Pat Novak for Hire: Agnes Bolton 06/04/1949

Summary

Podcast Summary: Pat Novak for Hire – "Agnes Bolton" (06/04/1949)

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode: Pat Novak for Hire – "Agnes Bolton"
Date: Originally aired June 4, 1949; podcast episode released February 7, 2026

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Episode Overview

This gritty, fast-talking episode of Pat Novak for Hire plunges listeners into a world of waterfront intrigue, murder, and double-crosses in postwar San Francisco. Novak, a hard-boiled freelance operator, finds himself in the middle of a deadly espionage scheme when he takes what looks like a routine tail job on a woman named Agnes Bolton. As the story unfolds, multiple parties vie for a mysterious green bag, and Novak must navigate deceit, violence, and a mounting body count—all narrated in his distinctive wisecracking, cynical style.

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Key Discussion Points and Episode Breakdown

Setting the Stage – The Job Offer

• Pat Novak's Philosophy: Novak sets a noir-ish mood, describing the cutthroat nature of life on San Francisco's docks.

  "Because around here a set of morals won't cause any more stir than Mother's Day in an orphanage." (00:37)

• Engagement by Max Hunter: Novak is hired by a stranger, Max Hunter, to follow Agnes Bolton. He's offered $200 to identify the ship where Agnes drops off a green leather bag.

  "You'll follow her out of the bowling alley. Somewhere along the line she'll pick up a green leather bag. After that, I need your help." (02:15)

At the Bowling Alley – New Players Emerge

• Novak’s Impressions: Novak’s sharp, bemused descriptions of Agnes and the other bowlers paint a vivid, unflattering portrait.
• Francine Kane's Proposition: An attractive, mysterious blonde approaches Novak, urging him not to follow Agnes, offering both threats and bribery.

  Francine: "Suppose I tell Agnes Bolton you’re going to follow her?" (05:28)
  Novak: "You tell her first without taking a bite here." (05:30)

Murder in the Hotel Lobby

• Tracking Agnes: Novak follows Agnes as she picks up the green bag and enters a hotel. She dies suddenly in a phone booth—later determined to be by poison.

  Hellman: "Coroner says she died of quick poison." (10:37)

• Disappearing Bag/Suspects: The green bag disappears, a "little guy" is seen taking it, and later turns up dead in Novak's car.

Police Scrutiny and the Deepening Web

• Lieutenant Hellman Arrives: The antagonistic relationship between Novak and Hellman continues, with Hellman quick to suspect Novak.

  Hellman: "You won’t like the ending." (12:43)
  Novak: "No, but I’ll bet you do." (12:44)

• False Identities & Intrigue: Hunter’s real identity becomes suspect; more threats and bodies accumulate as Novak meets Francine Kane again—she’s been knocked out while searching for the bag.

Connecting the Dots – Jocko’s Help and Jukebox Clues

• Consultations with Jocko: Novak turns to his philosophical, alcoholic friend Jocko Madigan, who provides comic relief and commentary.

  Jocko: "For you, all of human endeavor is a big blur in high heels." (15:13)

• Evidence from the Musicone Company: Novak and Jocko discover a recorded conversation on a jukebox system that helps unravel the plot.

Final Confrontation and Resolution

• The Stakeout & Showdown: Novak and Hellman chase down Jackie Wren and Joan Hayward—the true antagonists. The confrontation leads to tragic deaths and wraps up the case.

  Hellman: "Long way down." (25:47)
  Novak: "Yeah. Too bad her name wasn’t Jill." (25:49)

• Case Explanation: The green bag contained government papers headed for China. The various players were split into competing teams, each trying to outmaneuver the others. Betrayal and greed led to the deaths of all involved except Novak.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Novak’s Classic Sardonic Wit
  "I noticed her eyes for the first time. They were small and so close together they could have saved time and put them in one socket." (06:45)
• On Jocko Madigan’s Drinking Habits
  Jocko: "I refuse to shiver to death, Patsy. I look terrible with a blue face." (14:13)
• Cynical Take on the Case
  Novak: "She was a government agent. They got their money's worth." (10:36)
• On Women in the Case
  Novak (last line): "Her face was clean, but the rain was beginning to wash the dirt down. And when I left, she wasn’t pretty anymore." (25:49)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–03:20 – Pat Novak introduces himself, receives Max Hunter's job offer.
• 05:05–05:57 – Francine Kane warns Novak at the bowling alley.
• 08:05–10:27 – Discovery of Agnes Bolton’s death and subsequent encounter with Hellman.
• 14:08–15:17 – Dialogue with Jocko Madigan at the Bellevue Hotel.
• 22:21–22:49 – Jukebox recording reveals plots and key suspect connections.
• 24:23–25:49 – Final confrontation, deaths, and resolution of the spy plot.

