Philo Vance: Idol Murder Case 01/25/1949

Summary

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Philo Vance: Idol Murder Case (01/25/1949)

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio

Episode Date: July 25, 2026 (original airdate: Jan 25, 1949)
Summary Prepared by: Choice Classic Radio Summarizer

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Philo Vance" revolves around the mysterious murder connected to the Bungee, an ancient idol recently delivered to the city museum. Several characters vie for possession of the idol—ostensibly made of copper, but rumored to be far more valuable. Philo Vance, the astute private detective, is tasked with unraveling a tangled case involving greed, deception, and murder, ultimately revealing the truth behind the idol and identifying the killer.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Progression

1. The Setup: The Idol’s Arrival and Initial Suspicions

• Timestamps: 01:10 – 03:56
  • Joe Farrell, arrested for burglary, offers District Attorney Markham a trade: information in exchange for leniency. He warns about an incoming museum artifact that "isn't what it seems."
  • Main clue: "There's guys in town that want that statue, and they want it bad enough to kill for it." (Farrell, 03:10)

2. The Idol’s Significance: A Web of Interest

• Timestamps: 03:56 – 08:45
  • Jonathan Peters and his native companion, Ringai, scheme to recover the Bungee idol, considering it sacred to Ringai’s tribe.
  • Multiple parties visit or contact the museum (Ms. Enid Carter, art dealer Maurice Abbott), all intent on purchasing or possessing the statue.
  • Tension increases as each insists: "I want that statue. The Bungee. I must have it. I'll pay you for it. More money than you've ever seen in your whole life." (Enid Carter to Jasper, 06:39)
  • Curator Jasper becomes frustrated by the intense interest: "I don't know why everybody wants the Bungee. It's only an ugly piece of copper." (Jasper, 06:47)

3. Murder at the Museum

• Timestamps: 09:04 – 13:54
  • Markham calls Vance: Enid Carter has been found murdered at the museum, near the idol.
  • Vance deduces the idol’s true value via paperwork: "I know that it wasn’t copper at all, but solid gold." (Philo Vance, 11:53)
  • Explanation: Based on the idol’s stated weight, only solid gold could account for such mass.
  • Additional chaos as two unidentified men (later revealed as Peters and Ringai) flee the scene, escaping despite police gunfire.

4. Showdown: Motives and Face-Offs

• Timestamps: 14:17 – 20:50
  • Vance predicts he can "produce" the men who fled, despite not knowing their identities then.
  • In his office, Peters and Ringai visit Vance, pleading for secrecy and offering a bribe: "I have here my personal check made out to you for $25,000." (Peters, 17:33)
  • Peters threatens Vance at gunpoint, but claims innocence in the murder: "Calling the police will necessitate a return visit to you from my friend... You're a clever man, Mr. Vance. Be a smart one." (Peters, 18:40)
  • Meanwhile, Abbott is grilled by Markham and Jasper over his attempts to bribe and threaten for the idol; Abbott ultimately confesses: "I did try to bribe Jasper here and I did threaten him. I wanted that statue." (Abbott, 19:58)

5. The Trap and Final Revelations

• Timestamps: 20:50 – 24:29
  • Vance arranges a sting at the museum, which is temporarily closed to the public.
  • Jasper is caught attempting to steal the idol. Nearby, Peters lies wounded, dying—he confesses with his last breath that Ringai shot him after discovering Peters’ intent to keep the idol for himself:
    • "That native boy I had with me—Ringai. He found I was trying to obtain the Banjee not for his tribe, but for myself." (Peters, dying confession, 23:09)
  • Vance declares Jasper under arrest for murder, but clarifies it is for the earlier murder of Enid Carter:
    • "You see, I've known all along you killed Enid Carter." (Vance, 24:06)

