Broadway Is My Beat: The Joe Quito Murder Case 03/03/1950

Summary

Broadway Is My Beat: The Joe Quito Murder Case
Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Release Date: February 26, 2025

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Introduction

In this riveting episode of Broadway Is My Beat, host Detective Danny Clover delves into the mysterious murder case of Joe Kito, unraveling a web of deceit, betrayal, and financial motives that stretch back to the late 1930s. Set against the gritty backdrop of Broadway, New York City, the episode combines classic detective storytelling with intricate character dynamics to deliver a compelling narrative that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats.

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The Murder of Joe Kito

The story begins with Detective Danny Clover recounting his encounter with Joe Kito in a deserted subway tunnel. Joe Kito confronts Clover with a mix of defiance and frustration, hinting at deep-seated grievances stemming from his time in Sing Sing prison.

Joe Kito ([02:24]): "Yeah, I'm back, but not with you, policeman. I'm back alone, by myself, free and easy."

Detective Clover’s instinct tells him that Joe's return signals trouble. Their terse exchange suggests unresolved issues and sets the stage for the investigation that follows.

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Uncovering the Past

Detective Clover's investigation leads him to Amsterdam Avenue in Harlem, where he discovers Joe Kito's address. Upon inspecting Kito's residence, Clover meets Holly Parker, a woman connected to Joe who provides crucial insights into his troubled past.

Holly Parker ([07:15]): "Once, when I was 12, a thing happened to me and I ran out of tears."

Holly reveals that Joe was haunted by a burdensome newspaper article dated January 27, 1938, which becomes the key to unraveling the mystery behind his murder.

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The Connection to Ralph Ferguson

As Clover delves deeper, he contacts Ralph Ferguson, Joe's former lawyer from Sing Sing. Their conversation reveals a strained relationship and hints at Ferguson's possible involvement in Joe's demise.

Danny Clover ([09:27]): "Ralph Ferguson. Your name Ralph Ferguson?"

During his visit to Ferguson's office, Clover observes Ferguson's dismissive attitude and intimidating presence, raising suspicions about his role in the murders of Joe Kito and others.

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Investigating Lee Baker

The trail leads Clover to Grant Murray, who directs him to Lee Baker, Joe’s accomplice from their past car theft and subsequent plea bargain. Baker’s sudden disappearance becomes another critical piece of the puzzle.

Danny Clover ([17:18]): "Maybe Lee Baker's got a newspaper too."

Through meticulous investigation, Clover discovers that the U.S. Treasury balance number from the 1938 newspaper is linked to a significant financial payoff, suggesting a motive rooted in greed and financial manipulation.

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The Climax: Confrontation with Ralph Ferguson

Armed with evidence linking Ralph Ferguson to the orchestrated murders, Detective Clover confronts him in a high-stakes showdown. Ferguson, revealed as the mastermind behind the killings, attempts to eliminate Clover to protect his illicit gains.

Ralph Ferguson ([26:47]): "Three murders for the same reason."

In a tense and dramatic exchange, Clover uses his wits to outmaneuver Ferguson, ultimately leading to the lawyer’s downfall. The confrontation culminates in Ferguson’s death, marking the resolution of the case.

Danny Clover ([27:24]): "I grabbed his gun arm. It's no good timing, no good for a lever. Let go. Let go. I'll kill you."

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Conclusion

Detective Danny Clover successfully unravels the layers of deception surrounding Joe Kito's murder, exposing Ralph Ferguson's greed-driven motives. The episode concludes with a reflection on the dark underbelly of Broadway, highlighting how power and money can corrupt and lead to tragic outcomes.

Danny Clover ([29:16]): "That's Broadway, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway My Beat."

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Key Characters

• Detective Danny Clover: The astute and determined protagonist leading the investigation.
• Joe Kito: The victim whose troubled past and connections drive the narrative.
• Holly Parker: Joe’s confidante who provides essential clues.
• Ralph Ferguson: The antagonist, a lawyer with hidden motives and connections to the murders.
• Grant Murray & Lee Baker: Associates from Joe’s past whose fates intertwine with the central mystery.

