Sexton Blake, Detective - Fifth Dimension - Aired 1967

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Sexton Blake, Detective – "Fifth Dimension" (Aired 1967)

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio – July 31, 2026
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Sexton Blake, Detective – "Fifth Dimension"

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Episode Overview

This episode is a gripping installment in the classic “Sexton Blake” detective radio series, first aired in 1967. "The Fifth Dimension" sees detective Sexton Blake called upon to solve the mysterious disappearance and subsequent murder of Harry Monkton after a series of unsettling events connected to a strange tie pin and the secretive “Scarf Pin Club.” The episode weaves themes of financial windfalls, secrets from the past, deception, and the power of imagination (“the fifth dimension”) into a tightly plotted whodunit.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Monctons' Sudden Fortune and Dark Turn

• (01:24–02:08)

  • Alice Monkton explains to Sexton Blake that her husband, Harry, won £84,000 in a football pool.

  • Both gave up their jobs and bought a bungalow.

  • Their luck sours after Harry receives a mysterious, cheap tie pin (a "golliwog" head) and an anonymous note:

    • "A present from the scarf pin club."

  • Harry is visibly terrified, changes drastically, becomes secretive and anxious.

    Alice: "It was enough to change Harry from what he'd been...all the life had been scared out of him." (02:48)

2. The Disappearance

• (03:40–05:16)

  • On the night of his disappearance, Harry goes back into the house to answer a ringing phone as Alice and he head out.

  • He never returns, despite lights on and a phone still ringing—Alice finds the house empty.

  • Both Alice and neighbor Mr. Morris verify that Harry couldn’t have left undetected; doors and windows were locked/bolted, and Morris could see the back entrance.

    Blake: "He wasn’t there, Mrs. Monkton...let me get this quite clear." (04:26)

3. Discovery of the Body & Investigation

• (07:01–10:15)

  • Harry's body is later discovered back in the bungalow, with the same scarf pin and message as before.

  • Inspector Vincent confirms death by an unusual poison – yew berries, common and hard to trace.

  • A cryptic telegram arrives for Alice Monkton, supposedly from Harry, advising her never to be alone—sent after Harry’s estimated time of death.

    Vincent: "When that telegram was sent, Harry Monkton had been dead for over 14 hours." (09:09)

4. The “Fifth Dimension” Motif

• (08:27–08:32, 26:00–26:11)

  • Tinker jokes about the “fourth dimension,” but Blake suggests the key is the “fifth dimension”—imagination and misdirection.

    Blake: "What I call the fifth dimension is imagination." (26:11)

5. Digging into Harry’s Past

• (10:45–12:24)

  • Detective Chief Inspector Coutts reveals Harry’s criminal history: He was convicted of manslaughter for killing former fiancée Phyllis Grange in a motorcycle accident. Grange had left him for another man—Charles Denham.

  • The investigators suspect Denham’s involvement given the revenge motif, but doubt arises due to timing and lack of direct evidence.

    Blake: "Monkton was furious. Threatened to get even with both of them. He was lucky to escape a murder charge." (11:49)

6. The Red Herrings: The Van, Telegram & Scarf Pin Club

• (13:32–18:04)
  • Witnesses report a van and basket (assumed for moving the body), but logistics don’t add up.
  • Investigations into Alice's past, her work colleagues, and the non-existent “Scarf Pin Club” reveal more about her abandoned childhood and lack of close family.
  • The club, telegram, and tie pin all point to deliberate misdirection, keeping the police and Blake off the real trail.

7. The Twist – Confrontation and Truth Revealed

• (23:30–29:12)

  • Blake gathers all suspects for the reveal.

  • He claims to Alice that Harry was bigamous—a ruse designed to observe her reaction.

  • The real murderers are revealed: Alice Monkton and Jack Morris, her lover. They concocted the entire fantasy to cover up a straightforward murder, motivated by Harry’s windfall.

    Blake: "You invented the whole thing. You and your boyfriend, Morris." (26:33)

  • Their scheme included sending the fake telegram, crafting the “Scarf Pin Club,” and planting misdirection throughout.

  • A secret recording captures Alice and Morris scheming about the implications if the bigamy story were true, clinching their guilt.

    Alice (on tape): "If it's true...I don't get anything, the money, not even this bungalow. It'll all go to his real wife..." (28:40)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Moment of Realization:

  Blake: "The whole thing was planned to divert attention from the simple truth. Like the misdirection used by a conjurer..." (26:57)

• The Fifth Dimension:

  Blake: "There are three common dimensions...The fourth dimension is usually associated with time. What I call the fifth dimension is imagination." (26:00–26:11)

• The Sting – Tape-Recorded Confession:

  Alice: "There must be something we can do."
  Morris: "Well, I don't know what." (28:57–28:59)

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Important Timestamps for Major Plot Points

• [01:24] – Alice Monkton introduces her husband’s windfall and receipt of the mysterious tie pin.
• [04:19] – Harry Monkton disappears.
• [07:01] – Harry’s body is discovered by Sexton Blake and Tinker.
• [09:09] – The enigmatic telegram arrives after Harry’s death.
• [10:45] – Inspector Coutts reveals Harry’s criminal past.
• [13:32] – The "van and basket" red herring.
• [15:09] – Alice’s background: abandoned as a baby.
• [16:07–18:04] – More witnesses, including Mrs. Boiler (the former landlady), reinforce the timeline.
• [21:18] – Charles Denham introduced as a suspect and ultimately cleared.
• [23:30] – The confrontation and plot unraveling.
• [26:00] – Blake explains “the fifth dimension.”
• [28:15] – Key confession recorded and played to the group.
• [29:08+] – Morris and Alice’s plot exposed; case closed.

