Dragnet: The Big Building (EP4788)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Great Detectives Present Dragnet (Old Time Radio)

Episode: Dragnet - "The Big Building" (EP4788)
Host: Adam Graham
Date: August 28, 2025
Original Air Date of Episode: June 14, 1951

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Episode Overview

This episode features a classic Dragnet story entitled "The Big Building," in which Detectives Friday and Romero investigate the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy society woman, Louise Marston, in Los Angeles. The case evolves from a missing persons report into a complex murder investigation entangled with family money, deceit, and a failed dream for a lasting legacy.

Host Adam Graham provides context at both the beginning and end, reflecting on the unique plot twists and listener reactions, and sharing period insights on the story and its production.

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Key Discussion Points & Segment Timestamps

1. Setting the Scene: The Disappearance (03:23–05:54)

• Narrator sets up the case: Louise Marston, a wealthy woman, vanishes. Her husband, Dr. Robert Marston, files a missing person's report two months after her disappearance.
• First Suspicions:
  • Dr. Marston describes quarrelling with his wife at their country club on the night she left (05:00).
  • Louise reportedly wrote Dr. Marston and their son, Stanley, from New York, though she left no forwarding address (06:23).
  • Dr. Marston produces letters as evidence, all postmarked from New York.

2. Financial Motive and Missing Bonds (06:13–11:55)

• Dr. Marston reveals:
  • Louise inherited a considerable fortune, and her stepfather, William House, has always coveted it (09:14).
  • Two days before Louise left, Dr. Marston signed over $80,000 in bonds to her; now, both the bonds and Louise are missing (10:05).
  • Dr. Marston’s secretary, Lenore Dexter, claims she saw Louise and House at the airport the night after she disappeared (11:15).

Memorable Quote:

"Nothing's very great unless there's somebody to share it with." — Dr. Marston (12:43)

3. Interview with William House: Rising Accusations (13:59–16:55)

• William House suspects Dr. Marston of murder, paints him as a gold-digger, and claims Marston forged the bond receipt (14:28–15:23).
• House denies being at the airport and insists any evidence to the contrary is a lie.

Memorable Quote:

"I think he's murdered Louise. I think he killed her and buried her somewhere. That's my honest opinion." — William House (14:38)

• Handwriting expert Don Meyer examines the letters and receipts; his view is key:
  • "[The letters and the receipt are] genuine. Every one of them." — Detective Friday relays Meyer's findings (17:13)

4. Evidence Stalls, Then Breaks (17:56–21:01)

• Two weeks pass:
  • Investigation stalls; no sign of Louise is found.
  • Break comes: The Marston family's maid reports seeing Dr. Marston’s secretary, Lenore Dexter, wearing what appears to be Louise’s diamond ring at a dinner party (18:24).

5. Lenore Dexter’s Confession (20:03–21:54)

• Detectives confront Dexter; she admits Dr. Marston instructed her to lie about seeing Louise and House at the airport (21:49).
• She reveals Dr. Marston gave her pre-written letters to mail from New York as part of a supposed practical joke.

Memorable Quote:

"He told me what to say. He said to do it as a favor for him." — Lenore Dexter (21:43)

6. Architect’s Revelation and the Malibu Basement (22:56–24:25)

• Architect Harold Whitmore confirms Dr. Marston asked him to send the pre-written, sealed letters to a friend in New York to be re-mailed back, to cover up Louise’s disappearance (23:06).
• Whitmore recalls suspicious cement work on the basement of the Marston beach house at Malibu, after Louise vanished (24:14–24:22).

Memorable Quote:

"Not a bad job on a cellar for an amateur. Used enough cement on it to sink a battleship." — Harold Whitmore (24:09)

7. The Confession & Case Resolution (25:38–28:06)

• Police dig up the basement at Malibu. Amid the noise of his son playing upstairs, Dr. Marston is confronted with mounting evidence.
• Under pressure, he confesses to murdering his wife in his office after the quarrel, forging her "disappearance" with the staged letters and a false trail.

Memorable Quote:

"I tried to tell her. One fight after another. She didn't know how much it meant to me." — Dr. Marston (27:09)

• He describes the killing:

  • "Put my hands around her throat. Didn't stop until she was dead." — Dr. Marston (27:27)

• Expresses his motivation:

  • "The only thing I ever wanted in my life, she wouldn't let me have it. The building. Robert A. Marston building for professional men." — Dr. Marston (27:05)

• Detective Friday’s Summation:

  • "You want to come upstairs, doctor?... You don't need a building. They'll remember you." (27:46, 28:06)

8. Epilogue: Justice & Aftermath (28:18–29:16)

• Narrator:
  • Dr. Marston is charged with murder, but ten days into his trial, he takes his own life in jail.

