 The usual broadcasting system presents the Mysterious Traveller, written, produced and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Colby. I'm starring two of Radio's foremost personalities, Ralph Bell and Chuck Webster in Key Witness. This is the Mysterious Traveller, inviting you to join me on another journey into the realm of these strange and the terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip. It will thrill you a little and cheer you a little. So settle back, get a good grip on your nerves and be comfortable. If you can, as we watch an underworld syndicate and the government go in desperate search for the same man. It's the story I call Key Witness. The scene, the penthouse office of Mike Bruno, the nationally known and feared crime syndicate boss. Bruno, a tall, ruggedly built man in his 40s, paces back and forth as his head accountant, Oliver Smith, turns the pages of a ledger, reading the figures before him. Income from Waterfront Enterprises, period ending July 31st, $42,765.50. Income from Wire Services, period ending July 31st, $71,942.20. From Night Club Enterprises, the same period, $56,713.42. Income... Okay, okay. That's the income on the books of the government. Now, what are the real figures? You got them in your head? Of course, Mr. Bruno. Income from Waterfront Enterprises, $103,652.28. From Wire Services, $156,421.10. Night Club Enterprises, $211,410.211. $410.28. Liquor Distributorships was $87,642.15. Racetrack Interests, $48,675.34. Ah. All right, you got the total? Yes, sir, $518,731.15. Uh-huh. I sure got ahead of the Oliver. You and that photographing memory of yours. So lucky to say what we got together. It'll be five years tomorrow, sir. Five years tomorrow, huh? And in all that time, you've never forgotten a fact or a figure. Yes, sir, Oliver. The T-men can search high and low. They'll never catch me with a set of books showing the real take. Because it's all in your head. Ah, Oliver? Yes, sir. Yeah, come in. Ah, hello, Frank. Come on in, come on in. Boss, I got a talk to you. Alone. Oh, yeah, all right. Oliver, I'll call you when I need you. Yes, sir. I'll be in my office. Hey, look, Warrie. What's the matter? Let's have it. I just got word from the big boy. Treasury men are going after you. Is it winter dressing? Or, uh... Do they really mean it? They really mean it. But with all the headlines and the papers, they're about to make a cleanup. And... you were it. Hmm. Can't the big boy stop? Nah, nah, nah. This is too big even for him. And, uh... he says you're on your own. That's nice. Where's it coming? The team men will be here tomorrow morning. Uh, to seize your books. Don't waste any time, do they? Tomorrow morning, huh? Bruno. What are the chances of the books standing up under a real investigation? Eh, maybe yes. Maybe no. The books don't satisfy him. They start questioning Oliver. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well... what are you gonna do? I gotta think. I gotta think. Have you seen me, Mr. Bruno? Yes, Oliver. Have a seat. Yes, sir. Now, look, I've just gotten word that the team men are gonna look at our books. What? Tomorrow morning, they're coming to get them. But...but you've always assured me they'd never look at our books. Things have changed. You read the papers, they're looking for a fall guy. Me. The boss has a way figured out to beat the rat. The books will stand up until they start asking you questions, Oliver. Yes, I know. And you're the one man who's got all the answers. The answers are all in your head. Without you, the team men wouldn't have a case against the boss. That's right. All right, Frank, open that suitcase for Oliver. Okay. Why, for all that money... For half a million dollars. And it'll all be yours if you do exactly as I say. Mine? Yes. There's quite a letter saying that it's a treasure of the corporations. You embezzle large amounts of dough. What? That's right. You're to assume all responsibility for the books. But they'd send me to prison? No, no, no, no. You're taking it on the land. There are a couple of countries in the world where you can't be extradited from embezzlement. Denmark's one of them. Denmark? Yeah, that's what my attorneys tell me. What you used last year is still good, Oliver. There's a plan leaving at midnight for Europe. You just have time to write that letter and pack. But, Mr. Bruno... Yeah, yeah. If I do as you ask, I'll be an admitted criminal forced to live abroad the rest of my life. Get a half million bucks. What's the bad about that? And, Oliver, you're forgetting one thing. You fill out the corporation