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Summary & Takeaway

"The Fifth Dimension" plays with audience expectations, layering misdirection and mystery. The clue-laden narrative is ultimately about the dangers of jumping at the fanciful when the prosaic truth is concealed beneath theatrics. Sexton Blake’s genius lies in stripping away the illusions—the “fifth dimension”—to find the simple, human motives beneath.

Blake’s closing lines and the use of a tape-recorded confession provide a satisfying, classic detective twist, in keeping with the Golden Age of Radio drama.

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For fans of detective fiction, this is a textbook example of how misdirection, red herrings, and deep character background come together for a classic whodunit.

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Transcript

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[Sexton Blake]

The time is 7:00'.

[Tinker]

Clock.

[Narrator]

The history of crime detection has produced no more famous name than that of Sexton Blake. We present William Franklin as Sexton Blake with David Gregory as his assistant Tinker and Heather Chasen as his secretary Paula Dane in a series of case histories by Donald Stewart. Today's episode is called the Fifth Dimension.

[Sexton Blake]

Sit down, Mrs. Monkton. You'll find that chair very comfortable.

[Alice Monkton]

Thank you.

[Paula Dane]

Unless you want me, Mr. Blake, I'll get back to my work.

[Sexton Blake]

All right, Paula. Now, Mrs. Monkton, my secretary has told me very briefly what you told her. I want you to repeat it, including every detail you can think of.

[Alice Monkton]

Do you want me to begin with what happened the night before last?

[Sexton Blake]

No, please begin at the beginning. Three months ago your husband won a substantial amount on the pools, didn't he?

[Alice Monkton]

£84,000.

[Sexton Blake]

Up to the time he won this large sum, everything was quite normal.

[Alice Monkton]

Oh, yes.

[Sexton Blake]

We'll start from there then.

[Alice Monkton]

Well, we decided we'd buy bungalow. I gave up my job and Harry gave up his.

[Sexton Blake]

What was his job?

[Alice Monkton]

He was a mechanic with BCP, the car manufacturer.

[Sexton Blake]

Go on, Mrs. Monkton.

[Alice Monkton]

Well, everything was wonderful. Scarcely believe our luck. And then that little packet came for Harry.

[Sexton Blake]

He opened it in front of you?

[Alice Monkton]

Yes. He was wondering what it was and who could have sent it. When I saw what was in it, I laughed. But Harry went as white as a sheet.

[Sexton Blake]

What exactly was in the packet?

[Alice Monkton]

Just a tie pin. A cheap thing that you might get out of a Christmas cracker. You know the head of it was shaped like a golliwog. You know what I mean?

[Sexton Blake]

Yes. Anything else?

[Alice Monkton]

Well, there was a slip of paper with the words A present from the scarf pin club on it. They was printed in ink.

[Sexton Blake]

That was all?

[Mrs. Boiler]

Yes.

[Alice Monkton]

It was enough to change Harry from what he'd been. He wasn't the same man. After that thing came, I was moody and worried. Didn't take an interest in anything. It was as if all the life had been scared out of him.

[Sexton Blake]

He was frightened.

[Alice Monkton]

Oh yes, I'm sure of it. Got to sleeping badly. Lie awake staring up into the darkness. Several times he'd get up and wander about the house in his dressing gown. He said he was making sure that all the doors and windows was locked and fastened.

[Sexton Blake]

Didn't you ask him what was worrying him?

[Alice Monkton]

Well, I tried. I tried hard to get him to tell me, but he wouldn't. So did Mr. Morris.

[Sexton Blake]

Mr. Morris?

[Alice Monkton]

Yes. Yes, he's. He's Harry's pal. He found us the bungalow and he lives close by. He couldn't get any more out of Harry than what I could only flew into a rage and swore there was nothing the matter. He just felt a bit out of sorts.

[Sexton Blake]

Nothing actually happened between the receipt of this tie pin and what occurred the night before last?

[Alice Monkton]

Nothing that I know about. I wasn't there all the time, you see. I mean, I used to go out for an hour or so just to get a bit of a change sometimes.

[Sexton Blake]

Didn't your husband go out at all?

[Alice Monkton]

Well, sometimes he'd come with me, but not very often. He worked quite a bit in the garden. He's fond of gardening. Well, the night before last, you know, the night it happened. Well, I'd persuaded him to come to the pictures.

[Sexton Blake]

Yes.

[Alice Monkton]

We'd had a late tea. Mr. Morris popped in for a minute. He didn't stay in. We left the house about 10 past 7. We was about halfway down that path to the gate when the telephone began to ring. Harry went back to answer it.

[Mrs. Monkton]

I haven't seen him since. He just walked into that bungalow, Mr. Blake, and vanished.

[Sexton Blake]

Let me get this quite clear, Mrs. Monkton. Your husband went back to answer the telephone. He let himself in with his latchkey.

[Alice Monkton]

Yes. But he never answered that phone.

[Mrs. Monkton]

It was still ringing when I went to look for him.

[Sexton Blake]

You answered it, did you?

[Mrs. Monkton]

Yes. Oh, yes.

[Alice Monkton]

It was a wrong number.

[Sexton Blake]

What did you do then?