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Notable Quotes

• Joe Kito ([02:28]): "If you keep out of my way, policeman. I'd be a good boy if you spread your lousy wings over me like a mother hen."
• Holly Parker ([13:15]): "I'm talking about how a man came in here and took care of me good so I could never open my mouth again."
• Ralph Ferguson ([25:54]): "The boys on our side call it motive."
• Danny Clover ([26:30]): "I thought you'd like it. These books say you got the hundred thousand payoff that belonged to Keto and Murray and Baker here."

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Conclusion and Reflections

This episode masterfully blends suspense with investigative depth, showcasing the complexities of human motivations and the lengths individuals will go to protect their interests. Through Detective Clover's journey, listeners are treated to a classic detective narrative enriched with rich dialogues and intricate plot developments that pay homage to the golden age of radio dramas.

Whether you're a seasoned fan of old-time radio or new to the genre, Broadway Is My Beat: The Joe Quito Murder Case offers an engaging and immersive experience that highlights why Choice Classic Radio remains a beloved source for classic detective stories.

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Note: This summary intentionally omits promotional segments and non-content elements to focus solely on the narrative and key elements of the episode.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Danny Clover]

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[Joe Kito]

Podbean.

[Danny Clover]

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[Narrator]

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[Danny Clover]

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[Narrator]

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[Danny Clover]

My school uses Podbean. My church too. I love it.

[Narrator]

I really do.

[Detective]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio, where we bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on Facebook. Subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for [e-mail] Broadway's My Beat.

[Danny Clover]

From Times Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.

[Detective]

Broadway's my beat. Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover.

[Danny Clover]

Broadway. It's the marketplace for the vendors of laughter and agony, of terror and decay. Their shadows stand by the shadows of gilded push cards piled high with the remnants of dreams, the remnants of desires. They'll bargain with you, these vendors. The dreams were dreamed on the edge of night. And the desire is special, very special. And you buy because there's nothing else to buy. It's Broadway, my beat. At 1:00 in the morning, the tunnel that leads you from Grand Central to the Times Square shuttle is deserted and bleak and almost clean. You notice these things because the tiled walls, dirtied with a film of yellow light, stretch out in front and somewhere ahead of you seem to close in on themselves. Suddenly the sickness is inside you. The feeling that there's no exit, no exit anywhere. You hurry against it and you see the back of a man that looks familiar. You call out to him, even if the man is Joe Kito. Joe. Joe, huh? Thought it was you, Joe. Back with us, huh?

[Joe Kito]

Yeah, I'm back, but not with you, policeman. I'm back alone, by myself, free and easy.

[Danny Clover]

You're gonna keep it that way, Joe.

[Joe Kito]

If you keep out of my way, policeman. I'd be a good boy if you spread your lousy wings over me like a mother hen. I don't know what I do. Something ugly, maybe.

[Danny Clover]

The loose mouth. Joe, watch it.

[Joe Kito]

For 12 years. I've been watching it. For 12 dirty, rotten years. Now I'm free and easy like you, policeman. My mouth talks how it likes.

[Danny Clover]

You weren't happy in Sing Singer, Joe. You should have been. I hear they treated you real polite, like maybe you were worth treating that way.

[Joe Kito]

You know what it take you? Polite?

[Danny Clover]

You just got out, Joe. Don't make it too hard on yourself, huh?

[Joe Kito]

Don't make me laugh on my Belly, policeman. It's not gonna be hard for Joe no more. No more heart for Joe Kito.

[Danny Clover]

Oh, you got plans, Joe.

[Joe Kito]

Big, smooth plans. Like silk. That's how it's going to be.

[Danny Clover]

Silk.

[Joe Kito]

So deep I could swim in it.

[Grant Murray]

Maybe.

[Joe Kito]

Maybe even drown. Good way to die, huh, policeman?

[Danny Clover]

Yeah. Yeah, it's good when you can pick your own way, Joe.

[Joe Kito]

Kiddo don't have to pick. It's all there waiting for silk. Does it make you jealous, policeman? Poor little policeman.

[Danny Clover]

You know something, Joe? I don't care one way or the other. I don't care. Honest.

