
An investment advisor is murdered and suspicion falls upon his jilted fiancée. Original Air Date: November 23, 1950 Originating in Hollywood Starring: Bill Johnstone as Lieutenant Ben Guthrie; Wally Maher as Sergeant Matt Groebs; Howard McNear...
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If you're an H VAC technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
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With on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need.
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At the start of their shift and.
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Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Our week of Howard McNear continues. Remember that all information and offers in the episode are not valid unless currently featured on the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio website, as these programs were recorded many years ago. But now enjoy a great Old Time Radio detective program featuring Howard McNear. 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 me. Box 13@greatdetectives.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 support of our listeners. Thanks so much for all your financial support. And now it's time for today's episode, the Topaz Earring Case. Bring on the line.
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Ladies and gentlemen, we take you now behind the scenes of a police headquarters in a great American city where under the cold, glaring lights will pass before us the innocent, the vagrant, the thief, the murderer. This is the lineup. Any place you want, Mr. Kramer. Suit yourself. What's wrong with right here? I sure won't need no ringside seat to pick that name again. The minute she climbed to my cab, I could tell she certainly wasn't mad. When I saw her, she was scared. Scared, Steve. Well, that was about 45 minutes later, Mr. Kramer, when she went in your drugstore. Yeah, nothing can happen in 45 minutes later. Please, you people out there on the other side of the wire in the audience room, may I have Your attention, please. Thank you. My name is Greb. Sergeant Matt Grab. I'll explain the lineup to you. Each of the suspects you will see will be numbered. I'll call off a number, then name and charge. If you have any questions or identifications, call out the number. If you're sure or not too sure of the suspect, have her held. The officers who took your name will assist you. They're seated among you. When the prisoners leave here, the matron takes them back to the bathroom where they dress back into their jail clothes. That makes it quite difficult to bring them back after they leave here. The questions I ask these suspects are merely to get a natural tone of voice. So do not pay too much attention to their answers, as we often lie. Bring on the line. All right, girls. All right, this way. Move on over to the end of the stage. That's it. Now turn around and face front. Hands to your side. You. Hands to your side. Now look straight ahead. Number one. Georgina Kelso, theft. Ever been arrested before, Georgina? I've been arrested before. Where were you when the officer arrested you, Georgina? He was no officer. He was just a spy. What were you wearing when you tried to leave the store? A dress. What else? Three other dresses underneath. Number two. Colleen Hodges, assault. Where do you live? That's a good question. Where did you used to live, Colleen? 414 Front street, third floor. Why did you beat up your landlady? We didn't get along. Number three. Margaret Kenline. Open charge. How long have you been in town, Margaret? About eight years. Where are you from? That's her, lieutenant. That's the one. What do you say, Mr. Graham? All right. No doubt about it. Sergeant Graham. Yes, Lieutenant. Call number three for interrogation. In here, Margaret. Say, Ben, I'll be down in communications if you want me. We're letting a couple of them go. Nobody identified them. Okay. Yeah, sure. Oh, here's those cigarettes you wanted. Oh, thanks, man. Sit down, miss. Gun line. Thank you. I'm Lieutenant Ben Guthrie. You like one of these? Now, Ms. Kenlein, how long were you engaged to Larry Zimmerman, Lieutenant Guthrie? I. About four months. Four months? The. The cab driver who took you to Zimmerman's place at 5 this afternoon said you were angry I was. At Zimmerman? Yes. I guess it's an old story. Until it happens to. You found out this afternoon that Larry had been seeing another woman. It's been going on for weeks, right under my nose. I was humiliated and hurt. When I found out. I went to his apartment to really read him off. Good. Now, who is this other Woman. You know her. Alice Edith Deloka. Lieutenant