Ep1348 | "Code Word Caprice"

Summary

Podcast Summary: CBS Radio Mystery Theater – Ep1348 "Code Word Caprice"

Host: OTR Gold
Air Date: August 9, 2019
Main Cast: Bernard Grant, Bill Baptista, Earl Hammond, Joyce Gordon
Written by: Roy Winslot
Theme: Deception, betrayal, and the consequences of greed in the world of trucking and organized crime.

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Episode Overview

"Code Word Caprice" is a gripping crime drama set in New York City and the highways between Chicago and New York, examining the dark side of human nature—greed, ambition, and betrayal. The story revolves around the mysterious hijackings of truck shipments from Mercury Express, an American trucking company. At the episode's core is a coded criminal operation and the company's race against time to unmask a mole enabling these crimes. The intrigue deepens as suspicions mount, alliances are tested, and the criminal plot is finally brought down by teamwork between the company and law enforcement.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Setup: Mysterious Offer and Suspicion (00:12 – 06:09)

• Tom Tully, a truck driver at Mercury Express, receives a cryptic phone call offering $5,000—for simply not resisting arrest during his next delivery. This sparks confusion and concern.

• Tom shares the strange offer with Yvette LeClaire (a French secretary), who promises to inform the company heads and the police.

• Previous truck hijackings and a large company loss add further tension, as Tom debates whether he is being set up for another heist.

  Notable Quote – Tom Tully (01:22):
  "If you would like to earn $5,000. Do not resist arrest."

2. The Emotional Fallout and Internal Tensions (05:31 – 09:12)

• With two trucks lost, company heads Mr. Clark and Alan Harper grill Tom—some suspect him of complicity due to his unharmed state post-hijacking.

• Tom’s confusion and sense of betrayal is palpable, as he recounts being overpowered by men posing as police.

  Memorable Moment:
  Mr. Clark’s suspicion:
  "Now listen, Tully, if you have double crossed me, I'll see to it you spend the rest of your life in prison." (06:21)

3. The Case Deepens: Evidence and Theory (11:33 – 15:59)

• Police involvement intensifies, with Lieutenant Mullins investigating the possibility of an inside informant.

• He theorizes that an insider is leaking information about high-value shipments, particularly food and munitions, to a mercenary group smuggling goods to the Caribbean.

  Key Insight – Mullins (13:31):
  "There are mercenaries everywhere, and food is a weapon. In our opinion, there’s a mercenary behind the hijack, someone paid to hijack food and munitions."

4. The Counter-Plan: Setting a Trap (16:41 – 18:56)

• Alan Harper proposes to secretly replace the next munitions shipment driver, using a secret beeper device to alert police during a hijacking attempt.

• Only Harper, Clark, and the police know his true role, keeping even confidantes like Yvette in the dark to maintain secrecy.

• Suspicion subtly turns toward Yvette, as her knowledge of company affairs exceeds reasonable bounds.

  Notable Quote – Alan Harper (17:54):
  "If that’s true, I want to be at the wheel of that trailer truck... If I’m flagged down by a patrol car, I’ll switch on the beeper. The police will be tuned in, too. By the time the hijackers have tied me up, the police will be on the scene, and we'll have them."

5. The Trap Sprung: Hijack and Betrayal (25:38 – 32:16)

• Harper’s ruse nearly works: hijackers block his truck, but manage to jam the tracking signal. Harper, however, activates the beeper just in time.

• Tensions mount as it becomes clear Yvette is feeding information to the mastermind, "Torco".

• A wiretap on Yvette’s phone finally confirms her link to the criminal ring and reveals Torco’s plans to flee on a freighter with the stolen goods.

  Crucial Moment:
  "That’s the voice of the guy who offered me the five grand." – Tom Tully, recognizing the ringleader during the wiretap (38:09)

6. The Final Confrontation: Arrests and Revelations (38:34 – 42:30)

• Police swoop in on the freighter just before departure; Yvette and Torco are confronted and arrested.

• A violent scuffle ensues, but the operation ends with the criminals captured and the stolen truck recovered.

• The company's future is secured, and the episode closes with a sobering reflection on the endless cycle of crime driven by greed.

  Memorable Lines:
  "Code word Caprice fell on its ugly face." – (42:30)
  "What drives them is greed. To become rich quick, such men steal." – Tammy Brown (29:59)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• The Proposition:
  "If you would like to earn $5,000. Do not resist arrest." – The mysterious caller to Tom Tully (01:22)
• On Coincidence and Fate:
  "Accidents are not coincidences. Neither is what has happened to Mercury Express." – Tammy Brown (15:59)
• On Company Betrayal:
  "You've worked for me and I have appreciated your efficiency. But I did not think, nor could I imagine, that you were a spy." – Mr. Clark to Yvette (39:13)
• Revealing the Mastermind:
  "That’s the voice of the guy who offered me the five grand." – Tom Tully, realizing the truth at the wiretap (38:09)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:12 – Episode intro and setting
• 01:00 – Tom receives the mysterious $5,000 offer
• 05:31 – Mr. Clark and Alan Harper question Tom's loyalty
• 11:33 – Police theory of an inside informant
• 16:41 – Alan Harper’s plan to set a trap
• 25:38 – Harper’s shipment is hijacked; beeper activated
• 29:59 – Police discuss suspecting Yvette and the upcoming wiretap
• 38:09 – Wiretap captures the criminal mastermind
• 39:13 – Confrontation and exposure of Yvette
• 42:30 – Final wrap-up; code word Caprice fails

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Final Reflection

The episode weaves together classic tropes of suspense, trust, and deception, ultimately revealing that even those closest can betray for personal gain. Through well-drawn characters and careful plotting, "Code Word Caprice" is a reminder of the dangers of greed, the importance of vigilance, and the inevitability that, eventually, justice prevails.

