will be waiting for us, Count.

[Pierpont Bowman]

What time is he?

[Fred Locke]

Seven o'. Clock.

[Christine]

Right on the nose. Then I'm supposed to take my pills.

[Fred Locke]

Wait, please get me a drink of water. You.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

You can wash them down with Andy's coffee.

[Fred Locke]

You all right?

[Christine]

What kind of pills are they, Count?

[Fred Locke]

For a fever. Monica gave them to me. The pollen in the air around here is simply devastating. And Monica says these have helped her.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Well, I'd be afraid of anything that dame gave me. Go ahead.

[Fred Locke]

What? You are very impertinent.

[Christine]

Oh, never mind him, Count. Come on, take the pills and let's get going.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

There's the coffee.

[Fred Locke]

Thank you.

[Pierpont Bowman]

But where is my wife?

[Christine]

Not so loud, Count. A movie contract, remember? No husband, stupid.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Let's see Two pills.

[Fred Locke]

Now let's find Monica.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

It's a hurry, Count. Stick around. I might even tell you some things about Monica. Way back when, her name was Molly.

[Fred Locke]

I'm sure I shouldn't be interested. And I find your coffee as distasteful as your conversation. Come and let us.

[Christine]

What's wrong, Count? What's the matter?

[Fred Locke]

I can't see.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Everything is black.

[Fred Locke]

Dizzy, Walt.

[Christine]

Mike, it's fainted.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Yeah, just a second. Faint at my eye.

[Fred Locke]

What?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

When there's no breath and no heartbeat, it ain't a faint, Andy. It's death.

[Christine]

Now listen, Captain Reagan.

[Fred Locke]

Now, listen to answers to my questions, Andy. Lock that door there, all right.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

I don't know a thing about it, Captain Reagan. You run a high class club like this, you don't look for goof bills.

[Fred Locke]

Your coffee's always been pretty bad, Mike, But I never heard of anybody dying from it before.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Wasn't a coffee, like I said. Those pills.

[Fred Locke]

What pills?

[Christine]

The Count said he had some hay fever pills. He took a couple and washed them down with coffee. Then he fell over dead.

[Fred Locke]

Why did he come here to take his pills?

[Christine]

Oh, he was here to meet. To meet a gal.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

And he said the gal gave him the pills. And I'll bet you'd like to know who the gal was, wouldn't you?

[Christine]

Might. You can't.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

You keep out of Sandy. You think I'm gonna let that little louse cause me any more trouble, you're nuts.

[Christine]

Now, listen, Mike.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

It was the glamorous, the lovely, the enchanting movie star, Monica Manning.

[Fred Locke]

Well, well, well. And you just got a job as a press agent, didn't you, Andy?

[Christine]

That's got nothing to do with it. Monica did.

[Fred Locke]

You're pretty fond of Monica, too, from what I hear. And she was meeting this Count here. As for you, Mike, you made a crack about Monica Manning not causing you any more trouble. Well?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Well, I got nothing to do with this.

[Fred Locke]

Your trouble with Monica Manning, Mike, it interests me.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

It's nobody's business, and it ain't a part of this setup.

[Christine]

I hate to admit it, but I think he's right. Yeah, then the Count was married to Monica. But he was a bigamist. We were trying to keep it quiet so we could get it cleared up. He didn't have a divorce when he married Monica, and his first wife had followed him here to make trouble. That's what this conference was to be about. Well, you can imagine what kind of a mess that would have stirred up for Monica. The kind of publicity he probably slipped the comp that poison.

[Fred Locke]

I'd say the second wife would be.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

A better bet of the killer.

[Fred Locke]

Monica Manning.

[Christine]

That shot was not me. You just missed my hat.

[Fred Locke]

There's something crazy here. The room is locked. Nobody could have gotten in here.

[Christine]

No, but they did. And something tells me it was no friend of mine.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Hey, there's a bullet crease in the bar here.

[Fred Locke]

The bullet's right shot that hit the mirror graze the edge of the bar. See where the line of fire points?

[Christine]

Where? To that ventilator?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Yeah, the cold air shaft. Go straight up into the hotel.

[Christine]

That's it, Sherlock. Somebody climb down the cold air shaft and fire through that grate at me.

[Fred Locke]

Maybe, maybe not. The ventilator shaft's big enough to hold a small body. Just a minute. Well, now, isn't this something?

[Philip Marlowe]

What is it?

[Fred Locke]

It's a gun with a timing device on it. Fix the fire at 7. 45.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

I'll be darned.

[Fred Locke]

Mike, you had plenty of opportunity to put that gun there. I think we'll just take you and a cup of coffee down to the stat. You get in my hair, Andy. What now?