Guthrie. I didn't kill Larry. I didn't do it. You. You have a business here in town, haven't you, Ms. Kenlang? Yes. Dress shop, isn't it? Run it alone? No, I have a partner. Mr. Speed. Lord Speed. I see. How's it going? All right. Good. We're having a style show downtown tonight. Lloyd's taking care of it. You. You stopped in a drugstore at a quarter to six tonight on the corner opposite Larry's apartment house. The druggist noticed you because you were frightened. I, I, I explained that once. Well, explain it to me, please. Larry's apartment was unlocked. I went in and and found him in the bedroom. He'd been stabbed. But why did that take you 45 minutes? I don't know. I didn't realize it, did I? I was dazed. I guess I should think you would have been. By the way, who is Rifkin? Rifkin? I don't know. Okay, Ms. Kenlan. Thanks. I guess that's it. The coroner says Larry Zimmerman died just about five o'. Clock. Lieutenant Guthrie, may I call a lawyer? Well, sure, sure, if you want to, but I don't believe it's necessary. Ms. Kenline, I think we're going to turn you loose. Matt, close the window and sit down, will you? You're making me nervous. Oh, I'd be nervous if I were you. All right, I'd be good and nervous. Close the window, huh? I don't understand that, that's all. I just don't understand, understand why. Why you let her go. That Kenline girl. I told you, she's being followed. I put Peters on her. Yeah, but even so. Well, we couldn't have held her anyway. Not for long. Besides, there's a couple of other items, Matt. That manila envelope they found up there with the name Briskin on it for one, ripped open and empty. If we knew what had been in. And then. Matt, from the looks of the bedroom, Zimmerman put up quite a struggle for the boy. Say more than you'd expect if he was fighting with a woman, even a jealous one mad enough to kill him. I don't know, Ben. Well, come on, Matt. Let's go out there and have a look. Don't move that, please. Hello, Becker. How goes it, Becker? Okay. That wagon just left. Must be about cleaned up. Sergeant Mel's inside there. Come on, man. Thank you, Mayo. Oh, hiya, Ben. Matt. Hi. We're just about true. Nothing much. Everything in the place is loaded with prints except the handle of the knife. Where's the bedroom? That door there over the way. Man. Here's something. An earring. Where'd this come from? It was tangled up in the rug under the body. Oh, let's see it. I'm not much of a jeweler, but I can recognize the real thing. And that's it, all right. A topaz. Pay the rent for a few months. You say you found this earring in the rug under the body? Excuse me, sir, but, Sergeant Mayor, that guy's back again. That same guy in the gray homburg hat just went past down the hall. What guy is this? Oh, some character the. Been kind of hanging around for the last half hour, I guess. Never mind. They. We'll talk to him. Where'd you go, Becker? Down the hall to your left there, Lieutenant. There's alarms down that way. That's good. That must be the guy there. Ben. Yeah. Well, good evening. Oh, how are you? Do you live here in the building? No, and we're from the police department. I'm Lieutenant Guthrie. This Sergeant Grim. Oh, how do you know? You waiting for someone, Mr. Rifkin? I have to give you credit, Lieutenant. That initial on your tie bar. Help. There's been some trouble down the hall. Mr. Zimmerman's apartment. Yeah, so I noticed. You seem pretty interested in it, Mr. Rifkin. Have you had my name, Sergeant? So maybe you know why I'm interested. No, we don't. Why are you? Zimmerman owed me some money, Lieutenant. I expect her to be paid tonight. Close to $25,000. That's quite a debt. It was my money in the first place. No profit. I don't follow you. He was a broker. Investments. I placed that money with him to be invested. Then I found out he was trimmed on his last deal. He took an awful beating. I told him I was pulling my money out before it went too. Told him that this morning on the phone. He didn't like it, but I. He said he'd have it for me tonight. Zimmerman's been murdered. I guess you figured that. Yes. Yes. But how did you get my name? Do you mind? No. They found it on the manure envelope in his bedroom. And the money? What about the envelope? Had been opened. It was empty. What, that money's gone, robbed? Looks that way. Yeah. Yeah, that's the way it looks. Well, I guess that takes care of that. Just a minute. Where do you live, Mr. Rifkin? We may want to get in touch with you. Oh, sure. I hope so. The Beakman Plaza, room 220. The first name's Water. Room 220. Okay. What? Smoke then? Uhuh. Thanks. You've got to get back to the lineup, don't you, man? Well, pretty soon. You coming?
