 New post-war old Dutch cleanser, famous for chasing dirt, presents Nick Carter, famous for chasing crime. Every week at this time, two great names are joined. As new post-war old Dutch cleanser brings you one of the most resourceful and daring characters in all detective fiction. Nick Carter, master detective. Nick, suppose he is the murderer. You can't prove it. There isn't a shred of evidence. That's what we've got to find, Patsy. And if the proof is anywhere at all, it's here in this apartment. Well, there's a closet or something over here. Okay. You look in there while I go over these papers. Uh-huh. You've tried to struggle, Miss Bourne. This is a knife I'm holding at your back. The case of the Tattooed Cobra, today's adventure starring Lon Clark as Nick Carter, brought to you by new post-war old Dutch cleanser. Sergeant Matheson of the Homicide Squad is one of Nick's best friends, but it isn't a social call that brings Matty to the office this morning. Hey, Nick, you remember telling me last year that somebody wanted you to look for the heir to the Bristol estate? Oh, yes, Matty. The administrator of the estate, Mr. Alvin Hammond, called me in, but I didn't take the case. And you know why, Sergeant? No. It meant a trip to Europe, and Nick didn't want to go. Imagine. Patsy, you know I couldn't go at that time. Oh, foey. And Nick, uh, Bristol's wife was a Polish girl, wasn't she? Yeah, yeah, she was. When she divorced him 20 years ago, she took their son back to Europe with her. Uh-huh, and that's the last anybody ever heard of them. Oh, no, no, no, not quite Patsy. Mr. Hammond had some French detectives working on the case. They reported that the mother was dead and that the boy, Alec, supposedly died in a concentration camp during the war. So who gets the money now? Well, if Alec Bristol isn't found by the end of this year, the three million dollars goes to a distant relative in this country named George Davison. Uh-huh. You don't happen to have a picture of Alec, do you, Nick? No, I haven't, but the French detectives got a good description of him from a fellow prisoner in the concentration camp. Yeah, yeah, I remember you telling me that. He's tall and slender with blond hair and blue eyes, and he'd be, uh, 28 years old now. Boy, Sergeant, what a memory. He's lost a little finger on his left hand, and he's got a tattoo mark on his right hand. A blue and red cobra twined around the thumb, right? Maddie, you're terrific. How can you remember all that from a casual conversation almost a year ago? I didn't. We fished him out of the East River this morning, dead. There's the body, Nick. It's Bristol, isn't it? Uh, certainly fits the description. It's just as the sergeant described it, Nick, a red and blue cobra twined around the right thumb. I know, but there's one detail that's been kept a secret. They only told me because they expected me to take the case. Yeah, what's that, Nick? If this is really Alec Bristol, the cobra should be holding a shield in his mouth. It's his mother's family crest. That was to be the final identification. Well, Nick, that's it, isn't it? Yes, it's there, all right? So he didn't die in a concentration camp after all? No. Must have come to this country to get his inheritance. No, maybe so, but he didn't get it. Why, what makes you think that, Maddie? Why, his clothes, Nick, they were cheap and shabby. He wouldn't be dressed that way if he had three million bucks. Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, in that case, I think I'd like to have a talk with Mr. George Davison. Davison? Mm-hmm. Oh, the guy who gets the money now that Bristol's dead, huh? Yeah. Of course, Davison may be perfectly innocent, but it should be interesting to talk to a man with three million motives for murder. Davison will be here in a moment, Carter. He's upstairs in his room. So he's already moved into the Bristol home, Massey, Mr. Hammond? Well, yes, yes. As administrative for the estate, I saw no reason to let the house stand empty, especially since I expected to turn the property over to him at the end of this month. That is, I did until I got a letter from Alec. Oh, you really heard from Alec Bristol? Yes, last week, Miss Bourne. We've been running advertisements in European newspapers, 15 different countries, hoping that Alec was still alive. And he saw one of the ads. Yes, he was living in Marcel's. He wrote that he was taking the next boat for the state. What a break. The minute he gets here, someone stabs him in the back and throws his body in the East River. I can't understand why he didn't get in touch with me as soon as the boat docked. I'll bet George Davison is glad that he didn't. Yes. Oh, I like George well enough, but, well, Martin