The Lone Wolf: The Golden Santa (Encore) (EP4590)

Summary

The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio: Episode Summary – The Lone Wolf: The Golden Santa (Encore) (EP4590)

Release Date: January 2, 2025
Host: Adam Graham
Featured Program: The Lone Wolf

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Introduction

In this encore episode of The Lone Wolf: The Golden Santa, hosted by Adam Graham, listeners are transported back to the Golden Age of Radio. This episode delves into the mystery of a missing golden Santa Claus statue, intertwining themes of deception, greed, and murder. Walter Coy reprises his role as Michael Lanyard, the suave and intrepid detective known as the Lone Wolf.

Plot Summary

The episode begins with Michael Lanyard (Walter Coy) reflecting on his solitary lifestyle and the bustling Christmas season. He's brooding over the commercialization of the holidays when he encounters Peggy, a distressed woman who has lost her cherished golden Santa Claus statue. Peggy claims the statue was stolen, setting off Lanyard's investigation.

Key Plot Points:

1. The Investigation Begins ([05:15]–[12:03]):

   • Lanyard teams up with Peggy to trace her steps through various nightclubs, including the Gay Grotto and Mike's Joint, to locate the missing Santa Claus.
   • At each venue, the staff deny witnessing Peggy or the statue, raising suspicions about Peggy's story.
   • Peggy reveals personal conflicts, including a tumultuous relationship with Sandra Crane and financial entanglements involving $50 million.

2. The Barbary Coast Hotel Incident ([12:03]–[17:30]):

   • The search leads them to the Barbary Coast Hotel, where Peggy dined with Sandra Crane, Pete Farrell, and Joe.
   • A confrontation ensues, culminating in Joe Farrell’s murder by gunfire, discovered by Lanyard.
   • Clues point towards Peggy's Santa Claus being central to the motive behind the killings.

3. Unveiling the Culprit ([17:30]–[26:15]):

   • Lanyard deduces that Peggy orchestrated the murders to cover her tracks regarding the stolen Santa Claus.
   • The narrative reveals Peggy's manipulative nature and her connections to the deceased Sandra Crane.
   • A final showdown occurs at the Crane mansion, where Lanyard confronts Peggy and Pete.
   • Peggy attempts to use Lanyard to create an alibi but fails as Lanyard unravels the truth.

4. Resolution and Revelation ([26:15]–[28:51]):

   • Peggy is apprehended, and the mystery of the golden Santa Claus is solved.
   • Lanyard reflects on the case, pondering the existence of a real Santa Claus amidst the deception.

Characters

• Michael Lanyard (The Lone Wolf): A reformed thief turned detective, whose charm and wit drive the investigation forward.

  "I really have reformed." ([05:16])

• Peggy: The distressed woman seeking Lanyard’s help to find her stolen golden Santa Claus, whose ulterior motives are later revealed.

  "I lost Santa Claus." ([08:05])

• Sandra Crane: Peggy's roommate, who accuses Peggy of attempting to steal her husband, adding complexity to the relationships involved.

  "She said I was trying to steal her husband." ([12:12])

• Pete Farrell: Sandra's current boyfriend with a suspiciously high net worth, implicated in the unfolding mystery.

  "He's worth stealing." ([12:25])

• Joe Farrell: A blackmailer and associate of Sandra Crane, whose murder becomes a pivotal clue in the investigation.

  "He was a blackmailer too." ([16:24])

Host Commentary

Adam Graham provides insightful commentary throughout the episode, offering historical context and analysis of the narrative's intricacies.

• On Character Portrayal:

  "Gerald Moore wouldn't be coming on as the Lone Wolf." ([05:15])

• On Narrative Elements:

  "This is not the best plan we've heard on this series with the huge hole of having to go to not club after nightclub..." ([30:45])

• On Series Continuity:

  "According to the encyclopedia of Old Time Radio, the last episode of the Adventure of the Lone wolf was on January 1, 1949." ([30:45])

Graham also reflects on the possible origins and continuation of the Lone Wolf series, expressing curiosity about unreleased episodes featuring Gerald Moore.