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Episode Tone and Style

The episode is soaked in classic noir ambiance: dark, rain-drenched streets, cynical narration, and hard-boiled repartee. The dialogue is brisk, sharp, and laced with bleak humor, underpinning the sense of fatalism and moral ambiguity that defines the genre.

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For New Listeners

This episode is a textbook example of Golden Age detective radio—full of snappy dialogue, convoluted plotting, and vivid characterization. Even if you’re not familiar with Pat Novak, you’ll appreciate the atmospheric storytelling, the clever banter, and the twisty, satisfying conclusion.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Pat Novak]

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]. Sure. I'm pat novak for hire. That's what the sign out in front of my office says. Pat Novak for Hire. That's about the only way to make a living down on the waterfront in San Francisco. Because around here a set of morals won't cause any more stir than Mother's Day in an orphanage. Maybe that's not good, but that's the way it is. And it wouldn't do any good to build a church down here because some guy had muscle in and start cutting the wine with wood alcohol. All you can do is try to make the books balance. And the easiest way to do that is keep one hand on your billfold and the other hand on somebody else's. Oh, I rent boats and do anything else that'll buy a warm winter Works out all right. It saves the government a lot of money. But if anything goes wrong, your trouble comes hard. That doesn't do any good to sing the blues because down here it's just another guy in the chorus. I found that out Wednesday afternoon. Started to rain up by Pier 19 and I knew there was a storm on the way. The bay looked flat and smoothed over, but you can say that for a lot of quarrels. So I closed the office and walked down to the barbershop for a shave. The barber lathered me up so I couldn't answer back and started to tell me how Dean Atkinson ought to handle things. About five minutes later, somebody walked into the shop and started to tap on my foot. He got tired of that and moved up to my chest. Hey, you listening? Hey, stop pushing. That's my chest, not a buzzer. You listening? Yeah. What's on your mind? Hey, I want to talk to you alone. He's a barber. He won't listen. Let's go alone. All right, let's go. I'll be back in a minute. How do you like that? I got a fortune. It goes to my wife. I want to hire you tonight. Will you do something for me? Not for friendship. I give you $200 to follow a woman. I've done it for less. Not this kind. Her name is Agnes Bolton. You'll find her at seven o'clock tonight down at this bowling alley. Here's the card. Dresses there. How do I spot her? Read it off an ankle bracelet. You won't have any trouble. She's large woman, about 50 years old, with a reddish face. That's no help. For 50 she sounds normal. Not Agnes. She couldn't pass for 90. She'll be playing in the last alley with a woman's team called the Playmores. Yeah. You'll follow her out of the bowling alley. Somewhere along the line she'll pick up a green leather bag. After that, I need your help. It doesn't sound like love. You'll go to the Yacht Harbor. Get aboard a boat called 7th Heaven. I want you to have your boat ready and follow her into the bay. She'll leave that bag aboard some ship. I want to know the name of it. How is that $200 worth? Yes. I'll wait for you in your office.

[Jocko Madigan]

Contact me there.

[Pat Novak]

And be careful. Is she that tough? No, but her friends are. With a figure like that, how come she's got any? They're holdovers. I'd just be careful. Yeah, well, it sounds easy at these prices. That depends on your luck, Mr. Novak. If it turns bad, you've been. Che. Stood at the door for a minute and his eyes swept the shop like a ten dollar broom. Then he turned around and walked off. You couldn't tell anything from his face and his smile was as smooth as a pound of liver in a bucket of glizzling. Well, after I finished, I went down up here. 19 and I took the boat up to the Yacht Harbor. I tied up near the Seventh Heaven and I started downtown to that bowling alley. It was Ladies Night. I stood against the back rail and watched the women bowl. Most of them were wearing slacks. And if I ever get a few bucks ahead, I know the right business. At least the demand is there. About 10 minutes after I got there, Agnes Bolton showed up. And I knew right away Max Hunter overrated her. She was at least 50 because you can't get that ugly without years of practice. She was wearing a green woolen dress and her figure wasn't any worse than a bale of cotton. Somebody's cut the wire on. The fat hung down from her arms and there was so much of it you knew even her bones were plump. And Max was right about her complexion. It was red and scratchy as if she used a bag of sand for cold cream. Well, I must have stood there about 10 minutes watching him bowl. When the other girl came up, I didn't see her, but I felt her. She brushed up against me from behind. She leaned on the railing close to me, and when she started to talk, it was like grafting a hot iron onto your Spine.

