 Another case for Nick Carter, master detective! Yes, it's another case for that most famous of all man hunters. The detective whose ability at solving crime is unequal in the history of detective fiction. Nick Carter, master detective! Tonight's curious adventure... Death after dark. For Nick Carter and the mystery of the vampire killings. Mr. Carter! Mr. Carter! I've got to talk to you. Something has happened. Do you? Well, yes. No. Well, that is... it did and it didn't. Well, it might be better if you were to tell me just what it was that did or didn't happen to you. Okay. Well, it was like this, sir. Four of us, Betty Graham, Gertrude Chase, Dora Mason and myself were playing tennis in the park this afternoon. We played a few sets and then about 6.30 we started home. But just as we got to the park gate, Dora suddenly discovered that she'd left her racket in the court. I offered to go get it for her but she started after it herself. The rest of us sat down on the bench to wait for her. After about 10 minutes, Gertrude suddenly got upset something about going to meet Dora and then started up the same path as Dora had done. Betty and I sat on the bench talking and waiting for them until suddenly we began to realize it was getting quite dark. All at once, Betty said what was on my mind. I don't like this still. The tennis court is only about 5 minutes walk from here. They should have been back before this. Yes, sir. I know. I was thinking the same thing. What do you suppose could be keeping them? I don't know. Don't you think we'd better walk up that way and see what's happened to them? Nothing's happened to them, Betty. But if you want to walk up and meet them, why, okay. I'd rather do that than keep sitting here. Oh, come on, then. But I'll bet we meet them before we get to the court. But I judge from the way you tell it that you didn't find them. Mr. Carter, we didn't. When we got to the court, it was deserted. We called and called, but we got no answer. Then suddenly Betty saw something. They'll walk. What is it, Betty? Look, they're on the grass behind you. That's Dora's tennis racket. I know those colored strings. But that means that she never came back here at all. But where could she have... Betty, didn't Dora have a rose in her hair? Why, yes. She painted up on the path just before she left us. I remember watching her tie a knot on the stem so she could put one of her hairpins through it to hold it in her hair. Why? Here, by the end of the net. A rose. You're right. And it's got a knot in the stem, too. And look, Betty, it's been stepped on. Let's get out of here. And she started running across the grass toward the nearest gate. Weren't you scared, too? Some, but I caught up with her and quieted her down a little. And you didn't see anything of the girls you were looking for? Well, by this time it was too dark to see much of anything. Betty took me by the arm and we made for the nearest gate. We weren't running, but we weren't lingering either. Maybe you just imagined... Wait a minute. I just haven't finished. Before we got to the road leading to the gate, we had to go through a patch of thick woods. I'd gone that way before, so I didn't think much about it. But Betty was still pretty scared. I can hardly see anything. Let's hurry. I want to get out of here. If we try to go any faster, we may fall over something. Just take it easy and keep going. And we'll... What did happen? That's just the point, Nick. I don't know. When I regained consciousness a couple of minutes later, one of the park guards was bending over me and another was trying to bring Betty back to her senses. And you have no idea what actually did happen? No, Nick. No idea at all. Except that a lot of creatures seem to drop down on us from out of the trees. You say creatures. How do you use that word? Well, that word seems to just be about the only word to use. You couldn't see them at all? No. It was so dark. I could only see that there were a lot of dark forms around me. The thought flashed through my mind that we'd been attacked by a band of boy robbers. And they didn't say anything? No exclamations or anything? No, Nick. Nothing. Not a word. The only sounds I remember are a sort of hissing. It sounded like a lot of snakes. Then I got a blow on the back of my neck and it knocked me senseless. What happened to Betty? She'd been doped. She said something had been put over her nose. Something that felt like a piece of burlap and smelled sweet. Then she lost consciousness. After the guards brought her to, I took her home and left her there. As far as I know, she was unharmed except that she was almost hysterical. What about the other girls? The ones who played tennis with you, did they turn up later? No. I called both of them on the phone, but neither of them were home. And they hadn't been home since they were out with us. And our first job was to tell the girls' parents what we can and get their permission to take charge of the investigation. Then we'll start our investigating in the park. Everything here looks so different at night, Mr. Carter. I'd rather not have to make this examination by night, Phil. But I don't dare wait until morning. It might be too late. There's the tennis court right ahead, Mr. Carter. And here's the tennis racket, right where