[Christine]

I've got something that'll get Mike out of trouble. Reagan.

[Fred Locke]

Oh, you found out there was no poison in the coffee, huh? The coroner's office just called me.

[Christine]

Yeah, and the pills. There was nothing wrong with them either. That lets Mike and Monica both out.

[Fred Locke]

Let the guy die of fright.

[Christine]

Laboratory says the poison in the Count's stomach had been there a couple of hours before he died. You know, a delayed action job. A kind of poison which would take effect in from an hour and a half to two hours.

[Fred Locke]

And somebody poisoned them. Who knew about those pills? And maybe somebody who knew he was going to Mike's club to meet Monica. Somebody who wanted to make it look as if Monica or Mike killed him.

[Christine]

But I don't get the gun in the ventilator.

[Fred Locke]

No, and I think. I think the Count had somebody plant that there.

[Pierpont Bowman]

But why?

[Fred Locke]

His first wife had found out he'd married Monica and the Count had to get rid of her. The gun was aimed at the third bar stool. You happen to be sitting on the fourth one. When we were talking, leaning over. The Count maybe plan to maneuver Monica under the third stool and let the gun take care of her.

[Christine]

Oh, it sounds fishy.

[Fred Locke]

Hello. Who are you?

[Monica Manning]

You send for me?

[Pierpont Bowman]

I am Linda Veroni.

[Fred Locke]

Oh, yes, Countess.

[Philip Marlowe]

Won't you be seated?

[Pierpont Bowman]

Thank you.

[Monica Manning]

I do not feel so strong.

[Pierpont Bowman]

My husband.

[Fred Locke]

Yes, I'm sorry, but he had another wife, too. How did you feel about that?

[Monica Manning]

He did not tell me. I come to this country because I do not hear from him.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Also, I hear stories in Europe and present stories. I arrived here and finally I'll prove I'm beside myself. And the Count dead in that awful little club.

[Monica Manning]

I don't want no.

[Fred Locke]

Hey.

[Philip Marlowe]

Hey.

[Christine]

What's the matter with her?

[Monica Manning]

I'm sick, Aldous.

[Fred Locke]

What's the matter? What? She's out cold.

[Christine]

Get an ambulance. Reagan, we've got to get her to a hospital before it's too late.

[Fred Locke]

Yeah, it isn't too late already.

[Philip Marlowe]

A mysterious Count de Baroni murdered for sure.

[Fred Locke]

A second unsuccessful murder attempt. And the third one, Is it successful or not? Well, we'll find out in the second.

[Philip Marlowe]

Act of tonight's story. And now, Act 2 of Time to Kill the bress of the Agent.

[Fred Locke]

Andy Archibald has just gone to the.

[Philip Marlowe]

Apartment of the beautiful Monica Manning. And Monica seems terribly nervous.

[Monica Manning]

Andy, they haven't found out about Mike.

[Christine]

Mike's burned the lid, baby. He spilled the whole story about you and him.

[Monica Manning]

What ended would be almost as bad as the bigamy thing. You promised to keep me out of this. It's your job.

[Christine]

It's getting to be too big a job. Honey child, how in the world did you ever happen to marry Mike?

[Monica Manning]

We were kids working at a Soda Fault.

[Christine]

Oh, yeah. Mike has a daughter by the name of Molly. I'd forgotten that your real name was Molly Manischewski.

[Monica Manning]

I don't know why I ever married Mike, Andy. I was so far above him, the Count recognised it. He took me to Europe when little Molly was only a couple of months old. You can see I had to skip. I'll catch you. I couldn't take the baby, of course. The Count educated me. He gave me everything. You can see it was the only logical thing for me to have done, can't you, Andy? It gave me the opportunities I needed. I had to do it. You can see that, Andy.

[Christine]

I can see you didn't give me the whole story, baby. Now, about the murder.

[Monica Manning]

Murder? What are you talking about?

[Christine]

With what you've done to Mike and that kid, I wouldn't put murder past you at all, Monica.

[Monica Manning]

Andy, you mustn't talk like that. You're my publicity man.

[Christine]

Look, Captain Regan's coming up here. He's on his way now.

[Monica Manning]

Well, tell him I don't know anything about it.

[Christine]

I'm afraid you'll have to tell him yourself, Monica. You should have told me when you were planning homicide. Maybe I could have covered up for you.

[Monica Manning]

I didn't kill the Count.

[Christine]

If I Were you? I wouldn't deny that the Count was causing trouble.

[Monica Manning]

Have you told Regan he was trying to blackmail me?

[Fred Locke]

No, but.

[Monica Manning]

Then I'll tell him. This shakedown, pure and simple. You know that. You can swear it.

[Christine]

I don't know whether that's so good or not.

