Broadway's My Beat: The Mario la Vecchia Murder Case (EP4691)

Summary

Summary of "Broadway's My Beat: The Mario La Vecchia Murder Case" (EP4691)

Podcast: The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
Episode: Broadway's My Beat: The Mario La Vecchia Murder Case
Host: Adam Graham
Release Date: April 30, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of Broadway's My Beat, listener Detective Danny Clover, portrayed by Larry Thor, plunges into the mysterious death of Mario La Vecchia. Set against the vibrant and treacherous backdrop of Broadway in the Golden Age of Radio, the episode masterfully intertwines suspense, character drama, and intricate plot twists that keep listeners on the edge of their seats.

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Episode Plot

The Case Unfolds

The episode opens with Christina Lacki, Mario La Vecchia's sister, pleading for Detective Danny Clover's help after discovering her brother's dead body. Christina insists that Mario did not commit suicide as it appears, pointing to suspicious evidence like the gun in his hand and his wound ([04:10]).

Christina Lacki: "Mario didn't have to do that, did he? Did he, Danny?" ([04:07])

Clover's investigation leads him to the Locarno Club, where he meets Jester Lecchia. However, the plot thickens when Paul Dinsmore, Chairman of the Paul Dinsmore Furniture Manufacturers, claims ignorance about Mario's whereabouts during the robbery at the factory's payroll ([08:03]).

Key Interviews and Discoveries

Clover confronts Paul Dinsmore about Mario's alibi. Suspicious inconsistencies emerge when Dinsmore contradicts the alibi provided by Dean Chesterfield, Mario's supervisor at the furniture factory, revealing potential motives tied to greed and dishonor ([24:01]).

Paul Dinsmore: "I did that, huh?" ([27:18])

Further investigation uncovers that on the night of the robbery, Mario left his post to be with Dinsmore, raising questions about his involvement in the payroll heist ([13:22]).

Climax and Resolution

As Clover delves deeper, he uncovers that Paul Dinsmore orchestrated the robbery to cover his own illicit activities and subsequently murdered Mario to silence him. The tension culminates in a confrontation where Dinsmore admits to his crimes out of desperation to protect his reputation and business ([26:37]).

Danny Clover: "You robbed your own payroll. You killed Mario because Mario found out what you did to Christina." ([27:05])

In the finale, Dinsmore attempts to flee but is apprehended by Clover, ensuring justice for Mario and restoring peace to his grieving sister, Christina.

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Character Analysis

Detective Danny Clover (Larry Thor)

Clover is portrayed as a determined and empathetic detective. His personal connection to Mario adds depth to his character, showcasing his relentless pursuit of truth despite emotional challenges.

Paul Dinsmore (Larry Thor)

Dinsmore is depicted as a complex antagonist driven by greed and desperation. His façade of a respected business leader masks his corrupt actions, making him one of the most loathsome characters in the series.

Christina Lacki (Christina Lacki)

Christina serves as the emotional heart of the story. Her grief and determination push Clover to seek justice, highlighting the human cost of the crime.

Dean Chesterfield (Chester)

Dean Chesterfield's initial misleading statements create suspense, eventually revealing layers of betrayal and familial duty that intertwine with the central mystery.

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Notable Quotes

• Christina Lacki: "Why did you come here the night Mario was murdered?" ([25:08])
• Paul Dinsmore: "I did that, huh?" ([27:18])
• Danny Clover: "You robbed your own payroll. You killed Mario because Mario found out what you did to Christina." ([27:05])
• Chester: "I lied because of her, Mario. Because Danny." ([23:56])

These quotes capture pivotal moments of revelation and character motivation, driving the narrative forward.

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Host's Commentary

After the dramatic conclusion, Host Adam Graham reflects on the episode's emotional depth and character dynamics:

"A really good episode and it's also one where it really makes sense for Danny to take such a personal interest in the case. It's also a bit of a sad one because usually you either have a case where it's someone who even if they didn't quote unquote, deserve murdered, they at least did something wrong, or it's someone who's just kind of an innocent bystander. With Mario, what we learn through the case is that despite appearances, he was actually a good and decent person who did things not to take care of himself, but to take care of his family, even after being disabled in the line of duty."

Graham praises the nuanced portrayal of Mario and contrasts it with the villainy of Paul Dinsmore, highlighting the episode's emotional and moral complexities.