Tammy Brown (Host) closes (42:55):
"Contraband, meaning illegal or prohibited commerce, is inescapable... as long as men devise ways to obtain something for nothing, they risk death or arrest in prison..."

Transcript

[Tammy Brown]

Come in. Welcome. I'm Tammy Brown.

[Yvette LeClaire]

I preside over an exploration into the

[Tammy Brown]

dark side of human nature where we encounter such bizarre extremes as flights into the beyond as well as restrictions behavior of persons driven by hatred, avarice or ambition. The tale we are about to hear is about deception and its consequences. Our setting is New York City on a cold night. Tom Tully, who drives an 18 wheel truck and bridge from Mercury Express, has slept all day. He is dressed as a telephone wing.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Hello?

[Alan Harper]

You would like to earn $5,000?

[Tom Tully]

Who is this? What's the gag? You are Tom Tally? Yeah.

[Alan Harper]

You will be driving a big rig from Chicago to New York.

[Tom Tully]

Well, yeah, but who is this?

[Alan Harper]

If you would like to earn $5,000. Do not resist arrest.

[Tom Tully]

Resist arrest. Hey, now who's gonna arrest me, huh? Are you the guy that hijacked that? Hey, what was that all about? Don't resist arrest.

[Tammy Brown]

Our mystery stories code word Caprice was written especially for mystery by Roy Winslot and stars Bernard Grant and Bill Baptista. I'll be back shortly with act one. Life touches many other lives and in turn is touched. But often seems to be. A coincidence can be explained by the interaction of human forces. Because of a flat tire, a man takes a late train into the city. On the train he meets a man. He is only nodded to in the park. They sit together. As a result of their conversation, the possibility of a better position presents itself. You take it from there. That is why that mysterious phone call to Tom Cruise was not a coincidence. Neither is his visit an hour later to a young French woman who lives on East 61st Street.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Hi, D. Oh, as darling you. Are you not driving to Chicago? I didn't expect you then.

[Tom Tully]

I didn't expect to be here.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Welcome suits and explain, Tom.

[Tom Tully]

Well, yeah. This is a beautiful place you got, Yvette. They must pay you a bundle at the office.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, well, Mr. Clark is generous and I do have expensive taste.

[Tom Tully]

Well, maybe after my next trip from Chicago I'll be able to afford you. So yeah, an hour ago some guy with a foreign accent told me I could earn $5,000 if I did not resist arrest.

[Yvette LeClaire]

I do not understand.

[Tom Tully]

Well, neither do I.

[Yvette LeClaire]

That is all. He said do not resist arrest. And you do not know this foreign man?

[Tom Tully]

No, no. And how does he know me and that I drive a rig? How could he know my telephone number? Am I being set up for a hijack?

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, no.

[Tom Tully]

Then what's it all about? I'm driving to Chicago in an hour with a big load of plastics and then returning with a Refrigerated rig packed with meat. And if I don't resist arrest, I get 5,000 bucks.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Who from? How? No, it worries you?

[Tammy Brown]

Yeah.

[Tom Tully]

Should I tell Mr. Clark or Mr. Harper?

[Yvette LeClaire]

No, I will do that in the morning.

[Tom Tully]

Oh, well, I wish you would because we've already lost one truck and it's cargo. It's a loss of a quarter of a million dollars.

[Yvette LeClaire]

It is a mystery. That truck that vanished, Tom. What would you do?

[Tom Tully]

Well, drive the rig and see what happens.

[Yvette LeClaire]

The $5,000 would be very nice, Tom.

[Tom Tully]

Sure, sir, it's mine. Just not to resist arrest.

[Yvette LeClaire]

It's crazy.

[Tom Tully]

And you will tell Mr. Clark?

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, of course.

[Tom Tully]

While I'm on my way, I'll report the offer to Foley at the garage. He can alert the police.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Do you think that is wise? If you do not do what the foreign man advises, you might be hurt, Tom.

[Tom Tully]

But Mr. Clark and the police have got to be told about the crazy offer. If I do receive the money, we'll celebrate when I return two nights from now.

[Alan Harper]

Wish me luck.

[Tom Tully]

Just what the devil is going on, Alan?

[Alan Harper]

I wish I knew, Jack.

[Tom Tully]

Two trucks. Now how in the name of sanity can two 18 wheelers disappear without a trace? Who hijacks them? Where do they take the trucks? How does it happen? Tom?

[Alan Harper]

Tully will tell us.

[Tom Tully]

And where is he?

[Alan Harper]

He's been released by the police. He should be here any minute.

[Tom Tully]

Without a scratch on him. According to the police. How do you explain that? The driver of the first truck that was hijacked. Mike Shepard. Yeah, that's right. Shepard. He's still in the hospital and Tully hasn't got a scratch. At least double crossed.

[Alan Harper]

No, this not Tom. Don't be hasty.

[Tom Tully]

Let's hear his story first. We have lost almost half a million billion dollars. Well, the insurance will lose our insurance. Then what do we do?

[Alan Harper]

Now that's Tom.

[Tom Tully]

Come here, Tommy. Yes, sir. Now listen, Tully, if you have double crossed me, I'll see to it you

[Alan Harper]

spend the rest of your life in prison. Where did it take place, Tom?