6. Philo Vance Explains the Solution

• Timestamps: 24:29 – 26:38
  • Vance walks Sergeant Heath through the logic:
    • Jasper, knowing the idol’s weight, realized it was gold and tried to steal it himself.
    • Enid Carter attempted to strike a deal that night but surprised Jasper, catching him mid-theft; he killed her to cover up his plan.
    • Peters and Ringai were present but hiding; they had nothing to do with Carter's death.
    • Abbott, manipulative but innocent of murder, acted under Peters’ coercion.
  • Vance concludes: "Statements such as this is the end of the Idol murder case." (26:04)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "There's guys in town that want that statue, and they want it bad enough to kill for it."
  — Joe Farrell, 03:10

• "The Bungee. The idol my tribe worshipped, you'll get from the museum."
  — Ringai, 04:16

• "I don't know why everybody wants the Bungee. It's only an ugly piece of copper."
  — Jasper, 06:47

• "You see, I know that it wasn't copper at all, but solid gold."
  — Philo Vance, 11:53

• "I never said I knew who they were, Ms. Dearing. I said I could produce them, and I can."
  — Vance, 15:41

• "Calling the police will necessitate a return visit to you from my friend. This gun intermediate."
  — Peters, 18:40

• "That native boy I had with me—Ringai. He found I was trying to obtain the Banjee not for his tribe, but for myself."
  — Peters' dying confession, 23:09

• "You see, I've known all along you killed Enid Carter."
  — Vance to Jasper, 24:06

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:10 – Joe Farrell’s tip-off to police, introducing the idol.
• 03:56 – Peters and Ringai plot to retrieve the idol.
• 06:10 – Multiple parties (Carter, Abbott) attempt to buy the idol.
• 09:04 – Vance is called in after Carter’s murder.
• 11:53 – Vance deduces the idol is gold.
• 13:39 – Museum shooting and suspects escape.
• 15:31 – Vance predicts suspects will turn themselves in.
• 17:33 – Peters attempts to bribe Vance, then threatens him.
• 19:58 – Abbott confesses his motive.
• 21:27 – Sting operation set at the museum.
• 22:18 – Thief and dying Peters are discovered.
• 23:09 – Peters’ dying confession regarding Ringai.
• 24:06 – Vance publicly names Jasper as Enid Carter’s killer.
• 25:16 – Vance lays out full solution and motives.

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains a brisk, dramatic pace with the fast-talking, dry wit characteristic of postwar radio mysteries. Vance is confident and deductive, often one step ahead, while Markham and Heath bring both seriousness and occasional comic relief. The episode’s intrigue is woven with moments of sharp confrontation and last-minute revelations.

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Conclusion

The "Idol Murder Case" exemplifies the best of Golden Age detective radio—complex plotting, overlapping motives, and a satisfying puzzle resolved by keen observation and logic. Philo Vance shines through as the archetype of the brilliant detective, unmasking the killer and exposing the layers of greed and betrayal concealed beneath a seemingly simple museum theft.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Double stack.

[A]

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[C]

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].

[D]

Look, you. I don't want any trouble from you here. We got you cold for breaking and entering. And I could put you in jail and keep you there forever if I wanted to.

[C]

You'd be an awful sorry guy if you did, Sergeant Heath. You coop me up before I get a chance to talk to the district attorney. Then you'll be awful unhappy.

[D]

The district attorney's got nothing to do with this case. You broke into a joint, we caught you and we're gonna send you up.

[C]

But you did send for Mr. Markham, didn't you, Heath? Yeah.

[D]

Yeah, I sent for him. Only he ain't gonna be happy being brought down here unless you got a good reason.

[C]

I got a great reason. Wait till he hears what it is.

[E]

Hello, heath.

[D]

Oh, hi, Mr. Markham.

[E]

You asked me to come down here, I'm here. Suppose you tell me what this is about.

[D]

Yay. This punk here, he's Joe Farrell. Said he had something hot to tell you.

[E]

What is it, Farrell?

[C]

Well, DA I want you to go easy on me, and I kind of. I got a trade to make.

