The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Fairley Bright Caper 10/31/1948

Summary

The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Fairley Bright Caper – Detailed Summary

Hosted by Choice Classic Radio

---

Introduction

"The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Fairley Bright Caper" is a thrilling episode from the golden era of radio detective dramas, brought to life by Choice Classic Radio. Set against the backdrop of Halloween in 1948, the episode weaves a complex narrative involving mysterious deaths, eccentric characters, and a web of deceit. Howard Duff stars as the iconic private detective Sam Spade, navigating through a series of intriguing clues to uncover the truth behind the caper.

---

Plot Summary

1. The Halloween Setup

The story unfolds on a foggy afternoon in the Bay area, where Sam Spade is summoned to investigate a peculiar case at Fairly Pines, an ancestral estate owned by the prominent Mr. Hillary Bright. The setting is ripe for mystery, with elements like a black cat, wolf girls, and a "witch's brew" recipe adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Notable Quote:

Effie: "That's what you think. Sweetheart. Get out your cauldron, your poison pen and your book of malefactions."
(Timestamp: 02:32)

2. The Mysterious Party

Sam arrives at the estate to attend a masquerade ball combined with an engagement party for Ms. Wilma Fairleigh. The event is anything but ordinary, featuring a mix of disguised guests, including a gangster, bubble dancers, and an Eskimo from Nome.

Key Events:

• The party is orchestrated by Mr. Bright to impress the press, despite his fears that few guests might attend.
• Sam interacts with various guests, uncovering strange behaviors and hidden motives.
• A bonfire gathering turns sinister when Wilma is found dead, shot near a pine tree, raising suspicions of foul play.

Notable Quote:

Sam Spade: "Shall we? We shall date all Hallows Eve 1948."
(Timestamp: 04:40)

3. Unraveling Clues

As Sam delves deeper, he discovers that Wilma's death is not an accident but a premeditated act. Key clues include:

• A rope made from bed sheets hanging from a window.
• Footprints leading to and from the scene, suggesting a struggle.
• A unique bullet with a diamond inset, pointing to a sophisticated crime.

Notable Quote:

Sam Spade: "So no one would know. Wilma worries about me. You won't tell me?"
(Timestamp: 19:54)

4. Confrontation and Revelation

Sam confronts Mr. Langdon, Mr. Bright's attorney, uncovering his motive tied to embezzlement and personal vendettas. A pivotal moment occurs when Sam apprehends Langdon, revealing his involvement in the murder.

Key Events:

• The use of a phone book to alter the bullet's trajectory, creating an illusion of a long-range shot.
• Sam’s strategic questioning and analysis of ballistic evidence leading to the unraveling of the truth.
• The climactic arrest scene where Langdon is caught red-handed, ensuring justice is served.

Notable Quote:

Sam Spade: "I'll turn you into a toad."
(Timestamp: 26:26)

---

Character Dynamics

• Sam Spade (Howard Duff): The quintessential hard-boiled detective, Sam combines sharp intellect with a no-nonsense attitude. His interactions are marked by wit and determination, driving the investigation forward.

• Mr. Hillary Bright: The affluent host of the party, whose facade of sophistication masks deeper financial troubles and moral failings, ultimately revealed as the architect behind the caper.

• Ms. Wilma Fairleigh: The unsuspecting victim whose engagement party becomes the scene of the mystery, symbolizing the tangled web of relationships and motives.

• Mr. Langdon: The cunning attorney whose greed and deceit lead him to orchestrate Wilma's murder, highlighting themes of betrayal and corruption.

---

Key Insights and Themes

• Deception and Appearances: The masquerade ball serves as a metaphor for the deceptive nature of the characters, where appearances are misleading, and true intentions lie beneath the surface.

• Justice and Morality: Sam Spade’s relentless pursuit of truth underscores the moral fabric of the narrative, emphasizing the triumph of justice over deceit.

• The Supernatural vs. Reality: While the episode teases elements of witchcraft and the supernatural, it ultimately grounds the mystery in human motivations and tangible evidence.

---

Conclusion

"The Fairley Bright Caper" is a masterful blend of suspense, intricate plotting, and memorable characters that exemplify the charm of old-time radio detective stories. Through Sam Spade's astute detective work, listeners are taken on a captivating journey that dismantles layers of deceit to reveal the stark realities of human nature and morality.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Effie: "That's what you think. Sweetheart. Get out your cauldron, your poison pen and your book of malefactions."
  (02:32)

• Sam Spade: "Shall we? We shall date all Hallows Eve 1948."
  (04:40)

• Sam Spade: "So no one would know. Wilma worries about me. You won't tell me?"
  (19:54)

• Sam Spade: "I'll turn you into a toad."
  (26:26)

---

Final Thoughts

For enthusiasts of classic detective tales, this episode of "The Adventures of Sam Spade" offers a rich narrative filled with intricate mysteries and dynamic character interactions. Choice Classic Radio successfully resurrects the golden age of radio drama, providing both nostalgia and engaging storytelling for modern audiences.

