Broadway's My Beat: The Charles and Jane Kimball Murder Case (EP4619)

Summary

The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio: Episode Summary

Episode: Broadway's My Beat: The Charles and James Kimball Murder Case (EP4619)
Release Date: February 5, 2025
Host: Adam Graham
Podcast: The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
Host/Author: Adam Graham, Radio Detective Podcasts

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Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio, host Adam Graham delves into the gripping mystery of Broadway's My Beat: The Charles and James Kimball Murder Case. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Broadway, this episode transports listeners to a 1950s detective narrative filled with suspense, intricate investigations, and dramatic confrontations.

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Plot Summary

Setting the Scene
The story unfolds on March 17, 1950, amidst the bustling and neon-lit streets of Broadway. Detective Danny Clover, portrayed by Larry Thor, is introduced as he navigates the grim realities of his beat—the most violent and lonesome mile in the world. The episode opens with the discovery of a car submerged in the Seine River, retrieved by city engineers and the mobile department's derrick team.

The Crime
Inside the car are Charles Kimball and his wife, Jane Miller, both found dead with bullet holes in their hearts, indicating they were murdered before their drowning. Detective Clover is puzzled by the lack of physical evidence at the bridge—no marks or scratches on the guardrail where the car supposedly crashed. This anomaly raises immediate suspicions about the nature of their deaths.

Investigative Proceedings
As Clover investigates, he engages with Sergeant Tartaglia, who provides detailed reports about the victims and the situation. A critical clue surfaces when photos reveal that the guardrail was untouched, suggesting the car did not crash into the bridge as initially believed. This leads Clover to the realization that foul play is involved, prompting him to seek out the parents of the deceased.

Confrontation with Bruce Monroe
Clover's investigation leads him to Bruce Monroe, a former associate of a known hoodlum, Floyd Carpa, who was also found dead. Monroe, portraying a seemingly reformed used car dealer, invites Clover into his home where he keeps pigeons in a glass cage—an eerie and symbolic setting reflecting Monroe's disturbed psyche. The confrontation escalates as Monroe, under pressure, attacks Clover, resulting in Monroe's death. This pivotal moment underscores the tragic and violent nature of the case.

Resolution
The episode concludes with Clover piecing together the connections between the victims and Monroe, ultimately solving the case by uncovering the hidden motives and actions that led to the murders. The narrative wraps up with a return to the atmospheric depiction of Broadway, highlighting the relentless cycle of violence and mystery inherent to Detective Clover's world.

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Host’s Commentary

Dramatic Elements and Emotional Impact
Adam Graham commends the episode for its solid dramatic moments, particularly highlighting the poignant scene where the parents are informed of their children's murders. "The scene where the parents are told of the murder was pretty gut-wrenching" (32:21), Graham notes, emphasizing the emotional depth achieved by having the father take a more profound psychological toll than typical portrayals.

Character Dynamics and Realism
Graham explores the dynamic between Detective Clover and the technical staff, critiquing the portrayal of John Gordon, the lab technician. He observes, "John Gordon...is no Lee Jones," suggesting that while his character adds a scientific dimension to the investigation, his detached demeanor sometimes detracts from the story's emotional resonance. Graham remarks on the tension between Clover's empathetic approach and the emotionally distant, fact-focused scientists, suggesting that this dichotomy, while entertaining, may not reflect realistic police work.

Philosophical Underpinnings and Procedural Accuracy
The host questions the procedural choices within the narrative, particularly Clover’s reliance on scientific evidence processed by Gordon's "cult" of scientists. Graham muses, "The ironic thing about this is how did the case actually get solved? Because Muggin then found evidence and what did he do with it? He sent it to that cult of white-coated men..." This critique underscores a potential disconnect between the investigative processes portrayed and real-world police methodologies.

Reflection on Detective Clover’s Approach
While praising Clover's dedication, Graham acknowledges moments where Clover's intense emotional investment borders on self-indulgence. He remarks, "Danny felt the weight of the horror and the tragedy of crime...which makes him a good human being," yet cautions that such emotional depth can sometimes hinder procedural objectivity. Graham appreciates the character's depth but points out areas where the narrative could have balanced emotional engagement with realistic investigative techniques.

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Listener Feedback and Analysis

Commentary on Murder Methods
Listeners George and Ricky provided insightful feedback regarding the plausibility of the murder method used in the episode. George questioned the use of a dental X-ray machine as a lethal weapon, noting the differences in radiation safety standards between the 1950s and today. Ricky, a dentist, echoed skepticism about the method's reliability for committing murder, emphasizing the technical challenges and potential exposure risks.

Host’s Response to Feedback
Adam Graham engages thoughtfully with the feedback, discussing the historical context of radiation use in the 1950s. He acknowledges that while radiation poisoning was recognized, the understanding and safety measures lapsed compared to modern standards. Graham explains that the show's depiction, while not entirely accurate by today's standards, aligns with the era's scientific knowledge and creative storytelling needs. He highlights the balance between historical authenticity and narrative license, appreciating the listeners' engagement with the technical aspects of the plot.