[Joe Kito]

That's good. Because you're not built for it. Some people, they build that way, like me. Others, the others like you. Which way you go, policeman?

[Danny Clover]

You really care, Joe? Sure.

[Joe Kito]

Sure I care. Because whichever way you go, I go the other way. Till tomorrow, policeman. But don't look around for me. Tomorrow might not come.

[Danny Clover]

Like so. Can't. Joan.

[Ralph Ferguson]

What?

[Narrator]

Police. Police.

[Danny Clover]

Help someone out. What's the matter, lady? There. There. Over there. Around that corner. In the dark.

[Narrator]

Two men. One sold in violence. He scared him over and over and ran away.

[Danny Clover]

Joel. Joe.

[Joe Kito]

She just waiting for me.

[Danny Clover]

For Joe.

[Joe Kito]

Ke.

[Danny Clover]

Then the world folded in on Joe. It broke step and veered into his direction and considered Jokito and his dying in a subway tunnel. The police came and observed him, photographed him, cataloged him. A man in a homburg stared. A man in disintegrating clothing hurried by without pausing. A woman stood on the fringes of the little crowd and bit a knuckle. Finally, two interns carried him away with a stretcher and intern type jokes. I went home. The next morning I called headquarters, got the late Joe Kito's address. Amsterdam Avenue in Harlem. The morning sun never quite makes it in Harlem. The shadows are glued there and that makes it tough. And if you stand on its corner, stand there and tune yourself to it, you might feel it. The start of a new day in Harlem is the start of a panic. I had the key to Joe's room. From his effects. I inserted it, turned it, opened the door.

[Narrator]

Joe? That you, Joe? I'm making coffee, honey. What's the matter, honey? You tired? Who are you?

[Danny Clover]

I'm sorry. I thought Joe lived here alone.

[Narrator]

He lives here alone. Who are you?

[Danny Clover]

I'm a policeman.

[Narrator]

That's been tried on me before. Show me.

[Danny Clover]

All right. Here. My name's Danny Clover.

[Holly Parker]

So?

[Narrator]

My name's Holly Parker. So we both met someone new. You're a sluff, huh? Plain clothes detective. You like making a living that way?

[Danny Clover]

You're a bitter, bitter girl, Holly.

[Narrator]

I react to people by laughing at them. I got taught that.

[Danny Clover]

Did you laugh at Joe?

[Narrator]

What do you mean? Did I? What's the matter with Joe?

[Danny Clover]

What are you doing here, Holly?

[Narrator]

We've got an arrangement. I make coffee for Joe. It's been going on for two days. I come down from my room upstairs and make him coffee. Thanks for not smiling. It's the truth.

[Danny Clover]

It's over.

[Narrator]

Joe did that again? He said he wouldn't. Last night when he went out, he told me he wouldn't have to do anything, nothing good or bad, for a long time.

[Danny Clover]

Where'd he go?

[Narrator]

Oh. Oh. So you're looking for Joe. You don't know where he is and you want me to help you find him.

[Danny Clover]

It's not fair.

[Narrator]

Write down in your book Holly Parker. Then write down. She doesn't know we know.

[Danny Clover]

Joe's dead. He was murdered. Holly, you better sit down.

[Narrator]

No, I'm all right.

[Danny Clover]

Go ahead, Holly. Go ahead.

[Narrator]

Not Holly. Once, when I was 12, a thing happened to me and I ran out of tears.

[Danny Clover]

Who killed him?

[Narrator]

He had a burden, but I don't know who killed him.

[Danny Clover]

Tell me about it.

[Narrator]

In that chair by the window, in that newspaper on the floor. He sat there and stared at that newspaper.

[Danny Clover]

Oh, this one? The Times. It's pretty old. January 27, 1938. What's in it that makes it a burden?

[Narrator]

You tell me. Joe wouldn't.

[Danny Clover]

Joe was in trouble once. You know that.

[Narrator]

I know. He told me. He told me about a 12 sentence he got and about a lawyer who said he'd only get one year.

[Danny Clover]

The lawyer said that, huh? What lawyer?

[Narrator]

Joe said his name once and broke a beer bottle against the table. Joe said, ralph Ferguson.

[Danny Clover]

I've heard the name.