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And let me have that earring. Matt. Yeah? I'm going to look up a lady. Mr. Roa? Huh? Yeah. Hey, I'm Mr. Roa. Who are you? Police Department. Lieutenant Ben Guthrie. Oh, well, I'm so glad to know you. Ben. I want to talk to you for a minute, if I may. Right now? I'm in a big hurry, Ben. I got a date. It's important, Mr. Roker. About Larry Zimmerman's death. Oh, I already heard about that. Poor Larry. You don't seem too broken up, Edith. You think it'll help any? No. You're not wearing your earrings, Edith. Uh huh. The pinch mark shows. That's why I'm not wearing them. They pinch, so I took them off. Hey, look, am I under arrest or something? No. Then I really gotta run along. Look, I'll be back about midnight. Then we can go inside and be comfortable and talk about anything you want for as long as you want. That is, if you care to wait, Lieutenant. I might just do that, Mr. Oka. We'll see. That dress shop on the corner must be the one. Yeah. How come the lights are still on? They had a style show. Speeds the partner in it. Stop Rebecca. Yes, sir. And wait in the car, boys. Come on, man. Right. Must be in the back. Oh, Here he comes. Mr. Spees, open the door for police. Police, please. Thank you. I'm Lieutenant Catherine. This is Sergeant Crab. Mr. Speed. Well, how do you do? I suppose you've heard about Larry Zimmerman? Yes, yes, I have. It's a terrible thing, Margaret. Ms. Kenran told me. In fact, she just called me from her place about five minutes ago. She's frightened. She thinks she's being followed. Yeah, I know. There's nothing to be worried about, Mr. Spees. It's a plainclothes officer. An officer? Oh, I see. Mr. Spees, we'd like to know how Ms. Kenlein got acquainted with Larry Zimmerman. As a matter of fact, it was through me. Yes, Larry and I are quite good friends. We lived next door to each other. Oh, for over a year. Do you know much about his business, Mr. Spies? How he made his living? Well, no, not much, actually. He was sort of an adventurer really. Quite a successful one, I always thought. Very clever with money, investments. A gambler in a sense. In the market, you mean? Oh, yes. I always counted my pennies and envied the nerve Larry had. The plume, Mr. Spees, do you happen to know if Ms. Kenlein had topaz earrings? We found one at Zimmerman's place. Forgive me, Lieutenant Guthrie, but I really believe we should try to get in touch with Margaret. Ms. Kenlein. You see, I told her she was afraid to stay home, she should leave and go to my place. That's Monroe Avenue with 4111. Now, I planned on leaving. All right, maybe you're right. What's the number? Oh, it's Abby. Two, three, four on the phone's right there. Yes, well, she's really quite upset. You know, Sergeant, it's got me worried, too. You know, anything should happen tomorrow, I just don't know what I'd do. Yes. Yes, I can appreciate how you feel. No answer, ma'. Am. She must have already left. No answer. Hello? Hello? Hello? Who's it? Peters? Yeah, this is Lieutenant Guthrie. Hi. I lost her, Lieutenant. She's gone. I was slugged. A man. Man in a gray hat. A Homburg. Tomorrow night, four more amateur songwriters will bring their new compositions to Jan Murray on Songs for Sale on cbs. And one will have his song chosen for nationwide publication and plugging. Among these contestants is a retired army colonel whose West Point classmates numbered Marshall and MacArthur. Another will be a girl who was on the United States Olympic gymnastic team. The third was a theater usher. And the fourth, while the fourth entry is a husband and wife team from Alabama. Songs for Sale brings you an hour of bright new music and bright new merriment by Jan Murray. Be listening for Songs for Sale tomorrow night on most of these same CBS stations. Well, it was a phony, all right, Ben. Walter Ripken hasn't lived in the Beekman Plaza in five years, but we dug up a home address on him and an office set up downtown. Yeah, well, nothing, Ben. The office was just a bunch of stockbrokers, catalogs, and a wastebasket full of scribbled figures. Nothing more in the house. Mrs. Ripken and two cats says she hasn't seen husband Walter in a week, and I don't think she cares if she ever sees him. Well, how'd you make out? Rifkin's never been arrested. There's not a line on him in the files. So. So I'm stupid. Nah. Now, easy. I should