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Conclusion

This episode of Broadway's My Beat masterfully intertwines classic detective storytelling with historical nuances, creating a rich and immersive experience for listeners. Adam Graham's insightful commentary complements the narrative, offering a deeper understanding of the show's strengths and areas for improvement. Listener engagement further enriches the discussion, highlighting the podcast's dedication to both entertainment and thoughtful analysis. Whether you're a long-time fan of old-time radio dramas or new to the genre, this episode promises a captivating journey through mystery and deduction on the lonesomest mile in the world—Broadway.

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Notable Quotes:

• Adam Graham on Hostility of Scientists:
  “The idea here is that the lab guy is just this sort of machine because he deals with facts and measuring things and applying science to figure out what happened, making him part of this white lab cult that civilization has invented.” (32:21)

• Clover’s Frustration with Inconsistent Evidence:
  “How could the car get in the middle of the east river, Danny, under 30ft of water?” (07:54)

• Bruce Monroe’s Disturbing Confession:
  “They all wind up that way.” (17:26)

• Sergeant Tartaglia’s Domestic Struggle:
  “The scene of our mulling it over. I remember like it was a picture on a calendar.” (21:14)

• Clover’s Determination to Solve the Case:
  “Why did you have to call me Florio? Why me?” (05:37)

These quotes encapsulate the emotional tension, character dynamics, and pivotal moments that drive the narrative forward, offering listeners a glimpse into the episode's dramatic core.

Transcript

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[Adam Graham]

Welcome to the great detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're going to bring you this week's episode of Broadway's My Beat. But I do want to encourage you if you're enjoying the podcast, to follow us using your favorite podcast software. I also briefly want to let you know a bit about Fulton Fish Market. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have the freshest, highest quality seafood delivered straight to your kitchen? Look no further than the Fulton Fish Market, a legendary name in seafood trusted for over 200 years. This isn't just a market. It's where expert fishmongers meticulously select seafood that top chefs and home cooks alike rave about. Whether you're craving wild caught salmon, tender scallops or juicy shrimp, Fulton Fish Market guarantees peak freshness with every order. Now here's the best part for my listeners. You can enjoy 17% off your entire order just by using the exclusive code box 13 at checkout. That's not just a discount, it's the highest one they offer. And yes, when you use my code, I earn a commission. So you're not only getting amazing seafood, but you're also supporting the show. Head over to FultonFishMarket.com and taste the difference that 200 years of expertise brings. Use code BOX13 today and get ready to impress everyone at your table. Now, from March 17, 1950, here's the Charles and Jane Kimball murder case.

[Narrator]

Broadway's My Beat From Times Square to Columbus Circle, the giest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world.

[Larry Thor]

Broadway's My Beat With Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover.

[Narrator]

Broadway It's a neon shriek of despair that claws across the face of night. The tears of the black wind that beats against the silent dust. It's struggle and confusion and the dance of shadows on a spectacular illuminated with 10,000 fragments of light. It screams, it sobs, it whimpers, it laughs. The face of night is not changed. It's Broadway, My Beat. They were waiting, the harbor police, their launch dancing against the shadows of the curious Waiting and bound in the veil of mist rising above the river. They were waiting for me.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Hi.

[Larry Thor]

Darn.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You got here first up aboard the launch.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Okay, Schema, let her go.

[Narrator]

All right, Florio, fill me in.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Well, then it goes something like this. The city engineers were dredging the river for some social purpose.

[Narrator]

Is a no philosophy, Florio. I'm not up to it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah, okay, Danny, like I was going to tell you. They was dredging the river and they come upon a car at the bottom of Seine. Oh, they call the Derek department. The mobile department sends out a barge with a derrick. The derrick wraps a chain around the car, gives a mighty heave and a pull, and there it is, Denny, hanging there in the floodlights.

[Narrator]

How did the car get in the river?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Well, the engineers figured that the only place it could have come from was off that bridge up there.

[Narrator]

Where on the bridge?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Well, that's what's funny. There ain't a mark on the bridge, not even a blemish. Guardrail ain't touched.

[Narrator]

If the car crashed, I want pictures in every foot of the bridge. Now, let's get on the barge for you. Tell him to lower the car, Florio.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Hey, engineer, lower the balloon. Boy and girl in the car, Danny. It's a long time in the river.

[Narrator]

How long?

[Detective Danny Clover]

The engineer says from the amount of rust on the car, two or three days.

[Narrator]

Here, help me open the car door. Florian.

[Detective Danny Clover]

All that river water rushing the lot.

[Narrator]

What would you try?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Bad man. You got muscles, Danny.

[Narrator]

Danny, why did you have to call me Florio? Why me?

[Detective Danny Clover]

This makes it all the more down your alley, Danny. The bullet holes plug neatly in the heart region, one each to each. He weren't not only drowned, were they?

[Narrator]

No. L'Oreal. Come here.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah, yeah, Danny. What do you want?

[Narrator]

What does this look like to you?

[Detective Danny Clover]

It looks like the front end of the car was smashed. Like it hit something.

[Narrator]

Yeah, that's what it looked like to me.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You think that's something, Danny? Come around here to the back. You see that, Denny? Can you tell me I shouldn't be philosophical?