[E]

What kind of a trade?

[C]

I don't like crowds, da. This room is too crowded with Heath here. Ask him maybe if he'd like to hop into the other room for a minute, Heath.

[D]

Okay, okay. But this stooge better have something to say to you. I'll be right next door, Mr. Marshall.

[E]

Thank you, sergeant. Well, Farrell.

[C]

D.A. listen, the cops have got me cold on a burglary rap, okay? I ain't looking to crawl out of that. Only I want him to go as light as possible.

[E]

I should think you would.

[C]

I got information I'll hand you if there ain't too much pressure put on me by Heath.

[E]

We can't make any trades with criminals, Farrell. Although, if you know something that might help us, perhaps the Judge might be lenient if you throw yourself on the mercy of the court.

[C]

Yeah, that's okay by me. And listen, Malcolm here's a dope. You know the city museum very well. Okay, well, the museum gets a big shipment from some foreign country, I ain't sure where, and it comes in this afternoon. It comes from some collector who died and willed the whole thing to the joint.

[D]

Well?

[C]

Well. One of the things that the museum is gonna get ain't what it seems to be. It looks like something, only it ain't what it looks like. You understand?

[E]

No, I don't.

[C]

Okay, I'll hand it to you this way. There's maybe six or eight things in that collection, mostly statues and stuff. Only there's something about one of the statues.

[E]

Really?

[C]

What? I don't know. It's junk, as far as I could find out. All I know is this, that there's guys in town that want that statue, and they want it bad enough to kill Farig.

[F]

Come in.

[B]

Come in. Sir.

[F]

Master, it is here. It is here.

[B]

Well, talk, man, talk.

[F]

Tell me everything about Mr. Peters. I wait in the museum until the crates are open. I see it. I see it with my own eyes. It is here, Master. The Bungee. The idol my tribe worshipped, you'll get from the museum.

[C]

No.

[B]

Three years I've trailed that statue from one end of the globe to the other. Now it is within reach. The Bungee. Sit down, Ringa. Sit down.

[F]

Yes, Master. We make plans to get the Bungee.

[B]

Careful plans, Ringai. The most careful plans man ever made. This is the high point in my entire life. Understand that nothing must go wrong. We will plan well. Carefully and quickly.

[F]

It is good. Soon my tribe will be at peace within themselves. Soon I bring back to them the Bungee.

[B]

Tonight we will get it, Ringai. Right now, I'm sure I'm going to need this.

[F]

What you get from the drawer, Master?

[B]

This, Ringai, the banji is a thousand years old, stolen from your country. I will return this ancient masterpiece to your people, Ringai. But to do that, it is quite possible that I will need this very modern weapon, this automatic pistol.

[C]

All day, I do nothing but open these crates. I'm supposed to be the curator in this museum, and all day I. What are you doing here?

[G]

Excuse me, Mr. Jasper. You are Mr. Jasper?

[F]

Yeah, sure.

[C]

My name is Jasper.

[E]

Who are you?

[C]

What are you doing in the museum? No one's allowed in here at this hour.

[G]

I've done a lot of things in my life that no one has been allowed to do, Mr. Jasper. My name is Carter. Enid Carter. Well, I want that statue in the corner. That ugly copper thing, the Bungee.

[C]

I'm sorry, it's not for sale. And you've got to leave here. Ms. Connor, regulations.

[G]

I have no interest in regulations. I want that statue. Do you understand? It's thousands of years old. It's been worshipped by generations of natives. I must have it for my collection.

[C]

I'm sorry, Ms. Carter. There's nothing I can do for you. I can't sell it to you. It just isn't for sale. And you'll have to leave here now. I've got to get the rest of this stuff uncredit before I can go to bed. And I'm tired.

[G]

Listen, Mr. Jasper. Listen closely. I want that statue. The Bungee. I must have it. I'll pay you for it. More money than you've ever seen in your whole life.