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Host Reflections & Listener Feedback (29:55–33:02)

• Adam Graham highlights the peculiarity of so many people unwittingly participating in a cover-up disguised as a "practical joke."
• Reads a listener comment:
  • “I guess psychopaths with money need to see their names on buildings.” — Mechanic 6682
• Discusses period clothing ads and listener curiosity about 1950s suit brands, connecting Dragnet’s universe to historical context.

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Notable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• Dr. Marston, on loneliness and ambition:
  • "Nothing's very great unless there's somebody to share it with." (12:43)
• William House, on suspicion:
  • "I think he's murdered Louise. I think he killed her and buried her somewhere. That's my honest opinion." (14:38)
• Detective Friday, on evidence:
  • "[The letters and the receipt are] genuine. Every one of them." (17:13)
• Lenore Dexter’s breaking point:
  • "He told me what to say. He said to do it as a favor for him." (21:49)
• Architect on the cellar:
  • "Used enough cement on it to sink a battleship." (24:09)
• Dr. Marston’s confession:
  • "Put my hands around her throat. Didn't stop until she was dead." (27:27)
• Friday’s closing words:
  • "You don't need a building. They'll remember you." (28:06)

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Episode Tone and Style

• The episode maintains the signature dry, procedural tone of Dragnet—factual, methodical, and stripped of melodrama, punctuated by brief but vivid emotional admissions from suspects and witnesses.
• The host’s post-story remarks add a layer of historical curiosity and subtle humor, connecting the 1950s drama to modern listener experience.

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Conclusion

"The Big Building" is a quintessential Dragnet case: a puzzle of missing persons, forged letters, and dripping suspicion culminating in a chilling confession. It masterfully blends psychological tension with procedural detail, leaving both the detectives and listeners pondering how far ambition and loneliness can drive a person—and what mundane helpers, like architects and secretaries, may unwittingly become party to in the name of a “prank.”

For fans of vintage true crime or keen observers of human folly, this episode is especially rich in drama and noir atmosphere.

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Transcript

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[Adam Graham]

Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But first I do want to encourage you. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And today's program is brought to you in part by the financial support of our listeners. You can support the show on a one time basis. Support.greatdetives.net I want to thank Gene for supporting the program. That way you can also become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $2 per month at patreon.greatdetectives.net well now, from June 14, 1951, here is the big building.

[Grainger Announcer]

This is the story of the 1. As a maintenance engineer, he hears things differently. To the untrained ear, everything on his shop floor might sound fine, but he can hear gears grinding or a belt slipping. So he steps in to fix the problem at hand before it gets out of hand. And he knows Granger's got the right product. He needs to get the job done, which is music to his ears. Call clickgranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Narrator]

The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a Homicide detail. A wealthy society woman in your city vanishes. Two months pass before her disappearance is reported to the police.

[Detective Friday]

There's suspicion of foul play.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Your job, investigate.

[Narrator]

Dragnet. The documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.

[Detective Friday]

It was Monday. February 8th. Was foggy in Los Angeles. We're working the day watch out of homicide detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Thad Brown, Chief of Detectives. My name's Friday. We're on the way out from the office and it was 11:23am when we got to the ninth floor of the Medical Dental Building. Room 912.

[Detective Romero]

Dr. Marston?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Yes, what is it?

[Detective Romero]

Police officers, Doctor. Like to talk to you.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Oh, yes, I'm sorry. Daydreaming, I guess. I didn't hear you come in.

[Detective Friday]

My name's Friday, Doctor. This is my partner, Sergeant Romero.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

How you, Doctor? How do you do, gentlemen? How do you do, sir?

[Detective Friday]

It's about the missing person's report on your wife. You filed it yesterday.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Yes, that's right, Sergeant. Certainly glad you came. Like to have this whole thing straightened out as quickly as possible. I want my wife back with me.

[Detective Friday]

Well, we'll do everything we can, Doctor. There's a few things we'd like to have you straightened out for us, if you will.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

I thought I made it pretty clear in that report I filed yesterday. What is it you have a question about?

[Detective Romero]

I've got a copy of the report right here.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Says.

[Detective Romero]

Says your wife disappeared December 9th. That's a little over two months ago, doctor.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Yes, that's correct. December 9th. Sunday night. We were out having dinner. We had a little argument and Louise left. I didn't hear from her until the following Friday. That's when she wrote me the first letter. It was from New York.