[Mrs. Monkton]

I called to Harry, but there was no reply. I searched the bungalow, but it wasn't there. There was nobody there. It was empty.

[Sexton Blake]

Could he have left by the back way?

[Alice Monkton]

The back door was locked and bolted

[Mrs. Monkton]

inside and so was the windows.

[Alice Monkton]

And as well as that, Mr. Morris

[Mrs. Monkton]

was in his garden.

[Alice Monkton]

He could see the back of our bungalow plainly. He says that nobody left that way.

[Sexton Blake]

Did your husband put the light on when he went back to answer the phone?

[Alice Monkton]

Oh, yes.

[Mrs. Monkton]

He wasn't there, Mr. Blake. Honest, I don't know what happened to him, but he wasn't there.

[Sexton Blake]

Yes, I see. What made you go back to the bungalow instead of waiting for him?

[Mrs. Monkton]

I wondered why I hadn't answered that phone. It kept on ringing. I couldn't understand why he hadn't answered it so well I went to see what he was doing.

[Sexton Blake]

Leaving the front door open?

[Alice Monkton]

Oh, well, no, no, I shot it

[Mrs. Monkton]

before I answered the phone.

[Alice Monkton]

Oh, Harry couldn't have gone that way without me seeing him.

[Mrs. Monkton]

What. What should I do, Mr. Blake?

[Alice Monkton]

Ought I to go to the police?

[Sexton Blake]

You may have to eventually, but I don't think I should yet. I'd like to have a look at this bungalow of yours. You going back this afternoon?

[Alice Monkton]

Well, yes, I would.

[Sexton Blake]

Good. I'll come with you, Tinker. My assistant can drive us there.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Oh, I'm sure it's very good of you. Mr. Blake takes so much nonsense.

[Sexton Blake]

I'm interested.

[Alice Monkton]

It's just along there on the right.

[Tinker]

OK. Mrs. Monkton.

[Sexton Blake]

There's somebody at the gate.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Oh it isn't.

[Alice Monkton]

Oh, it's Mr. Morris.

[Jack Morris]

Hello, Mrs. Monkton. I was just calling to see if you'd any news of Harry.

[Alice Monkton]

No, nothing at all Mr. Morris. I wish I had.

[Jack Morris]

I can't understand it at all. What could have happened to him?

[Sexton Blake]

Well, that's what we've come to try and find out, Mr. Morris.

[Alice Monkton]

Oh, this is Mr. Sexton, Blake. He's been very.

[Sexton Blake]

Should we go up to the house, Mrs. Monkland?

[Alice Monkton]

Oh yes, yes of course.

[Sexton Blake]

Will you come too, Mr. Morris?

[Jack Morris]

Oh yes, certainly.

[Alice Monkton]

Just a minute.

[Paula Dane]

Well, I found my key.

[Tinker]

There's a key in the lock, Governor.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Oh, it must be Harry's. He's come back.

[Sexton Blake]

Open the door, Tinker.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Harry, Are you there? Harry?

[Sexton Blake]

Mrs. Moncton.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Harry.

[Jack Morris]

If he was here he'd have answered her.

[Sexton Blake]

You stay here. Morris can't take her.

[Mrs. Monkton]

I was in there is in there. I opened the door. Mr. Blayton. I saw him lying there. Sorry. He's dead, Governor. Look.

[Tinker]

What's that pin to his coat?

[Sexton Blake]

It's a message. It says it a present from the Scarf Pin Club. Good evening, Inspector Vincent.

[Inspector Vincent]

Evening Mr. Blake.

[Sexton Blake]

Any news?

[Inspector Vincent]

According to the doctor, the cause of death was poison.

[Sexton Blake]

I thought so. How was it?

[Inspector Vincent]

None of the usual poisons apparently, Mr. Blayton, the doctor wouldn't commit himself until after the autopsy.

[Sexton Blake]

Very wise, Inspector. I could hazard a guess. But I'll wait for the official report. You've seen Mrs. Monkton?

[Inspector Vincent]

I have. So I don't mind admitting that I. I can't make head nor tail of this business at present.

[Sexton Blake]

That makes two of a kind, Inspector.

[Inspector Vincent]

Well this. This Scarf Pin club. Do you think it's a real club? I mean membership and all that?

[Sexton Blake]

Well if it is it shouldn't be difficult to trace. But I have a feeling it doesn't exist.

[Inspector Vincent]

Oh, some sort of private organization, do you mean, sir?

[Sexton Blake]

Not exactly, Inspector.

[Tinker]

I got through to Paula, governor. Good.

[Sexton Blake]

Where's Mrs. Monkton?

[Tinker]

Lying down. The doctor gave her a sedative. What happened to Monkton when he went

[Sexton Blake]

back to answer the phone and didn't answer it?

[Inspector Vincent]

I suppose he could have slipped out through the front door while his wife wasn't looking, sir.

[Sexton Blake]

She says he didn't. Morris is equally emphatic that he didn't leave by the back door, which anyway was bolted on the inside.

[Tinker]

Well, he must have gone somewhere. Unless he vanished into the fourth dimension.

[Sexton Blake]

Perhaps it was the fifth dimension.

[Inspector Vincent]

I've never heard of that, sir.

[Sexton Blake]

I'm quite sure you have, Inspector.

[Tinker]

What is the fifth dimension? Something new?

[Sexton Blake]

No, it's as old as the Hill.