[Narrator]

No, no.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah. Yeah, Denny. A sign. A sign that says just married.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Good morning, Danny. May I give you a greeting, Danny? Good morning.

[Narrator]

Oh, hi, Sergeant. How are you?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Tall in the saddle.

[Narrator]

You're what?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Tall in the saddle, Danny. This is an answer heard all the time west of the great Divide. Intelligence from my youngest boy, Giovanni, who was studying to be a cowboy by box caps and television.

[Narrator]

Yahoo. Todt, Taglia. What kind of intelligence did you get from upstairs? Give me the rundown.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Rundown to wit, identity of occupants of car established from respective wallets. Established occupants to be Mr. And Mrs. Charles Kimball, ne Jane Miller. Married two days ago at the home of the bride where the groom had been in erstwhile and former boarder.

[Narrator]

Go ahead.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

That's the intelligence from upstairs, Danny.

[Narrator]

And what, may I ask, is that envelope?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Oh, here. It's the photographs Lou Jacobs took of the bridge off of which the car plunged down.

[Narrator]

Yeah. Now I believe it. This morning it was too early. Maybe I wasn't hearing right. But now I believe it.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Huh?

[Narrator]

Look at these pictures.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Let's see.

[Narrator]

This guardrail on the bridge is four feet high. It's untouched. Uh huh. Nowhere along the whole length of it is there a sign that the car crashed through it.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Well then how could the car get in the middle of the east river, Danny, under 30ft of water?

[Narrator]

That's a tall and a saddle type question, Sergeant. How did the car get there? Tartaglia shrugged, blinked silently, pleaded to be excused from the room. Didn't wait for permission. Got out. That left me alone with it. How did the car get there? How did it hurtle a four foot barrier without a mark, a scratch on said barrier? How? And then the question I'd been touting away from my brain. Why? Why? The bullet torn flesh of a boy and girl on a honeymoon. Their blood washed away on a river slime. And then I knew no policeman's riddle, no games with the equations of murder could hold it back any longer. It had to be done. So I did it. I called on the parents of a dead bride.

[Mrs. Miller]

Just a moment. I only be a moment. Yes, what is it, please?

[Narrator]

Mrs. Miller.

[Mrs. Miller]

Yes, I'm Mrs. Miller.

[Narrator]

Please.

[Mrs. Miller]

If you're selling something, I'm afraid I can't do you any good. You see, we're in a. In a kind of. Well, everything's different now.

[Narrator]

I'm from the police, Mrs. Miller.

[Mrs. Miller]

Yes, I know, but. I'm sorry, I'd like to help the police.

[Narrator]

May I come in?

[Mrs. Miller]

Well, but everything's so upset. I. I don't like for people to see my house this way.

[Narrator]

It's about your daughter.

[Mrs. Miller]

Oh, but Jane's away on her honeymoon.

[Narrator]

May I Come in, Mrs. Miller?

[Mrs. Miller]

Well, she won't be back for another ten days. Please, come in. This way, Mr. Clover.

[Narrator]

Danny Clover.

[Mrs. Miller]

Mr. Clover. I'm sure you'll want to talk to my husband too. We've been rearranging the furniture. You see, two of our rooms are unoccupied now and. Ben.

[Narrator]

Yeah?

[Detective Danny Clover]

What do you want?

[Mrs. Miller]

Well, don't move the chair now, Ben. It's the policeman. Mr. Clover.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Couldn't you have stated your business at.

[Narrator]

The door, Mr. Clover?

[Detective Danny Clover]

You see, I'm quite occupied at the moment. Where?

[Mrs. Miller]

It's something about Jane, Ben. About Jane?

[Detective Danny Clover]

What do you have to do with her?

[Narrator]

Mr. Clover, do you have a picture of your daughter?

[Mrs. Miller]

Oh, yes, we have a whole album. A recent picture, one of the wedding of her and Charles and the Ben and me.

[Narrator]

May I see it, please?

[Detective Danny Clover]

What right have you to come into my house to.

[Mrs. Miller]

Please Ben. Mr. Clover just asked to look at Jane's picture. There it is on the mantle. Mr. Clover, that's Charles. Her husband. Yes, Charles Kimball. Isn't he a fine looking boy?

[Narrator]

There's no other way to save this. If there were another way, I'd give. They're dead. They're both dead. Murdered.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Get out of my house.

[Narrator]

Go on.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Go on. Get out. Get him out of here. I'll kill him. What kind of a filthy joke is he trying to play on us? Go on, get him out.

[Narrator]

Dan.

[Mrs. Miller]

Ben, don't. Don't. Who would want to kill our boy and girl, Mr. Clover?

[Narrator]

We don't know, Mrs. Miller. That's why I came here, because we don't know.

[Mrs. Miller]

Charles lived here with us. He and Jane fell in love. They got married two days ago. They went on honeymoon to Niagara Falls. We were waiting for a letter, a postcard. Why should they be killed, Mr. Clover?

[Narrator]

Charles. Where are his family, Mrs. Miller?