[Detective Friday]

Weren't you a little alarmed to find out your wife had left you and gone East?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Well, I wasn't too happy about it, but we'd had a few arguments before. Always figured it did both of us good if Louise got away for a little while. I wasn't particularly worried. She has friends in New York. Would you care for a cigarette?

[Detective Friday]

Not right now, thank you, Doctor.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

I've got a light for you. Thank you.

[Detective Romero]

I understand your wife didn't stay with her friends this trip, Doctor.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

No, apparently she didn't. However, I wasn't too concerned. She wrote me letters twice a week. And then she wrote stanley, that's our son, he's in military school. Louise wrote to him regularly, too.

[Detective Romero]

And the last letter you got from your wife was about two weeks ago?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Yes, sir, exactly two weeks ago. Had the same postmark on it. New York.

[Detective Friday]

Well, have you any idea at all where she was staying back there?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

That's a strange part of it, Sergeant. Louise didn't put a return address on any of the letters. I inquired of some of our friends back there, but none of them had seen her. I suppose she was staying at a hotel. I don't know which one, though.

[Detective Friday]

About those letters, Doctor, now, you're sure that they're in your wife's handwriting? You don't think they could be forgeries, do you?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

So possible. But I don't think so, Sergeant. I know my wife's handwriting.

[Detective Romero]

Do you have all the letters with you, sir?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Yes. I'll have my secretary get them before you leave. She's out to lunch now. Oh, excuse me, please. Go right ahead. Yes, Dr. Marston. Well, Ms. Taylor. Oh, yes, I'm glad you reminded me. Thank you. I'm sorry, officers. There's a denture I have to have ready for one of my patients by this afternoon. Would you mind if I go ahead and work on it while we talk here?

[Detective Friday]

No, it's perfectly all right, Doctor. You go right ahead.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Do you mind stepping in the lab back here? All right, fine. Go ahead. Ma', am. I'm sorry to interrupt everything like this. I do have to have this denture ready, though. We understand, Doctor.

[Detective Romero]

You say the night your wife, Louise, disappeared, the two of you had an argument?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Yes, that's correct. We were having dinner out at our country club, and I guess Louise had too many cocktails. She gets in a nasty mood when she drinks too much. I asked her to stop drinking. She flared up and walked out of the place.

[Detective Friday]

Did anyone besides yourself see her leave?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Oh, yes. Two or three couples friends of ours. When I found out Louise had gone off to New York, I thought, well, it was her way of teaching me a lesson. I wasn't too disturbed about it until her letters stopped coming.

[Detective Friday]

Well, how about your son, Stanley? Do you know if he's still getting the letters from his mother?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

No, he's not. I telephoned him up at his school. He stopped getting letters about the same time I did. Now, let's see. Where did I put that casting ring? Oh, yes. Here we are.

[Detective Romero]

Then. As far as you know, Doctor, no one at all has actually seen Your wife since that night of the country club when she walked out and left you?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Mm, that's correct. As I say, if I hadn't been getting those letters from her every week from New York, I would have called the police in long ago. Would you excuse me, please? Oh. Oh, yeah. Quite a bit of oxide in this gold crown I've cast here. A little bit of acid should take care of that.

[Detective Friday]

Well, what's your theory on all this, Doctor? Your wife leaves suddenly and she goes to New York. She corresponds with you and your son and then her letters stop coming. What do you think might have happened?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Frankly, Sergeant, the whole thing's a terrible family mix up. Get this crown here out of the acid. Aha.

[Detective Romero]

Well, how do you mean, Doctor, a family mix?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Just that there's only one reason for Louise disappearing, the way she has. Money. Money. That stepfather of hers. Say, would you switch on that small motor there, Sergeant? I've got to polish up this crown. Get it in sh. Oh, yeah, sure. Thank you.

[Detective Friday]

Well, what do you mean, Doctor? How does your wife's stepfather fit into all this?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Money man, it's about the size of it. I don't know if you're aware of it, but my wife Louise was left a considerable amount of money by her aunt. Uh huh. Well, it was a fortune, as a matter of fact. Louise's stepfather has always been trying to get his hands on it. Excuse me again. Sure, go ahead.

[Detective Friday]

Well, then, you think your wife's stepfather is responsible for her disappearance, is that right?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

No, I'm not making any direct accusations, Sergeant. Two days ago, or two days before Louise disappeared, I had $80,000 in bonds signed over to her. Checked around since she's been gone. Haven't been able to locate the bonds anywhere.