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Conclusion

Broadway's My Beat: The Mario La Vecchia Murder Case offers a compelling narrative filled with suspense, emotional depth, and intricate character development. Detective Danny Clover's journey to uncover the truth behind Mario's death underscores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and justice. As the series progresses, listeners can anticipate more thrilling cases that continue to honor the rich tradition of old-time radio detective dramas.

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Stay Tuned: Join us next week for another enthralling episode of Broadway's My Beat, and subscribe to The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio for more classic mysteries and insightful commentary.

Transcript

[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 get into this week's episode of Broadway's My Beat. But first, if you are enjoying the podcast, I want to encourage you to follow us using your favorite podcast software. Today's program is brought to you in part by the financial support of our listeners. You can support the show on a one time basis using the zell app to box [e-mail] now from June 2, 1950, here is the Mario La Vecchia murder case.

[Narrator]

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

[Larry Thor]

With Larry Thor as detective Danny Clover.

[Narrator]

The scream of the neon carnival rises high above Broadway, explodes, then scatters over the city and at police headquarters that whispers through the gray stone and the glass closed against it. You have to listen. Then another sound washes out the whisper of Broadway Stream. Danny Clover.

[Christina Lacki]

Danny. Danny, please come.

[Carrie Lister]

Please.

[Narrator]

Who is this?

[Christina Lacki]

Christina Lacki and Mario's sister. You remember Mario, Danny, please. You remember.

[Narrator]

Yes, I remember. Christina. What is this? Something wrong?

[Christina Lacki]

Everything is wrong. Mario's death. Please come, Danny, please.

[Narrator]

Then the sirens howl because a man is dead. And their cry tears a path through the wilderness of the city. Finally, they're. Because the door is open. A girl stands there. A young girl whose hair is black and whose tears lie on her cheek like jewels.

[Christina Lacki]

Danny. Danny.

[Narrator]

Don't be afraid, Christina. Try not to be afraid. Where is he, Christina? Tell me.

[Christina Lacki]

In there. In his room.

[Narrator]

Show me.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Yes. Yes.

[Christina Lacki]

There. There's Mario on the floor, lying in his blood. My brother lies in his blood.

[Narrator]

Mario. When did you find him like this, Christina?

[Christina Lacki]

I came home a half hour. An hour. I don't know. The house was empty. I thought it was empty. Then I heard Mario call my name. And. He killed himself, Danny. He didn't have to do that, did he? Did he, Danny?

[Narrator]

Why do you say he killed himself, Christina?

[Christina Lacki]

Why? The gun in his hand.

[Paul Dinsmore]

The wound.

[Narrator]

Is this Mario's gun?

[Paul Dinsmore]

Yes.

[Christina Lacki]

I've seen it many times. When he bought for his job at the furniture factory. After he. You knew him, Tenny? He was your friend?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Christina Lacki]

It's a sin to kill oneself, isn't it? Tell me it's a sin. I need Mario. Give him back to me, Danny. Give him back.

[Narrator]

All right, Christy. Your father, where is he?

[Christina Lacki]

Wednesday night. He always goes to his Locarno Club on Wednesday night. You'll Find him, Danny, and tell him you, not me.

[Narrator]

All right, Christina. I'll tell him. A while after that, the efficient ghost from Police Technical came in, formed a tight and impersonal circle around the dead boy. Then a man named Dr. Sinski detached himself from the group, sighed, and walked over to Christina. He put his arm around her, spoke gently with a strange alchemy. He knew about tears. He dried Christina's. Then I had a place to go, so I went there. The Locano Club was a rented store around the corner. It had once held a succession of groceries, candies, used clothing and articles held upon. Now it had given up to a group of old men who used its space to compare families, dreams and memories. Jester Lecchia was seated among his friends and holding up a memory for consideration.

[Chester]

The fields of Ca were dry like, I don't know, water from the dock. And Valerio stood looking and his tears fell upon his brown chest. That's the way it was in Caserta. Oh, Danny. Danny Cove. Welcome, amigo. Danny, what about a glass of wine? A glass of wine for my friend Danny.

[Narrator]

No, maybe later. It's important.

[Chester]

Oh, sure, sure, of course. Well, apart from my friends, my friend from the police wants to consult me on a matter of importance. What is it, Danny?

[Narrator]

About Mario Trista.

[Chester]

Trista, Danny, Maybe you can get him back his job with the police. A job at a desk, maybe. After all, Danny, Mario is not a policeman now because he lost his arm while he was doing his duty as a police officer. And this job is a guard in a furniture factory he did not like. Anyway, I was so glad when he was discharged from such a childish job.

[Narrator]

Cheshire.

[Chester]

Yes, Danny, what do you want to say?

[Narrator]

I wish I knew at least another word for it. Mario. He's dead. Mario. There was a priest? Yes, One was on his way.

[Chester]

What? What happened to Mario?

[Narrator]

Christina thought he killed himself. No, no.

[Chester]

Kill himself. Not my Mario.

[Narrator]

He didn't. He was murdered. There were no powder burns. He was murdered. Chester.

[Chester]

Who did this to him?

[Narrator]

You'll help me find out. That's why I came to you.

[Chester]

Ask me what you have to do.

[Narrator]

Why was Mario fired from his job at the furniture factory?

[Chester]

But you know, as a policeman.

[Narrator]

No, I heard something about it. I didn't bother.

[Chester]

Yes, I know, I know. A good man like you, not too big to reason for a friend of shame. I will tell you, Danny. Mario was a guard in the factory. There was a robbery over the safe at the payroll. Mario was not in the factory where he should have been. When was it? A robber.

[Narrator]

Where was he?

[Chester]

He's a girl. He left the factory to be with a girl.

[Narrator]

What girl? Who is she?

[Chester]

I met her. Carrie Carrylisto. She lives.

[Narrator]

I don't know.

[Chester]

Someplace in the hill, I think.

[Narrator]

No, I listen to Lisa. Mario.

[Chester]

Mario. Mario Mar.

[Narrator]

There were no tears in the old man's eyes. Only anger and fury. A fury that seared and kept at a distance. The old friends had heard his cry and came to help. They stood around him in silence. And their helplessness was big. Big enough to dissolve the fury and leave only that. The helplessness. Then old Chassary asked me to take him to his. And I did. In the morning, headquarters came up with Carrie Lister's address at brownstone in the West 60s. A kid bouncing a ball on the stoop told me Carrie was home. He'd just seen her drying her hair out the window. Then her door opened. She stood there, brushing the blonde hair away from her face.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Yes?

[Narrator]

I'm Danny Clover, Police Megamin.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Why?

[Narrator]

I want to talk about Mario Lavecchia.

[Paul Dinsmore]

I don't.

[Narrator]

No. They tell me Mario was in love with you.

[Paul Dinsmore]

And me with him a lot. Real big. Good. Too good for you to go scratching. And that's why I don't want to talk to you about Mario.

[Narrator]

He was murdered.

[Paul Dinsmore]

I know. I called him last night. His sister told me he was dead.

[Narrator]

We want his murderer, Carrie. I want him. Because I knew Mario.

[Paul Dinsmore]

All right. Come in. Yeah. That's Mario's picture. And that's a sofa where we sat and looked out over the alley and talked.

[Narrator]

How long have you known him, Carrie?

[Paul Dinsmore]

Since I was a kid. And we played Run Sheep Run. Hid in the back room of a delicatessen and a cop chased us. You mind if I put up my hair while we're talking?

[Narrator]

No. Mind a personal question, Kerry?

[Paul Dinsmore]

You have other kinds. Go ahead.

[Narrator]

Why didn't you and Mario get married? You'd have been fine for him.

[Paul Dinsmore]

I would have. I asked him to marry me. A lot of times. Mario wanted to. And you could have. On his police pension. But he had to take care of his family first, he said. His father, his sister. They came first with him.

[Narrator]

Yeah, they would with Mario. Must have been tough for him after he got wounded in the force.

[Paul Dinsmore]

It was. Mario was a proud guy. Not everything was good enough for him. That's why it made me feel good. Mario loved me.

[Narrator]

What'd he do before he got that job in the furniture factory?

[Paul Dinsmore]

Tried to get other jobs. There weren't any. He didn't have to work. We could have Lived good on his pension and me working. But Mario had to keep Christina in that fancy boarding school, help his father.

[Narrator]

His friends during the time. Who? Who were they?

[Paul Dinsmore]

His father, his sister, me. Not whoever it was robbed the payroll of the factory, if that's what you're trying to say.

[Narrator]

The night of the robbery, where was Mario?

