 It's time now for Mr. Keen, tracer of Lost Person, in the airport of Murder Cake. Our scene opens in a city airport where passengers are preparing to leave on a flight that's scheduled across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Awaiting the crowd in a phone booth, a man tries desperately to put through a call. A call that means the difference to him between life and death. Hello, operator. Connect me with police headquarters at once. Yes, I want police headquarters. This is an emergency. Operator, quickly. Oh, no, no, don't kill me. Don't... And Mrs. Emily Haskell. I phoned you before to make an appointment here in your office. Oh, yes, Mrs. Haskell. Please sit down. This is my partner, Mike Prensley. Here's to meet you, ma'am. How do you do? I see you've managed to compose yourself since I spoke to you. I'm sorry I broke down like that on the phone with Keen, but I couldn't help myself. My husband, the only man I've ever loved, was murdered last night. Murdered? You didn't tell me that over the telephone. He was stabbed to death in a phone booth at the city airport. Well, sure, I read about that murder in the papers this morning, Mr. Keen, sir. I saw it too, Mike. Mr. Haskell was stabbed to death within 10 yards of several passengers at the airport. Because he was in a phone booth, the murder wasn't noticed until the killer had a chance to get away. Walter, uh, my husband, was on his way to Europe, Mr. Keen. The police found out he'd tried to contact him just before his murder, but it was too late. Were the police able to establish a motive for his murder, Mrs. Haskell? No. They found his sample case and his suitcase in tax, and no money was stolen from his wallet. So they don't believe the motive was robbery. Did your husband have any enemies? Oh, he may have had one. Did you tell that to the police, ma'am? No, Mr. Clancy. Why not, Mrs. Haskell? Well, because, Mr. Keen, it involves a close member of Walter's family, his half-brother, Charles Prentiss. We all call him Charlie. Yes. Well, Charlie and Walter had the same mother, but she married twice. That's why their last names are different. Well, what about Charlie Prentiss? I suppose you tell us about him. Well, Walter, my husband, was a very successful exporter of costume jewelry. He was going to Europe to show a new line when he was murdered. His half-brother, Charlie... Well, Charlie never seemed to get started, didn't he? He was continually borrowing money from Walter, particularly after he married his wife, Arlene. Oh, Mrs. Haskell. Something happened in our home about a week ago, Mr. Keen, that may have a bearing on my husband's murder. Charlie and Walter were alone in the study. Charlie came to borrow money again, and I heard everything that went on between them as I sat in the next room. This time, Walter, I'll pay you back within a month. The way you paid back the last 500, Charlie, and the one before that, you've never paid back a debt in your life. What's the matter, Walter? Don't you trust me? Remember, I'm your own half-brother. Charlie, I'm beginning to feel that as long as you can borrow from someone, you'll never try to amount to anything. I didn't come here for a lecture. And I'm not going to lend you the money for your own good. Don't give me that holier-than-now attitude, Walter. Your slate isn't so clean either. What do you mean by that, Charlie? Suppose I told Emily, your wife, about Margo Allison. You wouldn't like that much, would you? Margo Allison is only an employee of mine. Oh, sure. You gave Margo a job as your Eastern representative. I gave her that job because she knows the costume jewelry business. She's also handy to have around whenever you feel lonely. Now, look here. One more of Margo like that and I'll... Walter! Oh, Emily, Jew, and Margo Allison. Margo came to the house a few minutes ago, dear. Unfortunately, we both heard every word Charlie said just now. Yes, I heard it. All right, then let's have it out. Margo, tell my half-brother Charlie the truth. Show him up to be the liar he is. Sure, Margo, show me up. And then try to deny what you told me a few weeks ago. Margo, what did you tell Charlie? I... I said I ought to quit my job, Emily, because I was falling in love with Walter at your house. You were falling in love with me. Margo! Emily, there's been nothing between Margo and me. I didn't know she felt that way about me. That's quite true, Emily. Don't blame Walter. It's all my fault. And I've come here today to tell you I was leaving his employ. I'm sorry for everything. Oh, but Margo... Don't say any more, Walter. There's no more to be said. Goodbye, Walter. Emily. Emily, I... I hope you understand. I think I do, Walter. And as far as you're concerned, Charlie, get out of my house and stay out for good. I'm going, Walter, but one of these days I'll make you crawl and don't forget it. That was one week ago, Mr. T. All that happened in our house. Now... Now, my husband, Walter, is dead. Murdered. It certainly puts his half-brother Charlie Prentiss in a suspicious light, Mrs. Haskell. Sure, and what about that lady boss, Margo Allison? She was in love with Walter Haskell, and if he turned her down... I suppose that makes Margo Allison a murder suspect, too, Mike. And, of course, it dragged Mrs. Haskell into it, unfortunately. It dragged me into it. What do you mean, Mr. Keaton? A jealous wife can often make trouble for her husband, Mrs. Haskell. But, Mr. Keaton, I believe my husband when he said he never thought of Margo Allison that way. Surely you don't think... Private investigator works on facts alone, Mrs. Haskell. I believe what the facts tell me to believe. I see. Well, I still ask you to take this case, Mr. Keaton. I want to see my husband's killer brought to justice. Will you... Will you help me do that? We'll do our best, Mrs. Haskell. Thanks, sir. Now, please take this piece of paper and write down your husband's half-brother's address. Very well. Mike, I think we'll see Charlie Prentice first. Oh, Mr. King, be careful. Charlie's an excitable man, and he can be violent. Well, Mr. King and I are used to violence, Mrs. Haskell. And I've got myself a little pacifier just for that emergency. You'll be hearing from me very shortly, Mrs. Haskell. And perhaps I'll have something of interest to tell you. My name is King, and this is my partner, Mike Clancy. Mr. King, the famous investigator. Is Mr. Charlie Prentice at home? Charlie's out right now, but... please come in. I'm Arlene Prentice's wife. Now, when do you expect your husband back, Mrs. Prentice? I don't know, Mr. King. Has he heard the news yet? What news, Mr. Clancy? Walter Haskell, your husband's half-brother, was murdered last night. Walter murdered? Oh, no. He was stabbed to death in an airport phone booth. Oh, how horrible. Charlie will be heartbroken. Will he? What do you mean? Mr. King, you sound as if he was... As we understand it, Mrs. