This Is Your FBI and Nick Carter

Summary

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Case Closed! – July 15, 2026

Overview

This episode of Case Closed! by RelicRadio.com features two classic crime stories from the golden age of radio: an episode from This Is Your FBI ("The Ambitious Widow") and a case from Nick Carter, Master Detective ("The Body on the Slab, or The Mystery of the Missing Husband"). Both stories delve into intricate criminal plots involving theft, murder, and deception, highlighting the era’s fascination with law enforcement heroes and cunning adversaries. With vivid performances and suspenseful storytelling, listeners are transported back to a time when radio reigned supreme as the source of gripping crime drama.

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Segment 1: This Is Your FBI – "The Ambitious Widow"

Main Theme

A tale of post-Prohibition river piracy and the shifting roles of criminal masterminds—this time, featuring a woman, Nan Mercer, who steps into the void left by her deceased husband to lead a daring theft operation.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

The Crime Wave and Citizen Vigilance

• [01:58] The episode opens on a sobering note about crime waves and society’s need for “eternal vigilance.”
  • Quote: "There have been many wise and practical suggestions ... but of them all, only one was an absolute preventative. That one was eternal vigilance." – Narrator [02:00]

Lou's Funeral and Nan's Plan

• [03:24] Lou Mercer’s funeral introduces Nan, Lou's widow. She shocks former gang members by immediately stating her intent to continue and expand their criminal enterprise—using a boat to raid piers for valuable cargo.
  • Quote: "I bought a boat ... So many piers near there to steal from." – Nan [04:44]
• Nan quickly rallies Lou’s old associates to her cause, revealing a clear, calculated leadership.

The Silk Heist

• [07:00] Nan organizes her first job: stealing $30,000 worth of silk from the docks. The plan is meticulous, with Nan emphasizing caution and speed.
• The heist proceeds, with a watchman nearly catching them but ultimately being incapacitated.

The FBI Investigation Begins

• [08:46] Special Agent Jim Taylor teams up with Elliot Sheridan to investigate the daring theft.
  • Focus: Methodical police work—alerting docks, monitoring wholesalers, and banking on the watchman’s eyewitness testimony.

Gang Tensions and Betrayal

• [10:13] Tension within the gang grows after payouts are unequal. The men realize Nan took a substantial share, causing friction.
  • Quote: "Guess there's always trouble when you work for a dame." – Ted [11:05]

The Murder of Hank Davis

• [14:42] Pay disputes escalate—Nan is confronted and responds lethally. Ted discovers Hank dead in Nan’s cabin.
  • Quote: "He looks dead." – Ted [14:42]; "He sure is." – Nan

Gender and Crime

• [17:15] The narrative takes a sociological turn, discussing women’s increasing roles in crime and dispelling myths about their abilities.
  • Quote: "There is virtually no crime or method of operation too difficult for the lady criminal ... in this field, too, women have definitely proven that they are not the weaker sex." – Narrator [17:24]

Escalation and the Final Sting

• [20:48] Nan readies her next job, even mounting a machine gun on the boat and arming Ted for possible confrontation.
• [24:13] The FBI sets a trap—agents coordinate in boats along the river to catch the gang red-handed.
  • Quote: "There are about 10 men aboard. It's now pulling away from the dock." – Jim Taylor [24:13]

The Takedown

• [25:32] The sting unfolds as law enforcement closes in. While Nan orders Ted to the machine gun, panic breaks out, and the police overwhelm the gang. Nan herself is captured after a dramatic struggle at the weapon.
  • Quote: "No dice. They're right on top of it ... I'll handle it myself." – Nan [26:01]

Aftermath

• [26:34] The gang is sentenced. Nan faces trial for murder as well as the thefts; police-FBI cooperation is credited for the operation’s success.
  • Quote: "Nan Mercer was turned over to local authorities to be placed on trial for murder. And thus, another band of criminals was broken up..." – Narrator [26:34]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Leadership and Ambition

  • "I'm keeping the boat at 14th Street, Hank, for very good reason. So many piers near there to steal from." – Nan [04:59]

• On Gender in Crime

  • "There is virtually no crime or method of operation too difficult for the lady criminal." – Narrator [17:24]

• On Justice

  • "Every means of communication and transportation is being used to narrow the circle around the criminal and to keep narrowing it until he is trapped, arrested and convicted." – Narrator [27:20]

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Segment 2: Nick Carter, Master Detective – "The Body on the Slab, or The Mystery of the Missing Husband"

Main Theme

Detective Nick Carter takes on the case of a missing husband, navigating a labyrinth of betrayal, faked deaths, and life-and-death peril—all leading to a dramatic confrontation with a perfidious “friend.”

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

The Disappearance and Initial Investigation

• [30:08] Mrs. Wallace hires Nick Carter, worried by the sudden disappearance of her husband, Vernon, after visiting a notorious gambling house.
  • Quote: "But Mr. Carter, it isn't just anybody who's disappeared. It's my husband." – Mrs. Wallace [30:15]

The Tavern and the Trap

• [32:14] Carter visits Peg Leg Bill’s shady gambling den, aiming to replicate Wallace’s fate and find clues.
• Sensing a setup, Carter outwits an attempted drugging and murder, securing evidence from the scene.
• [34:56] Carter reveals: "I just poured that drink you gave me on the floor instead of down my throat." – Nick Carter

The Taxi Racket

• [39:03] Carter tracks the cab driver who ferried Wallace, learning of a scheme where intoxicated victims are put to sleep with ether and robbed (or worse).
• [42:00] The cab driver’s boss is revealed as “the Captain,” later identified as Burnett.

The Crematory Conspiracy

• [45:11] Carter and his assistant follow leads to a crematory where Wallace was to be disposed of—alive—by Burnett and his accomplice.
• Detailed steps of their plans to burn Wallace alive, paralleling the period’s penchant for elaborate, macabre schemes.

The Twist: Double Deception

• [49:44] Burnett, feigning assistance, reports Wallace’s (supposed) death, aiming to win Mrs. Wallace’s affection and inheritance.
• Carter uncovers that Burnett staged the entire series of calamities, including orchestrating a fake rescue during a kidnapping to win Louise Wallace’s gratitude.

Final Confrontation & Reveal

• [55:00] Nick Carter exposes Burnett’s guilt—both in financial ruin and attempted murder, including his plan to eliminate Wallace and claim Louise for himself.
  • Quote: "He's been lying to you for years, Mrs. Wallace ... Everything Burnett's done has been to make you despise your husband and turn instead to him." – Nick Carter [55:16]
• The reveal of blank bullets in Burnett’s revolver cements the faked rescue: "These are blanks. They couldn't hurt anybody." – Carter [56:24]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Survival & Cunning

  • "Well, this is interesting. Old clothes. Here's a vest with blood on it." – Nick Carter [34:59]
  • "I just poured that drink you gave me on the floor instead of down my throat." – Nick Carter [34:56]

• On Betrayal

  • "Arthur Burnett told you a great many things that were not true." – Nick Carter [55:00]
  • "He's been in love with you ever since he first met you. And ever since your marriage to Wallace, he's been insanely jealous..." – Nick Carter [55:57]

• On Evidence and the Sting

  • "This pistol has eight shells in it. Burnett fired five shots at us, but there are still three shells left. And here they are ... blanks." – Carter [56:24]

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Timeline of Key Moments

| Timestamp | Segment | Key Event | |-----------|---------|-----------| | [04:59] | FBI | Nan reveals criminal intent at Lou's funeral | | [07:00] | FBI | Silk theft orchestrated by Nan | | [10:13] | FBI | Gang tension over uneven payouts | | [14:42] | FBI | Murder of Hank Davis | | [24:13] | FBI | FBI prepares the sting on the river | | [25:32] | FBI | FBI agents close in; Nan is arrested | | [30:08] | Nick Carter | Mrs. Wallace seeks Nick's help | | [34:56] | Nick Carter | Nick outsmarts Peg Leg Bill's murder attempt | | [42:00] | Nick Carter | Cab driver reveals link to Burnett | | [45:11] | Nick Carter | Nick and assistant tail Wallace to crematory | | [49:44] | Nick Carter | Burnett’s fake sympathy; hidden plot | | [55:00] | Nick Carter | Nick Carter exposes Burnett and the entire plot |

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Summary & Tone

Both segments showcase taut, dialogue-driven crime fiction, marked by sharp exchanges, clever investigations, and classic tropes of golden-age radio mystery. The stories highlight shifting roles (especially women’s criminal agency in “The Ambitious Widow”) and the timeless appeal of cool-headed deductive heroes (Nick Carter, the G-men). The tone is brisk, suspenseful, and occasionally darkly humorous, with no-nonsense lawmen and calculated, ruthless criminals set on a collision course.

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For First-Time Listeners

This packed episode is a time capsule of classic radio crime drama: you’ll encounter bold criminal plots, period details about law enforcement and society’s anxieties around crime, and larger-than-life personalities. The stories move quickly, with twists and reversals that keep both investigators and audience guessing.

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Next Episode Promos:

• This Is Your FBI: "The Diamond Studded Double Cross" [28:16]
• Nick Carter: "The Drug Ring Murder, or The Mystery of the Left Handed Killer" [58:17]

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Podcast details, advertisements, and sponsor messages omitted as per instructions.

Transcript

[Ted]

This is case Closed Crime stories from the golden age of radio.

[Narrator/Announcer]

The equitable life assurance society presents this is your FBI. This is your FBI. The official broadcast from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Presented as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. Rain isn't the only thing that can ruin a summer vacation. Worry is another worry about the financial future of your family. Well, why not slip some of that burden onto the broad shoulders of the Equitable Life Assurance Society? The Equitable shoulders have the combined broadness of nearly 4 million members who have joined forces to protect one another. For the peace of mind the that only well planned life insurance can give. See your Equitable Society representative. He'll arrange to give you a lifelong vacation from worry. Tonight's FBI file. The ambitious widow.

[Narrator]

There have been many wise and practical suggestions offered to your FBI and to every other law enforcement agency on methods of curbing the current serious crime wave. Most of those suggestions had merit. But of them all, only one was an absolute preventative. That one was eternal vigilance. Law abiding citizens have a tendency to forget that crime, like many other things, runs in cycles. Let one crime seem to be successful and there will be a series of such crimes. Then, because the gap has been filled, those crimes cease and another type will begin. But there's no way of knowing which new trend will begin. That is why your FBI tells you that there's only one way for you, the citizens, to help fight the crime wave. That way to repeat is eternal vigilance. Tonight's FBI file opens on a rainy day in a quiet cemetery near a large Midwestern town. Two of the mourners are talking as in the background a solemn prayer is being intoned as the casket is about to be.

[Hank]

Poor Lou.

[Ed]

Yeah.

[Ted]

You know, Hank, I still can't believe he's dead.

[Ed]

Yeah, I sure would.

[Ted]

I saw him the day before he died. Never looked healthier to me. It was a nice guy. I liked working for him. Yeah, Lou was okay. Yeah, one good thing about it. He went out legitimate.

[Hank]

No guns or nothing.

[Ed]

I wonder who'll take over now. Hank.

[Hank]

Hank, that ain't no way to talk.

[Ed]

Why not?

[Ted]

Lou ain't even buried yet.

[Ed]

He's dead, ain't he?

[Ted]

I know.

[Hank]

I've been working with Lou for better than 10 years.

[Ted]

Hank, let's talk about it later. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust.

[Patsy]

Amen.

[Ted]

Amen. Now let's go over and see Nan.

[Ed]

Okay. Hello, Nan.

[Nan]

Hello, Hank.

[Ed]

Ed, we want to tell you how sorry we are.

[Ted]

Yeah.

[Nan]

Thank you.

[Ed]

If there's anything we can do, just say the word.

[Nan]

You're very sweet.

[Ted]

You still gonna live at the hotel?

[Nan]

No, I bought a boat.

[Ed]

Are you gonna live on it?

[Nan]

Yes.

[Ted]

Hey, that's a good idea. You can get away for a while. Help you forget.

[Nan]

I don't plan to go away.

[Ed]

Where is the boat?

[Nan]

Right up at the foot of 14th Street.

[Ed]

You gonna keep it there?

[Nan]

Yes.

[Ed]

What for? Hang, Hang.

[Ted]

Lay off the question.

[Nan]

It's all right, Ted. I'm keeping the boat at 14th Street, Hank, for very good reason. So many piers near there to steal from.

[Ted]

Hey, Hank, there's a lot of boats tied up here.

[Ed]

It's a public dock. Anybody can come in.

[Ted]

How do you tell which one is Anne's?

[Bill]

Ted.

[Ed]

She told me the name. It's the Dolphin. And there it is.

[Ted]

Where?

[Ed]

That black job down at the end, see?

[Narrator/Announcer]

Oh, yeah.

[Ed]

Hey, that's a big boat.

[Nan]

Yeah.

[Ted]

Hey, I don't see Nan.

[Ed]

We'll hail her.

[Bill]

Oh, hi there.

[Ed]

Anybody aboard?

[Bill]

Hey, there she is.

[Nan]

Jump aboard, boys.

[Bill]

Okay.

[Ed]

Tying, Nan.

[Nan]

Hello. So nice of you to come down to see me.

[Hank]

Soon as we got the word you

[Ted]

were looking for us, we came right over. It's quite a boat.

[Nan]

Well, I think it should be good to work with. You know, when Lou and I were first married, we spent our honeymoon on a cruiser like this. Oh, it stole enough to make us rich. Stole what? Stuff off piers.

[Ed]

And then. Is that what you plan to do again?

[Nan]

Yes.

[Ted]

That's kind of tough for a dame, innit?

[Nan]

Well, I'm really depending on Lou's friends to carry me through.

[Ed]

Is that why you sent for us?

[Nan]

Yes. You're the last two boys on my list. I've talked to all the others. They're all coming along with me.

[Ed]

You got definite plans for action?

[Nan]

Yes. Would you please care to join it?

[Ed]

Okay.

[Nan]

Good. How about you, Ted?

[Hank]

Anything you say is good enough for me.

[Nan]

Fine. Come on down to the cabin. Then I'll tell you about our first job.

[Ed]

When is it?

[Nan]

Tonight. Hank, please cut the motors.

[Ed]

Right.

[Nan]

We'll drift in just right.

[Hank]

Hey, look at those crates of silk.

[Nan]

We should be able to load all of them onto the boat in 10 minutes.

[Ed]

What about the watchman?

[Nan]

We always stay the front.

[Ed]

You case this thing pretty good.

[Nan]

We've always said it pays to be careful.

[Ted]

How much is that silk worth, man?

[Nan]

It ought to be about $30,000 in that load. That much surely looks back on the market. But it's still difficult to get here. We are. Tie us up. Hank, Ted, you and the boys start working.

[Ted]

All right.

[Bill]

Okay, boys. Up you go.

[Ed]

Wait a minute. Duck, you guys.

[Nan]

What is it?

[Ed]

Someone is coming down the pier.

[Nan]

Can you handle this?

[Ed]

Sure.

[Hank]

Hey, what's going on here? What are you doing in that boat?

[Ed]

Well, I'll tell you, mister. We sprang a leak, and it looks

[Nan]

like this p.

[Ed]

Okay, let's finish loading and get out of here.

[Narrator]

The next morning, in the field office of your FBI, Special Agent Jim Taylor enters his office to find Elliot Sheridan waiting for him.

[Hank]

Hello, Elliot.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Hi, Jim. Look like you've done a hard day's work.

[Ed]

I have.

[Hank]

I've been climbing all over Pier 27.

[Elliot Sheridan]

I was hoping you'd come into the office before you went out there.

[Hank]

Oh, why?

[Elliot Sheridan]

Well, when I checked in this morning from Salt Lake City, I finished my report. The boss assigned me to work with you.

[Hank]

Hey, that's fine. We. Well, there's plenty of work for both of us to do.

[Elliot Sheridan]

What's the story?

[Hank]

It's a theft from an interstate shipment.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Done with a boat.

[Ted]

That's right.

[Elliot Sheridan]

What was stolen?

[Hank]

Over $30,000 worth of silk.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Any clues?

[Hank]

No, we can't tell yet. Watchman was slugged, but he may be able to help us.

[Ted]

How?

[Hank]

Says he got a pretty good look at one of the men on the boat. He's almost certain he can identify that man.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Where's the watchman now?

[Hank]

He's down at police headquarters looking over pictures. If he finds the man he saw, they'll call us.

[Ted]

What's the next step?

[Hank]

Well, I've alerted all dock owners to be doubly careful. Keep their goods well guarded at night.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Any chance of locating the stolen silk?

[Hank]

I've already contacted every silk wholesaler in town.