[Paul Dinsmore]

He was with me. He left this post and came to me.

[Narrator]

Maybe he went somewhere else first. Maybe he was in on the robbery and then came to you for an alibi.

[Paul Dinsmore]

You told me you knew Mario. You lied. You lighting your teeth?

[Narrator]

The factory where we work, Carrie, where is it?

[Paul Dinsmore]

The Paul Dinsmore Furniture manufacturers in Brooklyn. Mr. Clover, you'll get along good with Mr. Dinsmore because he thinks Mario robbed him, too. Get out of here, Mr. Clover. That's all I ask of you. Get out of my sight.

[Larry Thor]

And take this spec feed back to planning and tell them to substitute clear pine. It'll work.

[Narrator]

Yes, sir. Right away.

[Larry Thor]

And what can I do for you, mister?

[Narrator]

My name's Danny Culver. Oh, fine.

[Larry Thor]

I'm Paul Dinsmore.

[Narrator]

Glad to know you, Mr. Dinsmore. I'm from the police.

[Larry Thor]

All the more welcome.

[Narrator]

Can we get out of this noise?

[Larry Thor]

Let's go into my office. You like the layout here?

[Narrator]

Quite a place.

[Larry Thor]

We might expand soon.

[Narrator]

Here.

[Larry Thor]

Right in here. Sit down.

[Narrator]

Thanks. Mr. Dinsmore, about the robbery last week, isn't it?

[Larry Thor]

About the robbery on May 26th.

[Narrator]

What makes you think so?

[Larry Thor]

Well, so far, Mr. Clover, you're the latest of a series of policemen who've been coming around.

[Narrator]

Now, there's something else.

[Larry Thor]

Oh.

[Narrator]

Huh? Mario Lavecchi is dead.

[Larry Thor]

I know about that. Came with a morning paper.

[Narrator]

Didn't it throw you?

[Larry Thor]

No. It would have one time, but it didn't. This morning, Mario turned sour.

[Narrator]

I knew Mario once. He was in the force. I'm trying to understand about him, what made him, what he became. What's your opinion?

[Larry Thor]

Love? Money with one arm. How does a guy get them? You know all about motives. Not me.

[Chester]

Sure.

[Larry Thor]

Mario was my friend. How well does a man get to know a friend?

[Narrator]

It depends.

[Larry Thor]

Sure it does. We grew up together, Mr. Clover. But a line gets drawn somewhere. People separate. Like you said, it depends.

[Narrator]

You gave him a job after he was pensioned off the force.

[Larry Thor]

I wouldn't do less for a friend. Only Mario lost it.

[Narrator]

Let me get it straight. Mario left the factory one night last week to see a girl. He should have been on duty.

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, to see a girl. Old John tells me that a guy comes up to Mario and tells him to go see a girl. He picked a great night to see a girl. Whoever knocked over my safe had a breeze. Nobody left to guard the payroll but that friendly old man. Friendly to Mario.

[Narrator]

Old John?

[Larry Thor]

Yeah, John Fisher. Friendly old John Fisher. A friend of Mario. A friend of the guy who called on Mario. Wait a minute.

[Christina Lacki]

Yes, Mr. Dinsmore?

[Larry Thor]

Get me John Fisher's address. You want his address, don't you, Mr. Clover? So you can do better than the other boys on the force who cleared him.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Uh huh.

[Narrator]

But why his address? Isn't John Fisher here anymore?

[Larry Thor]

No, he was too conscientious for us. Somebody walks in, steals our payroll, and old John Fisher sleeps through it all just like a baby. Next morning we retired him.

[Narrator]

Then Paul Dinsmore got philosophical about the whole thing and explained crime to me in terms of greed and sickness. Then a sawdust, free young lady in Hollywood type glasses walked through the door, handed him the address of John Fisher. He handed it to me.

[Larry Thor]

I left.

[Narrator]

The address was on Front street, right.

[Carrie Lister]

Down the hall there. Mister, I'll come with you to show you.

[Narrator]

All right.

[Carrie Lister]

Keeps that radio playing all the time, he does. All the time. Now if I own this place instead of just cleaned it. This room here.

[Narrator]

Thanks, Mr. Fisher. Mr. Fisher. You have a key for this room.

[Carrie Lister]

You don't need any. Last two tenants been screaming about the busted lock. Mr. Fisherman. Hey, look at him.