tax returns for me. You go to prison with me. You're smart, Oliver. Half million bucks in a life of ease in Denmark. You have much choice? No, I... I don't. Very well, Mr. Bruno. I'll do as you say. Ah, you're showing good sense. Okay, Oliver, write that letter assuming all responsibility for the dough. I've held out in the government. When you're finished, I'll send one of the boys along with you to help you pack. Mr. Bruno, if you'll excuse... Sure, sure. Which of the boys do you want to take them to the airport? None of them. I'm not taking any chances on a slip-up. You and me will be taking Oliver to the airport. Mr. Bruno... Yeah? Haven't you taken the wrong road? This isn't the way to the airport. Relax, Oliver. We've got plenty of time to make the airport. Kill your plan and leave for another hour. But... but we're going in the opposite direction of the airport where at this rate... All right, shut up. Half a million dollars. Denmark, you never meant it, did you? You catch on fast. Now that you have that matter, I wrote you... You're going to kill me. No one lives forever. Easy does it, Oliver. Where are you taking me? We stopped at the top of the hill, boss. Mr. Bruno, you can't kill me. Not after five years of loyal service. I've always done everything you asked without question. Hey, Carol, Frank. No doses! He'll be out for at least ten minutes. That'll give us more than enough time. Yeah. We'll block out the car. We'll pump the trees up ahead out of sight. Good. It's lucky traffic's light on this road. That's why I picked it. Okay. Let's finish the job. Put it behind the wheel. I'm not going to release the brake. I'm not taking any chances. Come on. Still behind the wheel? I can't tell you. Wait a little. He isn't behind the wheel. He's not in back either. Let's look around. He was probably thrown clear of the car. What's that you're picking up? It's wallet. Some keys. It's wallet. That wreck didn't finish him off. He must have gotten away. That two-hundred foot drop, he couldn't have. Now where is he? I tell you, he came out of it alive. He's on the loose. He couldn't have gotten far. Come on, let's look for it. Good talk. We never find him. Let's get back up the road. Nick's tavern's half-mile down the road. I've got to get to a pawn. It's probably six, six, seven, eight. That's right. What are you doing? You're going to round up some of the boys? Yeah, that's right. I don't mind. Now listen closely. I don't want any slip-ups. I'm a Nick's tavern on Highway 37A. Yeah. I round up half a dozen of the boys in a hurry. Send a couple of them to Meadeville in lowest town. Both on 37A. That's right. I have a couple of more boys driving along 37A between Meadeville and lowest town. Yeah. I had to pick up Oliver Smith. You heard her right the first time. I'll be a 10 grand reward to the guys who'll find him. Yeah. I get the boys on it, but fast. We've got to get them fight. If he ever gets to the police. All the odds are rolling in our favor. Probably pretty badly hurt, warned, and around in a daze. Why, for all we know, he might have crawled a few hundred yards and died in the underbrush. Yeah. Well, that's what I'm hoping. Oliver hasn't any money or moxie. Come on now. Don't worry, boss. He isn't going to get to the cops. Yeah, sure. Come on. Let's get back to my office. The time. A few minutes after nine. They've had since midnight to find him. Nine hours. Not a trace of him. Hey. Maybe they found him. Hello. Here, Mac. No sign of him, huh? Give me that phone. How many boys you got out now? 12. They can't even find one broken down accountant. If you search for the wards, the underbrush. All right. Do it again. Several bars of ward has been up to 25 grand. Yeah, that's right. 25 grand. Oh, will you relax, boss? Just take it easy. Take it easy. Take it easy. You know what it means if Oliver spills the fence? Yeah. More safe. George Tinelli of the Treasury Department. How are you, Mr. Tinelli? Come on in. Thank you, Bruno. This is my associate, Frank Stephens. Hello. How do you do him? Bruno, I have an order here, empowering me to seize the books of all your corporations. What for? I pay all my taxes. The Treasury Department just wants to double check. Make sure. Well, that's the way you want it, OK? You can have the books. I've got nothing to hide. Good. Where's your head accountant, Oliver Smith? Oh, he's out of town for a few days, Mr. Tinelli. Personal business, some sort. He should be back by Friday. I want to talk to him. After we've gone over the books. Oh, yes, I understand. Mr. Daniels, will you see to it that