Bristol and I were lifelong friends. And I did hope I could turn the estate over to his boy. Oh, I say, Hammond, you didn't tell me we had guests. Come in, George, come in. Miss Bourne, Miss Carter, this is George Davison. How do you do? Well, what's everyone looking so serious about? Don't tell me the long lost son and heir has finally arrived. Yes, George. Alec's has arrived, but he's dead. Dead? Oh, I say, not really. Alec Bristol was murdered last night, Mr. Davison. Murder? Well, the estate comes to me after all, eh? Yes, I suppose it does, George. Well, who popped him off? Do you know? That's what I'm trying to find out. Mr. Davison, the medical examiner says the murder took place sometime between 10 p.m. and 2 this morning. Where were you at that time? Where was I? Yes. Why, I went up to my room about 9 o'clock to read. You remember, Hammond? Did you go out again? No, of course not. But, but George... Yes, Mr. Hammond? Uh, nothing. You started to say something. Only that I remember now that George did go upstairs early. I see. Mr. Hammond, if Alec Bristol had sent you a letter or a cablegram to tell you the exact time of his arrival, could anyone else have got hold of it before you did? Well, yes, I suppose so. Dobson leaves the mail on a table in the entrance hall. Now, see here, Carter, are you insinuating that I murdered Alec Bristol? Not at all, Mr. Davison. I'm merely collecting facts. Say, big pardon, Mr. Hammond. Where's Dobson? There's a gentleman to see you, sir. Well, who is it? A tall young man, sir, with blond hair. He didn't ask what he looked like, Dobson. Didn't he give you his name? Oh, yes, sir. He said his name is Alec Bristol. Do not understand why have you sent for the officer. Because we're investigating the murder of Alec Bristol. But that cannot be, Mr. Carter. I am Alec Bristol. With that accent, don't make me laugh. I have been in Europe since I am seven years old. Almost I have forgotten how to speak the English. Maybe, but if you're Alec Bristol, who's that guy down at the moor? I do not know. But surely, Mr. Hammond will vouch for me. Two weeks ago, I write to tell him I am coming. That's right, Sergeant. At least somebody wrote to me. Yeah, it might have been that fellow we found in the river. No, no, no, it was I. The description in the newspaper must say that too was I. Yeah, but that description fits the other man too. But the little finger which I lose in the accident of many years ago, the tattoo on my thumb. Those features apply to him too, including the family crest and the cobra's mouth. I cannot believe it. It is fantastic. I can figure it out easy enough. You read that description in the paper, realized that it fitted you perfectly. So you have that finger and thumb fixed up to complete the identification. Then you hopped a boat for America expecting to collect three million bucks. Now, wait a minute, wait a minute, Matty. You're forgetting one thing. What? The family crest and the tattooed cobra's mouth. He couldn't have got that out of the newspaper notices. It wasn't there. Okay, okay, so maybe he knew Alec Bristol a long time ago in Europe. He was familiar with the tattoo mark. Why must you assume that I am the imposter? Why could it not be the other man? Because you'd have a mighty good reason for bumping off the real heir. But who would want to kill the fake one? I do not know. All I know is when my ship docked this morning at 10 o'clock, I get off the boat. Now, wait a minute, wait a minute. You're going to tell me they didn't send you to Alice Island before they let you go? Why should they do that, Sergeant? I am an American citizen. My papers are all in order. The consul at Marseille checked them before he let me get on the boat. Matty, let's take them down to the pier. See if the captain of the ship can identify them. Yeah, and we'll stop off at the morgue, too. Maybe you'll recognize the other Alec Bristol. Then may I return here? You may if the captain of the boat knows you. Otherwise, you're going to the city jail. How about it, Captain? You know him? Ah, yes, Sergeant. This man came over on my boat. And we didn't dock until 10 o'clock this morning, so he couldn't possibly have been in New York last night. There's the body, Mr. Bristol. Did you ever see that guy before? No, Sergeant. I am positive I'd never see that man before in my life. Hello, Mr. Bristol. Good afternoon. You are Dobson? Yes, Mr. Bristol. Come in, please. Thank you. Mr. Hammond phoned that everything was settled, that I should take my orders from you, sir. Oh, that was kind of him. Yes, there's a letter for you, sir. It came just a few moments ago. A letter for me? Yes, sir. Registered letter. I signed for it. Here it is, sir. The Tostrain. Try