The Avenger - Rendevous with Murder

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Avenger - Rendezvous with Murder"

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Episode Air Date: March 16, 2026
Classic Radio Drama

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Overview

This episode features an exciting adventure from "The Avenger," a radio series emblematic of the Golden Age of Radio. In "Rendezvous with Murder," Jim Brandon—secretly the crime-fighting Avenger—uncovers a years-old murder masquerading as an accident, thwarts a daring bank heist, and rescues innocent victims in a suspenseful race against time.

The story blends vintage noir atmosphere with smart plotting, exploring themes of justice, guilt, and the dangers of underestimating vigilant heroes.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Criminals’ Secret Past and Their Scheme (02:51–10:12)

• Tapper and Bates, recently out of prison, return to the scene of their old crime, filled with unease and superstition.
  • The pair reminisce about how they killed a contractor, Peter Moultrie, in what the police believed to be an accident, six years earlier.

    "Say, is this the spot where we planted that contractor on the track six years ago?" — Bates [03:52]

• They plot a new crime, using their insider knowledge from when they helped construct the local bank.
  • Tapper reveals his possession of the bank's blueprints and plans to exploit a weakness they built into the wall.
  • Bates worries about being discovered, especially about fingerprints.
• Tapper identifies a potential risk: old photographs taken by contractor Peter Moultrie’s daughter, Janice, which could implicate them if the police investigate and match their faces to existing criminal records.

  "That girl would turn them in and the police would match them up with two guys in the Rogues gallery by the name of Tapper and Bates." — Tapper [09:08]

2. Janice Moultrie’s Suspicion and Social Gathering (10:12–13:16)

• Janice Moultrie voices ongoing doubts about her father's "accidental" death to Jim Brandon and Fern Collier, while they prepare for a local charity rally.

  "Janice still isn't convinced that it was an accident, Jim." — Fern Collier [11:09]

• Jim offers to review the old case as reassurance.
  • Lighthearted banter about the group’s friendship softens the episode’s tension.

3. Tapper and Bates Threaten Janice (13:16–16:28)

• Tapper and Bates break into Janice's home demanding the incriminating photo album.
• The tension escalates as they threaten Janice and Fern at gunpoint:

  "Maybe this gun will make you change your mind." — Tapper [13:26]

• After retrieving the album, the criminals plan to eliminate Janice and Fern to protect their secret.

  "I've learned that the only good witness is a dead witness." — Tapper [14:39]

4. Kidnapping and Imprisonment in the Freight Yard (17:45–19:53)

• Tapper and Bates lock Janice and Fern inside a refrigerator car at the freight yards, dooming them to freeze or disappear as the train pulls out.
  • Janice and Fern desperately pound on the walls, calling for help, as Janice’s loyal dog Bosco searches for aid.

  "We might as well face Janice. Don't give up. Please." — Fern [19:04] "Bosco, get help. Bosco, we're moving." — Janice [19:13]

5. The Heist and The Avenger's Intervention (19:53–23:00)

• The criminals’ break-in at the bank progresses as planned—until Jim Brandon, investigating the scene, uncovers their actions.
  • Brandon is transformed into The Avenger using his inventions: the telepathic indicator and black light diffusion capsule for invisibility.
• He confronts Tapper and Bates unseen, using their fear and confusion against them in a classic radio drama showdown:

  "It's the Avenger, Tapper. I'm here to settle an old score for Peter Moultrie." — Jim Brandon (The Avenger) [22:20]

  • The Avenger triggers the alarm and chases after them as they flee in their getaway car.

6. High-Speed Chase & Poetic Justice (23:21–24:39)

• Tapper and Bates are pursued by The Avenger in a tense car chase in pitch darkness.
  • Under Avenger’s tactical sabotage, their car runs out of gas and stalls on a train crossing as a freight train approaches—echoing their original crime.

  "Hey, we're still on the track!" — Bates [24:19]

• Their fate is sealed as the inevitable collision fulfills poetic justice for their past misdeeds.