---

Thank you for tuning in to Choice Classic Radio. Be sure to subscribe to our channel on YouTube and follow us on Facebook for more enthralling old-time radio adventures.

Transcript

[Podbean Announcer]

Your message amplified.

Ready to share your message with the world? Start your podcast journey with Podbean.

Podbean.

Podbean.

Podbean. Podbean, the AI powered all in one podcast platform.

[Business Representative]

Thousands of businesses and enterprises trust Podbean to launch their podcasts.

[Podbean Announcer]

Launch your podcast on Podbean today.

[Business Representative]

My school uses Podbean.

[Podbean Announcer]

My church too.

I love it. I really do.

[Automated Voice]

If you know your party's Extension, press or say 1. To leave a message in our company mailbox. Press or say 2. Spoiler alert.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

It will be full representative.

[Automated Voice]

Would you speak to your mother in that tone?

[Business Representative]

Speak to a real human being.

[Podbean Announcer]

You shouldn't need to shout into the void to get your health insurance questions answered. Pacific Source Health Plans. This is a real person. How can I help you? Human service, not automated phone trees. Pacific Source Health Plans.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

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].

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective Brought to you by Wild Root Cream Oil Hair tonic. The non alcoholic hair tonic that contains lanolin. Wild Root Cream Oil Again and again. The choice of men and women and children too.

[Sam Spade]

Sam's Bay Detective Agency.

[Effie]

Very important. Sweetheart, write this down.

[Sam Spade]

Yes, Sam. I have pencil and paper ready.

[Effie]

Ingredients. Colon.

[Sam Spade]

Punctuational ingredients. Anne. Oh, what is it, Sam?

[Effie]

A recipe. One pound of fennel.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, that's liquid measure, Sam.

[Effie]

You put that in later.

[Sam Spade]

Crop out. Funnel.

[Effie]

Not funnel. Fennel. It is not liquid. It grows at fairly pines.

[Sam Spade]

Fairly what? Fair.

[Effie]

One root of St. John's wort.

[Sam Spade]

Whose wort?

[Effie]

Not wort. Wart.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, w. Don't interrupt.

[Automated Voice]

Some new size.

[Effie]

A couple pounds ought to be enough. One ounce of fence wool. One adder fork. That is not a utensil. One filet of fenny snake, some lizard's legs. One hemlock root digged in the dark directions and the poisoned entrails throw toad that under cold stone days and nights hast 31. And if anyone drops in for trick or treat, Abby, leave them have it.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, Sam, now I get it. Halloween. It's a witch's brew. You were only fooling.

[Effie]

That's what you think. Sweetheart. Get out your cauldron, your poison pen and your book of malefactions. I'll be right down to dictate my report on the fairly bright caper. Or I should have stood in bed and ducked for apples.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

Dashiell Hammett, America's leading detective fiction writer and creator of Sam Spade, the hard boiled private eye, and William Spear, radio's outstanding producer, director of mystery and crime drama, join their talents to make your hair stand on end with the Adventures of Sam Spade, presented by the makers of Wild Root Cream Oil for the Hair. Are they saying this about you? There goes somebody who's really well groomed. And that can go for every member of your family if they spruce up each day with Wild Root Cream Oil, America's favorite hair tonic. Wild Root Cream Oil grooms hair neatly and naturally relieves dryness, removes loose dandruff. If your family hasn't tried it, get Wild Root Cream Oil. In the new 25 cent bottle, you'll see why Wild Root Cream Oil Hair Tonic is again and again the choice of men and women and children too. And now, with Howard Duff starring as Spade, Wild Rud brings to the air the greatest private detective of them all in the Adventures of Sam Spade.

[Automated Voice]

Is that the wind dying? Oh, no. It's only two devils that blow through a murderer's bones to and fro. And the ghosts Moonshine.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, Sam, take off that ridiculous mask. You look about as much like a.

[Automated Voice]

Demon as a demon. Check. Fly your bro to the adjoining office, sister, and we'll weave a few spells. Date Effie.

[Sam Spade]

Yes, Sam?

