Pat Novak for Hire: Rory Malone 03/20/1949

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Choice Classic Radio Detectives

Episode: Pat Novak for Hire – "Rory Malone" (Original Airdate: 03/20/1949)

Summary by an Expert Podcast Summarizer

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Episode Overview

This episode of Pat Novak for Hire dives into classic noir territory, following gritty San Francisco operator Pat Novak as he gets embroiled in the world of boxing, double-crosses, and murder. What starts as a routine “watch and protect” assignment quickly turns dark, leading Novak through a tangle of shady deals, desperate lovers, and a fixed fight that spirals out of anyone’s control. The show typifies the snappy patter, bleak cynicism, and twisting plots of radio's golden age detective drama.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Waterfront and the Setup

• Pat Novak sets the scene on San Francisco’s Embarcadero—tough territory where “a friend is anybody who’s been dead more than 10 years.”
• He is approached by Con Regan (02:20), an alluring redhead, who tries to hire him to stay away from boxer Rory Malone for $300.
  • Memorable Novak Quote:
    “She pulled away and gave me a look you could take on a safari.” (03:33)

2. Old Man Neumeyer and the Real Job

• Hans Neumeyer, Malone’s elderly manager, pleads with Novak to protect his prizefighter from “bad people”—notably Joe Slagle, a slick and dangerous gambler (04:14-05:37).
  • Notable Moment:
    Both Con Regan and Neumeyer offer Novak the same sum to stay away or get involved, showing conflicting interests.

3. Fight Night & The Attack

• At the stadium, Malone’s hand is brutally smashed by thugs led by Slagle just before the fight (09:35-10:31).

  • Distinct Quote:
    “You better walk, Malone, unless you can outrun a bullet.” (09:41)
    “Put his hand on the table, Eddie. Now give me the block. ... You can cry, Malone. It’s gonna hurt.” (10:01, 10:22)

• Despite the injury, Malone is forced into the ring with a wrecked hand.

4. Novak Knocked Out

• Novak is knocked unconscious by Slagle’s men and wakes up hours later in an alley (10:46-11:46), only to learn that Hans Neumeyer is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

5. Murder at the Hospital

• When Novak visits Neumeyer, the manager is murdered behind a hospital screen as Novak speaks to him (13:09-13:30).
  • Atmospheric Narration:
    “The old man leaned back in the bed and quit without any fanfare, like a long summer coming to an end.” (13:30)

6. Hellman on the Case

• Inspector Hellman, a relentless and sarcastic homicide cop, thinks Novak is involved.

  • Great Hellman-Pat Exchange:
    Hellman: “You got a thin story, Novak.”
    Novak: “Look, I got a fat one, and I got all the gambling going town on my side.” (14:21-14:26)

• The twist: Despite his crippled hand, Rory Malone won the fight by knockout.

7. Piecing Together the Fix

• Novak and his companion, the philosophic drunk Jocko Madigan, gather clues.
  • Jocko delivers a poignant, rambling meditation on aging and change (17:32-18:51), lending depth and melancholy to the noir atmosphere.

8. The Love Triangle

• Connections between Rory Malone, Con Regan, and Joe Slagle are tangled; Regan is actually married to Slagle, but tension with Malone suggests deeper involvement.

• Second love interest Kitty is devastated, warning Malone:

  • “You know that doesn't count, Rory. The little money I saved doesn't count next to you... I died. I die of terrible heartbreak. It hurt me all my life.” (08:56-09:12)

9. The Blood Trail Grows

• Slagle, the gangster/fixer, is found dead, killed by a bullet—the dangerous world closes in (22:35).

• Suspicion grows against almost everyone, including Malone planning to flee town with Con Regan.

10. The Final Confrontation & Reveal

• As Novak and Hellman converge on Malone’s apartment, all parties collide. Arguments flare, a gun is drawn, and love turns poisonous.
  • Kitty breaks emotionally, confessing her love and her willingness to kill to keep Malone:
    “Oh, please, Rory. I loved you too much for this. I loved you enough to kill somebody. You can't leave, Rory. You can't leave me.” (25:31-25:41)
  • Malone, stone-cold, tells her to “Buy a dog.”

