Cases of Mr. Ace 47-06-25 The Lost Package

Summary

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Summary of “Cases of Mr. Ace: The Lost Package” (Episode Date: August 16, 2025)

Main Theme

In this classic detective tale from the golden age of radio, private investigator Eddie Ace is hired to deliver a mysterious, highly valuable package from New York to Chicago. What begins as a simple courier job plunges Ace into a treacherous web of deception, murder, and greed—centered on one of Judas Iscariot’s “thirty pieces of silver.” As suspects pile up, Ace must untangle who has betrayed whom, and determine the true fate of the lost package.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Job: Delivering the Package

• [02:08] Mr. Doran, an art dealer, approaches Ace to deliver a “most priceless item” to a Colonel Amherst in Chicago, offering $1,500 for the job.
• Doran refuses to disclose what’s in the package, heightening Ace's suspicion:
  "What's in it? An atom bomb?"
  – Ace (03:02)
• Doran admits the item’s value ($150,000) and inability to insure it, hinting at its illicit or dangerous nature.

2. Threats and Double-Crosses on the Train

• On the Commodore Vanderbilt to Chicago, Ace is confronted by a nervous, fragile gunman (Leonidas) who tries to steal the package ([05:08]-[07:55]).
• Ace upends Leonidas’ attempt through bluff and physical confrontation:
  "You can't get the package unless I do move... It's under my mattress."
  – Ace (05:45)
• After dealing with Leonidas, Ace is knocked out and the package is stolen while he’s unconscious.

3. Murder at the Art Shop

• Ace returns to find Doran dead in his Fifth Avenue shop, shot during a supposed burglary ([08:33]-[09:10]).
• Doran’s wife claims not to know Colonel Amherst, and Ace becomes suspicious about the true nature of the job and relationships.

4. The Real Victims and Villains

• The investigation reveals the man killed was not who met Ace earlier, indicating impersonation or partnership ([10:53]-[11:00]).
• Stanton, Doran’s partner, emerges as another key player and possible conspirator.

5. Colonel Amherst and the Judas Coin

• Ace is taken at gunpoint to Colonel Amherst, who suspects collusion and a double-cross over the coin’s delivery ([13:09]-[14:23]).
• Amherst explains the package: one of the legendary thirty pieces of silver given to Judas Iscariot ([16:09]-[17:26]):
  "Of all the 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas Iscariot, only one... has been unearthed... That one coin... has been sought for, fought for, killed for and died for through bloody century after century."
  – Colonel Amherst (17:02)

6. The Coin’s Journey and Betrayal Revealed

• It’s revealed that the real coin has been hidden with Elsie Duran, Doran's stepdaughter, as her father thought it safest at her school ([21:59]-[22:16]).
• Leonidas kills Stanton for a fake, mistakenly believing it’s the coin, and tries to sell it to Colonel Amherst ([22:57]-[23:16]).

7. Final Showdown: Motives and Justice

• Mrs. Duran, revealed as complicit, arrives for vengeance after learning of Stanton’s death and confesses to her role in Doran’s murder ([23:47]-[24:23]):
  "You see, I killed him. I loved Stanton, so I killed his killers."
  – Marlene Duran (24:23)
• Elsie, in self-defense, kills Mrs. Duran with Ace’s gun ([25:15]).
• Ace assures Dr. Gale Elsie won’t be prosecuted for the shooting since it was in self-defense ([25:27]-[25:38]).

8. Resolution: The Fate of the Coin

• Elsie decides to melt down the infamous coin and have it made into a small silver crucifix ([25:41]-[25:45]):
  "Yeah, but she's having it melted down."
  – Ace (25:41)
• Dr. Gale remarks on the fitting resolution.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ace on detective work:
  “Can’t you find a less dangerous way to make a living than being a private detective?”
  – Dr. Gale (00:21)

• Doran on risk:
  “Neither of us wishes to assume the risk. I would advise you to go armed.”
  – Mr. Doran (04:15)

• Amherst on value:
  “Of all the 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas Iscariot, only one, only one, I say, has been unearthed... That one coin, sir. With the imperial head and arms of Caesar stamped upon it has been sought for, fought for, killed for and died for through bloody century after century.”
  – Colonel Amherst (17:02)