[Automated Voice]

What is this thing on my desk? Looks like a pumpkin.

[Sam Spade]

It is a pumpkin. I made it this afternoon. Here, I'll light it.

[Automated Voice]

Well, isn't that cute?

[Sam Spade]

Isn't that cute?

[Automated Voice]

Eyes and nose and mouth. Looks like Lieutenant Dundee of Homicide.

[Sam Spade]

Well, thank you. Thanks.

[Automated Voice]

Thank you. Well, I guess everyone knows it's Halloween even if they don't listen to the radio. Shall we? We shall date all Hallows Eve 1948. To Hillary Bright, Esquire, Number 13, Black Place City. From Samuel Spade, license number 137596. Subject, the Fairly Bright Caper. It was a fairly bright afternoon for the fog bound Bay area. There was no frost upon the pumpkin. In fact, as yet, no pumpkin. But I did see a black cat and several attractive wolf girls and broomstick skirts during the bus ride down the peninsula to your client's ancestral estate, Fairly Pines. A bat flew out of a hollow tree as I marched up a road through some pine woods to the house in the gathering dusk. I also observed the toad, Elizabeth an a hooty owl which as memory serves as staple ingredients for a witch's broom. Then I observed hobbling out of the forest, an authentic hag. She was wearing a dusty black robe, a peaked black hat and her matted gray hair coiled serpent like around her evil countenance she leaned on a gnarled staff of hemlock, fixed me with her yellow glittering eyes and said, hello, kiddo. Yes'm.

[Sam Spade]

Which way's the host?

[Automated Voice]

Which house?

[Sam Spade]

Fairly fine. Lost my bearings, I did. I was looking for some fellow. I got the bat wool right enough and n legs. Couldn't find no adder's forks, but reckon this here copperhead will do the trick.

[Automated Voice]

What are you going to do with all that stuff?

[Sam Spade]

It's for the brew. I'm the witch I hired for tonight. Name's Gudge Horn, so fire. But of course, I don't have no Christian name anymore since it's sold out to old Scratch. Beat me down on my prize.

[Business Representative]

She did, too.

[Sam Spade]

Look at that wart on my nose.

[Automated Voice]

What nose?

[Sam Spade]

Huh.

[Automated Voice]

The house is up that way.

[Sam Spade]

Mind if I walk along with you, pretty boy?

[Automated Voice]

I don't like girls. Not at all, ma'am.

[Sam Spade]

No need to be afeard with a strong gp. They're obeying me. They'll be lucky if I give him.

[Business Representative]

A whiff of brimstone.

[Automated Voice]

Not so close, please.

[Sam Spade]

But I did promise one manifestation and the scream of a soul in German is the witchen hour. I general.

[Automated Voice]

Don'T I shoot.

[Business Representative]

Who is that?

[Automated Voice]

What's your. Larry.

[Business Representative]

Sir?

[Automated Voice]

Where do I find Mr. Hillary bright? Oh, you're the detective. Spade, right? Homer Langdon, attorney for the Fairlie State. Come along, I'll take you to him. Sorry for that challenge just now. Been hearing strange noises around the grounds. You notice anything peculiar as you came up the road? Well, there was an old lady. I used the term loosely. Looking for Pennell. Yeah, that's the witch. Mr. Bright hired her for the party tonight. Takes her work kind of seriously, doesn't she? Well, you know how it is.

[Business Representative]

Seasonal work.

[Automated Voice]

What does she do between Halloweens? Claim she hibernates. Gotta kill you, Mrs. Fairleigh Spade. She's eccentric. Don't let her know. Check.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, here I am, Homer. What was it you wanted? Oh, it's the man from the catering.

[Automated Voice]

No, Ophelia, this is Mr. Spade, the detective that Mr. Bright employed.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, well, about that recipe for the aspic. Cook says she's never heard of putting fennel and lizard's claws in a tomato aspic. And Mr. Bright says hemlock is poisonous.

[Automated Voice]

You've got it mixed up, Ophelia. That's the recipe for the witch's brew.

[Sam Spade]

Well, anyway, the grocer says he doesn't stop them, so you'll have to garnish it with parsley.

[Automated Voice]

Ophelia, he's not the caterer.

[Business Representative]

He's the detective.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, well, keep your eye on those pumpkins. Mice. You know mice. You know, mice, Pumpkins. Where is that witch? I've got to tell her about the puppies.

[Automated Voice]

A witch? Mr. Witch, where are you? Sad case, but harmless. Shall we go in? Yeah.