[Tom Tully]

Now, now look, I. I don't like to be accused of a double cross. I don't care what you like. You set this up. No, sir, I did not. Then how come no one's touched you? That means you didn't resist. You know what happened to Shepherd. Well, didn't he that. I mean this LeClaire tell you? Didn't Foley call from the garage?

[Alan Harper]

Tell us what, Tom?

[Tom Tully]

Well, I. I saw Ms. LeClaire the night I drove the rig to Chicago. And? Well, I told her some Guy phoned me at home and said if I didn't resist arrest, he'd pay me 5,000 bucks.

[Yvette LeClaire]

What?

[Tom Tully]

Yes, sir. Some guy with a foreign accent. He said I'd be arrested and that if I didn't resist, you'd receive $5,000. Yes, sir. That's it. Mr. Judas Priest. Is this right? Yes, sir. Now, I told Ms. Leclair to tell you, and I told Foley at the garage and asked him to inform the police.

[Alan Harper]

You better sit down, Tom. No, no. Neither Mr. Clark or I heard about the phone call. You better tell us what happened.

[Tom Tully]

I left Chicago with the fridge rig packed with meat. It happened on the Jersey Turnpike. A police car picked me up and waved me off the road. Two cops ordered me out of the truck cab.

[Alan Harper]

Then what?

[Tom Tully]

Well, while I was asking why I'd been stopped, one cop grabbed me from behind and the other put a hood over my head. When they tied me up, they locked me in the back of the patrol car, slammed the door, and then took

[Tammy Brown]

off in the truck.

[Tom Tully]

Why didn't you resist? Well, I struggled. I tried to yell, but it happened so fast that I didn't have a chance to resist. You carry an iron rod in your cab? Sure, but I was flagged down by a police car.

[Alan Harper]

Tom, tell me about that phone call.

[Tom Tully]

I just don't understand it. This foreign character knew my phone number and that I drove a big rig and wouldn't give me his name. I thought it was a gag.

[Alan Harper]

And then he said, do not resist arrest. Then you'll make $5,000.

[Tom Tully]

Well, if I do get the five grand, it's yours, Mr. Clark.

[Alan Harper]

Tom, is all of this straight? Don't you believe me?

[Tom Tully]

I want to.

[Alan Harper]

Tom, too.

[Tom Tully]

Hijacking can put us out of business.

[Alan Harper]

Well, if Tom's telling the truth, Jack, and I think he is, we know one thing. The patrol car that flagged him down was a phony. And the car and the guys in it. The police have the car and they can trace its ownership.

[Tom Tully]

Yeah, but where did the trucks go?

[Alan Harper]

That's exactly what we'd like to find out. That and one other thing.

[Tom Tully]

Which is what, Alan?

[Alan Harper]

I'll tell you later. Good night, Tom.

[Tom Tully]

Oh, yes, sir.

[Alan Harper]

I feel terrible, Mr. Clark.

[Tom Tully]

Well, Alan,

[Yvette LeClaire]

I cannot believe it, Tom.

[Tom Tully]

It was in my apartment when I went home to change 5,000 big ones.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, we celebrate. We?

[Tom Tully]

Well, I'm turning it over to Mr. Clark.

[Yvette LeClaire]

But that's silly.

[Tom Tully]

No, no, no, no, no. I told him about it. Hey, you must have forgotten.

[Yvette LeClaire]

What?

[Tom Tully]

Well, I. I asked you.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, of course. Of Course. I'm so sorry, Tom, but did you not tell Foley at the garage?

[Tom Tully]

Yeah, yeah, and he said he notified the police, but, well, they had no record of it.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, Tom, it was a bad experience.

[Tom Tully]

It was. It was really was just crazy. I was too surprised to put up a fight. So they left me in the phony patrol car and made off with the practice. No trace of it?

[Yvette LeClaire]

No. He just meant it, kid.

[Tom Tully]

Well, I don't know what it is, except that it cost the company a quarter of a million dollars. Raid, you know, and all that meat. Look, I can't keep the 5,000, Yvette. That would make it look as if I double crossed the company.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Ah, conscience. It would not bother me.

[Tammy Brown]

Someone drops money from heaven on events, she keeps it.

[Alan Harper]

Good evening, Kersh. Mr. Troqu. You weigh anchor one.

[Tom Tully]

This is our. The shipment is safely aboard Already. The painter's artwork.

[Alan Harper]

Then I wish you a safe voyage.

[Tom Tully]

Thank you. You have the money?

[Alan Harper]

It is in the false bottom of this case.

[Tom Tully]

Thank you. Munitions are at a premium, Mr. Torque.

[Alan Harper]

As that I am well aware. A shipment is not easy to predict. And the Cineras is in port for a week. I will see if you should be boarded before you've cleared the port. You know what to do?

[Tom Tully]

It would be no problem. We carry much other machinery and. Well.

[Alan Harper]

Good night, Captain.

[Tom Tully]

Good night. Have a seat, Lieutenant. This is Ellen Harper, my assistant. Hello. My name is Mullins. At the moment, Lieutenant, my opinion of the police department is not a happy one. Sir. I understand.

[Alan Harper]

Two rigs and their cargo hijack and not a trace of them.

[Tom Tully]

The losses have just about put us out of business. Have the police any explanation at all? Several. Mr. Clark, we've questioned Tom Tully closely. Now, either he's an expert actor or he's innocent. You don't question his loyalty, the police do. He claims to have reported a $5,000 offer before he drove to Chicago. Your secretary forgot to tell you when? Your dispatcher Foley claims he notified the police, but there is no record of the call. A final point. When his rig was hijacked, Tully wasn't harmed.