Notable Quotes

• Michael Lanyard on Peggy’s Story:

  "You were being Santa Claus." ([06:10])

• Peggy’s Desperation:

  "I lost Santa Claus." ([08:05])

• Lanyard’s Deduction:

  "You've destroyed your alibi, Farrell. You've destroyed her alibi." ([25:12])

• Final Revelation:

  "I think maybe there is a Santa Claus after all." ([28:51])

Conclusion

The Lone Wolf: The Golden Santa masterfully encapsulates the essence of old-time radio detective dramas, blending suspenseful storytelling with sharp character development. Adam Graham’s hosting enriches the listening experience, providing listeners with both entertainment and thoughtful commentary. This encore episode serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring allure of classic radio mysteries.

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Transcript

[Unknown Speaker]

Back in 1980, 70% of clothing worn by Americans was made by Americans. Today it's 2%. And the reason is simple. It's cheaper to make things overseas. But that doesn't change the fact that 2% of textile manufacturers have refused to give up on this country. And those companies deserve to be congratulated. I'm talking about companies like American Giant. American Giant controls every link in their supply chain. And that matters because. Cause when you buy from American Giant, you create jobs for people in factory towns all across this country. Look, I get it. Nobody wants a lecture. But if you want to see more companies make more things in this country, you gotta support the companies who are already doing that very thing this holiday. Check out the [e-mail] flannels, hoodies, T shirts and jeans made to last a lifetime support the 2% who are still making it. [e-mail] it.

[Adam Graham]

From Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham. The encores will play over the next three days were the result of a poll I sent out to our patreon [e-mail] and they voted for encores of programs with only one episode in circulation. Now, these come from various points in our show's history, and some of the offers and information may not be valid unless they're currently shown on the Great Detectives of Old Timers Radio website. If you want to hear more episodes of programs that only have one or two episodes in circulation, be sure to check out the rare detectives of Old Time Radio. Now, here's today's encore.

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. Box13reatdetectives.net Follow us on Twitter at radiodetectives and become one of our friends on Facebook, facebook.com radiodetectives if your dad loves a mystery, I encourage you to pick up my novel Slime Incorporated. It is available as a paperback or also an audiobook through audible.com or the iTunes store. Itunes working well for sending gifts. It's a modern mystery but with a lot of nods to classic detective fiction. Can pick up the paperback and any fine online retailer and you can find all my books, audiobooks and [e-mail] well, now it's time for today's episode of the Lone Wolf. As a matter of setup, Warren William left the role of Michael Lanyard after 1943. The series returned after The War with Gerald Moore playing Michael Lanyard. Which is a pretty dramatic shift in portrayals. And then in 1948, the lone wolf came to radio. And there is a lot of conflicting information about the radio series. It does appear to have started over the Mutual network in the summer of 1948. And two different actors played the lead role of Michael Lanyard during the run of the series. Gerald Moore and Walter Coy. Now, there are some sources that say that Coy started out and then Gerald Moore replaced him. But I will tend to believe John Dunning's Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio, which says that Moore started out and then Coy took over. This makes sense, because In September of 1948, Moore took over as the star of the Adventures of Philip Marlo. And it was very rare for an actor to star in two different series for two different networks at the same time. Jack Webb did it for about four weeks where he was still playing Pat Novak, even while Dragnet was getting started. At any rate, I think it's safe to say Moore wouldn't be coming on as the Lone Wolf. So this episode stars Walter Coy. He was a longtime stage screen radio actor, best known for his narration work on the 1955 Western anthology series Frontier broadcast over NBC. The original air date on this program is January 1, 1949. And this one is the Golden Santa.

[Michael Lanyard]

Who is it?

Michael Lanyard. May I come in?