[Inspector Vincent]

Oh, excuse me, sir. I'll get it. All right, Sergeant.

[Mrs. Boiler]

I'll go.

[Inspector Vincent]

Yes? Oh, well, just a minute.

[Sexton Blake]

Oh, no.

[Inspector Vincent]

There's no answer. Well, this. This telegram's just come for Mrs. Moncton, sir. It was sent from Charing Cross Post office at 2:23. Listen. See that you are never alone in the house. The telephone could ring again. Love, Harry.

[Sexton Blake]

When that telegram was sent, according to the doctor, Harry Monkton had been dead for over 14 hours.

[Inspector Vincent]

That doesn't make sense.

[Sexton Blake]

I should heed the advice all the same, inspector.

[Inspector Vincent]

You think Mrs. Monkton may be in danger?

[Sexton Blake]

Yes, Inspector, I certainly do. Now, I think I'll be getting back to the office. There's nothing I can do here for the moment.

[Paula Dane]

As far as I can ascertain, Mr. Blake, there's no such place as the Scarf Pin Club. It's not on the registered list. I've tried most of our contacts and they've never heard of it. Detective Inspector Coutts is having inquiries made as well.

[Sexton Blake]

Thank you, Paula. Have you started the checkup on Harry Monkton?

[Paula Dane]

I put Nichols on that. I thought he was the best person to handle it.

[Sexton Blake]

Fine, Paula. And Morris?

[Paula Dane]

Well, Didcot's covering him. I told them both it was urgent.

[Sexton Blake]

Good.

[Tinker]

No luck, Governor. They can't remember who handed that telegram in.

[Sexton Blake]

Well, it was worth trying anyway.

[Tinker]

Tinker, have you any idea what's behind all this?

[Sexton Blake]

Nothing really definite.

[Paula Dane]

Perhaps when we get the report from Nichols, it'll help. Is Alice being looked after?

[Sexton Blake]

Yes, Inspector. Vincent's attending to that. How long was she employed as a waitress, do you know?

[Paula Dane]

I'm not sure exactly. Over two years, I think.

[Sexton Blake]

How long she'd been married to Monkton?

[Mrs. Boiler]

I don't know.

[Paula Dane]

I know very little about her. Actually, she Was a good waitress. Efficient and cheerful. Is there anything else you want me to do?

[Sexton Blake]

Is that restaurant open in the evening?

[Paula Dane]

Yes, they do quite a good dinner.

[Sexton Blake]

Go and have a meal there. Charge it up to the firm and

[Paula Dane]

find out all I can about Alice Monkton.

[Sexton Blake]

Yes, that's it.

[Paula Dane]

I'll work my way through the entire menu.

[Tinker]

What did you mean by the fifth dimension?

[Sexton Blake]

Work it out for yourself. It'll be a good exercise. I want to go through this report on the Horsham business for Crayole.

[Tinker]

Shall I see who that is?

[Sexton Blake]

Paula won't have gone yet. And this is important. I don't want to be disturbed.

[Tinker]

I'll tell her. Hello, Inspector.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Hello.

[Tinker]

It's Chief Inspector Coots.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Had to come round this way. Thought I'd drop in. Got news for you.

[Sexton Blake]

Sit down and have a drink.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Can't stop long. Won't say no to a quick one, though.

[Sexton Blake]

Give Coots a Scotch, Tinker. A large one.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Paula told me about this Moncton business. Queer setup.

[Tinker]

Very.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Had to go to CRO. Thought I'd check up on Moncton thanks to Cuff.

[Sexton Blake]

Only an idea paid off. Did it?

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Dunno. Brought these photographs.

[Sexton Blake]

That you're Moncton? Younger, but the same chap.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

They were taken seven years ago. Convicted for manslaughter. Got three years. Any help?

[Sexton Blake]

It could be. Tell me all about it.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Read it for yourself. Here's the file.

[Sexton Blake]

Let me have it back when you've done with it.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Must be off now. Thanks for the drink. See myself out.

[Tinker]

He doesn't waste much time, does he?

[Sexton Blake]

Monkton ran down a woman on his motorcycle. He was speeding in a built up area. The woman subsequently died. Jury brought in a verdict of manslaughter. Monkton would send us to three years.

[Tinker]

Bit stiff, wasn't it?

[Sexton Blake]

Apparently there was some doubt as to whether it wasn't intentional.

[Tinker]

You mean murder, Governor?

[Sexton Blake]

Yes. Phyllis Grange, the girl who died, had been engaged to Monkton. She'd broken off the engagement to marry a man named Charles Denham. Monkton was furious. Threatened to get even with both of them. He was lucky to escape a murder charge.

[Tinker]

How long ago was this?

[Sexton Blake]

Just under seven years before remission. He'd have served two years and three months.

[Tinker]

It can't have anything to do with his present business, surely? Well, it's too far fetched to suppose that what's his name, Denham, has been nursing a grudge against Monkton all these years. Why wait so long?

[Sexton Blake]

One explanation is he didn't know where to find Monkton until he won that money on the pools. And his name and address were published in the newspapers.

[Tinker]

Are you being serious? I mean, you can't believe.

[Sexton Blake]

I don't, but I do think I'll take it.

[Tinker]

Governor Sexton Blake's residence. Oh, hold on, will you? It's Inspector Vincent.

[Sexton Blake]

Thanks.

[Tinker]

Hello, Inspector.

[Sexton Blake]

Yes. What was the result? I see. How's Mrs. Moncton? Don't leave her alone. I think it's very important. Yes, thanks for letting me know. Inspector. That was the result of the autopsy on Monkton.

[Tinker]

What was the poison?

[Sexton Blake]

A preparation of yew berries.

[Jack Morris]

What?

[Tinker]

Ordinary yew berries. The things that grow in gardens and churchyards.

[Sexton Blake]

That's right. Quite an appropriate place, a churchyard.

[Tinker]

But anybody can get hold of them. I mean, there's no need to sign a poison book.

[Jack Morris]

Exactly.

[Sexton Blake]

No trace. No trace at all. You know, in spite of your skepticism, I'd very much like to know the present whereabouts of Charles Denham.

[Paula Dane]

Mr. Sexton Blake's residence.

[Mrs. Boiler]

Good morning.

[Paula Dane]

I'm afraid Mr. Blake is out.

[Tinker]

Who is it, Paula?

[Paula Dane]

Inspector Vincent.

[Tinker]

Oh, I'll speak to him. Hello, Inspector? Oh, this is Edward Carter, Mr. Blake's assistant. Oh, yes, you have. What kind of van? I see. Around about 11:30. Did this woman actually see the man carry it in? I'll tell the governor. He'll probably get in touch with you. Yes, yes, do that, Inspector. Thanks for ringing up. Inspector Vincent found a woman who saw a van outside the Moncton's bungalow yesterday morning near 11:30. The driver carried in a large basket. She thought it was the laundry. Now, that's how they must have got the body in there.

[Paula Dane]

Did she notice what name was on the van?

[Tinker]

There wasn't one on it.

[Mrs. Boiler]

Hmm.

[Paula Dane]

Was a woman a neighbor?

[Tinker]

Well, there aren't any. Well, not close, except Mr. Morris. The bungalows are all sort of scattered about. I mean, most of them are still being built. This woman was only passing. What's that you're taking?

[Paula Dane]

Something to counteract the effects of last night.

[Tinker]

You didn't really go to the whole menu, did you?

[Paula Dane]

Not quite, but very nearly. I'm conscientious, I am.

[Tinker]

Well, you better drink that stuff while it's still fizzing.

[Alice Monkton]

It tickles my nerves.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Hello.

[Sexton Blake]

Caught a cold, Paula.

[Tinker]

She's got a hangover.

[Paula Dane]

I have not got a hangover. I'm suffering from overeating. In the interests of the firm.

[Sexton Blake]

Oh, yes. How did you get on?

[Paula Dane]

Not terribly well, I'm afraid. Alice used to chatter quite a lot to the other girls when she was working there. But she didn't say much about herself. No intimate details she was already married to Harry Monkton when she got the job at the restaurant.

[Sexton Blake]

How long ago was that?

[Paula Dane]

Two years and four months. They don't think she'd be married very long, then.

[Sexton Blake]

Any other family alive? Father, Mother?

[Paula Dane]

I think that will be difficult to find out. You see, she was abandoned when she was six weeks old and brought up in an institution.

[Sexton Blake]

How did you find that out if she never talked about herself?

[Paula Dane]

The manager told me he needed her birth certificate and she told him yes. She begged him not to let the other girls know. She was very sensitive about it. I got the address she was living at before they bought the bungalow, and here it is. The landlady's Name is Boiler. Mrs. Boiler.

[Sexton Blake]

Not a very salubrious part of Camden Town. You might go and see Mrs. Boiler, Tinker. We might pick up some information about the Monktons.

[Tinker]

I'll go right away, Governor. Inspector Vincent rang up. Paul has got the whole conversation recorded. He's found how Moncton's body was brought into the bungalow.

[Paula Dane]

There's something else I learned last night. A few weeks after Alice left her job at the restaurant, a man was making inquiries about her.

[Sexton Blake]

What sort of inquiries?

[Paula Dane]

He wanted to know if her husband's name was Harry and where they were living.

[Sexton Blake]

Did they say what it was like?

[Paula Dane]

He left his name. Charles Denham.

[Sexton Blake]

Did he indeed? Well, off you go, Tinker, and see what you can make of Mrs. Boiler.

[Mrs. Boiler]

They was as nice a couple as you could wish to have in the house. Never no trouble and always punctual with the rent.

[Tinker]

How long were they with you, Mrs. Boiler?

[Mrs. Boiler]

Over two years. They come just after they was married. And it weren't till he won all that money on the pools that they left. Bit of luck that was for them and well deserved. He give me a nice present, he did, before they left. Mrs. Boile says I won't never forget all your kindness, he says. It's been a real home here, he said. And we wouldn't be leaving now. Said only we've always wanted a place of our own, he said.

[Tinker]

I'm sure you made them very comfortable. Tell me, did they have many friends come and see them?

[Mrs. Boiler]

Well, they wasn't in much. Used to go to the pictures and a lot of dancing. Very fond of dancing. She was dancing once a week, regular to that place, Altar. Strange.

[Tinker]

I know what you mean. They might have met quite a few friends there.

[Mrs. Boiler]

Maybe. None of them ever come here. Except Mr. Morris. He works at the same place as what Mr. Monkton. Did he come twice here? You're a bit nosy. You ain't a reporter, are you? I had enough of them when Mr. Monkton won the pools. Like flies around a jampot, they was.

[Tinker]

No, no, I'm not a reporter, Mrs. Boiler.

[Mrs. Boiler]

You ain't the police, are you?

[Tinker]

Why do you think the police would be inquiring about Mr. And Mrs. Monkton?

[Mrs. Boiler]

Cause they're always sticking their perishing noses into people's business. I ain't answering no more questions. Go and ask Mr. Monkton himself.

[Tinker]

Haven't you seen the morning papers?

[Mrs. Boiler]

I got no time to read the papers. Only the Sunday ones.

[Tinker]

Then you don't know that Mr. Monkton is dead.

[Mrs. Boiler]

Lor.

[Paula Dane]

How did it happen?

[Mrs. Boiler]

An accident?

[Tinker]

No, no, it was murder.

[Mrs. Boiler]

Oh. Oh, you don't mean. You don't want to do that?

[Tinker]

We're trying to find out.

[Mrs. Boiler]

Oh, dear. Oh, I wish I could help her. Poor Mrs. Moncton. Oh, I bet she's taking it bad. Such a happy couple. They was here. I just remembered something. A chap come here after they left. He wanted to know where they'd gone.

[Tinker]

What was he like? Would you recognize again if you saw him?

[Mrs. Boiler]

No, I don't notice. I would hold on, though. There is one thing. He's typing.

[Tinker]

Typing?

[Mrs. Boiler]

Yes. You don't often see them nowadays, do you? That's why it caught me eye. Funny thing. It was like one of them gollywogs.

[Sexton Blake]

We're adding to the collection by degrees, aren't we, Tinker?

[Tinker]

Not enough to get us anywhere.

[Sexton Blake]

I wouldn't say that. There seems to be a sort of pattern emerging. Rather indistinct perhaps.

[Paula Dane]

But I can't understand this man Charles Denham turning up after all that lapse of time.

[Tinker]

That's absurd.

[Paula Dane]

Is he the same man who was making enquiries at Mrs. Boiler's?

[Tinker]

And then the man who carried the basket into the bungalow? Three separate men or just one?

[Sexton Blake]

Another man with the van intrigues me

[Paula Dane]

more than the man with the tie pin or Charles Denham.

[Sexton Blake]

Oh, yes, a great deal more. See who that is, Paula. Use your discretion. I don't want to be disturbed.

[Tinker]

Can't they wait?

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[Inspector Vincent]

six?

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[Sexton Blake]

Refreshers contain caffeine.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Mr. Blake.

[Alice Monkton]

Mr. Blake. Oh, Mr. Blake, I'm so frightened. I came as soon as I got it.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Look. Look. It's the same. Exactly the same.

[Sexton Blake]

The golliwog type.

[Alice Monkton]

Yes, like Harry got. And the same message with it. A present from the Scarfin Club. Oh, what can I do, Mr. Blake? What can I do?

[Sexton Blake]

You can sit down, Mrs. Monkton, and relax. Paula, give Mrs. Monkton a cup of tea. There now, don't worry. Take it easy and tell me exactly what happened.

[Alice Monkton]

It was in a packet like the

[Mrs. Monkton]

one that came for Harry.

[Sexton Blake]

By post?

[Mrs. Monkton]

Yes, Midday Post. Oh, Mr. Blake, something is going to happen to me. I know it will, just like it did.

[Sexton Blake]

Nothing is going to happen to you, Mrs. Monkton. And don't let this upset you. Have you told Inspector Vincent?

[Mrs. Monkton]

Oh, no, no, I haven't told anybody. I came straight to you.

[Sexton Blake]

You're not alone in the bungalow, are you?

[Mrs. Monkton]

No, there's a policeman. He's there all the time.

[Tinker]

Good.

[Sexton Blake]

Tinker, go and ring up Inspector Vincent. Tell him what's okay, Governor. Tell him we're bringing Mrs. Monkton back.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Oh, but I don't want to go by there. I won't go back.

[Jack Morris]

No, no, Mrs. Montgomery.

[Sexton Blake]

No, I won't go back.

[Mrs. Monkton]

I tell you, I won't. I never want to see that bungalow again.

[Sexton Blake]

If you want me to help you, you must do what I tell you. Go on, Tinker.

[Paula Dane]

I'll see who it is. Mr. Blake.

[Sexton Blake]

It's all right, Paula. Tinker's out there. Take Mrs. Moncton into the dining room.

[Paula Dane]

This way, Alice.

[Tinker]

Governor, there's a man in the Archer office he wants to see.

[Sexton Blake]

What sort of man?

[Tinker]

Tall, thin, rather sunburnt, well dressed.

[Sexton Blake]

Who is it?

[Tinker]

He says his name's Charles Denham.

[Jack Morris]

Oh, good evening, Inspector Vincent.

[Inspector Vincent]

Good evening, Mr. Morris. Thank you for coming round. You just got back from work, I suppose?

[Jack Morris]

Yes.

[Inspector Vincent]

So you wouldn't know about Mrs. Moncton.

[Jack Morris]

Mrs. Monkton? What about her?

[Inspector Vincent]

She's received a present from the Scarf Pin Club. She has upset her quite a lot.

[Jack Morris]

I should think it did, after what happened to Harry.

[Inspector Vincent]

How well did you know Harry? Monkton, Mr. Morris.

[Jack Morris]

Oh, pretty well. We both worked at the same place.

[Inspector Vincent]

Did you know he'd been to prison for manslaughter?

[Jack Morris]

Manslaughter? He never told me. When was this?

[Inspector Vincent]

About seven years ago.

[Jack Morris]

I haven't known him as long as that.

[Inspector Vincent]

How long have you known him?

[Jack Morris]

Oh, when he got a job with the firm. That'd be eight or nine months before he got married.

[Inspector Vincent]

Did he ever mention a man named Denham? Charles Denham?

[Narrator]

No.

[Jack Morris]

No, I don't think so. And what's this manslaughter business? What'd he do?

[Inspector Vincent]

Well. Oh, that'll be Mr. Blake and Mrs. Monkton. Excuse me.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Hello, Inspector.

[Mrs. Boiler]

I'm framed.

[Sexton Blake]

We're later than I expected. I had one or two jobs to attend to.

[Inspector Vincent]

No worry as far as I'm concerned. Sir, I've got Mr. Morris in the sitting room.

[Alice Monkton]

What's he doing here?

[Inspector Vincent]

Oh, well. Well, he came to see how you were, Mrs. Monkton.

[Sexton Blake]

Let's go in then, shall we? Shut the door, tinker. Good evening, Mr. Morris. Lucky you chanced to call. I wanted to see you.

[Jack Morris]

Yes, well, I've only just got back from work and I'm a bit tired.

[Sexton Blake]

You'll have to forgive me for keeping you a little longer. When you make the time, Tinker.

[Tinker]

Three minutes past seven, Governor.

[Sexton Blake]

It was ten minutes past seven when you and your husband were halfway down the front path and the telephone rang, wasn't it, Mrs. Monkton?

[Alice Monkton]

Yes.

[Sexton Blake]

And gives us nearly seven minutes.

[Alice Monkton]

For what? What do you mean?

[Sexton Blake]

To prepare for the reception of our visitor.

[Jack Morris]

Visitor?

[Tinker]

Yes.

[Sexton Blake]

Tinker, will you go into the kitchen and guard the back door?

[Jack Morris]

Right.

[Sexton Blake]

Now, Governor, I'd like you to keep an eye on the front, inspector.

[Inspector Vincent]

All right, Mr. Blake.

[Sexton Blake]

Shut this door after you. And put the light out in the hall.

[Alice Monkton]

I'm frightened. I wish I'd never come back here.

[Jack Morris]

I don't see how anything can hurt you, Mrs. Monkton.

[Sexton Blake]

I have to tell you something about the late Harry Monkton that I'm sure you don't know.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Oh, about. About Harry?

[Sexton Blake]

Yes. When Harry Monkton married you, he already had a wife. She is still alive.

[Inspector Vincent]

What?

[Alice Monkton]

It isn't true. It can't be true.

[Sexton Blake]

Unfortunately, I have proof.

[Jack Morris]

I don't believe it. There must be a mistake.

[Alice Monkton]

Of course there is. Who is this woman? Where is she? She wouldn't get quiet all this time. It is ridiculous.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Oh, no.

[Sexton Blake]

Stay in this room. And you stay with her.

[Narrator]

Morris.

[Sexton Blake]

Sexton Blake speaking. Oh, it's you, Paula. I think so. Yes. Very soon now. I hope. We're Just waiting.

[Tinker]

Good.

[Sexton Blake]

That's fine. Goodbye for now.

[Inspector Vincent]

Everything all right, Mr. Blake?

[Sexton Blake]

Up to now, Inspector, yes.

[Inspector Vincent]

What time are they coming?

[Sexton Blake]

Any minute. You know what to do?

[Jack Morris]

Yes.

[Sexton Blake]

Good. I must go round to the kitchen and see Tinker.

[Inspector Vincent]

Right.

[Tinker]

Who's that?

[Sexton Blake]

It's me. How's it going?

[Tinker]

Couldn't be better, Governor.

[Sexton Blake]

Well, that's a relief. You're quite sure?

[Tinker]

You don't have to worry at all.

[Sexton Blake]

Good. I'll go back to the sitting room then. I'm sorry to be so long. The telephone call was from my secretary, Ms. Dane.

[Alice Monkton]

Oh, well, I was afraid. I thought. Well, never mind, Mr. Blake. If Harry was already married when he met me, it means that I was never really his wife, doesn't it?

[Sexton Blake]

I'm afraid so.

[Jack Morris]

Harry would never do a dirty trick like that. He wasn't that sort of chap.

[Sexton Blake]

Do we ever really know what a person's like, Mr. Morris? You didn't know that Monkton had been convicted of manslaughter for causing the death of a girl.

[Alice Monkton]

Did you cause the death of a Harry? Oh, I don't believe that. Who was she?

[Sexton Blake]

Her name was Phyllis Grange.

[Charles Denham]

And the charge should have been murder, not manslaughter.

[Sexton Blake]

Come in, Mr. Denham. We've been expecting you.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

You should have been here before. Got held off in the traffic jam.

[Sexton Blake]

Nevermind. Coots, you're here, that's the main thing. Will you come in, Inspector Vincent?

[Inspector Vincent]

I'm here, sir.

[Sexton Blake]

Good. We've come to the moment when we can explain how it all happened. It's very simple, really. So simple that we couldn't see it.

[Jack Morris]

I don't see how you make that out.

[Sexton Blake]

I admit that it looked complicated at first. But if we reduce the problem to its essentials, we find that it resolves itself to this. A man has been killed.

[Tinker]

Why?

[Inspector Vincent]

Oh, well, surely, sir, it's not quite as easy as that.

