Nick Carter: The Echo of Death (EP4876)

Summary

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The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Episode: Nick Carter: The Echo of Death (EP4876)
Host: Adam Graham
Date: December 29, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode presents a classic Nick Carter radio drama: The Echo of Death (originally aired July 6, 1943). Adam Graham introduces the detective, discusses his historical significance, and provides context before playing the suspenseful mystery. The story itself centers on the disappearance and apparent suicide of a famed financial columnist, only for Nick Carter to unravel a web of clues—including a chilling echo—to expose murder and a cover-up.

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Key Discussion Points and Story Breakdown

1. Nick Carter’s Introduction and Historical Context (03:00–05:56)

• Adam Graham introduces Nick Carter as a significant, if less celebrated, figure in detective fiction, predating Sherlock Holmes.
• Notes the series’ longevity (over a decade on radio) and the variety of writing styles over the decades.
• Quote (04:03, Adam Graham):
  “Nick Carter appeared in the mysterious crime of Madison Square. And that led to 29 more years of Nick Carter stories... While his stories predated Sherlock Holmes, no one, I think, would argue that they were superior or even in the same league as Holmes.”

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2. Mystery Setup: Arrival at Echo Valley Lodge (05:56–10:00)

• Nick Carter, his assistant Patsy, and reporter Scubby are summoned by millionaire sportsman Howard Manstead to investigate the disappearance of James Thurlow, a high-profile financial columnist.
• Echo Valley’s unique echoing qualities are highlighted as the team prepares for intrigue.
• Quote (08:40, Patsy; 08:58, Scubby):
  “Echo Valley is of great interest to scientists... Sounds occurring in certain areas of Echo Valley may be repeated as many as 13 times...”
  “Why do encyclopedias always use so many words to say so little?”

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3. Emerging Suspicion: The Mysterious Plane (10:00–12:13)

• En route, the group sees a suspicious amphibian plane making evasive maneuvers; its pilot crashes, parachutes into a tree, and is later found dead—neck broken, possibly murdered.
• Nick notes the presence of a recently smoked cigarette at the scene of the “accident.”
• Quote (13:28, Nick Carter):
  “Yes, his neck’s broken. He’s dead… He’s dead because somebody reached him before we did and murdered him.”

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4. The Search for Thurlow: Clues and Echoes (14:07–21:05)

• Manstead explains Thurlow was under great stress, working to expose a massive stock market fraud.
• Thurlow’s hat is found by a trail not usually frequented, leading to an old, abandoned cabin.
• Echoes in the valley complicate their search, and Scubby’s humorous asides keep the tone lively.

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5. The Locked Room and Apparent Suicide (18:00–19:39)

• Cabin seems untouched, but Thurlow’s footprints lead right to it.
• Door is barred from the inside; window is nailed shut.
• They break in and find Thurlow dead, appearing to have shot himself—a classic “locked room” mystery.

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6. Doubt and Investigation: Was it Suicide or Murder? (19:47–24:47)

• Mrs. Thurlow insists her husband would never kill himself.
• Patsy and Nick find Thurlow’s secret notes, written in code and shorthand, indicating he felt his life was in danger and warning against trusting “the one man in the world he’d never believe guilty.”
• Quote (20:08, Mrs. Thurlow):
  “I think he just found a clue to the identity of the man he was seeking... He said he'd be so shocked he could hardly believe the evidence.”

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7. Unraveling the Plot—The Echoing Clues (26:02–32:16)

• Nick is certain both deaths are murder, not accident or suicide, but can’t identify how the killer escaped the locked cabin.
• A key moment arises when Scubby innocuously mentions picking up a shiny new nail, prompting Nick to recall Mrs. Thurlow's description of echoing hammer blows (“like someone hammering down the lid of a coffin”).
• Patsy and Mrs. Thurlow return to the cabin, encounter Manstead, and are threatened—Manstead’s guilt becomes clear.

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8. Climactic Confrontation and Solution (27:45–32:46)

• Manstead and his henchman Johnny attempt to kill Patsy and Mrs. Thurlow, but Nick arrives in time.
• Nick reveals:
  • Manstead flew in secretly, murdered Thurlow, staged the suicide, and also murdered the pilot via Johnny.
  • The killer exited the locked cabin by temporarily removing the lightweight roof, nailing it back, and creating the echo Mrs. Thurlow heard.
  • Quote (29:29, Nick Carter):
    “How did I know Manstead was a murderer? … It took an echo to prove it. The echo, Mrs. Thurlow, that you said sounded like someone hammering.”

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9. Final Explanation and Unmasking the Locked Room Illusion (32:15–32:46)

• The trick: After murdering Thurlow, they pried up the roof, exited, and nailed it shut—exploiting the sound-bouncing properties of Echo Valley.
• Quote (32:15, Nick Carter):
  “So they were hammering the lid in the coffin, so to speak… And due to the curious echoing qualities of the rocks, the sound carried to the lodge and Mrs. Thurlow heard it...”