[Mrs. Miller]

He had none. He came here after the war, rented a room from us, worked hard. Charles and Janie, they were two people, Mr. Clover. Nothing more.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Tell him to ask someone else, Ann. Get what he wants from someone else, not from us. Tell him that, Anne.

[Mrs. Miller]

Ben. What do you think it's doing to me?

[Larry Thor]

To me?

[Narrator]

They were found in a car. In the. A car?

[Mrs. Miller]

The one we gave him for their wedding present. Ben and I knew all along, so we saved for it.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Ann.

[Mrs. Miller]

Yes, Ben?

[Narrator]

What do you want?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Ask him to help us out.

[Mrs. Miller]

I'm sorry?

[Narrator]

Ask him.

[John Gordon]

Yes.

[Mrs. Miller]

Will you help us, Mr. Clover?

[Narrator]

It was a basic question. It had a background of a few thousand years to it. A man's child had been killed. A man's child needed avenging. As simple as that. There's a cult that comes with civilization. Men who put on white jackets buttoned at the throat and measure violent death with slide rules. Who stare at murder in the cross section through microscopes. Who dissolve it and shake it up in test tubes until death has a color to it. One of the men in the white jackets Was named John Gordon. He was a technician for the Police department, Technical division. I called on him.

[John Gordon]

Something I can do for you, lieutenant?

[Narrator]

Yeah. The report on the automobile dredged out of the river early this morning, huh?

[John Gordon]

Just a minute. Well, wait till I finish reading this article, Lieutenant. You don't expect me to put it down now, do you?

[Narrator]

Yeah, I expect that.

[John Gordon]

Have you read it?

[Narrator]

No.

[John Gordon]

No, I don't expect you have. The isometric measurement of hydrogen ion concentration versus colorimetric measurements. Imagine you reading that. What do you read, lieutenant?

[Narrator]

Obituaries. Gordon, where's the report?

[John Gordon]

I had it ready an hour ago. I waited for you.

[Narrator]

Now I'm here. Get it.

[John Gordon]

I'll tell you about it. It's chock full of charts and graphs and chemical reagents. You'd be distressed.

[Narrator]

What's your great sorrow, Gordon? Who did what to you?

[John Gordon]

The report, lieutenant. It says the passenger car and the truck.

[Narrator]

What truck?

[John Gordon]

Please.

[Narrator]

All right.

[John Gordon]

The size, the shape of the crumped front end of the passenger car together with the molecular displacement of the metal indicates that the car, assuming a normal rate of speed, indicates that the car hit a truck.

[Narrator]

What kind of truck?

[John Gordon]

I was getting to that. I don't know. Scrapings indicate that the paint of the truck was new and not its original coat. A widely used paint. From information available, the make of the truck is impossible to identify.

[Narrator]

What else?

[John Gordon]

Why, my job is done. Now it's in your. Well, your very capable hands, I'm sure.

[Narrator]

Pardon me.

[John Gordon]

John Gordon, Police Department, Technical Laboratory, speaking. Oh, yeah, yeah, he's here for you, lieutenant.

[Narrator]

Thanks. Hello?

[Roy Carpa]

They switched me to you, Danny. What kind of. I asked. It almost took too long.

[Narrator]

Who is this?

[Roy Carpa]

Roy Carpa. Danny. Come get me, kid. I got news for you.

[Narrator]

Well, tell me now, Carpa. What kind?

[Roy Carpa]

Charles and Jane Kimble. The couple who took a honeymoon in the river. Come get me, kid.

[Narrator]

Yeah? Where?

[Roy Carpa]

Bowery. 320 Front Street. Walk back.

[Narrator]

Hurricane Carpa.

[Roy Carpa]

Come get me, Danny, please. Listen, I never said it to a cop before. Listen. Come get me, please.

[Narrator]

It was a name to launch a minor nightmare. Lloyd Carpa. A man who dressed too well. Perhaps despite the memory of the years of wearing cast off clothes. A little man with hate perched on his shoulder like a sharp beak. Creature. Vocation. Hoodlum. Majoring in bank holdups. Three of them. Two convictions. Floyd Carpa in the Bowery. He didn't belong there. Carpa saying he knew about the Kimball murders. It didn't fit. Carpa saying please to the police. It didn't make sense. 3, 20 Front street, he said. I went there. Walk back, he said. I did that. Danny Clover here. Carpa. Carpa. Hey. What? I'm coming in. You almost made it to that. It was Carpa, all right. I had to look close to make sure. But it was he. No hate now. Something lent its own special expression to his face. Something. The bullet wound in his stomach. The time of pain. The final hugging. Close of the darkness. Floyd Carpa was dead.

[Larry Thor]

You are listening to Broadway's My Beat.

[Narrator]

Written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin.

[Larry Thor]

And starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover.

[Narrator]

Broadway demands quality to its crime. Elsewhere, Broadway pays no attention. But when a boy and a girl are murdered on their honeymoon, when a boy and a girl are dredged from the east river, when a Grade A hoodlum named Floyd Carfee is found shot to death in the Bowery, Broadway gives pause. And there was a connection. The boy, the girl, the hoodlum. Broadway chortled and nudged its neighbor and just had to know all about it. So did I. The police records told me about a place I could go to, a housing development out in Flushing. The records said a man named Bruce Monroe lived there. And Bruce Monroe had once been caught splitting the proceeds from a bank robbery with Floyd Carpa. So I went there. After all, I was a policeman. I had to ask questions of somebody.