[Monica Manning]

But why?

[Christine]

When they find the Count was taking a hundred thousand dollars from you to keep his wife from marrying that bigamy thing. Well, it wouldn't help you much on the murder rap, would it?

[Monica Manning]

I don't know, but I didn't kill him.

[Christine]

Maybe not, but you were the person who made the date with him to meet in Mike's club. You knew about it two hours early. You could have given him that poison, knowing it wouldn't take effect until he was at Mike.

[Monica Manning]

I didn't.

[Christine]

Are you sure you didn't think you could make it look as if Mike killed him out of jealousy?

[Monica Manning]

I never dreamed of such a thing. Mike isn't jealous. He hates me.

[Christine]

And there was just one other person who could blackmail you with this bigamy thing. The Count's real wife, Helena Veroni. And she had an accident. Only we got her to the hospital in time to save her.

[Monica Manning]

You really think I tried to kill her? That I killed a cult?

[Christine]

Cards are stacked against you, Monica. I'm asking you to give it to me straight. I can't help you unless you tell me what really happened. Maybe we can make it look like self defense.

[Monica Manning]

Self defense with the Count's poison does make me laugh.

[Christine]

All right, so it isn't self defense. The point is, you'll have to trust me if you want to get out from under that.

[Monica Manning]

Just a minute. This phone. Hello? Who? No, Captain Regan isn't here yet. What?

[Christine]

I'll take it.

[Fred Locke]

Hello? Yes.

[Christine]

You say the woman took that poison herself? But I can't believe.

[Fred Locke]

Oh, it wasn't poison.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Sleeping pill.

[Christine]

To make it look as if she'd been poisoned too. And she's admitted it. Wonderful.

[Monica Manning]

She did. She killed the Count and tried to throw suspicions away from herself by taking fleeces.

[Christine]

Quiet. Yes, yes, I'll tell Regan as soon as he gets here. Thank you. Goodbye.

[Monica Manning]

Now maybe you believe me, but why.

[Christine]

Would she kill a count?

[Monica Manning]

Are you fool? So she could get the money. The blackmail money I was paying. She was his legal wife.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Yeah.

[Fred Locke]

With the Count out of the way.

[Christine]

She'D get all the money.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

You'd get out.

[Monica Manning]

That must be Captain Regan off. Well, I met it for him. Captain Regan. Come right here.

[Fred Locke]

You act like you're glad to see me. Hi, Andy.

[Christine]

Hi, she is glad to see you, Regan, because we've broken your case for you. Helene de Varonis confessed that her poisoning was a hoax and she took sleeping pills.

[Monica Manning]

It clears up the whole thing. She had motive for killing the Count, his marriage to me, blackmail, money, revenge. It's so plain, so simple.

[Fred Locke]

I see what you mean.

[Monica Manning]

Oh, the phone again.

[Fred Locke]

Probably for me.

[Monica Manning]

Hello? What? Yes, he's here.

[Fred Locke]

Thanks. Hello? Oh, hospital. Yeah. What? You blundering fools. How? What? How long it. Well, I'll get there as fast as I can. Goodbye.

[Christine]

What now?

[Fred Locke]

Aleena Veroni escaped from the hospital, got her clothes and skipped out. Got past everybody. Come on. You go to the hospital and see what we can find out about it.

[Christine]

You go ahead. I'm going somewhere else.

[Fred Locke]

Where?

[Christine]

Maybe it's just a hunch, but I think I can find her. I'll check with you later.

[Fred Locke]

Okay, but stay out of trouble.

[Christine]

I'll certainly try to, Regan. Same to you.

[Monica Manning]

You can't keep me here, Regan. I've told you all I know. My career.

[Fred Locke]

Getting yourself out of a murder, James, more important than your career? Paying to count a hundred thousand dollars doesn't make you look too good.

[Monica Manning]

I paid him to keep my name out of a messy scandal.

[Fred Locke]

Expensive people you've been running around with. Oh, all right, Mike. I guess I don't have to introduce you to, do I?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

What's she doing here?

[Monica Manning]

I'm not any happier about it than you are. You did your best to get me.

[Pierpont Bowman]

Mixed into this, didn't you?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

What happens to you don't mean a thing to me, baby. Just so long as it's bad. After what you did to me and the kid, I.

[Monica Manning]

That was as much your fault as mine. Haven't I tried to help little Molly ever since I got back to America? I can do things far if you.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

She don't want your money. She thinks you're dead. And that's dandy.

[Monica Manning]

But, Mike, you're so wrong. One of the reasons I paid off the Count was to protect my name for little Molly's sake.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

And they pay you for that kind of acting in the movies? Boy, is it bad.