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10. Preview and Wrap-Up (33:11–34:36)

• Teaser for next week’s episode: “Death Across the Tracks.”
• Cast credits: Nick Carter (Lon Clark), Patsy (Helen Choate), production notes.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Echo Valley is of great interest to scientists. Sounds occurring in certain areas of Echo Valley may be repeated as many as 13 times...” —Patsy, 08:40
• “Yes, his neck’s broken. He’s dead... He’s dead because somebody reached him before we did and murdered him.” —Nick Carter, 13:28
• “I think he just found a clue to the identity of the man he was seeking... He said he’d be so shocked he could hardly believe the evidence.” —Mrs. Thurlow, 20:08
• “How did I know Manstead was a murderer?... It took an echo to prove it.” —Nick Carter, 29:29
• “So they were hammering the lid in the coffin, so to speak... And due to the curious echoing qualities of the rocks, the sound carried to the lodge...” —Nick Carter, 32:15

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:00–05:56: Adam Graham’s intro, Nick Carter history, show context
• 05:56–12:13: Drama begins, mystery set up, Echo Valley and crash
• 13:28–19:39: Discovery of dead pilot, arrival at cabin, locked room mystery
• 19:47–24:47: Interview with Mrs. Thurlow, coded notes, deepening intrigue
• 26:02–27:05: Nick ruminates, the “nail” clue drops
• 27:45–32:46: Cabin confrontation and mystery's resolution
• 33:11–34:36: Episode credits, teaser for next story
• 36:23–39:31: Adam Graham’s post-show analysis and listener feedback

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Adam Graham’s Commentary Highlights (36:23–39:31)

• Discusses the evolution of the Nick Carter character, particularly how “master detective” used to mean boss of an agency.
• Observes minor quibbles about the plausibility of the plane parachute sequence.
• Looks ahead to more Nick Carter stories, seeking listener input on technical questions.
  • Quote (38:01, Adam Graham):
    “If there is any aeronautically minded person in the audience, love to hear from you on that one.”

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Summary

The Echo of Death is a classic locked room puzzle with a clever twist centered on Echo Valley’s unique acoustics. Nick Carter unravels a plot involving fraud, betrayal, and murder, using forensic deduction and observation of physical and aural clues. The period drama combines tense mystery, sharp dialogue, and a satisfying conclusion, all brought together by Adam Graham’s insightful historical framing and snappy wrap-up.

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Transcript

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[Adam Graham]

Hello, we are taking a bit of a recording break during the holidays and bringing you some encores. On the 29th and 30th, we will be bringing you the first and last circulating episodes of Nick Carter. Both of these episodes are from many years ago and so any offers or information in the episode are not valid unless currently reflected on our Great Detectives of Old Time radio [e-mail] now on with today's show. Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it to us. Box13reatetactives.net Follow us on Twitter at radiodetectives and become one of our friends on Facebook. Facebook.com RadioDetectives Today's episode is brought to you by the financial support of our listeners. Thank you so much for your support. Well, folks, after a month of various mystery specials, we're ready to bring in a new show to take the place of Sherlock Holmes in our lineup. And we're going to start Nick Carter, a character whose story appeared before Sherlock Holmes. In 1886, Nick Carter appeared in the mysterious crime of Madison Square. And that led to 29 more years of Nick Carter stories and Nick Carter Magazines, a weekly publication by street and Smith that was replaced in 1915 and then was returned again three 18 years later as a pulp magazine from 1933-36. And then there were three films by starring Walter Pidgin, 1939 and 40. Nick Carter came to radio a well known character. While his stories predated Sherlock Holmes, no one, I think would argue that they were superior or even in the same league as Holmes. The Nick Carter stories were written by a wide variety of authors and I've read several of the stories and they really seem to change styles depending on the literary mood of the moment. So we're going to go ahead and we'll take a listen to the radio series. The series starred Long Clark and aired from 1943 to 1955. And as far as I know, it is the longest detective series where you've had one detective in the lead role, Mr. Keen, tracer of Lost Person. There were more series and of course there was. There were more seasons of Sherlock Holmes, though not all of those ran consecutively. Nick Carter began airing over the Mutual Network on April 11th of 1943. We're missing the first 12 episodes of Nick Carter, but we have episode number 13, which aired on July 6th of 1943. So here now is the echo of death.

[Nick Carter]

Colleague Nick Carter. Another case for Nick Carter, Master Detective.

[Narrator]

Yes, it's another case for that most famous of all manhunters, the detective whose ability at solving crime is unequaled in the history of detective fiction. Nick Cotter, Master Detective. Tonight's curious adventure is the echo of.

[Nick Carter]

Death or Nick Connor and the phantom Clue. No. No. Please don't kill me. Don't kill me. Hold him still. There, just like that. This has got to look right.

[Patsy]

No, I'll.

[Nick Carter]

I'll do anything you say. I'll forget everything I know. Only don't. All right, he's dead now. Come on.