[Detective Romero]

You think she had the bonds with her when she left?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Guess.

[Detective Romero]

I'm sure of it.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Pardon me just a moment. Yes, but, uh huh. That's a fine cast with sharp margins on it.

[Detective Friday]

Well, now, the $80,000 worth of bonds, Doctor, do you have any way of proving that you gave those to your wife?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Oh, certainly I have. My wife signed receipt for them. You're welcome to check it over if you like. Mm.

[Detective Friday]

Just how do you think your wife's stepfather figures in there? Is there any indication he might have made a move to get the bond?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Enough to satisfy me? Yes, my secretary told me about it. Lenore Dexter. That's the girl in the reception room. Oh, the night after my wife left me at the country club. That'd be December 10th. Ms. Dexter was at the airport waiting For a friend to arrive on a plane. While she was waiting, she saw my wife and her stepfather cross through the window waiting room and go out toward the main gate. Mm.

[Detective Friday]

Your secretary. Sure it was really your wife and her stepfather?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

That's what she told me. You're certainly welcome to talk to her yourself if you like. Yes.

[Detective Romero]

And, well, besides the bonds, do you know of anything else of value that your wife had with her when she left?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

No, I don't think so. She had her fur coat on. Of course. It was expensive. She was wearing a diamond ring. Anniversary gift from me. Large solitaire. Worth quite a bit of money. You can get the description from the jeweler. I'll give you his name.

[Detective Friday]

All right, doctor. Your wife's stepfather. We'd like to have his name and address too.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Surely. I'll have my secretary check on both of them right now. All right, fine. Sergeant, you've got to find Louise. I've got to have her back with me.

[Detective Friday]

Well, we'll do everything we can, doctor. We promise you that.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

I know my wife wouldn't stay away of her own free will. Not this long. Not at a time like this.

[Detective Romero]

How do you mean, sir?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Let me show you. Here it is. This is the final drawing the architect made for us. What do you think of it? Oh, it's very nice.

[Detective Friday]

It certainly is.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

It's gotta be our own building. 12 stories. Finest in the city. Robert A. Marston Building for professional men. Louise and I have looked forward to it for a long time.

[Detective Friday]

I understand.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

We settled on the final plans a week before she disappeared. Contractors will start construction a few weeks now. There's supposed to be a great day in our lives. Laying the cornerstone.

[Detective Friday]

Yes, I understand.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Great day. Robert A. Marston Building. It's a funny thing, isn't it, officers? How's that? Nothing's very great unless there's somebody to share it with.

[Detective Friday]

Before we left the office of Dr. Robert Marston, we talked with his secretary, Ms. Lenore Dexter. She confirmed the doctor's statement that on the night after Louise Marston had disappeared from the country club, she had seen both Mrs. Marston and her stepfather at the city's international airport. She said she did not follow them. She had no idea of their destination. Dr. Marston gave us the letters his wife had written him during her absence and also his wife's signed receipt for the $80,000 with a bond. Each of the letters was postmarked New York, and the dates on them ranged from December 15th to March 24th. Ben and I drove back to the office and Put in a call to the home of the missing woman's stepfather, a Mr. William House. Then we went down the hall to the office of Don Meyer, our handwriting expert. We gave him the letters, which supposedly had been written by Mrs. Marston from New York, along with a signed receipt for the bonds and various other exemplars of her handwriting, which we had obtained from her bank. 2:50pm, the missing woman's stepfather, William House, arrived at the office. He was a tall, graying man, dignified, well dressed.

[William House]

It's about time the police started looking into this thing. How long does a person have to be missing before there's an investigation?

[Detective Romero]

The missing report was only filed yesterday, Mr. House. If you knew your stepdaughter was gone, why didn't you report it?

[William House]

I've had private detectives working on this for a month. Had them checking everything about the case.

[Detective Friday]

How much luck have they had?

[William House]

Frankly, not much. I still got him working on it.

[Detective Friday]

Well, getting back to what we have on hand, Mr. House, how about this statement of Dr. Marston's secretary? She says that she saw you with Mrs. Marston at the international airport the night after she disappeared.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

It's a lie.

[William House]

I haven't been near that airport in six months. It's a lie and I can prove it. I don't know what Marston's up to, but he isn't going to get away with it.

[Detective Romero]

What do you mean by that?

[William House]

I think he's murdered Louise. I think he killed her and buried her somewhere. That's my honest opinion.

[Detective Romero]

You sound sure of it.