[Alan Harper]

Then Tully is still a suspect, even

[Tom Tully]

though he offered to hand over the $5,000 to me. That could be a red herring, Mr. Clark. His offer is a gesture. And to the gang that's behind these hijackings. You know, 5,000 is pay money.

[Alan Harper]

You. You said you had several explanations.

[Tom Tully]

That's right. One is this. If a gang is behind this, it's got access to some big storage garages. Your rigs are driven to one of them and repainted and then used as sold. And another explanation. You've got an informer working inside here in your office, Mr. Clark. Why do you say that? How many trucks in your fleet?

[Alan Harper]

20. Not all that you should want.

[Tom Tully]

What do they haul? Everything. Food, machinery, appliances, textiles, everything. Munitions?

[Alan Harper]

On occasion.

[Tammy Brown]

How?

[Tom Tully]

The two trucks hijacked carry food. No other trucks have been touched.

[Alan Harper]

What's your deduction from that, lieutenant?

[Tom Tully]

Well, there are mercenaries everywhere, and food is a weapon. Now, in our opinion, there's a mercenary behind the hijack, Someone paid to hijack food and munitions. Caribbean is the market for those stolen goods. And our truck food stuff is transferred to other trucks, and yours are cannibalized to sold. And those food shipments are smuggled aboard freighters. And that is our guess, sir. Whoever the mercenary is, he knows when one of your rigs is picking up food or munitions. I can almost bet that when you next haul guns and ammo from the middle west to New York, that truck will be stopped. And someone in your company supplies the information about what the rigs are carrying.

[Alan Harper]

Oh, that could be any one of a hundred persons here or at the pickup point.

[Tom Tully]

This is like finding a needle in a haystack. Well, we understand how deeply you're concerned, Mr. Clark. We are, too. I came here to tell you that we are working hard on the problem. And with your permission, we'll place a trained investigator in your garage or in your office. No, no, no, not yet. Mr. Harper and I will think over what you said, and then we'll decide if we want to accept your offer. Thank you for it. Ah, you're welcome. I'll say good night, sir.

[Alan Harper]

Good night, Lieutenant Mullins. Good night,

[Tom Tully]

Alan. That shocked me. I mean, this idea of an informer. What do you think of it?

[Alan Harper]

I don't like it, but it's possible.

[Tom Tully]

We have to leave it in the hands of the police, Alan.

[Alan Harper]

I'm not so sure. I'm beginning to have an idea. Do not speak. Operation meat market was a success. The codeword for shipment of munitions will be caprice. I repeat. Code word caprice. You will inform me with those three words. Good night.

[Tammy Brown]

As I said earlier, you cannot rule out coincidence as a factor in each of our lives. It is a malign word. It means something that happens without apparent cause. But dig deep enough and a cause can be found. Accidents are not coincidences. Neither is what has happened to Mercury Express. Who is this man named Tor? Who is his informer? Tom Tally. We will find out when I return with Act 2.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Suspicion breeds distrust.

[Tammy Brown]

Remember the Aesop fable about the boy who cried W? He deceived others so many times that the one time he was right, no one came to his aid and he was killed. Well, just the mention of a possible informer within the trucking company could hurt the morale of Mercury Express. Is Tom Tully that informer? The next morning in Clark's office, Alan Harper, who said he had an idea, proposes it.

[Alan Harper]

Don't object, Jack, until you've heard me out. I want to take a week off. This is hardly the time, but listen to me. I want it known that I'm taking a week off. I don't want to arouse suspicion. Say anything you want to say. My nerves are shot.

[Tom Tully]

I had to go away.

[Alan Harper]

But you're not going away.

[Tom Tully]

No?

[Alan Harper]

No, I'm going to fly to Chicago and drive a rig back to New York. We have a huge shipment of arms and ammo going into Chicago and from there to here.

[Tom Tully]

I'll replace the driver.

[Alan Harper]

Alan, I don't like it. We've been hijacked twice for food shipments, and the police believe that munitions will be next. Now, if that's true, I want to be at the wheel of that trailer truck. I've already worked out with Lieutenant Mullins what I want to do and how I'll be prepared for a hijack.

[Tom Tully]

But, Alan, you haven't driven a big rig in years.

[Alan Harper]

Don't worry about my ability to handle the rig. Now, here's something for you. A beeper and high frequency, the latest. It has a range of 50 miles. And the hijacking, if it's tried, will take place somewhere near around Hackensack. If I'm flagged down by a patrol car, I'll switch on the beeper. The police will be tuned in, too. By the time the hijackers have tied me up, the police will be on the scene, and we'll have them.

[Tom Tully]

Lieutenant Mullins okays this.

[Alan Harper]

You duck that's important to create the impression that I'm on vacation at a beach in Florida.

[Tom Tully]

Now, there's one problem. I'm not sure we can keep your mission a secret.

[Alan Harper]

You show up in Chicago, our dispatchers won't talk.

[Tom Tully]

The driver you'll replace might. Maybe not the Foley here in New York, but the other drivers at the garage will wonder why he's been taken

[Alan Harper]

off the New York run. Well, that is possible.

[Tom Tully]

You see, this informer, if there is one, would be in Chicago as well as in New York. If somebody is keeping tabs on our shipment, sure.

[Alan Harper]

Look, I'm not saying my plan is foolproof, but we have to try something. All right.