11. The Aftermath & Moral

• Hellman pieces the plot: the fight was rigged to ensure a windfall for Slagle, with the hand-smashing staged to change the betting odds. Neumeyer’s murder was about silencing the last moral witness. Kitty, driven mad with jealousy and betrayal, killed Slagle to keep Malone.
• Malone can no longer box, but he receives a $20,000 check—which turns out to be worthless, as Slagle was broke.
  • Final Novak Reflection:
    “Well, it doesn’t prove much. Except the right kind of a heel can grind you into the dirt fast.” (26:40)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Con Regan’s proposition:
  “I'm willing to pay you to stay away from him.” (02:56)

• Novak on Con Regan:
  “She was as safe as a tap dancer on a floor full of dynamite caps.” (03:33)

• Jocko Madigan’s melancholy on age and change:
  “It's like visiting a half forgotten neighborhood. ... It's that way with growing old.” (18:12-18:36)

• Kitty’s heartbreaking confession:
  “I loved you enough to kill somebody. You can't leave, Rory.” (25:31-25:41)

• Final cynical twist from Novak:
  “Joe Slagle was big-hearted, but broke.” (28:00)

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Timestamps for Critical Segments

• 02:20 – Con Regan’s first approach & proposition
• 04:14 – Old man Neumeyer hires Novak
• 09:35 – Malone’s hand smashed; the fix begins
• 10:46 – Novak knocked out, scenes in the alley
• 13:09 – Neumeyer murdered in hospital
• 14:08 – Inspector Hellman questions Novak
• 17:32 – Jocko Madigan’s soliloquy
• 25:05 – Kitty reveals her unstable love; dramatic gun scene
• 26:40 – Novak’s wrap-up and bleak reflection

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Conclusion

This episode exemplifies the razor-wit and bleak moral landscape of hardboiled radio drama, where loyalties shift, love is dangerous, and justice is never simple. The script brims with world-weary observations, sharp banter, and a story that falls, as Novak notes, “faster than snow off a warm roof.” By the end, Novak remains the battered but surviving cynic—a perfect avatar for the American noir hero.

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Transcript

[A]

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] Ladies and gentlemen, the American.

[B]

Broadcasting Company brings to its entire network one of radio's most unusual programs. Pat Novak for hire.

[A]

Sure, I'm pat novak for hire. That's what the sign out in front of my office says. Pat Foghorn for hire. Oh, there are other ways to say it, but down on the waterfront in San Francisco, you gotta put your best foot forward. Especially if you want to trip up a friend. Down here, a friend is anybody who's been dead more than 10 years. And then it pays to watch out. Because if you relax, somebody will come along and knock you on the back of your stomach. Works out all right, though. I rent boats and do anything else, you can hide in the dark. That's about all you can ask. Because along the Embarcadero, nothing's perfect. Except the heels. I found that out Wednesday afternoon. She was a lovely girl. The sort of person you'd expect to see in a choir loft about three hours after choir practice. Her hair was red, her eyes were as cold as a rigor mortis. And you knew the first time you met her that you'd been seeing her too often. Must have been about 5 o' clock in the afternoon. I was walking down toward Pier 19 when she pulled up alongside of me in a cream convertible.

[C]

Can I give you a lift?

[A]

You already have.

[C]

Well, is that love or reflex action?

[A]

What's on your mind?

[C]

You are, Mr. Novak. But don't put on your tracksuit. It's a business matter.

[A]

Well, in that case, you've got a name.

[C]

I'm Con Regan. I went by your office a few minutes ago, but you were out.

[A]

I'm in now. Go ahead.

[C]

It won't take me long. Mr. Novak, stay away from Rory Malone.

[A]

Well, I'm doing all right so far. Who is he?

[C]

He's important to me. I don't want to lose you, Mr. Novak, so please stay away.

[A]

Go tell a girl I don't even know the guy.

[C]

You will if you're not lying. Now, he's a prize fighter and someone's gonna try and hurt him.

[A]

Then you'd rather hurt him first.

[C]

I'm willing to pay you to stay away from him.

[A]

Suppose I'm gonna see him a lot? Will you pay a lot?

[C]

I'll give you $300. All right, Mr. Novak.