[Narrator]

Maybe Joe wanted to kill this Ralph Ferguson. I don't know. Maybe he did. Do you think things could have gotten themselves reversed?

[Danny Clover]

Things could have. I told Holly Parker to drink her coffee, then go back upstairs and stay there. Then I phoned the law offices of Ralph Ferguson. He was not in. A happy young voice told me he was taking his three hour break, it said, at the East River Athletic Club. I went there. I went there and a man in biceps and white linen shorts led me through a door and along the tiled apron of a swimming pool. Shuttle me through another door and through the gallery overlooking the handball courts. Then whisked me through the area where the members felt they should do their rowing indoors through another door and pointed out Ralph Ferguson. Ralph Ferguson. A rosy, fat man on a table Getting some of the fat pounded off him.

[Mechanic]

Take it easy, Mickey. Take it easy, will you?

[Danny Clover]

Ralph Ferguson. Your name Ralph Ferguson? Later, pal, later. This is the part Mr. Ferguson likes best.

[Mechanic]

Look, you can't have Mickey till I'm done with him. Go ahead, Mickey.

[Danny Clover]

Yes, sir.

[Mechanic]

Mr. Ferguson.

[Danny Clover]

I'm from the police. Mr. Ferguson. Danny Clover. Come on, take your head out from under that towel and peek. See Danny Clover. Sure, go ahead, Mickey. Only not too much noise.

[Mechanic]

I've got my business out of Stanley.

[Danny Clover]

Sure, I know. I just dropped by to tell you a thing. Joe Keto's been murdered.

[Mechanic]

I read it. Tough.

[Danny Clover]

You kill him. Turn over, Mr. Ferguson. You kill him. Ferguson.

[Mechanic]

Oh, you're kidding, Danny.

[Danny Clover]

No, I'm not. You were his lawyer. You promised him a one year rap. He got 12. You and Joe fight?

[Mechanic]

Let me tell you about it, Danny, huh? Joe and a guy named Grant Murray and a guy named Lee Baker. Three of them.

[Danny Clover]

Three of them.

[Mechanic]

They heisted a car 12 years ago. They pleaded noly contender it. The judge was in a bad humor. Gave him 12 years.

[Danny Clover]

That was January 27, 1938, wasn't it?

[Mechanic]

You got a good memory.

[Danny Clover]

Not so good. I read it in the newspaper. The late edition of the Times for that date. I found it in Joe's room. Mr. Ferguson likes this too. Yeah, he isn't going to like this. Look, Ferguson, sit up. Sit up and talk to me. It's better. What about Joe Kito? What about those three boys?

[Mechanic]

Dregs, that's what about them. Gutter dregs. They didn't have the guts to look over the top of the curb. Stone little gutter people. I lost their case and society put them away for 12 years. Society owes me a thank you.

[Danny Clover]

What else?

[Mechanic]

Nothing else. Go take a cold shower, Danny. It'll cool you off. Put the towel and soap on my tab.

[Danny Clover]

I thanked lawyer Ferguson, exercised great self restraint in not helping Mickey slap some more fat off his fat mouth and got out. A call to headquarters gave me Grant Murray's address. It was in a place I was getting to know in Harlem. In a rotting, pockmarked, cold water tenement in Harlem. Up a flight of stairs where rats had gnawed at the decaying wood in Harlem. And to a door, its paint peeling and scarred as if fingers had clawed at it to get in or out.

[Holly Parker]

Good morning.

[Danny Clover]

There ain't no lock on that dog.

[Holly Parker]

Light the candle, mister. Then we can see each other. There's some matches over there on the table. That's better.

[Mechanic]

Oh, that's lots better.

[Holly Parker]

Been trying to do that myself for two hours maybe, but I couldn't make it. Ain't it funny? Man wants a little light in his room and ain't got the strength to pick up a little old.

[Danny Clover]

What's the matter with you, Grant?

[Holly Parker]

You know my name. That must make you the rent collector.

[Narrator]

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[Danny Clover]

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[Narrator]

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[Danny Clover]

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[Narrator]

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[Danny Clover]

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[Narrator]

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[Danny Clover]

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[Narrator]

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[Holly Parker]

Well, I got news for you, rent collector. I ain't got it. And you ain't never gonna get it. Not from me. Now what you gonna do, rent collector? Throw me out?