have played it your way, Matt. Should have kept Margaret Kenline under arrest and locked up Warhol Rifkin just to keep her company. Maybe. But you didn't, Ben. So let's take it from there, huh? Yeah. Matters. Well, Matt, look. One, Larry Zimmerman was killed. Two, Margaret Kenline could have killed him. I don't think so. Why not? Soft face, soft voice. Ben. No, no. Walter Rifkin, Matt. If Margaret Kenlein did kill Zimmerman, why did Rifkin go after him? The missing 25 grand? Maybe it's a good reason, Ben. That's a lot of dough. Yeah, I guess it is. Hello? Who? Oh, yeah, put him on. Sergeant Manny Pomeroy. Matt. This will cost us a little, but it might be worth it. I talked to him about Rifkin earlier tonight. Hello, Manny. Oh, fine, fine, thanks. Yeah. What'd you find out? Uh huh. Oh yeah, yeah, sure, it can be important. A blonde, huh? Edith somebody. Edith? You sure? Okay, okay. Just checking. Yeah, but sure, sure, it's a health, Manny. Sure. Well, come around in the morning, will you? Yeah, come on. Good news, Ben. Yeah? Farmroy says that Rifkin has a girlfriend in town. A blonde, an Edith somebody. Edith Daroka. Ben. Yeah, Edith Daroka. The reason Larry Zimmerman. Toss Margaret over. But this is a new angle, Matt. Edith tying into Rifkin. You want to come along? It's the Marlboro Hotel. Well, I can't right away, Ben. I got to run a late lineup for the narcotics boy. Okay. Look for you later, Matt. Oh, you again. Half way. You guys working shift? I'd like to talk to you, Mr. Roker. I'm too tired. I still got to put my hair up. Mr. Roker, were you at Walter Rifkin's apartment tonight? Since I saw you, I mean. No. You sure? I'm positive. You weren't in the neighborhood? I wasn't within a mile of a neighborhood. One of my men says different. Then tell him to ask for a pension. He's going blind. Now look, Mr. Rogan. You look, Mr. Cop. When I left here, I went to the Broadmoor Bar and Grill. I never moved out of it until I came back here. And just in case you don't get around much, the Broadmoor is on Lancaster and East 39th, a couple of fat miles from East 60th and Chelsea. Now, anything else, Ben? If so, get a warrant and arrest me, huh? And very tired. Here we are, Lieutenant. The next corner, 60th and Chelsea. Garage, a vacant lot, a duplex and an apartment house. Okay, Becky. Wait here. Sergeant Grabbing. I'll try the apartment. Apartment house first. That should be it. Come on then. Yeah. Say, Ben. Huh? That's Edith. Ja. Do you think she'd tip off licking? I sure do, but I had the hotel desk refuse her an outside line if she asked for one. And I called in for A squad car to pick her up. She won't be in the way. Well, we'll see if this is it. Mailboxes are over. Wait. Then there's an elevator boy. Oh, yeah. Can I help you, gentlemen? We're in the Police Department. Does Mr. Walter Rifka have an apartment here? Yes, sir, he certainly does. 3D. Oh, yeah. Guess you don't want to be announced, though, huh? Why do you guess that? Been any trouble? Oh, not exactly trouble. What happened, son? Well, nothing much. It was just a girl. I think he called her Margaret. Maybe it was Marjorie. Anyhow, she ran out of here a little while ago. Came down the steps and got in a cab outside. Mr. Ripkin was after her? He sure was, but she got away. Ripkin went back upstairs. When Was this? About 10 minutes ago. You want to go up? I think we better. There. You bet. You fellas go out on plenty of strange cases at all hours, I mean. Third floor to your right. Thanks. Go on back downstairs, son. Yes, sir. Cover me, man. Right. Who is it? The police, Mr. Rifkin. Lieutenant Guthrie. Well, Lieutenant, what brings you here? Mr. Ocher was very helpful, Mr. Rifkin. He does? She said she didn't want to be mixed up. Been a murder, Mr. Rifkin. May we come in? Why, sure. Why not? I have nothing to hide. Come in, gentlemen. Living room, straight ahead. This is far enough, Mr. Rifkin. What the lieutenant means that pocketbook on the table there. Oh, that. Well, it's. Don't waste a lot of time, Mr. Rifkin. The pocketbook isn't that important. We know what happened. The elevator boy told us about Margaret Kenline running out of here. The police officer you sapped at Ms. Kenland's apartment got a good look at you first. Look, Lutella, what I told you before was the. Not all of it. You didn't tell us about Edith Daroka being your girlfriend. How does she fit in?