• Elsie’s innocence and pivotal action:
  “I've never fired a gun before, baby.”
  – Elsie Duran (19:51) “And so Elsie used my gun to send two bullets into Marlene. How do you like that? I'd forgotten the kid was holding it.”
  – Ace (25:15)

• Final poetic justice:
  “Yeah, but she's having it melted down [into] a small silver crucifix.”
  – Ace (25:41)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:09 – 02:48: Ace is hired by Doran to deliver a mysterious package.
• 05:08 – 07:55: Confrontation with Leonidas on the train.
• 08:33 – 10:35: Discovery of Doran’s murder in his art shop.
• 13:09 – 17:26: Colonel Amherst reveals the coin’s history and value.
• 19:07 – 19:55: Discovery that Elsie, Doran’s stepdaughter, has been protecting the coin.
• 21:59 – 25:15: Final confrontation; Elsie shoots Mrs. Duran in self-defense.
• 25:41 – 25:45: Revelation that the coin will be forged into a crucifix.

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Closing Thoughts

This episode is a tightly-plotted whodunit with noir sensibilities, witty repartee, and a memorable cast of shady characters. At its heart, it's about greed, betrayal, and the quest for redemption. The enigmatic Judas coin, steeped in 2000 years of infamy, serves as the perfect MacGuffin—its symbolic power outlasting the lives ruined or cut short in pursuit of it.

The resolution, with the coin turned into a crucifix by the story's one surviving innocent, offers a poetic end to a classic golden age tale.

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Transcript

[A]

Ah, Mr. Ace.

[B]

Come in. I've given you up for the night.

[C]

You're not alone, Dr. Gail, there were a couple of minutes back there when I'd given myself up for good.

[B]

As close as that?

[C]

Closer.

[B]

Well, come on into the kitchen. Coffee's perking. Can't you find a less dangerous way to make a living than being a private detective?

[C]

Sure, but then who'd supply you with your material for your book on criminal psychology? Sugar, sweet and black.

[B]

Here you are.

[D]

Thanks.

[B]

Incidentally, the book is coming very well. Thanks to the unorthodox point of view I get on the criminal mind through your eyes. Well, what happened to you tonight?

[C]

What happened tonight seems to have started with a man named Judas.

[B]

Judas? You mean Judas Iscariot in the Bible.

[D]

Of course. That's the guy. Dr. Gale, the world's most notorious stool pigeon. But it took 2000 years for it to catch up to me.

[B]

Well, I'm listening, Mr. Ace. I'm listening.

[E]

The Cases of Mr. Ace, starring George Rapp and produced and directed by Jason James.

[C]

I hadn't been in my office over on 6th Avenue for more than 10 minutes when the hall door opened just wide enough to admit a man's eye. From where I sat, I could see it was steel blue. And when the door opened a little wider, I could see that I belonged.

[D]

To a very tall, very thin, very blond man.

[C]

I waved him in.

[F]

My name, sir, is Doran. Richard Doran of Doran and Stanton. Fifth Avenue. Importers, dealers in objects of art, curios and such.

[C]

What can I do for you?

[F]

I want you to deliver a package to a gentleman in Chicago.

[C]

Go on.

[F]

That's all there is to it.

[C]

I see. My name is Ace. Edward Ace. Sole owner of Ace Investigations, 6th Avenue, New York. Dealer in homicide, matricide and patricide and also in the gentler forms of crime. What you want is a worthy boy.

[D]

Waking his way through reform school. Now I know just such a lad who would.

[F]

This is no ordinary package, Mr. Ace. I'm willing to pay a fee of, say, $1,500 for its safe delivery.

[C]

What you want is a man named Ace. Got the package under your arm?

[D]

Yes.

[C]

What's in it? An atom bomb?

[F]

Not quite. But something perhaps equally as explosive.

[D]

Go on.

[F]

It contains the most priceless item ever to come into the possession of Doran and Stanton.

[C]

You still haven't told me what it is.

[F]

I. I didn't intend to.

[D]

I don't like working in the dark.

[C]

What's it worth in dollars and cents?

[D]

I mean, I have consented to sell.

[F]

It to a British gentleman named Colonel Amherst for $150,000.

[C]

You could get a lot of explosion out of that kind of scratch. Is the dingus insured?