[Francine Kane]

You look sad, Mr. Novak. Is it the view?

[Pat Novak]

What are you, the repair squad?

[Francine Kane]

No. I want you to do me a favor.

[Pat Novak]

You do me one. Slide over. I bruise easy. Oh, no. What's on your mind?

[Francine Kane]

I want you to do me a favor. Don't follow Agnes Bolton.

[Pat Novak]

You're pretty, but I got Max Hunter's dough.

[Francine Kane]

I'll help you spend it. Don't let Agnes Bolton get to that boat.

[Pat Novak]

Look, angel, go warm up an armory. I got a deal.

[Francine Kane]

Suppose I tell Agnes Bolton you're going to follow her?

[Pat Novak]

You tell her first without taking by here. Now, if you got something on your mind, lay it on the line or relax.

[Francine Kane]

I want it worse than Max Hunter does. When she gets that green bag, I want you to bring her to me.

[Pat Novak]

I couldn't move her that far. You better rent a Derek.

[Francine Kane]

Please, Mr. Novak. It's important to me. I want to talk to Agnes Bolton. I can give you more money than Max Hunter.

[Pat Novak]

You haven't got enough to cover. Lady, you're talking about kidnapping, and that's a federal rap. The answer is no. You're sure? Unless you want to change the offer.

[Francine Kane]

I hope you make it, darling.

[Pat Novak]

I may.

[Francine Kane]

Don't bet your $200. It's bad to die broke.

[Pat Novak]

Is anybody that tough?

[Francine Kane]

Now it's my turn to brush you off. Go ahead and follow her, Mr. Novak. But I'll bet you have to roll it the last couple of miles. And unless you can prove it's an election bet, the police will cause you trouble.

[Pat Novak]

Well, I watched her as she turned her back and walked out of there. She looked real good. She was wearing a tight jersey dress. That gave you the idea she either thought the weather was warmer. She wasn't much on details. I turned around and looked for Agnes Bolton. The game breaking up, and she started into the dressing room. A few minutes later, she came out and started down Market Street. There was no trouble following her. You could see her in the crowd. She rolled from side to side as she walked. And when she bumped into anybody, they looked back at her as if they'd been hit in the chest with a sack of jelly. She crossed the street at Stockton, went into a little coin shop. She came out about five minutes later with a green leather bag. She strapped it over her shoulder and she held onto her purse with the other hand. At Powell street, she got on the cable car up near the front. I moved up there to be safe. She looked heavy enough to tip a cable car uphill. In that light, she didn't look any better. Part of her hair had come undone and hung down in her face like the branches on a dead tree. I noticed her eyes for the first time. They were small and so close together they could have saved time and put them in one socket. But she got off the cable car at Geary and walked into a hotel. I followed her and watched her squeeze into a telephone booth on the other side of the lobby. The way she fit a sardine ought to be happy. She took some money out of her purse and started to dial. A couple of people moved in front of her and I didn't get a look at her for about five minutes. And when they moved away, she was still talking to somebody. I looked up about 10 minutes later and I knew something was wrong. Her head was pressed against the phone. She'd run out of conversation. I walked across the lobby and opened the door to get to the phone room. She fell out, as old as she'd ever get there. Hey, help me get over the couch, will you?

[Jocko Madigan]

Yes, sir.

[Pat Novak]

Was she your wife? She was. This is the way I'd want her. Her purses spilled all over the floor. Sure is a mess. Yeah. She's some relative, huh? Look, mister, stop trying to pair us up. I was around when she tumbled out, that's all. Yeah? What'd she die from? I don't know. I just figured you might know what she died from. No, I don't. It's a simple question to answer when you know what she died.