7. Rescue and Resolution (24:39–29:40)

• The Avenger (Jim Brandon) calls for aid and, with Bosco’s help, finds Janice and Fern locked in the freezing car and rescues them just in time.

  "Somebody's inside that car. Brakeman, I heard a pounding on the door." — Jim Brandon (The Avenger) [25:15]

• In a closing conversation, the group wraps up lingering questions:
  • Bill, the local attorney, explains how he was ambushed by the criminals.
  • Jim reveals how he sabotaged the criminals’ escape and brought them to justice.

  "They were boasting about how they'd planned the robbery six years ago. Evidently, Janice's father discovered what they were doing, so they killed him and made it look like an accident." — Jim Brandon (The Avenger) [28:44]

  • Janice and Bill’s budding romance is hinted at, wrapping the story with hope and warmth.

  "One doesn't have to be a detective to figure out that we'll be coming to Glenhurst for a wedding very soon." — Fern [29:36]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Echoes of Guilt:

  "Well, I'm getting out of here." — Bates [06:05]
  Bates’s nerves foreshadow the doom awaiting criminals haunted by their crimes.

• Villainous Coldness:

  "I've learned that the only good witness is a dead witness." — Tapper [14:39]

• The Avenger’s Dramatic Entrance:

  "It's the Avenger, Tapper. I'm here to settle an old score for Peter Moultrie." — Jim Brandon (The Avenger) [22:20]

• Poetic Justice:

  "It really seems as though those two men had a rendezvous with justice at that crossing, doesn't it?" — Janice [29:08]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment Description | Timestamp | | ------------------------------------------- | --------- | | Tapper & Bates plan, revisiting past crime | 02:51–10:12 | | Janice expresses suspicion to Jim & Fern | 10:12–13:16 | | Tapper/Bates threaten Janice & Fern | 13:16–16:28 | | Janice & Fern locked in refrigerated car | 17:45–19:53 | | Break-in, Avenger’s confrontation | 19:53–23:00 | | Car chase and train crossing | 23:21–24:39 | | Bosco helps save Janice & Fern | 24:39–25:47 | | Denouement and summary discussion | 27:34–29:40 |

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Tone & Style

The episode is rich in suspense, darkly atmospheric, and full of hallmark Golden Age radio drama language—quick-witted, snappy dialogue, villainous sneering, and the Avenger’s calm heroism. There’s a thread of warmth through the supporting friendships and the hopeful romantic conclusion.

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For New Listeners

Whether you're a Golden Age radio aficionado or a new listener, this episode delivers a compact whodunit enriched with clever twists, theatrical performances, and nostalgic storytelling. The Avenger emerges as a compelling, science-powered sleuth, ensuring listeners get a satisfying blend of chills, action, and justice.

Transcript

[Bates]

Are you really buying a car online on Autotrader right now?

[Autotrader Narrator]

Really? I can get super specific with dealer listings and see cars based on my budget.

[Bates]

You can really have it delivered or pick it up. Mommy's kid is walking up the slide.

[Janice Moultrie]

Really? Autotrader.

[Autotrader Narrator]

Buy your car online. Really?

[Narrator]

The Avenger.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

The road to crime ends in a trap that justice sets. Crime does not pay.

[Narrator]

The Avenger, sworn enemy of evil, is actually Jim Brandon, a famous biochemist. Through his numerous scientific experiments, Brandon has perfected two inventions to aid him in his crusade against crime as the Avenger. The telepathic indicator by which he is able to pick up thought flashes. And the secret diffusion capsule which cloaks him in the black light of invisibility. Brandon's assistant, the beautiful Fern Collier, is the only one who shares his secrets and knows that he is the man the underworld fears as the Avenger. And now, the Avenger. And rendezvous with murder.

[Tapper]

There's a train coming, Bates. We'd better hide over there behind the bushes until it goes past.

[Bates]

Oh, nobody will notice us, Tamper. It's nearly done.

[Tapper]

I'm not taking any chances. Come on.

[Bates]

Okay.

[Tapper]

Yeah, now we're out of sight here.

[Bates]

Yeah, well, who's going to see us out here on this lonely road? I'd like to know.

