The Fat Man 46-09-09 (034) The Crooked Horse

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "The Fat Man 46-09-09 (034) The Crooked Horse"

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Episode Air Date: October 8, 2025 (original radio play 1946)
Golden Age Classic: The Fat Man, "The Crooked Horse"

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Episode Overview

This episode of "The Fat Man" delves into an atmospheric detective thriller set in a hotel, involving espionage, murder, and a missing secret formula. The hard-boiled private detective, Brad Runyon (aka The Fat Man), is pulled into a labyrinthine plot by a mysterious woman claiming to be a U.S. secret agent. A vanished body, unreliable witnesses, and international intrigue unravel as Runyon sets out to untangle a web of lies and murder.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Mysterious Murder in Room 610

• [02:58–04:03]
  A woman, Miss Farley, seeks out Runyon, insisting she witnessed a murder the previous night in hotel room 610. Yet, the body—and any evidence—has vanished.

  • Memorable description: "The girl wasn’t beautiful, but there was a straightforwardness about her… I liked her."
    —Runyon, [01:38]

• [03:20] She recounts hearing code phrases—"a thousand and one pardons, but have you the time? ... The time is now... White... Black..."—before a "popping noise," a groan, and running footsteps.

2. Conflicting Testimonies & Early Clues

• [06:11–07:11]
  Runyon confronts the night clerk, but the clerk insists he never saw the woman and that room 610 was reserved.
  • Notable exchange:
    • "A popular room, isn't it?" —Runyon
    • "Afraid I don't follow you." —Clerk

3. Espionage Revealed

• [13:16]
  The woman reveals herself to be a U.S. secret agent on an urgent mission, admitting she was eavesdropping on the next room with a cocktail glass.

  • "I'm a United States secret agent." —Miss Farley, [13:16]
  • She cannot show identification, explaining, "Obviously, I can't carry identification when I'm on a mission. I'm completely on my own." [13:19]

• She explains the murdered man was a foreign agent supposed to pick up a secret formula from an American contact, but was apparently killed by an imposter.

4. The Missing Formula & More Deaths

• [16:17–18:18]

  • Runyon suspects the night clerk is the hidden agent with the formula.
  • The mysterious Walker checks out, likely suspecting the setup.

• [20:01] The missing body's found staged as a sleeping guest across the hall.

  • "That's the man. The man I followed from the airport." —Miss Farley, [20:01]

• [21:00–22:00] The search continues. The bodies begin to pile up—a clear sign of convoluted espionage intrigue.

5. Violence Escalates and The Secret Hiding Place

• [23:47–24:05]
  Miss Farley is attacked and tied up by the murderer, later rescued by Runyon.

• [25:03–26:34]
  Runyon deduces the formula wasn’t hidden as a typical piece of paper.

  • Memorable reveal:
    • "The easiest way in the world to fool people is by what you might call misplaced attention." —Runyon, [25:04]
    • He notices the wallpaper's haphazard alignment and discovers the formula written on the back of a strip behind the bed.

6. Final Showdown

• [26:39–27:47] The imposter (Walker) returns, gun in hand, trying to seize the formula. Runyon uses quick thinking and physically overpowers Walker, saving the secret.

  • ”This life is made up of chance, sweetheart. Besides, I used to drop kick from my college football team.” —Runyon, [27:54]

• [28:02–29:21] Miss Farley pleads with Runyon to hand over the formula.

  • "But you can’t give it to me. I've got to return it, don’t you see? Please, quickly, before somebody comes." —Miss Farley Runyon, unsure of her true allegiance, decides to turn it over himself to Washington.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Cynicism about detective work:
  "The life of a real detective isn’t made up of silk dressing gowns, briar pipes and intricate clues any more than the life of a real son soldier is made up of pretty uniforms." —Runyon, [01:00]

• On the murder and the vanished body:
  "The body of the dead man is gone. The hotel doesn't think there was a murder..." —Miss Farley, [03:10]

• Sound of murder described:
  "I heard a soft popping noise. As if someone had shut off a very weak firecracker. Then I heard a groan of pain and the slam of a door..." —Miss Farley, [04:54]