[Elliot Sheridan]

No luck?

[Hank]

Well, none yet, but they're going to call in if they come across any of the loops.

[Elliot Sheridan]

What do we do now?

[Hank]

Well, there's nothing much we can do, Elliot, but wait until we hear from that watchman.

[Ed]

Jack.

[Bill]

Oh, hi, Hank.

[Ted]

Come on, have a drink.

[Ed]

You buying?

[Bill]

Sure.

[Ed]

Okay.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Hey, Matt.

[Ted]

Couple of ryes.

[Ed]

Where you been?

[Ted]

I went to the boat. Oh.

[Ed]

Did you get paid?

[Bill]

Sure.

[Ed]

How much?

[Ted]

Huh?

[Ed]

How much did nan give you?

[Ted]

5 bills.

[Ed]

500. No wonder she wanted to pay everybody off one at a time.

[Hank]

What are you talking about?

[Ed]

I spoke to the other guys. They got a hundred a piece.

[Ted]

Is that all?

[Ed]

Yeah. That's 800 for them and five for you. That's 1300 she's paid so far. Out of 8000.

[Ted]

She told me she only got 2000.

[Ed]

I checked up. She got eight G's in cash. Well, I'll tell you one thing. She ain't gonna pay me off in the dark. I did a lot of work. I arranged for the trucks to pick up the stuff off the dock. I even arranged for the fence to get rid of it.

[Ted]

Well, I guess there's always trouble when you work for a dame.

[Ed]

They don't have to be. Not if you handle them right.

[Ted]

How much are you gonna ask for?

[Ed]

25%. That's two GS.

[Ted]

She won't go for that.

[Ed]

I am. Come on over with me. I'll show you.

[Ted]

I can't go right now.

[Ed]

Why not?

[Ted]

I got a date. Look, you go on down to the boat.

[Narrator]

I'll meet you later.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Hi, Jim.

[Hank]

Hello, Elliot.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Any news from the watchman?

[Hank]

Yes. While you were out, police headquarters called. The watchman definitely identified a man named Henry Davis, alias Hank Davis.

[Ted]

What's the record on David?

[Hank]

I've got it right over here.

[Ted]

Here it is.

[Hank]

Take a look at it.

[Ted]

23 arrests starting.

[Hank]

You'll notice, when he was 15.

[Elliot Sheridan]

See, one of these arrests was for hijacking. That would tie him in with this kind of a job.

[Hank]

There's an even stronger tie in than that down there. See that arrest back in 34. It's down at the bottom.

[Elliot Sheridan]

34? Yeah, here it is. What about it?

[Hank]

I thought I remembered that job, so I checked up on it.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Find anything?

[Nan]

Mm.

[Hank]

Along with Davis, the police also arrested a man named Lou Mercer.

[Elliot Sheridan]

The one who died last week?

[Hank]

Same one. And at that time, Mercer had a gang of river pirates stealing stuff on both sides of the river.

[Elliot Sheridan]

That is a strong tie engine.

[Hank]

Now all I have to do is find Davis. Oh, by the way, you pick up anything down at the docks?

[Nan]

No.

[Elliot Sheridan]

I spoke to the watchman on the adjoining dock. They didn't see anything.

[Hank]

No clues of any kind?

[Ted]

Not a thing.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Looks like they must have glided up to the pier with their motors off. They weren't even heard.

[Arthur Burnett]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Guess that's the way they would operate.

[Ted]

There's. Oh, excuse me, sir.

[Hank]

Special Agent Taylor. Yes, Sergeant. Oh, yeah, that's fine. Wait till I get a pencil and

[Ted]

I'll write that down. Give me that pencil. Sure.

[Patsy]

Thanks.

[Hank]

Okay. Go ahead, sergeant. 721 Oak street, room 129.

[Ted]

Got it? Yeah.

[Hank]

Thanks very much, Sergeant.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Something on Davis?

[Hank]

Yes, that's the call we've been waiting for. We've got Davis's address. I'm going over there now.

[Bill]

Ahoy there.

[Hank]

Anybody aboard?

[Nan]

Who's there?

[Bill]

It's me, Nan Ted.

[Nan]

What do you want?

[Ted]

Ted, I was supposed to meet Hank here.

[Nan]

Come aboard.

[Ted]

Okay.

[Ed]

You see Hank?

[Nan]

Yes. Came down here very angry.

[Bill]

Yeah, I know.

[Ted]

He was sore when he left me.

[Nan]

Did Ace tell you what he wanted?

[Ted]

Yeah, more dough.

[Narrator]

And I gotta admit, he had a

[Ted]

point there and then.

[Nan]

Why'd you say that?

[Ted]

Well, after all, he did a lot of work. Me did too.

[Nan]

I got the bow.

[Ted]

Yeah, I know.

[Nan]

And I lined up the job. Sure, but how can you say that? You boys did so much worse.

[Ted]

Well, I should have got more than 500, man. After all, you got 8,000 for the stuff.

[Nan]

Supposing I did. What about it?

[Ted]

I want a bigger cut.

[Nan]

How much?

[Ted]

Same as Hank.

[Nan]

You know what he asked for?

[Ted]

Yeah.

[Hank]

25%?

[Nan]

That's right.

[Ted]

Did you give it to him?

[Nan]

No.

[Ted]

What did Hank do?

[Nan]

Tried to use violence. Cut me around.

[Hank]

What happened?

[Nan]

Come over to the cabin. Look there on the floor.

[Ted]

Thanks. He looks dead.

[Nan]

He sure he is.

[Narrator/Announcer]

We will return in just a moment to tonight's case from the files of your FBI. See that happy looking chap over there? He's a professional worry lifter. You mean he goes around cheering people up, giving them good advice and so on? He does more than that, Ed.

[Ted]

He's a specialist.

[Narrator/Announcer]

He lends a sympathetic ear to people in trouble, sure, but he also lends a helping hand. He not only acts, but he talks as well. Oh, sounds like a man everybody ought to know.

[Ted]

No, he is.

[Narrator/Announcer]

He's your Equitable Society representative. If fear about your family's future is destroying your peace of mind, you'll find that your Equitable Society representative really knows the answers. For instance, right now you may be doing some unnecessary worrying simply because you haven't heard of readjustment income. As a matter of fact, I never did hear of it. The Equitable Society's readjustment income plan provides extra income for the widow during the two toughest years. The two years immediately following her husband's death. Years in which he is adjusting the family way of life to a lowered income. You know, expenses can't be reduced overnight. It takes time. And that's why every life insurance program should provide readjustment income for extra help during the two toughest years. Hey, this readjustment income plan sounds okay to me.

[Ted]

Is it expensive? Why, it may not cost you a cent.

[Narrator/Announcer]

It may require only a simple rearranging of your present life insurance program. In any event, the man to see is your professional worry lifter, your Equitable Society representative. Look in the phone book for the Equitable Life Assurance Society. That's E. Q U, I T A V L E. Or send a postcard care of this station to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. And now back to the FBI file. The ambitious widow.

[Narrator]

It is not the purpose of tonight's case from the files of your FBI to tell you that the mobs of criminals operating in this country today are being run by women. Nothing could be further from the truth. And yet women are active participants in the current crime wave. That fact has become more obvious as each year's records are studied. And it is an actual statistic that in the past year women were so active that of all arrests made for criminal homicide in the United States, the number of women arrested exceeded 10%. One other fact emerges from a study of that same table of arrested persons. And that is that there is virtually no crime or method of operation too difficult for the lady criminal. Yes, in this field, too, women have definitely proven that they are not the weaker sex. Tonight's file continues in the FBI field office. Special Agent Jim Taylor has just returned from a search of Hank Davis apartment.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Jim find anything up at Davis's place?

[Hank]

No, not a thing.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Any of his neighbors able to help?

[Hank]

I wouldn't if they could.

[Elliot Sheridan]

That kind of a place?

[Ted]

That kind. One thing that bothers me, though. Oh, what's that?

[Hank]

Davis didn't show up all night. I checked this morning before I came in.

[Elliot Sheridan]

He couldn't have gotten in the back way, could he?

[Nan]

No, no.

[Hank]

We've had the building under complete surveillance.

[Elliot Sheridan]

You don't suppose he found out he'd been identified by the watchman, do you?

[Ted]

Why not? See how he could have? He skipped town.

[Hank]

I believe he's still around.

[Ted]

What's the next step, Jim?