[Tapper]

The brakeman or the engineer, maybe. How many years do you have to spend in the pen before you learn not to take any chances on witnesses?

[Bates]

Oh, lay off that tavern, will you? We're out now, ain't we?

[Tapper]

Yeah, but I'm not forgetting them five years, Bates. I know because you bungle a small time stick up. Why, we could have pulled his Glenhurst bang job long ago if we hadn't landed in the jug. Fly low till the train goes fast.

[Bates]

Yeah, okay, it's gone. Let's get out of here. Temperedness. This place gives me the creeps.

[Tapper]

Yeah, I just as soon forget what happened to this crossing myself.

[Bates]

Say, is this the spot where we planted that contractor on the track six years ago?

[Tapper]

Sure it is. Yeah, right down the road there's a place where you and me jumped out of the car and sent it headlong into the 815.

[Bates]

Yeah, that's right. Yeah, I recognize it now. Hey, what'd you come this way for, Tapper? I don't like to think of that guy we bumped off. You know, murder's one rap you can't.

[Tapper]

Shut up. Nobody said it was murder, did they? The police said it was an accident, just like we planned. It was a pretty slick job all around.

[Bates]

Well, maybe, but I Still don't see why we had to park our car and come this way.

[Tapper]

I suppose you'd sooner go down Main street so everybody could get a gander at us, huh? Oh, Here, Turn. Turn this way. Through these gates.

[Bates]

Hey, Tapper, what's the idea? That's a graveyard.

[Tapper]

Sure, and there ain't a better place for two guys to lay low for a couple hours. Come on.

[Bates]

Oh, I don't like this, Tapper.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

It's.

[Bates]

It's like. Well, like the coppers are always shooting off. About returning to the scene of the crime. It's it's like we was trying to put a jinx on ourselves, Cam.

[Tapper]

That kind of gab. What's the matter, Bates? Are you turning yellow?

[Janice Moultrie]

No.

[Bates]

Only I'm on.

[Tapper]

Then we'll go over there under them trees and stretch out and have a smoke.

[Bates]

Well, how long we gotta wait in this place?

[Tapper]

Well, it won't be safe to start working on the bank until close to midnight. I figure it shouldn't take us more than an hour to pull out that little section of wall, grab the swag, cover our tracks and hit the road. Yeah, let's. Let's sit down here.

[Bates]

Okay.

[Tapper]

Hey, give me a light, will you, please?

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Yeah.

[Bates]

Here.

[Janice Moultrie]

Hey.

[Bates]

Hey, look at that, will you?

[Tapper]

What now?

[Bates]

That tombstone. Look what it says.

[Tapper]

Put your flashlight on it and stop blubbering. Hold it steady, will ya?

[Bates]

Okay.

[Tapper]

In memory of Peter Moultrie.

[Bates]

It said contractor. Guy we bumped off. That was his name. Moultrie. Peter Moultrie.

[Tapper]

Yeah, that's him, all right.

[Bates]

Well, I'm getting out of here.

[Tapper]

Stay where you are, Bates. This guy Moultrie's been dead and buried for almost six years. He can't hurt us.

[Bates]

Yeah, but, Tapper, I tell you, this place is a jinx. Let's pull out, huh?

[Tapper]

You nuts? Sit down. We've got some plans to make.

[Bates]

Yeah, but this job's got the finger on it, Tapper. I I can feel that up.

[Tapper]

And listen to me. There's a couple of hundred grand just waiting for us down there in the Glenhurst bank. All we gotta do is go in and take it.

[Janice Moultrie]

I know.

[Tapper]

Here's the blueprint of the bank. I snitched when we was helping build the place. Hold the light a little lower.

[Bates]

All right.

[Tapper]

Okay. Now, here's the section of the back wall we rigged. Plenty of room to crawl through.

[Bates]

Yeah, but what if somebody hears us knocking the wall out?

[Tapper]

Not a chance. We fixed that section so it's as weak as putty. Now, this muffled hammer will loosen the

[Bates]

bricks well, are you sure about the alarm tap?