[Danny Clover]

Grant.

[Holly Parker]

Stay away from me, rent collector. Just stay away. That's all.

[Danny Clover]

Grant, I'm Danny Clover of the police. What's the matter with you? Are you sick?

[Holly Parker]

Sick? Yeah, I'm sick, mister. But it's the last sickness I'm ever gonna have. I've been trying to get to that door to call you, Mr. Police, but I just haven't got the strength.

[Danny Clover]

What are you talking about?

[Holly Parker]

I'm talking about how a man came in here and took care of me good so I could never open my mouth again. He stuck a knife in me. That's what that man did. Right here. See it? Mr. Police.

[Danny Clover]

Grant. Grant.

[Holly Parker]

I'm awful glad you came, Mr. Police. M.

[Danny Clover]

His body twisted off the iron cotton. He sat, then he shuddered and lay still. And the thing that fell from his hands and covered his wound like a shroud was a blood stained newspaper. I picked it up, it said the New York Times. The headline said Japanese stalled by Chinese troops. The date line said January 27, 1938.

[Detective]

You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. That redheaded circus, Arthur Godfrey is now on hand to entertain you. Saturday nights on cbs, Godfrey puts together the cream of the jest from his daytime shows on cbs, mixes in the best songs of Bill Lawrence, Jeanette Davis and the Mariners, and turns out a top half hour of Saturday night fun. Listen to the Arthur Godfrey Digest this Saturday night on most of these same CBS stations.

[Danny Clover]

Broadway is a street dedicated to the proposition that dead men have stories to tell. A Person becomes suddenly famous when he becomes suddenly dead. Broadway grins, makes clucking noises and wants to know all about this suddenly famous person right now. It had a double feature to get gay about a man named Joe Keto murdered a man named Grant Murray murdered at headquarters. Sergeant Gino Tartaglia thought about it, gave it expert consideration, and thereby coined a phrase.

[Ralph Ferguson]

They're dropping like flies, Danny.

[Danny Clover]

It impresses you that way, huh?

[Ralph Ferguson]

Yeah. And you know you would have nothing to worry about if you was just Frisbee Novotny Tataglia. Frisbee Novotny, Danny, the guy whom I've been trying to tell you about. You know, the hero of my favorite detective stories, the one who solves crimes and mayhem with a slide rule and formulas.

[Danny Clover]

He does that. How?

[Ralph Ferguson]

Well, this Frisbee Nobotny does like this. He makes X the corpse, Y the room the murder took place in. Z the time of the murder, A the. The. Here, here, Danny, here's some paper. My pen. The gift of the ever grateful Mrs. Tartaglia.

[Danny Clover]

What's she got to be grateful about? Oh, Danny, I'm sorry, Tartaglia. It's these newspapers here on my desk that got me confused. These 1938 newsp.

[Ralph Ferguson]

Oh, 1938, huh? Hey, ain't that the year little Orphan annie celebrated her 40th birthday?

[Danny Clover]

Yeah, that confuses me too. Tataglia. I've got a feeling the reason why those two boys were murdered is right here in these papers.

[Ralph Ferguson]

That's my Danny.

[Danny Clover]

Huh?

[Ralph Ferguson]

Nothing.

[Danny Clover]

Danny, I've read these papers from headline to shipping news, and the only thing I can see that's interesting is this item right here on the bottom of page three.

[Ralph Ferguson]

Huh.

[Danny Clover]

Police today arrested three men in connection with car theft. The men gave their names as Joe Keto, Grant Murray and Lee Baker. They are being held without bail pending hearing. That's all it says.

[Ralph Ferguson]

To Taglia, this is information that the police department is already fully aware of.

[Danny Clover]

Uh huh. The thing that bothers me is why the two boys kept these newspapers.

[Ralph Ferguson]

For their scrapbook.

[Danny Clover]

Maybe something else, Terteglia. Something else. Something that's in these papers. Something that's staring me in the eye and begging to be understood. You got what I asked you for?