[F]

Unfortunately, Mr. Ace, it is not possible to apply for insurance.

[C]

I see what you mean.

[F]

Yes, the dingus, as you call it, has had a most checkered and colorful career.

[D]

Mostly blood red.

[C]

I suppose.

[F]

You put things so obliquely, Mr. Ace, but you're quite right. For many years, Doran and Stanton have kept it hidden away. Now colonel Amherst may have the joy of possession and the fear. You will find him registered at the ambassador east, deliver the package, collect the money, and return to me here in New York.

[C]

Why don't you take it to Chicago yourself?

[D]

Or have the colonel come here?

[F]

I will be frank, sir. Neither of us wishes to assume the risk. I would advise you to go armed. If you accept the assignment. Shall I give you a check for your fee?

[D]

How much cash do you have with you?

[G]

$250.

[B]

Why?

[C]

I'll take that. The balance, when I return from Chicago with your money.

[F]

Excellent. Here is your retainer. And here is the package. I also have your transportation you leave on the commodore Vanderbilt tonight. Car 57, compartment E. Good luck, Mr. Ace.

[C]

Just one more thing, Mr. Durand. How do you know you can trust me?

[F]

If you are wise, Mr. Ace, you'll give me no reason to regret my trust.

[D]

The package left in my care was.

[C]

No larger than a pound box of candy. That evening, box under my arm, arm.

[D]

Pressed close to the gun in my.

[C]

Shoulder holster, I boarded the Commodore Vanderbilt. I just relaxed in my bunk. When the door to my compartment opened. I looked up from my berth into the face of a small, fragile, grown man. His hair was glossy and deep black. His eyes were glossy and deep black. But it wasn't his bones or his hair or his eyes that really interested me. It was his right hand. In it, there was a gun. From where I lay, it looked mighty big.

[H]

You will please clasp your hands together at the back of your neck.

[C]

Now, wait a minute. I never even met your sister.

[H]

I intend to take the package. If you make one move, I'll be forced to shoot you.

[C]

That makes a problem. You can't get the package unless I do.

[D]

Move.

[C]

It's under my mattress.

[H]

Oh, how clumsy. This place is so small. I. Forgive me. I am reluctant to permit you to rise. Of course, I could shoot you and kill you now and then roll you over and take the package.

[C]

But you won't because you're not sure it is under the mattress. And if you don't find it there, I won't be alive to tell you where it is.

[H]

Yes, I. I suppose you are right. I. I can never think these things through clearly.

[D]

Very well.

[H]

I have no alternative. You will follow my instructions very closely, sir. Now you put your right leg on the floor, Mr.

[D]

Ace.

[H]

Slowly, slowly. That's it. Now, sir, roll over very gently on the floor with your side so slowly. Keep your hands on that.

[D]

All right, get up. I won't shoot.

[B]

Oh, what an idiot I am. A stupid, imbecile bungler.

[H]

I knew it.

[A]

I knew it.

[H]

I had the premonition you would grab at my leg. And there I stand up and let you do it. This stupid, idiotic bungler.

[D]

Don't break me up. Get going. Outside.

[H]

Where are you taking me?

[D]

For a little fresh air. You do not.

[B]

You will not.

[H]

Please do not be angry with me, Mr.

[B]

Ace.

[C]

Get out on the platform.

[G]

I beg you, Mr.

[H]

Ace.

[B]

I am harmless, impotent, incompetent.

[D]

Yes, that's what I am.

[I]

All right.

[D]

Who sent you?

[B]

No one, Mr. Ace. No.

[E]

Who sent you?

[G]

Please do not hit me again.

[D]

Who sent you?

[G]

I cannot bear it.

[B]

I'm alone.

[A]

All alone.

[G]

I'm a coward. A coward. Ms. Day. I have no one.

[B]

No one.

[D]

Okay, over you go.

[A]

No, no, no. Put me down, please.

[D]

Who said you?

[G]

I swear it.

[A]

No one.

[G]

No one.

[D]

Okay, Flat clap. Relax.

[G]

Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you.

[D]

Stay out of my way. Next time we meet, I'll toss you overboard.

[G]

Yes, yes, quite right.

[H]

Excellent.

[G]

Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.

