Murder Clinic and Marlowe

Summary

Case Closed! – Episode Summary (Feb 4, 2026)

Featuring: "Murder Clinic: The Holloway Flat Tragedy" (Aug 18, 1942) & "The Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Mexican Boat Ride" (Jul 30, 1949)
Theme: Classic Golden Age crime and mystery—blind detective work and noir private-eye intrigue.

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Case Closed! revisits two gripping radio mysteries from the golden era:

• Murder Clinic: Max Carrados, the blind detective, unravels “The Holloway Flat Tragedy,” where sighted witnesses are misled, but the truth emerges from less obvious cues.
• Philip Marlowe: In “The Mexican Boat Ride,” Marlowe heads south of the border to uncover the secret behind a boat-hating woman caught in a web of murder and smuggling.

---

Part One: Murder Clinic

Story: "The Holloway Flat Tragedy"
Lead Detective: Max Carrados
[01:05–30:30]

Key Discussion Points & Plot

• Carrados’ Unique Ability:

  • Despite blindness, Carrados’ sharp senses and intellect expose what the sighted miss.
  • “On the contrary, it prevents me from being deceived by the obvious. I must rely on my other senses, which are more reliable, I assure you.” (Max Carrados, 01:32)

• The Case Arrives:

  • Louis Carlyle, Carrados’ friend, presents a peculiar letter from Albert Henry Polish, a nervous man claiming someone—Peter, a jealous foreigner—tried to murder him.
  • Polish staged his bed to fool his insomniac wife but returned to find the "dummy" in his bed stabbed.

• The Set-Up:

  • Polish wants help but refuses police involvement to avoid scandal and to protect his wife’s nerves.
  • Carrados and Parkinson observe him, noting details Louis overlooks—such as his distinctive glove and physical nervousness.

• Murder is Committed:

  • Days later, Polish is found dead, face slashed horrifically.
  • Mrs. Polish was out of town “on her sister’s insistence,” and the police focus on Peter, the foreign lover.

• Carrados’ Doubt:

  • Early skepticism prompts Carrados to ask about fingerprint verification, as the victim is barely recognizable except for a missing finger.
  • Search uncovers the damning bolster and sheet with knife marks, supposedly hidden after the initial attack.

• Red Herrings and Critical Senses:

  • The “sheet and bolster” reveal a crucial sensory clue:
    • “They were perfumed, my friend. They had been taken from her bed, not his. A small mistake, but a fatal.” (Carrados, 29:03)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Carrados Schools the Sighted:
  • “Medium average. A perfect picture… And what would you say, Parkinson?” (Carrados teasing Louis’ vague description vs. Parkinson’s detailed one, 09:57)
• The Blind Advantage:
  • “You forget, Mr. Knight, in the dark, it is I who can see. Without lights, they were playing in my backyard.” (Carrados, 27:25)

The Reveal

• Carrados lures the wife and her lover (posing as Polish) to a public place, arranges a blackout, and prevents a murder-suicide cover-up:
  • “If I hadn’t prevented it by catching her wrist, we’d have found the gun in his hand and the verdict might have been suicide. Resourceful, young lady, our Mrs. Polish.” (27:10)

---

Part Two: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe

Story: "The Mexican Boat Ride"
[30:30–57:39]

Key Discussion Points & Plot

• Classic Marlowe Intro:

  • “Get this and get it straight. Crime is a sucker’s road…” (30:30)

• Client with Shadows:

  • Carl Estabrook, bedridden, hires Marlowe to find out why his wife, Ona, with a known boat phobia, was seen on a fishing boat in Ensenada, Mexico (33:04).
  • Marlowe’s fee: $50/day + expenses, grudgingly accepted.

• On the Trail in Mexico:

  • Marlowe tracks Ona to her hotel patio; their encounter is tense and suspicious (37:19–37:49).
  • An attempt to tail her is interrupted by a threatening local, “Haiba the Crab,” (38:47), who warns Marlowe to leave town—hinting at a larger criminal operation.
  • Marlowe is roughed up, rescued by Lou Roman, an affable American fisherman.

• Deadly Complications:

  • Marlowe discovers Haiba the Crab stabbed with his own knife (44:31), indicating betrayal and shifting allegiances.
  • Tracking Ona, Marlowe is stymied by a language barrier with a hotel doorman before learning she’s headed to a fishing pier (46:48–47:40).
  • Marlowe has a violent confrontation with “Popeyes,” who turns out to be a Mexican customs captain undercover (49:52–51:32).

• Climax at the Pier:

  • Rushing to the fishing pier, Marlowe finds both Ona and Roman/Bentley about to escape by boat (54:09).
  • Ona confesses the chaos began with a swapped suitcase at customs; she was coerced, and Roman/Bentley killed the real Roman and forced her to act as if all was normal.

• Resolution:

  • Mexican Captain Descados reveals himself and arrests Bentley (55:32).
  • Ona is finally safe and plans to reconcile with her husband.
  • Marlowe reflects on mishaps, swapped luggage, and a close brush with international crime.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Marlowe’s Noir Monologue:
  • “It was a rare morning, clear and clean…the kind that knocks 10 years off your age…” (30:43)
• Foreshadowing Danger:
  • “You’re a reputable man. Just see that I get my money’s worth, Marlow, and you can keep the change.” (35:36)
• Humor amid Tension:
  • “I needed new huaraches.” (Marlowe’s wisecrack, 40:10)
• Twist and Reveal:
  • “On a hunch, Captain, and by positive identification—from you, Ona, when we were on the boat.” (57:02)
• Bittersweet Exit:
  • “Oh yes, I’d had just about enough for a while.” (Marlowe, 57:39)

---

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• “I must rely on my other senses, which are more reliable, I assure you.” — Max Carrados (01:32)
• “If I hadn’t prevented it by catching her wrist, we’d have found the gun in his hand and the verdict might have been suicide.” — Max Carrados (27:10)
• “Crime is a sucker’s road and those who travel it wind up in the gutter, the prison, or the grave.” — Philip Marlowe (30:30)
• “It was a day to be spent on an old open road to someplace new…But a phone call I received reduced my open road to Carmelita Avenue and nothing more exciting than Beverly Hills.” — Philip Marlowe (30:44)
• “Oh yes, I’d had just about enough for a while.” — Philip Marlowe (57:39)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:05] - Carrados explains his methods and introduces the Holloway case.
• [14:57] - Carrados calls for fingerprint verification, casting doubt on the supposed victim.
• [27:00] - The blackout sting at the Peacock Club reveals the true murderers.
• [30:30] - Philip Marlowe’s signature opening and introduction to the Mexican case.
• [38:47] - Marlowe’s confrontation with Haiba the Crab.
• [44:31] - Discovery of Haiba the Crab’s murder.
• [49:52] - Showdown with "Dolph Bentley," really a Mexican customs agent.
• [54:09] - Climax at the pier—truth about Ona and the criminal plot revealed.
• [57:02] - Marlowe explains to Descados how he identified Bentley.

---

Episode Takeaways

This double-feature exemplifies the golden age of radio crime:

• Carrados’ intuition as a blind detective uncovers what would be invisible to the ordinary person, subverting expectations.
• Marlowe’s relentless pursuit mixes hard-boiled style with international intrigue, mistaken identity, and classic noir motifs.