[William House]

I am sure of it. I knew Marston for what he was the day I met him. He's a fortune hunter, pure and simple. He's after Louise's money and nothing's going to stop him. Nothing has stopped him.

[Detective Friday]

Well, I was under the impression that Dr. Marston was wealthy before he married your stepdaughter. Isn't that right, sir?

[William House]

Certainly not. He was just another poor dentist with a lot of big ideas. All this talk about putting up a building, naming it after himself, while Louise fought him on that constantly. He's some kind of crazy egotist.

[Detective Romero]

What about the $80,000 in bonds he says he signed over to Mrs. Marston.

[William House]

If he told you that, he's a bigger liar than I thought.

[Detective Friday]

Well, he gave us a receipt for the bonds. It was signed by his wife. Can you account for that?

[William House]

Frankly, no. Either he got her signature on it by some kind of trick, or he forged it. I'm sure he never had that much money. Those bonds belong to Louise.

[Detective Romero]

What about the letters Dr. Marston got from his wife? You think they were forged too?

[William House]

I'm positive they were. Don't you see, Officer? It's the perfect cover up for him.

[Detective Friday]

Well, one way or the other, it's not going to take us long to find out the truth. Our handwriting man's checking over the letters and the bond receipt. Now, can you fill us in at all on Dr. Marston's background, Mr. House?

[William House]

Only since he's been connected with the family since he married Louise. Say, would you give me a cigarette, please? I went off and left mine at home.

[Detective Romero]

Oh, sure.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Here you are. Thank you. Thank you.

[William House]

I can't tell you how I feel about it, Officer. I'm afraid of that man. I'm deathly afraid of him. I know he's done something terrible to Louise.

[Detective Friday]

Well, how can you be so sure of it, Mr. House? You must have some basis for your opinion.

[William House]

I just know, that's all, Sergeant. If Louise had just disappeared and there wasn't any question of money involved, I wouldn't be so anxious about it. But $80,000 worth of bonds, that'll be enough to tempt Marston to murder his own mother. You don't know him like I do.

[Detective Romero]

Well, what do you know about him, sir? There must be something concrete.

[William House]

I can tell you this much, Officer. Marston's a man who is capable of murder. Now, I'm a sensible man. I don't walk up and down the street looking for murderers. But I know when we've got one in the family. That much you've got to believe. You will believe it.

[Detective Friday]

Excuse me just a minute.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

I'll get that.

[Detective Friday]

Homicide Friday. Yeah, Don.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Alright.

[Detective Friday]

All of them.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Right.

[Detective Friday]

Thank you, Don. Well, that was our handwriting man. Mr. House?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Yes.

[Detective Friday]

He just finished checking the writing in those letters and on the receipt for the bonds.

[William House]

What'd he say? Forgeries?

[Detective Friday]

No, sir, they're genuine. Every one of them. As soon as William House left the office, Ben and I began an immediate check of his whereabouts. The night after his stepdaughter, Louise Marston had disappeared. We talked to his friends and associates, members of the staff at the club where he lived. We found a dozen people who backed up House's claim that he was nowhere in the vicinity of the airport. The night after Mrs. Marston dropped from sight, we went back and talked with Dr. Marston, Secretary Lenore Dexter. She still insisted that she had actually seen House at the airport with the missing woman. Dr. Marston and the step Forward father continued to accuse each other of murder at Our request? Repeated efforts were made by the New York police to locate Mrs. Marston. No luck. We checked and rechecked with the maid at the home of the missing woman. All she could tell us was that Louise Marston never returned home after leaving the country club. And also that she'd been wearing a fur coat and an expensive diamond solitaire ring. A week passed, and then two weeks. We stayed on it, but there wasn't much progress. The case of Louise Marston came to a virtual standstill. Wednesday, February 24 hi, Joe. Good morning. Anything new?

[Detective Romero]

Yeah, I think we got a break. The Marston case.

[Detective Friday]

Oh, what do you got made out.

[Detective Romero]

Of Dr. Marston's home? She called first thing this morning. Said Dr. Marston had a little dinner party out there last night.

[Detective Friday]

What about it?

[Detective Romero]

One of the people there was Marston's secretary. That Lenore Dexter?

[Detective Friday]

Oh, yeah.

[Detective Romero]

She was wearing a large diamond ring. Maid got a good look at the ring. Says it's the same one Mrs. Marston was wearing the night she disappeared.

[Narrator]

You are listening to Dragnet. Authentic cases from official police files.