[C]

I don't know why everybody wants the Bungee. It's only an ugly piece of copper.

[G]

Who else wants it? Tell me, man, who else was here asking about the Bungee?

[C]

A fellow named Peters called up on the phone about it a little while ago.

[E]

You know him.

[G]

He mustn't have it. Whatever you do, you mustn't sell it to him.

[C]

Ms. Carter, I can't sell it to anybody. It belongs to the museum. And the museum has decided it is not for sale.

[G]

I don't care what the museum has decided. I'm going to have that statue before Mr. Peters or anyone else gets it. I'm going to have it. And I'd just like to see anyone stand in the way of my getting it.

[C]

Coming.

[H]

Coming.

[C]

Will you stop banging on that door and disarm the knife?

[F]

Hurry, please hurry.

[C]

Well, what is it? What's the idea of waking me up at this hour?

[F]

You're Mr. Jasper, the curator of this museum.

[C]

Yes. What about it?

[F]

You woke me up.

[C]

Do you realize that?

[F]

I tried to wake you. I've been banging on the door for 20 minutes.

[C]

I sleep upstairs. What do you expect me to do? Apologize for not being awake at this time of night?

[H]

What is it you want, Mr. Jasper?

[F]

I'm Maurice Abbott, the art dealer. You know my gallery on Madison Avenue? Yes, yes. Well, you have an ugly copper statue here. Valueless except as a relic of native rituals. I want that statue.

[C]

You mean the Bungee?

[F]

That is correct. I just heard it arrive today and I came down here to. To make a deal with you.

[C]

I don't make any deals, Mr. Abbott. And you can't buy the Bungee. In any event, it Isn't for sale. And you're the third person tonight who's tried to buy it.

[F]

I'll offer you more than they did. I'll top the best bid.

[C]

Please go away and let me sleep. The Bungee is not for sale.

[F]

At least let me look at it

[D]

and we see it. Go away.

[C]

Good night, Mr. Abbott. Come around in the morning when the museum will be open. Don't.

[H]

Don't close this door on me.

[C]

I want to talk to you, Mr. Jasper, tonight. Anymore you don't. I'm going to bed.

[F]

Going to bed.

[B]

You see?

[F]

I trust his sleep is not interrupted.

[H]

Philo Vance speaking.

[E]

Vance Markham.

[H]

Well, hello, Markham. I've been wondering when I'd hear from you.

[E]

This isn't a social call, Vance.

[H]

The way I feel about you, Markham, and about your job as district attorney makes it questionable to me whether I prefer your social or professional calls.

[E]

That's quite complimentary, Vance. Perhaps the purpose of this call call might return that compliment. There's been a murder down at the city museum and we need help.

[H]

Delighted that you do, Markham. Who was killed?

[E]

Well, Vance, it seems that a native idol was delivered to the city museum yesterday afternoon.

[C]

Uh huh.

[E]

The curator of the museum, a Mr. Jasper, had reported an art dealer named Abbott unusually interested in it.

[H]

Yes, go on, Markham.

[E]

The statue was called the Bungee, a small copper figure. Sometime during the night an art collector named Enid Carter was found murdered near the statue.

[H]

Enid Carter? Not the social registrar?

[E]

The same, Vance. She was shot to death. Well now what she was doing there or who killed her, we don't know.

[H]

Is there anything about the case the police do know, Markham?

[F]

Yes.

[E]

A stool pigeon Sergeant Heath picked up yesterday told me that he knew there would be an attempt to steal one of the pieces in the museum.

[H]

Really? Or perhaps Ms. Carter interrupted someone's plans and in the interrupting met her death.

[E]

That seems reasonable. Vance. Will you meet me at the museum?

[H]

Will I? Markham? I assure you nothing can keep me from keeping that meeting.

[E]

Come right into this room, please. Mr. Jasper. Mr. Vance would like to talk to you.

[C]

Yes, Mr. Markham, of course.