[Business Representative]

Now watch his jawbone, Wilma. Oh, you've already broken his neck.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, why don't you hire an assistant? I don't like him hanging him in the house. Anyway, we, we don't even know who he is.

[Automated Voice]

What are they up to now? Halloween comes but once a year. Oh, it's a skeleton. Part of the decoration.

[Business Representative]

Hillary. Oh, yes.

[Automated Voice]

I couldn't find the witch, but here's the detective.

[Sam Spade]

Ah, well, you can have the witch. I'll take him.

[Business Representative]

Oh, watch what you're doing. Wilma does that.

[Sam Spade]

Sorry.

[Business Representative]

This just about completes the arrangements. Oh, this is Ms. Wilma Fairlay, for whom I'm managing this nauseous ball at Sam Spade.

[Sam Spade]

Hillary, is that any way to speak about a girl's fifth engagement party?

[Business Representative]

Forgive me if I'm guilty of understatement. Oh, fix that wire, Wilma. The top of Frankenstein's head's caving in. And look at that, the bolster coming out of his neck already. Oh, well, come along, Spade, and I'll tell you how you fit into this mess.

[Sam Spade]

See you at the party.

[Business Representative]

S in here, Spade. Privacy.

[Automated Voice]

I don't think we're quite alone, are we?

[Business Representative]

99%. This is fairly fiance number five. Ralph Cram by name. Oh, wake up, Ralph.

[Automated Voice]

Don't bother. He started the party a little early, before lunch.

[Business Representative]

But can you blame him? If I weren't a teetotaler, I'd be out staggering around the woods with that witch.

[Automated Voice]

Now, what exactly is my assignment, Mr. Bright?

[Business Representative]

I want you to be present at this miserable party tonight and pretend to have a good time.

[Automated Voice]

Why don't you hire an actor?

[Business Representative]

This is a new kind of masquerade ball. Even I have a unique problem here. A Halloween party combined with a party announcing the engagement of a social, socially prominent young woman. Well, naturally the press will be on hand. They always are at my parties. But I doubt if any of the invited guests will show up. That's where you come in. You are one of the uninvited guests.

[Automated Voice]

I don't get it.

[Business Representative]

It's very simply this. I have a reputation to maintain. I'm sure you have better things to do than read the society page or like. I'll explain. I believe some ill informed columnists have referred to me as the male Elsa Maxwell. That's not true. She is the male Hillary. Bright female, that is.

[Automated Voice]

Anyway, you're a professional party giver, is that it?

[Business Representative]

Exactly.

[Automated Voice]

What's the matter with Wilma? Why won't anybody come to her party?

[Business Representative]

Because everyone on the guest list is either a relative or a friend of some poor swain she has gilded on the very steps of the altar.

[Automated Voice]

Oh, now I get it.

[Business Representative]

Exactly. Now, as to the party masquerade, natch. What else can you have on Halloween?

[Automated Voice]

Fairies.

[Effie]

Yes.

[Business Representative]

If anyone came, they'd probably be dressed as witches or pumpkins, which is dull enough in itself. But the fairlies in their immediate circle will undoubtedly trot out their moth eaten bozo costume. Oh, Langdon. Is Louis XIV Wilma and her mother trying to look like Greek goddesses. And some old drapes from a Fanchon and Marco idea.

[Automated Voice]

What about the boyfriend here?

[Business Representative]

Well, you can see how hideous it's all going to be. And Life magazine has promised to cover it. Well, I simply had to do something. I think it's the party idea of the year. 20 uninvited guests will come and sell.

[Automated Voice]

Who's my date? The witch.

[Business Representative]

Oh, isn't she priceless? You know, I thought of burning her at the stake as the grand climax of the evening.

[Automated Voice]

I've got matches.

[Business Representative]

No, I decided against it. It's too messy.

[Automated Voice]

Well, it sounds like loads. Mr. Brightford, I'm afraid you called the wrong detective.

[Business Representative]

Now, wait a minute. Please hear me out. Now, there's method in my madness. I believe I mentioned 20 uninvited guests.

[Automated Voice]

Who were coming as themselves.

[Business Representative]

Yes, exactly. Well, I've gone to a great deal of trouble and expense getting together a really colorful group, all authentic types. A gangster, a shrimp fisherman, a swami, three bubble dancers, a gypsy, a parole ax murderer, a sand hog. Oh, that reminds me. I must see whether the blubber arrived for that Eskimo. They're flying down from Nome. Yeah, well, what I'm getting at, Spade, is that with a collection of people like that, well, anything might happen.

[Automated Voice]

Yeah, yeah. Well, why didn't you invite the local police force?