[C]

I left the little man shivering out.

[D]

On the platform and went back to my compartment.

[C]

And just as I walked into the room, that's when I really got it. I don't know how long I was out. When I opened my eyes, the small room looked as though it had been searched.

[D]

It had, and the package was gone.

[C]

The train was just pulling into some jerk water stop. I got off, had my skull patched up by the local druggist and hired a hack to drive me back all.

[D]

The way to New York.

[C]

Two hours later, I got out in front of the Duran Stanton shop on Fifth Avenue. There was a small light burning inside.

[D]

I opened the door and went in.

[C]

There was quite a crowd in there. All of them were cops. Detective Lieutenant Walsh of Homicide came forward. He had been talking to the sultriest looking doll I had seen since Minsky closed his door.

[D]

Well, well.

[I]

Hello, Ace. Are we in for imported art now?

[C]

I want to talk to Duran.

[I]

Yeah, you can talk to Duran if you like, but he won't Answer you. He's dead.

[D]

What did he die of?

[I]

A hole in the head. Two bullets went through it.

[C]

Got a smear on it yet?

[I]

Ah, dull case of burglary. They jimmied the back door. Duran was upstairs with his wife here. They heard the noise. He came down to investigate. Bang bang. A very dead Mr. Duran.

[C]

Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs. Duran.

[B]

Thank you, Mr.

[C]

Ace. Eddie Ace.

[B]

You said you wanted to see my.

[C]

Nothing important, Mrs. Duran. I won't bother you now. You suffered a bad shock.

[B]

You're very understanding. I tried to stop my husband from going down. He wouldn't listen. But. Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Ray?

[D]

Well, not right now.

[C]

I. I mean Mr. Duran was just going to show me a Chinese ring. May I come to see you in.

[D]

A few days, Mrs. Duran?

[B]

Please do.

[D]

Oh, by the way, have you heard from Colonel Amherst?

[B]

Colonel Amherst? I don't know the gentleman.

[I]

All right, watch it, Eddie. Mrs. Duran, I think you'd better go upstairs. The boys are going to bring the stick. I mean we have to take.

[B]

Yes, I understand. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Goodbye, Mr. Ace. Please call again. And if I should hear from a Colonel Amherst, I'll tell him to call you.

[C]

Mrs. Duran left the shop. She hesitated briefly at the door, glanced over shoulder at me once and then was gone. Walsh's boys brought the stiff out of the back room. I took a quick gander at it, then a longer one. It was a very, very dead Mr. Duran all right.

[D]

But it wasn't the man who had.

[C]

Come to my office that morning.

[D]

I guess I'll hit the road.

[I]

Walsh, stick around. Take your hat off and restore. I'd like to see the rest of that adhesive patch.

[D]

Don't be morbid.

[I]

Yeah, maybe ask you a few questions. Like what you really came here for at this hour. Where you were an hour ago.

[D]

Look, Walt, just between us, an hour ago I cracked the back door of the shop and threw a couple of slugs into Doran when he got in my way.

[C]

I came back to see if I.

[D]

Dropped any clues that might lead to me. If you find any, I'll be at my office.

[C]

Bring em up and we'll split em 50.

[D]

50. Well, the little man with the big gun.

[C]

I thought I took that away from you on the train.

[H]

I have many of them. Mr. Rice. First I must ask you to forgive the liberty I took in entering your.

[D]

Office to wait for you.

[H]

Where else to find you I did not know. Eventually you must return here.

[D]

All right, eventually I did. What's your problem, Mr. A. I have a grievance.

[H]

On the train, you caused me a great humiliation.

[D]

Yes.

[G]

Yes, you did.

[H]

You slapped my face. You did not even have the decency to punch me, man, like.

[D]

Next time, I promise to punch you hard.

[H]

There will be no next time, Mr. Rice, for you. I have the greatest resentment.

[D]

Yes. Yes, I have.

[H]

If you give me the slightest provocation, I. I promise to shoot.

[D]

Shoot.

[G]

Really, Really, I will.

[D]

All right. Once your cue. Twice you're a nuisance.

[H]

You'll come with me, Mr. A.

[D]

Where are we going?

[H]

He's waiting to speak to you.

[D]

Who?

[H]

Colonel Gregory Amherst.