[Detective Friday]

Wednesday, February 24, 9:15am Ben and I drove out to the home of Dr. Robert Marston and talked to the maid. She told us that on the previous evening the doctor had had a small dinner party and that one of the guests was the doctor's secretary, Lenore Dexter. The maid told us that she'd gotten a close look at the diamond ring that Ms. Dexter was wearing and that she was sure it was the same ring that the doctor's wife, Louise Marston, had been wearing the night she disappeared. 10:20am we left the Marston house and headed downtown to the doctor's office in the Medical Dental building. The office was closed and locked. We got back in the car and drove out Sunset Boulevard to Lenore Dexter's home address. We found the secretary having breakfast alone in her two room apartment. She explained that on Wednesdays the doctor never opened his office before noon. We questioned her about the dinner party at the doctor's home the night before. We asked her about the diamond ring that she wore at the party. She became confused and hesitant.

[Detective Romero]

What about it, Ms. Dexter? Was that your diamond ring you were wearing at the dinner party?

[Lenore Dexter]

No, Sergeant, it wasn't. I guess it belongs to Dr. Marston. Either him or his wife.

[Detective Friday]

Well, did he give it to you as a present?

[Lenore Dexter]

No. You see, I guess the doctor had a few cocktails before dinner. Maybe one too many. He went upstairs and came down with the ring. He insisted I wear it. He was very insistent.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Mm.

[Lenore Dexter]

I didn't want to make a scene, so I put the ring on. I gave it back to the doctor just before we left the house. My boyfriend was with me at the party, and we had a terrible argument over it. He's very jealous.

[Detective Romero]

Tell me, Ms. Dexter, did Dr. Marston have any special reason for wanting you to wear the ring?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

No.

[Lenore Dexter]

Just that he liked me, that I was pretty and I ought to have pretty things. My boyfriend didn't like him at all.

[Detective Friday]

Had you ever seen that particular diamond ring, Ms. Dexter? I mean, before last night?

[Lenore Dexter]

I don't know, Sergeant. I think so. I'm not sure.

[Detective Romero]

Where do you think you saw the.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Ring before, Mrs. Marston?

[Lenore Dexter]

I think I saw her wearing it once.

[Detective Friday]

Was she wearing it the night you were supposed to have seen her at the airport?

[Lenore Dexter]

I don't know what you mean. I didn't notice the ring, But I saw Mrs. Marston at the airport.

[Detective Friday]

I'd like to have you think this thing out for yourself, Ms. Dexter. Mrs. Marston's been gone for almost three months now, and there's a strong possibility that she might have been murdered. You can make up your own mind about it, miss. If you're not involved in that disappearance, I'd advise you to tell us the truth. Might save you a lot of trouble, Ms. Dexter.

[Lenore Dexter]

You mean about my seeing Mr. House at the airport with the doctor's wife the night after she disappeared?

[Detective Friday]

Yes, ma', am, that's right. You sure that's the truth?

[Lenore Dexter]

I didn't want to get involved, Sergeant. I didn't want any part of it.

[Detective Romero]

You mean you didn't see Mrs. Marston, her stepfather, at the airport that night? That you made it all up?

[Lenore Dexter]

I didn't make it up, Sergeant. I swear I didn't. He told me what to say. He said to do it as a favor for him.

[Detective Friday]

Who's that, miss?

[Lenore Dexter]

Dr. Marston.

[Detective Friday]

We continued to question the secretary, Lenore Dexter. She confessed that Dr. Marston had directed her to tell the story about seeing Louise Marston and her stepfather, William House, at the international airport. It was all a complete lie. She said that Marston had explained that the whole thing was just a practical joke, that it didn't mean anything. When Mrs. Marston was officially reported missing, she thought of going to the police. But Marston had frightened her out of taking any such action. The only other suspicious thing she could recall about Mrs. Marston's disappearance was a conversation between the doctor and his architect, Mr. Harold Whitmore. He was the architect who had planned and designed the projected Robert A Marston building for professional men. Well, the secretary told us the doctor's conversation with the architect had taken place about a month before Mrs. Marston's disappearance. And that she'd heard the doctor mention to the architect something about New York and a packet of letters. Lenore Dexter was taken downtown where she gave us a complete signed statement. Ben and I got in the car and drove to the offices of architect Harold Whitmore over on South Hope Street. He was a tall, florid faced man, very cooperative.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Yeah, I remember that conversation with Dr. Marston. He gave me a bunch of letters, at least a couple of dozen, anyway. They were addressed to the doctor and his little boy, Stanley.