• On misplaced suspicion:
  "You know, a cocktail glass with water on it makes a swell Dictaphone. If you press the glass against the wall, put your ear to the stem." —Runyon, [11:52]

• Discovery of the formula:
  "Here, look here at this strip of paper behind the bed. See this figure of a horse? The horse is split in two where the paper joins..." —Runyon, [25:47]

• Coded suspense and closure:
  "The fate of a nation is riding again. Are you drunk? What's that mean? It means that I’ve got to make a very important trip to Washington, O'Hara." —Runyon, [29:25]

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Key Timestamps

• 00:46 – Introduction of The Fat Man (Brad Runyon)
• 02:58 – The girl reports the murder in room 610
• 04:30 – The coded conversation (‘white’/‘black’) and gunshot
• 06:11 – Confrontation with the night clerk
• 13:16 – Woman reveals she’s a secret agent
• 16:25 – Runyon suspects the night clerk as the foreign agent
• 20:01 – Discovery of the body staged in another room
• 23:47 – The woman is attacked and tied up
• 25:11 – The misdirected clue: wallpaper’s “crooked horse”
• 27:43 – Final confrontation with Walker
• 28:29 – Runyon decides to hand-deliver the formula to Washington himself

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Tone & Style

The episode is a rich example of hard-boiled detective fiction, with snappy dialogue, dry wit, and a sense of atmospheric paranoia befitting wartime espionage tales. Brad Runyon’s narration is self-deprecating and sardonic but ultimately principled and sympathetic.

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Conclusion

This story offers a tightly-woven mix of classic detective tropes and cloak-and-dagger espionage. Through twists, double-crosses, and the clever deduction involving a crooked horse on the wallpaper, "The Crooked Horse" captures the suspense and misdirection that mark the best of Golden Age radio mysteries. Runyon’s detective instincts—and his human judgment—save the day, as the fate of a secret formula and the nation hang in the balance.

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Transcript

[A]

Limu Emu and Doug. Here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty Savings vary Underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.

[B]

Weight 237 lbs. Fortune Dangerous. Who is it?

[A]

The Fat Man. The American Broadcasting Company brings you the adventures of Dashiell Hammett's fascinating and exciting character, the Fat Man. A fast moving criminologist who tips the scales at 237 pounds. Tonight's adventure, the Crooked Horse. And now here is the Fat Man. You know, if a young man told me he wanted to be a detective and asked my advice, I think the most important thing I could tell him would be this. The life of a real detective isn't made up of silk dressing gowns, briar pipes and intricate clues any more than the life of a real son soldier is made up of pretty uniforms. Parades and bugle calls. They're both tough, hard businesses. And no matter what the sweetness and light boys say, it just isn't a fact that every criminal has a yellow streak down his back any more than it was true that every enemy soldier was a coward at heart. Sure, there are yellow crooks, but not all of them. Because it stands to reason that a job of violence simply won't appeal to a man who scares easily. And believe me, whether you like it or not, this is a more mighty important thing to know when you're dealing with a murderer. The girl wasn't beautiful, but there was a straightforwardness about her that there wasn't any coyness or fear in her voice. She looked me straight in the eye. I liked her. She tossed her perky little hat on my desk and tapped the cigarette on the back of her hand.

[B]

I hear the murder in room 610 of the Parker Hotel at 2:30 this morning.

[A]

Well, this isn't the police station, Miss Farley.

[B]

The police wouldn't be interested Mrs. Running.

[A]

Why not?

[B]

Because the body of the dead man is gone. The hotel doesn't think there was a murder. In fact, the night clerk says there wasn't anybody registered in room 6 10.

[A]

So what's your interest in the matter?

[B]

What would you do if you heard somebody in the next room of yours murdered? Heard a door slam, heard running footsteps go down the hole? And when you Looked through the keyhole, saw a dead man staring at you.

[A]

All right. Either go back to sleep and see if I couldn't have a nicer dream. Or I'd go downstairs and tell a.

[B]

Hotel clerk it wasn't a dream. And I went down to see the clerk. We look at the register, and there was nobody listed in room 6 10. We went upstairs. The room was empty.

[A]

Did it look as if it had been occupied?