[Janice Moultrie]

Sure.

[Tapper]

Hey, remember how we looped the wires? That'll keep the alarm dead within the limits I've marked here. Now, how about the vault? You got all that dope straight, Bates?

[Bates]

Yeah, Yeah, I can open that all right.

[Tapper]

Now, we gotta be careful about fingerprints. Don't forget we've got a wreck it now and they'll nab us prono if we leave any calling cards.

[Bates]

I got all that. Okay.

[Tapper]

Now, after we put the dough in the car, we go back and patch up that hole in the wall.

[Bates]

That's the part I don't like. I don't see why you want to do that.

[Tapper]

Because that'll give us a whole extra day to get away, that's why. This is Saturday night. If nobody notices anything wrong with the wall, the stick up won't be discovered until Monday morning.

[Bates]

I guess you're right at that.

[Tapper]

Now, let's grab a couple hours rest. We'll need it when we start driving here.

[Bates]

Sure.

[Tapper]

This is the best place in the world to sleep. Sweet dreams, pal.

[Bates]

What's that? Hey, Tapper. Hey, dam her.

[Tapper]

Take it easy, Bates. Wait a minute. It's only a dog running down toward the freight yards.

[Bates]

What time is it, Tapper?

[Tapper]

10:30.

[Bates]

It's time for us to start moving, huh?

[Tapper]

Bates, I've been thinking. There's just one thing that could trip us up on this job.

[Bates]

What's that?

[Tapper]

It's a long shot, but it's the kind of long shot I don't like.

[Bates]

Well, listen, Tapper, you can count me out. If it ain't foolproof, I ain't gonna.

[Tapper]

We can make it foolproof, Bates.

[Bates]

I. I don't get you.

[Tapper]

Well, when we was helping build that bank, we went under phony names and kept to ourselves.

[Bates]

Yeah, we was careful, all right.

[Janice Moultrie]

You.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

You wouldn't let me go.

[Tapper]

No. Do you remember Moultrie's little girl coming around one day and taking pictures of all the men on the job?

[Bates]

No, no, I don't remember that.

[Tapper]

Well, she did. Later I got the negatives from her. But now I'm wondering if she might have kept them pictures.

[Janice Moultrie]

Well, what if she did?

[Bates]

What's the difference?

[Tapper]

Plenty. The minute this stick ups discovered and they get a gander at that pulled out wall, the coppers will know was framed by somebody who helped build the place.

[Bates]

And then they'll start investigating. All them guys, huh?

[Tapper]

Yeah.

[Bates]

Yeah, but they'll be up a blind alley about us because of them phony names.

[Tapper]

That's where the pictures figure in. That Girl would turn them in and the police would match them up with two guys in the Rogues gallery by the name of Tapper and Bates.

[Bates]

Oh, that sells it. Count me out.

[Tapper]

Nothing doing. You and me are going to pay a little visit to Ms. Janice Moultrie. We've got to get them pictures.

[Bates]

Oh, not me.

[Tapper]

I'm not afraid to steal a few snapshots from a kid. Are you?

[Bates]

No.

[Janice Moultrie]

Only.

[Bates]

Well, look, Tapper, she. She won't be a kid now. She. She'd be grown up. So what? Nothing, I guess. Well, when do we get started?

[Tapper]

In another 10 minutes.

[Bates]

Say, Tapper, what if that Moultrie girl gets in our way?

[Tapper]

Then it's just gonna be too bad for her. Because I'm not gonna let any dame stand between me and that money. We'll get them pictures, bait if we have to plant that girl right down there beside her old man.

[Janice Moultrie]

Jim, it was sweet of you to drive all the way down here to Glenhurst to take Janice and me to the charity rally.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Pure selfishness on my part. Fern, I miss you when you go away for weekends.

[Janice Moultrie]

Nice. For a while, it looked as though both Janice and I were going to be stood up.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Why, I thought Bill Cummings was going along.

[Janice Moultrie]

He called Janice half an hour ago. He has to work. Something about drawing up a will for a sick client.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Oh, that's too bad. I was looking forward to seeing Bill again.