[Scubby]

Hello?

[Nick Carter]

Yes, this Is Nick Carter speaking? Case? What kind of case? Disappearance. Well, that's hardly in my line. Oh, I see. Yes, yes, yes, I understand. All right. Expect us late this afternoon. You got that on the extension, Patsy?

[Patsy]

I should say so. Echo Valley Lodge. Private amphibian plane waiting for you at the airport. Come at once. Never mind the sea. Who is this Howard Manstead who tosses money around like confetti?

[Nick Carter]

A well known millionaire sportsman, Patsy. But wouldn't it be more to the point to ask about the man who's disappeared?

[Patsy]

Oh, you mean James Thelow, the columnist? Why, he. Hey, who is he anyway?

[Nick Carter]

That's what you get for not reading the financial pages of the paper, Patsy. Well, come along. We gotta find a taxi and get to the airport.

[Patsy]

Well, aren't we gonna take anything with us?

[Nick Carter]

Oh, yes, of course. I was forgetting.

[Patsy]

I thought you were. I'll need my new dress.

[Nick Carter]

You want Scubby? Call him and tell him to meet us at the airport. He knows Thurlow. They write for the same paper.

[Patsy]

But why aren't we gonna.

[Nick Carter]

Oh, and one other thing, Patsy. Bring along volume three of the encyclopedia. E to H. Scoffy Wilson in volume.

[Patsy]

Three of an encyclopedia. That's just what a girl needs for a visit to a millionaire's hunting lodge. Though seldom visited because of its somewhat inaccessible location, Echo Valley is a natural freak of singular interest.

[Scubby]

I have friends you could say the same thing about, but the encyclopedia doesn't mention them.

[Nick Carter]

Quiet, scuppy. Let Patsy finish reading.

[Patsy]

Echo Valley is of great interest to scientists. Sounds occurring in certain areas of Echo Valley may be repeated as many as 13 times, echoing from clues clip to clip in gradually diminishing volume.

[Scubby]

Why do encyclopedias always use so many words to say so little?

[Patsy]

That's what I wonder about newspaper reporters sometimes, too.

[Scubby]

So we'll change the subject. What else does it say?

[Patsy]

That's all.

[Scubby]

Well, that's no help. Thurlow certainly wasn't carried off by an echo.

[Nick Carter]

He's probably just lost in the woods.

[Patsy]

In any case, I don't see why Manstead insisted on you coming out to look for him, Nick.

[Nick Carter]

You're no Indian guide, Patsy, if Thurlow isn't found alive, it may cost the public millions.

[Patsy]

Millions? He's just a columnist.

[Scubby]

Isn't he just a columnist? He's the smartest financial reporter in New York.

[Nick Carter]

Thurlow's more than just a reporter, Patsy. In the financial column he writes, he sometimes tips the authorities off to big stock swindles and other kinds of financial skullduggery.

[Scubby]

Right. It Was Thurlow who broke open the Nemo bank scandal three years ago and sent the whole board of directors to prison.

[Nick Carter]

And for some time, Patsy Thurlow has been hinting in his column that he was on the verge of revealing some kind of tie up between certain politicians and one or two big operators that would rob the public of millions.

[Patsy]

Oh, then if anything happened to him now, before he's had a chance to tell anybody what he knew, the scheme would go through his schedule.

[Nick Carter]

Right?

[Scubby]

That's why he went to Echo Valley Lodge. Manstead, an old friend of his, invited him out so he could work in peace for a few weeks.

[Nick Carter]

Scubby, huh? Is it true that Thurlow was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when he left?

[Scubby]

Oh, he was walking around in circles talking to himself, Nick. He had almost all the dope he wanted, but he still hadn't got the name of the guy behind the whole scheme. He took along a whole bunch of records of stock transactions. He said they might give him the clue he needed. And, hey, look ahead of us.

[Patsy]

Echo Valley it is, isn't it, Nick?

[Nick Carter]

No doubt of it, Patsy. But look.

[Scubby]

That isn't any echo flying tortoise.

[Patsy]

A plane, Nick. It's a plane flying up out of Echo Valley.

[Nick Carter]

Yes, yes, it's a private amphibian.

[Scubby]

I thought this plane of Manstead's was the only one in these parts.

[Nick Carter]

The pilot's seen us, huh? He's turning out of our line of flight.

[Patsy]

I suppose he wants to avoid it.

[Scubby]

I'll bet he doesn't want us to see his markings.

[Patsy]

He is trying to avoid us.

[Nick Carter]

Oh, Pilot, swing over so we can get a look at that plane down there. Right, Mascot.

[Patsy]

He knows we're trying to get closer to him.

[Scubby]

Look at him. Back to avoid us.

[Patsy]

He's turned back. He's heading away from us.

[Nick Carter]

Now, a pilot, overtake that plane if you can. Yes, Mr. Carter.

[Scubby]

Say, isn't that the manted hunting lodge down there, right on the edge of the lake?

