Philip Marlowe (9:45)
It wasn't ideal, the way the evening ended, not the way I'd planned it. But then how could you plan an evening like that? Girl meets dots, girl throws dart, girl meets boy. Didn't make much sense, but it didn't have to. It was a nice evening. Short, but nice. Monica was a nice girl, and I decided to leave it at that. Nice girl. It was straight up 11 o' clock when I got home. I thought about the red hair and the green eyes for several pleasant minutes. And then I went to bed to sleep. A chance to dream. Oh, well. Oh. Oh, hello, Matthewsville. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That girl you were with last night, where was it she lived? Where did she live? Look, it's not even 8 o' clock in the morning you're asking. Take it easy, Phil. Was it 2470 Bedford Drive? Yes, it was 2470 Bedford Drive. And if you hurry, maybe you can get there in time for breakfast. I'm already here, Phil. And you better come on out. The dame has been murdered. In just a moment we will return to the second act of Philip Marlow. But first, so you think this old world of ours is fresh out of miracles. Maybe you sort of long for the days of the Arabian Nights or folks of fable who possessed those magic wands, lamps, rings, talismans that all produced wonders. Well, if you do, you'll find CBS's Mr. Aladdin a refreshing gent to meet. He gets the name Mr. Aladdin from the fact that his exciting adventures have the atmosphere of miracles about them. Listen for him later this evening on most of these same CBS stations. And now, with our star, Gerald Moore, the second act of Philip Marlow and tonight's story, Life can be Murdered all the way to Beverly Hills. I tried hard to see the face of the guy in the doorway the night before. Paul Marnie had called him, but it was no use. You can't remember a face you never saw. And the car in the driveway when I took her home. A chevy coupe, gray, two door, 49 of 50. Ah, there are millions of them. It had been blue and bright with stars the night before. The morning was hazy overcast, and so was I. Matthews met me at the door. Come on in, Phil. Sure. Tell me, how long you known her? Last night. You sure? I'm sure. Any idea what happened? Oh, yeah, yeah. Someone was looting the place. Her back door was jimmied and some stuff missing. This dame must have interrupted it, got herself killed. Where is she? What, the cops? Yes, the cops. In here. I. Hey, that's not money. Did I say it was? Oh, no, but I. I thought that. Never mind. Do you know who this is? Yeah, Ann Harkness. According to identification in her purse, she's from New York. Taxi driver brought her here about 11 last night from the airport. And the coroner says she must have been shot shortly after that. Huh. You bring your girlfriend straight here from Bell's? Yeah. That's new for you, all right. Huh? That would put her here by 10:30, easy. So? So the taxi driver says a redheaded gal answer the door and let the Harkness woman in. That doesn't prove a thing. No, no, no, it doesn't. I'd like to talk to her, though, Phil. You know where she lives? She lives here, doesn't she? House belongs to Mr. And Mrs. Orville Edwards. They're out of town. They got called to Chicago yesterday with a death in the family. And the neighbors don't know anything about this. Ms. Carr, was it? Yeah, Monty Carr. Yeah. Well, I got a call into Chicago for the Edwardses. They ought to clear it up. That's something here, Lieutenant. Oh, hello, Mr. Marlowe. How are you, Mooney? Yeah, what do you got, Sergeant? Well, this Address book, phone number from the phone desk in the hall. Nobody named car listed, though. Okay. This note might be something from the big bedroom upstairs, front of the house. Oh, let's see. It's signed Marnie, Phil. It is? Let me have a look. Yeah. Dear Mrs. Edwards, thanks for the lovely remembrance. You're very thoughtful. I'll tell Miss Harkness to make herself at home. Yeah, whatever that means. I'll keep looking around with Kenneth. Do that, Mooney, huh? Well, as soon as the Chicago call comes through, we'll get our hooks into something. Look, Matthews, you mind if I look around? No, help yourself. You got any ideas? Yeah, I don't think Marnie had anything to do with it, and I don't know where she lives. Okay, okay, Phil. Only leave the note with me, huh? I looked around and tried to figure things that didn't figure. Marnie didn't live here, but she knew the Edwards. That is, she knew Mrs. Edwards, and she addressed her as Mrs. Edwards and signed herself Marnie. Maid, maybe, huh? Paul could have been anybody. And I wanted to find Marnie before I took up the matter of Paul. With Matthews upstairs by the phone in the master bedroom, I found something Sergeant Mooney had overlooked. Another address book. Smaller, with phone numbers. I flipped through it. There was nothing under C for car, but under M for money. There was a Crestview number, but no address. I decided to take the book with me. Are you still here, Phil? Yeah, yeah, just leaving. Oh, look, hey, what about that car girl? Yeah, she may be the sweetest kid in town, and she may be a killer. You never know. Thanks for the tip. And I didn't call you to get in my way, Phil. If I find her, I'll tell you. Fair enough? Yeah, yeah, fair enough. Just don't get lost finding her. It was kind of a break. Head start. At least I had a phone number for Marnie that Matthews didn't have. And I wasn't for her against him. He knew that I just couldn't think murder and Marnie in the same thought until I could. I'd string with her if I could find her. The morning haze was lifting somewhat as I stopped at a gas station on the Strip and used the payphone.