[A]

You know, you're not smart, Angel. If you're Pressing that hard, the other team's gonna bid, too. The answer's no.

[C]

I'm afraid that's up to you. But I'm warning you, don't do it. Please don't do it.

[A]

Yeah, that's what Mother used to say. I'm still all right.

[C]

Maybe Mother liked you better. Mr. Novak. See you later.

[A]

Well, I watched her for a minute as she brushed her hair back and started the car. Was nice hair, and the dress helped, too. It was dark blue and had a V neck, but the designer believed in big letters. She pulled away and gave me a look you could take on a safari. Was enough to tell me that she was as safe as a tap dancer on a floor full of dynamite caps. I walked up and turned in at pair 19. When I reached the door of the office, I could see the old man sitting by the desk. He looked tired and a year older than the Bible. His hands were shaking. His skin was coarse and the color of an old razor strap. When I walked in, he glanced up at me and looked about as happy as a cocker spaniel with a stomach ache.

[D]

I could talk to you. Please, Mr. Novak.

[A]

We'll try at once. Go ahead.

[D]

I'm an old man.

[A]

You want to argue or go on?

[D]

I'm too old, so I must come to someone for help. My name is Hans Neumeyer. I would like you to watch someone for me.

[A]

Someone like Rory Malone?

[D]

Yeah. But you do not.

[A]

What is this, Save Rory Malone week? What's he to you?

[D]

I am his manager. Oh, you don't ever hear of me because I'm old and not a very good manager. I guess after this fight, Rory find new manager. Maybe.

[A]

Yeah.

[E]

What's.

[A]

When's this fight?

[D]

Tonight. You don't know Rory. He's a good boy. He's a very good boy, Rory.

[A]

Yeah, well, good boys don't need watching. Has he got some bad coming out?

[D]

Something funny about this fight. He meets with bad people. And Rory is good boy.

[A]

Yeah, I just met one. How deep do they run?

[D]

The worst is a fellow named Joe Slagel. He's a bad man, a gambler. Please, Mr. Novak, you just watch Rory tonight and see he's all right.

[A]

Are you that rich?

[D]

Please, I don't have much money. Just $300. Maybe what I got from the fight. Maybe 300. I don't know. I just got a little money.

[A]

It's a tie, Pop. You win the toss.

[D]

Please, you. You don't help me.

[A]

You win. You win, Pop. When do I look at him?

[D]

Tonight. You come before the fight in the dressing room. I show you to Rory and you see he's all right.

[A]

Yeah, about nine. Yeah.

[D]

Please, Mr. Novak, I thank you all my life. You watch Rovi. I thank you all my life.

[A]

Yeah, well, I'm getting short shift on that, but I suppose it's not your fault, pop. See, at 9. Well, I felt sorry for him when he turned and walked out of there. I could afford it. 300 bucks. You can buy a lot of crying towels. At the door. He turned and smiled once before he shuffled out. He moved down the pier with a nervous, uncertain motion, like a flower petal in a warm wind. When he disappeared, I took a cab and rode up to the press club. I found out a lot about Rory Malone, and most of it was good. He was a lightweight and Hands New Meyer had picked him up and brought him through the prelims, up to main event stuff. He was fighting tonight against a Cleveland boy named George Zarick, and the betting was even. I ran into a Chronicle man whose wife divorced him and named a fight club as correspondent. And he said not to worry about Joe Slago, that Rory Malone fought for purses and that's all he knew about the girl, Con Regan. But he didn't want to say much, just that she was a fast five gated horse trying for seven. Well, I had some dinner and I went over to the arena about 8:30. When I walked into Roy Malone's dressing room, Hands New Meyer wasn't anywhere around. I stood over in a corner and watched him get ready for the fight. There was enough liniment being thrown around to keep an old lady's home spry for years. The other handlers were in, watching him tape up Malone and put on the gloves. Most of the people cleared out then Malone shadowboxed a minute before a second, threw a robe around his shoulders and shoved him toward the door. As he passed, I fell in beside him and we started walking under the arena. A few feet down, I bumped up against him. Sorry about what? Hands New Meyer.

[F]

Who are you?

[A]

Where's Neumayer?

[F]

What do you care?

[A]

My name's Novak. I'm supposed to meet him here. Do you know where he is?