[Tom Tully]

Maybe you'll get a break.

[Alan Harper]

I'll have Ms. LeClaire book your flight to Palm Beach. Jack.

[Tom Tully]

What? You certainly don't suspect. Believe that I trust her completely. So do I.

[Alan Harper]

But only you and I and the police are to know about the plan. Don't tell her that. Let me ask her to book the flight. Okay. Okay.

[Tom Tully]

I'll buzzer to come in.

[Alan Harper]

I'll leave Chicago early tomorrow morning and

[Tom Tully]

I'll wait here until I hear from you one way or the other.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Is it true, Mr. Clark, another of the trucks has been hijacked?

[Tom Tully]

Good morning, Eyvette.

[Alan Harper]

Yes, yes, it's true.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, I read about it in the newspaper, but this is terrible. I need. It is just not possible, a truck that disappears.

[Alan Harper]

I agree.

[Tom Tully]

Will you book a flight from Mr. Harper to Palm beach as soon as you can?

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, oh, of course. You are going on a holiday?

[Tom Tully]

Of a sort of sort. Mr. Harper's nerves are shot, so I want him to take a week off and rest.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, I'm so sorry.

[Alan Harper]

Now, thank you, Vet. Will you handle my calls while I'm away?

[Yvette LeClaire]

But of course. You will be gone long?

[Alan Harper]

Oh, well, a week. Well, I'm going home to pack. Will you phone me there?

[Yvette LeClaire]

Of course.

[Tom Tully]

Goodbye, Adam.

[Alan Harper]

And good luck. I'll let you know where I am, Jack, as soon as I've checked into a hotel.

[Yvette LeClaire]

The police do not know what happens, Mr. Clark.

[Tom Tully]

They haven't a clue.

[Tammy Brown]

They do.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Someone who informs.

[Tom Tully]

Yes, I suppose that is a possibility. What made you think of that?

[Yvette LeClaire]

Tom. Tom Kelly. And I am fond of him, you know, till he showed me the money. And I look at him and nowhere is there a scratch. Does that not strike you as suspicious?

[Tammy Brown]

Yes.

[Tom Tully]

Does. The police are still looking into it. It's in their hands, Eyvette. All right. You better find a flight for Mr. Hopper.

[Tammy Brown]

I will do that right away.

[Tom Tully]

Good morning, Yvette. Let me take you to lunch, doll.

[Yvette LeClaire]

What are you doing here? I am. So the police continue to ask you questions.

[Tom Tully]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just came from the police, so they can't get it through their thick heads. And I'm innocent.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Well, I am thinking about what you told me. The man with the foreign voice, his $5,000, and then the hijack and me with not even a bump on the head.

[Tom Tully]

You think I made that up, Ray,

[Yvette LeClaire]

it is a strange story.

[Tom Tully]

It's the truth.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Maybe.

[Tom Tully]

Look, I showed you the money. I got it with me.

[Yvette LeClaire]

You will give it to Mr. Clark,

[Tom Tully]

I said I would, and I'm going to.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Tom, it is not $5,000 that Mr. Clark wants. It is to solve the clocks that disappear. He's very distressed. And Mr. Hopper is so upset, he is going to arrest to Florida.

[Tom Tully]

Well, I just saw him, and he looked fine to me. Said he'd see me in a day or two. Oh, well, he didn't seem upset. He's worried about that munition shipment from Chicago. He said that Sam Big Wig is coming into New York tomorrow night. Look, if you don't have lunch with me, how about dinner?

[Yvette LeClaire]

I thought perhaps the rib of tea. Mr. Clark might work late.

[Tammy Brown]

Ah.

[Tom Tully]

Will you buzz him and ask him if I might see him? Thank you, John. I wish I knew whose money this is. Well, all I know, sir, is this guy with the foreign accent said, I get it. And there it was in my apartment. You think I'm mixed up in this scam, Mr. Clark? No, the circumstantial evidence is against you. But if you would inform her, I don't think you would have told Ms. LeClaire and us about it. You trust me, sir? Yes, I do. Well, Mr. Harper trusts me, too. He. He gave me kind of an assignment.

[Alan Harper]

Oh?

[Tom Tully]

What was it? Well, I can't tell you except. Well, I'm gonna do a little listening, see if I can pick up anything around the company and in the garages. How much did Mr. Harper confide in you? Enough so I might get something started. You know he's on his way to Palm Beach. Yeah, yeah, nerves. But he hasn't got any nerves, Mr. Clark. Now, I've also been briefed by the police count named Lieutenant Mullins. The one who grilled me until I was dizzy. I see. The Mullins suggested placing an undercover man in the company. Did you know that? Oh, yes. Yes, sir, he told me.

[Alan Harper]

And you're it?

[Tom Tully]

Well, sort of. I know everybody, and I'm pretty well liked. I might find out something. Well, if you do, tell me, Tom.

[Alan Harper]

No, sir.

[Tom Tully]

Begging your pardon, I tell the lieutenant. I just thought you ought to know I'm not driving yet, so you might wonder why I'm hanging around, see?

[Tammy Brown]

All right, snoop away.

[Tom Tully]

The three of you have got me so confused.

[Alan Harper]

Let's drop it.

[Tom Tully]

Yes, sir.

[Alan Harper]

Ah, splendid, Caprice. Tomorrow night. You suspect the trap? A signal device from the rig to the police. Thank you. They can be neutralized, or we will have a surprise ready for them. And it's be at home tomorrow night and I will give you a report.