[Walter Coy]

Michael Lanyard returns in the Adventures of the Lone Wolf. In our story of the Golden Santa. Mutual presents the Adventures of the Lone Wolf. Based on the famous character from American fiction by Louis Joseph Vance and known the world world over for more than a quarter of a century. With Walter Coy as the Lone Wolf.

[Michael Lanyard]

Around about the end of every year, I begin feeling that being a lone wolf isn't all that it's cracked up to be. At least it isn't all that all the married men of my acquaintance think it is. People are rushing around buying Christmas presents richly. For friends, relatives, offspring. I was brooding about it one evening, so I dropped in at my favorite spot, the Silver Seashell Bar and Grill. I like the bar because the bartender there made a beautiful milkshake. You see, I really have reformed. Bartender? Yes, sir. Do you believe in Santa Claus? I knew a brunette watch in Topeka. No, I said Santa Claus. Well, for a while I thought she was Santa Claus. Turned out I was wrong. Is that so? Yeah, it turned out she was twins. You can't trust women. Turned out I promised to marry both of them. You were being Santa Claus. It also turned Out. They had a brother. Very tough guy with a Remington. A demon typist, huh? Well, I'm talking about no typewriter, mister. I am talking about a shotgun. Oh. Both these girls had the same product. Must have been a coincidence. What did you do, marry both girls?

[Unknown Speaker]

I left the Beacon.

[Michael Lanyard]

Oh, that's an acceptable solution. But I still don't know to what extent you believe in Santa Claus.

Hello.

What? Oh, hello. Well, it looks like Santa Claus believes in you, mister.

I'm Peggy.

I'm Michael.

That sounds like a very nice name.

Well, thank you. Can I buy you a drink?

What are you drinking?

Milk.

Why?

Why? That's a good question. It must have been a taste I acquired as a child.

Michael, I lost Santa Claus.

Oh, that's too bad. What did you say?

I lost Santa Claus.

Oh, that's a terrible thing for anybody to lose. You ought to advertise.

You're making fun of me. I really did lose him. And he was so cute. He was about 6 inches high.

I think I've been drinking milk. Maybe the bartender spiked it.

[Unknown Speaker]

What kind of a Santa Claus?

[Michael Lanyard]

Oh, he was a little statue, really. And I always carried him around with me. Now I've lost him.

Well, I still have the Christmas spirit. Maybe I can buy you another.

No, you can't. Not unless you're a millionaire.

A millionaire? That leaves me out. Why would I have to be a millionaire?

Because he was made of solid gold.

Solid gold? Maybe you didn't lose him then. Maybe he was stolen.

I thought of that. But you will help me find him, won't you?

What?

Well, I love my fatty cousin. If you're a gentleman, certainly you'd help me find him.

I see. Well, okay, I'll help you find him. But not because I'm a gentleman. We got into my car and started off on our search of the lost Santa Claus. It turned out that Peggy had been visiting nightclubs before she found me brooding over my milkshake. So we visited the same nightclubs in reverse order. The first one was the Gay Grotto.

This is one of the places, Michael. But I don't see anyone. I know.

It's hard to see anyone at all in here. Oh, there's a waiter coming. Good evening. Hello. Never mind a table. All we want is Santa Claus. Well, I. Santa Claus? That's right. He's a little Santa Claus about 6 inches high. We think Ms. Peggy here may have forgotten him. But the lady with you, sir, hasn't been here at all tonight.

Of course I was.

I'm sorry, but I always see Everyone who enters. And you were not here tonight.

Michael, he's lying.

Why should I lie, madam? It's a fair enough question. Let's go, Peggy. But you seem pretty sure. There's no point in arguing with me. You may have lost your Santa Claus someplace else. Now, what was your stop before the Gay Grotto?

Place called Mike's Joint.

Mike's Joint.

Michael, maybe I did lose my Santa Claus someplace else. And maybe the waiter didn't notice that I had Santa Claus with me when I was at the Gay Grotto. But why did he say he'd never seen me?