[Sexton Blake]

Oh, but it is, Inspector. You're allowing yourself to be blinded by the setting. These presents from the scarf pin club. The vanishing of Harry Monkton, the telegram from the dead man. All examples of the fifth dimension.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Never heard of it.

[Sexton Blake]

There are three common dimensions. Length, breadth and thickness. The fourth dimension is usually associated with time. What I call the fifth dimension is imagination.

[Alice Monkton]

I don't understand.

[Sexton Blake]

I think you do, Mrs. Monkton. I used it when I told you that Harry Monkton had a wife living when he married you.

[Alice Monkton]

That wasn't true.

[Sexton Blake]

There was no more truth in it than the story you told me. The story you concocted to disguise a simple murder by making it A fantastic one.

[Alice Monkton]

I didn't.

[Mrs. Monkton]

It was true. All of it. It happened just as I said.

[Sexton Blake]

You invented the whole thing. You and your boyfriend, Morris.

[Jack Morris]

That's a lie.

[Sexton Blake]

You fell for Morris, hook, line and sinker. In a normal course of events, you'd probably have allowed your husband to divorce you. But he won £84,000 on the pools. And you weren't going to let that slip through your fingers.

[Mrs. Monkton]

It isn't true. Not a word of it.

[Alice Monkton]

You're making it all up. Would I have come to you, if any.

[Sexton Blake]

That was quite a clever touch. It almost fooled me. So was the telegram which Morris sent, purporting to come from your husband.

[Jack Morris]

I never sent any telegram.

[Sexton Blake]

The whole thing was planned to divert attention from the simple truth. Like the misdirection used by a conjurer. Morris's calls at the restaurant and Mrs. Boiler's. All for the purpose of confusing the real issue.

[Jack Morris]

It's all lies. Lies from beginning to end. Mrs. Boiler knew me.

[Sexton Blake]

It wasn't difficult to alter your appearance. And the Golliwog tie pin was a very neat touch. It linked up with the rest of the fantasy. But you slipped up over Mr. Denham.

[Tinker]

Yes.

[Charles Denham]

You made a mistake when you gave my name at the restaurant. I wasn't even in England at the time. I've spent the last nine months in Ghana. You may notice I'm still a bit sunburnt.

[Jack Morris]

How could I give your name when I'd never even heard of you?

[Sexton Blake]

But you had. Mrs. Monkton knew all about the manslaughter charge, and she told you. Harry Monkton never left this house. The night he was supposed to have vanished into thin air, you made some excuse to keep him confined to the house. Perhaps you gave him something that made him feel ill until you were ready to poison him with the yew berries. Then, when he was dead, you arranged the body, put that fake message on it and came up to see me.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Oh, no, no, no, you're wrong. It's not true.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

What about the van and the basket?

[Sexton Blake]

Blake, that was another little touch of Morris's. There was nothing in the basket. Of course we were supposed to think it was Monkton's body. But could one man carry a heavy body in a basket so easily?

[Jack Morris]

Hey, I've listened to this nonsense long enough. You can't prove any of it.

[Sexton Blake]

Just a moment, Tinker.

[Tinker]

Coming, Governor.

[Sexton Blake]

Now, Tinker, play that recording on the portable tape recorder.

[Inspector Vincent]

What's this, Blake?

[Sexton Blake]

You'll hear. Go ahead, Tinker.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Oh, no.

[Sexton Blake]

Stay in this room. And you stay with Her. Maurice.

[Alice Monkton]

Jack.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Jack.

[Alice Monkton]

I can't have been already married when he married me.

[Jack Morris]

Well, if it's true, you know what it means, don't you?

[Alice Monkton]

I don't get anything. The money, not even this bungalow. It'll all go to his real wash.

[Jack Morris]

We've taken all the trouble and risk for nothing.

[Mrs. Monkton]

Nothing.

[Mrs. Boiler]

Damn him, starving so loud.

[Alice Monkton]

There must be something we can do.

[Jack Morris]

Well, I don't know what.

[Tinker]

Look, I'll.

[Inspector Vincent]

Tinker.

[Sexton Blake]

Well, I can leave it to you now, Inspector. Come on, Tinker.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

How'd you get that recording, Inspector?

[Sexton Blake]

Vincent bugged the room before we came. I asked him to on the phone. All I had to do was drop a little bomb in the middle of their scheme and make sure they were left alone to discuss it. Simple, really.

[Detective Chief Inspector Coutts]

Always got a card up your sleeve. Blake. Coming with me, Mr. Denham?

[Charles Denham]

Yes, I'm glad to have been of some help.

[Sexton Blake]

Good of you to come round and see me when coots found you, Mr. Denham. It's made things clearer. Well, now I must go. I promised my secretary I'd give her a dinner.

[Tinker]

Dinner? Paula hasn't recovered from that meal she had last night.

[Sexton Blake]

That's the time to take her out, Tinker. And she won't eat so much.

[Narrator]

That story in our Sexton Blake series was called the Fifth Dimension and was written by Donald Stewart. William Franklin was Sexton Blake, David Gregory, Tinker and Heather Chasen. Paula Alice Moncton was played by Gudrun Yure, Jack Morris by Hayden Jones, Inspector Vincent, Harold Casket, Detective Chief Inspector Coutts, Humphrey Morton, Mrs. Boiler, Betty Hardy and Charles Denham. Ian Thompson. The series was devised for radio by Philip Ridgway and produced by Alistair Scott Johnston.

[Alice Monkton]

Hey everybody.

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