[Nick Carter]

Yes, cubby, it is. But we're not going to land until we get some idea what that plane's up to.

[Patsy]

Look, he's diving straight down. Now.

[Nick Carter]

He's gonna try to get away underneath us.

[Scubby]

Oh, he'll never make it. Those private planes aren't filled.

[Patsy]

His wing is breaking off.

[Nick Carter]

Couldn't take the strain.

[Scubby]

He's heading straight for the ground. If he hasn't got a parachute, nobody has.

[Patsy]

Look, he's jumping. Yeah, the chute's helping.

[Nick Carter]

And there goes his plane into the trees. Well, that was A narrow escape. He didn't have more than 500ft of altitude.

[Patsy]

Come down on the top of that tall pine. He's caught there. See? His parachute won't come loose.

[Nick Carter]

Yes, well, we'll have to land and rescue him. Besides, I want to know why he was so anxious to avoid having his plane identified. Oh, pilot. Yes, Mr. Carter? Land in the lake and taxi up as close as possible to the place that fellow came down. Oh, wait a minute, Patsy.

[Scubby]

I'll lift this one up for you.

[Nick Carter]

Watch out that branch doesn't snap back in your face.

[Patsy]

Aren't we almost there?

[Nick Carter]

Yes, there's the clearing just ahead. Only a few more steps.

[Scubby]

Oh, and they say exercise is good for you.

[Patsy]

Oh, there. There's his parachute. I think I can see him hanging among the branches.

[Nick Carter]

He's herculean. Call to us. Come on.

[Scubby]

His shroud lines are caught among the branches. I can see that much.

[Patsy]

He's just. Just dangling there.

[Nick Carter]

Hey, you up there. Can you hear us? You all right? He doesn't answer.

[Scubby]

Look, I'll climb up and see if I can.

[Nick Carter]

No, wait. What is it, Nick? Look at those shroud lines.

[Patsy]

They're wrapped around his neck.

[Scubby]

Yeah.

[Nick Carter]

Look at the way his head is.

[Scubby]

Twisted to one side.

[Nick Carter]

Yes, his neck's broken. He's dead. What?

[Patsy]

Oh, when he landed in the tree, he got tangled in the lines and.

[Nick Carter]

I wonder, Nick, what do you mean? Look down at your feet. Scubby cigarette butt.

[Patsy]

What? Somebody must have been here before us.

[Nick Carter]

Maybe. But its precision makes me think the cigarette was smoked by him up there.

[Scubby]

But that's impossible, Nick.

[Nick Carter]

It's been just about an hour, Scabby, since he crashed. He knew we'd come after him. So if he was hurt and couldn't get out of his shoot harness, would have been more natural than for him to smoke a cigarette and wait to be rescued.

[Patsy]

But he.

[Nick Carter]

He's dead because somebody reached him before we did and murdered him. And so that's the story, Ms. Carter. As much as we know, anyway. Thurlow just wandered away yesterday morning and never returned. Hmm. I see, Mr. Manson. And you don't think this mysterious airplane we met just before we reached here has any connection with Thurlow's vanishing? I don't see how it could. But then, as I said, I haven't the slightest idea where the plane could have come from or who was flying it. Now, let's go over the facts again, if you don't mind. Of course not. Thurlow arrived here a week ago. Yes, with his wife. I had Them flown in in my plane. They had the lodge to themselves with my permanent housekeeper to look after them. And you arrived yesterday? In the middle of the afternoon. But Thurlow wasn't here when you arrived? No, he'd already gone out. He told his wife he was taking his revolver along and would take pot shots at the trees and rocks. So you never actually saw him? That's right. The woodsman I employed to look after the property asked me to come and examine some trees he wanted to cut down. About sundown I got back to the lodge and Thurlow still hadn't returned. Mrs. Thurlow was becoming worried. I ordered the floodlights we used for landing the plane at night, but he didn't show up. Then in the morning, you called me. Well, first I phoned the nearest forest ranger station. And after that Mrs. Thurlow was so agitated I had promised I'd send for you. Where is Mrs. Thurlow? I'd like to ask a few questions. She's sleeping now. She was up all night and this morning the housekeeper gave her a sleeping tablet. Shall we wake her? No, no, no, no, no. Not just now. There's still an hour of daylight left. I'd like to take a look around outside. Perhaps I'll find. I'll open it. Mr. Manstead. Johnny. What is it? His hat. We found it. Thurlow's hat. Where? Near the waterfall. Well, that's not far. It's only a mile from here. It's still light. Do you want to come with us and look for him, Mr. Carter? Yes, I think I do. Oh, gosh.

[Scubby]

Oh, boy.

[Nick Carter]

There. There. There's the hat, Mr. Manstead. In that bush. But what in the world could Thurlow have been doing in here? This isn't the trail to the waterfall.

[Scubby]

It isn't a trail at all. As far as I'm concerned, it's a jungle.

[Nick Carter]

It used to be a trail to an old one room cabin. But there's no reason Thurlow would go there.