we left it. Don't go any further. I want to see what I can find on the ground in the way of Mark, Sir Prince. It's obvious that a number of barefooted persons have been trampling on the grass here. Barefooted? Yes. I found one pretty clear impression of a complete foot. Looks about the size of a ten-year-old boy. Yes, there are lots of Prince here. I think they could be the Prince of... Come here. What is it? Have you found...? Take it easy, Phil. Take it easy. Look here. Dora Mason. Is she...? Yes, Phil. She's dead. Poor Dora. Why, she almost looks as if she were asleep, doesn't she? Yes. Except for that peculiar alabaster whiteness of her skin. Almost as if there wasn't a drop of blood left in her body. How was she killed, Mr. Carter? I don't know. The only mark I can find on her is a tiny round hole in her neck. A couple of inches below her ear. Well, it's pretty late, but I guess he'll forgive us when he knows why we've come. He may be in bed by now. I'm sorry if he is, but I can't let it go until tomorrow. I must find out tonight. Yeah? Oh, hello, Phil. What's up? Mr. Carter, Ed. He wants to hear the story about you and Ethel. How you were attacked in the park last week. Why are you trying to kid me? No, Ed. We're quite serious. Phil and the girl who was with him were attacked in the same way this evening. The girl was killed. What? Who was she? Dora Mason. Dora? Gee, that's tough. Well, come in, won't you? Sure. Ed, we're afraid Gertrude Chase has been killed too. Hey, what is this? A gang war? Did you think it was gangsters who attacked you, Ed? I know. I didn't know what they were. They might have been small men or they might have been boys. How many were they? I should say maybe a dozen. I don't know. I couldn't see them. They seemed to drop down out of the trees. They were so quiet I thought maybe they weren't human. Not human? How do you mean? The only noise I heard was a sort of hissing. Hissing? When you were fighting them, did you hit any of them? Sure, lots of them. What did they feel like? They were small. Not very strong. And they weren't dressed in regular clothes. I don't know what they had on, but it wasn't our kind of clothes. What did they do to you? They... they swarmed all over us. We both yelled for help and then they put a piece of burlap over my face, which covered my eyes and nose. It smelled funny, made me dizzy. Then they knocked me out. How about the girl? Grabbed hold of her and put the same kind of cloth over her face. She said hers had a strange odor, sort of like oranges. It made her unconscious. But it didn't last long. Some park guards heard us and the things disappeared as they came up. Were either of you hurt? I wasn't, but Ethel, the girl who was with me, was wounded in the throat. Hear that, Mr. Carter? Easy, Phil. Easy. Ed, what was the wound? It was a little hole in her neck, about two and a half inches below her ear. And this... this is the thing that wounded her. Good boy, Ed. Now we're getting somewhere. May I keep this? Of course, Mr. Carter. Does it help you? It does indeed. This is our first real step forward. And you say that Moran still had the thing that made the hole in her neck? Yes, Betsy. It was a wicked little instrument. Scooby took it up to one of the medical supply houses to see if they could tell us anything about it. Well, what did it look like, Nick? Well, it's about three and a half inches long, I should say. About half that distance, it's the size of a lead pencil. Then it tapers down to a needle point. But just before you reach the point, there's a small swelling, like a little bulb, about a quarter of an inch long. What's the idea of that? Well, if I'm not mistaken, once the point of this instrument has been stuck in the flesh, the little bulb holds it there, so it won't come loose. You know, something like the barb and a spear. In fact, that's how Moran happened to have this one. After he and his girlfriend had been attacked by these... these things, they found this still hanging in the flesh of her neck. Through the center of this needle is a hole. It's about the size of a hair at one end and slightly larger at the other. What is this gadget used for, Nick? Injecting something into the blood? No, Patsy, I don't think so. I feel sure it was used for taking something out. Oh. Well, did you see that early this morning, the police found the body of the other girl who was with Phil yesterday? Yes, I know. And she died exactly the same way Dora did. Patsy, the thing that puzzles me about this whole thing is this. The killers don't act like human beings, and yet they must be. Nick, this couldn't be a sort of repetition of Edgar Allan Poe's story of murders in the room all clear. No, no, no, Patsy. There are no monkeys or apes in this. The killers must be human beings. Unless... Unless what, Patsy? Well, there's one very obvious idea suggested by the fact that each body had a hole in the throat and that each body was practically drained of blood. That's true, particularly as there was no blood found on the ground near the bodies. That's just what I mean. It certainly suggests... I mean, you can't help thinking of... Well... Vampires? Isn't that what you mean? Well, yes. Of course I don't... Patsy, what is a vampire, actually? Why, it's a sort of huge bat which kills