Both tales showcase how paying attention—whether to a nervous voice, a perfumed bedsheet, or a missing suitcase—can mean the difference between justice served and villainy concealed.

---

For Listeners

If you love classic detective logic and razor-sharp banter, this episode is a showcase of timeless genre mastery—where the twists are as sharp as the dialogue, and darkness always harbors the truth, waiting for someone to see.

Transcript

[Max Carados]

Foreign.

[Frank Knight]

This is Case Closed crime stories from the golden age of radio. Welcome back to Case Closed, your weekly hour of old time radio crime, which you can find every Wednesday at relicradio.com. if you'd like to help support this show, visit donate. Relicradio.com or click on one of the support links. The show notes got some downloadable sets for certain donation amounts, though any amount is always appreciated and helpful. My thanks as always to those who have helped out. Thanks for joining me. This week we'll begin our hour with Murder Clinic and hear their episode from August 18, 1942, titled the Holloway Flat Tragedy. After that, it's the adventures of Philip Marlowe and his story from July 30, 1949, titled the Mexican Boat Ride.

[Max Carados]

Murder Clinic. Stories of the world's great detectives of fiction, men against murder. Each week at this time, wor Mutual invites you to Murder Clinic where you'll meet one member of this select band in his most interesting case. The curtains part. In our amphitheater of mystery, all is dark, save for one brilliant spotlight. And out of the shadows comes Max Carados. Oh, Mr. Carados. Look out. Look out, sir. There's a step down there. May I help you? No, no, no, no, no. I can get along perfectly. Don't bother, Mr. Knight. I can see in the dark. Mr. Carados, I thought that you. You. You thought I was blind. Well, you're right, I am. But I'm lit pretty well, thank you. Yes, I see that you do. But tell me, don't you find your blindness an enormous handicap in your detective work? On the contrary, it prevents me from being deceived by the obvious. I must rely on my other senses, which are more reliable, I assure you. But Mr. Carrados, I really don't. Ah, you admit it. And yet you have eyes. Well, I shall try to convince your ears, my friend. Let me tell you the story of the Holloway Flat tragedy in which those who had eyes saw nothing. You may recall Louis Carlyle, my very good friend and associate. He was a private inquiry agent and often did me the honor of asking my help in some of his more complex cases. One morning I dropped in at his office. Parkinson was with me, of course. He has been my personal attendant and my physical eyes for many years. Louis was a bit bewildered by a letter that had arrived in the morning mail. What do you make of this letter, Max? It's certainly out of the ordinary run of my correspondence.

[Philip Marlowe]

Good.

[Max Carados]

Bond paper, letterhead engraved Albert Henry Polish, written by hand. I see. Let's see what he has to Say important. See you alone. Absolute Privacy. Will call. 10 o' clock tomorrow morning.

[Philip Marlowe]

Sign.

[Max Carados]

Ah, Polish. Gad, Max, how do you do it? I. I've seen it a hundred times. I still can't believe it. My dear Louis, why are things you can't see so mysterious to you? You wouldn't be surprised to watch me reading Braille, would you? Well, the ink on this paper is as clear as Braille to me. But to get back to this letter, your mysterious Mr. Polish says he's coming this morning. Perhaps I'd better go. I wish you wouldn't, Max. But he says here absolute privacy. Yes. Look, Max, I have an idea. Why don't you and Parkinson go into the next office and leave the door cracked just a bit so that you can listen in? This poorish affair might interest you. Yes, what is it?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Mr. Poe is to see you with the car now.

[Max Carados]

Ah, send him in in one minute. Yes, he's here now. Please, Mr. All right, Louis, if you wish it. Come on, Parkinson, let's go.

[Philip Marlowe]

Very well, sir.

[Max Carados]

Pull the door to, but not too close, Parkinson, will you?

[Philip Marlowe]

Yes, sir.

[Max Carados]

Coming in. Ah, that must be our Flynn Polish Now. Mr. Carlyle? Yes? Are you alone? Why, yes, Mr. Polish. I. I don't think he saw me. Come here. I was careful. Oh, come, come, Mr. Porridge, control yourself. What was it you wish to see me about, Mr. Carlyle? Someone is trying to murder me. Well, well, Parkinson, this promise is to be interesting. Why, dear Mr. Porridge, surely you. I know it sounds impossible, but I tell you, it's true. He's made one attempt in my life already. Who? Peter. Peter? I don't know his last name. He's a foreigner. Used to be engaged to the girl. The girl you wish to marry, Mr. No, no, nothing like that. I'm married already. Oh, I see. It's not what you're thinking. There's nothing between us, really. But you see. Well, my wife, she's a highly nervous woman, Mr. Carlyle. Insomnia and that sort of thing. As a matter of fact, we've had separate rooms for over a year now. Yes, I understand. Well, when Margaret, this girl, found out I was married, there was a scene, I suppose. Yes, most unpleasant. But nothing compared to what happened when she told her boyfriend. Peter. He tried to murder me. Are you quite sure of that, Mr. Bollock? Let me tell you what happened that night. After the row, I mean. I couldn't sleep. I was jumping. So I thought I'd go out for a bit and walk it off. So I got up, fixed A bolster and a pillow with my bathrobe over it in the bed. And then.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Excuse me.

[Max Carados]

Why did you do that? I told you, my wife's a highly nervous woman. Her insomnia. Oh, yeah? If she came in and throw my bed empty, she'd be likely to get hysterics or something. I see. Well, I fixed up this dummy in my bed and went out. I walked around maybe half an hour. When I got back and was coming up the stairs. We live in a block of flats. I came face to face with a man coming out. It was Peter. What did you do? I didn't do anything. When he saw me, he crowded back against the wall and gasped. Looked as if he'd seen a ghost. Before I could say a word, he dashed past me down the stairs and out of the house like a shot. And when I got up to my room, there with the bolster and the bathrobe, I left in the bed. Stabbed through and through with a knife. Somebody has driven a knife through what he thought was my body. Well, Mr. Porus, that's plain evidence of attempted murder. This is a police matter. Oh, no, no. That's just one I can't have. Think what it would mean. Visits, inquiries, cross examinations, explanations. The whole thing would come out. My home would be broken up, my whole life ruined. But what Can I do, Mr. Polish? What do you want? I can tell you what I don't want, Mr. Carlyle. I don't want to be murdered. And I don't want my wife to get wind of this in this affair. Well, Mr. Polish, I. I should advise your going away for a while. It's impossible just now. My business. Well, then, until you can, I should advise new locks on all your doors and your windows. That means locksmiths and more questions. My wife's nerves. Surely, Mr. Polish, that's carrying consideration a bit far. How did you account for the cut? Linen? The bolster? Oh, I've hidden them away in a drawer until I can buy another sheet and cover. I managed to sew up the bolster. Well, Mr. Polish, it's a unique problem. I don't see at the moment just how I can advise you. Come, Parkinson. This interview is practically over. Let's get out into the anteroom. I should like to see this foolhardy but devoted husband. Good day. Carlisle. It's been a great relief to me telling you about. I see that there's someone in the anteroom. Isn't there another way out? I don't want to be seen. Quite all right. Ms. Polish. Mr. Carados. He's blind. I'd like you to meet him. Blind, you say? Well, all right. Oh, Max, I'd like you to meet Mr. Polish. How do you do, Mr. Polish? Oh, yes, yes. Pardon my glove, won't you? You see, I'm missing part of the finger in my right hand and I'm sensitive about it. You needn't be, Mr. Polish. I found physical infirmities have their compensations. Oh, yes, I can see that. I mean, I Must be going, Mr. Carlisle. I'll get in touch with you if anything further develops. Goodbye, Mr. Polis. Goodbye, Mr. Polish. Goodbye. All right, Parkinson, you can come out from behind that screen. He's gone. Oh, come, come, Max. Why. Why this elaborate device? Surely I could have told you what the fellow looks like. All right, Louis, tell me, what does Mr. Polish look like? Why, Max, he's medium height, average weight. He's got sort of brownish hair and. I see, Louis. Medium average. A perfect picture. And what would you say, Parkinson? Mr. Polish is five foot nine, sir. He weighs in the neighbourhood of 11 stone six. His hair is light brown, several shades lighter than his brows. He has a small mole beneath the left eye. Clothing of good material, but not custom made. Glove on right hand only calf skin, I should say. No, Pinhol. Partisan enough. Incidentally, you know, he's quite the most nervous chap I've ever met. Yes, our Mr. Polish seems obsessed with nerves. Very interesting. You must let me know how the sequel to this morning's Prologue turns out. Now what I really came here to see you about, Louis. There's an auction of old Roman coins. Dendicott's next Monday. How about joining me for lunch at the club and going on to it afterwards? You. You couldn't resist that, Max, could you? Well, neither can I. All right, I'll be on hand. Next Monday it is. See you. A fine lunch match, I hope this.

[Philip Marlowe]

Auction will be better.

[Max Carados]

All the way. Flats. Isn't that the address of your remarkable caller last Thursday? By Jove, Max, it is. What was the fellow's name? Polish. I want. Here, boy. Boy. Me a paper, please. You're right, Max. It is Polish. Why, the poor devil. Found dead in his bed this morning. The room charwoman's gruesome discovery early this morning they shocking injuries. Hey, gabby, gabby. Scotland Yard. Good afternoon, Inspector Beadle. Well, Mr. Caridos. This is my nephew George, just promoted to the detective division. I am very glad to know you, Mr. Carados. My uncle, Inspector Beadle here, has been telling me a lot about you. Really? But now, uncle, hadn't we better be getting along to Holloway flat? Oh, so you're on the Polish case, Beetle. Right. Splendid. I think you'll be interested in what I have to tell you about this case. We'll take a cab and I'll give you the information as we drive along. And that's the yarn Polish told me not four days ago. Well, a bit of luck, I should say, Mr. Carlyle. Looks as if we got our murderer before we even start. Polish didn't happen to give you the name and address of this young lady, did he? No, no, Beadle. He left something for you to find out. That oughtn't to be hard, Uncle. Shop girl kept company with a foreigner, name of Peter. Right. Well, here's the Polish flat now. Pull over, driver. I'm Inspector Beadle, Sergeant. Is this the Polish house? Yes, sir. I'll take over now. Is this Mrs. Polish?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Yes.

[Max Carados]

I'm Inspector Beadle, Mrs. Polish.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Oh, won't you come in?

[Max Carados]

These men are my associates. We'd like to see the body of your husband.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Oh, it's unbelievable. Who could have done this terrible thing? My poor Albert.

[Max Carados]

He was so good and so kind.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

When I got the wire, Torquay. I rushed right back.

[Max Carados]

He wasn't at home when this happened, Mrs. Paulist?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

No, no. Albert had insisted I go down to Torquay, to my sister's for the weekend. Why did I go? If I'd only stayed, this never would have happened.

[Max Carados]

Now, ma', am, you mustn't disturb yourself. You just leave everything to us.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Oh, but I must be with him.

[Max Carados]

My Albert.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Albert.

[Max Carados]

Stop her. Inspector, don't let us see him. He's in a horrible state. Mrs. Police, you'd better. Oh, confounded. Sergeant, get her out of here. Come on, Mrs. Polly.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

All right, Lummy.

[Max Carados]

He is a nasty sight. I've seen dead ones before, but this. His face is slashed like a fancy loaf. Yeah. Looks like there's been a wild beast at work.

[Philip Marlowe]

Audible.

[Max Carados]

Well, Inspector Beetle. It fits him with what we know. What he told me himself. Revenge and rage and sheer bloodthirstiness. Inspector. Yes, Mr. Carrados? Are you sure the corpse is Polish? Why, I took it for granted, Mr. Carrados. Why do you ask? I'm always suspicious of these murders where the victim's face is bashed beyond recognition, that's all. You're right, Max. He's fairly unrecognizable.

[Philip Marlowe]

Wait.

[Max Carados]

Yes, yes, it's Polish, all right. See here, A finger missing on the right hand. Remember, Max? He told us about that when he shook hands. With you the other day in the office. Yes, I remember that very well. Nevertheless, Inspector, I'd compare our victim's fingerprints with those of Mr. Polish's if I were you. But, Mr. Caradas, we haven't Polish's fingerprints on them. My dear man, there must be literally hundreds of them around this room. Everything he touched must be covered with them. Of course, sir. Stupid of me. George, attend to that. Yes, sir. Oh, by the way, George, did you get the doctor's report? Yes, I did, Uncle. He says it must have happened sometime between Saturday midnight and early Sunday morning. The neighbors saw him come home after taking Mr. Mrs. Polish to the station Saturday afternoon. And they saw the Sunday papers and milk bottle outside his door. Sunday? He wasn't found till Mrs. Jones, the charwoman, came to clean up this morning. Where was this Mrs. Jones? Saturday, George. She says Mrs. Produce let her go early Saturday, Mr. Caridos, what with her going away to Torquay for the weekend. I see. Poor chap. If only he'd taken my advice about changing those locks. I say, Max, what are you doing there? I'm looking for that sheet and bolster he said he'd put in the bureau drawer after that first attempt on his life. That's a good point, Mr. Carados. Here, let George help you. Shirt pullover. Let's try the next drawer. Ah, here we are. This looks like them all crumpled up in the corner. Good. He said he'd hidden them. Yes. Here's the knife cut. Very, Mr. Carlyle. Very interesting, but no more than we expected. Let's get on. Coming, Mr. Carados? You go ahead. I'll join you in a moment in the living room. I'll just fold up this linen so it's tidy. You beat it. A blind man wanting things tidy as though he could see. I say, uncle, take a look at this. Here's where that Peter fellow must have come in. Here's marks on the windowsill. You're right, George. Easy as ring of roses. There's the balcony and the stairway window not a yard away. Unusual case, Inspector Beadle. This murderer seems to have gone out of his way to make things easy for you. It fits, Max. It fits. Blind, jealous rage didn't have the wit to cover his tracks. Too bad Polish didn't take my advice about changing the locks on his door and windows. Come in. Yes, what is it, Constable? Sorry to disturb your Inspector, but there's a chap out here with tools. Says he came to put in new locks. That's locking the stable door. All right, let's have him in.

[Philip Marlowe]

All right. You there.