Mike's joined. It's a noisy place. Step right in. Step right in. Plenty of room. Plenty of room, folks. Plenty of bubble water. Will you, dad, all we want is this lady Santa Claus. Yes, I'm Santa Claus. About six inches high. Lester, you already had enough bubble water. You sure this year Santa Claus wasn't dressed in pink like elephants? They had. He wasn't dressed in pink. And I'm not seeing elephants either. When this lady was here earlier tonight, she had a small Santa Claus with her. We wanted him. You say I was here earlier.

Me?

But, lady, you wasn't.

I was too.

No. Michael, would you be prepared to repeat.

[Walter Coy]

That statement under oath?

[Michael Lanyard]

Mister, I wouldn't repeat the statement that the earth is round under O. But this name wasn't here earlier. Good night. Come on, let's go, Peggy.

Michael, I'm beginning to get scared.

That was pretty much the story in all the other places we visited. Nobody had seen Peggy's Santa Claus before. Apparently, nobody had seen Peggy before.

Michael, I'm fine.

I'll take it easy. Peggy, there must be some explanation that Santa Claus was gold. He was worth something if somebody sold him.

Michael, that wouldn't mean that only one of those head waiters lied. But they all said they never saw me before.

Maybe they all need glasses. Peggy, before you started this round of nightclubs, had you been anywhere else?

Well, I had dinner at the Barbary Coast Room.

Alone?

No. I was with Sandra Crane and Pete Farrell and Joe. Then I had a fight with Sandra.

What about?

She said I was trying to steal her husband.

Sandra did? Well, is he worth stealing?

Well, he's fat, he's about 55, he makes funny noises when he eats.

He sounds lovely.

And he's got about $50 million.

He's worth stealing. Were you trying?

[Unknown Speaker]

No.

[Michael Lanyard]

Besides, Sandra's been running around with Pete Fowler for months now. And Pete used to be my boyfriend. And finally we had a fight.

Well, that's not hard. To understand, let's go back and see if we can get a late dinner, huh? The Barbary Coast Room, by some strange coincidence, happened to be in the Barbary Coast Hotel, which looked like one of the $50 million Peggy had mentioned. We went in and we went right. The place was shut down for the night. That's about that, Peggy. Might be interesting, though, finding out where your dinner companions are.

They might be upstairs. Pete has a suite here.

Well, then let's go visit Pete. Oh, by the way, Peggy, was he the one who gave you the golden Santa Claus?

Not exactly. Mr. Crane did.

Oh, then by all means, let's go visit Pete. He may not believe in Santa Clau. We rode up to the top of the hotel in an elevator, which, if it wasn't made of solid gold, was at least gold plated. Pete's suite was at the very top. For a moment, I thought we'd be switching over to oxygen tanks before we got there. But we managed to breathe in spite of the altitude. The corridors were confident, with rugs so deep that we were wading up to our knees in them. Being a gentleman, I knocked at Farrell's door. Come in. Come in, come in. There are only two of us. Hello, hello, hello.

They're all here.

Hello, everybody. Hello. Peggy.

This is Michael.

[Unknown Speaker]

He's nice. Where on earth did you find him, Peggy?

[Michael Lanyard]

I found him while I was looking for my Santa Claus. Somebody stole him.

[Unknown Speaker]

My dear, you did all right. Tell me, Michael, have you ever played football?

[Michael Lanyard]

Some years ago.

[Unknown Speaker]

You could play on my team right now.

[Michael Lanyard]

Alessandra, behave yourself.

No.

[Unknown Speaker]

Be still, Pete. He's taller than you are. Much more handsome. And those shoulders. Michael, are you wearing a padded coat?

[Michael Lanyard]

No.

[Unknown Speaker]

Then for heaven's sake, sit down right here next to me. Sandra, shut up.

[Michael Lanyard]

Yeah, Pete, shut up. The guy is taller than you. Look at him. Shoulders.

[Unknown Speaker]

Joe, I don't think I like you. Go away.

[Michael Lanyard]

I'm too comfortable right here.

[Unknown Speaker]

We were so happy when you went away before.

