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Relic Radio Thrillers (Old Time Radio)
Trigger Man by Murder At Midnight
This week's story comes from Murder At Midnight. We'll hear Trigger Man, first heard October 14, 1946. Listen to more from Murder At Midnight https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/e55e1c7a-e213-4a20-8701-21862bdf1f8a/Thriller900.mp3 Download Thriller900 | Subscribe | Spotify | Support Relic Radio Thrillers
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- [00:11]
Narrator
Relicradio.com presents stories of mystery and intrigue, espionage and suspense. Hear tales of ticking time bombs, mysterious crime scenes and cloak and dagger action. This is relic radio thrillers. Welcome back to relic radio thrillers. Going to hear from murder at midnight this week, a series of 52 episodes that was originally heard from September of 1946 to September of 1947 over ABC radio. It would later air over Mutual and NBC. Our story today is from October 14, 1946. It's titled Trigger man.
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Charlie Nix
That midnight. So you're dropping a chicken, huh? Hey, guys, what do you know? Chicken's turning out to be a rooster all of a sudden. Cockadoodle do. In case anybody here is interested, from here on in, the name is just plain Charlie Nix. Midnight, the witching hour. When the night is darkest, our fears the strongest and our strength and its lowest ebb. Midnight, when the graves gape open and death strikes. How? You'll learn the answer in just a minute in Trigger Man. And now, murder at Midnight, Tales of mystery and terror by radio's foremost mystery writers. Our story, written by Max Ehrlich, is different from any of the other tales you have heard in this program. Its mystery is not that of the supernatural, but of the unknown quantities in the human soul. And so, because it has suspense and complete credibility, we give you Trigger Man. Look. Was that the door? No, no, not yet. Not that it matters. You can't get very far with a slug in your guts. But I can. Sit here, and when I come through that door, I'll show him what Chicken Charlie Nix can do with a gun. Sure, maybe it'll be for the last time, but what can I lose now? It's funny how it all comes back to you in the end. Just a year and a half ago that it all started. But I remember it like it was yesterday. I was standing back in the doorway, waiting. Waiting for some sucker to come along. Was down at the waterfront and was plenty dark. I stood there, the rod cold in my hand, waiting. Finally, I heard footsteps. A man and a woman. I waited until they were almost opposite the doorway. And then. Hey, buddy, got a match? Why, yes, I think so. Never mind. Get your toques up. Tell him he's got a gun. Oh, stick up, huh? Not too smart, sucker. Come on, reach. Get those hands up before I let you have it. Yeah, it's better. Okay, lady, let's begin with you. Hand over that purse. Better do as he says, Anne. All right, Don. Thanks, lady. Thanks very much. Okay, buddy, let's have your wallet. I said come across with your wallet. Not tonight, Chicken. What do you mean? Hey, wait a minute. How come you know my name? It's my job to know it. And your face too. The name's Riley, from headquarters. Tom Riley. Plain clothes? Yeah. Keep up those hands. Keep them up, Rod, will you? I know you won't, Chicken Tom. Not for a lot more than I've got in my wallet. Tom, what are you doing? He'll kill you. I don't think he will. Will you, Chicken? Keep away from me, flatfoot. Don't come a step nearer you here. Another step and I'll splatter you all over the sidewalk. You haven't got the nerve, Chicken. You know it and I know it. Now drop that gun. Keep away. Keep away to here. I ain't afraid to shoot. I'll tell you. I'll let you have it. And what are you waiting for? That was for the gun, Chicken. And this is for you. No. Call me. Pull a gun on me, will you? Oh, Tom. It's okay, Anne. It's all over. You could have been killed. Walking straight into a hold up man and knocking the gun out of his hand. Well, I knew he wouldn't shoot, Anne. You know. You knew? But how? His name is Charlie Nix. Chicken Charlie, though he carries a gun. Yeah, but he's not a gunman because he's never used it and he never will. Just plain chicken hearted yellow. That's why they call him Chicken. Still, you took an awful chance, Tom. There's always the first time. Not for Chicken Charlie. Now then, you see if you can find a phone, honey, and call headquarters while I keep an eye on this yellow skunk here. Yeah, that's the way it was. I just didn't have the nerve to put the blast on anyone. Sometimes in my room I'd put my gun on a table and just look at it. I keep thinking if we only had the nerve, I'd be one of Angelo Dinelli's trigger men instead