[Ralph Ferguson]

Oh, sure, Danny, Certainly. Straight from the parole officer. The third boy, Lee Baker, is employed at the moment as a garage mechanic here. Ain't it wonderful the trades they teach up in Sing Sing.

[Danny Clover]

Where's he employed?

[Ralph Ferguson]

At the garage and back of the mobile gas station on 125th Street.

[Danny Clover]

Maybe Lee Baker's got a newspaper too. Get me a squad car to tagl. Hey, you. Under the car. I want to talk to you.

[Grant Murray]

Ask the man out front, Mac. He'll give you the key and point out the door.

[Danny Clover]

I'm from the police, Mac.

[Grant Murray]

That makes you different.

[Danny Clover]

Yeah. I want to ask you some questions.

[Detective]

You.

[Grant Murray]

That makes you different. Well, what's bothering you, Mac?

[Danny Clover]

They told me out front Lee Baker wasn't around.

[Grant Murray]

Oh, Lee Baker, huh?

[Danny Clover]

They told me maybe you'd know why he wasn't around.

[Grant Murray]

What are those guys out front know? All they know is. Shall I fill it up, Mac? Hold still while I wipe your windshield, Mac. Relax while I blow up your tires. What do those guys know?

[Danny Clover]

Lee Baker. Why isn't he around?

[Grant Murray]

I've been telling you, Mac, I ain't got the slightest foggiest notion why he ain't around. He did something.

[Danny Clover]

He didn't come in today.

[Grant Murray]

Who says he didn't come in? Since he's been working for me, he comes in every morning like veritable clockwork.

[Danny Clover]

Okay, I give up. You tell it of me in your own way.

[Grant Murray]

I knew you'd come around with, Mac. Well, like I say, Lee, for the three days he's been working for me, comes in like clike work. He works for me like I was the boss's daughter or something. Like a slave. You know what I mean?

[Danny Clover]

And today was different.

[Grant Murray]

Mac, you told me I could tell it my own way.

[Danny Clover]

Yeah, Sorry.

[Grant Murray]

Forget it, Mac. Now, let me see, where was I?

[Danny Clover]

He worked for you like a slave.

[Grant Murray]

Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Like a slave. But a happy slave. You know, cheery and beary. But today was different.

[Danny Clover]

I said that?

[Grant Murray]

You did, Mac. Look, like I started to say today was different.

[Danny Clover]

How?

[Grant Murray]

The right question, Mac. Today was different because Lee comes in, sits down with the morning newspaper, turns pale, but a green kind of pale. You know what I mean? He gets up and he walks out of the garage.

[Danny Clover]

Maybe he's coming back.

[Grant Murray]

I don't think so, Mac. He had that look. I seen it on my helpers before. When they get that look, they never come back.

[Danny Clover]

Yeah. Thanks for everything, mechanic.

[Grant Murray]

Hey, wait a minute, Mac. Lee left his toolkit. If Lee now belongs to the police, the tool kit now belongs likewise. No?

[Danny Clover]

Yeah. Where is it?

[Grant Murray]

Over here. Well, open it, Mac. That's your department.

[Danny Clover]

Thanks.

[Grant Murray]

Hey, such a beautiful picture of such a beautiful girl he's got pasted in the lid. What a differential, huh, Mac, you got any idea what you're looking for, Mac?

[Danny Clover]

No.

[Grant Murray]

Hey, what are you doing? Tearing that picture off. What do you Know there's something underneath. Yeah, that's something I didn't think of to look underneath the picture. Oh, that sly guy.

[Danny Clover]

There it is again. The front page of the Times. January 27, 1938.

[Grant Murray]

Yeah, yeah. Look what's circled with a blue circle. The U.S. treasury balance. Such a big number.

[Danny Clover]

A big number. A number that meant billions of dollars and meant. That's what the United States treasury balance was as of January 27, 1938. That meant something special to an ex convict, now garage mechanic, now missing. The big number was beginning to make big sense. I phoned in headquarters, had them send out an all points bulletin to pick up Lee Baker. They gave me a message for my trouble. A lady had called, a young lady named Holly Parker. Would I come up to Harlem and see her right away? I would. Right away.