[Christina Lacki]

Look what's been done to him.

[Narrator]

John Fisher sprawled face down on the floor. The heavy handle of a billiard cue stick lay beside him, touching him. The instrument now of a different purpose. The matted hair and the blood, the pattern of what it had done to him. And whoever had held the weapon had been feral. John Fisher had been beaten to death. Awful. She. She gotta learn.

[Larry Thor]

You are listening to Broadway's My Beat, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and starring Larry Thor as Detective Danny CL.

[Narrator]

Broadway. All depends on the mood you're in. You can be part of the mob and perform for the sightseers, or you can detach yourself from it, lean against a wall, crease your newspaper and bite your lip over that two column item on the right hand side of the page. Two guards at a factory mysteriously murdered. Consider it. Then flip the pages to the box scores and waggle a finger back at Ted Williams. Or as Sergeant Tadanglia had it next day at headquarters, that Ted Williams, Danny.

[Tartaglia]

That ball player from Boston, Mass. He ruins the scenery.

[Narrator]

Oh, how does he do that, Gino?

[Tartaglia]

I can't appreciate Mrs. Tartaglia anymore on account of him.

[Narrator]

Somehow I knew that's just what you.

[Tartaglia]

Were gonna say last night, Danny. Mrs. Tartaglia was paraded back and forth, up and down and across in her new swimsuit from Catalina in preparation to being the belle of the beach at Far Rockaway, when all of a sudden comes over the radio that this Ted Williams had hit another home run.

[Narrator]

After that you couldn't enjoy the scenery, huh? You don't like Ted Williams? Anything else? Do you know I'm talking to you?

[Chester]

Huh?

[Tartaglia]

Oh, oh, no, no, nothing else, Danny. Except. No, no, nothing else except what? Well, except about Mrs. O'Connell and the Lavakia case.

[Narrator]

Mrs. O'Connell?

[Tartaglia]

Yeah, yeah, my uppity neighbor two doors down her door.

[Narrator]

Lataglia.

[Tartaglia]

Okay, okay, Danny. Only Mrs. O'Connell said something to me this morning that twits me, Danny, about her daughter, Sandra Lee.

[Narrator]

Tell me about it.

[Tartaglia]

Well, she said, how come this Christina Lavecchi was home from that boarding school, that Thatcher School for Girls and her daughter Sandali is not.

[Narrator]

Go on.

[Tartaglia]

Because Thatcher School for Girls is not closed down for the summer yet. That's where Sandra Lee goes to. And she is even now at school preparing for exams. And they got strict rules about not being on the outside. So how come Cristina Levesque?

[Narrator]

That's a good question, Tartaglia. How come Christina Lavecchio?

[Tartaglia]

Yeah, yeah. How come her? What was she doing out on the night of her brother's later?

[Narrator]

Maybe I better go find out, huh, Danny?

[Tartaglia]

Somehow I knew that's just what you were going to say.

[Narrator]

The Thatcher School for Girls was the very model of high fashion culture. It stood languid and poised on three acres of fashionable soil. And its handwrought gates, signed by the artist, opened onto a vista of golden girls pursuing the arts and sciences on horseback. One had to wait to let the scholars pass.

[Christina Lacki]

Paul in the.

[Narrator]

Remember Paul?

[Larry Thor]

Paul rather.

[Narrator]

On. In a wooded gland, a woman in black beat a drum as girls in diaphanous night shirts dance the tragedy of the cone and the cube, and beyond that, the life. Girls in silken shorts who pause in their game of volleyball to observe you and having done so, resume the struggle. Finally, the office of the dean. Dean and office, both done by an exclusive decorator.

[Carrie Lister]

I am Dean Chesterfield. Welcome to Thatcher.

[Narrator]

Thank you, Dean.

[Carrie Lister]

My secretary tells me you're from the police. Are we at Thatcher?

[Narrator]

The subject of an investigation only Christina Lavecchia.

[Carrie Lister]

Christina. Oh, what has Christina done?

[Christina Lacki]

Has she shamed us?

[Narrator]

Just tell me about her.

[Carrie Lister]

Christina has often made us quite unhappy.

[Narrator]

Oh, how?

[Carrie Lister]

A certain unwillingness to respond to our regimen.

[Narrator]

Tell me about it.