[Larry Thor]

Danny. Danny, how are you? You don't have to tell me. You look wonderful. Wonderful. You checking up on me, Danny? No. No, you're not checking up? A social call, huh? Sure, a social call. How are you, Danny?

[Narrator]

Wonderful. Wonderful.

[Larry Thor]

Now, how about me, huh? How about me? All settled down? Settle down? A two story house in Flushing. Me and my family.

[Narrator]

Respectable family, huh? I'd like to meet them.

[Larry Thor]

Sure, Danny. They're upstairs. I keep them in a cage.

[Narrator]

That way you can keep your eye on them.

[Larry Thor]

They're problem children. Children with problems, Danny. Come on up, take a look.

[Narrator]

I'd like to. What have you been doing for the last couple of years, Bruce? Since jail.

[Larry Thor]

It's feeding time, Danny. They like company when they eat.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Larry Thor]

What have you been out here, Danny? I keep my family in a glass cage on the roof. Look at them.

[Narrator]

30 beauties.

[Larry Thor]

Makes a man proud. I'm proud, Danny.

[Narrator]

Pigeons?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Sure.

[Larry Thor]

What did you think? Quite a cage, huh? Isn't it? You bet it is. Let's go in. Come on. Feeding time. Hi, Jasper. Oh, Mildred. Oh, George. Who plucked out your tail feathers?

[Narrator]

What have you been doing since jail, Bruce?

[Larry Thor]

I'll bet you didn't come here as a social caller.

[Narrator]

After all, your buddy Floyd Copper was found shot to death.

[Larry Thor]

They all wind up that way.

[Narrator]

You?

[Larry Thor]

I'm an exception.

[Narrator]

I retired.

[Larry Thor]

I'm respectable. I raised a family. Here, fellas, eat. Come on and eat.

[Narrator]

Look at those pigeons eat. Did you kill Carpa?

[Larry Thor]

Nonsense, Danny. You know that's nonsense. Haven't seen him for ages and ages.

[Narrator]

Tell me something, Bruce. How can you afford all this? Nice house. Large family. It's a drain, isn't it?

[Larry Thor]

Business is good.

[Narrator]

What business?

[Larry Thor]

I'm a licensed used car dealer. An international permit, even. I drive used cars into Canada. Have an outlet there. Oh, come on, Elliot, eat your corn.

[Narrator]

Well, you won't eat that no more.

[Larry Thor]

Bank heisting, huh, Danny, you know that's nonsense, too. Look, Danny. Daddy. Frankly, Danny, you're upsetting all of us. I'm being voted in tonight. I gotta make a speech. Flushing Homing Pigeon. Society's voting me in tonight. Questions like yours could ruin my acceptance speech.

[Narrator]

Bruce Monroe placed a kernel of corn on his lips, puckered them, and then extended a finger. Lucille fluttered to the finger, was lifted to Monroe's mouth and daintily pecked away at the lunch so lovingly served. All that billing and cooing did something to me. So I got out. The ride back to headquarters did I didn't clear up a thing. The same nagging questions rolled alongside me. Why was the hoodlum Floyd Carpa dead? What had the hoodlum Floyd Carpenter do with the life and death of a boy and a girl whose lives have been ordinary, whose death spectacular and grotesque? Sergeant Otaglia couldn't make sense out of it either. Or as he put it, I can't.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Make no sense out of it, Danny, either. I have been mulling over this sad affair with the missus. Mrs. Tartaglia, she can't make no sense out of it either.

[Narrator]

No?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

No, Danny. The scene of our mulling it over. I remember like it was a picture on a calendar. Mrs. Tartaglia was hovering over her mixmaster, hustling up some pizza dough. I was reading to her from the paper in my stock and feet. We was very domestic last night, Mrs. Tartaglia and I. Tartaglia, have you.

[Narrator]

What have you found out about Charles Kimball, the dead boy?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Oh. Oh, sure, Danny, sure.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I got it right here.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

What we have found out about Charles Kimball is that he was a good boy with an honorable war record, with decent law abiding friends, with a decent law abiding job in a paper factory. He was a good boy, Danny.

[Narrator]

That's what I thought. Anything else?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Yeah, a couple items The Taglia.

[Narrator]

What do I have to do to get you to tell him to me?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Oh, nothing, Danny. Just ask me. Don't look that way, Danny. I'll tell you. Tracing down the truck with which the Kimball car collided is still in the process of being traced down. This means they haven't found it.

[Narrator]

I'll tell them to find it.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Yeah, I'll do that, Danny. Now, here is the Beastly Resistant, a teletype writer from the Poughkeepsie Police Department.

[Narrator]

What makes it so resistant?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

It wants Floyd Copper.

[Narrator]

Huh?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Yeah, Floyd Copper. They warn him on suspicion of a bank robbery that took place recently at Poughkeepsie. They want to know the we got him this void copper. They showed the bank teller can identify him.