[Max Carados]

The Inspector wants to see you. Oh, how are you, Mr. Inspector? Blimey, what's this? Never mind that, my lad. You're a locksmith, eh? Right, guv'. Nor. My name? Joseph Beaks, with a shop at Maidstone Crossing. Mr. Paul, he's asked you to come here and do some work for him. That's right. Come in. Friday, he did, polite as you please. Asked me if I work Saturdays. Not as a rule, I says. Told me he needed his locks fixed. Never you mind. Saturday closing, he says. I. Monday'll do. And now here I comes. One hour in the bus from my shop. It's hard lines, that's what it is. It's hard lines. That'll do, that'll do. Just get along with you now. Blimey. I'm called to do a job and then get bounced out of it. Oh, that's that. Just one more thing, Sergeant. Did you ask Mrs. Jones whether there'd been a fire in this grate recently? Yes, sir. Said there hadn't been one for weeks. I see. Then these ashes may be significant. Here, have a look, George. It looks like some paper's been burned. Not much left. Hey, what's this? Look, it's a bit of newspaper. Goodbye. Let's try a kind of printing. Why, it's Italian. Just one more sign pointing in the same direction. Peter. Yes, isn't it? Inspector Beadle, did anyone happen to notice if he had written C Parlor Italiano in red on the wall over the bed? Why, no, Mr. Carrados. I'll go look. Oh, no, George, don't bother. When you know Mr. Carrados as well as I do, you will understand that although there's always something in what he says, it's not always what you think it is. That's right, Mr. Carrados. Just why do you think the murderer might have written Italian spoken on the bed? Obviously, Inspector, to make sure you wouldn't miss it. You're right, Mr. Caridos. This peep Peter has been pretty helpful. Nothing to the case. Just a simple routine job of finding this shop girl and her Italian boy. Bulldog you are, Inspector. But I wonder, while you're pursuing this simple, routine job, would you do a favor for me? Why, of course, Mr. Caritas. Anything you like, if you think it will help find the murderer. Thanks, Inspector, that. Now, this is what I want you to do. Yes? This is Max Catadas. O George. Any news? Well, sir, we followed our party as you ordered. He left the house in the afternoon, took a bus to Kensington, stayed there in the park two hours taking a walk, then went right back and hasn't stirred since. Didn't talk to anybody, make any phone calls? No, sir. Nothing. I see. Any other news? Just that we checked the fingerprints. It was polish, all right. And Peter? No, sir. No report on Peter yet, but we are hopeful. Good chapter. Well, keep on with it, George. Nothing, sir. No sign of Peter? Nothing. Except one thing. There are three locksmiths in the vicinity. Excellent. But don't get discouraged, George. Keep at it. No, sir, nothing. It's been three weeks now, Mr. Carados. Shall we keep at it? By all means, George. It's absolutely vital. Absolutely. Hello, Mr. Carados. Yes, you are right, sir. Absolutely right. Ah, they're together now at the Pecos Club. I'm phoning from a booth in the anteroom. Don't let them out of your sight. No, sir, I won't. Be sure to stay there. Right, sir. I'll do that. Parkinson. Parkinson. Yes, sir. Parkinson phoned Mr. Carlyle and Inspector Beadle. Tell them to meet us in half an hour, then call a cab. Yes, sir. But. Pardon me, sir, but just where shall I tell them to meet us? Of course, Parkinson. Good man. I must be more excited than I thought. Tell them to meet us in the lobby of the Peacock Club. And tell them to be sure to wait in the lobby for me. Ah, Louie, you got here before me. Hello, Max. And Inspector. Be Mr. Carados. You called it to a turn. How you ever guessed it. Now, no time for that now, George. Is that inside? Yes, sir. At that table there, sir, where I'm pointing, see?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Oh.

[Max Carados]

Oh, I'm sorry. Sigh, I clean forgot that I'm blind. Never mind, George. That's the finest compliment you could have paid me. Now, what's happened so far? Well, as soon as we had them spotted, I talked to the manager. There was a little trouble, but uncle fixed that as soon as he got here. One of our own men took over the waiter's job at their table. They seemed careful when he was around. Just one thing he caught, though. When our man came up, she was saying something about there might even be a raid here to look for Peter the Italian. And then they both laughed. Yes, they would. I'm going in there alone. We can't hear of that, Mr. Carados. It's too big a risk. The man has a gun on him. We spotted that. These people are desperate. Dangerous it would be. Don't worry, Inspector. Believe me, I'll be safe. Just one thing. Keep your eyes on me. When I unloosen my Scarf. Throw that master switch in the fuse box. Turn out every light in the place. It's important. But Mr. Carados. I won't hear of it. I, I. Blast it. He's in there already.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

We'd better get to the theater. We'll be late. Do finish your.

[Max Carados]

There's no hurric. We've plenty of time.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Oh, do finish your coffee. Dick. I'm nervous here.

[Max Carados]

I still think it was a crazy stunt. Don't worry. It's over a month now and nothing. Why, good evening. Good evening. How pleasant to meet you again, Mr. Polish. Why, what do you mean? But of course, how stupid of me. I couldn't expect you to remember me, Mr. Polish. After all, we met only once. There must be some mistake. I never. Surely, Mr. Polish, you recall your visit to Mr. Carlyle's office? As you were leaving, I was sitting in the ante room. I told you there must be some mistake. My name is not Polish. But of course, how stupid of me. Oh, you must forgive me. You couldn't be Polish, could you? I remember now. I read somewhere that poor fellow was murdered, wasn't he? Was he? Yes. Terrible thing. But what an embarrassing mistake. You know, it's only the second time in my life it's happened to me. Mistaking a voice, I mean. You see, I'm blind. Oh, yes, miss, quite blind. And I've always prided myself on never forgetting a voice. And now here I am forgetting the first. You made your second mistake. So if you'll excuse me. Yes, it's all coming back to me now. How could I have forgotten? Why, only the other day Mr. Carlyle was telling me about that dreadful murder case. The police let him in on the little game they're playing. What little game? What do you mean? Well, I shouldn't tell you. It's in the strictest confidence, of course. But you've been so kind. Yes, yes. What little game? Why, this Peter. The Peter after thereafter.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

The Italian.

[Max Carados]

You mean they found him? Found him? That's just it. The police know there's no such person. Ridiculous. Why, all the evidence in the newspapers. Planted every bit of it. Imagine that. Why, they even know who did do it. You see, the police have discovered that the man who called on Carlisle that day wasn't Mr. Polish at all. He was the wife's lover. Mrs. Polish, I mean. That's very interesting. Yes, isn't it? You see, Polish's wife and her lover had planned to murder Polish all along. So he, the lover, I mean, went to Carlisle's Polish and spun a Yarn about some non existent Italian who'd already tried to kill him. Wasn't that clever of them to supply the police with a murderer they never could find? Why are you telling me all this? Well, I thought since I mistook you for Polish and all that you might be interested. But if I'm boring you. No, go on. Of course, it must have been the wife who planned the whole thing. She wanted the lover and her husband's money both. The police know that. But they can't do a thing about it. That is, till they find the lover. Of course, if they once find him, it's simple. They'll both hang. Unless the lover turns king's evidence. That will save his life? Of course. Good. Are you sure of that? Oh, absolutely. Dick, what are you thinking? But on the other hand, if they never find him, she's safe. Phew. By. It's warm in here, isn't it? Here, I must loosen this scarf. Give me. What do you call it?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Light.

[Max Carados]

Light. Look there. One side. There. Max. Max.

[Philip Marlowe]

Max.

[Max Carados]

Are you all right? Mr. Caridos, what happened? As you see, Inspector, Mrs. Polish has just shot and killed her partner in crime. You know, dead men tell no tales. If I hadn't prevented it by catching her wrist, we'd have found the gun in his hand and the verdict might have been suicide. Resourceful, young lady. Are Mrs. Polis. You devil, you.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

I could kill you.