[Fred Locke]

Stop it, Mike. The murder took place in your bar. And a gun was found in the ventilator shaft. Nobody else had access to that ventilator.

[Philip Marlowe]

No.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Just as easy to get into that air shaft from the top as the bottom.

[Fred Locke]

Mike, I'm asking you a straight question. And you better give me a straight answer. Was Helene De Veroni ever in your club with the Count?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

She was there, but not with The Count? I didn't know who she was.

[Fred Locke]

Who was she with?

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Andy. He went and sat in a booth talking. I didn't pay much attention because Andy's always got some doll on the string. I see.

[Fred Locke]

Monica, what did Andy know about this blackmail business?

[Monica Manning]

Well, everything, I guess. I called him in when the Count threatened me. Andy was my go between to see that it was handled so there wouldn't be any publicity.

[Fred Locke]

Your go between? You mean you gave him the money?

[Monica Manning]

Yes, he handled everything.

[Fred Locke]

Then why the date to meet the Count in Mike's club? Wasn't that after the money had been paid?

[Monica Manning]

Yes. I didn't know the club was, Mike. As soon as I found out, I left.

[Fred Locke]

Why see the Count at all after you'd paid him?

[Monica Manning]

Andy said the Count insisted on it. He wanted to talk to me, I guess.

[Fred Locke]

Regan speaking. Yeah, Brannian. Where? Fine. I'll be out right away. Goodbye.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Now what?

[Fred Locke]

Looks like Helene de Veroni's bottled up. He was seen going into a cheap apartment house. We have the place surrounded by police. Come. Third floor.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

I hope she's here. You stay behind me, Monica. Maybe some shooting now, Ms. Hall. I wish it weren't so dark here.

[Monica Manning]

Well, I'm glad it is.

[Christine]

Come back here, you fool.

[Fred Locke]

Try to run out of me, will you?

[Christine]

I'll show you who to get smart with, Mar.

[Monica Manning]

You did, Andrew. And who has the money?

[Fred Locke]

Oh, no. You. This is it. Come on, Mike. Yeah, Locke. I might have known. Andy put down that gun. Take a look at the girl, Mike.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

He got her just as we broke in here.

[Monica Manning]

Oh, her dress. It's covered with blood.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Yeah, she's dead. You shoot to kill, don't you, Andy?

[Christine]

She was double crossing me. I was getting the money back for you, Monica. But Regan had to shoot me in the hand.

[Fred Locke]

Now, isn't that just dandy? You were getting the money back for Monica.

[Christine]

That's real touch. It's true. I discovered Helen de Veroni murdered the Count to get to get Monica's money for herself.

[Fred Locke]

So then you decided to murder Monica yourself.

[Monica Manning]

What?

[Fred Locke]

Andy had it all figured out. That gun in the ventilator shaft. Only he forgot one thing. Fingerprints. What? The gun had been let down from the hotel air shaft. Then Andy poked around the ventilator grill and got it adjusted to point toward the third bar stool. The only prints on the gun were Andy when you weren't there, Monica. He decided to make it look like somebody was trying to get him. He knew the gun would go off and there was nothing he could do about it.

[Christine]

You think I'd let a bullet come that close to me?

[Fred Locke]

I know it. The fingerprints sewed it up. But I ain't gave you your head to let you trip yourself up.

[Monica Manning]

It could have been Andy who gave Helene the sleeping pill.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

Yeah, and the poison that killed the cow.

[Christine]

Now it was a cinch. I went up to pay the count the money Monica gave me. And instead I told him she wanted to pay it in person. I told him about a new cocktail I could make for him. Didn't like it very well. Thought it tasted funny.

[Monica Manning]

But the gun. I still don't see why he had.

[Michael (Press Agent)]

To get you to keep the hundred thousand dollars. And he thought he could put the blame on me.

[Fred Locke]

But your timing was bad, Andy. You didn't expect the cops to show up till after the gun went off. Everything you did depended on time. But the poison acted on the count quicker than you expected. And Monica didn't stay for the date with the count.

[Christine]

I'd still have been all right if Helene hadn't crossed me up. I'd have had plenty of time to get away.

[Fred Locke]

Time. Well, you'll have time enough from now on. But it won't be time to kill.

[Narrator]

That's Case Closed for this week. You can find more from Philip Marlowe, Mystery House, this podcast and all of the other Relic Radio shows atthe website relicradio.com. there's thousands of podcast episodes to listen to there and a shoutcast stream with even more Old Time radio. If you'd like to help support this and all of that, visit donate. Relicradio.com or click on one of the support links. Your support makes it all happen. Thanks to those who have helped out. Thanks for joining me this week. Be back again next Wednesday with another hour of Case Closed.