[Michael Lanyard]

That was before. Now I'm. Let's all calm down, huh? Show a little Christmas spirit.

I want my Santa Claus.

Maggie wants her Santa Claus.

[Unknown Speaker]

She also wants my husband.

[Michael Lanyard]

My husband. By the way, Sandra, where is your husband?

[Unknown Speaker]

I don't know. Joe. Where's my husband? Joe always knows where my husband is.

[Michael Lanyard]

Yeah, that's right. I know where he is. I seen him a little while ago. Is he coming over here? I don't think so. Antisocial, huh?

[Walter Coy]

If you could maybe say that.

[Michael Lanyard]

But neighbors thought of something more interesting, like Peggy's Sunday Class, you know where it is? Yes, I know what it is.

Oh, I couldn't kiss you for that.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'll bet you could. Him or anyone else.

[Michael Lanyard]

I don't have to listen to that kind of thing, Sandra. And for goodness sake, turn this thing off.

Look, we're getting away from the point. Joe. Where is Peggy? Santa Claus.

[Unknown Speaker]

He's the idiot who turned them out. Doesn't put them on.

[Michael Lanyard]

It was neatly done. Nobody saw anybody click the light switch. In the darkness, all you could see was the flash of gunfire and then a deeper darkness still. I found the light switch. Joe was lying on his back, but not because he was tired. He was dead. Whoever had pumped the gun at him had done it very efficiently. I grabbed Peggy before anyone thought of stopping us. And we got out of there and passed.

But, Michael, why was Joe shot?

Only one reason. He knew where your Santa Claus is. Oh, by the way, Peggy, who is Joe?

He was a rat.

That might be almost anybody. Be a little more specific, huh?

He did all of Mr. Crane's dirty work for him. I think he was a blackmailer too.

Oh, that's interesting. Peggy, do you want Crane?

He's got $50 million.

I guess you want Crane. Does he want you?

What do you think?

Well, my grandmother would disapprove of what I think. But I don't have $50 million.

Some need it, some don't. Oh, this is Mr. Crane's little gray home in the west.

Come on, piggy. Place looks like a jail. Look at those bars at the window.

Mr. Crane is a very suspicious man.

Not to mention a man who's crazy about locks. He's got a half a dozen on the front door, which means we ring.

He thinks everybody's after his money and they are.

Locked. Either he isn't in or he doesn't want to be disturbed. Peggy, you wouldn't happen to have a few keys for this place, would you? All right, all right. Come along. I'm going to find you a cab.

Why?

I'm sending you home. I've got work to do here, and you'd only be in the way. I'll phone you in the morning.

Are you gonna wait until Mr. Crane gets home?

Maybe.

Oh, my gosh. You won't do anything rash, will you?

No, not unless Mrs. Crane gets home first. I made like a guard in front of Buckingham Palace. It was an hour before anything happened. Hello, Sandra. I hope I didn't frighten you, Sandra.

[Unknown Speaker]

You did at first. Now I'm not at all frightened.

[Michael Lanyard]

Well, that's good. May I come in with you.

[Unknown Speaker]

You insist? But Michael, my husband's home.

[Michael Lanyard]

I don't mind.

[Unknown Speaker]

But he might.

[Michael Lanyard]

Why, he doesn't even know me.

[Unknown Speaker]

No, but he knows me.

[Michael Lanyard]

Oh.

[Unknown Speaker]

Must have gone up to bed. He left the lights out of the library.

[Michael Lanyard]

Sandra, is that your husband seated before the fire?

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, yes, that's Walter. He must have fallen asleep down here.

[Michael Lanyard]

Not quite, Sandra.

[Unknown Speaker]

What do you mean?

[Michael Lanyard]

He isn't asleep. He's dead.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, no.

[Michael Lanyard]

Oh, yes.

Oh, no.

Somebody shot him. Very deeply, right over the heart. Are you hiding your grief stricken face in your hands or are you just hiding your eyes?

[Unknown Speaker]

Why would I hide my eyes?