[Elliot Sheridan]

Do we wait for Davis to show up?

[Hank]

No, no. On the way in, I asked the file room to send up that copy of Davis record. We might get the names of some of his friends from that. Start checking on them. Alfie. I'll get Special Agent Taylor. Oh, yes, Sergeant.

[Ted]

Well, you have.

[Hank]

Yeah, thanks for calling.

[Ted]

We'll be right down.

[Hank]

That was the morgue, Elliot. They've just identified a body down there. It's Mr. Hank Davis.

[Bill]

Nan.

[Nan]

Ahoy there. Nan. That you, Ted?

[Bill]

Yeah. Okay to come aboard?

[Nan]

Come ahead.

[Hank]

I thought you might still be sleeping.

[Nan]

No. Been up for hours.

[Hank]

Did you get rid of the package?

[Nan]

What package?

[Hank]

Hank.

[Nan]

Oh, yes. Tied some weights on him. Dropped him overboard. Right here, Surely. Why?

[Ted]

Suppose he comes up?

[Nan]

Didn't you ever hear of a current? Oh, dead. Stop worrying, okay?

[Ted]

Do any of the other guys know about Hank?

[Nan]

No.

[Hank]

Well, Suppose they find out?

[Nan]

Well, they might not like it. I'm afraid they'll have to like it. Teach them that a woman can be efficient, too. Did you call that number I gave

[Ted]

you off the truck? Yeah.

[Hank]

He'll be here at 6 in the morning.

[Nan]

Good. I called the rest of the boys. They're ready. Will we go tonight at midnight?

[Hank]

I hope it ain't too soon after the last job.

[Nan]

Ted, Just let me do the worrying. Come here. Want to show you something.

[Hank]

What is it?

[Nan]

You'll see. Look under that canvas.

[Hank]

Hey, a machine gun.

[Nan]

And the way it's mounted, you see, you can swing it to cover any angle.

[Hank]

What do you want with a machine gun?

[Nan]

Just in case of trouble.

[Hank]

Oh.

[Nan]

This is going to be your job.

[Narrator]

The gun?

[Nan]

Yes. You stay back here from the time we leave until we get home.

[Ed]

Okay.

[Nan]

And I don't have to tell you what to do. Ted. There's trouble, you use it.

[Hank]

It's over this way.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Ellie.

[Hank]

Body is running here.

[Ted]

Yeah.

[Nan]

Here we are.

[Ted]

Ah, Davis.

[Hank]

All right. Bullet hole in his head.

[Ted]

Must have been dead when he hit the water.

[Hank]

According to the corner, he was. Davis's personal effects are on that table. Let's take a look at him, huh?

[Elliot Sheridan]

Right.

[Hank]

Yeah. Sit here.

[Narrator/Announcer]

In there.

[Ted]

Okay. I guess these are just the papers

[Elliot Sheridan]

and money he had on him.

[Ted]

Yes.

[Hank]

All of his clothes are over there. He wasn't carrying much money, was he?

[Elliot Sheridan]

Fellow just pulled a big job.

[Hank]

That key you've got there won't help us. That Skiwee's apartment? See the 129 stamped into it?

[Ted]

Oh, yeah. That's his room number, wasn't it?

[Hank]

Phone number on this slip of paper.

[Ted]

I wonder what this is. Maybe a girl. Could be.

[Hank]

Wait a minute. This exchange is in the business district. Elliot, let's get out of here.

[Ted]

I'm making a phone call.

[Hank]

See who belongs to this number. Elliot, I call that number.

[Ted]

It was a trucking outfit.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Trucking outfit? You could have been in on the job.

[Hank]

No, I checked up on them down at the office. They're legitimate.

[Elliot Sheridan]

What did they have to report?

[Hank]

They picked up some crates of silk from the dock at the foot of 14th Street.

[Elliot Sheridan]

But who paid for the job?

[Hank]

They were paid at the warehouse where they delivered the silk. I had the police send a radio patrol car around the warehouse.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Pick anybody up?

[Hank]

No, there wasn't anyone at the warehouse, but the silk is there.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Hey, the office can find out who owns the warehouse and the tax record. It'll probably turn out to be Davis.

[Hank]

Well, the office is already working on that angle. I Don't think Davis was the head man, though.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Why not?

[Hank]

Well, the trucking outfit I spoke to said they got another call just about

[Elliot Sheridan]

an hour ago with another order.

[Hank]

That's right. To pick up another load tomorrow morning and at the same dock.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Why don't we go down to the dock, pick up whoever's anchored there?

[Hank]

Well, the 14th Street Pier is open to the public. There's always about a dozen boats tied up down there. But I've got an idea. Let's get back to the office and we'll work from there. I know the police will want to join us.

[Narrator]

On the river that night. There were three large fast boats manned by special agents of your FBI. Boat number one with Special Agent Jim Taylor was idling in the middle of the river. Boat number two with Special Agent Elliot Sheridan aboard was north of 14th Street. Boat number three was of the south. Special Agent Taylor is talking over the two way radio to both of the other boats.

[Hank]

I see movement aboard a large black boat. There are about 10 men aboard. It's now pulling away from the dock. The boat is headed north. Sheridan. Sheridan on boat two. Have you spotted her yet?

[Elliot Sheridan]

Yes, Jim. Just pick her up in the glasses.

[Ted]

Fine.

[Hank]

Now start up the river yourself and stay in front of her.

[Ted]

Right.

[Hank]

I'll follow her from behind and check with you later.

[Elliot Sheridan]

Jim Taylor.

[Hank]

Come in, Sheridan.

[Elliot Sheridan]

You see what she's doing now, Jim?

[Hank]

She's headed in toward a pier.

[Elliot Sheridan]

That's right.

[Hank]

All right, stop your motors and stay where you are. We're going to follow her in. Boats 2 and 3. The name on the boat is the Dolphin. It's pulling into Pier 40 now. Come up behind boat number one and give me some cover. The Dolphin is now tied up to the pier. They're starting to load. We can nail them in the act. Let's start to close in.

[Nan]

What is it?

[Ted]

How's it going?

[Nan]

We've got one more crate to load

[Ted]

and then we're finished.

[Nan]

Oh, Ted, why aren't you standing by that gun?

[Hank]

I wanted to see how it was going.

[Nan]

Oh, please. Get back there.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Look.

[Nan]

Wait.

[Hank]

What is it?

[Nan]

Here. Motors. You boys quiet a minute.

[Ted]

I hear him too.

[Hank]

There was only a moon we could see.

[Nan]

They're coming closer.

[Bill]

Hey, those lights. They're shining right on us. Nan, it's cops.

[Nan]

Yes.

[Bill]

What do we do?

[Nan]

Look.

[Bill]

There's more than one boat.

[Nan]

I know.

[Bill]

They got us cut off.

[Nan]

Well, they aren't taking us, huh? Get on that gun. Oh, Nan, look, do as I say.

[Narrator/Announcer]

No dice.

[Bill]

They're right on top of it.

[Nan]

I'll handle it myself. Oh. Oh, no, man. Come back here. Nan. They're a long time keep up with this boat.

[Bill]

Get away from that gun, lady. Jim, look out.

[Hank]

Sorry.

[Bill]

Let go of me.

[Hank]

All right, Elliot, cover the rest of them. I'll bring our lady right over to join you.

[Narrator]

All members of the hijacking gang were tried and sentenced to serve long terms in the federal penitentiary for larceny from interstate shipments. Nan Mercer was turned over to local authorities to be placed on trial for murder. And thus, another band of criminals was broken up by the cooperative efforts of local police who supplied the launches and of your FBI. Everywhere across America that kind of cooperation is taking place. And as in tonight's case, every means of communication and transportation is being used to narrow the circle around the criminal and to keep narrowing it until he is trapped, arrested and convicted.

[Narrator/Announcer]

In just a moment, we will tell you about next week's exciting case from the files of your FBI. Just one second, Mr. Keating. I want to check and see if I'm on the beam about the Equitable Society's readjustment income plan. My understanding is that this plan would give my wife extra income during the first two years after my death. You've got it straight, Ed. Extra cash every month for two years to give her time to adjust her expenses to a new standard of living. Sounds like a mighty fine idea to me. Then let me suggest that you get in touch with your Equitable Society representative without delay. Let him show you how little it costs to provide your wife with equitable readjustment income. Call your Equitable representative soon or send a postcard care of this station to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States.