[Francine Kane]

Let me through here. Come on.

[Pat Novak]

All right, stand back. Give her a. She can't use any more copper, huh? She quit about five minutes ago. Who are you? I'm not dead, she is. Then who's she? You better check on her stuff. And don't forget that green bag. Yeah? What bag? The green bag over there on the floor. Well, it was over there a minute ago. The same one the little guy had. What little guy? When I was talking to you, he just walked out of here carrying a green bag. I got out on the street and a little man had just crossed Geary. He turned and looked back once and I saw him melt into the crowd and disappear quick like the wake of a ship on a dark night. When I came back to the lobby, the copper was over to the couch making noises in his throat as if he was trying to eat upon the cellophane. The manager of the hotel was wringing his hands and making little steps like a ballet dancer with a hot foot. The copper took my name, put in a call to Homicide and a few minutes later I got into that Phone booth. There was a number on the pad and I took it down. Was greystone 42961. I didn't prove much, but Agnes Bolton was not to prove much tonight. I began going through the phone book, but there was no Max Hunter listed. And when I called the office, nobody answered. I knew there was as much chance of him showing up as a second piece of butter on a 50 cent lunch. I ran down that Graystone number and found out it was an address out on Post Street. I walked through the lobby and out the side door. Some of the people were out of the dining room and they looked mad because Agnes Bolton had died during the roast beef instead of later. Well, I walked down Geary to the Union Square garage and gave the guy my ticket. He started down the ramp for the car and I stood there waiting. I must have looked lonely because Hellman from Homicide shoved up near the cashier's cage and started over. He made his way through the cars and as he squeezed by the last one, he looked like a sea lion.

[Hellman]

Hello, Novak. We identified her.

[Pat Novak]

You had lots to work with, Hellman.

[Hellman]

Where are you going?

[Pat Novak]

Out on Post Street.

[Hellman]

I'll go with you. Name was Agnes Bolton.

[Pat Novak]

You read it somewhere.

[Hellman]

She was a government agent.

[Pat Novak]

They got their money's worth.

[Hellman]

Coroner says she died of quick poison.

[Pat Novak]

How quick?

[Hellman]

Five minutes.

[Pat Novak]

You're working him too hard, Hellman.

[Hellman]

He's got a license. He says five minutes.

[Pat Novak]

She was in that phone booth 10 minutes. Nobody got to her.

[Hellman]

She looked dead to me, Novak. I don't believe you.

[Pat Novak]

Well, I'm hurt.

[Hellman]

I don't believe a thing you say.

[Pat Novak]

That's up to you. I'm not starting a religion, Hellman. I watched her for 10 minutes. Nobody got to her. You better check on that little guy.

[Hellman]

Yeah.

[Pat Novak]

She was carrying a green bag. A little guy walked out of there with.

[Hellman]

He sounds hard to find. You don't.

[Pat Novak]

Hey, mister, is this your ticket? Yeah, it's a blue mag. You better come down and drive it up. Why? I can't get to the wheel. The guy in there won't move, huh? I don't blame him either. When you're dead, you got a right to rest. Hellman stood there a minute, wiping his teeth with his tongue and it began to sound like somebody beating the bathtub with a piece of steak. When he finished making noises, we walked down the ramp to the car. It was the little guy who had taken the green bag. He was hunched over and he was grabbing a wheel as if he just married it. Hellman lifted his head up and laid him across the seat. The light was bad, but you could see a little of his face. It was watering around his forehead and damp hair was plastered down under his hat brim. The perspiration had broken up and started to run down his forehead like tears. And you got the idea he cried out of his hairline instead of his eyes. He didn't look surprised or pained. He just stared with a puzzled look, as if he'd missed part of the conversation. Hellman stood there trying to wipe some egg off his coat and turning to look at the guy to make sure he didn't leave.

[Hellman]

So what happened, Novak?

[Pat Novak]

So he had an automobile accident, Hellman? I don't know.

[Hellman]

He's your passenger.

[Pat Novak]

He bummed the ride himself. When I saw him, he was on his way with that green bag.

[Hellman]

Where is it?

[Pat Novak]

He got talked out of it. You better check on a guy named Max Hunter.

[Hellman]

Whose cousin is he?