[Michael Lanyard]

Well, if you didn't, I might notice that there were no tears in them. That would be embarrassing. After all that sobbing, there's always something wrong.

[Unknown Speaker]

But with shoulders like yours, did you have to be smart, too?

[Michael Lanyard]

I hate to mention it, but your husband is dead.

[Unknown Speaker]

He never had any shoulders at all.

[Michael Lanyard]

Does his bank account survive it?

[Unknown Speaker]

I already said you were smart.

[Michael Lanyard]

No, not very. For example, I don't know who shot him. Did you?

[Unknown Speaker]

Of course I didn't. What are you staring at?

[Michael Lanyard]

This thing was lying right next to him. May come as a surprise to you, but what I'm holding in my hand is a little Santa Claus. About six inches high. And judging from its weight, it must be made of gold.

[Unknown Speaker]

Then you know who shot him, don't you, Michael? Peggy did. That Santa Claus belongs to Peggy. Walter gave it to her last Saturday.

[Michael Lanyard]

Well, try and restrain your deep delight, Sandra. Why would Peggy have killed your husband? That's simple.

[Unknown Speaker]

He probably promised to divorce me and marry her. He did that with all his girls. But he never meant it. Peggy must have found that out and shocking.

[Michael Lanyard]

And she did. She was a little stupid. You can't marry a corpse.

[Unknown Speaker]

Then she had another reason. He's been lending her money.

[Michael Lanyard]

Lots of it. Well, how do you know that?

[Unknown Speaker]

Because he told me.

[Michael Lanyard]

He told you?

[Unknown Speaker]

He always told me he'd lend the money and they'd think he was giving it to them. And then he'd make them pay it back.

[Michael Lanyard]

Oh, well, you'll excuse me if I don't shed a tear in his memory. He was all low character. Still, I don't like murder. You better not notify the police, I think. Oh, by the way, Sandra, you're a widow now.

[Unknown Speaker]

I suppose so.

[Michael Lanyard]

Peter Fell should be the first to know, shouldn't he? I don't know exactly why I said that to Sandra. Maybe a hunch. But having said it, I had to follow through. So. So I went back to the Barbary Coast Hotel. Up in the gilded elevator to the high altitude at which Peter Farrell lived and. Who's there? Western Union. Where's the tele. Oh, it's you. Yes, me. I have a singing telegram for you. I'm the bearer of glad tidings. Oh, I'm sleepy. Go away. I think my tidings are going to be very stimulating. They'll wake you up. Let's go inside. Well, all right. Thank you. All right. What's the message, fell? Mrs. Crane has suffered a great loss. You mean she's lost her belief in Santa Claus? No, she's lost her husband. He walked out on her. No, he's going to be carried out dead. No comment, Fell. Thanks for letting me know. Yes, I think you probably are very thankful. Are you going to rush over and console the widow? Not right away. I wouldn't want the cops to get ideas about me. Ideas that maybe I made her a widow. Would their ideas be wrong? Well, I'm not a killer. Well, let's just see. Hey, let's have that gun in your pocket. No, don't reach for it. I hated my myself for striking Pharaoh. So crude. But I wanted his gun, and I got it. I couldn't tell whether it had been fired recently or not. But the police would be able to. And I turned it over to them if. That is, if Peter Farrell was really my boy. But in the meanwhile, I went to visit Peggy. She was a little too much in the middle of the entire business for me to feel comfortable about her being alone in her apartment. I knocked at her door, but I got no answer like that. I phoned Farrell at his hotel. He'd gone out, too. I wondered if he felt ineffectual about his gun. There are a lot of other ways of killing women besides shooting them. Strangling, for instance, had always gone over very big. It wasn't a pleasant thought. About the only one whose whereabouts I was sure of was Sandra. But I decided not to phone her. She might leave before I got to the Crane mansion. I got there in time to see a couple of police cars pull away. I didn't stop them. I didn't go inside immediately. I parked 50 yards up the street and waited. After a while, a cab came along and stopped in front of the Crane mansion. Peggy got out. She went up to the front door and rang. After a couple of minutes, the door opened and Peggy went in. I remained in the car. Five minutes after Peggy went into the house, Mr. Farrell drove up. He got out, went up the front steps. He Stuck a key in the lock, opened the door and went in. The cast was complete. I got out of the car. I was tired. The hour was late. It was time to wind up the game.