[B]

No. That's why I came to you. Something very peculiar happened in that room last night, and I'm sure a man was killed.

[A]

You said you heard this murder. What do you mean? Did something wake you up?

[B]

No. I was in bed reading, when I heard a knock on the door of the room next to mine. The door opened. I heard a man's voice say, a thousand and one pardons, but have you the time? Another man's voice answered, but of course, the time is now.

[A]

That doesn't make much sense. You're sure you heard that?

[B]

Yes. It sounded so strange that I continued listening closely. I heard footsteps in the room, and then there was a slight pause. Suddenly the second voice said, white. There was another pause, and the first man answered, black. And then I heard an exclamation of surprise or anger.

[A]

From black or white, I couldn't tell.

[B]

Almost immediately I heard the soft popping noise. As if someone had shut off a very weak firecracker. Then I heard a groan of pain and the slam of a door. Footsteps ran down the hall quickly. By the time I opened my door, the hall was empty. You know the rest.

[A]

Did you get a good look at the man's face through the keyhole?

[B]

Yes. It was directly in front of the keyhole. He was sitting in a chair facing the door. His body had slumped back, but his head was hanging to one side. His eyes were wide open.

[A]

Light was on in the room?

[B]

Yes, but it was off when I came back with the clerk.

[A]

And there wasn't anything in the room that looked suspicious?

[B]

Nothing. What do you make of it, Mr. Runyon?

[A]

I think the hotel people are probably right. I think you had a very realistic nightmare.

[B]

I tell you, it's Washington nightmare. I'm positive about it.

[A]

Why so positive?

[B]

Because this morning I stopped at the hotel desk. And looked in the box of room 610. If that room had been unoccupied, there would have been a key there. The box was empty. Mr. Runyon.

[A]

I'd like to see the clerk who was on duty at the death gate last night. Where can I find him? I was on duty last night. What's wrong? That's what I want you to tell me. I don't understand. Can we talk where it's a little more private? Ah, yes, I guess so. Just let me. Sir, I have a bit of a problem and perhaps you can help me. Ah, yes sir. Just a second, please. Okay. What is it? Sir, I suppose you think I'm silly, but you see, I am very like sleeper. The slightest noise awakens me and I have great difficulty in getting back to sleep. Now, I'm a very busy man and most certainly I need my rest. Oh, I'm sorry, sir. I am already registered here in the hotel. Walker is my name. Oh, yes sir. My room is directly on the street and it is quite noisy. I was wondering if I might not have another room. Well, perhaps one on the back, near the corridor. Well, I don't know, sir.

[B]

Room 6 10.

[A]

I noticed it as I came out this morning. It seems to be in a position where it would be quieter than one of the others. Room 610? Well, I don't know, sir. Just a second. I'm sorry, sir, but room 610 is reserved. Yes, sir. I'm afraid there are no other vacancies on that floor. Perhaps in some other. But perhaps I could have the room just for the afternoon. I really feel that I could write there. I'm sorry, sir, but that's quite out of the question. I see. Well, thank you. Sorry, sir. A popular room, isn't it? Beg your pardon, sir? Room 610. Isn't that the room the young lady thought she heard a murder in last night? Afraid I don't follow you. Didn't you say you were on duty here last night? That's right. Were you the only clerk? Of course. Didn't a girl registered in room 608 come down about 2 o' clock this morning, tell you she'd heard a murder committed in room 610 room next to hers? Didn't you both go back and find a room empty? No, I don't understand. I didn't see any girl early this morning. What's more, I didn't leave the desk all night. I lit a cigarette, walked to the far end of the lobby where I could watch the clerk at the desk. Ten minutes passed and another Kurt came on duty and my boy said a few words to him. Walked across the library lobby to an empty elevator. The door shut, the hand on the dial swung slowly around the number 10 and stopped. There was another elevator standing open. I got in and rode up to the sixth floor. The corridor was empty. I took a pass key out of my pocket and walked slowly down past room 608 and stopped in front of 6:10. The passkey worked fine. I went into 6:10 and locked the door behind me. It was a typical second rate hotel room. A double bed, a couple of chairs, a desk with some aged writing paper, an unused Gideon Bylaw. A chest of drawers stood against one wall. Ill fitting, faded wallpaper of an ancient hunting scene looked down on the room from all sides. I tried the dresser drawers first. Free hairpins, a silk stocking with a run. And the stub of a theater ticket were all I found. The desk was empty and there was nothing under the mattress or the ragged throw rug in the center of the floor. On top of the desk stood a glass bowl of artificial flowers. My elbow was resting on the desk six inches from it. When a key slipped into the lock of the door. My arm jerked around and hit the bowl. The key went out of the lock and pushed. The key ran off down the hall. The corridor was empty when I opened the door. I closed it and locked it. Then I walked next door to 608.