[H]

Hello, Mr. Jasper. Please sit down.

[C]

Thank you. Mr.

[H]

I've been looking over your papers on that shipment that came to this museum yesterday. Mr. Jasper, I think the statues, or rather one statue, has a direct bearing on the death of Ms. Carter.

[C]

She probably broke in here last night after the museum was closed. Mr. Vance, I know there was no one here when we locked up.

[H]

How she got in or why. Mr. Jasper may or may not be important. Markham, did you ever hear of the bungee before today?

[E]

No, Vance, I'm sorry, I didn't.

[H]

If Mr. Jasper will correct me if I go too far astray.

[C]

Yes, of course.

[H]

The bungee was a native idol stolen from a tribe many years ago. According to these papers, which arrived with the bungee, it is copper. Stands 3ft high on a base a foot square and weighs 3,500 pounds.

[D]

Hmm.

[E]

Rather heavy, I'd say.

[H]

Copper is quite heavy. Have you anything to add to What I've said, Mr. Jasper?

[B]

No, I think not.

[C]

Except that Mr. Abbott, the art dealer, was very insistent on purchasing the bungee.

[E]

I've already told Vance that. Now, Vance, I know you haven't seen the statue yet, but have you anything to tell us?

[H]

I think so. I think I can tell you why the bungee was wanted and in so doing, tell you the reason Ms. Carter was killed.

[C]

You know that, Mr. Vance.

[E]

Vance, you can't possibly. You haven't even seen the statue of the body.

[H]

That's true. I didn't look at the body because Sergeant Heath had already examined it. And Sergeant Heath is very thorough. I didn't see the bungee because there was no need to see it. You see, I know that it wasn't copper at all, but solid gold.

[E]

You know the bungee is gold, Vance. How could you possibly know that?

[H]

By the weight, markham. A statue 3ft high and 1 foot square makes 3 cubic feet of statue. Copper weighs 500 pounds a cubic foot.

[E]

Then if the bungee were copper, it should weigh 1500 pounds.

[H]

That's right. But the bungee weighs 3500 pounds. Therefore, it isn't copper. Gold weighs approximately two and a half times as much as copper. Hence my deduction.

[E]

Vance, when will you ever stop astounding me?

[H]

Never, I hope. Now, let's look at the bungee and see whether.

[C]

What's that?

[E]

Shots. Undoubtedly Sergeant Heath or his men are shooting at something. Come on, Vance.

[H]

I'm right with you, Markham. There's Heath at the window firing at

[E]

something on the outside.

[H]

Yes, I know.

[E]

Heath. Sergeant Heath. What's happened?

[D]

Got away. Da. Hello, Vance.

[H]

Hello, Heath. Who was it? Got away.

[D]

Search me. Two guys must have been hiding in this joint. Thought they saw a chance to sneak out the window. A couple of minutes ago. I spotted them, yelled to him to stop, but they wouldn't. So I fired at him.

[E]

Did you hit them, Heath?

[D]

No, I don't think so. I think they made it okay. I saw him get in their car and beat it.

[E]

Well, things certainly are getting complicated on this case, aren't they? Vance.

[D]

Quite a bit complicated for you, Vance. What should I say? Wait till the papers hear about this. Imagine what happens to me when I gotta tell them that Ms. Carter's murderers were here. Sneaked right out under my nose and I can't find them.

[H]

Well, if that's all that's troubling you, Heath, forget it. When the reporters ask about the shooting, tell them just one thing and they won't annoy you any further.

[D]

What's that?

[H]

One thing Mr. Markham can probably tell you. Can you, Markham?

[E]

Why, yes. Only for the life of me, I don't know how you can do it. Heath, tell the reporters that Philo Vance can produce the two men who just escaped from this museum. Is that right, Vance?

[H]

Yes, Markham. That is precisely what I want Heath to tell the reporters.