[Narrator]

Oh, come in. Come in, Mr. Cobra.

[Danny Clover]

Thanks, Holly.

[Narrator]

That chair over there is comfortable, Mr. Clover, but don't lean back in it.

[Danny Clover]

All right. You're going someplace. Holly, that suitcase on the bed. You were packing, unpacking. Something changed your mind?

[Narrator]

I was going back to Michigan. Then I got to thinking. Why Michigan? Why any place you tell me. I read about Grant Murray's being murdered and Jokito. Grant and Joe were friends. I was a friend. Police. Something to run away from. I'm good at it.

[Danny Clover]

We'd find you, Holly. If we needed you, it wouldn't be too much trouble. We'd bring you back.

[Narrator]

I told myself that. That's why I unpacked.

[Danny Clover]

You're trying to tell me something, Something you didn't tell me before.

[Narrator]

That's right. Maybe it means something. Maybe it means nothing at all.

[Danny Clover]

What is it?

[Narrator]

This? A piece of paper Joe gave me the other night before he went out. He said keep it for him. He said, don't let it get away from. Yeah, take it. It got away from me anyhow.

[Danny Clover]

Thanks.

[Narrator]

There's nothing on it except a number, Mr. Clover. A number.

[Danny Clover]

Six. Four.

[Narrator]

Six.

[Danny Clover]

And the date. January 27, 1938. It all fits now, Holly. Why didn't you give it to me before?

[Narrator]

The kind of. The way I was educated? You're a policeman. My school motto was don't trust policemen.

[Danny Clover]

You might have saved a man's life if you did. You're clear now, Holly. You can do what you want. Even go back to Michigan now if you want to.

[Narrator]

Why, Mr. Clover? Why should I go anywhere?

[Danny Clover]

Stop champing at the bit, Danny. Patrolman Florio will have those records in here in a minute. I'm not. I'm a champ. And Coslow, I'm trying to breathe. Why do you guys in the record department live in here?

[Detective]

Well, the grapevine in the City hall.

[Danny Clover]

Says we're getting an air conditioning unit right after the next election. Thanks, Froyo. Well, here are the records, Danny. Mind if I read over your shoulder? I couldn't live without it. Benny Fane kept interest in type books, huh? Mm. Benny Fane, the numbers king. These books he kept are due credit at the Chase National Bank.

[Detective]

I understand Benny's now head librarian in.

[Danny Clover]

Charge of overdue fines at Sing Sing.

[Detective]

Danny, ain't it wonderful the trades they.

[Danny Clover]

Teach you up in Sing Sing, huh? Yeah, wonderful. Hey. Okay, Coslow, this is what I'm looking for. Oh, yeah. The number that hit on January 27, 1938, was 6, 4, 6. Taken from the last three numbers of the treasury report of that day. One ticket held on that number worth $100,000, bought by three men. Joe Kito, Grant Murray and Lee Baker. According to the books, the payoff was made next day. Like you said, Koslo, these books are due credit to the chain.

[Ralph Ferguson]

They got to leave Baker, Danny.

[Danny Clover]

Good. Where?

[Ralph Ferguson]

Just spotted him going into the Muncie Building. Squad car just phoned in.

[Danny Clover]

Phone him back to Tagley. If Baker leaves the building, tell him to pick him up.

[Ralph Ferguson]

But suppose Baker stays inside?

[Danny Clover]

Then he'll be where I want him. Exactly where I want him. It made sense that Lee Baker was picked up going into the Muncie Building. It made sense that there was only one man there for him to see. It made sense that Lawyer Ferguson's office was on the 46th floor. The shots that screamed down the long marble corridor made the most sense of all. Lawyer Ferguson stood silhouetted at his 46th floor window, considering the jeweled backdrop of the city and approving of it and of himself against it to the gun in his hand and the body that lay on the floor. In the final grotesque attitude of final agony, he paid no attention at all.

[Mechanic]

I don't think you'll find it necessary to examine him, Danny. He's quite, quite dead. I made sure of that.

[Danny Clover]

Yeah. Yeah. Lee Baker.

[Mechanic]

Lee Baker. A filthy gutter thing that tried to rise up and strike me down.