[Detective Romero]

What did he want you to do with the letters, Mr. Whitmore?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

He asked me if I had any friends in New York, and I said I did. Then he said he was playing some kind of practical joke on his wife and son. Gave me the letters and asked me if I'd send them to a friend in New York and have him mail them back one at a time.

[Detective Friday]

You agreed to do that?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Yeah, that's right. The letters were all sealed and stamped, all in order, the way they were supposed to be mailed. I just sent them back to this friend of mine, Bob Rogers, in New York. Forgot all about it.

[Detective Friday]

Mr. Whitmore, how long have you known Dr. Marston?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Very long? No, not too long. Only in a business way. He wants to put up this office building of his, and I'm handling the job for him. He's sure nuts on the subject. Can't wait till we start construction on the job? I think his life depended on it.

[Detective Romero]

You know much about his personal life? Where'd you first meet him?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Let's see. I think it was around October of last year. He and Mrs. Marston were building a summer place down at Malibu, and I helped out with the plants. The doctor was always hanging around there, helping out with the work whenever he could.

[Detective Friday]

That's the only previous contact that you had with him, huh?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

That's about all. Yeah. Building a beach house. Dr. Marston thought he had some new ideas about building a new type basement in the place. That so?

[Detective Friday]

Yeah.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Not a bad job on a cellar for an amateur. Used enough cement on it to sink a battleship.

[Detective Friday]

Just a second. Mr. Whitmore did Dr. Marston cement in the basement while the house was being built.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Is that. No, no. About a couple of months later. Around the middle of December, I think.

[Detective Friday]

Do you remember the date exactly when he did the cement work?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Not exactly. About 12th or 13th of December. I think. Yeah. Right after his wife disappeared.

[Detective Friday]

Wednesday, February 24 one, Ben and I picked up Dr. Robert Marston and brought him downtown to the office. We questioned him for an hour and informed him of the evidence against him. Despite the statement of architect Harold Whitmore, the doctor insisted he was innocent of any crime connected with the disappearance of his wife. We contacted the New York Police Department and asked them to check on architect Whitmore's friend, Robert E. Rogers. A special detail of men was dispatched to the summer home at Malibu to see what they could find. Half an hour later, Dr. Robert Marston was placed in a car and Ben and I drove him to the Malibu home. We continued questioning him during the drive, but he refused to make a statement of any kind. On our arrival at the beach cottage, we found Marston's young son, Stanley, together with a maid and the family butler. We took Dr. Marston downstairs to the basement. The man had a large section of the cement flooring ripped up. They were digging in the room. Up above, we could hear young Stanley Marston in playing on a toy harmonica.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

I'd like to know something, Sergeant, just for my information. Yes, sir. Why do you think I'd kill my wife? Why do you think I'd do such a thing?

[Detective Romero]

We're not sure yet. If you did kill her.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

And why do you have these men doing this, digging up the whole basement? Why do you think I killed her? You won't find anything. You might as well tell them to stop now. They won't find anything. I explained everything to you. Why can't you take my word for it?

[Detective Friday]

You still haven't explained about those letters, why you had them sent to New York. You had the mail back here one at a time.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Got nothing to do with it. Why can't you believe me?

[Detective Romero]

Your wife didn't disappear without a reason, Doctor. And we'd like to know what the reason is.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

I told you. I told you a dozen times over. You know what happened? We were at the country club, Louise and I. She was drinking them. I told her to lay off. We had an argument. She walked out. That's all. She walked out. I didn't see her anymore.

[Detective Romero]

Yes, sir. We'll have it all worked out. Don't worry about it.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Why can't that maid look after the boy up there making all that noise? Why can't you take him out somewhere? Down to the beach. Romero. Yeah? See you a minute.

[Detective Romero]

Oh, yeah.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Right, Sergeant. What do you want me to say?

[Detective Friday]

What's that?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

They've found her. You know that Louise Right where I buried her. What do you want me to say?

[Detective Friday]

Well, that's up to you.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Yes. You wouldn't understand, would you, Sergeant? The only thing I ever wanted in my life, she wouldn't let me have it. The building. Robert A. Marston building for professional men.

[Detective Friday]

You mean your wife wouldn't give you the money for it? That's why you quarreled. Is that it?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

I tried to tell her. One fight after another. She didn't know how much it meant to me.

[Detective Friday]

And that's why you killed her, huh?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

I followed her outside the country club that night. Drove her to my office. She was pretty drunk. Mm. We pretended she was on a trip to New York. I had her write the letters, had her sign the receipt for the bonds. Wasn't hard to do.