[Max Carados]

No, no, my dear lady. You mean you would kill me. The two are not synonymous. Well, Mr. Carrados, that was a very pretty trap. A bit elaborate perhaps, but pretty elaborate? Yes, rather. Weren't you taking a chance personally and turning out the lights that way? Oh, you forget, Mr. Knight, in the dark, it is I who can see. I who have the advantage. Without lights, they were playing in my backyard. Yes, I can see how your blindness helped you there. But tell me this. How did you get onto them in the first place? I got my first clue to the truth because I didn't trust my eyes. Having no eyes to trust. You remember when we found that sheet and bolster case so beautifully hidden for us to find with the knife thrust in just the right place to bear out the story Louis heard? Yes, yes, but Beadle and Carlyle and George, they saw them too. Exactly. They saw them. But I. I smelled them. They were perfumed, my friend. They had been taken from her bed, not his. A small mistake, but a fatal. You have been listening to Murder Clinic. Wor mutual series which brings you each week one exciting case. One member from the select band of the world's Great detective. Tonight's detective was Mr. Max Carados and was played by Alfred Shirley. Louis Carlisle was played by Horace Braille. Original music was composed by Ralph Barnhart and conducted by Bob Scott Stanley. The tales told on Murder Clinic are adapted by authors Lee Wright and John A. Bassett. Murder Clinic is produced under the direction of Alvin Flanagan. This is Frank Knight speaking. This is the mutual broadcasting system.

[Philip Marlowe]

Get this and get it straight. Crime is a sucker's road and those who travel it wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave. This time I took a beating and gave one. The man who lived in the dark was afraid. Someone I never got to meet was murdered and a knife wielding crab was destroyed. All because a girl who hated the water took a boat ride in old Mexico. From the pen of Raymond Chandler, outstanding author of mystery, comes his most famous character and crime's most deadly enemy as we present the adventures of Philip Marlo. Now with Gerald Moore starred as Philip Marlow. We bring you tonight's story, Mexican Boat Ride. It was a rare morning, clear and clean. You know, the kind that knocks 10 years off your age and makes you taste the sunshine in your orange juice. It was a day to be spent on an old open road to someplace new and exciting. But a phone call I'd received had reduced my open road to Carmelita Avenue and nothing more exciting than Beverly Hills. The house I stopped at was one of those you enter through a tunnel of dank, overhanging foliage on a flagstone path grown green with damp moss. A low, thick walled affair with tiny barred windows hidden from the sidewalk. I pressed the bell, and a moment later a Sallow housekeeper opened the door with what seemed to be our last hounds of strength. She squinted at my card and beckoned me inside. I followed her down a dusky corridor to a heavy, closed door where she signaled me to wait. We air in the house smelled thick and stale. When she came out again, she held the door open for me and motioned me into a room full of darkness that became nearly complete when the door clicked shut behind me. All I could see was the vague form of a man in smoked glasses propped up on a bed across the room.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

There's a chair beside you, Marlow, if you care to sit.

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, thanks.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

I'm Carl Esterbrook, importer. You may have heard of me.

[Philip Marlowe]

No, I don't think so.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Well, no matter, Marlo, I have a peculiar problem. I want to know why my wife Ona, was on a boat day before yesterday off the coast of Mexico. If you could find out, that's all.

[Philip Marlowe]

You got to go on? I doubt it.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

No, there's a little more.

[Philip Marlowe]

Huh?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Ona and I plan to take vacation together. But when I was confined with this illness, we decided she should go on alone.

[Max Carados]

Oh.

[Philip Marlowe]

Then your illness is the reason for the midsummer blackout, huh?

[Max Carados]

Yes.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

If I expose my eyes to light at any time in the next few weeks, doctors promise me plenty of pain and virtual blindness. Oh, it's temporary, but tedious to mend. That's why I need a capable man.

[Philip Marlowe]

With sharp eyes to look into what, specifically?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

The paradox of my wife aboard a boat. She has a phobia about them. The mere thought of being on a boat makes her panicky. She drove to Ensenada, Mexico, earlier this week. But believe me, her plans did not include boat rides.

[Philip Marlowe]

Well, tell me, how'd you find out she was on one? She right?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

No, she hasn't written me at all, but that's not unusual for her. Friend of mine got back yesterday from a fishing trip down there. The day before, his boat passed another with a girl aboard. He got a good look at her, so sure that it was Ona that he hailed her. Girl turned and ran inside. Bothered him to the extent that when he got home here, he called me to find out if Ona was in Ensenada.

[Philip Marlowe]

Is that all?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

That's all. He didn't get the name of the boat.

[Philip Marlowe]

Look, you want me to go all the way down there just to find out if the girl he saw was Mrs. Estabrook?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Right. What is your fee, Marlowe?

[Philip Marlowe]

50 bucks a day, plus expenses. That's the minimum if I take the job. I don't think I will. Business gets so bad, I have to do divorce work. I'll quit and write my memoirs. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

No, no, sit down, Marlow. Ona and I have had our share of difficulties. True, she's quite a few years younger than I and used to be a dancer, but generally speaking, we're happy.

[Philip Marlowe]

Specifically, what?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

I'm worried about her.

[Max Carados]

Here.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

There's money in this envelope and a recent photograph of my wife. And there's more of both if the need arises. Incidentally, what kind of a day is it outside?

[Philip Marlowe]

Gorgeous.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Then you can drive. Only 250 miles. Yeah.

[Philip Marlowe]

By the way, how has the importing business been lately? Legitimately speaking.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

You do have a suspicious mind, don't you?

[Philip Marlowe]

Only when the situation calls for it. And this does? However, I can understand an imagination working overtime here in the darkness. Destabil. So I'll take your Money and go on down and Sonata and see if anything's wrong. But look, I'm giving you notice beforehand. Returns out to be family laundry and nothing more. I drop it.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

You're a reputable man. Just see that I get my money's worth, Marlow, and you can keep the change. I'll expect to hear from you.

[Philip Marlowe]

When my eyes adjusted to the dazzling glare outside, I looked in the envelope and picture of an impish dark haired woman and five $100 bills. For the first time I realized what Estabrook had meant by keep the change. But it didn't help my attitude even a little. By two o' clock I was on the road south. A late lunch in La Jolla with an old friend, a routine baggage inspection at the border, then 70 twisting miles of lonely road brought me to Ensenada just as the Mexican sun dropped into the sea. I drove past the piers and canneries at the edge of town, then along the curving shore to the only hotel elegant enough to meet the demands of the woman I figured on Estabrook to be. After I'd gotten a room and cleaned up, I went to the desk and asked for it. She was registered, had number 74, and at the moment was out on the patio. All of which sounded ridiculously normal. And I thought again of an imagination at work in a dark room back in la. I thanked the clerk in crippled Spanish and turned in time to catch the end of a long cold stare from a pair of frog like eyes that bulged out of an otherwise handsome head on a man in a gray gabardine suit. I didn't think my language had been that bad, but when Popeye followed me out onto the patio, I wasn't too sure. There was no mistaking owner Estabrook. She sat alone at a table in the far corner, a tall minted gin drink in front of her. So I put on my best tourist type smile and walked over. Well, own Estabrook. Is this a pleasure? Enjoying your visit?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Why yes, very much. But I don't think I know.