its victims by sucking the blood from their throats. Have they ever been known to attack men? Why, I don't think so, except in stories. Could a bat leave footprints like a ten-year-old boy? Of course not. Bats have claws. Well... I know it's silly, Nick. I don't believe in them. I know there are no such things. It's just that... I know, I know, Patsy. It's just that it looks so very much like what we've heard about vampires that it's an easy if impossible solution. But, Nick, these girls were murdered, so there must be an answer. Of course, Patsy, of course. But I refuse to believe in the supernatural. I feel sure that the answer must be that somewhere there exists a sect or creed that uses human blood in its rituals, religious or otherwise. You think the blood is the answer, not the killings? I do. I feel certain, Patsy, that these girls were not in the strict sense of the word... murdered. Not murdered? No, Patsy. They died because for some reason the blood was drawn out of their bodies. Is this the patch of woods where Phil Morgan and his girlfriend were attacked last night, Nick? Yes, Cubby. And I think this is probably the best place for the test. Oh, gee, this is dangerous business, Nick. Letting yourself be used as bait for these creatures? Suppose they get the best of you. Well, that's a chance I'm taking, Cubby. I had a long talk with my friend Ray Shipman-Anders yesterday. You know, he's an explorer and scientist. He's been all over the world. Probably knows more about the peoples of the earth than anyone else. But he can't tell me the answer to this puzzle. He agrees with me that I'm on the right track. Oh, I don't like it, Nick. Even if these are human beings, they can still be fiends. Oh, but if you say you're going to do it, I know better than to waste my breath arguing with you. Thanks, Cubby. Now, you'll help me get ready for the test? Oh, sure. Sure, what do I do? Well, first I'll set this camp chair up here in the center of this little space into the trees. Yeah. Now, I'll hold the lights while you sort out those ropes you have there. Yeah. You'll find there are 12 lassoes. I want you to lay them on the ground around this camp chair so that the whole space is covered with them. Oh, you mean so that nobody can come near the chair without stepping in one of the lassoes? Oh, I get you. Yeah. Like this? That's right, Cubby. Yeah. Then bring the free end of each rope here to the chair. Okay. I'll tie them together and tie them to my wrist. And I can tighten them all at once with one pull when the time comes. Hey, this is quite a stunt, Nick. Well, from what the young people told me, these creatures are weak enough so I should be able to hold several of them without difficulty. There we are. That what you want, Nick? Yes, yes. That's fine, Cubby. Now, I'll sit in the chair, hold the ends of the ropes like this there. Now, if you'll take this bag of cornmeal. Yeah. Sprinkle it all around this space, over the ropes and everything. And I'll be all set. Okay, Nick. Hey, what's this cornmeal for? I hope to get some footprints. And it may also serve as a trail that we can follow afterwards. Oh, I wish I was sure you were going to be safe. I don't like this whole business. Neither do I. It has to be done. This is the only way I can see to do it. There. Had enough cornmeal spread around, Nick? Yeah. Fine, Cubby. All right. I'm all set. Now, remember, Nick, I'm going to be just outside the woods with a couple of Riley's men. One shout out of you and we'll come and run them. Fine, Cubby. I hope I won't need you, but I'm glad to know you're there. Well, so long for now. Well, so long, Nick. I hope you come out of this, okay? I will, don't we? Wish I felt as sure of that as I sound. It really did happen. Well, after Cubby left me, I waited a while. Nothing happened. I waited some more. Still nothing happened. Mm-hmm. Then I heard some funny noises overhead. Suddenly a swarm of somethings dropped on top of me out of the trees. I tried to fight them off, but in spite of the fact that they were weak, there were so many of them I could scarcely move. I tried to catch one of them, but I couldn't seem to get my hands on anything. Gosh, what a feeling that must have been. Yes, I should say so. And I felt a piece of that burlap over my face and smelled a strange, sickish, sweet odor like oranges. I felt dizzy almost at once. Then something hit me in the back of the neck and that's all I know. Did you see anything, Cubby? No, Patsy. After I left, Nick, I waited for a few minutes and then I heard those queer noises. So I dashed in to find all that was going on. And what did you find? Well, Nick was flat on his back, the burlap over his face, footprints all over the cornmeal and nothing else in sight. Did you try to follow any of the prints? Oh, no, they were all over the place. They seemed to go in all directions. It would have been hopeless to try to follow them. So that the net result of the evening's expedition was just exactly nothing. A fine thing. Needless Carter's office? Oh, yes, Lieutenant. What? How long ago? All right, I'll tell him. Yes, thanks. Goodbye. Who was it, Patsy? That was Lieutenant Riley, Nick. He said that they just found a third girl in the park, murdered in the same way as the others. The same hole in the side