[Carrie Lister]

The night before last, for instance, we discovered that she had not slept amongst us. A flagrant protest, an undisciplined gesture.

[Narrator]

Night before last, her brother was murdered. Christina should have been here.

[Carrie Lister]

There is not a night of the school term that she should not be here. To have complete behavior control of our girls is our objective. It is.

[Narrator]

You said Christina made you happy. Unoffen. How? How often?

[Carrie Lister]

Well, one moment. I have it here in my records. Ah, yes. Here we are. Lavecchia. Christina. On April 19th, Lavecchia did steal into her dormitory three hours after curfew. For this, a class B demerit and a week in covenant.

[Narrator]

You confined her to the campus.

[Carrie Lister]

You have another meaning for Coventry. On May 26, La Vecchia was gone all night. Appeared for her third class, disheveled and distant.

[Narrator]

For this, you could have dismissed her.

[Carrie Lister]

We were going to, but her brother pleaded with us. We relented when he told us Christina was at home with him that night.

[Narrator]

5-26-26. Thanks, Dean. It's been educational. So somebody might have lied. Dean Chesterfield had said Christina was with her brother Mario on the night of May 26, the night of the robbery. But Dinsmore said Mario went off with another man. Mario's girlfriend had told me yesterday that Mario spent the evening with her. Mario's girlfriend was named Carrie Lister. She was someone I wanted to talk to again. Then back to West 60s and the brownstone in the middle of a block. I didn't have to go that far. Three doors from the brownstone was a bar. Through the glass front, I could see Carrie Lister seated on the high stove. She was entertaining or being entertained. You get the picture. There was my wife standing there with egg in her face.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Funny, eh, Mr. Becker? You're a whiz bag.

[Narrator]

That ain't all. Listen to me.

[Paul Dinsmore]

I haven't had a drink since I don't know when. Mr. Becker.

[Narrator]

I'll buy it for you, Karen.

[Carrie Lister]

Huh?

[Paul Dinsmore]

Oh, Mr. Clover, meet your rival.

[Carrie Lister]

Mr. Clover of the police.

[Paul Dinsmore]

This is Mr. Becker. He's in canned good, aren't you, Mr. Becker?

[Narrator]

Get at the end of the line, friend, and the line don't move for hours from now. Goodbye, Mr. Becker. If I stand up, I'm pretty large friend, Mr. Becker.

[Paul Dinsmore]

You know, suddenly you got a fat face and fat lips. And you didn't shave so good this morning. Beat it.

[Narrator]

Uh, you, copper.

[Chester]

Flash me a badge, make me move.

[Narrator]

The lady said go. Lady? Ain't been one of those in this place for years. No?

[Christina Lacki]

Get out of here.

[Chester]

Hey, look.

[Paul Dinsmore]

I said go. Oh, so help me.

[Narrator]

Put it down. It's better. Goodbye, Mr. Becker.

[Chester]

Yeah, I'll get back to you, honey.

[Paul Dinsmore]

Give me a shoulder, Mr. Clover.

[Narrator]

I want to die on it. You shouldn't punish yourself so much, Carrie. Not like this.

[Paul Dinsmore]

It doesn't matter anymore.

[Chester]

Anymore?

[Paul Dinsmore]

What matters?

[Narrator]

Mario. Who killed him.

[Paul Dinsmore]

That matters. How?

[Narrator]

Just a question, Carrie. Was he with you on the night of the robbery?

[Paul Dinsmore]

I haven't had a drink.

[Narrator]

Was he?

[Paul Dinsmore]

You know he wasn't. He told me to say so, but he wasn't.

[Narrator]

Who was he with?

[Paul Dinsmore]

How would I know? Go ask his old man, his sister. He was married to his family, not me. Take me home, Mr. Clover. Get me out of here.

[Chester]

Oh, Danny. Come in, Danny, come in. Take my chair, please.

[Narrator]

Please take Chester. No, no.

[Chester]

First you must please sit down to show me you are a guest in my house.

[Narrator]

Good. Good.

[Chester]

Danny. An old man is grateful you call on him. An old man is lonely without the boy, without the son. Lonely.

[Narrator]

Chester. You want your boy's murderer, don't you?

[Chester]

I live only till then. After that, I die.

[Narrator]

Then you must tell me the truth. You lied to me.

[Chester]

I lied? Danny, an old man has not very much. His son, his honor, his pride.

[Narrator]

His daughter.