[Detective Friday]

How'd you kill her?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Put my hands around her throat. Didn't stop until she was dead. Joe.

[Detective Friday]

Yeah, man. Hey, Fonder.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

You ready to go, doctor? All right. It was a dream of a lifetime, sergeant. I almost had it. The Robert A. Marston building. Finest in the city.

[Detective Friday]

Yeah. You want to come upstairs, doctor?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

We'll get you coke. You'll try to understand, won't you? I wanted something that'd last. My own building, my name on it. Something you'd remember. Yeah. That's the reason I killed Louise. She didn't want me to have it. My own building. Something that would last, make the people remember.

[Detective Friday]

Well, you made it, Doctor. Why worry? You don't need a building. They'll remember you.

[Narrator]

The story you have just heard was true. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent. On June 3, trial was held in Superior Court Department 87, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In a moment, the results of that trial. Robert Alexander Marston was charged with murder in the first degree. Ten days after his trial opened in Superior Court, the suspect took his own life in his jail cell by hanging. You have just heard Dragnet. A series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W.H. parker, Los Angeles Police Department.

[Detective Friday]

Stay tuned for counterspy next.

[Narrator]

Over most NBC stations.

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[Dr. Robert Marston]

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[Grainger Announcer]

Whether you're looking to revamp your interior or exterior, we have you covered with.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

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[Grainger Announcer]

See Store for details.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome back. A good episode. And as this isn't Broadway's my bait, Herb Butterfield wasn't the murderer. I do wonder if people are a little less game today in helping with practical jokes because the secretary, the architect, and the architect's friend all got involved in a murder plot that way. There's a lesson in that. Alright, well, listener comments and feedback and we got a recent comment regarding this story and its first plane many years back. Mechanic 6682 writes, I guess psychopaths with money need to see their names on buildings. And then kind of an interesting one that sent me down a fun rabbit trail. And this comes from one of our compilations which had some of our season four episodes in it which featured the clipperCraft run of Sherlock Holmes or Reinser Wonder if Friday and Romero ever shop for Clipper Craft clothes? Well, I kind of wondered whether based on the ads they were in east coast only brand, but that doesn't appear to be the case. So they might have, particularly given the price point of the suits and how thrifty that you had to be on the lapd, but they would not have been the target audience. Clipper craft in the 1950s pitched their suits to college men, which neither Friday and Romero were There's a really fascinating article about how Clipper Kraft appealed very specifically to Ivy League college men and they had a lot of interesting things, including ads with men with tigers heads wearing the suits. They even had a Mr. Keen suit, but it was not named after the famous investigator. The tracer of Lost Persons. And I will try to remember to add a link to the article on iv-style.com from 2019. Great little blog entry there. So much fun stuff. All right, well now it is time to thank our Patreon Supporter of the day and I want to thank Rosa patreon Supporter since January 2020, currently supporting the podcast at the Detective Sergeant level of $7.14 or more per month. Thank you so much for your support Rosa. And that will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us if you using your favorite podcast software. And if you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure to like the video, subscribe to the channel and mark the notification bell. We will be back next Thursday with another episode of Dragnet, but join us back here tomorrow for yours truly, Johnny dollar Ware.

[Johnny Dollar]

Afraid I can't help you much, Johnny. Joe Wentworth apparently told you all there is to tell about it you were.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Out looking for a taxi at the time Wentworth got slugged.

[Johnny Dollar]

That's right. I feel sorry for Joe. That was a lot of diamond to lose.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Ah, must be quite a stone.

[Johnny Dollar]

Don't you go for those things? I don't know. I guess some people really have a thing about diamonds.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

But not you, huh?

[Johnny Dollar]

All right. Just happens there are a couple of things I prefer.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Like what?

[Johnny Dollar]

Like money and mink.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

But now, according to your fiance, you.

[Johnny Dollar]

Were just a minute. According to my what?

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Your fiance, Wentworth.

[Johnny Dollar]

Donny. That may be his idea, but it's not mine.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Well, you're not engaged.

[Johnny Dollar]

Joe's been very nice to me, and I like him, but we're just friends. So far as I'm concerned.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Oh, yeah?

[Johnny Dollar]

I'm afraid I'm not the engaged type, Johnny. I've tried it once or twice, but it didn't work. Seems to interfere with my hobby.

[Dr. Robert Marston]

Your hobby?

[Johnny Dollar]

Yes. Having fun.

[Adam Graham]

I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime, send your comments to Box [e-mail] follow us on Twitter at radiodetectives and check us out on Instagram. Instagram.com Great detectives from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.