[G]

Ah, come in, Misty. Come in. Come in, sir. Well done this time. Well done, Leonidas. Oh, thank you. Thank you.

[D]

It was simple.

[G]

Well, sit down, sir. Sit down.

[D]

Thanks. Nice layout you got here.

[G]

You like it? You really like it, sir? It's so difficult to get proper accommodations these days. And now, sir, to the point. Where is the coin?

[D]

The coin?

[G]

Precisely.

[C]

You mean the coin that was in the package?

[G]

Oh, please, sir, I beg of you. Do not blame me for the simpleton. You know full well to which coin I have referenced. Now, where is it?

[D]

Suppose you tell me. Then we'll both know.

[G]

You see? You see? I told you he was uncooperative. I told you. Gently, gently, Leonidas. We must discuss this calmly. But don't you see? He's a terrible person. A liar, a thug.

[D]

If you don't take this monkey away, Colonel, I'll break his leg.

[G]

Now, do be quiet, Leonidas, or I shall let him break your leg. A bizarre fool, indeed. Now, sir, I shall put it bluntly. Concisely and simply. I believe you have the coin. I believe that you and Stanton, Duran's partner, are working together. And you both mean to hoodwig Doran, simulate a theft on the train, and then disposed of the coin, sharing the proceeds between you and Stanton.

[D]

So you got a phony coin when.

[C]

You slugged me on the train.

[G]

You know full well I did, sir.

[B]

You see. You see how he twits her?

[G]

Be quiet, Leonidas.

[D]

I thought you were supposed to be.

[C]

In Chicago waiting for the coin.

[G]

That was the business arrangement.

[C]

But you.

[G]

You cannot blame me for coming here before the coin was delivered in an effort to save a little money.

[C]

And you even knew which train and.

[D]

Compartment I'd be occupying.

[G]

In my business, sir, I. I must know many things. I even know when I'm beaten and forced to pay. That time has come. I shall pay.

[C]

How much?

[G]

$50,000.

[D]

The price was 150,000. Ah.

[G]

That was when I planned on Taking it by storm. Now, I am willing to tender wealth of the realm a quantitative and relative difference.

[C]

If you can say that again, you've got a deal.

[D]

On one condition is at first you tell me what this coin is all about.

[G]

Tell you what? You mean, you don't. That Stanton hasn't told you. What?

[H]

He's slippery.

[B]

He's lying.

[G]

Oh, my soul. This is priceless. Priceless? Sure. I sit and bargain with you.

[D]

For you.

[G]

Oh, this is indeed priceless.

[D]

Go ahead, have your fun. You know what the coin is? I don't. But I know where it is. You don't.

[C]

I'm still in the driver's seat.

[G]

Indeed you are, sir. Forgive me, I must dry my eyes. Very well, sir. I shall show my good face. Please, please, Colonel, I beg you. Be careful what you say. He's a thug, a liar, a scoundrel in every. He struck me again.

[A]

He struck me again.

[G]

Yes, and it served you well. Now do be quiet. I. Heathen.

[C]

You were saying, Colonel?

[G]

The coin.

[D]

Yes.

[G]

Tell me, sir, what do you think it is?

[D]

Come to the point. To the point.

[G]

Tell me, sir, how much do you know of your Bible?

[C]

I told you, I'm in no mood.

[G]

I do not ask idly, sir. It is very much to the point. You know, of course, of one Judas Iscariot, the great betrayer.

[D]

Yes.

[G]

And for his betrayal, he received from the Roman authorities his promised wage. 30 pieces of silver. Now then, that was 2,000 years ago. Mark well what I am about to say, sir. There are in the collections of numismatis certain coins of antiquity. Dating back to the days of the Pharaohs. 2000 years before the day of the Great Betrayal. Now, sir, you begin to comprehend.

[C]

I'm still listening.

[D]

Very well, to the point.

[G]

Of all the 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas Iscariot.

[D]

Only one.

[G]

Only one, I say, has been unearthed. The rest, for all we know. Who've gone into the dust to the bones of the Judas. But that one coin, sir. With the imperial head and arms of Caesar stamped upon it has been sought for, fought for, killed for and died for through bloody century after century. Now, what do you say to that, sir?

[C]

I say you're nuts.