[Pat Novak]

He gave me 200 bucks a tail. Agnes Bolton. I got another offer, too. Yeah, A blonde biscuit, and she said everything on the beat.

[Hellman]

Total stranger. You sure met a lot of people.

[Pat Novak]

You better meet a lot of them, too, Hellman, because one of them got to Agnes Bolton.

[Hellman]

How about Junior here? Did he crawl down the ramp and die on your seat covers?

[Pat Novak]

I don't know how he got here.

[Hellman]

Well, maybe you left him here and forgot.

[Pat Novak]

No, he wouldn't slip my mind. I haven't murdered anybody in the front seat. Not that it's lively, though.

[Hellman]

You better get a story, Novak.

[Pat Novak]

You already got mine. Helmet.

[Hellman]

You won't like the ending.

[Pat Novak]

No, but I'll bet you do.

[Hellman]

I like it fine, Novak. You're the only lead on Agnes Bolton. I'll shop around and get enough to pin you down.

[Pat Novak]

You couldn't pin down a dead butterfly, Hellman. Better look up Max Hunter and check on a boat called the Seventh Heaven.

[Hellman]

I will. And I'll put a tail on you, Novak. Follow you all over San Francisco. He'll go any place.

[Pat Novak]

That's fine, because I got a suggestion. As soon as Hellman left, I took a cab out to that address on Post Street. But it was a waste of time. I might as well have been pedaling tip sheets in a monastery. There was a brown house on the corner and there was a big curved window that stuck out from the rest of the house like a wart on the back of your neck. A toothy old man answered the door and said he didn't know Agnes Bolton. I was pretty sure he was on the level. Just kept nodding his head and rubbing the wrinkles on his face. There were enough of them there to bundle up and sell as a canal. I left no downtown on the way. I went by the yacht harbor and the Seventh Heaven had moved out into the stream. Well, it was raining harder now and the box looked shiny as if somebody had given him a coat of egg white. Well, I had a couple of places to hit, so I looked up Jocko Madigan. He's a good guy who never learned that if you keep your foot on the bar rail for 20 years, it'll do more good for your arches than it will for your brain. I finally found him in the hunt room of the Bellevue Hotel.

[Jocko Madigan]

A drink for Mr. Novak. Something to take off the chill.

[Pat Novak]

No, I don't want a drink, Jocko. And you've had enough, too.

[Jocko Madigan]

I refuse to shiver to death, Patsy. I look terrible with a blue face.

[Pat Novak]

Will you stop drinking, Jocko?

[Jocko Madigan]

I hate whiskey, Patsy, but I'm drinking tonight with a purpose. I made a deal with Charlie the bartender to buy every eighth drink and I've got him on the run by morning. I'll have him in bankruptcy court.

[Pat Novak]

Look, Jacko, I'm in trouble.

[Jocko Madigan]

I always know when I've had enough to drink, Patsy. When I tilt the glass up, the rim rubs against the bridge of my nose. It's a sort of safeguard so that when my nose begins to break out in blisters, I know I've had enough for the night.

[Pat Novak]

Will you listen, Patsy?

[Jocko Madigan]

You sound like a young girl coming home from boarding school. You'll never be on the right side of things. You'll always be in trouble because you're a bad citizen. You're a shabby half step in the march of progress.

[Pat Novak]

All right, Jocko.

[Jocko Madigan]

You don't know the difference between good and evil. For you, all of human endeavor is a big blur in high heels. And your vocabulary is a few gutter terms sandwiched in between yes and no. You'll never be any good, Patsy.

[Pat Novak]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jocko Madigan]

You might as well try to recapture melancholy or ventilator swamp. You haven't a chance, Patsy. You'll never be any good.

[Pat Novak]

Are you all through, Jocko?

[Jocko Madigan]

Yes, if you're going to be touchy.

[Pat Novak]

Hellman wants me on a murder wrap. Yes. Some tubby woman died in a hotel lobby.

[Jocko Madigan]

Sounds like his mother.

[Pat Novak]

She was a government agent. I followed her in there.

[Jocko Madigan]

Patsy, you've got to start trusting the government.

[Pat Novak]

I was paid to follow her. But she ate some poison somewhere along the line.

[Jocko Madigan]

That's the trouble with food.

[Pat Novak]

I got hired by a guy named Max Hunter.