[E]

This is District Attorney Markham. The idol murder case began before there was a murder. It seems that several people, among them Maurice Abbott, an art dealer, and Enid Carter, wanted the bungee, a native idol supposed to be copper, but which actually is gold. Philo Vance reasoned it was gold, and subsequent tests proved him right. After Ms. Carter was found dead, two men were seen fleeing from the museum, and Vance announced that he would produce them despite the fact that he hadn't even seen them. Only Vance could possibly make a statement like that. And it is sometime later when he has gone to his office.

[C]

Vance.

[H]

Read it again, will you please, Ms. Deering?

[G]

What's the matter, Vance? My diction bad or my voice so pleasant you'd just like to hear it?

[H]

I'd like to be absolutely certain of what the newspaper says, that's all.

[G]

No criticism, no compliment? That's my boss. Okay, here we go.

[H]

Just the headline and the subhead will do.

[G]

Right. It says, police say Philo Vance can produce mystery men. Subhead, famous private investigator believed to know identity of two men who fled from city museum and hail of shots, period.

[H]

More? No. That ought to be quite sufficient, thank you.

[G]

Van, since when have you become mysterious? You knew who those men were. Why didn't you tell Mr. Markham? They're probably the same men who killed Ms. Carter.

[H]

Possibly.

[G]

Well, then why don't you tell who they are?

[H]

I never said I knew who they were, Ms. Dearing. I said I could produce them, and I can. In fact, I think they'll produce themselves right here in my office.

[G]

I'd like to bet they don't. Uh, that's off.

[H]

It wouldn't surprise me if those were the two men, Ms. Deering. Let them in, please. I'll be in my private office.

[G]

I'll do it. Only I have a hunch I'm going to be sorry.

[B]

Forgive me, my dear, but this is the office of Philo Vance.

[G]

Yes, it is. Come in, please.

[B]

Thank you. Come, Ring.

[F]

I. Yes, master?

[B]

My dear, I must see Mr. Vance Missien.

[G]

He's not only in, but unless I'm mistaken, he's expecting you. Go right into his private office. Go right in.

[B]

Thank you, my dear. Thank you very much.

[G]

Oh, it's all quite all right. All part of a day's work.

[B]

Wait out here, Ringa. I shan't be long. Yes, master.

[G]

Hey, you're not going to leave him out here with me?

[B]

I assure you, my dear, you're quite safe. Wait for me, ringar.

[H]

Yes, master.

[B]

Mr. Vance.

[H]

Come in, sir.

[B]

Mr. Vance. You know me, sir.

[H]

I know who you are. Perhaps the formalities of an introduction might be in order, though. Please sit down.

[B]

Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. Vance. I am Jonathan Peters, world traveler, lecturer,

[H]

authority on native art. I know of you, Mr. Peters.

[B]

Thank you, sir. Thank you. Mr. Vance, according to the newspapers, you knew it was I who was seen fleeing from the city museum early today. I've come to ask you, sir, to implore you not to reveal my identity.

[H]

You realize that a young lady was murdered in the museum. You were seen leaving.

[B]

I had nothing to do with her death, I assure you, sir. And I have here my personal check made out to you for $25,000.

[H]

The check would be in lieu of my not revealing your identity to the police.

[B]

Exactly. For the sake of your conscience, you might know that my friend and I did not kill Ms. Carter. We went in the museum to see the bungee and then she was shot. But the alarm was sounded so soon. The officer on the street came in so quickly we could not escape. We waited our chance and tried to get out while you were in the museum. Apparently, you saw us.

[H]

We'll let it go at that. Your story may or may not be correct. But tell me something, Mr. Peters. Do you know the history of the bungee?

[B]

Of course I do, sir. It was stolen many years ago from a native tribe. I have pledged to return it to the natives, one of whom accompanied me here.

[H]

That's the only story you know about it?

[B]

Precisely, sir. The only one.

[H]

The fact that it's supposed to be copper but is actually solid gold means

[B]

nothing to you, you know that, sir. You're a brilliant man, Mr. Vance.