[Narrator]

Do we got him, Taglia?

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

Yeah, yeah, in a manner of speaking.

[Narrator]

So tell him that, Taglia. Put it on the teletype. We don't want to keep Poughkeepsie in suspense, do we?

[Detective Danny Clover]

So you're Danny Clover, huh? Been reading about you in the papers up at Poughkeepsie. Still trying to solve that honeymoon couple murder, I read.

[Narrator]

Which one of you is from the pitchie police? Me.

[Detective Danny Clover]

What'd you think? This little guy's the bank teller? This little guy's Oliver Hilliard.

[Narrator]

How are you, Mr. Hilliard?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Aw, don't blush, Oliver. The man just asked you. Hello. That's all. Answer, Mr. Clover? No. What are you gonna do with a guy like that, Danny? He shoots and wounds a heister who could be Floyd Copper.

[Narrator]

Now, he blushes this way. I want you to look at Floyd copper. Then Mr. Hilliard will know for sure. Down this corridor.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Oh, you got him on ice, huh? Say, what do you think of our work up in Poughkeepsie, Danny? I haven't heard about matching a three day bank robbery with a known bank robber. Clever, huh?

[Narrator]

Real magnificent.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I knew you'd say that. Nothing spiteful about you. Big City police.

[Narrator]

We're going into the morgue now, Mr. Hilliard. Don't worry, it'll only take a second. You'll be all right.

[Larry Thor]

Sure, sure.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Oliver will be all right. He helped, as Oliver did. Described the bank robber. Picked out his picture from our files. That's the type of citizen we have up in Poughkeepsie, Danny. Cooperative.

[Narrator]

Right over here.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Hey, this is quite a production you got here. Only at Poughkeepsie we got a morgue of something to write home about.

[Narrator]

You feel all right, Mr. Hilliard?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Oliver feels fine. Don't you, Oliver? Bet you can't wait till you get home and tell your wife about this, huh?

[Narrator]

All you have to do is take one look, Mr. Hilliard.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Flip back the shroud. Danny.

[Larry Thor]

Well, that him Oliver?

[Detective Danny Clover]

Destroyed carpet. The one who held you up? Yeah. Oliver nods his head yeah, Danny Positively, huh? How do you like a cooperative citizen like that, Danny? The kind we're growing. Poughker, gypsy.

[Narrator]

Poughkeepsie's policeman. The bank teller and I had nothing else to say to each other after that. When it finally registered on the Poughkeepsie policeman, he shook my hand heartily, thanked me from the heart. Wrapped a hearty arm around the bank teller's shoulders and led him back to Poughkeepsie. I started back to my office. On the way to Taglia, shoved a phone message in my hand. It was from Detective Mugaban. Mugaban had something, the message said. Something may be hiding. Hot, maybe cold. Anyway, the something was in a garage uptown. Come right away, it said. So I changed course and went to the garage.

[Larry Thor]

This is called Morton's Garage, Danny. Caterers to the desires and ailments of trucks, moving vans, trailerways, all kinds of heavy vehicles.

[Narrator]

Interesting.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, like you say, interesting. This one over here, for example. Fascinating piece of machinery.

[Narrator]

Why does it fascinate you?

[Larry Thor]

My two reasons, Danny. First, because it's exactly like one of my kids toys. A trailer way they call it. It picks up and delivers automobiles, carries them on the highways and the byways. Somehow it gives me a romantical feeling, these automobile carriers.

[Narrator]

The second reason, Mugavan.

[Larry Thor]

The second reason, also fascinating. This trailer way is the truck you have had the whole department looking for, including me, Dan.

[Narrator]

What? Yeah.

[Larry Thor]

The one into which the honeymoon car crashed. Or vice versa, before going over the bridge into the river.

[Narrator]

Are you sure, Danny?

[Larry Thor]

In something so fascinatingly routine as this, I wouldn't be sure. I've been scraping hunks of paint off of it, trotting them down a technical, trotting back, examining the stent and the grill work. Trotting down the technical TR would be.

[Narrator]

Asking too much of you to shut your big mouth.

[Larry Thor]

Oh, not too much something, Danny. All this routine adds up to something. Danny. Danny, come back to me, Danny.

[Detective Danny Clover]

You're so far away.

[Narrator]

That's how they did it. Mugaman carpa makes us get away from a bank job upstate in a car. Drives it up on this trailway. He and his buddy buddy drive off. Who looks for a runaway car on one of these things? It's your party, Danny. On the road somewhere. They crash into the honeymoon couple or vice versa. The Kids see Carpa's hurt from a bullet wound. They're murdered for seeing that. The murderers drive the kid's car up on the trail away. Stop at the 59th Street Bridge, dump it.

[Larry Thor]

That explains the no scars on the bridge's guardrail, huh?

[Narrator]

Yeah. You sounded like you were tired of routine. Is that right, Muggleman?

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, that's right.

[Narrator]

I'll change it for you. Ever been to Flushing? Let's go, Mugman. This house.

[Larry Thor]

Oh, such a serene and peaceful habitat, Danny.