[Scubby]

Well, maybe if we yell, he'll hear us. He might be in there with a busted ankle or something.

[Nick Carter]

Go ahead and try, Scubby Thorlo.

[Scubby]

Good gosh, will you listen to that?

[Nick Carter]

Well, that's one reason this is called Echo Valley. The cliffs around the waterfall down the trail make a perfect sounding board.

[Scubby]

Well, if he didn't hear that, he must be dead.

[Nick Carter]

If there's a cabin in there, we better take a look at it. Right. I don't see what in the world Thurlow could have come this way for. But maybe he did. Let's find out.

[Narrator]

There it is.

[Nick Carter]

Where am I, Sid? Oh, there, between those two trees. See it? Oh, yes. It's only another 40 yards.

[Scubby]

Well, come on, then.

[Nick Carter]

Or scrubby. Wait. Sure, Nick. What is it? That bare patch of ground there. Those footprints, Carlos. Footprints. You sure, Scubby? Sure.

[Scubby]

I've seen those pointed shoes of his too often not to recognize the footprints any place. Come on, Nick.

[Nick Carter]

Yes, yes, I'm coming. Thurlow's a tall man, isn't it, Scabby?

[Scubby]

He's a tall man, like I'm Henry ford. He's about 5ft 5.

[Nick Carter]

Why, I thought it. Well, never mind. There's the cabin.

[Scubby]

Gosh, it doesn't look as if it had been opened in years.

[Nick Carter]

Well, it hasn't, that I know of.

[Scubby]

But there are Thurlow's footprints going right up to the door.

[Nick Carter]

And somebody's opened the door recently. Look at these broken spider webs around the door jamb. Won't open now. Here, let me try. It ought to open without any trouble.

[Scubby]

Yeah, but it doesn't budge.

[Nick Carter]

That's strange. Let's take a look through the window. The window's boarded over. The boards haven't been touched. I nailed the window up myself three years ago. Nobody came here since. And someone has come here. Thurlow. And he must be inside now.

[Scubby]

But the window hasn't been touched and the door is barred on the inside.

[Nick Carter]

Looks bad. We'd better break the door down. Suppose we have old Johnny use his axe on it. That'll be quicker. Of course. Johnny, smash the door open for us. Stand back, please.

[Scubby]

That door was locked to stay locked.

[Nick Carter]

Standing to go. That does it. It's open. You don't mind, I'd like to go in first. Of course. It's dark inside. Here, take my flashlight. Thanks.

[Scubby]

There he is.

[Narrator]

Follow.

[Nick Carter]

He's dead. He came here, bolted himself in and shot himself. With his own revolver. Yes, he's dead, all right. And it does look like suicide, doesn't.

[Patsy]

Now, now, Mrs. Thurlow. Jim couldn't have killed himself, Mr. Carter. He couldn't have.

[Nick Carter]

I'm sorry, Mrs. Thurlow. I wouldn't intrude on your grief if it wasn't necessary. Now, first of all, what kind of mood was your husband in yesterday morning just before he disappeared?

[Patsy]

He was very agitated.

[Nick Carter]

Agitated? Well, do you know any reason why he should have been?

[Patsy]

I think he just found a clue to the identity of the man he was seeking. The one behind his plot to upset the stock market.

[Nick Carter]

Did he say who it was.

[Patsy]

No, no. He just said he'd stumbled on a clue and he'd be so shocked he could hardly believe the evidence. That was why he went out into the woods. He wanted to be alone, to think the matter through.

[Nick Carter]

Perhaps his notes will tell us what he found.

[Patsy]

I thought of that, Nick, after Mrs. Thorlow woke up and I talked to her while you and Scubby were out with Mr. Manstead. We tried to read his notes, but they're in some kind of a shorthand that nobody can read but himself. I can make out a few words here and there, but not enough to help.

[Nick Carter]

Well, we'll have another try at it later. Please go on, Mrs. Thurlow.

[Patsy]

Well, that's almost all, Mr. Carter. Jim went out about 10 in the morning. I stayed here in my room reading. About half an hour later, I thought I heard a shot. All of a sudden I was terribly frightened.

[Nick Carter]

Frightened of what?

[Patsy]

I don't know. It was just a feeling. Then. Then I heard the far off echo of somebody hammering. It was this sounded like somebody hammering down the lid of a coffin. And I'm positive it meant that stimulus said it's probably someone chopping down a tree. She heard Nick. Anyway, she went back to her reading and forgot about it. And around one Manstead phone from the village, a little town about 10 miles from the hills, for Johnny to come for him. And the station waited.

[Nick Carter]

Manstead phoned. But didn't he fly in by plane yesterday?

[Patsy]

Seems not. Plane was in New York getting a new propeller, so he took the night train.

[Nick Carter]

Is that so?

[Patsy]

Anyway, Johnny went to meet him. He got here about 2:30. The rest of the story is just the way he told it to us. Nick Thurlow must have killed himself. It just isn't any other answer.