[B]

Oh, come in, Mr. Runyon. Have you known anything yet?

[A]

Maybe. How long have you been here in your room?

[B]

A couple of hours, I guess. Why?

[A]

Hear anything in the next room? The one where you thought you heard the murder last night?

[B]

Oh, no. I haven't heard anything in there. Why did you think?

[A]

I don't know. Something isn't adding up, sweetheart.

[B]

What do you mean?

[A]

I mean the night clerk told me he didn't see you last night. And he didn't come up here to the room next door.

[B]

What?

[A]

But.

[B]

Oh, that's ridiculous. Of course he did. He's lying.

[A]

Are you sure he's the one who's lying? Of course.

[B]

Wait a minute. You don't think that I'm lying?

[A]

Yeah, sweetheart, but I'm not, I tell you.

[B]

Why should I lie about that?

[A]

That's what I'd like to find out. I don't understand.

[B]

Why on earth would that clerk lie to you?

[A]

A little early in the day for Martini's, isn't it?

[B]

What are you talking about?

[A]

This cocktail glass. You know, a cocktail glass with water on it makes a swell Dictaphone. If you press the glass against the wall, put your ear to the stem. What do you mean? I mean that you didn't accidentally hear anything in room 610 last night. You did hear something. You were using this glass and you were listening. Why? But I tell you not, sweetheart, I just knocked a bowl of Flowers? Over in that room. And you didn't even hear that you.

[B]

Were in just the desk in room 6 10?

[A]

Yes. Somebody stuck the key in the door just before the flowers went over. It couldn't have been you, could it?

[B]

Why? No. What did you find in the room?

[A]

Nothing. What did you think I might find?

[B]

I don't.

[A]

Now come clean. If you want my help, you've got to tell me the truth. What's it all about? Why were you listening against the wall last night?

[B]

I can't tell you that.

[A]

Okay, honey, it's been nice knowing you.

[B]

Oh, no, wait. Please, I. I need your help.

[A]

Well, then talk. And talk straight.

[B]

All right. I guess there isn't anything else for me to do. Promise me, though, please give me a word that you'll keep secret. What I'm going to tell you. It's very important. More important than you know.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I'm a United States secret agent.

[A]

Then you prove it.

[B]

Of course not. At least not here. Obviously, I can't carry identification when I'm on a mission. I'm completely on my own. Funds are deposited in a certain bank for me. And I use them in any manner I see fit to achieve my aims. This morning I saw fit to hire you because I need help.

[A]

The peculiar occurrences in the next room are, of course, part of the job you're working on.

[B]

Of course.

[A]

12 stories.

[B]

It's a true one. Mr. Runyon, I really need your help. Won't you please believe me?

[A]

Maybe I'm a SAP. Okay, I'll play it blind. What's the setup?

[B]

Well, the man who was murdered last night is an important foreign agent. He arrived from Europe yesterday and came to this hotel. I followed him and got this room next to his. Now, there's another agent of the same government. Already operating in this country. But we don't know who he is. Some time ago, we discovered that he had come into possession of a very valuable secret paper. A formula which our government alone had. The man in the next room was to contact this unknown agent and then return to Europe.

[A]

And your job was to stop him?

[B]

Yes. When the door opened last night and I heard the strange password, I thought, of course, that the unknown agent had arrived.

[A]

But it wasn't the right man.

[B]

No. Whoever entered that room last night Was obviously trying to impersonate the real agent. When he failed to give the correct countersign to the second password. The man next to must have reached for a gun. And the imposter was forced to kill him.