[Jocko Madigan]

Look him up and resign. That's the best way out of this thing.

[Pat Novak]

I don't know where to find him. And I think that Max Hutter is a phony. Oh, you gotta help me.

[Jocko Madigan]

Yeah.

[Pat Novak]

Now, he gave me this card. His prince must be on it. Check it down at headquarters, will you? Find out if he's got a record and then tag by my place. Yes.

[Jocko Madigan]

I better have a drink first. There's an ugly taste in my mouth. I. I think it's saliva.

[Pat Novak]

Will you hurry up, Jocko? All you do drink.

[Jocko Madigan]

That's all I have left, Patsy. I'm too young to die and too old to do almost anything else.

[Pat Novak]

Yeah, sure.

[Jocko Madigan]

It's true, Patsy. When you get to be my age, most of the quiet pleasures are fattening. And most of the active ones would kill me. Good night, lover.

[Pat Novak]

When I left Jaco, I dropped by the Chronicle morgue. Look up Max Hutter. There was nothing under Hutter. I looked through every Max from Bear Back to Beer Bum, and I couldn't find a thing. Well, it was close to 11 when I rode down to the office for a final check. It wasn't raining hard anymore. It was a nice, easy drizzle. You could hear it playing against the sheds along Pier 19. Sounded quiet, almost private. Like the sound a woman makes when she runs her fingernail up and down her stocking. It got on your nerves at first, and then you began to enjoy it. The minute I got to the door, I knew something was wrong. There wasn't any reason, but I got the feeling the same way. You know, sometimes when you're gonna get the busy signal on the phone. I could see her lying there on the floor. Before I turned on the light, you took one look at her and you knew she was the sort of girl whose name ought to be Pearl or Myrtle. Somebody had sapped her, and she was lying with one hand stretched out and the other under her hair. It wasn't really hair. It looked more like a pelt or a raccoon. Just after a shampoo was fuzzed up on the sides and on top she'd combed it back so tight it was about to go under the scalp. She began to move a little. When I bent over, she started to mumble.

[Francine Kane]

What do you want?

[Pat Novak]

The red. If you're gonna stay long. Here, put your head up. Mr. Novak, it's too late to change.

[Francine Kane]

Where's Agnes Bolton? Where'd she go? Mr. Novak?

[Pat Novak]

I don't know where she went. Was she a good girl?

[Francine Kane]

Something's happened to her.

[Pat Novak]

Don't worry. It won't happen again. Who sent you here? Max Hunter?

[Francine Kane]

Yeah. Please help me.

[Pat Novak]

All right, come on.

[Francine Kane]

I'm Francine Kane. I came to find out about Agnes Bolton.

[Pat Novak]

You're a deep sleeper. What happened?

[Francine Kane]

You wouldn't know her.

[Pat Novak]

I would if she's a tall blonde on the make for that green bag. Who is she?

[Francine Kane]

Joan Hayward. Find her at the Geary Theater.

[Pat Novak]

She an actress?

[Francine Kane]

Not exactly.

[Pat Novak]

Yeah.

[Francine Kane]

Her stray talents, Mr. Novak, are dimensional rather than dramatic. If you're smart, you'll stay away from her.

[Pat Novak]

Don't tell him anymore, friend. He's paid up. Hello, Hunter. You oversold me. Give me back the 200. I'm gonna give you lots for your money. Don't include Agnes Bolton. I don't know anything about her. Is that a lie? Might be. There's a green bag. Joan Hayward has it. Is that a lie? The little guy didn't think so. She left him dead in my car. Let's go, Frank. No. You're in a hurry, Max. You're not. I hope you like your office, Novak, huh? Because this is where you're gonna spend. Don't let him feel bad, lady. It must have been his turn. When I left, he was crumpled up against the desk and she was staring down at him as if she forgot to water the plants. When I rode by the Geary Theater, it was dark, so I looked up Joan Hayward's address. When I got out to her place, I knew I'd made a mistake. The landlady clutched her bathrobe like a bar of solid gold and told me Joan Hayward left the house 10 minutes ago. There was a cabby at the corner and he said he dropped her at the Gold Bar Club a few minutes before. I got down there. About one o' clock and Hellman was wandering around, stopping every few feet, as if he expected to hear something. The bar was dark except for a light over on one side and over near the jukebox. Joan Hayward was stretched out, as dead as a deer, unoffended. At first, Helman didn't pay any attention when I walked in. I stood there for a while and looked at Joan Hayward. She still looked pretty, except in the dim light. Her skin looked coarse and reminded you of a piece of felt that was almost worn out. But the rest was RL and Hellman came over for another look.