[Unknown Speaker]

Who? Oh, Michael.

[Michael Lanyard]

Michael it is. May I come in?

[Unknown Speaker]

Of course, if you don't mind crowds.

[Michael Lanyard]

I don't mind crowds.

[Unknown Speaker]

Peggy's inside. And Pete.

[Michael Lanyard]

Two candidates for the electric chair.

[Unknown Speaker]

Michael, you don't think Pete killed my husband, do you?

[Michael Lanyard]

How much difference would it make to you if I did?

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm sort of accustomed to Pete.

[Michael Lanyard]

Oh. Oh, and I forgot. I should have mentioned that the third candidate for the chair.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes.

[Michael Lanyard]

Is walking at my side. Hello, Peggy. Hello, Farrell.

Oh, Michael, I'm so glad to see you.

You should have stayed at your apartment. I tried to get you there.

Oh, I didn't. No. I got frightened, so I came here.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, here we all are. One big, happy family. I must apologize for Walter. He can't join us.

[Michael Lanyard]

Stop it.

Take it easy, Peggy. It won't take much longer. You mean you know who killed Crane, Leonard? Yes, I know. There's only one thing that I don't know. Sandra.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes?

[Michael Lanyard]

Does your front door have to be locked, or does it? Snapshot.

[Unknown Speaker]

It snapshot.

[Michael Lanyard]

All right, then. We know who killed Joe and Crane, don't we?

[Unknown Speaker]

To misquote one of my favorite poems. Speak for yourself, Michael.

[Michael Lanyard]

I intend to. Why was Joe killed? Somebody didn't like him. And yet he was a lovable character. No, Farrell. Joe was killed because he was a blackmailer. Who is he? Blackmailer? It could have been almost anyone. Could even have been you. How would you like your past investigated, Farrell? Let's leave my past out of this. Or maybe it was Peggy. She was playing around with a married man. Was?

Oh, my.

Or it could have been. Sandra.

[Unknown Speaker]

My husband knew all there was to know about me. There's nothing I had to hide. Serious enough for me to kill?

[Michael Lanyard]

Maybe, maybe not. That isn't what I had in mind, though. I got onto this case because Peggy lost her golden Santa. Now, Joan knew where that Santa was. That's why he was killed.

Well, that means he must also have known who stole my Santa.

That's right. Which leads to another question. The three of you had dinner together at the Barbary, then Peggy left. Farrell. Were you and Sandra together for the rest of the evening? Yes, we were.

[Unknown Speaker]

That isn't true, Pete. You left me for a little while. Fool.

[Michael Lanyard]

You've destroyed your alibi. You've destroyed her alibi, Farrell. She's also destroyed yours. That means that either of you could have slipped away to the house here and killed Crane. Crane would have let the killer in, been murdered. Then all the killer had to do was to slam the door shut behind him. I don't like the way this is shaping up. You haven't any right to do this. I'm joined as. Peggy, do you have a gun on you?

Yes, I have. I live alone.

Let me have it quick, before Feral there decides to go. Bye. Bye.

[Unknown Speaker]

Hear my thanks.

[Michael Lanyard]

It's loaded, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

Or at least partially loaded.

What do you mean?

There'd be a few bullets missing, wouldn't there? The bullets that killed Joe and Crane before him.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes.

[Michael Lanyard]

What? What did you say?