[G]

But my $50,000 says otherwise, Mr. Hayes. And now, sir, the coin, if you please.

[C]

I'll have to see Stanton first.

[G]

You see? You see, he cannot be trusted. Is Leonidas correct in his analysis of your character, sir?

[D]

Sure.

[C]

But I still have to see Stanton first.

[G]

Very well. There's nothing for it, I suppose. As added inducement, sir, a bonus of $10,000 for yourself. We needn't advise Mr. Stanton of it. If you deliver the coin to me here before dawn. I sail with the tide for Montevideo.

[D]

I'll try to earn the 10G.

[C]

Amherst didn't have the coin. Stanton was on the loose.

[D]

He might or might not have it.

[C]

If it existed at all. It had to be someplace. I hustle on back to the shop of Duran and Stanton. I never got a good look at the little man who was tailing me. Every time I glanced back, he had his face draped in the foreign language newspaper. I made sure he was still pounding along behind me.

[D]

When I turned in at the door.

[C]

Of Duran and Stanton, I didn't expect it to be opened. I was wrong. I didn't expect to find anyone there.

[D]

I was wrong again.

[A]

What do you want?

[C]

I walked slowly to the kid at the far end of the shop. She was no more than 16 or 17. Her face was white, her eyes loaded with fear. She stood in front of the safe under a small yellowish light. I looked carefully for a gun in her right hand. It's always these frightened white faced kids who really let you have it. She was unarmed. I let my breath out and closed in on her.

[A]

I'm calling police.

[E]

I'm the police.

[D]

Who are you? What are you doing here?

[A]

Oh, I'm Elsie Duran.

[C]

You mean Mrs. Durant is your mother?

[A]

My stepmother. I was up at school when I.

[B]

Heard that my father had been.

[A]

I came here at once.

[C]

What were you looking for in the safe?

[A]

The safe?

[C]

Or were you putting something in it?

[B]

Like what?

[D]

Look, infant.

[C]

No time for guessing games.

[D]

Now.

[C]

Give me a small package. That'll do it. You stay here. Put out that light. Now don't leave till I get back. Keep the door locked.

[A]

But why? I don't understand.

[C]

Take this gun. If anybody breaks in, use it. And tuck that gold chain you're wearing around your neck inside of your dress. It might tangle your gun arm when you need it.

[A]

But I've never fired a gun before, baby.

[C]

You'll be surprised how naturally it will.

[D]

Come to you if you have to.

[C]

I left the kid in the shop, strolled down 5th, across 34th to my office on 6th. The little man on my tail had dusted. I took my time. I figured there'd be somebody waiting for me at my office. There was. I figured he'd be holding a gun on the door. He was. I figured it would be the little man. It wasn't.

[F]

All right, Mr.

[D]

Ace, I'll take that package.

[C]

What name are you wearing now? Stanton?

[D]

Give me that package.

[C]

You're sure you want it? Your life is a mighty high price to pay for it.

[D]

You forget I'm holding the gun. Okay.

[C]

Be headstrong. Here's the package.

[F]

That's better, Mr. Ace.

[C]

All the time I was talking to Stanton, I watched the little man across the street the foreign language, paper still covering his face. After Stan left my office, I watched.

[I]

Vaughn through the wind.

[D]

He came out of my building.

[C]

I didn't hear the shot, but I saw the gun flashes that fired. Stanton slumped at the pavement. By the time I made it downstairs, the little man was far away. And so, with Stanton, his body was still lying where it had fallen. The street was deserted. His wallet had been first to make it look like a clumsy holdup. The package, of course, was gone. I picked up the wallet case, the contents. Among the usual stuff, there was a small clipping on glossy paper. It was a crude picture of a coin. The caption under it read, coin of Judas. I didn't have to rack my brain to figure out where I'd seen it before.

[D]

Who is it, Ace? Open up and don't shoot.

[A]

Oh, Mr. Ace, I've been so frightened.

[C]

Give me that gold chain from your neck.

[A]

My chain?

[D]

Stop playing simple.

[C]

You can keep the chain after I've.

[D]

Taken the coin from the end of it.

[A]

So you know I have it.

[C]

I must have been blind not to knowing it before.

[D]

Did your father give you the coin?