[Chester]

Christina is no longer my daughter.

[Narrator]

Why, Ches?

[Chester]

It was because of her. I lie because of her, Mario. Because Danny.

[Narrator]

Mario wasn't with Carrie Lister the night of the robbery, was he?

[Chester]

No.

[Narrator]

Tell me about it, Chester.

[Chester]

Well, it was late. The telephone rang. A man told me Christina was missing from her school. She was not in her bed, no place in the school.

[Narrator]

A man?

[Larry Thor]

Yes.

[Chester]

Yes, a man. I went first to Mario.

[Narrator]

You. You went to Mario?

[Chester]

Yes. I told him he left his d to come with me to find Christina because he love Christina. Nothing else would have made him go now, Danny. Nothing. Believe.

[Narrator]

Where was Christina?

[Chester]

We don't know. We look and we don't know. She come to us in the morning and she will not tell us nothing.

[Narrator]

Will she tell us, Christina?

[Chester]

You, out of my house.

[Larry Thor]

You get out.

[Narrator]

No carbon head. No more.

[Larry Thor]

Not the finish.

[Narrator]

Leave her alone, Cesare. Leave her alone.

[Christina Lacki]

Forgive us.

[Narrator]

Barely.

[Christina Lacki]

Forgive us.

[Chester]

You have a just a witness.

[Christina Lacki]

Shame.

[Narrator]

Christina, listen to me. Why did you come here the night Mario was murdered?

[Christina Lacki]

I came to tell him I was through with school. Finish.

[Narrator]

Why? Why, Christy?

[Christina Lacki]

Because I was married. He thought I was married. Tonight he told me it was a lie.

[Narrator]

And the night of the robbery, May 26, you were with your. Your husband, Christina?

[Paul Dinsmore]

Yes.

[Christina Lacki]

Yes, he told me. We'd been married. I'd been drinking and he said we were married. My husband said that.

[Narrator]

Who is he, Christina?

[Paul Dinsmore]

Paul.

[Christina Lacki]

Paul Dinsmore.

[Narrator]

Paul. Paul dinsmore.

[Larry Thor]

Oh, hi, Mr. Clover. What brings you to me?

[Tartaglia]

News?

[Narrator]

Something like that. Let's go back into your office. We can like it.

[Larry Thor]

You read your mind, huh, Mr. Clover? You want quiet? You're getting quiet.

[Narrator]

Wedding time. 3:00 in the afternoon.

[Larry Thor]

Modern production methods.

[Narrator]

The help needs a short break.

[Larry Thor]

The union says they do. They go out in the yard and relax. Maybe they're right.

[Narrator]

I want to talk to you.

[Larry Thor]

All right, let's talk.

[Narrator]

I just came from Christina Lavacia.

[Larry Thor]

So?

[Narrator]

She told me. She thought she was married to you. You lied to her, didn't you, Paul?

[Larry Thor]

She tell you a story like that, Mr. Clover? A very hysterical girl.

[Narrator]

I did do a thing like that to Christina, Paul. It's still her story. There's more that goes with it. You get the girl who thought she was your wife to come to you on the night of the robbery. Then you phone her father and tell him she's missing from school.

[Larry Thor]

The noise in this place really got you, didn't it?

[Narrator]

You knew that family well enough so you were sure her father would go right to Mario. And you knew Mario would leave his job and go looking for her.

[Larry Thor]

What are you trying to prove, Clover? I still don't get you.

[Narrator]

I'm proving a couple of things. You robbed your own payroll. You killed Mario because Mario found out what you did to Christina. You killed the other guard, John Fisher.

[Larry Thor]

I did that, huh?

[Narrator]

Yeah, you did. Because you got scared when I started digging into it. You were afraid John Fisher would tell me. You came to the plant after Mario left.

[Larry Thor]

It was nice of me.

[Narrator]

But killing him? Beating him to death.

[Larry Thor]

Mr. Clover, it was all your fault. It's like you said. You came nosing around. I couldn't take any chances with an old man keeping her closed mouth.

[Narrator]

Let's go, Paul.

[Chester]

Go?

[Larry Thor]

You must be out of your mind.