[F]

No, he didn't show up. He's probably out drunk.

[A]

Does he drink?

[F]

No.

[A]

Well, lots of funny answers.

[F]

I don't know where he is. All I know is I need him tonight. I gotta get up to the ring.

[A]

I'll go with you.

[F]

Suit yourself.

[A]

You gonna win tonight?

[F]

You never know.

[A]

Sometimes you do, mister.

[F]

You're either too smart or too dumb.

[A]

What's the difference? You can't fight twice in one night.

[G]

Now, I want to talk to you, Rory.

[F]

Not now, Kitty.

[A]

After the fight.

[G]

Please, Rory, talk to me now.

[F]

Kitty, you're crazy. This guy's standing around a lot of other people. What do you want to do, put him on the radio?

[G]

Where's Hans? He hasn't been around. Where is he, Rory?

[F]

I don't know, Kitty. If I know, I'd get him.

[G]

There's something wrong, Rory. I've been watching. I know there's something wrong about this fight.

[A]

Yeah? Yeah.

[F]

There's only going to be one guy fighting if you don't let me out.

[G]

Please, Rory, don't brush me off like a dumb fly. I know there's something wrong. I don't want you to get into trouble.

[F]

All right, Kitty.

[G]

Don't say all right when you know how I feel. Let's talk about you and Joe Slagle. Oh, please, Rory. You don't know what it's like to see somebody you love go crazy.

[F]

Your dough is safe, Kitty.

[G]

That doesn't count. You know that doesn't count, Rory. The little money I saved doesn't count next to you. Oh, please, Rory, don't do anything wrong. I. I died. I die of terrible heartbreak. It hurt me all my life.

[F]

Stop it, will you? Kidding us. Stop crying. Don't worry, I'll win.

[G]

Just don't let anything happen.

[F]

I won't. I'll see you after the fight. Coming, Novak?

[A]

Yeah. You're real good with your women, Malone.

[F]

After this fight, I want a match with you, Novak.

[A]

I've met two of them, and they both have you and their dream books. Right on the fly.

[F]

I'll remember. Talk some more.

[A]

I'll talk enough to tell you that you're being followed. About 12 inches behind.

[B]

That's right, Malone.

[E]

Keep walking.

[B]

Turn in the next door.

[A]

Hey, wait a minute. Wait a minute. You better walk, Malone, unless you can outrun a bullet.

[F]

You, too, mister.

[A]

I agreed an hour ago.

[B]

All right, open the door for him, Eddie.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

You stand over here. I'm Malone.

[E]

Take off your glove.

[F]

I'm gonna need it.

[A]

You're gonna be eating teeth. Take off your gloves. Help him, Eddie. Yeah, that's it. Hold him on the other side, Steve. Put his hand on the table, Eddie. Now give me the block. Yeah, you can cry, Malone.

[B]

It's gonna hurt.

[C]

Hold him up.

[F]

Keep his hand out there.

[A]

Ready? The glove back on, Malone. It's too smashed up. It'll hold the pieces. Put it on. You better put it on, Malone. You're overmatched. All right.

[B]

S. Now go on up there and look good.

[A]

Yeah. Why don't you loan him the gun and he'll win in two rounds. Look, mister, I don't know who you are, but I'm sick of your mouth. It's a big floor, so stretch out. During the next two hours, they either moved me or the arena because I woke up in an alley down near the Golden Gate Theater. Was in back of a restaurant and I was lying there trying to look good in a mixed green salad. My head was about the size of a diving bell and my clothes were so rumpled and dirty I looked like a leg man for the Hobo News. I tried to get to my feet once, but it wasn't easy. It was like trying to push a basketball through a stovepipe. I think it was close to 11 when I got out to the street. I didn't even buy a paper to find out about the fight. I grabbed a cab and went up to my apartment. Iron out my spine was a good idea, but the girl at the desk had a message from Hans Neumeyer. He was out at the California General Hospital and he wanted to see me right away. When I got there, he was at the end of a ward on the third floor. But the duty nurse wouldn't let me buy. She was a real pretty nurse, if you like. Pure mammal. Somebody buzzed, and when she oozed down the hall, I ducked into the ward and started looking for hands. Newmeyer was dark and he was away, down at the end behind a white screen. He looked tired and his eyes were moist and soft, like a ripe fruit that's just been squeezed too hard.