[Narrator]

Next week we will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investig Investigation. The diamond studded double cross.

[Narrator/Announcer]

The incidents used in tonight's Equitable Life Assurance Society's broadcast are adapted from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, all names used are fictitious. And any similarity thereof to the names of persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner. The author was Jerry Lewis. Your narrator was Dean Carlton. And Special Agent Taylor was played by Stacy Harris. This is your FBI as a Jerry Devine production. This is Larry Keating speaking for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. And inviting you to tune in again next week at the same time when the Equitable Life Assurance Society will bring you another thrilling story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The diamond studded, double cross on. This is your FBI.

[Narrator]

This is abc, the American Broadcasting Company.

[Arthur Burnett]

What's the matter? What is it?

[Nick Carter]

Another case for Nick Carter, Master detective.

[Narrator (Nick Carter segment)]

Yes, it's another case for that most famous of all manhunters. The detective whose ability at solving crime is unequal in the history of detective fiction. Nick Carter, Master detective. Tonight's curious adventure, the body on the

[Patsy]

slab or Nick Connor and the mystery of the missing husband.

[Nick Carter]

But Mr. Wallace, people disappear every day

[Ted]

in a big city like this.

[Nick Carter]

Such things are really no concern of mine. They're a matter for the police.

[Mrs. Wallace]

But Mr. Carter, it isn't just anybody who's disappeared. It's my husband.

[Arthur Burnett]

I'll pay you anything to find him.

[Nick Carter]

Well, I suppose it could do no harm to listen to the story. All right, Mr. Burnett, where was the last place you saw him?

[Vernon Wallace]

In a sort of saloon gambling house on west street, down by the waterfront. A two story house, very run down.

[Nick Carter]

Wait a minute, Bernard. That wouldn't be the place that's run by a one legged soldier they call Bill.

[Vernon Wallace]

Oh, so you know it, do you?

[Ted]

Certainly do.

[Nick Carter]

By reputation at least.

[Ted]

Here, I want you to look at this picture.

[Nick Carter]

You recognize it?

[Vernon Wallace]

Yes, that's the place I'm talking about.

[Ted]

I thought so.

[Nick Carter]

Mrs. Wallace, I'll take the case.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Oh, Mr. Carter, I knew you would.

[Nick Carter]

Yes, I have a score to settle with that old rat with a wooden leg and this may be my chance to do it. All right, Mr. Bennett, let me have all the details.

[Vernon Wallace]

Well, Vernon, That's Vernon Wallace, my friend. Vernon and I had been making a night of it and we ended up

[Nick Carter]

at this Bill's place. How did you happen to go there?

[Vernon Wallace]

Well, Vernon had heard that it was a great place for a fast poker game and he was determined to try it. I'd heard it was a pretty tough place and I attempted to talk him out of it, but I couldn't do it. So about 1:30 or 2:00 clock this morning we went down there. We were the only ones there. To make a long story short, Vernon and that old guy who owns the

[Ted]

place got into a game.

[Vernon Wallace]

And no matter what the old guy did, Vernon won. I was afraid for him in a dive like that.

[Ted]

And I tried to get him to quit and go home with me, but he refused.

[Vernon Wallace]

Told me to get out and leave him alone.

[Mrs. Wallace]

And Vernon hasn't been home since then.

[Vernon Wallace]

And he hasn't been seen anywhere since then.

[Ted]

Afraid that he never left that place alive.

[Nick Carter]

See, the place to start looking for clues is certainly the old soldier's Tavern. I'm going down there tonight. I know enough tricks with cards so that I can be sure of winning. And maybe old Peg Leg will try

[Ted]

to treat me as he treated Vernon Wallace.

[Bill]

Well, stranger, I gotta admit I'm licked. You broke the bank.

[Ted]

Yes. Luck's been with me ever since I sat down here.

[Nick Carter]

Well, it's getting late. I've got to be getting home.

[Bill]

How about a drink before you go, stranger? You'll not refuse me that?

[Patsy]

Why, no.

[Ted]

I'll have a drink with you, but only one.

[Bill]

Sure, sure. One'll be okay. Hey, Mike, Two beers and make it snappy.

[Patsy]

Yeah, coming up.

[Bill]

You won all my money tonight, stranger. But I don't harbor no ill feelings. You want fair and square, and that's

[Ted]

all there is to a dish. Appear, stranger. Drink party.

[Bill]

Excuse me, stranger.

[Ted]

I'll be back before you can take a stick. That's all right. I'll enjoy my drink while you're gone,

[Bill]

Stranger. Mike and I've taken a fancy to you. We don't want no harm to come to you. Look, why don't you stay here all night? Mike's got an extra bed upstairs he'll be glad to let you have. Then tomorrow you can go home and nobody'll bother you.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Well, if you let me pay for

[Nick Carter]

the use of the room in bed.

[Ted]

I believe I will, sir.

[Bill]

Good. You're a smart man, but we couldn't take no money for doing you a favor here. Mike, show the gentleman his room.

[Ted]

Yeah, sure. Will you follow me, mister? Sure. Go ahead. I want to get to bed.

[Patsy]

I'm.

[Ted]

I'm tired all of a sudden. Give me your arm, mister. No, no, no, no. I'm all right. I. I don't need any help.

[Bill]

Well, I'll come along just to be sociable.

[Ted]

I don't want to be sociable. I just want to go to sleep. Well, here's your room, mister. I'll leave a candle on the table for you, okay?

[Nan]

Okay.

[Ted]

Okay. Thanks very much. Good night.

[Bill]

Hey, stranger. Sleep tight. Yeah, we'll see you later.

[Ted]

Yeah, we'll see you later. Yeah, I see you later. Good night. Good night. I got to go to sleep. I'm off tired now. Well, got myself into this easy enough. Hope I'll find it easy. Easy to get out again when the time comes. No light but a candle. Why don't they do to give me a look around instead of this bed? It doesn't look too comfortable, but. Oh, blood. Let's see the man relying on this bed. That blood is just about where a dagger Would go through his heart. The man were drunk enough or been drugged, he'd never know what hit him.

[Nick Carter]

I wonder what's in this closet.

[Ted]

Uh huh. Locked. Well that won't keep me out long. Not as long as I still have my keys with me. Try this one. No, this one does it. Well, this is interesting. Old clothes. Here's vest with blood on it. And there's a shirt and a jacket. Both of them bloody. Unquestionably these came from some of the victims. Well, nothing to do now but wait for that one legged scoundrel and his pal to make the next move. I guess I'll be safe if I merely sit on the edge of the bed now. Oh yes, I won't need this candle anymore either. Now to wait for them. There they come. He's asleep all right. I can hear him snoring with the slug I put in his bed. Have to be. This isn't a dead. All right, easy does it. Is he still asleep?

[Bill]

Yeah. You hold this light while I get your hands up. Both of you. Well I'll be.

[Nick Carter]

And drop that knife you got in your hand.

[Patsy]

Bill, how.

[Bill]

How can you be awake when we really.

[Ted]

Very simple, Bill.

[Nick Carter]

Keep those hands up.

[Ted]

I just poured that drink you gave me on the floor instead of down my throat.

[Bill]

What are you gonna do with us?

[Nick Carter]

Gonna turn you over to the police. The evidence of the bloody clothes in the closet. And what other evidence they'll undoubtedly find when they search this place.

[Ted]

You both should have an interesting time of that.

[Bill]

Why don't you kill us now and be done with it?

[Nick Carter]

Because I want some information first.

[Bill]

Why should we tell you anything?

[Nick Carter]

Because if you do, I shall probably be able to get your sentence reduced somewhat. If you don't.

[Bill]

I got you. What do you want to know?

[Nick Carter]

Last night a young man won all your money.

[Ted]

He hasn't been seen since.

[Bill]

You mean that fellow with a little mustache?

[Ted]

I do.

[Nick Carter]

You murder him the way you try to murder me?

[Bill]

I didn't do nothing with him. Maybe I wanted to, but I didn't.

[Nick Carter]

Isn't it a fact that this chap's friend tried to get him to leave

[Narrator]

you and go home?

[Bill]

Yeah.

[Nick Carter]

And when he wouldn't go, the friend finally went off without him.

[Bill]

That's a lie. They left here together.

[Nick Carter]

What you trying to tell me one of them didn't leave before the other?

[Bill]

No, they went out together.

[Nick Carter]

You know where they went?