[Narrator]

Look.

[Larry Thor]

Yellow shutters and chin straights. Tasteful.

[Narrator]

Ring the bell.

[Larry Thor]

Welcome back, Danny. Oh, you brought a friend. A friend of Danny Clovis. I'm glad. Come in. Social, Danny, or business?

[Narrator]

Business, Bruce.

[Larry Thor]

Ah. Oh, pigeons. That's it. You want to buy some pigeons? You're gonna start raising pitch, Mugavan.

[Narrator]

Take a look at the serene and peaceful habitat of a man who dumped Floyd Carpa when he was wounded. Who killed those two kids?

[Larry Thor]

Surely, Danny, surely this is nonsense.

[Narrator]

The cops, Mugavan.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

Danny. Watch out. Come on, my friend. Danny. Mugavin. Muggin. It hurt much, kid? Yeah. Yeah, it hurt.

[Larry Thor]

Go get him, Danny.

[Narrator]

I'll be okay.

[Sergeant Tartaglia]

My shoulder.

[Narrator]

Yeah, you won't get away, Bruce.

[Larry Thor]

Huh?

[Detective Danny Clover]

No, Danny. On the roof, Danny. It's a good place to die. Come up on the roof and die.

[Larry Thor]

Right through this door and die, Danny.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Larry Thor]

Me, Danny.

[Narrator]

Good at me.

[Detective Danny Clover]

One of my pigeons is hurt.

[Narrator]

Throw away your gun, Bruce.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Throw it away.

[Larry Thor]

Ask me nice, then ask me real life.

[Detective Danny Clover]

I got the nose for you.

[Larry Thor]

No more bullets in my gun.

[Narrator]

Throw it here.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah.

[Larry Thor]

See how I have to do what you tell me when you put your.

[Narrator]

Hands behind your head and walk toward me.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Yeah.

[Larry Thor]

Don't look like you hurt any of my pitches, Danny. That makes me glad for you. Still got bullets in your gun, Danny?

[Narrator]

Yeah, Bruce.

[Larry Thor]

What are you gonna do, kill me in cold blood? You could. Real easy. I'm so close to you now. Face to face. Very easy target.

[Narrator]

Put your hands out, Bruce. Long time since there were handcuffs on him, huh, Bruce?

[Larry Thor]

Not long enough. You help.

[Narrator]

You know, I'm glad, Bruce. Glad you did that.

[Larry Thor]

All right, that's enough.

[Narrator]

Enough.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Come.

[Narrator]