[Danny Clover]

Self defense, huh?

[Mechanic]

Could it be anything else? The gun in his hand?

[Danny Clover]

Yeah, lawyer. It could. It could be murder.

[Mechanic]

Looking for promotion, Danny? How many murders do you need to get promoted? I always wondered that about detectives.

[Danny Clover]

Murder. Like you murdered Joe Keto and Grant Murray. And for the same reason.

[Mechanic]

I'm a lawyer, Danny. A good one. Very high in the profession. A policeman's drivel doesn't impress me.

[Danny Clover]

No? You sure? Lawyer?

[Mechanic]

On second thought, maybe it would impress me. Danny.

[Danny Clover]

Three murders for the same reason.

[Mechanic]

The boys on our side call it motive.

[Danny Clover]

I promise to do better. Motive, lawyer.

[Mechanic]

Which is?

[Danny Clover]

$100,000.

[Mechanic]

Oh, dear, dear. And that's a lot of motive, isn't it?

[Danny Clover]

Enough to kill three men, even enough to kill you. What was it you said about society? Oh, yeah. Society will thank me, just like you said. They thanked you.

[Mechanic]

Don't count on it, boy. You need facts, evidence, silly little hard things like that.

[Danny Clover]

It's all there. Lawyer. Neat. Bookkeeping records kept by a numbers bookkeeper, one Benny Fain. We're neat too. We have them on file books.

[Mechanic]

They're very good. Very acceptable evidence.

[Danny Clover]

I thought you'd like it. These books say you got the hundred thousand payoff that belonged to Keto and Murray and Baker here. They picked a number and you won.

[Mechanic]

How did I do? A clever thing like that.

[Danny Clover]

Easy for a clever man like you. You get them 12 years instead of one for a second rate crime. You keep power of attorney, the numbers pay off to you.

[Mechanic]

And then when they. Instead of giving them back their hard earned hundred grand, I kill them one by one. Is it like that, Detective Clover?

[Danny Clover]

Like that?

[Mechanic]

Exactly like that. Excellent work, Detective. Excellent.

[Danny Clover]

The gun, Ferguson. Hand it over.

[Mechanic]

The gun. Oh, no. I'll need it. But you knew it would be like that all the time, didn't you, Danny?

[Danny Clover]

Give it to me.

[Mechanic]

Don't try to reach for yours, Danny. Come to the window. Move. That's a good boy. 46 floors, Danny. Look down. That's how far you're going to fall. A deplorable accident, they'll call it. I'll see to it that they call it that now, Danny.

[Danny Clover]

The fat folds of flesh on his face began to move to the rhythm of silent creeping laughter that was inside him. Then his arm swung in a wide arc to bring the gun crashing down on my skull. And I needed that. Needed that moment. I needed it. I grabbed his gun arm. It's no good timing, no good for a lever. Let go. Let go. I'll kill you. I saw my body and his fat bout lifted off the floor and he fell, twisting into space, a part of it, his fingers exploring it, gouging out handfuls of it. Then, far below, the crowd gathered and made a circle and the world folded in on Ralph Ferguson Broadway, where night bursts open like the sudden flame and the crowd swarm appears, squeezed out from under the earth, roped off by the silhouettes of a thousand buildings. They dance their fury away against the time of morning until the sky soaks up the sound and pain and color and turns it into dawn. That's Broadway, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway My Beat.

[Detective]

Broadway's My Beat stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover with Charles Calvert as Tartaglia. The program was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis. The musical score was composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. The cast tonight included Stan Waxman, Anne Diamond, Bill Gray, Lou Merrill, Jester Hairston and Jim Bann. Lucille Ball and her sparkling comedy My Favorite Husband have now joined the CBS famed comedy lineup on Sunday nights. You used to laugh with Lucille on Friday nights. Now she's moved to Sunday. So be listening this Sunday night on most of these same stations when Lucille joins Jack Benny, Amos and Andy, eve Arden, Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen and Red Skelton on CBS. This is Joe Walter speaking. This is CBS where you'll find Broadway is My Beat Every Friday night. The Columbia Broadcasting System.

[Danny Clover]

Sa.