[Bill]

How should I know? There's a taxi waiting right outside the door here. Need to be waiting for them to come out. Then the guy with the money gets inside and his friend sits in front with the driver.

[Ted]

Oh, Grant sat in front of the driver, huh?

[Nick Carter]

But you know that cab if you saw it again?

[Mrs. Wallace]

Sure.

[Bill]

It had a big dent in the back of the body painted with red lead. I've seen him around his father's city before.

[Ted]

I see.

[Nick Carter]

Well, Bill, as soon as I can turn you and your pal over to the law, I'll have Penny find that

[Ted]

taxi with a dent in the back. Trail seems to lead direct to him.

[Nan]

Nick Carter's office.

[Patsy]

Oh, hello, Betsy. Is Penny there yet?

[Arthur Burnett]

Penny?

[Ted]

Who's Penny?

[Patsy]

Oh, I forgot. Pensy. You were away yesterday when all this happened. Scobby got a rush assignment to cover the Balkan campaign for his paper and I had to leave in a boat to let sail last night.

[Arthur Burnett]

Scobby gone without saying goodbye to me?

[Ted]

Well, he couldn't, Patsy.

[Patsy]

You weren't here. He asked me to do it for him.

[Nan]

Oh, Nick, I'm going to miss Scotty.

[Patsy]

Of course, Patsy, we'll both miss him. But while he's away, I'm having Penny Eagles work on my cases with me in Scubby's place.

[Nan]

Who's with Penny Eagles? I never heard of him.

[Ted]

Who is?

[Patsy]

An old friend of mine. Very clever fellow. When he was younger he was an expert forger.

[Mrs. Wallace]

How did you happen to get mixed up with him?

[Patsy]

Well, he was accused of a murder he had nothing to do with and he had making him clear. Then he got interested in law enforcement, turned over a new leaf and has gone straight ever since. You like him, Betsy?

[Nan]

I hope so.

[Patsy]

Should be any minute now. As soon as he shows up, have him call me at Shermore 31222.

[Nan]

Shermore 3 1222.

[Patsy]

Right. I'll wait here for his call. You're right, Penny.

[Ted]

That's the taxi we're looking for. And I know that driver. You do? Yes. John Hagen, ex convict and confidence man.

[Nick Carter]

Friend of yours?

[Ted]

Hardly seen him in court several times but he's never seen me. What's he been doing since you've been watching him?

[John Hagen]

Well, all afternoon in the early part of this evening, he's acted like any other cabbie, taken whatever fares he could get. The latter part of the evening he's been fussy about who rides in his cab.

[Nick Carter]

How do you mean?

[John Hagen]

Well, I've seen several parties try to take his cab, but all he's picked up in the last two hours were

[Ted]

two drunks and oh, were they pie eyed. I see. I think I know what he's looking for. Benny. I'M gonna give him just the kind of a passenger I think he wants. Wish me luck.

[John Hagen]

But, Nick, what are you gonna do?

[Ted]

Well, so long.

[Bill]

I gotta be getting home now.

[Nick Carter]

See you tomorrow maybe, huh?

[Narrator/Announcer]

Okay.

[John Hagen]

So long.

[Penny Eagles]

But don't take any wooden nickels.

[Nick Carter]

Okay, pal, that's fine.

[Bill]

Don't take a wooden nickel.

[Patsy]

I have.

[Nick Carter]

Hey, taxi, mister.

[Penny Eagles]

Taxi.

[John Hagen]

Taxi, mister.

[Bill]

What do I want a taxi for? I got a car. My friend of yours told me to

[Ted]

come for you and take you home.

[Bill]

Oh, friend of mine?

[Ed]

Yeah.

[Nick Carter]

Oh, and I saw it.

[Patsy]

Okay.

[Ted]

Where's. Where's this going? I can't find. What's the address, mister?

[Bill]

The address.

[Nick Carter]

It's the corner of 2nd and 5th. And don't bother me anymore.

[Ted]

But I gotta get me some sleep.

[Bill]

Okay, drive on, McDuff.

[Nick Carter]

Now, Ed, I'll wager it won't be towards Second and Fifth.

[Ted]

Wait a minute. What's that smell? Perfume. I know. That's ether.

[Nick Carter]

So that's the stunt. Picks up drunks who are too far gone to know what's happening, then doses them with just enough ether to put them soundly asleep. Well, it won't happen to me if I open one of these windows a little bit.

[Ted]

That'll keep the air clear.

[Patsy]

There.

[Ted]

Now, Mr. Hagen, the next move is up to you. Certainly plenty deserted way out here.

[Nick Carter]

Wonder how much further we're going. I better get this window shut again

[Ted]

so we won't suspect anything.

[Nick Carter]

Ah, so we're near the end of our journey. Very well, Mr. Hagen, I'm ready for you.

[Ted]

Sleeping like a babe, ain't you? Well, let's see what you got in your pockets. Then I'll dump it.

[Nick Carter]

Make a move, Hagen, and I'll blow your brains out.

[Ted]

What the. Who the deuce are you?

[Nick Carter]

I'm a detective.

[Ted]

See this? Well, what you want with me?

[Nick Carter]

I wanted to find out what your scheme was, and I found out. Now, I want you to tell me about the man you picked up at Peg Leg Bill's Tavern down on west street last night, about 3 o'.

[Ted]

Clock. I don't know nothing about it.

[Bill]

Oh, no?

[Nick Carter]

Look, you waited for him outside of Bill's place. He rode in back. His companion rode up front with you. During the ride, you gave him ether through that devilish device you've rigged up in this taxi of yours and made him unconscious.

[Ted]

If you know all that, why do you ask me?

[Nick Carter]

Because there are two things I don't know.

[Ted]

And if you want to avoid further trouble, my friend, you'll tell me now.

[Nick Carter]

First, who was the man who Rode

[Ted]

up front with you?

[Patsy]

I don't know.

[Ted]

No, no. Well, I've done a few odd jobs for him in the past, but I don't know his name. They call him the Captain.

[Nick Carter]

He made a deal with me early

[Ted]

last night to be outside of Bill's place about 2:30 this morning.

[Nick Carter]

Can you describe him?

[Ted]

He's sort of an ordinary guy. About my size maybe. Kind of good looking if he didn't have a hunk out of one ear. Burnett.

[Nick Carter]

Now, what did you do with the man who was in the back?

[Ted]

After I quieted him, we took him to a friend of the Captain's, other side of town.

[Nick Carter]

What was the address to which you took the body?

[Narrator/Announcer]

Hey, there wasn't no body.

[Nick Carter]

He's just as alive as you or me.

[Ted]

He took him to 14 Wanton Place. Left him. All right. Get back in your cab and drive

[Nick Carter]

me to Second and Fifth and I'm through with you.

[Ted]

Unless you've lied to me.

[Ed]

You have.

[Nick Carter]

Keep out of my way or you'll

[Ted]

go to jail for life. This is where Mrs. Wallace lives, Patsy. Well, I hope she's home.

[Nan]

But, Nick, what do you expect to find out here?

[Ted]

I don't know, Patsy. The thing that puzzles me about this case is why Burnett wanted to do away with Wallace. The bell, will you?

[Nick Carter]

It wasn't the money that Wallace won that tempted Burnett. He could have taken that while Wallace was unconscious.

[Ted]

Now, there's a stronger reason.

[Mrs. Wallace]

You hope Mrs. Wallace can throw some light on it.

[Ted]

I hope so, Patsy. If she can only help in that way.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Oh, hello, Mr. Carter. Won't you come in?

[Penny Eagles]

Thank you.

[Nick Carter]

Mrs. Wallace, may I present my assistant, Patsy Bowen?

[Mrs. Wallace]

How do you do, Ms. Helen? Please sit down.

[Ted]

Thank you.

[Nan]

Thank you.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Tell me, Mr. Carter, have you found out anything about my husband?

[Nick Carter]

Well, nothing definite, I'm sorry to say. We have learned, though, that he fell into bad hands. But we don't know what happened to him after that.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Arthur assured me you'd find out the trut.

[Nick Carter]

Oh, you mean Mr. Burnett?

[Mrs. Wallace]

Yes. Yes, he's been so kind to me. He's done so much to cheer me up. Except for his kindness, I'd have gone crazy.

[Penny Eagles]

You've known him long, Mrs. Wallace?

[Mrs. Wallace]

All my life. We were brought up together. And then too, he and my husband have been business partners for all the best of friends for years.

[Nick Carter]

You think a great deal of him, then?