[H]

I'm brilliant enough to telephone the police and have them take you in, Mr. Peters.

[B]

Put down that phone, Mr. Vance. Put it down, please, sir.

[H]

Excellent Backing you have for your instructions, Mr. Peters.

[B]

This gun obvious. But like myself, Mr. Vance, purposeful. Helps me get into places and as now, out of them. Please don't move, sir. I'm sorry to have to leave like this, but before I go, I beg you to reconsider. Calling the police will necessitate a return visit to you from my friend. This gun intermediate. You're a clever man, Mr. Vance. Be a smart one. Sir, I beg of you, do not call the police.

[E]

Do you deny, Mr. Abbott, that you threaten the museum curator, Mr. Jasper, when he would not sell the Bonjee to you for your gallery? Well, do you?

[F]

I have Nothing to say, Mr. Markham.

[E]

You will have something to say, I'm sure. Mr. Abbott. Mr. Jasper here is ready to swear you first tried to bribe him and then you threatened him when he told you he could not sell you the Bonjee.

[C]

Yes, he did. I swear he did, Mr. Markham.

[F]

Very well. I did try to bribe Jasper here and I did threaten him. I wanted that statue.

[H]

No doubt you did, Mr. Abbott.

[E]

Oh, hello, Vance.

[H]

Hello, Markham. Mr. Jasper.

[C]

Mr. Abbott.

[F]

Mr. Vance.

[H]

Well, Markham, we're approaching what in Western moving pictures is generally referred to as a showdown. You see, I know who murdered Ms. Carter and why. Mr. Abbott's interest in the bungee was so acute.

[F]

You're not going to frame me for this. You're not.

[E]

Grab him, Jasper. You nearest gentlemen. I'm coming to help.

[C]

Hold on now, Mr. Evan.

[H]

I think you'd better be better off

[E]

sitting down and telling us all about

[D]

this before Vance does.

[H]

Feel like talking, Mr. Abbott?

[F]

No. No, I don't. And I never will. Go ahead. If you can't prove I killed Enid Carter. I dare you. Try to prove I murder.

[E]

Well, Vance, that's the city museum right ahead of us.

[H]

Yes, it is.

[E]

You didn't ask Sergeant Heath and me to come here with you merely as bodyguards, did you?

[H]

No, Markham, I didn't.

[D]

Well, I'm glad of that. I'd like to put this body of mine in a big bed and guard it with a couple of blankets.

[E]

No. Lullaby. Heathco. Vance, why did you have the city museum closed to the public for the past few hours?

[H]

Obviously because I wanted no one to be there. Except whoever it is who will try to steal the bungee.

[D]

Somebody's gonna try to steal that statue tonight.

[H]

Perhaps they know the museum is unguarded. And I believe that time is a factor and the attempt will be made tonight. You have the door key, Markham?

[E]

Yes, of course. Right here.

[H]

Open it quietly, please.

[D]

All right.

[H]

If I'm not mistaken. We are about to interrupt the theft of the bungee.

[D]

Hey, wait a minute, Wait a minute. You can't know that.

[H]

I don't know it, Heath, but I merely think it. I believe I saw a flashlight hit a window a second ago. A flashlight? Carried by somebody inside the museum. Well, Markham, I'm a little slow because

[E]

I'm trying to do this as quietly as possible.

[F]

There.

[B]

Here we are, Vance.

[H]

I see it, Markham. The flashlight at the other end of this hall. Close the door, Heath, please. Quietly. I've got my finger on the light switch.

[D]

Right.

[E]

What's that noise, Vance?

[H]

Winches, Markham. The bungee is heavy and unwieldy and has to be raised mechanically. Well, Heath, I think we're about to catch our thief.

[D]

Same guy who murdered that Enid Carter dame?

[H]

Perhaps. Ready, Heath?

[D]

Me and my gun are both ready. Throw the switch, Vance.