[A]

Have you any idea who the murderer might be?

[B]

He's probably an agent for some other foreign power who had even more information than we did. At least he knew one of the passwords, which is more than I knew.

[A]

It's possible that the contact had already been made without your knowledge. And the murdered man had to pay for it.

[B]

I don't see how the contact could have been made without my knowledge.

[A]

Well, that would have been easy. The secret paper could have been hidden in the room waiting for the man from Europe. I don't think that happened, though.

[B]

Why not?

[A]

Because I think I saw the murderer down in the lobby a little while ago. He said his name was Walker. He was anxious to rent room 610. He said he was registered in the hotel.

[B]

Then the paper must still be in the room.

[A]

I went over it pretty carefully and didn't find anything. That's why I don't think it was hidden there. I think the other agent, the one who was supposed to contact the man from Europe, still has it. I think he found the body and guess what had happened. Maybe he didn't know whether the dead man was his agent or somebody his agent had killed. At any rate, he knew he had to get rid of the body.

[B]

But how?

[A]

Where? Now, listen to me.

[B]

Yes?

[A]

You stay here with your wine glass. Keep your ear on the next floor.

[B]

Where are you going?

[A]

Down to the lobby. I want to find out which room this fellow Walker's registered in.

[B]

But. But the body. You said you knew it.

[A]

I said I think I know. It would be easy if the real agent happened to be the right person.

[B]

The right person? What do you mean?

[A]

I mean the night clerk. Can I help you, sir? Yeah, I'm looking for a fellow works here who's night clerk. Mr. Evans? Yeah, that's the fellow. Is he around here now? Why? He went off duty a little while ago. He was on all night, so I imagine he's asleep in his room. What room does he have? He's in 1003. Not at all. Oh, by the way, I believe there's an old friend of mine here in the hotel. His name is William Walker. I wonder if you could tell me what room he's in, too. Certainly, sir. Just a second. Walker. Walker. I don't seem to. Oh, yes. This must be your friend, Henry Walker. Yeah, that's the one. Well, I'm afraid you're too late, sir. Mr. Walker checked out of the hotel about half an hour ago. Walker's gone? Checked out?

[B]

Gone. Then he did find the paper.

[A]

I don't think so.

[B]

Why would he leave then?

[A]

I think he was Worried about the missing body. When he realized the murder hadn't been discovered, he came down and tried to rent the room where the body had been. But told the room was vacation but was reserved. What would you do in a case like that?

[B]

You mean he guessed that the night clerk must be the unknown agent?

[A]

Exactly. And he must have realized that the clerk would suspect him for trying to get the wound. So he checked out and moved to a safer place. But I think he'll be back either to see the clerk or to look that room over again.

[B]

Where's the clerk now?

[A]

He's asleep in his room. Do you hear anything next door?

[B]

No, no, nothing.

[A]

But.

[B]

But if the clerk is the other agent, we ought to.

[A]

You keep. Right now I want to look the murder room over again. See if I can find the missing body.

[B]

That's the chair the dead man was sitting in when I looked through the keyhole.

[A]

Yeah, I know.

[B]

What are you going to do?

[A]

I'm gonna try and figure something out. After you heard the murder. Muffled popping sound which must have been a gun with a silencer. You heard the door slam. Then you heard running footsteps going away, right?

[B]

Yes. And by the time I opened my door, the corridor was empty. This door was locked. It was about 15 minutes later that the clerk and I came back up here.

[A]

So if the clerk happened to be on his way up here when you were going down, he could have passed you in the elevator.

[B]

Then he discovered the body.

[A]

Exactly. A dead man is hard to move. It didn't take the clerk long to hide the body. So it must be near here. Maybe the room across the hall. Let's take a look.

[B]

Nobody there. Somebody asleep in the bed.

[A]

That's what the hotel maid probably thought too. He's a smart boy, that Tuck. Look.

[B]

Yes, that's the man. The man I followed from the airport. The man sitting in the chair, stiff.

[A]

As a poker, who shot. All right. Right in the heart. Here, help me go through his pockets.

[B]

All right. Had a suitcase when he arrived. Not your room.