[Tom Tully]

So. I wish to speak with the captain

[Alan Harper]

of the SS Senhoras. Find him. It is vital he must be prepared.

[Tom Tully]

All clear, Mr. Harper.

[Alan Harper]

So far still picking up my signal from the rig.

[Tom Tully]

Right now you've been monitored all the way from Chicago. Where are you now? Let's see.

[Alan Harper]

About 50 miles from Hackensack. If I'm not stopped, then what?

[Tom Tully]

Our plan is a bust.

[Alan Harper]

Maybe having Tom leak the information was a mistake.

[Tom Tully]

No, I don't think so. The girl might give herself away. Remember that. If you're stopped, don't panic and don't resist or they will gun you down. We're waiting for your signal.

[Alan Harper]

They took to my belt. Any sign of that patrol car, I'll switch it on. Go along.

[Tom Tully]

What?

[Alan Harper]

What's that wolf trying to do?

[Tom Tully]

She's crazy. I'm trying to crowd a trailer off the bike. Look out.

[Alan Harper]

What were you trying to do, get killed? If I hit you, that tin can

[Tom Tully]

would have rolled over five times. Raise your hands. Hey, what do you. Otherwise I shoot. Complain me. Well, what happened to your police car? I am a rapido. We leave a little time to you, senor. I'll remember your faces. Arms tied behind me.

[Alan Harper]

How can I switch on the beeper?

[Tom Tully]

Oh, I gotta activate the beeper. Oh. Unmarked little one car. Oh, stupid. She warned them. I think that'll be all for tonight, event.

[Alan Harper]

It's, let me see, soon after 8.

[Tom Tully]

No, no, no, no.

[Alan Harper]

I'm beat.

[Tom Tully]

You must be too. Get a good night's rest. Come in late in the morning.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Yes, Mr. Clark. You will go home soon?

[Tom Tully]

No, not for a while.

[Yvette LeClaire]

You are worried?

[Tom Tully]

Disappointed. Oh, frankly, I expected that another truck would be hijacked tonight.

[Yvette LeClaire]

And you are disappointed it was not?

[Tom Tully]

No. Well, I mean, in a way, yes. Because we were prepared for it. I thought we might catch the hijackers.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Ah, well, I will say good night, Mr. Clark.

[Tom Tully]

Good night, Event. And thank you for your help. Hi. Do. Hey, you remember my invitation to dinner?

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, I am so sorry, dear Tom, but I am very tired and I have a nasty headache. He will forgive me. Oh, sure.

[Tom Tully]

You want me to drive you home?

[Yvette LeClaire]

No, no, no. I will take a taxi.

[Tom Tully]

Yes.

[Yvette LeClaire]

He jumped from my skin. Yes, Mr. Clark.

[Tom Tully]

Listen. Did it happen, sir? Listen.

[Yvette LeClaire]

What does that mean?

[Tom Tully]

I know the truck's been hijacked. Mullins was right. Soil of police. Event. I want to speak with Lieutenant Mullins.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Yes, sir. That beeping, it means a hijack.

[Tom Tully]

Oh, no, it means more than that. It means they've got the hijacker.

[Yvette LeClaire]

I will form for my desk.

[Tom Tully]

Did you mean that, Tom? No, sir, but that's what I was told to say. Oh, Tom, this has got me dizzy. Me too, Mr. Clark. But it's all part of the plan that Mr. Harper and Lieutenant Mullins worked out.

[Yvette LeClaire]

I have the lieutenant. Mr. Clark.

[Tom Tully]

What's happened? Lieutenant Harper's rig got hit, but not by a police car. Two guys, one spoke. He was Hispanic. That's Harper's guess. Now, they blocked the trailer, and when he stepped out, they held a gun on him and tied him up. He activated the beeper with his foot. In the 20 minutes it took him to do that, the truck was driven off the Harper's. Okay.

[Alan Harper]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Tom Tully]

Angry with himself, but he wasn't hurt. Did Tom do what he was supposed to do? Just yes or no will do.

[Alan Harper]

Yes.

[Tom Tully]

Well, wait there for me to pick you up. Don't ask any questions. Tom will explain. Understood? I don't understand anything. Be down in front of your building in 10 minutes. I'm on my way.

[Tammy Brown]

The subject of our tale is not the occult. It is reality. The kind that each of us can understand. There have always been men, very clever ones, who operate on the dark side of law. What drives them is greed. To become rich quick, such men steal. One such man has engineered the hijacking of three trailer trucks. Know that his name is Torko, and he supplies stolen goods to those who pay high for it. When I return with Act 3, we will find out more.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Some persons can't resist.

[Tammy Brown]

The temptation to steal often are petty. We are dealing, however, with a professional thief, a mercenary, the kind of man without a conscience. When he steals, he steals for huge sums of money. He does not care how the stolen goods are used, even if they affect the life and death of thousands. This man is morally bankrupt. Moments after Clark received instructions from. From the police, the vet exclaims.

[Yvette LeClaire]

The police rescued Mr. Harper.

[Tammy Brown]

Harper?

[Alan Harper]

Mr. Harper is in Palm Beach.

[Yvette LeClaire]

He did not go to Palm Beach. He went to Chicago.

[Tom Tully]

How do you know that?

[Yvette LeClaire]

Tom here told me.

[Tom Tully]

Tom. Come again? All I said was that Mr. Harper looked okay to me.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, but they know in the garage that Mr. Harper is driving a tailor with ammunition.

[Tom Tully]

You seem to know an awful lot, Ms. Leclair. Who in the garage told you it

[Yvette LeClaire]

was being talked about? Some scheme to. To trap the hijacker.