[D]

Please, Mr. Novak. You come to see me?

[A]

Yeah, just as soon as I got your message.

[D]

You make mistake with hunts. I don't send message.

[A]

Somebody wants to be your secretary. What happened to you in my room?

[D]

I just go to my room. Somebody is there.

[A]

I don't know.

[E]

Worries.

[A]

All right, I limped a little. Mister, your boy got his hand smashed.

[D]

Rory is a good boy.

[A]

He's got a good girl. Who's Kitty?

[D]

She's go with or a long time save money to marry this.

[A]

Wait a minute. Keep still. Something the matter? Yeah. Somebody coming down this way. Coming up behind that curtain.

[D]

Maybe Ori comes to visit me.

[A]

Whoever came to visit him didn't stay long. The old man leaned back in the bed and quit without any fanfare, like a long summer coming to an end. I went out to get the nurse and I found it out. The end of the hall, giving an Intern. Some greedy talk. She hadn't heard the shots, and they hadn't seen anybody come out of the ward. I told her as much as I could. Then she wheeled the old man into another room and called Homicide. Now, that call to Homicide didn't help, because from now on, things weren't going to improve. I was fighting a forest fire with a can of kerosene. About 20 minutes later, Inspector Hellman showed up. He was full of finesse and fury. And he came charging over, about as graceful as a lame lobster.

[B]

Hello, Novak. You're up late.

[A]

I had company most of the time. Yeah?

[B]

Did he bore you?

[A]

Somebody got tired of him. It happened behind a screen down there in the ward. Who is he? Guy by the name of Hans Neumeyer. He manages a fighter named Rory Malone. Yeah, the killing's mixed up with a fight fix.

[B]

Not the Zarek fight.

[A]

Yeah, that's right. They got to Rory Malone 10 minutes before ring time.

[B]

You got a thin story, Novak.

[A]

Look, I got a fat one, and I got all the gambling going town on my side. The old man got it because Roy Malone was dumped in that fight.

[B]

I don't believe it.

[A]

You don't have to believe it, Hellman. They smashed him up. His right hand was as limp as an old piece of lettuce when he climbed into that ring.

[B]

They should have smashed both hands because Rory Malone won by a knockout in the fifth round. Try another Paige Novak.

[A]

When Hellman told me Rory Malone won that fight, I might as well have handed him a feather. I stood there feeling like a guy peddling dope at his sister's wedding. How could Rory Malone won that fight with a. Without a hand grenade? When I saw the hand, it wasn't strong enough to flatten a piece of silk on an ivory table. And yet he won by a knockout in the fifth round. I pointed to one thing Zari could take in a dive. But why the double fix? Why had they smashed Rory's hand? It was a goofy pitch, like sending for a plumber to fix a hole in Boulder Dam. I didn't have time to wrestle around with it because Hellman had talk on his mind.

[B]

You can't get a bookie in town to take bets on this one, Novak.

[A]

No, not with you setting the odds.

[B]

They were that way when I got here. So don't write up a clean bill of health. The guy's dead and nobody else is volunteering.

[A]

You'd muff a confession anyway before you tumble. They'd have to cut it in stone across the front of City Hall.

[B]

What were you doing with the old man?

[A]

Helping him over the rough spots or.

[B]

Taking him over the hurdle?

[A]

He hired me to watch Rory Malone. They were stepping up the pace on his boy.

[B]

For instance?

[A]

For instance, Joe Slagle. Everybody says he had a stake in the fight.

[B]

You don't throw a fight by winning in the fifth round.

[A]

That's what the book says, but sometimes the book's wrong. You better look up Joe Slago. And on the same trip, you can stop by and see a gal named Con Regan. Yeah?

[F]

Why?

[A]

She's Malone's new sparring partner. A tall redhead with lots of dry cells.

[B]

She sounds nice. I'll talk to her and Slagle too. But I'm gonna find out about you and Rory Malone first. I'm gonna run down the stuff on this fight, and I'll find out where you fit in. Don't worry, Novak.