[Business Representative]

Oh, they're coming in costume, of course.

[Automated Voice]

Good, then you won't need me. Besides, I get $800 a day in expenses.

[Business Representative]

Mr. Spade, at the last party our local chief of police attended, the guests were held up and robbed at $50,000 worth of duty, including the chief's gold bag. So you see, we do need you. Hey, what's that? Oh, go back to sleep, Ralph. It's only the guest arriving.

[Automated Voice]

I get a thousand dollars you were right. You did meet a detective. In fact, you could have used several others. First, the pickpocket you'd invited lifted the police chief's wallet. The axe murderer chased the witch up a tree. And the gangster and the cowboy tried to shoot it out over one of the bubble dances. After I'd foiled the safe cracker in the act of blowing the vault in the library, things quieted down, and everybody formed a circle around a. A bonfire.

[Business Representative]

All right, quiet, please.

[Sam Spade]

Qu?

[Business Representative]

Mrs. Fairlie has a very important announcement to make. Ophelia?

[Sam Spade]

She was here just a few moments ago.

[Business Representative]

Well, have you seen her around, Langdon?

[Automated Voice]

A few minutes ago. She said she had a headache and went upstairs to get some aspirin.

[Sam Spade]

Sam, I'm worried about Mother. Would you mind going upstairs to see what she's up to? She's been behaving so strangely tonight.

[Automated Voice]

She's been behaving strangely. Sure. Wilma. I'll be right back.

[Business Representative]

Come along. Let's get on with it. A witch agent. You stand over here.

[Sam Spade]

Yes.

[Business Representative]

No, no, no.

[Sam Spade]

Bring your broom.

[Effie]

That's it.

[Business Representative]

And don't look so pleasant. You're supposed to be evil.

[Sam Spade]

Beware. Those not wearing toe vein is subject to wart. There's evil in this place tonight. Blood on the stone. Blood in the fall ring.

[Automated Voice]

I hated to miss the manifestation. And I hoped I'd get back in time for the scream of the soul and torment the witch had pronounced earlier in the evening. I cased the room. Wilma's fiance, Ralph Cram, was in one of them. Asleep. Ophelia wasn't in any of them. But in one of the bedrooms, I found something that puzzled me. A rope made out of bed sheets dangled out of the window. But the window was closed. I walked over and opened it. The witch was still at it. I couldn't see the merry little group around the bonfire, but where the firelight glowed against the tree trunks at the edge of the woods, I saw a white robed figure crouching in the shadows. Then I heard. Don't let any of them get away. Hi, chief. All right, folks, you'll have to stop this. Come on, Ms. Wilma's sake. She's dead. Somebody shot her. She was sprawled on her face at the foot of a big pine tree at the edge of the clearing. A single slug at end of the body, just below her left shoulder blade. If this was part of Mr. Bright's Halloween production, I thought he'd all have done it just a little, because she was dead. As nearly as I could reconstruct it. Wilma had been standing outside the circle of people grouped around the fire, as if somebody in the woods had called to her and she'd left the group to investigate. She'd been facing the fire when she was shot. And what about the two shots that had missed it? If the killer had been aiming at her and missed, he couldn't have avoided hitting somebody else in the crowd. I went back to the house to check the guests. All there unwounded and accounted for, except the witch, according to the local chief of police, who was rapidly turning into a toad she had flown away in a broom. I checked my nose for warts.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

The makers of Wild Growth Cream Oil are presenting the weekly Sunday adventure of Dashiell Hammett's famous private detective, Sam Spade. Now here's important news on good grooming. If you want the well groomed look that helps you get ahead socially and on the job, listen. Recently, thousands of people from coast to coast who bought Wild Root Cream Oil for the first time were asked, how does Wild Root Cream Oil compare with the hair tonic you previously used? The results were amazing. Better than four out of five who replied said they preferred Wild Root Cream Oil. Remember, non alcoholic Wild Root Cream Oil contains lanolin. It grooms the hair naturally, relieves dryness and removes loose, ugly dandruff. So if you want your hair to be more attractive than ever before, get the generous new 25 cent size of wild root cream oil, America's leading hair tonic. On sale at all drug and toilet goods counters. It's also available in larger economy bottles and the handy new tube. Get Wild Root Cream Oil again and again. The choice of men and women and children too.

[Podbean Announcer]

Podbean, your message amplified.

Ready to share your message with the world? Start your podcast journey with Podbean.

Podbean, the AI powered all in one podcast platform.

[Business Representative]

Thousands of businesses and enterprises trust Podbean to launch their podcasts.