[H]

Here goes.

[D]

Stand where you are, whoever you are, or I fire. Come on. Mark him, Vance. Who is it, Vance?

[E]

Can you make him out?

[H]

I know who he is. But that body on the floor in the corner.

[D]

Okay, you, get your hands up and turn this way.

[F]

Get him up.

[C]

All right, all right. Don't shoot.

[E]

It's Jasper, the curator of this museum.

[D]

Vance.

[H]

I knew that. I'm much more interested in this body, Markham. It's Jonathan Peters.

[B]

What?

[H]

He's still breathing. Heath, keep Jasper covered.

[D]

Right.

[H]

Come over here, Markham.

[E]

I'm with you, lads.

[C]

He's dying. I know he's dying, but I didn't kill him. I swear I didn't.

[D]

Shut up, you. We got you cold trying to steal this statue, ain't we?

[C]

Yes, maybe you have, but that man is dying. Only I didn't kill him. I found him that way when I came down here.

[H]

All right, Jasper, we'll get to you later.

[B]

Assembly.

[H]

I think Mr. Peters is trying to say something. Markham, bend down here with me.

[E]

Too right.

[C]

I can't.

[H]

Hello, Mr. Peters.

[B]

How are you, Vance? You find me in a sorry state, sir. Sorry state indeed.

[E]

Who did this to you, Mr. Peters?

[B]

That native boy I had with me. Ringai. He found I was trying to obtain the Banjee not for his tribe, but for myself.

[E]

We'll pick that boy up in a hurry, Vance. Is there anything we can do for you, Mr. Peters?

[B]

For me, sir, nothing. This is not quite my idea of the way. I should prefer to die so near to a fabulous fortune. So very near. But fate has made a decision. Thou shall abide by a gentleman. Yes, I shall.

[C]

But

[H]

he's gone, Markham. And I believe you can charge Mr. Jasper. Here with murder.

[C]

I. Well, you know I didn't kill him. He told you that. I heard him.

[G]

You.

[C]

You don't believe I killed him, do you? You can't.

[H]

I didn't say you killed him, Mr. Jasper. I said you could be charged with murder. You see, I've known all along you killed Enid Carter.

[D]

Look, Vance, if you think I'm gonna ask you a single question, you're nuts.

[H]

Very well, Sergeant Heath. Suppose we leave it at that.

[D]

Wait a minute. Just one minute and maybe one question. How did you know Jasper killed that Ms. Carter?

[H]

Well, Heath, I'll tell you. To begin with, he knew the weight of that statue, the bungee. Knowing it, he knew it wasn't copper, but gold. And as such, worth the fortune.

[D]

Still, don't tell me where Ms. Carter comes in. Or that Peters guy in his stooge either. Or Abbott.

[H]

They all come in together, Heath. They all wanted the bungee. Ms. Carter wanted it so much that the night of her death, she came to the museum to make a deal with Jasper to steal it. But apparently she came into the museum while Mr. Jasper was trying to do that very thing for himself. And she caught him at it.

[D]

But Peters and the native were there too.

[H]

That's right. But fortunately for them, they hadn't gotten into the room where the bungee was kept. They were in another room when they heard shots. The policeman came tearing in, discovered the body, and they couldn't get out until the next day. You see, they were hiding in the museum.

[D]

But if they couldn't get out, how could the murderer?

[H]

He couldn't either. That's how I knew it was Jasper. His living quarters were upstairs. He got up there in time to be presumably awakened by the police. And Abbott, the art dealer, completely innocent, although he was working for Peters. And Peters had threatened his life if Abbott revealed Peter's identity to us. That accounts for his attitude while we were questioning him earlier today.

[D]

I guess it does. Hey, Vance, I promised you I wouldn't ask any questions. I bet I asked a million, huh?

[H]

It's all right, E. I enjoyed answering them. I like to make statements, you see. Statements such as this is the end of the Idol murder case.

[B]

It's. It.