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We were working together. I wanted Larry Zimmerman's files, his contacts, names and numbers. I wanted the inside track that he had. I'd know what to do with it. Getting all that was Edith's job. What about Margaret Kenlein? Why did you bring her up here? Because I think she killed Zimmerman. And whoever killed Zimmerman must have gotten the money to. Was supposed to be returned to me. Did you find it on her? No. No, she. She got away from me before I could search her. You have looked through a purse there? Looked 10 times. It's not there. But what is there, Lieutenant convinced me. I've got the Right party. What do you mean? Hand me the purse, man. I mean that I found a receipt in that pocketbook for a pair of earrings. A pair of topaz earrings. What do you know about that? All I know is what I heard a cop say over at Zimmerman's place that one topaz earring was found on the rug under the body. Right? Yeah. Let's see what's in it. Yeah. Compact, lipstick, wallet, pack of lifesavers, another lipstick, and a receipt made out to Ms. Margaret Canline for one pair of topaz earrings. Soft face, soft voice. My mistake. Mr. Rifkin? Yes? Does Margaret Kindlen know that you've seen this receipt? No, no, I didn't go through her stuff until after she ran. Good. Maybe she didn't run too far then. Yeah, her partner's place. Lloyd spees, Monroe Avenue. 4111. Say, if. If you find her and she still has my money, I'll get it. Probably, Mr. Rifkin, but exactly what you'll do with it for a while, I don't know. What do you mean? The lieutenant means that you're under arrest for assaulting an officer, among other things. Oh, Ben, do you want to have a second look at any of this then? No, I don't think so. Receipts enough for me, Matt. I'm sorry, it. Hey, Matt, look at this. What, do we see it again? Yeah, read it carefully, Matt. Then take Mr. Rifkin in, will you? I'll see you at the morning line. Well, Lieutenant Guesser, I didn't expect to see you again tonight. Well, come in. Thanks. Mr. Spees. Has Margaret been here? I know she had. Well, not tonight, I mean. You care for a drink with him, Speed? Yes, with him. She was here, wasn't she? Oh, no, no, she. Oh, well, what difference does it make? Yes, she was here about 20 minutes ago. She killed Larry, Lieutenant. She said that? Yes. When I mentioned the earring that you said was found in gentleman's apartment, she stopped trying to hide things. She. She admitted everything. Wasn't very nice to hear. Jealousy was her motive, huh? I'll take that drink now, Mr. Speeds. Yes, it was jealousy, Lieutenant. Uh huh. When she left, did she give you any idea where she was heading? No, she didn't, Lieutenant. No place at all is what she said when I asked her. What are you looking for, Lieutenant? No place at all. Could be suicide, Speeds. I know, I know, but she's a murderous Lieutenant. I didn't try to stop her. Should I have? Could you have stopped her, stopped her and turned her over to me? Could you have done that, Speez? Well, of course, I suppose so. Why not? For one good reason. Your life. Spees. You see, I think you murdered Larry Zimmerman. Me? Oh, no, no, no, no. It was Margaret. I told you that. Yes, I know. But I don't believe you. I even think Margaret's still here. Someplace in this house you haven't had time to take her. No place at all. But the earrings. Aren't they important? Don't they cash? Sure they do. Sure. More than anything else. More than you know. I have the receipt for those earrings. Yes? A receipt made out to Margaret. Is that right? Right. To Margaret for a pair of topaz earrings which she rented. Rented? Mm. For one of the models in tonight's fashion show, no doubt. The fashion show speeds that you ran because Margaret wasn't going and you were. So it was you who had the earrings, not Margaret. And you who dropped one of them at Larry Zimmerman's. Again, not Margaret. Now, where is she? Spe. I. I don't know. She isn't here. I don't. But they always Next door. Is she in the bedroom? Yes. S. But she's all right. I wasn't going to do anything until later. I had to kill Zimmerman. Why, Spees? Did you invest with him, too? It was only $2,000 when that was every cent I had in the world. They told me I'd lost my money. I just went out of my mind. You know the rest. Yes. And Walter ripkin's money, the 25,000 that was in the envelope, you have it? Yes, it's inside. How I wish I'd never met Larry Zimmerman. How I wish I'd never heard of you. The lineup. For before you pass the innocent, the vagrant, the thief, the murderer. Listen again next week when we again bring you the lineup. May I have your attention, please? You people out there on the other side of the wire in the audience room. May I have your attention, please? Thank you. My name is Greb. Sergeant Matt Grab. I'll explain the lineup to you. Each of the suspects you will see will be numbered. I'll call off a number charge. If you have any questions or identifications. Call out the number if you're sure. Or not too sure. The why not? Starring William Johnstone as lieutenant Ben Guthrie and Wally May as sergeant Matt Grab, was written by Gene Lovett and Robert Mitchell, with music by Eddie Dunstetter. Featured in tonight's cast were John Stevenson, Ken Christie, Jean Bates, Irene Winston, Sydney Miller, Howard McNear and Eddie Firestone. The lineup is produced and directed by Jaime Del Valle. Every Friday night on most of these same stations, you find two of CBS's most thrilling dramatic programs, up for Parole and Broadway's My Beat. Up for Parole brings you hard hitting factual stories of men and women behind bars who are seeking another chance to live in human society. Broadway's My Beat brings you the adventures of Danny Clover, a plainclothesman along the great white way. Up for Parole and Broadway's My Beat. I heard every Friday on cbs. Be listening, won't you? This is cbs the stars address the columbia broadcasting system.