[Podbean Announcer]

Use Podbean to record your podcast.

Use PodBean AI to optimize your podcast.

Use PodBean AI to turn your blog into a podcast.

Use Podbean to distribute your podcast everywhere.

Launch your podcast on Podbean today.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

It's been so long. How have you been? Hello. I'm doing well, Dave. Why are you talking that way? Please say one for a compliment or two for a question. Yeah, this is weird. I think I'm gonna go.

[Podbean Announcer]

Talking with an automated phone tree can feel pretty ridiculous. That's why when you call Pacific Source Health Plans, you'll get a real person to answer all your Important questions. Pacific Source health plans. This is a real person. How can I help you? Human service, not automated phone trees. Find a plan at Pacific Source members first dot com.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

And now back to the Fairly Bright caper, Tonight's adventure with Sam Spade.

[Automated Voice]

By dawn the next morning, Alois's Becker boy police chief still hadn't sweated anything out of his 20 odd suspects. But yawned the family lawyer, Langdon had an old gun permit. No gun. Then he canvassed the town for Wilmer's 18 shielded suitors. They were all alibi by their wives and children, which knocked that angle out. She carried no insurance. Nobody stood to gain anything financially by her death. And Nobody but you, Mr. Bright, actively disliked her. About then, Chief Becker put Ophelia back on the griddle.

[Business Representative]

Now look here, Mrs. Fairley, you still aren't coming clean with us.

[Sam Spade]

Clean. Oh, the ashtrays. I'll call the maid.

[Business Representative]

Come back here.

[Sam Spade]

Yes, Keith Deckers.

[Business Representative]

Now sit down, Mrs. Fairley. Now, let's go over the part of your story where we found the bed sheets hanging out your window. Yes. Why did you tie the bed sheets together and hang them out the window?

[Sam Spade]

For a rope.

[Business Representative]

So you admit that you used that rope to sneak out?

[Sam Spade]

I did no such thing. I always go out that way at night.

[Business Representative]

And you admit that. Oh, I give up.

[Automated Voice]

Mrs. Fairly.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, it's you, Mr. Spade. I want to thank you for guarding the pumpkin so well. I didn't see a mouse all evening.

[Automated Voice]

Thank you, Mrs. Fairley. I only did what?

[Sam Spade]

Oh. Why is Chief Becker so angry?

[Automated Voice]

I think what's worrying him, Mrs. Fairleigh, is why you closed the window behind you when you went out on your rope.

[Sam Spade]

So no one would know. Wilma worries about me. You won't tell me?

[Business Representative]

Ah, it's as clean as a nose on your face. What she's doing? Working up to an insanity plea.

[Automated Voice]

Ingenious theory, Chief, but look, can I talk to you a minute outside?

[Business Representative]

Yeah. Could use a little air. Keep them all here, Monahan.

[Automated Voice]

Look, Chief, why don't you lay off that poor old dame? She's too vague. Disorganized. Took a marksman the way the wound was. No point of exit. Just punch in the wall of the heart and stop the loads of last the impact.

[Business Representative]

Sure, why don't.

[Automated Voice]

It had been fired from about the maximum range of a.38 pistol. You'd have to figure on the drop in trajectory as the bullet slowed down. It was either a trick shot or one that just connected accidentally.

[Business Representative]

By the way, we only have your word for it that you were Upstairs in the house when those shots were fired. You carry a.38, don't you, Spade?

[Automated Voice]

What kind of gun do you carry, chief?

[Business Representative]

Yes, well, we'd better wait till Ballistic sends back the report on the slug. Gosh, if we could only figure out where she hid the gun.

[Automated Voice]

Don't look now, chief, but that witch is back again.

[Business Representative]

What?

[Sam Spade]

Mickey, boy, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you, Morphle.

[Business Representative]

You're gonna have a good deal of explaining to do. Lady, why did you fly away like that last night?

[Sam Spade]

I had to see to my cauldron. A good thing I did, too. Look what I found in it. No wonder my manifestation didn't work.

[Automated Voice]

Base metal in my brew.38 caliber too. Three bullets fired.

[Business Representative]

Gee, that settles it.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

You're under arrest.

[Automated Voice]

Who, me?

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

Yes.

[Automated Voice]

No, her.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, no, you don't. I'll put a spell on you, I will. I'll turn you into a toad.

[Automated Voice]

Look, chief, where's that gun permit you took out of Langdon's room?

[Business Representative]

Oh, I forgot. Forgot about that. Here, it's in my pocket.

[Automated Voice]

Let's see that serial number. Well, they match. It's Langdon's gun.