[A]

I'll dig you out. You could take the jelly out of an omelet. Hellman. Look up the girl in Joe Slagle. They'll talk.

[B]

Not about each other.

[A]

There's some connection there. I'll give even money they're friends.

[B]

They ought to be. What they were married a month ago in Las Vegas. Or don't you know.

[A]

Hellman stood there a moment and smiled like a guy who's just killed a landlord. Then he turned around and walked out. Well, I stayed until they wrapped up the old man. After that, I went with the Chronicle office and pulled the clips on Joe Slagle. He'd been to three jails and gotten his masters at Alcatraz. And there were some pictures of him at the racetrack. He had a face any museum would buy and afford. That was so low, he must have had to look down to see his hairline. There was one other thing about him I noticed. He was the same guy who'd smashed Rory Malone's hand. I began to wonder about that friendship. But it was getting late and I had to work fast. So I looked up the only honest guy I know. An ex doctor and a boozer by the name of Jocko Madigan. He's a smart guy until he decided a head on your beer is worth more than a head on your shoulders. I finally found him in a little joint down on Geary street talking some woman into giving up all men under 50.

[E]

Ah, Patsy, I've missed you in a rather trivial way.

[A]

All right, Jocko.

[E]

I'm giving this woman a lecture on diminishing return.

[A]

Jocko, will you start drinking long enough to listen?

[E]

Patsy, you fail to understand my drinking Actually, I hate whiskey. But I go on drinking as a sort of shop.

[A]

To Providence.

[E]

Yeah, because everyone knows the guardian angels take care of small children and tipplers. And since I've passed the age where I look well in rompers, this is a very clever dodge to get a little outside.

[A]

Are you ever gonna change, Patsy?

[E]

Don't. Don't you know what a burden change is to a man as old as I am?

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[E]

It's not the change we mind, it's the way it happens. By degrees, never giving you a chance to remember anything else. So it's heartbreaking, Patrick. All right, all right. It's like visiting a half forgotten neighborhood. It hasn't changed completely, just parts of it. A few old houses and some human remnants is still around. Enough to remind you of the change, but never enough to make you happy. It's that way with growing old.

[A]

Will you listen?

[E]

They don't allow you to grow old suddenly and leave. They insist on this policy of having you dribble off into eternity. It's undignified, Patsy. Feeling like a bowl of old dishwater with the stopper pulled out.

[A]

Jocko, I want to talk to you.

[E]

Why didn't you say so? What's the matter?

[A]

An old guy by the name of Hans Neumeyer is dead.

[E]

Oh, bless him.

[A]

Homicide's full of fever. They think I killed the old man.

[E]

What did he do before he stopped doing it?

[A]

A fight manager. He hired me to watch his fighter. Rory Malone. He should have hired a team because somebody got to him in the hospital tonight.

[E]

How do you fit in?

[A]

I was just passing through when the noise started.

[E]

That was General Custer's problem.

[A]

It's tied up with tonight's fight. Neuma was afraid of a gambler named Joe Slagel. He was around tonight and smashed Malone's hand before ring time.

[E]

That's a hard way to lose.

[A]

It's a harder way to win. Malone won by a knockout in the fifth.

[E]

Was he fighting his father?

[A]

I'm not getting any place, Jocko, and I'm doing it in a hurry. It's a bad fit all the way around. They took two tries to get the old man. And if Slago bought the fight, why'd he smash Malone's hand?

[E]

Let's have a drink.

[A]

Jocko, you gotta help me.

[E]

It's the thirst that's confusing.

[A]

I want you to get up to Rory Malone's place. You can find it in the book. Go through his stuff and try to pick up a lead, will ya?

[E]

Why don't you do it?

[A]

I'm gonna look up a girlfriend named Con Regan. She's married to Slago, but she's trying to work Malone into the actual.

[E]

Well, in that case, I'd be in the way.

[A]

Look, I'm in a spot, Jaco. Now, get up to that apartment, will you?

[E]

What if Malone walks in and finds me going through his stuff?

[A]

Stop worrying.

[E]

He almost killed a man with one broken hand. Suppose someone smashed the other one?