Mr. Tinelli's given all the books of our various corporations? That's right. All right, Mr. Tinelli. They'll be giving you on your way out. Oh, thanks, Bruno. Oh, by the way, I heard a police flash over my radio while I was driving here. It seems a car registered in your name was found wrecked off Highway 37A. One of my cars? Yes, didn't you know about it? No. Well, that one I got six cars. One of my employees must have taken it without my permission. Or maybe installed it. Was anyone found in the... I'm sure we haven't met before. No, but I recognized you from your picture. It was on. Thank you. Yes, like I always say, there are more cops like you without nothing to worry about. I've been following your career for years. How did you like the crane case? I don't think I remember that one. Oh, you must. Their plant was held up back in 1946. As I recall, the bandits got away with $90,000. That was a lot of money in those days. It still is. At any rate, a Freddie King was apprehended. Freddie King, huh? Yes. Would you like to know what happened to him? I can hardly wait. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced from five to ten. Now, he might have done better had he been willing to divulge who his confederates were or the whereabouts of the loot. Well, what did happen to it? Well, that's where you come in. I suspect you wound up with the proceeds of that robbery. You and Ben Benton. Then when Freddie got out, you gave him his share. In lead. Lead? Oh, didn't you hear? He's dead. Not Gordon. Freddie. Why, you're all broken up, aren't you? Sure. He was a wonderful boy. Of course, I only know him casually. Well, I bet I'm doing better with you than I did with Ben. He denied even knowing Freddie. Benton said he don't know Freddie? He's a liar. But not you. No, you are. Hello. Yeah, Frenchie, anything new? You're still off in 25 Gs for all of us, Smith? You find him? What about the 25 Gs? You'll get it. Ah, you know where Oliver is? Yeah, I found his hideout. I'm gonna make a vibe. Sit tight, Frenchie. We'll be there in an hour. Boss, there's Frenchie on the corner. Yeah. All right, Sam. All right, what's the story? Smith is here in town. He's locked up in the town jail. Why? Look, the cops have him? Yes, and no. Come on, spill it. The local jail is a dump, four cells. Just on a hunch, I looked in. There's two guys in there. One is a broken down bum. The other, Oliver Smith, looking like a bum himself. And I done some nosing around. Smith was arrested for vaguency. Arrested for vaguency? Under what name? Haven't been able to find out. Don't you get it, Frank? Oliver's in there under a phony name. He's laying low so that neither the feds a week can find him. After he's done 10 or 20 days of vaguency, he'll try to disappear an act. Yeah, that must be it. If he'd given his right name, there'd be feds all over the place. All right, Frenchie. You say there's just Smith and some, uh, old bum in the lockup, eh? That's right, boss. Point the way, Frenchie. We're driving over that jail. That's it over there? That's two by four? Yeah, that's it. Where's the sheriff at this time? He lives in that, uh, white frame house next to the jail. I saw him go in this house an hour ago. Well, he probably threw for the day and just the two prisoners there. Yeah. Frank, you got a key that would, uh, open those cell doors. Oh, sure, sure. Those old locks aren't any trouble. Good. Frenchie, you got a knife. Yeah? That's good. I want you to take care of Oliver right now. Look, boss, it's a dangerous setup. Went with the sheriff just a few yards away from the jail, and that bum dares a witness. They can wrap the whole thing up in a minute. Yo, I can't Frank, dude, this is more than these lines. No, Frank, it's not yelling the moment he saw him. He doesn't know you. Yeah, maybe not, but... If you want that 25 grand, you'll do it. In fact, you'll do it because I'm telling you to. Okay. Here's the key, Frenchie. You won't have any trouble with those locks. Just give it to him. Fast and clean. The sheriff doesn't have an assistant phone. Shut up, you bum. You'll save the sheriff? A knife? Yeah, a knife. Freeze you. What? A gun? Yeah. Don't let the costume fool you. Treasury department. Okay, sheriff. A frame, huh? Yeah, looks like you were right, Mr. Janelli. So you got your killer, eh? Yes. Throw this guy into our cell, sheriff, after you've taken that key from him. I'll be right back. It's five minutes, boss. What could we take in him, Salah? I don't know. What do you think the sheriff might have picked Frenchie up? Frenchie isn't that dumb, but it should have