[Janice Moultrie]

Well, maybe after the rally.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

No, I can't. Inspector White's going to call me at my hotel at 11:30. I'll have to be there to get his call.

[Janice Moultrie]

We'll have to leave the rally early then. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I bet you'll both die.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Oh, Fern is always starving, Janice. Tell me, did she have an appetite like that when she went to school?

[Janice Moultrie]

Always. But how she managed to keep slim on it was what stymied the rest of us. I see where I'm in for a rivet. Jim, I'm awfully glad you could come. I wanted to talk to you about dad.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Your father?

[Janice Moultrie]

Yes. Janice still isn't convinced that it was an accident, Jim. No, I'm not, Jim. Oh, I know it was a long time ago and everyone seems to have forgotten all about it except me.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Well, it's natural for you to feel like that, Janice. But the police investigated the case thoroughly at the time and there was no hint of foul play.

[Janice Moultrie]

I know all that, Jim. But I knew my father. He was a most careful driver. And it was never established what he was doing out there on that lonely road that night.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Well, I'll recheck all the evidence tomorrow if it'll make you feel any better, Janice.

[Janice Moultrie]

Thanks, Jim.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Oh, hello, Bosco. Oh, boy. Come here, boy. Well, I believe old Bosco's glad to see me.

[Janice Moultrie]

Oh, Bosco, get down.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

No, no, it's all right, Janice. Come on, boy. How you, boy? How you feeling?

[Janice Moultrie]

We'd better go into dinner now so we can get started for the rally. Don't bother getting out of the car, Jim. You better drive straight to the hotel to get the inspector's call.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Yeah, it's 11 o' clock now.

[Janice Moultrie]

After your call comes, Jim, why don't you pick up Bill at his office and both of you come back for a snack. Yes, Drew.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Oh, that'll be fine. Now, let's see. Bill's office is on the second floor of the bank building, isn't it?

[Janice Moultrie]

That's right. We'll expect you in about an hour, then.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Yeah, maybe less. So long.

[Janice Moultrie]

Bye, Jim. I wonder where Bosco is. He usually meets us at the gate. Oh, he's probably down at the freight yards. The men down there on the meat cars are always feeding. They spoil him terribly. Now, where's my key? Oh, here it is. Oh, I'm glad you're here, Fern. I always dread coming into this house alone when Aunt Martha's away. What was that? Bosco must be here. Turn on the living room light. Fern. Bosco. Bosco, where are you?

[Tapper]

Stay right where you are, both of you.

[Janice Moultrie]

What do you want? What are you doing in my house?

[Tapper]

We just dropped in to have a look at your picture album, Ms. Moultrie.

[Janice Moultrie]

My picture album?

[Tapper]

Yeah. Where is it?

[Janice Moultrie]

I won't tell you.

[Tapper]

No. Maybe this gun will make you change your mind.

[Janice Moultrie]

Now I remember you. I remember both of you. You worked for my father on the bank construction job six years ago.

[Tapper]

You've got a good memory, Miss Moultrie, and that's just too bad for you.

[Bates]

Now talk.

[Tapper]

Where's them pictures?

[Janice Moultrie]

I won't give them to you.

[Tapper]

We'll see. Give her the arm treatment, Bates. I'll keep this other dame covered.

[Bates]

All right, sister, start singing and make it fast. We're in a hurry.

[Janice Moultrie]

Let me go.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Come on.

[Janice Moultrie]

No, no, I won't tell. Oh, let her alone. Help. Help.

[Tapper]

Shut up, you. Well, Ms. Moultrie, are you going to talk or does Bates have to break your arm?

[Janice Moultrie]

Oh, tell them, Janice. Don't let them hurt you like that. All right, let go of my arm. I'll tell you.

[Bates]

Be quick about it, then.

[Janice Moultrie]

The album's in A chest in that closet.

[Tapper]

Get it, Bates.

[Janice Moultrie]

Okay, I know what you're after now. You want those pictures I took of you.

[Tapper]

Smart girl. Too smart. Hey, did you find it, Bates?

[Bates]

Yeah, the album's here.

[Janice Moultrie]

All right.

[Tapper]

Well, hurry up. See if the pictures are in it.

[Bates]

Well, here they are. Hey, they're good, too.

[Janice Moultrie]

Now, will you take them and get out of here?

[Tapper]

We'd be pretty dumb to do that, wouldn't we? No, you two dames are coming with us.

[Janice Moultrie]

Coming with you? Why?

[Tapper]

Security reasons. I've learned that the only good witness is a dead witness.

[Janice Moultrie]

You can't get away with a thing like this, you know.

[Tapper]

You go bring the car up in front of the house. We're all going for a little ride.

[Narrator]

And now back to the Avenger and the Rendezvous with Murder.

[Small Business Owner]

Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees, but I don't really need it.

[Corporate Retailer]

Infliction is killing me, but who cares? Big retailers are making record profits. That's why we support the Durbin Marshall credit card bill.

[Small Business Owner]

See? Banks and credit unions helps small businesses make payroll. This bill would cut the vital resources

[Corporate Retailer]

they need while increasing megastore profits. They deserve it, don't they?

[Autotrader Narrator]

Tell Congress, stop the Durbin Marshall money grab for corporate megastores paid for by the Electronic Payments Coalition.

[Small Business Owner]

Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees, but I don't really need it.

[Corporate Retailer]

Infliction is killing me, but who cares? Big retailers are making record profits. That's why we support the Durbin Marshall credit card bill.

[Small Business Owner]

See, banks and credit unions help small business businesses make payroll. This bill would cut the vital resources

[Corporate Retailer]

they need while increasing megastore profits. They deserve it, don't they?

[Autotrader Narrator]

Tell Congress, stop the Durban Marshall money grab for corporate megastores paid for by the Electronic Payments Coalition.

[Janice Moultrie]

Why? This is the freight yard. Why have you brought us here?

[Tapper]

We're gonna let you off easy. We're sending you two dames off on a little trip.

[Janice Moultrie]

What are you talking about?

[Narrator]

You'll see.

[Tapper]

Pull up here.

[Bates]

Tapper,

[Tapper]

get out and open up one of them refrigerator cars. Bates? Sure.

[Janice Moultrie]

No. No, please. You're not going.

[Tapper]

Come on, this is the end of the line. Get out.

[Janice Moultrie]

Vern, what can we do?

[Bates]

Nothing.

[Tapper]

Get out, I said. One peep out of either of you and it'll be your last.

[Bates]

How you doing, Bates?

[Tapper]

Over here.

[Bates]

Chapper. These guys are packed and ready to go. I got one of the doors open, though.

[Tapper]

Okay, throw the dames in.

[Bates]

Okay, Come on, get in there.

[Janice Moultrie]

I'd rather be.

[Bates]

Throw her inside, baby. All right, T. Now the other One. Come on, come on. Lift your feet up. Get in there. There we are.

[Tapper]

Now, close the door and fix the lock.

[Bates]

Okay.

[Tapper]

Yeah, that's that. Come on, Bates.

[Janice Moultrie]

Keep pounding, Janice. Maybe someone will hear us before the freight pulls out. I can't, Fern. My hands are getting numb. Oh, pound hard. It'll keep the circulation going. What's the use? We're doomed, Fern. We might as well face Janice. Don't give up. Please.

[Bates]

Listen,

[Janice Moultrie]

it's Bosco. Oh, yes, Paul. John. Janice. Bosco. Bosco is Janice. Get help. Bosco, we're moving. Help, Bosco. Help. Keep counting, Janice. We'll keep counting as long as we can.

[Bates]

Help.

[Janice Moultrie]

Help. Oh, I can't.

[Bates]

I'm too cold.

[Janice Moultrie]

We're freez.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Room 205. This is Bill's office. Bill? It's Jim Brandon, Bill. Oh, must have gone, I guess. Well, that's strange. Bill wouldn't leave his office unlocked. I'll just take a look. What's that hammering, I wonder? Coming from below that back window. Something very interesting going on down there. I wonder if Bill could have seen that. Better flash my light around here before I could, Bill. Somebody knocked him out cold. Now it looks as though this is another job for the Avenger.