[Mrs. Wallace]

Yes, indeed, Mr. Carter. At one time, before I met Vernon, I would have married him if he'd asked me. Then I met Vernon and really fell in love with him. But Even after I married Vernon, Arthur continued to be my best friend. I think very highly of him. You're lucky to have such a friend, Mrs. Wallace. But he could never take my husband's place. You must find Vernon, Mr. Carter. If it's possible to find him, Nick will do it.

[Ted]

Yes, Mrs. Wallace.

[Nick Carter]

You may rely on me for that. Well, shall we be running along now? Where did you say you're calling from, Penny?

[Patsy]

I'm at a pay station near the house where Hagan left Wallace that night. It's owned by a queer old character they call the Weasel. He works in a crematory about a mile down the road.

[Ted]

I see.

[Patsy]

Well, Hagen's story seems to be straight enough. A couple of guys in a saloon near here says they saw the Weasel and another guy carrying a man sized bundle into the Weasel's place about daybreak a couple of mornings ago. And it hasn't come out again as far as I can find out.

[Nick Carter]

Did you learn anything about the firm of Wallace and Burnett?

[Patsy]

Yeah. Yeah, I picked up a lot of rumors, Nick, but not many facts. Here's how it goes. Burnett ruins the firm and throws the blame on Wallace. And those who know don't think that Burnett lost much money when the firm failed. But Wallace did.

[Ted]

So I was right.

[Nick Carter]

What else?

[Patsy]

Well, Burnett was the one who started Wallace gambling and drinking. Wallace is a nice guy, but he seems to be the weak sister. But nobody seems to know what Burnett's got against him.

[Nick Carter]

By putting together what Mrs. Wallace told us and what you've learned, Penny, I think I begin to see the answer.

[Patsy]

I think that guy who looks like Banana is going into the Weasel's place.

[Vernon Wallace]

Good.

[Nick Carter]

Don't let him get away from you, Penny. I'll meet you there as soon as I can.

[Ted]

Yep, you're right.

[Patsy]

You're right, Nick.

[John Hagen]

They did bring that casket here to the crematory.

[Ted]

I thought they would. I wish I could get closer and see what they did with it after they carried it inside.

[John Hagen]

Look, Nick, that window over there is open a little. Maybe we could hear something from there.

[Ted]

Good idea, Penny.

[Vernon Wallace]

Come on.

[Ted]

Quite quiet, but Weasel.

[Vernon Wallace]

Are you sure they won't be suspicious?

[Penny Eagles]

Not a chance, Captain. That's why we're doing this tonight. The owners of the crematory are going to make a test of a new heating fixture tomorrow morning. And they told me to have the ovens hot by 10 o'.

[Ted]

Clock.

[Penny Eagles]

I'm just getting them hot a little ahead of time.

[Vernon Wallace]

What do you use when you make

[Ted]

a test like that?

[Penny Eagles]

Well, they sent me the body Of a dead calf. It's over there in the closet. But the test we're going to make tonight will be even better.

[Bill]

Eh, Captain?

[Ted]

Yes.

[Vernon Wallace]

How does this thing work?

[Penny Eagles]

Oh, simple. The body's laid here on its slab and strapped down the way you saw

[Ted]

me fix this fellow.

[Penny Eagles]

In the next room, there's a lever attached to the slab. When the lever's pulled, the slab slides into the oven, the door closes behind it, and the destruction of the body begins.

[Vernon Wallace]

Do we have to watch it burn?

[Penny Eagles]

You can't see the slab nor the ovens from the room where the lever is.

[Vernon Wallace]

How long does it take to reduce

[Ted]

the body to ashes?

[Penny Eagles]

Six or eight hours. It'll be all over by daylight, even

[Vernon Wallace]

if the body isn't.

[Penny Eagles]

You mean even if the body ain't dead yet.

[Vernon Wallace]

Yes, that's what I mean.

[Ted]

Then Wallace is still alive.

[Penny Eagles]

Well, it's a little unusual to cremate a live body, but it works just the same. You never know what happens. It'll be all over in an instant. Well, we got lot more to do here. Might as well go in the next room and wait for the ovens to get hot enough. Then you can pull the lever and slide the body.

[Vernon Wallace]

You mean I have to pull the lever that sends him into.

[Patsy]

Sure.

[Penny Eagles]

He's your friend. Ay.

[Ted]

Come on, Penny. There's no time to waste. We have to work fast.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Mr. Burnett to see you, Nick.

[Ted]

Oh, yes.

[Nick Carter]

Come in, Mr. Burnett.

[Ted]

I just want to take enough of

[Vernon Wallace]

your time to tell you that Vernon Wallace's body was found last night. Really?

[Ted]

Where was it?

[Vernon Wallace]

Floating in the river. Mrs. Wallace has identified it by a ring and certain other articles found on the body.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Must have been a terrible blow to her.

[Vernon Wallace]

She's badly broken up, naturally. But I hope to be able to console her in part, at least for her great loss.

[Ted]

I'm sure you will. Will this repay you for your Trouble?

[Nick Carter]

Oh, amply, Mr. Burnett, and thank you.

[Ted]

Good.

[Vernon Wallace]

Good day, Mr. Carter.

[Nick Carter]

Good day, Mr. Burnett.

[Ted]

But if you think I'm gonna drop this case now, Mr. Burnett, you're crazy. Nick, Here I am over here. I got here as soon as I could after I got your call, Penny. Brought my new helper, too, as you see.

[John Hagen]

Yeah, so I see.

[Nick Carter]

Hi there, helper.

[Ted]

Hello, Penny.

[Nick Carter]

I hope I'm gonna be able to

[Ted]

help you and Nick.

[Nick Carter]

You'll do all right on this case. Now, what's the deal, Penny? Well, a couple of hours ago, a

[John Hagen]

taxi pulls up in front of Mrs. Wallace's house. The driver goes into the house. About 15 minutes later, he comes out again with Mrs. Wallace and her maid. They get in the cab, drive away

[Ted]

with you after him, of course.

[John Hagen]

That's right. Well, they drive around and finally end

[Ted]

up way out here.

[Nick Carter]

There must have been a couple of

[John Hagen]

guys in the cab when the women got in, because when they got out there, they were both gagged and their hands were tied behind them. Well, they took them in the old house. I found a phone to call you.

[Nick Carter]

Did they hurt them?

[John Hagen]

Not so far as I could tell.

[Ted]

Gee, I wish I could see what they're doing now.

[Patsy]

I hope they're all right.

[Ted]

Oh, Milly, this is terrible.

[Mrs. Wallace]

My mouth is still sore from that dirty old cloth they used for a gag. Where do you suppose we are?

[Arthur Burnett]

Oh, I don't know, Mrs. Wallace. I never been this far from town before.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Could you see anything out of the window?

[Arthur Burnett]

Nothing I recognized.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Oh, I should have known better than to be fooled by such a simple trick. I might have known that old Mrs. Parker couldn't be so sick she had to see us at once.

[Arthur Burnett]

Why, I saw her only the day before yesterday. Oh, fooled me, all right, I thought.

[Ted]

I hope you're comfortable, ladies.

[Arthur Burnett]

We are not. We certainly are not. What's the idea of bringing us here?

[Bill]

Well, I'll tell you.

[Nick Carter]

The chap says as how he's going

[Ted]

to collect some big dough from you two.

[Arthur Burnett]

You mean we're being held for ransom?

[Patsy]

Yeah.

[Arthur Burnett]

Well, how much money do you want?

[Ted]

Well, chap says he won't take less than $50,000.

[Arthur Burnett]

Oh, Mrs. Wallace, we'll never get out of here.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Nonsense.

[Arthur Burnett]

He must be insane to expect me to pay him that amount of money.

[Nick Carter]

Well, he says he won't take us,

[Arthur Burnett]

but he won't get it. Never.

[Ted]

And he's a dangerous man.

[Nick Carter]

You better not get him mad at you.

[Ted]

I'll be back at 8:00 clock tonight for your answer.

[Arthur Burnett]

Oh, he'll kill us. I know he will. Be quiet, Millie.

[Mrs. Wallace]

He won't kill us as long as he thinks there's any chance of getting the money out of us.

[Arthur Burnett]

But what if we get a man at the window? It's Mr. Burnett. Oh, Arthur. Arthur, I hoped you'd come.

[Ted]

Are you.

[Patsy]

Are you safe?

[Vernon Wallace]

Louise, have they hurt you?