[A]

Well, I had to do something quick because the kettle was on the boil. By the time Hellman got to him, Slago would have an alibi. And my story about the smashed hand wouldn't prove a thing. I had to grope around and pretend like a guy. On the second verse of the national anthem. I decided to tag by Slago's place. And on the way, I bought a paper to read about the fight. Malone looked real bad for four rounds and then came out of the woods fast with a left hand on the 5th. Was about midnight when I got to Slago's apartment. Began to look more and more like it when Con Regan opened the door. Oh, I could see Rory's point. She was a sort of a woman. You'd never give a second look because the first had paralyzed you. Her red hair looked brighter now. And legs like that are the reason silkworms are born. She smiled. And you knew if you never made Naples, you could die happy with her. But I guess she picked her friends.

[C]

It's too late for the 300 now, Mr. Novak.

[A]

I'm working free. Invite me in.

[C]

Sorry, darling.

[A]

You look lonely. Where's Slater?

[C]

I agreed to marry him. Not following.

[A]

How about Malone? Somebody killed his manager.

[C]

I'd like to help you, Mr. Novak, but I don't like you well enough.

[A]

Well, you can make love later. Give me answers now. Where you going?

[C]

You're not welcome.

[A]

I want to know what those bags are packed for.

[C]

I don't trust the drawers. Now get out of here.

[A]

Mr. Novak, calm down and put the gun away.

[C]

Get out of here. You came uninvited. I'll kill you the same way.

[F]

Hello, Novak. You gonna lose an argument?

[A]

Well, it looks that way. If she's yours, call her off, Malone.

[F]

You're too tough, Con. Let him walk up.

[C]

He steamed in here full of questions.

[F]

That's a bad way to answer. Relax.

[A]

That's what your man Neumeyer's doing. Somebody killed him tonight.

[F]

I know that, Novak.

[A]

Your eyes aren't very red.

[F]

I can't help it, Novak. All I can do is square his beef.

[A]

Well, you can start with Your girlfriend, she's leaving town. Or did you buy the tickets?

[F]

That's your hurry, Khan.

[C]

If I want to leave, I can't leave Rory.

[F]

I'll argue with you.

[C]

You'll get the short end, Rory, because I'm leaving. Stay away from me.

[F]

You're too close.

[C]

Someday they'll match you. Even Rory.

[A]

Maybe it's a referee. I'll get it. Y.

[B]

You got a deep voice, Ms. Regan.

[A]

What's on your mind, Hellman?

[B]

Joe Slago.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Now, he cleaned up in tonight's fight.

[A]

Not with a betting even wasn't.

[B]

After the first round, word got out that Malone broke his hand. The betting changed.

[A]

And Slago covered every bet in the house.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Well, the old man tumbled before it happened. That's what he was afraid of.

[B]

And the shot killed him.

[A]

Slagle did. You got a motive now, Hellman. You better look him up.

[B]

We did.

[D]

He's dead.

[A]

He couldn't be dead if he's not.

[B]

The bullet holes are good fake. See you soon, Novak.

[A]

Well, I didn't talk to the girl and Rory because I knew they'd dummy up on me and I had nothing to go on. Oh, it was like trying to build a wall out of jelly. Consummate. Nothing added up. Now, whose side was Rory on? And where did that other girl, Kitty, fit in? My luck was on the black market tonight and I knew it. So I went by my place to check with Jocko. He was in the kitchen and he looked worried.

[E]

Ah, Patsy. You know, I was going to break open the thermometer until I found this bottle in the closet.

[A]

All right, Jocko, what'd you find out?

[E]

That it pays to know. Joe Slagle. There's a $20,000 check in Malone's desk. Slagle signed it.

[A]

He could afford it. Somebody killed him an hour ago.

[E]

Where was Malone?

[A]

I don't know, but that's not gratitude.

[E]

Maybe he'll wire regrets. You'd better get up there. All his stuff's packed for a long trip.

[F]

Well?

[E]

Well, a couple of trunks and all his bags. Does that sound like a weekend party?

[A]

I don't know, Jocko. He's kind of fancy. Maybe he likes a lot of laundry. Up to now, it was like trying to melt a pound of diamonds. But when the turn comes, everything happens in a hurry. And things began to fall faster than snow off a warm roof. If Jack I was right, it meant Rory and the girl fought, but they did a lot of clinching between rounds. Well, I got a hold of Hellman and brought him up to date. And then I started for Rory Malone's apartment. When I got there, Hellman was outside the door listening. As quiet as a washing machine full of pebbles.