[Tapper]

Hold it a minute, Bates.

[Janice Moultrie]

Huh?

[Bates]

What's up?

[Tapper]

Yeah, it's a couple pounding his beat on the other side of the street.

[Bates]

That flat foot better keep moving if he knows what's good for. Shut up. Is he gone?

[Tapper]

Yeah, he. He's just turning the corner now. Okay, we can get back to work, right? I'm finished at this end. How about you, Bates?

[Bates]

Well, just a little more.

[Tapper]

Okay.

[Bates]

Did you check the wires, Pepper?

[Tapper]

Yeah, just like we left them six years ago.

[Bates]

Okay, I'm ready.

[Tapper]

Good. Crawl in. The vault's right inside on the left.

[Bates]

Yeah, yeah, I know. Come on. Yeah, here.

[Tapper]

Oh, boy. Oh, boy, what a setup. This plan was foolproof. There's the vault. Bates. Get busy.

[Bates]

Hey, give me some light here, will you? Yep. Gotta hand it to you, Tapper. This was a pretty sweet idea you dreamed of six years ago.

[Tapper]

Now you're willing to admit it was worth bumping off motor before, huh?

[Bates]

Sure was. You know, that door is as good as ours right now. What was that? I heard a funny noise.

[Tapper]

Yeah, so did I.

[Janice Moultrie]

But.

[Tapper]

But there can't be anybody in here.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Can't there, Tapper?

[Tapper]

Who's there?

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

It's the Avenger, Tapper. I'm here to settle an old score for Peter Moultrie.

[Bates]

Somebody framed his Tapper. Let's blow.

[Tapper]

No, he's One against the two of us. We can take care of him. Grab that crowbar, Bates. I'll flash the light around. We'll find him.

[Bates]

There's nobody here, Tapper. He's gone.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

No, I'm still here, Bates. But you can't see me.

[Tapper]

The voice came from that corner. Start swinging, Bates.

[Bates]

Hey, somebody here.

[Tapper]

Keep swinging your fool. We've got him, Cornish.

[Bates]

I think I hit something, Tapper. Hey, give me the light. Yeah.

[Tapper]

I don't see nothing.

[Bates]

Well, that's mighty funny. I hit somebody, but there's nobody here.

[Tapper]

You're nuts. He got away, that's what.

[Janice Moultrie]

Yeah.

[Tapper]

Come on, Bates.

[Bates]

We gotta take it on the lamb.

[Tapper]

The cops will be here in a minute.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

They won't get far. As soon as I set off this burglar alarm, I'll start after.

[Bates]

Step on it, Chapper.

[Tapper]

I'm giving her all she got, Mr. Lapy ain't got wings, you know.

[Janice Moultrie]

Hey.

[Bates]

Hey, look, Chopper, there's a car following.

[Tapper]

Yeah. Hey, you're right.

[Bates]

It must be that Avenger guy.

[Tapper]

I told you. You didn't get him.

[Janice Moultrie]

I did.

[Bates]

I hit him, but then. Then he disappeared.

[Tapper]

I know. He scrammed. That's what he did.

[Bates]

Hey, he's gaining on us.

[Tapper]

Give him a dose of that, Bates. It's him or us now.

[Bates]

I'll try to hit his tires.

[Tapper]

Did you get him?

[Bates]

No, he's still coming. He's turned his headlights off.

[Tapper]

Try again.

[Bates]

We're gone too fast.

[Janice Moultrie]

Heer.

[Bates]

I can't get a bead on him.

[Tapper]

Hey, there's the railroad crossing up ahead. And the freight's coming.

[Bates]

Yeah, if we can beat that freight to the crossing, we can lose this guy.

[Tapper]

It'll be close, but it's our only chance. Sit tight.

[Bates]

What's the matter with a car, Tapper?

[Tapper]

I don't know.

[Bates]

The engine's missing. Guys like we're out of gas. You can't make it, Tepper. Stop.