to not know anyone in this country. So if that is your name... Ah, Mr. Davison. Until your identity is proved, I don't think you'd better open any mail address to Alec Bristol. But Mr. Hammond is administrator of my father's estate, and as long as he is convinced I... Well? Dobson, get Mr. Hammond on the phone, please, and ask him to come out here at once. Yes, sir. Is anything wrong, sir? If this letter is true, a great deal is wrong. Maybe I know now why that man was killed. Hello, Mr. Hammond. Is Mr. Bristol in Dobson? Yes, sir. He's waiting for you in the library, sir. Mind if we go in with you, Mr. Hammond? Oh, not at all, Carter. In fact, I'm glad you're here. Has something happened, Mr. Hammond? Apparently, yes. Dobson says Alec found out something definite about the murder. Yes, sir. He was very upset about it. Come on in, Carter. Is that why you're here? No. I came to ask the names of the people Bristol was living with in Marseille. After all, the identity angle hasn't been established for sure yet. I don't think there's any question that he's the real Alec Bristol. Oh, here's the library. Dobson, didn't you say Mr. Bristol was in here? He was, sir. Those French doors are open onto the terrace. Perhaps he's out there. I don't think so, Pessie. Look over there. High on the divan. Why, it's a man's feet, sir. Carter, is it Alec? And he's dead. Dead? Stabbed in the back, just as the other one was. Better call the police, Dobson. Oh, yes, sir. I beg your pardon. No one answered the front door, so since it was open, I thought... Who are you? Where did you come from? What's the idea of walking into other people's houses without... Did you say other people's houses? I did. Unless I'm mistaken, this is my house. Your house? Yes. I am Alec Bristol. One apparent heir to the Bristol Millions is in the city morgue. Another lies dead on the library floor. And now a third tall slender blonde young man has appeared to claim the fortune. We'll see what happens in just a moment. To the case of the tattooed cobra, today's adventure with Nick Carter brought to you by new post-war old Dutch cleanser. Alec Bristol, heir to three million dollars, can be positively identified only by a cobra tattooed on his right thumb. But one man with the secret tattoo has been found dead in the East River. Another has been stabbed to death in the library of the Bristol mansion. And now a third stands in the doorway, introducing himself. I beg your pardon. I'm Alec Bristol. You're... but perhaps I should have advised you of my arrival, but the plane arrived from Portugal only a short while ago. Nick, look at him. He's tall and blonde. All slender blondes named Alec Bristol seem to be a dime a dozen today. What's that? May I see your left hand? My... oh, the missing little finger. Of course. Now the right hand. You mean the right thumb, don't you? With the tattooed cobra? There. It's there, Nick. Naturally. And the shield is in the cobra's mouth. My mother's family crest. Carter, I don't understand. Nobody knew about that crest except you and me and... And who else, Mr. Hammond? Well, George Davison. But three men have shown up with that tattoo. How did they find out? Who told them? The police will be here in a few moments, sir. Thank you, Dobson. Is Mr. Davison here? Why, no, sir. He left half an hour ago. Said he was going into the city for dinner in the theatre. Did you see Mr. Bristol? I mean the dead Mr. Bristol, after Davison left. No, sir. After I phoned Mr. Hammond, I went back to the pantry and stayed down till you arrived. What do you mean the dead Mr. Bristol? Look, don't you think someone should tell me what's going on? Sure, I'll tell you. Over here. I want you to look at something behind the divan. There. You mean that's the real Alec Bristol there on the floor? Yes, but I thought he was dead. He is. I mean, five years ago in the concentration camp, they took him away and... So that's how you found out about the tattoo. You knew Alec Bristol in the concentration camp? Yes, he was my best friend. Friend? And you tried to steal his inheritance? I tell you, they said he was dead. What difference could it make to Alec? When I saw the notice in the Lisbon papers with the description... You realize that it fit you as well as it did him, huh? Yes, except for the missing finger in the tattoo. So I found a doctor who agreed to perform the operation and keep his mouth shut. I got forged past... I knew, swindler. How do I know you didn't murder Alec? If he had killed Alec Bristol, seeing the body wouldn't have shocked him into admitting that he was an imposter. But... You're not going to let him go free. The police will take care of him. The man I want to talk to is George Davison. Speaking of Davison Carter, there's something I didn't tell you this morning about him. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything, but... I know, you started to say something and then lied out of it. Well, perhaps you'd better tell the truth now. Well, it's only that... Well, I knocked on George's door during the evening and he didn't answer. Of course he may have been asleep. Or he may have been out of the house committing a murder. Is that it? Well, I don't believe it, but it's possible that... Nick, the real Alec Bristol was going to tell Mr. Hammons something about that first murder. That must be why he was killed. Do you know, Mr. Carter, it might help if we could only find that letter. What letter, Dawson? A registered letter that came from Mr. Bristol, sir. That's where he got the information he wanted to tell Mr. Hammond. You know whether he brought that letter into the library? Yes, sir. It was in his hand when he came in here. But it isn't here now? No, sir. I've searched the room thoroughly. Who else knew that he received that letter? Why, no one, except Mr. Davison. And me, of course. Uh-uh, Davison again. Yes. Come on, Patsy. Let's get back to town. What's on your mind, Nick? Just one thing, catching a murderer. And I don't think it'll take very long now. Maddie, I want to do three things. Yeah, why? Find Davison, learn the identity of the man you fished out of the river, and find out who sent that registered letter. Well, Nick, we spotted Davison's car in a parking lot, and I got two men there waiting for him to come back. If he ever does. He'll come back. Uh-uh. Sergeant Matherson, homicide. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's a guy who sent a trace to letter, Nick. Good. The postal clerk went down and dug out the receipt, huh? Yeah. Get a pencil, Nick. I have one. Okay, go ahead, Mollally. Sent by William Jenkins. 440, Winton Avenue, apartment 5D. Got that, Patsy? Got it. Okay, Mollally. Good work. Thanks. William Jenkins. That may mean anything to you, Nick. No. But I think Patsy and I'll go around to 440 Winton Avenue and see Mr. Jenkins. I'm glad this is the last flight. Cheer up, Patsy. The exercise will do you good. I only hope Jenkins is home. I'll know in a minute. Oh, yes, here it is, 5D. Evidently, he's home, too. The door's partly open. If he's home, why doesn't he answer? I'll knock again. Nick, if Alec Bristol was killed so somebody could get that letter and Jenkins wrote it, the fact this door is open might mean... Yeah. Yes, Patsy, it might mean the killer got here first. Let's go in. Right. Nobody here. Yeah, but look at this room. It's been turned upside down. Been thoroughly searched, all right. But for what? Look at all those papers on the floor. Yeah. Here's a Social Security card made out to William Jenkins. And here's a letter postmarked Chicago, which made... Now, wait a minute. Huh? What is it? Wait. Here's an Illinois chauffeur's license. And look at the picture on it. What? That's the first Alec Bristol, the man they found on the river. Right. So William Jenkins was going to pass himself off as Alec Bristol. Obviously. And that brings up a very interesting point. What? Don't you see, Patsy, this whole thing was planned months in advance so the amputation and the tattoo would have time to heal. Of course. The real Alec Bristol wrote to Hammond. And the deal was off. That must have been a blow to Jenkins. Yeah. But how did Jenkins know about the letter? Why, I... And another thing. The tattoo on Jenkins' thumb included the final detail, the shield and the cobra's mouth. How could Jenkins have known about that? Well, the other imposter knew about it because he was a friend of Bristol's. But Jenkins wasn't. Yeah. Bristol looked at Jenkins' body and swore he'd never seen him before. And no one else knew of that shield except Davidson, Hammond, and me. You think Davidson and Jenkins were working together? Not Davidson, Patsy. Hammond and Jenkins. Hammond and Jenkins, but why, Nick? What would Hammond get out of it? If Alec Bristol weren't found by the end of this month, Hammond would have to turn the estate over to Davidson. Naturally. But if a fake Alec Bristol turned up, Hammond could turn the estate over to him, then he and Hammond could divide three million dollars between them. Of course. All Hammond had to do was to find someone who answered the general description, unarranged for the missing finger and the tattoo. But Nick, you haven't any proof, none at all. That's what we've got to find. Something to show that there was a connection between Hammond and Jenkins. There might be something here in Jenkins' apartment. If Hammond has already found it and destroyed it. From the looks of this room, I