[Max Carados]

Me.

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, of course you wouldn't remember. My name's Marlowe. Philip Marlowe.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

No, no, I'm sorry, Mr. Marlowe, but I.

[Philip Marlowe]

You were a dancer, weren't you? Before your marriage, I mean.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Yes, I was a dancer. But you'll have to excuse me now. I'm expecting a friend. I hope you don't mind.

[Philip Marlowe]

Well, just one thing then, Mrs. Estabrook. Would you mind telling me why you were out on a boat day before yesterday?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

A boat?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Mm.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Why do you Ask that because you hate boats.

[Philip Marlowe]

You have a phobia about them. And yet you were seen aboard1 just two days ago. How come?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Well, I. How comes he love me? I've spilled the drink all over my skirt. Excuse me, I'll have to change.

[Philip Marlowe]

That. Manovo was a suffering as a bulldozer at work. When she spilled her drink, it was done desperately. And fear sent her running for the exit. I turned to follow her as she left the lighted patio and headed down a dark arcade. But a gray gabardine suit and a pair of popeyes slid out of a chair and beat me to it. I waited until their footsteps faded, which said they turned a corner. Then I started after them. It was strictly follow the leader. But I didn't realize how many were playing the game until a knife point stung at the sky. At the soft part of the back, about kidney high. Stop, senor. And don't cry out. Don't even say ouch. I turned and saw a mottled red face, ugly on a squat long arm body. The ivory handled knife in his hand could have clipped my spine in one easy thrust. You got a car here, senor? Come on, I speak English good. You got a car? Yeah, I got a car. What's it to you?

[Max Carados]

I am Haiba the Crab. It's latched to me.

[Philip Marlowe]

What's your pitch, buster? Come on, tell me. Martinez is for me to keep a sharp eye on things. To be sure something is not wrong. It looks to me like something is.

[Max Carados]

Wrong with you, senor.

[Philip Marlowe]

Who's Martinez?

[Max Carados]

You gonna play possum? Senor, this one is your car, huh?

[Philip Marlowe]

All right. Yeah.

[Max Carados]

Okay. I take first your one. Now, please, to get in. You going to drive?

[Philip Marlowe]

Believe it or not. You're making a big mistake, Krabby. Besides, what if I don't want to drive? You better want to drive, gringo, or.

[Max Carados]

I kill you right here. Go on, drive.

[Philip Marlowe]

Handle it.

[Max Carados]

See?

[Philip Marlowe]

Stop here. And now we get out. It's nice and quiet here on the beach. No? Walk over there to that old adobe wall. We're gonna have a talk there. It's gonna be dull, buster. We've got nothing in common.

[Max Carados]

Please, senor, don't make it hard on me.

[Philip Marlowe]

I don't know why you gotta come and mix everything up again when time is running out.

[Max Carados]

Why did you come?

[Philip Marlowe]

I needed new huaraches.

[Max Carados]

Look, senor, you think I'm ugly.

[Philip Marlowe]

You know, beauty, Crab, let's face it. See?

[Max Carados]

And I can act even uglier. Maybe I could go on the radio and make a big Hit? No. Or maybe I make the big hit on your face. Oh, don't try something, senor, or I kill you with your own gun. Now, take the root.

[Philip Marlowe]

You spoke to the senora about a boat. Why? I forget.

[Max Carados]

Who are you, senor?

[Philip Marlowe]

Private detective named Marlow.

[Max Carados]

Oh, a private detective. What, are you working for Dolph Bentley?

[Philip Marlowe]

I never heard of Dolph Bentley. Who's he?

[Max Carados]

You're lying.

[Philip Marlowe]

The senora knows him.

[Max Carados]

I heard her say Dolph Bentley won't make it tonight.

[Philip Marlowe]

He's lucky, see?

[Max Carados]

I tell you something else, he better not make it. Martinez is going to do business with one man only tonight. Now, you want to say something? No.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Then I'll say it.

[Max Carados]

You take what's going to be left.

[Philip Marlowe]

To your face back to Senor Bentley until I get out of Ensenada and don't come back. Wait a minute.

[Max Carados]

Wake up.

[Philip Marlowe]

Wake up. Stop the cray.

[Max Carados]

Come on.

[Philip Marlowe]

Who are you? Oh, it's you.

[Max Carados]

I'll kill you.

[Philip Marlowe]

Take it easy, will you? You're in good hands now, Marlow. I'm a fellow American. You know, you're pretty lucky, you know that? Yeah. Oh, sure, yeah. Let my pal go. Him? Oh, I chased him off. You know, it's a wonder he didn't put a knife in you. These fellows are mean with knives. This guy was no slouch with a gun, but either. Hey, where'd you come from, anyway? Down the beach a ways. I just finished working on my boat and I was taking a walk and I heard the commotion. Came over to see about it. This guy was beating you up, so I yelled and started for him, but he ran. Oh, is that right? I'm glad somebody stopped him. Thanks very much, Mr. Roman. Oh, Lou Roman's my name.

[Max Carados]

Yeah.

[Philip Marlowe]

I'm pleased to meet you. Mono.

[Max Carados]

Thanks.

[Philip Marlowe]

You know me? Well, yes, I. I took the liberty of looking in your wallet to see that devil had robbed you. It doesn't seem so, though. Yeah, I guess I got here just in time. You're a private investigator, I see. Working on a case now? Debatable. So far, the case is working on me. Like to find a guy named Dolph Bentley, though. Dolph Bentley? Yeah, yeah. Guy who beat me up. Had the idea that I was. Ooh, I was hired by Dolph Bentley. Did you ever hear of him?

[Max Carados]

No.

[Philip Marlowe]

No, and I come down here every year to fish, too. Know a lot of folks around here, but I never heard of that one before. Why are you after him? Well, he's. He's tied up in Some way to the crab, who seems to work with another guy named Martinez. Who in turn is gonna do some business of some kind tonight. With somebody other than Dolph Bentley, I don't know. And it's all connected for some screwy reason with a woman who took a boat ride the day before yesterday. Well, what about that? The woman being on a boat, I mean. Oh, well, she can't stand boats. She's afraid of.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Oh, my head.

[Max Carados]

Wait, wait.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Here.

[Philip Marlowe]

Thanks. I better get you some first aid right away. That's a good idea. Always smoke my car and I'll. Relax, relax. It's right over there.

[Max Carados]

Come on, let me help you out.

[Philip Marlowe]

All right, easy now.

[Max Carados]

Easy. That's it.

[Philip Marlowe]

Now I'll drive you. Where are you staying? At the hotel? Yeah. Thanks, Roman. I'm still busy. Easy. I got you. I gotta get back there. I gotta find that girl. Cause she's up to her hair doing a very nasty mess. Listen, Marlow, if I can help in any way, let me know, will you? You know, us Americans have to stick together in a place like this.

[Max Carados]

Right.

[Philip Marlowe]

That's it. Come on, let's go. Lou. Roman. A hail fellow was indeed well met. He found my gun and drove me back to the hotel. A long hour had gone by since owners to brook had run from the patio, followed by the popeyed character in the gabardine suit. I tried our room, checked with the desk again. And from there spent 30 minutes peering into corners and balconies and getting nothing but indignant glares for Mexican lovers. So I left the building and started through the grounds. I worked my way from the stables up into a secluded garden deserted by all but a marble statue of Montezuma. When I passed him, groaned in the dark. At my feet lay haid by the Crab, his mottled face twisted into a tortured grin of agony. And sticking straight up just above his belt buckle was the white ivory handle of his own knife.

[Max Carados]

Crab.

[Philip Marlowe]

Crab. Who was it? Who got you?

[Max Carados]

I am sorry. What I did.

[Philip Marlowe]

Never mind that. Who did this? Do you know? Now get a Dr.

[Max Carados]

Martinez. That doll is crab.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah. In just a moment, the second act of Philip Marlowe. But first, when you're 65, if you have worked in business or industry, call any office of the Social Security Administration for information about your old age and survivor's insurance. The account number that appears on the Social Security card identifies your wage account. The amount of retirement and family insurance that may be payable is set by this account. Now with our star, Gerald Moore, we return to the second act of Philip Marlowe and tonight's story, the Mexican boat ride. Even as the life trickled out of the ugly little man called Haiba and his face, which had been not a tighten pain, went slowly limp and he was still. I knew that I'd have to get next to Dolph Bentley before the importance of owner Estabrook aboard a fishing boat off Ensenada would make any sense. Also, I knew that there was a good chance that said Mr. Bentley and the gentleman in Greg Aberdeen, known to me as Popeyes or one and the same. So I started back for the hotel. But halfway there I stopped at the sight of a figure ahead scampering toward an all alone taxi parked near the main entrance. It was owner Estabro. I took off after it when she was in the cabin, away before I could get close enough to do any good. I tried the next best thing, which was the sombrero doorman nearby, who I figured might have heard the address she'd given the driver. Yeah, but what I didn't figure was that the doorman might not habla much English. The senora Esterbrook. Si, senor. Her enters libre a minute ago. Yeah, yeah, that's right. I know that. Now look. Where did her go? Which way? In the.

[Max Carados]

Libre. Libre. Un momenta, senor.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Libre.

[Philip Marlowe]

No, amigo, I don't want a taxi. No libre.

[Max Carados]

No libre.

[Philip Marlowe]

None whatsoever. Now, please, come here. Let's. Let's back it up a little, huh? Senora Estabrook in libre.

[Max Carados]

Right.

[Philip Marlowe]

Okay, now where did she go? What direction? Que direction?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Oh.

[Philip Marlowe]

The senora. Que direction? Comprendo? Esterbrook.

[Max Carados]

Go to the pier. The. The fishing spear.

[Philip Marlowe]

Which one? Which fishing spear? There you go.

[Max Carados]

This small pier, senor. The little one near the big canary. The fishes canner.

[Philip Marlowe]

That's all I want to know. Gracias, amigo.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

And.

[Max Carados]

Oh, senor, what are you seeing?

[Philip Marlowe]

I'm not sure, but even if I were, I wouldn't be able to explain it to you. Buenos noches, pal. Thanks a lot. I had been seeing at the silhouette of a man huddled close to the ground and slinking out from a hotel along a high hedge that led back toward the statue and the body of a. A man who I knew could be the elusive Popeyes. I followed the walk that was close into the hotel until I was on a line with a hedge and I started after him fast. I still had a good 2 yards to go when he heard me and pivoted. So I swung first. Roman. Wait a minute. Hold it. Gee, it's me. Marlow. I'm sorry. Holy smoke. I. I thought you were someone else.

[Max Carados]

Gargantua, maybe.

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, I'm sorry. What'd you hit me with? I have everything I had. I figured you were Dolph Bentley, and as such, Roman, I didn't want you to get away with murder. Literally.

[Max Carados]

Murder.

[Philip Marlowe]

Hey, not that girl you mentioned. Model on Estabrook.

[Max Carados]

No, no, no.

[Philip Marlowe]

The corpse is that item you sigged away from me over in those ruins. Somebody got to him with his own knife. There, near the statue. Aha. Then I was right. I did see someone move over there. Well, yeah. A couple of minutes ago. Marlow. I was on the balcony outside of my room at face of the garden here, you see. And when I saw you run for the main entrance, I had a feeling that you might be in trouble again.

[Max Carados]

So I came on down here.

[Philip Marlowe]

Well then what happened? Well, I was about to call out to you when I heard some noise over there near the statue. It was a man. He was running away fast, heading toward those stables. A man wearing gabardine. Maybe tan, maybe gray. Maybe Dolph Bentley. Thanks, Roman. You've been a big help. When you get back to the hotel, tell him about the dead man, will you? I gotta run. Stable was a robust left fielder's pegged to home plate from where we'd been standing. So by the time I got there, I was out of breath and facing nothing more important than thick darkness, a lot of hay and a couple of horses who couldn't sleep nights talking things over until I moved around a corner past the stalls and close to the half open door of a shack marked both Cabina telephono and the equivalent in English that showed a single unshaded light. That a man standing alone next to a telephone writing something on the back of an envelope. He was wearing a gray gabardine suit. And when he lifted his Popeyes from the paper in front of him, I knew the next move had to be mine. 38 in all. Let it go, buster. Keep your hands close to your sides.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Just as you say, senor. I'd be a fool not to obey.

[Philip Marlowe]

You're so right. A dead fool. So keep that in mind while we chat, won't you, Mr. Bentley.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Bentley?

[Max Carados]

Uh huh.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

How did you find out who I am?

[Philip Marlowe]

It was easy. All I had to do was listen to a dying man's last two words. When I asked him to name his murderer, he said, Dolph Bentley. Any comment? Yes.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

You know a lot, senor.

[Philip Marlowe]

Don't resent it, friend. I learned it all the hard way. Don't move, Bentley.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

I was only changing my position.

[Philip Marlowe]

Which will be prone if you try it again. What do you know about this whole mess in an American girl named Ona Estabrook, who I figure is no mobster.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Nothing.

[Philip Marlowe]

You're a liar, Bentley. Which brings me to the point. One, why the pressure on the girl? And two, what's so important about her taking a ride on a fishing boat? Come on, brother, it's getting late for a murderer. Start talking straight the first time out.

[Max Carados]

All right.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

I'll start with a question, senor. How does all this concern you? You gain a percentage if the smugglers are not interfered with, perhaps.

[Philip Marlowe]

We were talking about the girl, remember?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Yes, I remember. But you see, senor, I have little to offer.

[Max Carados]

Right.

[Philip Marlowe]

How little?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

A single observation. In your country, senor, people who do not mind their own business are called nosy. Here in Mexico we have another term.

[Philip Marlowe]

Which means what?

[Max Carados]

Jackass, senor.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Who, unlike the cat, cannot see in.

[Philip Marlowe]

The dark, but can try his best. Bentley.

[Max Carados]

No gun, senor.

[Philip Marlowe]

Okay, amigo, no gun but this arsenal. When Bentley met the floor and went out cold, I sagged to one knee. Stayed that way until the air rushing into my lungs quit sounding like sandpaper over a drum head. Then I got back to my feet and turned on a bracket lamp on the other side of the room. I opened Bentley's jacket, slipped his.32 automatic out of its shoulder holster, emptied the clip and stopped dead at the shimmer of light dancing on polished silver that I hadn't expected. It was a badge below his shoulder holster and pinned to his vest. Republic of Mexico, Department of Customs Captain. I made a dive for the envelope near the telephone. On the back there was writing in thick pencil, which I finally figured to mean Fishing pier near Cannery. 2am Inside, nothing on the front. Further proof that I never met Mr. Darth Medley at all. But instead it tangled hard, like with one. Captain Juan Descartes, Intelligence Section, Custom building, Mexico City, Mexico. While trying to revive Captain Descartes, the truth rammed into my mind. Owner Estabrook had rushed off for the pier near the cannery. Captain Descartes had noted is a good place to be at 2 o' clock in the morning, which was less than 20 minutes away and a great time for me to get to my car and the pier.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

It won't work, senor.