[Alan Harper]

Really?

[Tom Tully]

That's more than I know. It doesn't matter, Mr. Clark. Mr. Harper's okay. And the police arrested them and saved the rig. Now they'll be squeezed for the name of that foreign guy who's behind them. I think we'd better get down to police headquarters. Your loose tongue could have cost Harper his life. Tom, you have some explaining to do.

[Yvette LeClaire]

You will not want me to stay, Mr. Clark?

[Tom Tully]

No, no, no. You go home.

[Alan Harper]

I've kept you long enough.

[Tom Tully]

I'm sorry about dinner, Yvette. I'll stop by later and tell you what happened.

[Yvette LeClaire]

No, please. I am very tired. I will go home and go to bed early.

[Tom Tully]

All of us will sleep better to. All right, Tom, let's go. Where was Mr. Harper's stop. Mr. Clark? Yes?

[Yvette LeClaire]

Code word caprices.

[Alan Harper]

It fails you telephone from where?

[Yvette LeClaire]

I'm alone in the office. They receive a phone call from the police and they say to me that the police have captured the men and the truck.

[Alan Harper]

It is not true. Do not worry, you pretty head. Caprice is a success. It is not quite complete. I go now to the docks. It is not like you I to be fooled to become his hysterical.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Well, that is true. Forgive me, but no more.

[Alan Harper]

Later tonight I will explain.

[Tom Tully]

Hey, come in, Mr. Clark. Here, take a seat.

[Alan Harper]

Thank you.

[Tom Tully]

So this is the radio surveillance room, Lieutenant. I don't get it. What kind of police setup is it? And where is Harper? You sure he's all right? Oh, he'll be here soon. What went wrong, Lieutenant? Well, the hijackers blocked out the truck signal device about 40 miles outside Hackensen. Now Harper was crowded off the road by his small fallen car. It was that or he'd have rolled it over. Harper lost his head. He jumped out and went for him. It was a while before he managed somehow to activate the beeper on his belt. By that time, the truck had been driven off.

[Alan Harper]

So they've gotten away with it again.

[Tom Tully]

It is not over yet, sir. That trap didn't work. I hope the other one will. Tom did enough gossiping so that Ms. LeClaire relayed the information that the police had set a trap. When we left her, she believed that the hijackers had been arrested. And that means that sometime tonight she will receive a report from the man behind the operation that the job was a success. That's why we've got a wiretap on our phone. I see. We'll monitor our phone constantly and tape recording is already operational. It might be a long wait, so if you like to get a nice rest. No, I'm staying. There's no need to worry, senor. But it was a close call.

[Alan Harper]

Something went wrong. Gabriel, what do you know?

[Tom Tully]

It's a mystery to Pedo. When the hijacks ringing Pedo thought he had an hour before there would Be an alert.

[Alan Harper]

Did he search the man Harper?

[Tom Tully]

There was nothing. Pedo would change the license plates. And only 15 minutes before Pedro drives the truck into the freighter. The police have been here.

[Alan Harper]

So they finally figured out that the rigs are not hidden in some garage.

[Tom Tully]

But they can see for each.

[Alan Harper]

It is not likely we will be able to work the same scheme again. You sail when it's midnight. I will be aboard.

[Tom Tully]

But why?

[Alan Harper]

My usefulness here is no more. I will wait to be reassigned. First I must leave to pack my bag.

[Tom Tully]

Then I will return at the money.

[Alan Harper]

The false bottom of this case. I leave it with you. The rig is being disguised.

[Tom Tully]

Everyone in the hold works on it now.

[Alan Harper]

Good. I will return within the hour.

[Tom Tully]

It's 10:35 and still no call. You can be sure that Mr. Claire has not gone to sleep. Now all we can do is wait.

[Alan Harper]

Mr. Harper?

[Tom Tully]

Yes? You should see Beth's place. You think she earned a hundred thousand a year?

[Alan Harper]

Well, maybe she does, Tom. Is that what made you suspicious of her?

[Tammy Brown]

No.

[Tom Tully]

No, sir. I just wondered about it. You see, actually, it was her attitude about the five grand I was offered in three paid keep. It was her idea. Then she didn't tell Mr. Clark about the offer. And Foley if the garage didn't notify the police. You think Foley's mixed up in this thing, Tom? I don't know. I rather not say, Mr. Clark. All that. All of the calls coming through to Ms. Leclair.

[Tammy Brown]

Hello.

[Alan Harper]

Did I tell you not to worry? Where are your pretty head?

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, you have the trailer truck.

[Alan Harper]

It is now safely aboard the Cineras. And at midnight she sails to the Caribbean.

[Tammy Brown]

I was worried.

[Alan Harper]

You must never worry. You must trust Sir Antonio. You said that Mr. Clark and the police lieutenant have gone to the police

[Tammy Brown]

at the time I telephoned you.

[Alan Harper]

It is dangerous.

[Tom Tully]

The telephone.

[Alan Harper]

I hesitated to place this call, but I wanted you to know that when. When the Cinera sails, I sail with it.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, no.

[Alan Harper]

But yes, my dear, we have been successful. It is a mistake to crowd good fortune. I will be reassigned and then I will need you again. Perhaps in a month or so. We will work from Marseille.

[Tammy Brown]

Oh, I would like that.