[Nick Carter]

I wonder, Patsy. I wonder. Hello? Yes, speaking. Did you get the dope I wanted? He was. And the plane. Then check every airfield within 50 miles of the city. Yes, I know it's a big order, but somebody's playing this game for big stakes. No, that's all. Call me back when you've learned something. Oh, hello, Carter. I. I didn't know anybody was here. In the library. I took the liberty of phoning New York. I was trying to check on that mysterious plane that we saw crash yesterday afternoon. I see. Did you learn anything? Nothing yet. You know, I have a theory about that plane, Carter. I'd be interested to hear it, Mr. Manstead. Well, we're only 100 miles from the border. And in the past, planes engaged in smuggling aliens into this country have landed in this region. Now, I'm willing to wager this chap who was so anxious to avoid being seen, was engaged in doing something like that. Certainly sounds plausible.

[Scubby]

Nick.

[Patsy]

Oh, Nick.

[Nick Carter]

Oh, yes. Guppy.

[Scubby]

Oh, there you are.

[Nick Carter]

Oh.

[Scubby]

Top of the morning to you, Mr. Manstead.

[Nick Carter]

Good morning.

[Scubby]

Say, I was looking for the two of you. Forest Ranger Thompson and two of his men are down at the landing waiting in your launch, Mr. Manstead. They want to get started down the lake to bring in the body of that flyer who. Who was so unlucky when he bailed out of his plane yesterday.

[Nick Carter]

Of course, you're coming with us, aren't you, Carter? Yes, indeed. I'm just as interested as you are to see if your theory turns out to be right.

[Scubby]

Oh, what about Patsy? Shall I go find her?

[Nick Carter]

Oh, no, Scubby. She's staying here in the Lodge with Mrs. Thurlow. They're going to spend the morning going over Thurlow's notes, trying to decipher them.

[Scubby]

Well, let's get going. I want to get back in time to phone a story to my paper.

[Patsy]

I was afraid. It's no use, miss. Please, just call me Patsy. It's just impossible to read these notes of Jim's, Patsy. They're not only in his own shorthand, but most of them are in code, too. Here's something that seems as if it might mean something. See? It says I can h B It H. See? Hardly believe. I can hardly believe it. Yes, of course. That's what it means. And here's some more. It's Clara. Shall I tell Manstead what I know? The next line. Better not. Instead, must get back to New York. That's clear enough. But the next line. My life, M, D, N D. That doesn't mean anything to me. My life. Mv indeed, my life may be in danger. And then there's just one last sentence that he never finished. You think that the one man in the world. That's all there is. Oh. Oh, if he'd only finished. Who think that? The one man in the world. Who do you suppose he could have meant? I can't even make a guess. The one man. Mrs. Thurlow. What's that? Mrs. Thurlow? We're going to go and take a look at that cabin now while all the others are away. I have a theory. And we're going to find some evidence to prove it. It has to be there. It just has to.

[Scubby]

Hello, Nick, my friend. Hey, what's troubling you? You've been sitting out here on this Rock for an hour ever since we got back. Looking mean enough to bite your grandmother.

[Nick Carter]

Scubby, that poor devil of an aviator whose body we brought in, was murdered. And Thurlow was murdered. And I can't prove it.

[Scubby]

But, Nick, couldn't you be wrong? The aviator certainly looked like a natural accident. And Thurlow, if I ever saw a case look more like suicide. Well, I don't know where it was.

[Nick Carter]

That's just it. The aviator. I can explain. Someone slipped through the woods, reached him before we did, climbed the tree he was caught in and strangled him with the shroud lines in his parachute while pretending to help free him.

[Scubby]

But Thurlow. His own footprints leading into the cabin. The window boarded over in the door, bolted on the inside. If somebody killed him, well, how did they get out?

[Nick Carter]

I don't know. Scubby is impossible. And it was done. I'm going to break the. It's gonna be. What's that in your hand?

[Scubby]

All just a shiny new nail I picked up somewhere. Somebody must have been fixing something.

[Nick Carter]

A nail. And Mrs. Ferrell said she heard the echo of hammer blows the morning her husband died.

[Scubby]

Yeah. Said they sounded like somebody hammering down the lid of a coffin. They sure have imaginations.

[Nick Carter]

But that's just what she did here. Huh? She heard the echoes of somebody nailing down the lid of a coffin.

[Patsy]

But there must be a clue. There must be. But we've been all over the cabin, inside and out, a dozen times. Now, Patsy, if there was anything here, we'd have found it. Mrs. Thurlow, somehow your husband was murdered here and his body left inside this cabin. So it would look like suicide. I'm going to find out how the murderer got out, leaving the door and window bolted.

[Nick Carter]

Or.

[Patsy]

Or die.

[Nick Carter]

I'm afraid you're much more likely to die, Patsy.

[Patsy]

Oh, Mr. Manstead.