[Mrs. Wallace]

No, Arthur.

[Arthur Burnett]

We're both safe. But how did you ever find us?

[Vernon Wallace]

I just climbed up the porch to the roof, then over to your window.

[Ted]

Have they told you why they brought you here?

[Mrs. Wallace]

Yes. They want ransom. $50,000.

[Arthur Burnett]

They'll kill us if you don't say.

[Vernon Wallace]

Not while I'm here. I'll see that no Harm comes to

[Nan]

you, but what can you do? You're only one against the two of them.

[Mrs. Wallace]

And they're both vicious criminals. I know.

[Nan]

Do be careful, Arthur.

[Vernon Wallace]

Louise, if I save you from these

[Ted]

rats, do you think that you.

[Nan]

Ask me later, Arthur.

[Mrs. Wallace]

Not now.

[Ted]

Very well, if you say so.

[Nick Carter]

Now, tell me, what time are the

[Ted]

men coming back again?

[Vernon Wallace]

Do you know?

[Mrs. Wallace]

The man we talked to said they'd be here at 8 o'.

[Ed]

Clock.

[Vernon Wallace]

That gives us just over an hour. Here's my plan. When they come, I'll be hitting.

[Ted]

Now, you each know what you're supposed to do, don't you? Sure, Nikki, sure.

[John Hagen]

You know, this ought to be fun. I haven't played cops and robbers since

[Ted]

I was a kid.

[John Hagen]

Same here.

[Ted]

This should be good. Well, I hope you too aren't disappointed. But you can't tell about these things, so watch your step, both of you. Here they are. Leave everything to me. Well, you made up your mind to

[Nick Carter]

pay the ransom the camp wants.

[Arthur Burnett]

We'll pay you nothing, Not a cent.

[Nick Carter]

You know what that means, don't you? It means that you better get your

[Vernon Wallace]

hands up, all three of you, if

[Nick Carter]

you want to live.

[Bill]

Who are you?

[Vernon Wallace]

I'm here to save these two ladies from you and your gang.

[Ted]

Oh, yeah?

[Nick Carter]

Let them have it, fellas.

[Vernon Wallace]

Oh, I warned you.

[Arthur Burnett]

Ah, Arthur, you've killed them all.

[Ted]

It's their own fault.

[Vernon Wallace]

I warned them.

[Arthur Burnett]

Oh, you are wonderful.

[Nan]

Arthur.

[Arthur Burnett]

Arthur, are you hurt?

[Vernon Wallace]

No, Louise. Dear Fortune was with me. I'm not even scratched.

[Arthur Burnett]

Oh, Mr. Vernetta, I never in my whole life saw anyone so brave as you.

[Vernon Wallace]

Any man would be brave when defending the woman he loves.

[Nan]

Please, Arthur.

[Mrs. Wallace]

You promise?

[Ted]

I'm sorry.

[Vernon Wallace]

I'll take you home now.

[Ted]

Just let me drag these bodies out

[Penny Eagles]

of the way and I'll.

[Nick Carter]

Not yet, you won't.

[Patsy]

You can't. There.

[Ted]

What's the matter with you men? What's the idea?

[Narrator (Nick Carter segment)]

Shut up, you.

[Arthur Burnett]

Arthur, Are you hurt?

[Nick Carter]

Mrs. Wallace, the time has come to explain a great many things. First, let me remove this beard.

[Arthur Burnett]

There.

[Ted]

You recognize me now, don't you, Mr. Carter.

[Arthur Burnett]

Mick Carter. But, Mr. Carter, what are you doing to Arthur?

[Ted]

Mr. Burnett, I'll answer that later.

[Nick Carter]

First, I want you to meet my assistant, Penny Eagles.

[Arthur Burnett]

Your assistant?

[Penny Eagles]

Sure.

[Bill]

How are you?

[Nick Carter]

The other man is an old friend of yours, Mrs. Wallace.

[Arthur Burnett]

An old friend of mine?

[Mrs. Wallace]

Well, I'm sure I don't.

[Nick Carter]

Perhaps if he took off his makeup, you might recognize.

[Ted]

There, you know me now.

[Arthur Burnett]

Oh, Vernon.

[Ted]

Louise, my darling.

[Arthur Burnett]

But Vernon, Arthur told me that you.

[Nick Carter]

That I was dead.

[Vernon Wallace]

Oh, yes.

[Nick Carter]

Arthur Burnett told you a great many things that were not true.

[Arthur Burnett]

But, Vernon, he showed me your ring, your lodge pin. He said he took them off of your dead body that the police found in the river.

[Nick Carter]

Burnett took those articles from your husband's body right enough, Mrs. Wallace. But it was while your husband was still alive. And it's no fault of his that I'm not dead.

[Arthur Burnett]

Now, you don't mean that, Arthur.

[Nick Carter]

That's exactly what I do mean. He's been lying to you for years, Mrs. Wallace. It was he who ruined your husband's business and caused him to lose so much of his money. It was he who first induced your

[Ted]

husband to drink and gamble.

[Nick Carter]

And it was he who was responsible for your husband's disappearance a few days ago. But that's a lie.

[Ted]

Oh, no, it isn't. As a matter of fact, Louise, dear,

[Nick Carter]

if Mr. Carter hadn't fooled him by putting a dead calf in my place on that crematory slab, Arthur Burnett would

[Bill]

have been my murderer.

[Arthur Burnett]

Oh, no. No, that can't be true.

[Nick Carter]

Furthermore, it was Burnett who arranged for your kidnapping this afternoon.

[Ted]

Oh, but he did it so that

[Nick Carter]

he could suddenly appear and rescue you from the members of the kidnap gang, who in reality, men in his employ.

[Arthur Burnett]

But why should he do all these horrible things?

[Nick Carter]

Because he's been in love with you ever since he first met you. And ever since your marriage to Wallace, he's been insanely jealous of him. Everything Burnett's done has been to make you despise your husband and turn instead to him. That's a lie. Oh, no, it isn't. Burnett. I can easily prove it. Penny, let me have the gun with this. Burnett shot us during the battle a few minutes ago. Sure, Nick.

[Ted]

Here you are.

[Patsy]

Thanks.

[Ted]

Look here, Mrs. Wallace. This pistol has eight shells in it. Burnett fired five shots at us, but

[Nick Carter]

there are still three shells left. And here they are.

[Arthur Burnett]

Why, those are blanks. They couldn't hurt anybody.

[Ted]

Exactly, Mrs. Wallace.

[Nick Carter]

And the shells and the pistols that his men were to use in the fights were blanks also. And if I were a beautiful woman in distress and a man came to my rescue with his pistol loaded with blanks, I think I should find it extremely difficult to believe that he was

[Ted]

being on the level.

[Narrator (Nick Carter segment)]

That was another strange experience of Nick Carter, master detective, called the Body on the Slab, or Nick Carter and the Mystery of the Missing Husband. Another of the curious adventures of Nick Carter, which are brought to you regularly at the same time by WOR Mutual. And now, Nick, how about a few hints on next week's story.

[Nick Carter]

It's a story of a body which was washed up in the beach, tied

[Ted]

up in a sack.

[Nan]

And the only identifying mark on the

[Mrs. Wallace]

body was one of Nick's cards.

[Nick Carter]

I had to solve that murder to prove I didn't do it myself. And I found that the real culprit was the killer who used a clue that pointed directly to him to prove that he couldn't have done it.

[Nan]

And the killer tried to drown both

[Mrs. Wallace]

Nick and myself when the chase got

[Nan]

too warm for comfort.

[Nick Carter]

But as you can easily see, he didn't succeed. So so long until next week. So long, folks.

[Narrator (Nick Carter segment)]

And so long to you and Nick Furnell. Patsy in the strange adventure you have just heard, Nick Carter was impersonated by Lon Clark. Patsy by Helen Choate. Original music was played by Lou White. The entire production was written and directed by Jock McGregor. Next week at the same time, listen to another curious expenditure of Nick Carter

[Patsy]

entitled the Drug Ring Murder or Nick Connor and the Mystery of the Left Handed Killer.

[Narrator (Nick Carter segment)]

This story is a copyrighted feature of street and Smith Publications Incorporated. The Return of Nick Carter is produced in the studios of Worcester and is broadcast over most of these stations every

[Nick Carter]

Wednesday evening at 8:30 Eastern.

[Narrator (Nick Carter segment)]

War time. This is mutual.