of his errand boy. The rest of the mob would respect me instead of slapping me around and calling me chicken. That's what got me more than anything else. The way they laughed and call me chicken. It wasn't that I didn't try that time I held up Riley. I was gonna let him have it. I wanted to, but I don't know. At the last minute I got all cold inside. My fingers got stiff and numb and it cost me a year in a pen. The day after I got out, I was sitting in the Boulevard Cafe having myself a beer when in walked the Boss. Angie Donelli. It's great having you back, Chicken. Thanks, Angie. Thanks. By the way, I saw an old pal of yours the other day. Yeah? Who? Tom Riley. Riley? Yeah. It's too bad you didn't knock him off that night, Chicken. Yeah. But one of these days, Angie, I'm gonna meet him and then I'll. Sure, kid. I know how you feel. After all, when a guy takes your gun away, makes you look like a chump. Yeah, yeah, made me look like a chump, all right. But I'm different now, Angie. That urine and a clink. Well, I. I got a different kind of nerve. Now, wait and see. Oh, sure, but. Take it easy, kid. There's plenty of time. Plenty. You just got out of stir and you got yourself to worry about. What do you mean, Angie? I did my time, didn't I? I'm in a clear. Sure, Chicken, sure. But if you ask me, the pen didn't do you any good. You. Well, you look kind of all in. You don't feel so good, do you? What. What makes you say that, Angie? Oh, I don't know. Your face ain't got any color and you're breathing hard all the time. Well, I. I feel okay. Sure. I ain't saying anything's wrong with you, Chicken, but you never can tell until a good doc checks you over. Yeah, maybe you're right, Angie. Maybe. Maybe I ought to see a doctor. Now you're talking sense, kid. Tell you what I'll do. I'll take you to my own doctor, Dr. Leonard. He's a big specialist and he'll give you the once over, right? Yeah, but he. He probably comes high enough. Forget it, Chicken. Forget it. I'll take care of it. Won't cost you a dime. Hey, that's pretty white on it, Angie. Think nothing of it, kid. After all, you're one of my boys, ain't you? Yeah. Yeah, I am. Well, if there's one thing Angie Donelli does, it's to take care of his boys. Couple of days later, Angie Donelli set up an appointment for me with this Dr. Leonard. I went to his office and he gave me a real checkup from soup to nuts. And when he got through, I. But I didn't like the look on his face. Sit down, Mr. Nix, and let's talk. Doc, what's the matter? Did you find something wrong? Care for a cigarette? Never mind the stalling, Doc. Give it to me straight. Is it good or bad? I'm sorry, but it's bad. You mean my. My chest? It isn't Your chest. It's your heart. My heart? My heart. What about it? You've got a severe aneurysm there. What? What's that mean? It means that you've got a serious weakness of the heart muscle wall. Yeah, yeah, but how serious? I'm sorry, Mr. Nix, but you haven't got more than six months to live. Six months? Yeah, that's what he said. Six months to live. For a while. I didn't get it. You don't get things like that right away. And then six months and he gave me six months to live. Someday I'll be just walking along and maybe sleeping. And it'll come. It's tough, Chicken. Plenty tough. Yeah. Know how you feel. Nobody knows how I feel. Except maybe a guy in a death house. Yeah, that's what it's like. Like knowing when you're gonna burn. Waiting for. Take it easy, chicken. Here, have another drink. Yeah, thanks. Than you're okay. Okay. Maybe the doc was wrong. As always. A chance. No, no. Angie checked me twice just to make sure. There ain't a thing I can do. Not a thing. Except wait for it. Just sit around, wait the croak. Listen, kid, you've got six months to live. Okay. You know what I'd do if I had six months to live? But I. What would you do? I'd live. Yeah. I'd spend all my time living. Champagne, dames. I'd have more. I'd do all the things I ever wanted to do but didn't have the nerve to do before. You see what I mean, kid? I'd live a lifetime in six months. Sure, sure. But that takes dough. You can get the dough. How? From me, huh? Look, chicken, you always wanted to be a trigger man, didn't you? Yes. Well, I am hiring you right here and now at 500 a week. 500? But Angie, you know I ain't got the nursery. Sure you have, but it's different now. You don't have to be afraid of a thing. Not a thing. Well, you can go around blasting guys like clay pigeons if you want to, but suppose the cops nail me? What do you care? Suppose they send you to the death house. You got nothing to lose anyway, have you? Your heart spat, ain't it? You've only got a little while anyway. Either way. Yeah, that's right, Angie. That's right. What can I lose? Danelli was right. This was my chance. I