[Nick Carter]

Yes, Mr. Manstead. After we returned to the lodge and I learned the two of you had disappeared in this direction, I thought I'd better find out what you were up to. You.

[Patsy]

You killed my husband. Of course he did. Who else could your husband have meant by? The one man in the world he'd never have believed guilty. But. But he was Jim's friend. That's what he wanted you to think. He pretended to be a friend so he could always keep checking what your husband learned. He invited you both here so he could commit murder if he decided it was necessary.

[Nick Carter]

A very interesting theory. But I'm afraid I can't give you a chance to tell it to anyone else. Johnny. Right here. Mr. Manstead. Come inside and close the door.

[Patsy]

What are you going to do to us? He thinks he's going to kill us. He hasn't got that gun in his hand for fun, Johnny.

[Nick Carter]

The old mine shaft is close by. Now, if these two ladies out walking had the misfortune to stumble into it, it would be very tragic, wouldn't it? Lots of people fall down old mine shaft. So they do. And I'm afraid another such accident is about to happen.

[Patsy]

You can't get away with it, Mr. Manstead. Nick Carter won't let you.

[Nick Carter]

Oh, well, Perhaps even clever Mr. Carter may have to have an accident. Help me silence him, Johnny. Quickly. Nick.

[Patsy]

Nick.

[Nick Carter]

Quiet. Quiet, I say. All right now, Johnny. Knock them both on the head to keep them quiet. All right, man. Sit. Let go of her. You caught her. Look out.

[Patsy]

He's got it.

[Nick Carter]

Drop it, man. Stand, or I. Johnny, kill him.

[Patsy]

Kill him.

[Nick Carter]

Johnny. Put down that ax or I'll shoot. Yes, sir.

[Patsy]

He's dead.

[Nick Carter]

I'm afraid so, Patsy. Either of you hurt?

[Patsy]

No, Nick. You came just in time. But how?

[Nick Carter]

How did I know Manstead was a murderer? I knew that from the time we found this cabin. But it took an echo to prove it. The echo, Mrs. Thurlow, that you said sounded like someone hammering.

[Patsy]

But I don't understand.

[Nick Carter]

Scobby's bringing Ranger Thompson. As soon as they get here, I think I'll be able to clear up a lot of mysteries. So man was behind the plot that Thurlow uncovered. He invited Thurlow here in order to find out what he knew. Discovered Thurlow had evidence that would tell him the truth and therefore decided to eliminate Thurlow. But, Mr. Carter, Manstead didn't get here until after Thurlow was dead.

[Patsy]

He came.

[Nick Carter]

But Train.

[Scubby]

Ranger Thompson's right, Nick.

[Nick Carter]

He appeared to come by train. Actually, he flew in the night before in a plane whose pilot was used to taking big fees for keeping his mouth shut. That was a plane that we saw crash. Something delayed it from leaving in time to avoid us. And in the pilot's effort to keep away from us. Well, we all know what happened, Nick.

[Patsy]

Why was the pilot murdered?

[Nick Carter]

That was Johnny's work. As soon as Thurlow saw the crash, he sent Johnny by a secret trail to the woods to make sure the pilot didn't live to talk. Otherwise, his murder scheme would have collapsed. Isn't that right, Johnny? Yes, sir.

[Patsy]

Manstead flew here the night before he murdered the low. In the morning, when Thurlow left the house, he and Johnny waylaid him. Is that It, Nick.

[Nick Carter]

That's it, Betsy. They brought him to the cabin here. Manstead put on his victim shoes and made a trail of footprints. Then they killed Thurlow, put his shoes back on him and left him in the locked cabin. A clear case. Sound suicide. But Manstead made a mistake there. His footprints were too far apart. They were the steps of a tall man. When Scubby said Thurlow was a short man, I began to suspect. Well, it certainly does sound plausible, Mr. Carter. But you still got to convince me. Manstead could get out of that cabin and leave the door barred from the inside.

[Scubby]

Make it good, Nick.

[Nick Carter]

Johnny knows the answer. He. You all remember that Mrs. Thurlow said she heard the echo of hammer blows.

[Patsy]

You mean she really did hear someone hammer?

[Nick Carter]

Exactly. This is a small cabin with a roof lightly nailed in place. Now look up there. What's that flashing in the sun? Looks like nail heads.

[Scubby]

Somebody's hammered new nails into that roof all along this side.

[Patsy]

Is that the clue I was looking for?

[Nick Carter]

That's the clue you were looking for. Scubby and I saw it yesterday. But we weren't smart enough to know what it meant. Here, I'll take Johnny's axe and push the blade in on the eaves and pry upward like that. The whole roof's lifting up.

[Scubby]

Well, blow me down.

[Patsy]

Then Sid and Johnny pried up the flimsy roof before they killed Thurlow. Then, leaving the door pod, they climbed out and Johnny nailed the roof back into place.