[Narrator]

He broke away and started running toward the crowd to get lost in it. That man's got a gun to keep me from shooting at him. In their terror, the crowd opened the way for him. And there was only one thing to do. He was dead. I kneeled over. Sometime after that, they took him away. Later, an old man swirled a mop over the blood stained concrete of the floor. And that was Requiem for Paul Dinsmore. Broadway plumes its lights upward into the sky and the night bursts open the swarm starts its dance down the canyon streets the ladies little man stalks the heels of a drunkard It's a place of darting eyes and crowds and mobs, people with empty hands. It's Broadway, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world. Broadway, My Feet, Broadway's My Beat stars.

[Larry Thor]

Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover with.

[Narrator]

Charles Calvert as Tartaglia.

[Larry Thor]

The program was produced and directed by Elliot Lewis. The musical score was composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. Included in tonight's cast were Jane Webb, Georgia Ellis, Jay Novello, Georgia Backus, Byron Cain and Clayton Post.

[Narrator]

Tonight on FPN Presents, you've been listening to our end of the week special comedy and half detective drama, Tripper McGee and Molly in part one of the show and Broadway is my beat part two. Join us again Monday night when FBM present starts the week all over again with Dragnet and Escape. In the meantime, have a nice weekend. See you again Monday night at 9:05. This is Navy journalist Dan Jurgensen speaking.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome back. A really good episode and it's also one where it really makes sense for Danny to take such a personal interest in the case. It's also a bit of a sad one because usually you either have a case where it's someone who even if they didn't quote unquote, deserve murdered, they at least did something wrong, or it's someone who's just kind of an innocent bystander. With Mario, what we learn through the case is that despite appearances, he was actually a good and decent person who did things not to take care of himself, but to take care of his family, even after being disabled in the line of duty. And as for the guy who killed him, it's like polar opposites. I mean, we have gotten some loathsome killers on this series, but I think just all the things he did, he was just the worst. Of course, we're only a few dozen episodes in this series. We've got a hundred plus more to go. But it is going to take a lot to be a lower person than Paul Dinsmore. But we shall see. All right, well, now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day and I want to go ahead and thank Bueno. Bueno has been one of our patreon supporters since March 2023, currently supporting the podcast at the rookie level of $2 or more per month. Thank you so much for your support. Bueno. And that will actually do it for today. We will be back next Wednesday with another episode of Broadway's My Beat. But join us back here tomorrow for Mr. And Mrs. Northware.

[Dean Chesterfield]

Did you enjoy the party?

[Mrs. O'Connell]

I thought it was Horrible.

[Dean Chesterfield]

Yeah, it was pretty bad, wasn't it?

[Mrs. O'Connell]

Same faces, the same silly conversation, the same awful jokes.

[Dean Chesterfield]

We know what they're going to be like, but we keep going. Why?

[Mrs. O'Connell]

I don't know.

[Dean Chesterfield]

Well, here's the car, dear. Now what I do with the keys?

[Adam Graham]

Jerry, listen.

[Narrator]

What?

[Mrs. O'Connell]

That baby crying. I wonder where it is. It sounds awfully close by from that apartment house, probably.

[Dean Chesterfield]

Oh, where the devil are the kids?

[Mrs. O'Connell]

Jerry.

[Dean Chesterfield]

What?

[Mrs. O'Connell]

That's why we keep going to these terrible parties, huh? Because we don't have any reason, I mean, any really good reason to stay home.

[Dean Chesterfield]

I take it you mean a baby?

[Narrator]

Yes.

[Mrs. O'Connell]

Well, what's so funny about that? You know, it's about time we seriously considered having a family.

[Dean Chesterfield]

Pam, dear, a street corner in Mid Manhattan at 11:30 at night is the time and place to seriously consider having a family.

[Christina Lacki]

Well.

[Dean Chesterfield]

Oh, here are the keys. Now, let's. Hey, that's funny. The car's unlocked.

[Mrs. O'Connell]

You're always forgetting to lock it. Honestly, darling, take tonight, for example. If we had a baby, we wouldn't have had to go to the.

[Paul Dinsmore]

What?

[Christina Lacki]

The cheering.

[Mrs. O'Connell]

Darling, that crying isn't coming from the apartment house.

[Dean Chesterfield]

It certainly isn't. What did you mean, dear? If we had a vape, we've got one.

[Mrs. O'Connell]

Oh, my golly.

[Adam Graham]

I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime, send your comments to box13greatdetives.net follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives and check us out on Instagram. Instagram.com Great Detectives from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.