packed a new gap and started to look for Riley. Riley? The dick who'd set me up? Yeah. He was gonna be number one. You'll be coming along here any minute, kid. Yeah. Yeah. This is it, Chicken. There's Riley. There he is. No, chicken not. Wait till he comes closer. Look, Angie. Hey, first one that comes hardest, kid. The rest are easy. Look at him, pal. He knows nothing. Take your beat out of you. Can't miss. Okay, chicken. Go ahead, let him have it. Go ahead, blast him. You did it. You did it. Yeah, I guess I did. Vlad on the sidewalk, colder than yesterday's hashtag. You did it, Charlie. Angie, I. You. You just called me Charlie. Sure, kid, why not? You're not chicken anymore. Now maybe we better get out of here. A car roars away up the street, leaving the body lying there in a pool of blood as the clock strikes 12 for murder at Midnight. And now back to Murder at Midnight. To the story of trigger man. Where are they anyway? Getting kind of anxious to see them, even. Even with a slug in my gut. I'll be able to give him quite a reception. Funny how a guy can change how different it's all been since I put the blast on Riley. That was my first and the toughest one. After that it was easy. There were plenty of guys in Angie Donelli's way, and I aimed to please. Whenever I watched one of them fold up with that funny expression on his face, I kind of helped. It helped me to forget how it was with me. Like a champagne drunk. But then the hangover would come and I'd remember that I had less than six months to live myself. Yeah, I was a different guy, all right. Take what happened a couple of days after I got Riley. We was having a meeting up at the Hideaway on a new job when a character named Bummy Divine started shooting his mouth off. Hey, Chicken. Still carrying around that pop gun of yours? What did you call me? Chicken. Ain't that your name? The name is Charlie. Charlie Nicks. Hey, guys. Yeah, what do you know? Chicken's turning out to be a rooster all of a sudden. Cock a doodle, do you? In case anybody else here is interested, the name from herein is just plain Charlie Nicks. He didn't laugh after that. No one did again. Ever. I was it. I took chances where no other trigger man would. Why not? What did I have to lose? A few months. I'd be through anyway. There was a difference. Meanwhile, I lived. I painted the town red, bought myself tailored suits, hit the clubs every night. The gambling joints and the dames. Why? Had to fight them off. You can do a lot with 500 bucks a week. Sure, I was hot. Plenty hot. The Cops couldn't figure out at the beginning who was doing all the fancy gun work. But they were getting warm and they were getting close. I had to watch myself. And then one night we were knocking off a fur warehouse. I was in the lookout car out front when suddenly. Hey, Charlie, a prowl car. Yeah. Come on, Mike. Let's get out of here. Hey, they're shooting at us. Army guns. Hang on, shall we? Here they come right after us. Hold it steady, Mike. I'm going to try to nail a tire. Hey, Charlie. Charlie, what's the matter? I'm hit. Keep. Keep going, Mike. Got a ditch. You m. When I opened my eyes, there was a smell of chloroform. And a doctor was just putting away some instruments. Mike was there, too, with a cat in his hand, making sure that the doc would cooperate. Hello, Charlie. How do you feel? I don't know what happened. The doc here just dug a slug out of your chest. How am I. How am I doing, Doc? You'll be all right. Lucky you've got a good heart. Otherwise you'd never admit it. What did. Did you say my heart was good? That's right. But I don't get it. I thought I had a bad tick. They told me I didn't have more than a few months to live. With that heart, my friend, you can live to be a hundred. That is, if the police don't interfere. I spent three weeks laid up after that in bed. And every day the boss would send me flowers, comic books and all kinds of stuff. A real thoughtful guy, Angie. But I was thoughtful, too. There were some things I had to add up for myself. And I had to find out whether I was living on borrowed time or not. Soon as I could walk, I made a beeline for Angie to Nellie's specialist, Doc Leonard. But I found out right away that Doc Leonard didn't live there anymore. A dentist was in the office instead. Then I looked up the superintendent. Yes, I'm in charge here. What can I do for you? If it's a bottle. It isn't. I'm looking for Dr. Leonard. Dr. Leonard? Oh, the one that was in the dentist's office before. That's right. You know where he went? No. He didn't leave any forwarding address. It's a funny thing about him. Yeah? Why? Why? He paid us a month's rent in advance and moved in. Equipment and everything. But he only stayed two days. Moved out at night. No notice, nothing. Just came and went. I