[Philip Marlowe]

You're a bright boy. Thanks.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Do you like the job on the car, seor? I think it shines well for the 8 pesos you owe me.

[Philip Marlowe]

Nobody asks you to bother, Junior, but I'll See you later. Right now I gotta run, huh?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

For 8 pesos, $1, you can write. Senor, I'll replace the distributor cap.

[Max Carados]

What?

[Philip Marlowe]

Come here, you.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

But senor, it was very dirty all over. Inside too. The steering wheel, black as can be. Look, I ruined my best drag cleaning.

[Philip Marlowe]

That's tough. Now give me that distributor cap or you'll be the saddest pair of dark eyes between here and the Panama Canal.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Senor.

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, never mind.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Here, you pay me the dog.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just put the cap back where it belongs. Quick, will ya? I'm in a hurry. Well, come on, let's go, let's go, let's go. A precious 60 seconds ticked off before I was out of the parking lot and driving fast toward the fishing pier near the cannery, where I knew I was finally going to get next to Dolph Bentley and if I made it in time, prevent another murder. When I screeched to a stop away from the pier, piled out of my car and ran the length of the oil soaked planking to where a single boat was making ready to cast off, I saw one of the two persons aboard. The small catch was owner Estabrook. The other was Lou Roman, haughty American fisherman. When I stepped aboard, our hunch hit me right between the eyes. I pulled my gun and pointed it an inch above his waist. What are you doing here, Marlow? I might ask you the same question, Roman. Or do I call you Bentley from here on out?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Marlo. You know, now he can't kill me now. I don't have to be afraid of him anymore. Marlo. Thank goodness you got here in time.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah. Hooray. The marines have landed in the form.

[Max Carados]

Of a private army.

[Philip Marlowe]

Cut it out, Bentley, and don't move. Ono, what do you mean about being afraid? What's your connection with this?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

It was an accident, Marlow. A mix up in our baggage. Lou Roman and I both happened to stop for customs inspection at the border at the same time and our suitcases were switched. I didn't notice it at the time, but when I got to the hotel, I discovered the mistake and went to Roman's room to correct it.

[Philip Marlowe]

Instead, you found Bentley here posing as Roman, right?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Yes. He killed him, Marlow. He told me he did.

[Philip Marlowe]

That's a dirty lie. Roman's all right. He's in Chicago.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

No, he's not.

[Max Carados]

He's dead.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

You killed him someplace between here and Tijuana, Marlowe. He said I'd get the same treatment if I opened my mouth.

[Philip Marlowe]

Then he's the one who Forced you to go out on that boat yesterday. Stay back, Bentley.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

So that people wouldn't be suspicious. He made me appear at the hotel. In the patio there, at the restaurant.

[Philip Marlowe]

Why didn't you run?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

I couldn't. He wasn't around. Another man was. Horrible man with large eyes that never left me.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah. So why don't you drop it, Myrtle? No sale, Bentley. You see, I know that the horrible man with the large eyes can't be one of your henchmen. His badge says so.

[Max Carados]

What badge?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

He's an officer. Model.

[Philip Marlowe]

Yeah. Captain. Owner. Give up, Bentley.

[Max Carados]

You had better.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

There are too many men ready to take you.

[Philip Marlowe]

Descados. Where'd you come from?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Oh, I have been here quite a while. But your story was so interesting, I just couldn't interrupt.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

When Milo took you for Dolph Bentley, Captain to Stardust, you played along because you didn't know who he was. Is that it?

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Yes, senora. And I did not find out until I heard Bentley call Marlow a private eye.

[Philip Marlowe]

You're not mad at me, Captain, huh? Even though I bungled your plan to capture Martinez? And not to mention our little meeting at the stables.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Senor, do not say that you bungled the job of catching Martinez. It was more a matter of priority. Poor favor, senora.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

De tacos. Course. Here you are.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

You see, Senor Marlo, I am certain that one day I will catch Martinez. But not at the cost of letting a murderer kill again. But, Senor Marlow, there is one thing that puzzles me. The murder of the one known as Haiba.

[Philip Marlowe]

Oh, Martinez henchman. Well, you see, Captain, he knew that a man named Dolph Bentley was mixed up in this because he'd overheard Ona and her keeper then call Lou Roman talking about him. He wanted to know more. Also, he couldn't figure who I was.

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

So he beat you up.

[Philip Marlowe]

Correct. Bentley, of course. Only saved my life because it was an easy way to find out just how much Haiba did know. After which, he got to him. Enough.

[Albert Henry Polish / Carl Esterbrook / Various Male Characters]

Not quite, senor. There is still one thing. How did you know that Lou Roman was actually Bentley?

[Philip Marlowe]

On a hunch, Captain, and by positive identification. From you, Ono, when we were on the boat. But now it's my turn. I got a question for you, honey. Have you had enough vacation?

[Mrs. Polish / Ona Estabrook / Various Female Characters]

Matter of fact, Marlow, I wired my husband just before we came in to eat. I said the change didn't your world good. Be home tomorrow to stay. Love always. Well, Captain, will you pass the tacos, please? They're awfully good, really.

[Philip Marlowe]

It was late the next afternoon and owner Estabrook was already gone when I checked out of the hotel, said goodbye to Captain Dos Cartos, and headed north for the border, where two hours later I stopped for customs inspection of my baggage. It was dark and I was only 50 miles from Los Angeles before I realized exactly what that inspection had meant. Because it was then, for the first time, that I noticed the little cowhide suitcase on the seat next to me, which should have been mine, was tagged differently, the name and address of a man who lived in Long Beach, California. I got there. I kept driving. I knew I could ship it to him and ask for mine in exchange when I got home. Oh yes, I'd had just about enough for a while. The Adventures of Philip Marlowe Bringing you Raymond Chandler's most famous character and crime's most deadly enemy star Gerald Moore and are produced and directed by Norman McDonnell. Script is by Mel Danelli, Robert Mitchell and Gene Levitt. Featured in the cast were Mary Shipp, Harry Bartel, Nestor Piva, Bill Boucher, Ralph Moody, Bill Shaw and Jerry Farber. The special music is written by Richard Arant. Be sure and be with us next week when Philip Marlowe says It started with death on my doorstep and got worse when I lied to a sympathetic bull, was pistol whipped by a gorilla with dimples, and fought with a kitten on the keys. And it might have gone on that way all night if I hadn't been helped by the King of the be. This is cbs, the Columbia Broadcasting System.

[Frank Knight]

That's going to do it for Case Closed this week. You can always find more from this podcast and all of the Relic Radio shows at the website relicradio.com we've got a shoutcast stream there as well with even more old time radio lots to listen to, all made possible by your support. Thanks again to those who have helped out over the 19 years we've been doing this. And thanks for joining me today and listening for the 19 years we've been doing this. I'll be back next week with another hour of Case Closed.