been packed by now. Let's get out of here, I said. What's the... Hello, Bruno. Canary. Yes, small world. Keep your hands where I can see them. That's better. Both of you, out of the car. It's thankin' us. I want you to meet an old friend who's going to deny you your legal rights. Here's the gunman you sent in to kill Oliver Smith. Right, Frenchie? I don't know what you're talking about. Smith's an old friend of mine. I just dropped in to see him. Sure. With a six-inch knife. Take a look, Bruno. There's Smith in his cell. See him? Yeah. I see him. And he sees me. It's no use trying to throw a scare into him, Bruno. Smith has already made a statement. He's now in protective custody. Mr. Tinelli figured you'd come looking for Smith. Yes, and my hunch was right. Can we use your office, Sheriff? Sure thing. This way. Take a seat, Bruno. You too, Stevens. Close the door, Sheriff. Right. Bruno, I've got your four guy, Oliver Smith, who's made a complete statement. On that alone, I could send you up for 20 years. Yeah. I've got pretty good attorneys. Yes, but not good enough to overcome Smith's testimony. In addition, I could get you on an attempted murder charge. I have a hunch your friend, Frenchy, will sing. Look, I want to call my attorney. However, I'm willing to make a deal with you. Deal? Yeah. If the government has to go to trial with you, it'll cost a half million dollars to convict you. And a great deal of time. However, if you plead guilty, save the government time and money. I think the court would go easy on you. How easy? Well, you'd have to pay the tax penalties, of course, and do 10 years. Seven with good behavior. I don't know. If you're smart, you'll plead guilty. You know that with Oliver Smith's statement and testimony on the stand, the government couldn't lose. All right. I've got to think it over. There's no time. It's either yes or no. I'll make up your mind. I'll plead guilty. I know when the answer is against me. Now you're being smart. I'll get one of my men in. You can make a complete statement. Read your statement over. Sign here. Now look if I sign. You guarantee the limit will be 10 years. You have my word. Okay. That does it. Hey, Sheriff. You're bringing Oliver Smith. I'll be taking him back to the city with me. Sure, Mr. Cinelli. When did you find Smith? The sheriff picked him up at six this morning after the accident. He was wandering along Main Street. Did he tell the sheriff who he was? No. Here's Smith now, Mr. Cinelli. Thank you. As a matter of fact, Bruno, couldn't have told the sheriff who he was even if he wanted to. What do you mean? When the sheriff picked Smith up and questioned him, Smith couldn't answer. Couldn't answer? That's right. The sheriff called in the doctor. An examination revealed that Smith had amnesia. Amnesia? He got it from a severe head blow he suffered in the accident. It's a case of complete amnia. But... But if he's got amnesia, that means he doesn't remember anything of the past. He couldn't have made a statement to you or testified against me. No, he couldn't. And without Smith's testimony, we had no case. That build-up you gave me, it was a bluff, a lie. Yes. But justice has been served. And that's the important thing. Isn't it, Bruno? We don't know that Oliver Smith was a victim of amnesia. Some people simply don't die easily. Well, poor Mike is now doing ten years at a federal prison, as for Oliver Smith, with today he hasn't any part of his memory back, and he never made. Which reminds me of another story. It concerns a young and enterprising undertaker who developed the unique idea of soliciting customers before they were dead. As a matter of fact, you... Oh, you'll have to get off here, I'm sorry. I'm sure we'll meet again. I take this same train every week at the same time. I've just heard the Mysterious Traveler. Now you can enjoy other tense and exciting tales of Mysterious Traveler in the current issue of the Mysterious Traveler magazine now available. In our cast will Ralph Bell, Chuck Webster, and Morrison in Lawson's Survey, with Molly's tarpon starred in the title role. Music under the direction of Emerson Buckley composed by Richard Dupage. The Mysterious Traveler is written, produced, and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Cogan. Don't talk and speaking, this program came to you from New York. You like stories of mystery, of early adventure, of things dark and unseen. Stay tuned to Mutual every weekday evening, and join the I Love a Mystery listeners. You're sure to love I Love a Mystery. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.