[Tapper]

We gotta make it.

[Bates]

Hey, we're still on the track.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Breakman. Over here. Bring your light.

[Narrator]

Well, if I ever saw anybody ask for what they got, those fellas did know who they were.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Yeah, they just broke into the bank in Glenhurst. I saw them making a getaway and followed.

[Narrator]

Yeah, well, they didn't get far.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

No, they certainly didn't. Say, that's Bosco. Come here, Bosco.

[Narrator]

Come here, boy.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

The freight all the way from the yardsco down. What's the matter, boy? What is it?

[Narrator]

Oh, he's after scraps from that refrigerator car.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

I don't think so. I'm gonna Have a look. What is it, Bosco? What's the matter, boy? What are you trying to tell me? Somebody's in there.

[Narrator]

What's up?

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Somebody's inside that car. Brakeman, I heard a pounding on the door.

[Narrator]

I don't hear anything.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Open up that car, I tell you. There's someone in there.

[Narrator]

Listen, bud, there can't be anybody in there. That's a sealed car.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Sealed? Take a look at that door. That railroad seal's been broken.

[Narrator]

Yeah, you're right. Okay, mister, I'll open her up.

[Janice Moultrie]

Call.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

It's Fern and Janice. Give me a handbraker.

[Janice Moultrie]

Sure.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

There, there. It's all right, Fern. You're safe now. Here, quick. Help me get them out of here.

[Janice Moultrie]

They're almost frozen. It's Sam.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Are you sure you feel well enough to drive home today, Fern?

[Janice Moultrie]

Yes, I'm all right now, Jim. Of course, I don't feel in the mood for any winter sports yet. Have another hot drink, Fern. Thank you, Janice. There's just one more thing I'm not quite clear on, Jim.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

And what's that, Janice?

[Janice Moultrie]

Why did those criminals try to get rid of Bill?

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

I think Bill can get you straight on that. What happened, Bill?

[Bates]

Well, I was hard at work in my office when I heard a strange hammering sound below the back window. I looked out and saw two men down below. But when I called down to find out what was going on, they just disappeared around the side of the building. I decided to go down and investigate. But before I had time to get out of the office, the two men came in. One of them turned off the light and covered me with a flashlight. The other one must have worked his way around behind me and hit me over the head.

[Janice Moultrie]

I see. Then when Jim came to call for you, he discovered what was going on?

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

That's right. As soon as I saw what Tapper and Bates were up to, I went down and drained the gasoline out of their car and then followed them into the bank. I wanted to get a line on them, so I listened to them talking for a while before I did anything.

[Janice Moultrie]

What did you find out, Jim?

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Well, they were boasting about how they'd planned the robbery six years ago. Evidently, Janice's father discovered what they were doing, so they killed him and made it look like an accident.

[Janice Moultrie]

But if you were in the bank with them, Jim, how did they make a getaway in their car?

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Well, that hole in the wall left the bank wide open. I had to sound the alarm before I followed them. Anyway, I knew they couldn't get far with a gas tank that was practically empty.

[Janice Moultrie]

It really seems as though those two men had a rendezvous with justice at that crossing, doesn't it?

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

Yes, it was another so called perfect crime that backfired.

[Bates]

Well, are you just trying to put it out of your mind now, Janice?

[Janice Moultrie]

Okay, Bill, come on. I'll put a fresh dressing on your head. The doctor said to change it every hour.

[Bates]

Yes, nursing.

[Janice Moultrie]

We'll be back in a minute. Take your time, Jim One doesn't have to be a detective to figure out that we'll be coming to Glenhurst for a wedding very soon.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

It certainly looks that way, Fern.

[Janice Moultrie]

Jim, do you suppose that we could could what? Fern? Do you suppose that we could could have picked up all this on the telepathic indicator if we had stayed at home? Sam.

[Narrator]

All characters, names, places and plots used in the Avenger program are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

[Jim Brandon (The Avenger)]

This is a thought. A thought. A thought. Remember. Listen for another adventure of.

[Narrator]

The Avenger.

[Tapper]

It.