of the neck and no blood left in the body. Now I know I'm right. These creatures don't want any blood except for women or girls. They won't touch men. That's why they did nothing to me after getting me completely at their mercy last night. Well, I'll try it again tonight. But with a different setup. How different, Nick? I'll dress myself as a woman. Oh, that's silly, Nick. If they want women's blood, they'll know fast enough you're no woman. And besides, there's another reason why you shouldn't do it yourself. What's that? Well, you acted as your own decoy last night. You were so busy defending yourself that you didn't have a chance to do anything about catching one of them. Yes, I know, I know, that's true. But there's no other way to do it, scubby. There is one other way, Nick. A much better way. What's that, Patsy? Use me for bait. Nothing doing, Patsy. You think I'm going to risk your life? You risk your own life? I'm no better than you are. Well, that's different. No, Patsy. I won't let you in. That's final. It's not final, Nick. Three girls have been killed already and two others attacked. If I can help put an end to these killings by serving as bait for these awful things, I want to do it. But Patsy, you... No, Nick. No buts about it. I want to do it. Patsy, I... Nick, you've just got to say yes. I'm serious. You and scubby can stand by to protect me as well as to catch one of these creatures. Gosh, Nick, looks as if you've got yourself a decoy whether you want it or not. If the lives of other girls can be saved, it's worthwhile for me to do it. All right, Patsy. If that's the way you feel about it, I'll use you. Thanks, Nick. Now, what are the plans? That's going to require some real thought. Let's put our heads together right now. Any mistake this time would be fatal. That's the last of the stakes, you wanted, Nick? Good work, scubby. Now we'll fasten six traps to each of the four stakes with this heavy wire. That'll keep them from dragging the traps away once they're caught in them. Won't the traps break their legs, Nick? No, Patsy, I think not. They're just about strong enough to clamp firmly on their ankles and keep them from getting loose without breaking any bones. OK. And with the 24 traps in a double circle around you, one of them's bound to get something. How far away are you and scubby going to be? Right at the edge of these woods, Patsy, only about 100 feet away. You don't think our being here will scare them off, do you, Nick? Well, your being around where I was last night didn't keep them away, did it? No, it didn't. You know, I don't think they're afraid of anything. They take what they want when they want it. And I'm going to be close enough so that I can reach Patsy and nothing flat when the time comes. There. Well, that takes care of all the traps, Nick. Now, anything else? No, I... No, I guess that's all. I will just have to wait. Nick. Yes, Patsy? There's just one thing that scares me a little. Listen, Patsy, if you'd rather not... No, Nick, no. Listen. What if one of those things should get that piece of brillab over my face before I could scream and let you know that they're here? How would you know I needed help? I've already thought of that, Patsy. And here's what I want you to do. As soon as we leave you, stop talking quietly to yourself. We cite poems, tell yourself stories. Anything you want. But don't stop talking no matter what silly things you may have to say. Then if for any reason at all we do hear you stop talking, we'll come rushing in after you. And that way, silence will be a signal that can't fail. Oh, Nick, you're wonderful. I might have known you'd have an answer. I feel better already. Anything else, Patsy? Anything at all? No, Nick. I'll be all right. The center of a circle of traps. I've got one of the watchmen's big electric lanterns, are they? In the instant we hear you scream or hear you stop talking, we'll turn the light on. Okay, Nick. You... You're leaving now? Yes. Yes, we'll be going now. Good luck, Patsy. So long, kid. Have fun. So long. And I hope it will be fun. Better start talking, Patsy. Okay, Nick. Well... This is it. The sun that briefed December day rose chill as over hills of gray, and darkly circling gave it noon a sadder light than waning moon. Is she wearing that leather collie you got for her, Nick? Yes. I had it made so it covers her neck, her back, and her chest. I'm sure it's excellent protection. Now I wonder how much longer the poor kid will have to keep this up. I've been going for almost an hour now. She's decided Paul Revere's ride ten times. Yes. You don't get some action pretty soon, now I'll begin to get some action. Come on, Cubby. Quick! Come on, hurry up. Hey, you can see them, Nick. They're little men. Come here, Patsy. Hold on. Hold on, Patsy. Nick, Nick, she's down. Yes, but the little men are leaving. They're running away. Oh, Patsy. Patsy, how do you feel? Patsy. Are you all right, Patsy? Are you all right? I think so, Nick. Just... I was dizzy. That's all. There are two of those creatures in our traps. Are they dead, Nick? They look so. No. No, they're just unconscious. The treatment was too rough for them, maybe. Well, what are they? Can you tell? They look like little men. That's all I can tell now. Some sort of pygmies, obviously. Members