[A]

The clerk probably got rid of it or took it to his own room. He could carry that where he couldn't carry a body. You see anything here that looks like your secret paper?

[B]

No. No, it's not here.

[A]

The clerk's probably got it. Or it's still hidden somewhere in the murder room.

[B]

What are you doing?

[A]

I'm gonna cover this dead man up again. Chances are the body won't be discovered now for another 12 or more hours. I want you to go back to your room, keep watching the room where this fellow was killed.

[B]

What are you going to do?

[A]

I think it's time I had a talk with the night clerk. I stopped in front of the clerk's room and listened. No sound came from inside. Nothing happened. I slipped my hand inside my coat, pulled my gun from the shoulder holster. Then I tried the door. It wasn't locked. The room was dark because the shades were pulled down. But it wasn't dark enough to hide the figure of a man sprawling grotesquely on the bed, his head hanging limply toward the floor. I groped for the light switch. It was Evan, the clerk. One of his hands clutched the rumpled sheet, the other was folded beneath him. A bright trail of blood slid down the side of the bed and formed a dark pool on the floor. I closed the door with my foot and looked round the room. Two suitcases lay on the floor, their contents beside them in a jumbled heap. Drawers had been empty, pillows flashed, rugs pulled up, pictures pulled down. The killer hadn't missed a trick. From the completeness of the search, it was pretty obvious he hadn't found what he was looking for. I switched off the lights, locked the door and started running for the stairs at the end of the hall. There wasn't time to wait for the elevator. The gun was still in my hand. When I opened the door of the girls room on the sixth floor, she was gone. An overturned chair lay on the floor near the door, the broken cocktail glass beside it. Everything else looked in order. Slipping the safety on my gun, I turned once more toward the hall. Then I stopped. Something moved behind the closed door. The bathroom. I yanked it open and stepped back. The girl lay on her side on the floor, her hands and feet tied with stockings. A wash rag stuffed in her mouth served as a gag. Now, just a second. I'll have these off. There we are.

[B]

We've got to stop him. He hasn't found the papers yet.

[A]

Quick.

[B]

I tie my hands.

[A]

Right? Right.

[B]

What happened was only a minute or two after you. I was standing near the door, holding its glass against the wall, listening. Suddenly I heard someone thumbing at the door of the room next door. I opened my door as quietly as possible to look out into the hall, but it must have hurt me. He was standing right in front of me, gun in his hand.

[A]

You didn't scream? No.

[B]

No. He hit me. And it's all I remember until just a second ago. I don't know how long I was unconscious.

[A]

Wasn't long. I wasn't going more than 15 or 20 minutes, but that's long.

[B]

Enough. He hadn't found the paper and that's why he came back. The clerk. What about him?

[A]

Dead, just before I got there.

[B]

The clerk didn't have it after all. It was hidden in the room next door. Walker's had time by now. He must have found it.

[A]

Don't be so sure. Unless Walker is smarter than I think he is. The formula is still there. But where? I don't know yet. But we're going to have another good blood look at that room.

[B]

He certainly went through everything.

[A]

Yeah, it was the same in the clerk's room.

[B]

But he must have found the formula.

[A]

Why?

[B]

There's no place else to look. He's even thrashed the mattress open.

[A]

Yeah, he opened it twice. He went through the pillows twice, too. If he had found. Why go through the whole room twice?

[B]

I see what you mean. Then you think it's still here.

[A]

I'm sure of it.

[B]

But there's nowhere else to look. It's impossible that a piece of paper with that much writing on it could still be hidden in here.

[A]

No, you're wrong.

[B]

I don't understand.

[A]

Well, look at it this way. The easiest way in the world to fool people is by what you might call misplaced attention.

[B]

Then do you mean there isn't any paper in this room?

[A]

Exactly. I told you that Kirk was smart. He knew if anyone searched for the formula, they'd naturally look for a piece of paper. That's what I mean by misdirected attention. The formula is here, all right. But it isn't on a hidden piece of paper in an envelope. That's why Walker and I didn't find it.

[B]

You mean it? It might be written on the ceiling or.