Joe was killed because he knew where the golden Santa was. At first I thought maybe that Santa had been stolen from you and planted beside Crane's body in order to cast suspicion on you. Then I began thinking if somebody else had planted that Santa there, they'd have wanted it discovered. They'd have wanted you to speak up and say where he'd seen it. So it occurred to me. Suppose you killed Crane. You dropped the Santa beside him by accident. You killed Crane and left the house as fast as you could go. It wasn't until after the door had slammed shut behind you that you remembered your Santa. You had to do something and do it quick. Well, what you did was hunt me down. You knew my favorite spot. And you'd heard that I was a sucker for a pretty girl. You thought you could use me to help you build an alibi. Of course, you knew that the Santa was going to be discovered eventually. But if it was late enough, your alibi might be safe. Joe upset your apple cart, though. He discovered the Santa too soon, so you had to kill him.

I was at the nightclubs, honey.

[Adam Graham]

No.

[Michael Lanyard]

You told me you'd been to a dozen nightclubs. But when we got there and checked, no one remembered you. No one recognized you. There was no mystery about that. You'd never been there, Peggy. You were a smart girl, but your chance of getting away with it, well, it was murder. I took Peggy over to headquarters and deposited to her. They'd keep her for a while, probably for life. She was a pretty girl, but she liked money too much. And she didn't mind killing. There was another pretty girl in the case.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's a lovely night, Michael.

[Michael Lanyard]

Sure. Aside from the fact that it's snowing, we might have an earthquake at any moment.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's a very lovely night. You're lovely, too.

[Michael Lanyard]

And smart. Anyway, the best of the locality is forward now.

[Unknown Speaker]

What do you suppose I'm going to do right now? H.

[Michael Lanyard]

Thanks. That was very pleasant. I didn't expect it so soon after Christmas. You know, I think maybe there is a Santa Claus after all.

[Walter Coy]

In our Adventure of the Lone Wolf were Gene Bates, Yvonne Paty, Jack Edwards, Jack Petruzzi and Herb Vigram. This episode of the Lone Wolf was written for radio by Louis Vitis. Rex Corey is our musical director. Now once again, here is our star, Walter Coy, who returns as Michael Lanyard with a word about next week.

[Michael Lanyard]

Next week it's the story of the thoughtful thief in which a crook obligingly announces the time and the place of his theft in advance, which causes all the valuables to be locked in a vault which is completely foolproof. The only trouble is the thief isn't a fool. Listen, won't you?

[Walter Coy]

And now this is Bob Anderson reminding you to join us again next week, same time, same station, for another Adventure.

[Michael Lanyard]

Of the Lone Wolf.

[Walter Coy]

This program came to you from Hollywood and was heard in Canada through the facilities of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.

[Andrew]

Hi, this is andrew from otrwesterns.com I wanted to invite you to come take a look at our site where we put out podcasts of old time radio westerns. Check us [e-mail] you're listening to the great detectives of All Time Radio with Adam Graham. Now let's get back into the show.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome back. Not the best plan we've heard on this series with the huge hole of having to go to not club after nightclub where no one remembered seeing you. But perhaps it was just a shot in the dark to avoid punishment. Just figured, let's see if it works. Now according to the encyclopedia of Old Time Radio, the last episode of the Adventure of the Lone wolf was on January 1, 1949. So this would be the last episode. Now it is possible that the book is wrong, but the fact that they announced a program for next week doesn't mean that it didn't get cancelled before that aired. That sort of thing did happen during the golden age of radio. It was heard on the last episode, I believe, of the Private Files of Rex Saunders, where there was a mention of what next week's show is going to be. There could be a great deal of instability and programs pulled off very, very suddenly. So there's a whole lot we don't know about the Lone Wolf program, but at least we kind of got a sample of what it was all about. I would be very curious to hear some Gerald Moore. Episodes of this series, if any, emerge. And who knows, they may one day do so. Next week's program, an episode of Pat Novak for hire. Me thinking that we could be surprised by nearly anything re emerging. Join us back here tomorrow for Richard Diamond. You do have a comment. Send us Box 13. Great detectives.net follow us on Twitter at radiodetectives and become one of our friends on Facebook. Facebook.com from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.