[Hellman]

What did you forget, Novak?

[Pat Novak]

My black tie. How'd it happen?

[Hellman]

The bar was closed.

[Pat Novak]

Where were you? Crawling out from under your thumb?

[Hellman]

We're gonna keep that coroner.

[Pat Novak]

It was quick poison yeah.

[Hellman]

We found a needle in her coin purse. She didn't know about it and ran into trouble when she started to call up.

[Pat Novak]

You better find this guy. Max Hunter.

[Hellman]

That's gonna be hard.

[Pat Novak]

Yeah.

[Hellman]

There is no Max Hunter.

[Pat Novak]

Does she believe that?

[Hellman]

Your shirker friend came in with a card. We went over the fingerprints. They belong to Jackie Wren. He's wanted for espionage for more than that now.

[Pat Novak]

Hellman, maybe.

[Hellman]

Where have you been?

[Pat Novak]

Look, Hellman, stop needling me. I won't go on the block for her.

[Hellman]

Don't you like her?

[Pat Novak]

I got an alibi you can't break. I've been all over town. Ask your tail. Ask your tail where I've been.

[Hellman]

That won't get it, huh? He reported in at 11:30. You got the wrong idea, Novak. You don't raid over.

[Pat Novak]

When I left there, I knew everything was downhill. Hellman could stick me for everything but Dan McGrew. My only out was to find Jackie Wren. But you can't ring that many doorbells in one night. I went through the book, but there was no Jackie Wren or Max Hunter listed. I went home to get some sleep. And if they turned Gabriel loose tonight, it was all right with me. Jocko called up about 9 and said there was still no trace of Wren. Well, some mornings you can't trust yourself with a razor. So I got dressed and went down to a Greeks on Geary street for breakfast. The murder was all over page one, but there were so many pictures of Hellman you couldn't tell who was dead. I was about halfway through breakfast when I noticed the story down in the corner. A girl named Tony Pritchard had been found dead out in the marina. The story said everybody liked her. The police didn't have a lead and they couldn't find a reason. Seemed kind of funny, but when I got to the last paragraph, I began to wonder. It said she was employed by the MusicOne company and worked the late shift as a switchboard operator. I wasn't sure, but you can't pass the dice when you only got a buck left. So I jumped down to see Frank Lupo. He said the Musicone Company owned the jukebox in the Gold Bar Club. But it worked like all the rest. People use a little microphone in front of the box. They call into a main switchboard for songs. I grabbed Jocko and we got up to the Musicone Company. The guy in charge said sure. They recorded some of the talk just to check on the girls. And sometimes the girls did it just for laughs. But we started through the recordings. And about half hour later, Jocko rolled a seven.

[Jocko Madigan]

No, Patsy, they're all old ones. Try this.

[Pat Novak]

Yeah, I'll put it down. I'll handle the needle there.

[Joan Hayward]

You're crazy, Jackie. She'll know something's wrong.

[Francine Kane]

Let me handle it.

[Joan Hayward]

Friends, you'll just get into trouble. I don't want you to get into trouble. Jackie, will you let me worry you.

[Pat Novak]

Get back to the hotel.

[Joan Hayward]

I'll meet you at the Kenwood right after. It's too late. She's coming now.

[Jocko Madigan]

I think I'll.

[Joan Hayward]

As soon as you call Jackie.

[Pat Novak]

You made a mistake, Joan.

[Joan Hayward]

It's one time you shouldn't have hurried.

[Pat Novak]

That's enough, Jocko. Let's get up the Kenwood.

[Jocko Madigan]

Why don't we think it over a while?

[Pat Novak]

Put the record down and come on. There at the Kenwood you heard the shots.

[Jocko Madigan]

That's what I'm worried about. If that fellow's any kind of a mechanic. Mechanic? He's had time to reload.