[Business Representative]

Boy, oh, boy. Then it's settled.

[Automated Voice]

That's what you think. Boy, oh, boy. Don't forget, he's a lawy. I headed for the woods. I found the spot where I'd seen the figure in white, crouching just before the shots were fired. A little way back in the woods, I found footprints. French heels. Short, mincing stride. Following along behind them was another set. Flat soles, long, manly stripes. The mannish footprints followed the feminine footprints almost to the clearing and then stopped. The feminine footprints went on straight to the spot where Wilma had fallen. I knew that no woman had been over this trail since the murder. Except the witch, who probably had cloven hoofs. Her cauldron had vanished, but the fire was still smoldering. I kicked through the ashes. I didn't know what I was looking for, but I found it. I raked it out with a stick and prodded it. The blackened outer layers crumbled away. It had been a raging bonfire, but there are few things harder to burn than a telephone book. The middle pages were yellowed from the heat and seared around the edges, but they were still intact. There was a hole punched in the middle of each page. Prominent footprints right up to the X that marked the spot and phone book through which a bullet had been fired. I had a hunch the ballistics report would prove that Langdon's gun did not fire. The fatal bullet. I was right, but for the wrong reason. Yeah, you can't get around it, chief. Ballistics don't lie. You can see here you don't even need a magnifying glass. Take a look.

[Business Representative]

Don't have my glass.

[Automated Voice]

Well, you ought to be able to feel it. Two big ridges on the test slide. The other one's almost smooth. Rust bits wouldn't make a ridge like that, would they? No. We figure they must have used a faulty cutter at the factory when they rifled the barrel.

[Business Representative]

Well, that settles it. That and those woman's footprints and that phone book all point to Mrs. Fairley.

[Automated Voice]

What, you buy the phone book? Whoever shot her fired the slug through a phone book to make it look like a long range job. It was a low velocity hit, all right, but it was tearing through that phone book that slowed it down.

[Business Representative]

That proves the killer didn't have to be a marksman. Stood right next to her. What's so funny?

[Automated Voice]

This picture in the morning paper. You and those bubble dances.

[Business Representative]

Let me see that. Why, that's libelous.

[Automated Voice]

It's more than that.

[Business Representative]

Huh?

[Automated Voice]

There in the background. Langdon and Mrs. Fairley.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

What about them?

[Automated Voice]

Their shoes. Langdon's dressed as Louis XIV. French heels. Mrs. Fairleigh and that Greek goddess. Get up. Sandals, flat heels.

[Business Representative]

It's Langdon's gun. Then it's not Langdon's gun. It's a long range shot. Then it's through a seed catalog, phone book. Now it's a man in woman's shoes. An attorney at that. Get me some fingerprints, something I can work with.

[Automated Voice]

I didn't blame the chief. My somersaulting clues were getting me busy, too. So far, Langdon, like the good lawyer he was, had kept his mouth shut, which meant nothing one way or the other. That was smart. But he disposed of his gun by throwing it in the witch's cauldron. Which was stupid, A, because it was sure to be found, and B, because there was no reason for hiding it anyway. But too stupid sometimes make us smart. If he wanted it to be found, he must have had a story ready in case he had to talk. If I were in that spot, my story would have been that I fired those shots into the woods after the fleeing killer. But I didn't know how I would explain the fact that only three shots were heard, one of which killed Wilma. Then I thought of those two ridges on that test sled. Two ridges, two shots into the wood. This time, I did know what I was looking for. They were buried deep in the soft trunk of a pine tree. Near the ground. I dropped to my knees and dug. I got the first one out and was looking at it. It was a misshapen hunk of worthless lead. Something embedded in the side of it glittered in the sun like a diamond. In fact, it was a diamond and it stopped glittering. Something behind me had come between it and the sun. I flopped on my side and rolled over. I grabbed his legs and tripped him. Then I saw his face. It was Langdon. Yes. I was halfway to my feet when his foot caught me where I was hurt and my legs doubled up. I tried to keep moving and get my gun out at the same time. He was on his feet again before I was. So I fired without aiming from flat on my back. He only scorched his coat, but it stopped in a second. He swung his gun up and I got ready to jump him.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

But I didn't have to.

[Automated Voice]

A pointed black hat rose up out of the brush behind him. Something flashed in the sun and he collapsed.

[Sam Spade]

Put a spell on him, I did, with this here magic word. Instrument to you, sonny.

[Automated Voice]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mrs. Witch.

[Sam Spade]

Guard to the handle, son. Which is my profession.