of one of the yellow Asiatic races, I should say. Well, Patsy, what you've done has solved the case. How do you feel now? All right, I guess. Well, then let's get back to the office. I've told my scientist friend to meet us there. Between us, we ought to be able to find out what this is all about. Are you feeling all right now, Patsy? Yes, Gabby. I still get the shivers when I think of all those little hands clutching me all over. Mr. Anders and Nick getting anywhere? I don't know. I've been in the inner office there with those two creatures for almost an hour now. Can Anders talk their language, Patsy? More or less. Nick says they speak a dialect that is some variation of an East Asiatic tongue. Anders knows one that is close enough to be able to talk to them. Hmm, so they can talk. Any time. Except when they're hunting. Well, Nick, what's it all about? Did you get anything out of them, Nick? Well, it turns out that they're not men, but women. Women belong to some tribe in the outskirts of China. They call themselves Toks. They're a hundred tribes in those deserts we know nothing about. And this tribe for talk must be one of them. Did you find out why they killed those girls? Well, Mr. Anders here knows more about that than I do. Well, it seems that in the Tok tribe, according to the tribal laws, when a woman's husband dies, she has to kill herself to provide him with female companionship in whatever heaven he goes to. Now, the only way she can avoid this is to draw the blood from a female animal and sacrifice it to her husband. This you'll accept instead of her. And it must be done within six months after his death. But these women being here in the city couldn't get any animals, so they had to use these girls instead. As far as they were concerned, it made no difference. Any female animal would do for them. There were several widows in the group, and the end of six months' time was drawing near, so they had to work fast. They didn't want to hurt the girls, but they had to have the blood for the sacrifice. But what are they doing here in this country if they come from somewhere over in East Asia? They say that John Bailey and Explorer made up a band of 10 men and 20 women and took them on a world tour doing their native dances and their native costumes and chanting their weird little songs and rituals while he lectured about them. Since the war started, he's been touring the United States, playing in theaters, night clubs, anywhere else they could book them. They've been to some night club away uptown for the past two weeks, they say. Is there any way we can stop any further killings? Yes, indeed. We'll round them all up and turn them over to the federal authorities for detention until they can be deported back to their own land. Too dangerous to be allowed to run loose in a civilized country. Nick and I think we owe you a debt of gratitude, Miss Boyne, for what you've done. It was nothing. I was glad to do it. Well, the women and children who want to use the park wouldn't call it nothing, Betsy. But I didn't do it for them, Nick. I did it for you. This has been another of the strange adventures of Nick Carter, master detective, which are brought to you regularly at the same time by W.O.R. Mutuo. What's your story going to be about next week, Nick? Instead of a preview of next week's story, I want to talk seriously for a moment about a problem that confronts every owner and driver of an automobile today. A gasoline black market. At the present time, there simply is not enough gasoline available to supply the needs of our armed forces and the unlimited wants of civilians as well. Gasoline is more and more necessary in prosecuting this war. Gasoline and its byproducts for every branch of our ever-increasing armed forces must be filled first. And gasoline rationing is the American way of seeing that each of us gets his fair share of that limited supply which remains after war needs have been satisfied. But gasoline rationing can be made to work only if you and I and every one of our fellow Americans follows the rules and plays fair. The rules are very simple and they're very easy. One, write the license number of your car and ink on each of your gas coupons. Two, never buy gasoline without giving up the proper amount of gas coupons. And three, never buy or accept gas coupons that are not rightfully yours. The black market on gasoline thrives on people who think it's smart to get more than their fair share even at the expense of their neighbors. So play fair with your fellow citizens by playing square with gasoline rationing. When you get more than your share, someone else has to go without. In the strange adventure you have just heard, Nick Carter was impersonated by Lon Clark, Patsy by Helen Chote, Scubby by John Caine. Original music was played by Lou White. The entire production was written and directed by Jock McGregor. Next week at the same time, listen to another curious experience of Nick Carter entitled... Matter Takes Time. A Nick Carter and the Mystery of the Old Clock. This story is a copyrighted feature of Street and Smith Publications Incorporated. The return of Nick Carter is produced in the studios of W.O.R. and is broadcast over most of these stations every Saturday evening at 7 o'clock Eastern War time.