[Tom Tully]

That's the voice of the guy who offered me the five grand. Lieutenant, we'll flood the docks with police. Harper and I will pay a visit to the Cinerus and introduce ourselves to the captain and to Torco. That's a nice way of putting it. I'll leave Miss LeClaire to you and to Tom. The police will be waiting outside.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Dear Suicid. Tom.

[Tom Tully]

Yvette. Tom Tully.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, go away. It is very late.

[Tom Tully]

I have to see you. I bet I'm in trouble.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Oh, well, come in then.

[Tom Tully]

Thanks.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Is someone with it, Mr. Clark?

[Tom Tully]

Thomas told us what a beautiful place you have, Eyette. I wanted to see it. After all, I paid for it.

[Yvette LeClaire]

How do you mean?

[Tom Tully]

That you helped hijack the rigs, Eyvette, While working for Mr. Clark as his confidential secretary. Oh, you are crazy.

[Alan Harper]

You have been an invitation.

[Yvette LeClaire]

How dare you say such a thing?

[Tom Tully]

Because it's true.

[Yvette LeClaire]

You are accusing me of being dishonored.

[Tom Tully]

As a matter of fact, I do. Now, you've worked for me and I have appreciated your efficiency. But I did not think, nor could I imagine, that you were a spy.

[Yvette LeClaire]

That is slander.

[Tom Tully]

Now we can prove it. You work for that foreign character, Torco.

[Yvette LeClaire]

I never agrees.

[Alan Harper]

That'll do, for at this very moment

[Tom Tully]

Torkel is being arrested.

[Yvette LeClaire]

You will never take sir, on Torkel.

[Tom Tully]

If you think that he'll sail in the Cinerus, think again. Torkel and the captain will be in jail before morning. Notify the police.

[Yvette LeClaire]

Tom, you cannot prove.

[Tom Tully]

Of course we can prove. Now, Ms. Leclair, don't try anything dramatic. I would enjoy losing my temper and ringing your neck next. First the captain, then Talko if he's aboard now. You got your gun in my hand. Who is there? The police. You're under arrest, Captain. Arrest? What is the meaning of this? Answer this question first. Is Mr. Talkle aboard? Torquil ain't no talk. He's sailing with you, Captain. I should say that he was sailing with you. This ship is not leaving the harbor. You do not dare stop me. Don't try anything. Now. You lead me to Torko's captain. Now he's the man I want. Then we'll go through the freighter and release the trailer truck you helped to hijack from Mercury Express. Hey. No, Nothing. Nothing above her. Checking. Is he aboard?

[Tammy Brown]

I.

[Tom Tully]

It's Ray. He step side. It is our best accommodation. That's the door. Yes. Ask him to step outside. I will not betray. Don't be foolish now. You've been caught and so is he.

[Alan Harper]

Come in, Captain.

[Tom Tully]

Well, good evening, Mr. Torgo.

[Alan Harper]

I do not know who you are. The police.

[Tom Tully]

Lieutenant Mullins, you're under arrest. The charge engineering the hijack of three trucks from Mercury Express and smuggling them and their cargo on the foreign freighters for sale abroad.

[Alan Harper]

But it's an absurd charge, Luton.

[Tom Tully]

We already have a confession from Yvette

[Alan Harper]

Leclerc that I do not believe.

[Tom Tully]

Now Are you coming quietly, thinking it's him?

[Alan Harper]

Captain.

[Tom Tully]

Don't try it. Captain, look out.

[Alan Harper]

Tor's got a knife.

[Tom Tully]

You all right, Alan?

[Alan Harper]

Yeah, sure, sure. I give the captain a tap on the skull.

[Tom Tully]

He's resting quietly.

[Alan Harper]

What about Torko?

[Tom Tully]

I shot him in the arm. He won't be throwing a knife for a while.

[Alan Harper]

You will not get away with this.

[Tom Tully]

Why not? After we squeeze the information out of you about who's behind the hijackings, no one will come to your defense. You are expendable. Torco.

[Alan Harper]

Captain's coming around, Lieutenant.

[Tom Tully]

Get him to his feet. Turn him over to one of my men. Come on, Charcoal. Come on. Come on outside. He will regret this. I heard that before.

[Alan Harper]

This wraps it up, Lieutenant.

[Tom Tully]

He'll be getting the truck back, Mr. Harper. And you'll surely get the insurance money for the others. Now, these two will be in for a. A very long stretch. Code word Caprice fell on its ugly face.

[Tammy Brown]

All of us know that drug smuggling is an enormous business up and down the eastern seaboard. The contraband is also being shipped inside our country. As you are listening to me. Greed is the motivation, and it has no conscience. I'll have a final word for you shortly. Contraband, meaning illegal or prohibited commerce, is inescapable. As long as men devise ways to obtain something for nothing, they risk death or arrest in prison. Just as they have since mankind first began to cluster in villages and then in cities. It is, I fear, an incurable compunction. A beast is but like its. But an evil man is half a beast and half a devil. Our cast included Bernard Grant, Lord Batista, Earl Hammond and Joyce Gordon. The entire production was under the direction of Hyman Brown. This is Tammy Grimes inviting you to return to our Mystery Theater for another adventure in the macabre. Until next time,

[Tom Tully]

This is Norm Hitskiss. Ever thought about an All Star Game featuring baseball's best all time players? Johnny Bench is behind the plate. Christy Matheson is prepared to face Mickey Mantle up there. Mantle will bat from the left hand side. He's a switch hitter. Two men on base. Jimmy Fox takes the lead now at first.

[Alan Harper]

You've been listening to the OTR Gold Network.

[Tom Tully]

Find more classic [e-mail].