[B]

They must be in the back room. I can't hear a thing.

[A]

You couldn't hear a rifle shot in a boxcar, Hellman. Let's get a better view, huh?

[F]

Hello, Novak.

[A]

Gonna miss your train, Malone?

[F]

I don't believe you.

[C]

It's a chance to bet.

[A]

Mr. Novak, this is Inspector Hellman from Homicide.

[F]

Well, you guessed wrong, Inspector. I'm covered for Joe Slagle. Novak hears alibi from Ms. Regan.

[A]

We can check.

[F]

You're scraping bottom, mister.

[A]

We can start with that twenty thousand dollar check from Joe Slagle.

[F]

That's where you'll stop too. My 20,000 covered a sale of my contract. The fight commission can beef, but that's all.

[A]

You ready?

[F]

Come.

[B]

I hope you are too, because you're going downtown.

[F]

Look, fella, you're gonna make us miss a train. But we'll catch the next one.

[G]

You're wishing now, Rory.

[B]

Who's this?

[A]

A fast friend with a slow burn. Hello, Kitty. Your boyfriend's gonna leave. Say goodbye.

[D]

Please, Rory.

[G]

You're crazy to go with her.

[F]

She makes me that way.

[A]

Kitty.

[F]

I'm sorry, Rory.

[G]

I've done too much for you. I've kept loving you all this time. Can't leave you can't leave now. I don't want to be alone.

[F]

Buy a dog.

[G]

No, Rory. No. I won't let you go.

[F]

You're too good with guns.

[E]

Drop it.

[F]

You better take her, Helmut. She's anxious.

[G]

Oh, please, Rory. I loved you too much for this. I loved you enough to kill somebody. You can't leave, Rory. You can't leave me. To my cell.

[F]

When the guy comes, tell him where the baggage is.

[G]

What'll become of you, Rory Malone? What'll become of you, Rory Malone? When you have to think about me? When you hear the sound of me in your head? Oh, you're brave, Rory. You're brave to leave me alone.

[F]

Come on, Con. In a place like this, we're wasting you.

[G]

Come back. Come back, Rory Malone. Come back long enough to watch them laugh at me. Watch them laugh at me for the fool I am. Oh, it's the great fool of the world I am.

[A]

Well, it doesn't prove much. Except the right kind of a heel can grind you into the dirt fast. Well, Hellman piece most of the story together. Slago and Malone planned the fight and it went off without a hitch. Slago bought off the other fighter so that Malone could win as soon as the bets had been covered. Hans Neumeyer had an idea. But he liked Rory too much to believe it. They found out he was coming to me and Con Regan tried to scare me off. She looked too good to Rory. And the scheme started to grow. He lied to Slagle after the fight about Newmeyer. So Slago went into the hospital and killed the old man. That left Slago around to cloud things up. So Rory Malone told a phony story to his girlfriend Kitty. She loved him enough to kill Slago Was no way to stick Rory Malone. He could never fight again with that hand. But he had a check for 20,000 bucks to start on him. That's enough to keep love in the living room. Well, Hellman asked only one question. Why would a smart gambler like Slago take a chance on giving him a loan? A check for 20,000 bucks? I guess Malone found out when he tried to cash that check. Because Joe Slagle was big hearted but broke.

[B]

The American Broadcasting Company has just brought you the sixth of a new series, Pat Novak for Hire, starring Jack Webs. Pat Novak is produced and directed by William P. Russo. Jocko Madigan is played by Tudor Own. Inspector Hellman is played by Raymond Burr. Music was composed and conducted by Basil Adlam. In our cast were Yvonne Paty, Stefan Schnabel, Frank Lovejoy, William Byeff and Ted de Corsia. This program is being released to our service men and women overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Be with us again next week when over most of these same ABC stations, we will bring you Pat Novak for Hire. This program came to you from Hollywood. Now, a listening reminder. Don't miss Gene Arthur and Robert Morley when they star in the compelling drama Yesterday's Magic on Theater Guild. On the air tonight. This is abc, the American Broadcasting Company.