see. Never could figure it out. That's the way it Was sorry I couldn't be of more help, mister. That's okay. You've told me enough. All I want to know. So that was it. I had the answer. I went home, took my old gun out of the drawer, slipped it into my shoulder holster. Felt good there. Just like old times. I was just putting on my hat and coat when the phone rang. Hello? Hello, Charlie. How do you feel? Fine, Angie. Fine. Funny thing, you calling up just now. I was just thinking of you. Where are you now? I'm over at my apartment. Listen, kid, do you feel well enough to do a little job for me tonight? I feel fine. Fine. That's. Well, drop over to my place right away. Okay, I'll be right over. And Angie? Yeah? Thanks for everything. Little flowers and stuff. Forget it, kid. What's a pal for anyway? Funny how a guy acts sometimes. I remember in the cab on the way over, I was like ice cold, inside and out. I should have been excited, but I wasn't. I came up to Angie's Apoppin and knocked on the door. Yeah, who is it? Me, Charlie. Oh, okay. Morning, Charlie. Yeah, thanks. Well, you're up and around, huh, kid? It's great. Great. Yep. Not that it makes much difference. You see, Angie, my six months is supposed to be up tomorrow. Is that right? Yeah, that's right. You know something, Angie? I feel fine. Fine. And yet I'm supposed to croak. Well, it's just like I said, kid. Maybe Doc Leonard was wrong. Yeah. Yeah, that's what I thought. Maybe he was wrong. You know, made a mistake. So this afternoon I went up to see him. You would. You did, huh? Yeah. Yeah. And you know what, Angie? He doesn't live there anymore. No. In fact, he only set up practice there a couple of days. Kind of set me to wondering. Wondering what? Whether this Doc Leonard wasn't a doctor after all, but just a phony. I. I don't get it. Why. Why should he be? Suppose you tell me, Angie. I. I don't know what you mean. Oh, and suppose I tell you, Angie, this Doc Leonard was your boy. Between you. You framed me with this bad heart gag. You needed a gunster who could take chances. And I was your pigeon. Wait a minute, Charlie. Absolutely. It was easy, wasn't it? To know he talking a chump like me into it when I thought I only had six months ago. You knew I wouldn't be afraid anymore. Sure. What could I lose? And so you got me to do your dirty work for you while you were somewhere else with an airtight alibi and when the heat was turned on, you knew it'd be on me. You're wrong, kid. You see, you were supposed to live six months, and that's all you're going to live. Don't do any reaching, Angie. Don't you. You taught me how to use a gun, Angie. You should have just let me stay. Checking Charlie Nick's? Yeah. Yeah, he got me in the belly with his first one. But I got him before he could repeat. There he is, lying on his own rug, soaking in his blood. As for me, well, there ain't much I can do but wait. Somebody must have heard the shots. Call the cops. Funny how I feel now. How different it is when you think of it. If I'd stayed Chicken Charlie, I wouldn't be here now with a slug in my guts. Like the doc said, I could have lived to be maybe a hundred. Well, if it ain't old Chicken Charlie. Hello, Carpet. What did you call me? Why? We've been looking all over for you, Chicken. But it looks like somebody saved the state some dough. Not yet. I've still got enough stuff to stay where you. Don't come any closer. Here. No. Why not, Chicken? Because I'm a killer, that's why. Because I got nothing to live for anyway. Keep away from me. Here. Keep aware of our watch. Give me that rod. Stop. You can't. Sure, I can punt. Once a chicken, always a chicken. His eyes wide and incredulous, the hunched figure slips from the deep armchair, falls to the floor next to the body of the man he killed. And somewhere in the distance, a clock in a church steeple starts chiming for Murder at Midnight. Remember to be with us again when death is our unseen guest and the clocks strike 12 for murder at Midnight. The part of Chicken Charlie Nicks was played by Bill Quinn with music by Charles Paul. Murder at Midnight is directed by Anton M. Leader.
- [26:56]
Narrator
There's more from Murder at Midnight, Relic Radio Thrillers and all of the other podcasts at the website relicradio.com. you'll also find our shout out stream there with even more Old Time Radio. Newer podcasts are available on Spotify as well. Search for Relic Radio Network or click on the Spotify link in the show Notes. If you'd like to help support this and all of that, visit donate. Relicradio.com or click on one of the support links. Your support makes it all happen. Thanks to those who have helped out. Thanks for joining me this week. Be back tomorrow with the Horror and next Friday with our next episode of Relic Radio Thrillers.