[Pat Novak]

I got down to headquarters and told Hellman why that girl, Tony Pritchard, lost her vote. We rode out to the Kenwood and Hellman started through the register. There was no Jackie Wren listed and we didn't have any better luck with the girl. I briefed the desk clerk and he said he thought there were two people in the hotel who looked like that. But he didn't know their names. Well. All we could do was wait for him to show. So Hellman and I walked down the street and slid into the car. Must have been about 3 o'. Clock and for the next four hours we sat in there. About 7 o' clock it began to rain harder. It wasn't easy to see the front of the Kenwood. I got out to wipe the windshield and that was a mistake because just then the door of the hotel swung open. The girl came out first and then Jackie ran. He saw me right away and the two of them jumped over to the curb and got into a car. Riding with Hellman's just about as safe as eating an arsenic sandwich. When we got to the corner, they turned east and started down bush. It wasn't easy to stay behind him. The rain was hitting a windshield and it was like trying to see through a mint julep. When we got past Jones, Hellman began to close in. It must have scared Wren too much because it stopped and he swung the car around with Hellman a few feet behind. And it was a dead end both ways.

[Hellman]

You can't get out now. Open the door.

[Pat Novak]

Yeah, there he is. Over to the wall over here. Hellman. He'll go down that embankment on the other side.

[Hellman]

He can't. It's too steep. Stay on this side. You see him?

[Pat Novak]

No, but he's around.

[Hellman]

I think you got a chance now, Ren. Come on out.

[Pat Novak]

I don't like you that well, mister.

[Hellman]

Over there, by the embankment. Can you see the girl?

[Pat Novak]

She's with him.

[Hellman]

Over to one side. Move up in front.

[Pat Novak]

Oh, you're confused, Hellman. I pay the taxes.

[Hellman]

It's gonna hurt from now on. Ren, I'm coming over.

[Pat Novak]

I hope you make it, copper. All right, copper. Unless you want a medal, I'm through.

[Hellman]

You don't need the gun. Then get rid of it. Just toss it over there.

[Pat Novak]

Can't even lift my arm.

[Hellman]

Throw it down, mister.

[Joan Hayward]

Jackie. Jackie, please.

[Pat Novak]

I'll throw it right at you, cop.

[Joan Hayward]

Francine.

[Pat Novak]

You crazy?

[Joan Hayward]

Weren't you crazy? You let him kill me.

[Hellman]

He's going over that embankment.

[Pat Novak]

You let him kill me.

[Joan Hayward]

Right in front of you.

[Pat Novak]

No.

[Joan Hayward]

No. Jackie, please. Jackie. I tried to stop you. I tried to stop you. Jackie.

[Hellman]

Grab her, Novak. She's going over.

[Joan Hayward]

Leave me alone. I want you. But, Jackie, I want you. Grab her. I want you, Jackie. At least they can let me have this, Jack.

[Hellman]

Long way down.

[Pat Novak]

Yeah. Too bad her name wasn't Jill. The last I saw Francine, she was lying down at the bottom in the rain. Her head was over to one side, and you knew with a little push, it had rolled around as easy as a ball bearing on a plate. Her face was clean, but the rain was beginning to wash the dirt down. And when I left, she wasn't pretty anymore. Jackie ran. Outlasted her by a few hours. And Hellman used them all. Agnes Bolton was carrying government papers bound for China. The four people were split into teams. Jackie, Wren and Francine were trying to outbid Joan Hayward. And the little guy. The way Jackie had it. Figured he'd find out what ship they were going out on and pick it up from there. Joan Hayward knew he was dealing with me, so she followed me after I left that barber shop. She saw me park the car in that garage and tailed me down to the bowling alley. She planted the needle in Agnes Bolton's purse. And the little guy tagged along behind, waiting for something to happen, just to be on the safe side in case anything went wrong. Joan doubled by the office and gave Francine a headache. When the little guy got the green bag, he took it to Joan. It was too good to split, so she killed him and left him in my car. Well, then she made a mistake when Jackie called her up and asked her to come down to the Gold Bar Club, she bought the story. Would have worked out fine for Jackie if he hadn't talked in front of that microphone, but a nosy girl heard it and had to put the screws on him. Well, Hellman asked only one question about that conversation between Jackie and the girl. Why would a person say anything that private in front of a microphone? I don't know, but I told him about a couple of others, Jocko and I heard he didn't say anything, but I'll bet he gets a hold of those records and plays them every night before he goes to sleep. It.