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If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reordering with on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant clip gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can.
A
End your day knowing they've got safety well in hand.
B
Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Welcome back. Well, the lineup script for female suspects pretty much the same as for males except for some differences, of course, the use of matrons. Somewhat interesting story behind that in some parts of the country. Mary Sullivan, who we'll actually meet in a few weeks, I'll tell you more about that when we get to her, was the first head of policewomen anywhere in the country and one thing she tried to do was to get rid of the title of police matron because the matrons actually earned less money than the male police officers and they had a worse pension. So her effort was you abolish that role and everyone gets paid the same as a patrolman. You know, I've actually had the idea too of having listeners because that lineup script is the same. I've actually got it@greatdetactives.net I've actually thought of having listeners read the lineup script and see who does perhaps the more interesting performance. So if you would like to read your own version, you can call 201-991-4783 and we'll play it in the after show segment. If you've got an interesting twist on it, you can just read it into the voicemail or you can also send in MP3 file along. Well, we do turn now to a couple quick show matters. Coming up tomorrow we have another episode of the Court of Last Resort and you'll sure want to watch that if you can. It's a great mystery. And Joel comments on Facebook. I like this program. It has the Christmas of Dragnet, but a bit more drama and human interaction. It is well acted and the plots are interesting. I think that's true, particularly with today's really good little mystery here, Karen says. I love this program. Well, thanks so much, Karen and Joel. Appreciate your comments. That'll do it for today. We will be back tomorrow with a video theater episode and then join us back here on Monday for the Adventures of Frank Rice. In the meanwhile, you can send your comments to Box 13@GreatDetectives.net you can follow us on Twitter at radiodetectives and you can call us 208-991 Great D. That's 208-991-4783. From Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.
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If you're an H Vac technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-granger clickgranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
Podcast: The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
Episode: The Line Up: The Topaz Earring Murder (Encore) (EP4884)
Host: Adam Graham
Date: January 8, 2026
In this episode, Adam Graham presents an encore audio drama from the classic detective series "The Line Up," titled “The Topaz Earring Murder.” Set behind the tense walls of a major city’s police headquarters, the story revolves around the murder of Larry Zimmerman. Lieutenant Ben Guthrie and Sergeant Matt Greb navigate a lineup of suspects, untangle personal motives, and follow a trail centered around a missing topaz earring and $25,000 in vanished funds. After the broadcast, Adam Graham provides insightful commentary on the portrayal of women in the series and shares listener feedback.
The episode echoes the suspenseful, deliberate style of classic radio detective stories, blending hard-boiled dialogue with subtle social observations. Adam Graham’s wrap-up is thoughtful and lightly humorous, designed to both inform and engage fans of nostalgic audio drama.
If you’ve never heard "The Line Up," this episode is emblematic of its best features: a procedural whodunit driven by sharp characterization, a complex web of motives, and a satisfying twist ending. With a focus on both the mechanics of police work and the psychology of guilt, “The Topaz Earring Murder” provides a classic mystery experience, elevated by Graham’s knowledgeable post-show commentary and appreciation for old-time radio legacy.