[A]

Nothing is cruder that you know where it is? I think so aware. Look at the walls. Doesn't anything strike you as off key?

[B]

The wall, you mean?

[A]

Sure, I mean the wallpaper. Here, look here at this strip of paper behind the bed. See this figure of a horse? The horse is split in two where the paper joins. The hind part is nearly an inch lower than the front part near the ceiling. The wall shows three. No paper hanger would be that careless.

[B]

Then there is a paper after all. And it's behind the wallpaper.

[A]

No, there isn't a paper behind there that would show make a bulge. Unless I miss my guess, the formula is written directly on the back of that strip of wallpaper.

[B]

Quick, let's see.

[A]

No, not so fast. It might tear. Here. I got a. There. Look.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yes, it is.

[B]

It's a formula. Quickly, let me have it.

[A]

Thank you, my friend.

[B]

Walk out.

[A]

Oh, so you came back. Put your hands over your heads. Quickly.

[B]

How did you get.

[A]

I'm better at opening doors quietly than you are, my dear. So you really were an agent. And I, like a stupid fool, thought you were merely the guest in the next room. I should have killed you then. You've done too much killing already, Walker, or whatever your real name is. I have more to do too. Very clever of you to find the formula. You would make an excellent man for this type of work. I like my type better. Keep your hands up high. Now turn around slowly, facing me. That's good. Now you fat man, stop the formula on the floor in front of you. But keep your hands high. Okay. Excellent. Excellent. Now I will just pick it up. Now you will get. What? Yeah. Not fast enough, son.

[B]

An awful chance kicking him. When you bend over. He might still have been able to shoot.

[A]

This life has made up a chance, sweetheart. Besides, I used to drop kick from my college football team.

[B]

Is he dead?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That shot, somebody must have heard it. Quick, we've got to get out of here. Give me the fun.

[A]

Not so fast, Eric. I'll just hang on to this piece of wallpaper. But.

[B]

But you can't give it to me. I've got to return it, don't you see? Please, quickly, before somebody comes.

[A]

I'd be a fool to give you you this paper. How do I know who you really are? All I've got is your word that you're an American agent. But I am.

[B]

I tell you I am.

[A]

Maybe. But I'm keeping the paper.

[B]

No, please, it's important. You've got to get back to Washington.

[A]

I still like your face, baby. Nice and looks honest. There's a fire escape back there by the window. Somebody from the lobby will be here in a minute. I'll see that the formula gets to Washington and stays out of this business.

[B]

But these murders, these bodies.

[A]

Leave that to me. If you're on the level, you'll be okay. You can keep on working and nobody will ever know who you are. You're not on the level. Well, it's the chance I take for liking your face. Besides, you haven't killed anybody. I'll get going, all right, all night.

[B]

But please see that the formula gets to Washington. Now here's an address. Just take it there, that's all. Do you understand?

[A]

Yeah, I understand, sweetheart. Move.

[B]

Goodbye. Thank you.

[A]

Forget it, baby. Operator, get me Sergeant O', Hara, please. Police headquarters, quick. Sergeant O' Hara speaking. Run. You know, Hara, I'm in room 610 of the Parker Hotel with a dead man. What, again? He's a murderer. You better hurry, o'. Hara. Just a second. Just a second. Hurry, o'. Hara. This is important. May be hard to explain. The others, too. What others? The other two dead bodies hid here in the hotel. You must be crazy. I can't help you get out of. Yes, you can, o'. Hara. You've got to. The fate of a nation is riding again. Are you drunk? What's that mean? It means that I've got to make a very important trip to Washington, o'. Hara. A very, very important trip. Next week at this time, the American Broadcasting Company brings you another adventure of Dashiell Hammett's exciting new character, the Fat Man. Next week's story is called the Dancing Tombstone. And as the Fat man says, a ghost makes its round silently and a corpse is quiet forever. But mystery screams in a graveyard when the silence is broken by the dancing tombstone. Tonight's adventure of the Fat man, played by J. Scott Smart, was produced by Charles Powers. Music is under the direction of Bernard Green. Sergeant o' Hara is played by Ed Begley. And this is Gene Kirby speaking. This is abc, the American Broadcasting Company.