[Automated Voice]

Boy, that was a close call.

[Business Representative]

Put the cuffs on him, Monahan.

[Automated Voice]

Hey, what are you doing?

[Business Representative]

Oh, no, Monahan. Not Spade. Langdon there. Been following him since I found out he was wearing women's shoes. Well, that settled today, Spade.

[Automated Voice]

Yeah, but you'll need this.

[Business Representative]

What is it?

[Automated Voice]

A jeweled bullet. A slug with a diamond set in it. Come on.

[Sam Spade]

Here.

[Automated Voice]

It's the master clue of this paper.

[Business Representative]

Oh, yeah, the master clue. You better come along too, lady, for questioning. We'll book her for vagrancy if we need it.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, no, you don't. I'll turn you into a toad. You don't believe me, do you? Humpy toad. Humpy toad. Warty and green. The only thing.

[Business Representative]

Well, on. On second thought, I reckon she's harmless.

[Automated Voice]

Poor old soul.

[Sam Spade]

So indeed ain't got any. I sold out the old scratch 30 years ago. Come next Halloween. See you then, sonny.

[Automated Voice]

Go home and cargo period. End of report.

[Sam Spade]

But, Sam, what was the significance of the jewel bullet?

[Automated Voice]

Oh, well, after he shot Wilma, Langdon fired two shots into the woods, remember?

[Sam Spade]

Yeah.

[Automated Voice]

Those two bullets had diamond insets so placed that they would gouge the inside of the gun barrel. All bullets fired from the gun thereafter would have markings different from the one fired on the woman's body.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, he was wrong, of course. But it was noble of him to want to cover up for poor Mrs. Fairleigh.

[Automated Voice]

What for Abby?

[Sam Spade]

Well, she killed her Dog, of course, because she was just out of patience with her getting engaged and unengaged all the time till he hadn't a friend in the world. That was the motive, wasn't it, Sam?

[Automated Voice]

That's fairly bright, sweetheart. Except that Mrs. Fairley did not kill her daughter. Langdon did.

[Sam Spade]

She mean she was his daughter too, by a previous marriage.

[Automated Voice]

Tight that up, sweetheart, before I turn you into a toad.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

And now listen to this, for here's a good tip. Spruce up.

[Business Representative]

Right.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

Spruce up now with wild root cream oil hair tonic. Wild root cream oil grooms your hair neatly and naturally relieves dryness, removes loose dandruff. Get the 25 cent get acquainted bottle or the large economy size. And ask your barber for a professional application of wild root cream oil hair tonic. Again and again, the choice of men and women and children, too.

[Sam Spade]

Well, here you, Sam. Of course, you know best that Mrs. Shelley was the only one with a motive and that Mr. Bright was secretly in love with her and. And wanted to marry her himself.

[Automated Voice]

So he killed her. That was fairly bright.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, her fiance. What happened to him?

[Automated Voice]

He woke up and went home.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, well, I guess he didn't have a motive.

[Automated Voice]

Pay attention, sweetheart. Langdon, as trustee of the Fairleigh estate, had embezzled large sums of money which he would have to account for in the community property law if she got married. He had already broken up many of her romances, but when the old lady went soft in the head, he decided to end the danger once and for all. He could explain matters any way he wanted to, and there'd be nobody to contradict them. Are you listening up.

[Sam Spade]

Sam? What does she do between Halloween, the witch?

[Automated Voice]

Oh, she's the squeak in the door on in a sanctum.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, you made the joke too small. Wow. Good night, Sam.

[Automated Voice]

Good night, Sam.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

The adventures of Sam Spade, National Hammett's famous private detective are produced and directed by William Spear. Sam Spade is played by Howard Dove. Lorene Tuttle is epic. The adventures of Sam Spade are written for radio by Bob Dahlman and Gil Dowd. Musical direction by Lud Gluskin with score composed by Renee Garaghan. Join us again next Sunday when author Dashiell Hammett and producer William Spear join forces for another adventure with Sam Spade, brought to you by wild root cream oil. Again and again, the choice of men and women and children too. This is Dick Joy reminding you to.

[Automated Voice]

Get wild root cream oil, Charlie. It keeps your hair in trim. This is non alcoholic, Charlie. It's made with Susan Lanolin. You better get wild root cream oil Charlie. Start using it today. You'll find that you will have a tough time. Charlie keeping all the gals away.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

Hiya, Paulie.

[Automated Voice]

Get wild, Root. Right away.

[Wild Root Cream Oil Announcer]

This is CBS, where 99 million people gather every week. The Columbia Broadcasting System.