[Nick Carter]

Right. So they were hammering the lid in the coffin, so to speak. Thurlow's coffin. And due to the curious echoing qualities of the rocks, the sound carried to the lodge. And Mrs. Thurlow heard it. I didn't think it meant anything until I noticed the nail Scabby picked up someplace. The nail Johnny must have dropped. And then I remembered the hammering sound Mr. Thurlow spoke of. And suddenly the whole thing was clear. Well, it sure wouldn't have been clear to me if you hadn't explained it, Mr. Carter. I certainly wouldn't ever have worked it out with just an echo for a clue.

[Scubby]

Oh, but that was an unusual echo. Remember how cleverly it answered.

[Patsy]

And when it comes to answers, Scuppy Nick Carter is the man who gets the them.

[Narrator]

This was another strange experience of Nick Cotter called the Echo of Death. Or Nick Cotter and the Phantom Clue. The curious adventures of Nick Cotter, Master Detective, are brought to you every Monday night at 9:30 Eastern. War time. We'll let Nick himself tell you about next week's story. What'll it be about, Nick?

[Nick Carter]

I call it Death across the Tracks. It began with the murder of a.

[Patsy]

Detective, a railroad detective who lives in the station alongside the tracks. He was working on a case, but he had it only partly solved when he was murdered.

[Nick Carter]

And I picked it up from there.

[Patsy]

I'll say you did, Nick. You almost picked up a few bullets into the bargain the way the victim did when you called it Death across the Tracks. You were right in more ways than one.

[Narrator]

This sounds more and more intriguing. And how'd it wind up, Nick?

[Nick Carter]

Well, we'll tell you that next week. But I can say this much. I had a stroke of luck.

[Patsy]

Nick always calls it luck when he uses foresight. Good night, folks.

[Nick Carter]

Yes, good night, folks.

[Narrator]

And good night, Patsy and Nick. In tonight's strange adventure, Nick Carter was impersonated by Lon Clark. Patsy was impersonated by Helen Choate. Original music was played by Lou White. The entire production was under the direction of Jock McGregor. Next week at half past nine o'clock Eastern Wartime, listen to another curious adventure of Nick Carter entitled Death across the.

[Nick Carter]

Tracks or Nick Carter and the Mystery of the Midnight Train.

[Narrator]

This story is a copyrighted feature of street and Smith Publications Incorporated. And here's a special note. Beginning next week, Nick Carter will be heard over most of these same stations on Mondays at 9:30pm Eastern wartime. The Cisco Kid will be presented on Tuesdays at 9:30pm Eastern. War time. This is mutual.

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[Adam Graham]

Welcome back. Well, greatest of all, manhunters may be a debatable issue. Certainly it this point in history, there were few detectives who had more total canonical stories told about them. Though Nick Carter's history, he had changed quite a bit, as had his supporting cast. The idea of Nick Carter as a master detective, it's actually a term of art used for somebody who had it above big detective agency. Over on the old Time Dragnet show, we played you the Nick Harris cases and Nick Harris was an actual master detective and there's still a big agency named after him. Nick Carter as a master detective came from the late 19th and early 20th century stories where he had his own group of detectives under him. In the radio show, it's not necessarily master detective. Usually he has at least two sidekicks, which is one more than most other radio detectives have going. It's worth noting here the character of Patsy. One of the more interesting facts here is there was a patsy in the Nick Carter stories of the 19th and early 20th century. However, that Patsy was a man. Well, as to today's story, it itself, I wondered what would have really happened with that guy jumping out of the plane so close to the ground, whether he would have gotten caught in the tree limbs or he would have survived even being caught in the tree limbs because I don't know if he would have had time to have his parachute open. If there is any aeronautically minded person in the audience, love to hear from you on that one. Overall, this is a pretty solid outing for Nick Carter and we've got more of it to come. So many great cases. We're going to have Nick Carter with us for the next couple of years and we will try and get you some more information on actors and things of that sort as we continue to enjoy this character. All right, well, listener comments and feedback and we have a new review of the itunes app. This one from only Emmy who writes. Adam does a great job on the shows and the app is the same, easy to use and gets played all the time. Well, we're glad you're enjoying the app and enjoying the program, Amy. That will actually finish our program for today. We will be back tomorrow. We will wrap up yours truly, Johnny Dollar, and then join us back here next Thursday for another episode of Nick Carter, Master Detective. In the meantime, send your comments to [e-mail] follow us on Twitter at radiodetectives and become one of our friends on Facebook. Facebook.com RadioDetectives From Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.

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That's why T Mobile and US Cellular are joining forces. Switch to T Mobile and save up to 20% versus Verizon by getting built in benefits they leave out. Check the math@t mobile.com switch and now T mobile is in US cellular stores. Savings versus Comparable Verizon plans plus the cost of optional benefits, plan features and taxes and fees vary. Savings with three plus lines include third line free via monthly bill credits Credit stop if you cancel any lines. Qualifying credit required. This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels. Sunday mornings I've got my game day ritual, coffee, lucky socks and now new Morning Uncrustable sandwiches.

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