Quiet, Rob. No, Bruce. Those are for me. This is for Mug. And for two kids. Two decent kids. Two decent kids. What tried to stop me was something gentle. A gentle, easy Irish voice telling me I didn't have to hit him anymore, but I might as well be hitting a rag doll. That's enough, Danny. It said enough. Then they pulled me away. That was good, because I would have killed him then I asked a question. The same gentle Irish voice told me Mugavan was all right. Three, four days maybe, and he'd be all right. That was good, too. Broadway's quiet now. It's the hour without color, the 6 o'clock hour, the hour of going home. But in a while, night will dip down and touch the street. There'll be fury again and rack and roar of crowd. The restless wandering down a phosphorescent alley. The puppet dance into a screaming furnace of light. It's Broadway. The giest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway. My beat. Foreign.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome back. As usual, a solid episode with a lot of dramatic moments. The scene where the parents are told of the murder was pretty gut wrenching. It was also interesting that they went against the stereotype and had the dad take it a lot harder. The guy in the lab, though. Well, I'll say this, he's no Lee Jones. And I thought the idea of insisting on finishing reading your journal article while a detective sits there waiting for results was just a bit much. And it took me out of the story a bit. And in some ways it does reflect a tendency in the way that the series is written that can lead to some entertaining and even emotionally powerful radio, but would be a really bad idea in real life. The idea here is that the lab guy is just this sort of machine because he deals with facts and measuring things and applying science to figure out what happened, making him part of this white lab cult that civilization has invented. This makes the cult emotionally distant and therefore indifferent to human suffering. Danny, meanwhile, feels the weight of the horror and the tragedy of crime that's occurred, which makes him a good human being. I don't think it works like that. I will say for Danny's philosophy and his general approach to crime, I think it's possible, and in many cases it's happened in our modern world that things that really should bother us as ordinary people, we've kind of become like anesthetized to just because of the amount of information that we get exposed to. So there's a sense in which way that Danny feels and the strength with which he feels it is actually healthy. But sometimes, particularly when you're an investigative officer, it can feel a little bit self indulgent, although it rarely gets in the way of him doing his job. Although in certain circumstances and in a few years, those times when he wailed on suspects would create some very interesting opportunities for defense attorneys. The ironic thing about this is how did the case actually get solved? Because Muggin then found evidence and what did he do with it? He sent it to that cult of white coated men that civilization invented to analyze it. He didn't send the evidence to Danny to brood over again. I like the show, it's entertaining. I think that it can even be cathartic. I just mentally push back when it goes to this weird place of Danny disdaining police scientist who who actually end up being the ones who provide the evidence he needs to solve the case and he's got no self awareness about it at all. Now we turn to listener comments and feedback and we have a couple regarding the Ben Elliot murder where I wondered about the murder method and how plausible it was and and George writes in hello Adam. I just listened to the Ben Elliot murderer case with its novel radiation killing. Like you, I too wondered how plausible this use of a dental X ray machine would be without doing a lot of research on the background. I would offer the thought it might have been plausible. The attitudes regarding radiation and its dangers in 1950 were quite different from our times. It it seems that science and medicine certainly were aware of its potentials, but standards for safe exposure were pretty lax and poorly understood. Radiation was a tool to be used and offered, it was thought, lots of opportunities. Case in point, the commercially available pedioscope, a fluoroscopic device widely used by untrained salesmen in shoe stores to X ray the foot for perfect fit. Customers and salesmen were exposed to repeat doses of radiation. Radiation poisoning is cumulative. So I suppose it's possible that the wife pointing the dental X ray machine at her victims over time could allow them to amass enough damage to cause something lethal to develop like pernicious anemia. The machines themselves probably had rudimentary only safety systems installed. Thanks as always for giving us these wonderful old programs. And then I have an email from Ricky who writes my husband is a dentist and he says that even with the higher radiation of the 1950s, a dental X ray machine would be a really weak and unreliable way to kill someone. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate both comments. And to me it clarifies a little bit how to look at it. I think particularly when George talks about the uncertainty and how much of a new frontier the whole radiation thing was. And certainly he's right that a lot of people saw the promise of radiation but were a bit loose with how that was being used in terms of safety standards. But it's also true that there was at least some awareness that too much radiation could be harmful. And because the technology was relatively new and the Mechanism and method by which radiation poisoning would work was still something that we didn't fully understand. I could see if you're riding a radio show, viewing this as a plausible enough way that a murder could be committed, looking at it 75 years later, we can say that wouldn't probably be a reliable method for committing a murder. But you really can't hold writers accountable for understanding of science growing in the 75 years since they wrote the story. And I guess really the only discussion then to have is whether the method of murder is too fanciful. I love Rex Stout's Neural Wolf books. Huge fan of those. But he went through a period in the late 30s when he wrote these incredibly complex Rube Goldberg murder methods that I felt got to be too much and were too unreliable. And so you had these paradoxical killers who had to be so clever to invent these very involved methods of murder, but stupid enough to really put this goal of committing murder up to happenstance and good luck of just the right thing happening to trigger the killing. I don't think this is quite as extreme, but it is kind of in the same vein, because here's the thing. The killer, she doesn't understand how this works any better than the shoe salesman. She doesn't understand it any better than the scientists who are learning and discovering about radioactivity. She's decided that she needs to kill her husband, and so she's using a technology that she doesn't fully understand and just hoping that it'll get the job done. However, it's not like the Rube Goldberg machines because one, it's being direct and it's not as fallible, and two, the way that the writers treat it is that it's a fact that she fully understands rather than a guess that she's taking about an emerging science whose limits and risk are not fully understood. So a bit of a sleight of hand, but I think they make it work. All right, well, now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day, and I want to thank Renee. Renee's been one of our Patreon supporters supporters since October, currently supporting the podcast at the rookie level of $2 or more per month. Thanks so much for your support, Renee. And that will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software and be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from. We'll be back next Wednesday with another episode of Broadway's My Beat, but join us back here tomorrow for Mr. And Mrs. North. Where?

[Narrator]

Pam, please.

[Larry Thor]

Here.

[Narrator]

Here's a letter for you.

[Larry Thor]

Maybe you'd like to read it, dear, while I have my coffee.

[Bruce Monroe]

Thanks, dear. Dear Mrs. North, you don't know me, but I'm the type of woman who believes in calling a spade a spade. And ours. Jerry.

[Narrator]

Who's it from, dear?

[Bruce Monroe]

My mother. You beast.

[Narrator]

What did I say?

[Bruce Monroe]

Oh, nothing. Gerard met me at the Rumba Taxi dance hall where I'm trying to make an honest buck as a diamond dance hostess. After 20 cents worth with Jerry, I know it's love and it's mutual.

[Larry Thor]

What's your mother right, dear?

[Bruce Monroe]

She's taken up the rumba. You. I think you and I ought to sit down and discuss it like civilized people so that we can dispense with Jerry to our mutual satisfaction. Yours sincerely, Honey Joe.

[Narrator]

Well, well, let me see the letter.

[Bruce Monroe]

Oh, no, you don't.

[Larry Thor]

Where are you going?

[Bruce Monroe]

Do I ask you where you've been?

[Narrator]

Will you tell me? You're worthy late.

[Larry Thor]

Pam, where are you going?

[Narrator]

I may be going home to mother.

[Detective Danny Clover]

Pam.

[Larry Thor]

Pam, come back here.

[Adam Graham]

I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime, send your comments to box Thirteenreatetectives.net follow us on Twitter at radiodetectives and check us out on Instagram. Instagram.com greatdetectives from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing. And off now, we turn to listener comments and feedback. And we have a couple regarding the Ben Elliot murder where I wondered about the murder method.