[A]

Yes. He told me to keep it at school. It was the safest place. But after I'd heard he'd been killed, I. Mr. Ace, look out.

[G]

No need for alarm, my dear. You see? You see, colonel, I told you he was gently.

[D]

Leonidas.

[G]

Well, Mr. Ace, I must say I'm disappointed in you. I did consider you a man of some peculiar honor.

[D]

That was your idea.

[G]

I sent Leonidas with $50,000. Coin of the realm, sir, to purchase from you. Open and above board the coin. And what am I given for this honorable gesture? This. This, sir? Two porter shell combs.

[D]

They'll look cute on Leonidas.

[G]

This time, sir, I mean business. This gun will underscore my intention. Now, the coin, Mr.

[D]

Ace.

[G]

And my $50,000.

[D]

You're not even amusing, you fat clown.

[E]

Leonidas never gave me 50 cents.

[D]

He knocked off Stanton for those combs. Leonidas.

[G]

Why, that was most headstrong of you. Most headstrong. Coming to me with his baggage and.

[H]

Telling me it was all an error. My dear colonel, I intended to return the money to you. But in my distress over learning that I had failed in my mission it.

[B]

Just Slipped my mind.

[D]

A mind like a ski. Run.

[G]

Then, before it slips your mind again. My dear fellow, I suggest.

[D]

Yes, yes.

[H]

You have this, Colonel.

[G]

I shall deal with you later, Leonidas.

[D]

Well, Miss Ace, I've got the coin.

[E]

Excellent, excellent.

[D]

But I can't sell it to you. You'll have to deal with Mrs. Duran and her stepdaughter. It belongs to them.

[G]

Oh, my dear Ace, you are indeed the soul of honor. But the fact of the matter is that Marlene Duran called me after you talked with her. Oh, come in, Marlene.

[B]

I was just telling which one of you killed Stanton.

[G]

Marlene, put that ridiculous pistol away.

[B]

Which one of you?

[H]

It was quite unintentional, Mrs. Durrant. A regrettable and melancholy accident. I assure you, I never meant to.

[G]

Here.

[D]

Now.

[B]

I save Ollie and you tell him to do it. No, no, no, no.

[D]

I, I, I.

[B]

You did. I'm going to kill you too.

[G]

Hey, for heaven's sake.

[D]

She's mad. See?

[G]

Oh, how stupid. How incredibly stupid. Shot down by.

[B]

You see, I killed him. I loved Stanton, so I killed his killers.

[C]

Yeah, just like you and Stanton killed your husband. He got wise of the fact that you and Stanton were going to run out on him. So he sent Stanton deliver the phony package. He knew that Amherst was in New York. He tipped Amherst off, thinking that Leonidas would be sent to kill Stanton for the package. But Stanton was wise to it. He sent me instead. When he saw that I was attacked, he came back here and killed your husband.

[B]

Yes, my husband. And he deserved it.

[C]

All right, Marlene, come along with me.

[B]

I'm not going with you, Mr. Race, because you and Elsie are going to the morgue.

[C]

And so Elsie used my gun to send two bullets into Marlene. How do you like that? I'd forgotten the kid was holding it.

[B]

But what about Elsie? Won't she have to stand trial for.

[C]

No, it's been settled down at headquarters. After all, Marlene did kill two men and then threaten Elsie and me with a gun. So Elsie will be okay.

[B]

And what about the coin? Does Elsie keep?

[C]

Yeah, but she's having it melted down.

[B]

Into what?

[C]

A small silver crucifix.

[B]

I see. I like that. Good night, Miss Drace.

[C]

Good night, Dr. Gill.

[E]

In a moment, George Raft will be back as Mr. A's to tell you about next week's case. But first, a brief word from our sponsor.

[C]

Thank you. Next week I'll be telling Dr. Gale about the man who was forced to help his wife's murderer.

[E]

Thank you, George.

[C]

We'll be listening.

[E]

Tonight's supporting cast included Frances Heflin. Joseph Kearns, Ted Von Eltz, Charlie Lung, Elliot Reid, Mary Jane Croft and Lorraine Beaumont. The music was composed and conducted by Del Castillo. This is Carlton Cadell speaking and inviting you to listen again next week to George Raft in the cases of Mr. Race.

[D]

Ra.