should say that chances are good that he has. There's a closet or something over here. Maybe he overlooked that. Okay, you take a look in there while I go through these papers. More carefully. Uh-huh. Nick! Don't reach for your gun cutter unless you want a young lady to die. Make him let me go, Nick! Stay still, Miss Bowen. I'm holding a knife at your back. Don't struggle, Petsy. Hammond, if you hurt her... I won't, as long as you both do as I say. Okay. First, toss your revolver over here. There you are. Good. You're a sensible man. Oh. You were hiding in that closet all the time, huh? I had to. I came here to destroy the receipt for that registered letter Jenkins sent to Alec and before I could leave, you two arrived. What was in that letter, Hammond? The whole story, just as you figured it out. And when I told Jenkins that the real Alec Bristol had turned up and our deal was off, he threatened to get even with me by telling Alec about it so I had to get rid of him. But you didn't know that Jenkins had already written Alec until Alec faced you with a letter. And then you had to kill him, too. That it? Quite right, Mr. Carter. Nobody saw me enter the house or leave it afterwards. And when I came back, you were just arriving. That gave me the perfect alibi. Well, what's next? Don't think you can kill us, too. Not both of us. Of course not. I have enough cash hidden away to get me out of the country. And you're not going to say a word to the authorities until I'm safely gone. You seem awfully sure of that. I am because I'm taking the young lady here with me. Oh, Nick, don't let him. Wait, Hammond, you can't take her. If I leave her, Carter, I'll leave her dead. I promise you that. Oh, no. Now get into the bedroom, Carter. I'm going to lock you in there before I leave. Nick, you can't just... He can't help himself, Miss Bowen. And Carter, if I hear you trying to break out or call for help before we're out of the building, I'll shove this knife right through Miss Bowen's back. Locked in the bedroom of William Jenkins' flat, Nick hears Hammond leave with Patsy. And he knows that Hammond won't hesitate to kill her if any attempt is made at a rescue. We'll find out what happens in just a moment. Now for the conclusion of the case of the tattooed cobra. Today's adventure with Nick Carter brought to you by new post-war old Dutch cleanser. Patsy walks slowly down the stairs and out the front door of the gloomy old tenement, conscious of the knife pressed against her back and of the man who's ready to use it if she attempts to break away. Now down the steps and across the sidewalk. You're not going to kill me, are you? I'm afraid I have to. Oh, no, please. Hammond, huh? What? Stop that knife, Hammond! Drop it! You're breaking my arm! Drop it! That's better. All right, Patsy, pick it up. Get my gun out of his pocket. Sure, Nick, but where did you... I mean, how? When he locked me in the bedroom, he overlooked the fact that the bedroom window opened on a fire escape running down the front of the building. So I climbed down the fire escape and waited on the first floor platform until you walked across beneath me. Then I jumped him. He was going to kill me. Well, his killing days are over. Find the nearest police call box, Patsy. We'll hold him here until the police arrive. So George Davison will get the estate after all. Yeah, he's the only relative left now. Uh-huh. Nick, there's one thing I still want to know. What? If Hammond planned to bring in a phony ear, why did he try to hire you to find the real one? Self-protection, Patsy. Huh? You see, if Alec Bristol really were alive, Hammond wanted to know it before he went ahead with the scheme. Yeah, I can see that it would have been disastrous for the real air to show up after Hammond had produced a false one. Yes, Hammond might have got away with the first murder because Davison seemed to be the only person with a motive for it. But one killing led to another. Uh-huh, and that led to me. I suppose he figured the state could only make him pay for one murder, no matter how many he committed. Yes, but when Hammond goes to the chair, he'll find that once is plenty. Nick Carter, master detective, is presented each week at this time by the Cuddehee Packing Company. It is produced and directed by Jock McGregor and is copyrighted by Street and Smith Publications Incorporated. Charlotte Manson is featured as Patsy, Ed Latimer plays Matty. Today's script was written by Jim Parsons. Original music is played by Henry Silverne. This program is fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This is Michael Fitzmouris saying, when minutes count, use new post-war old Dutch cleansers. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.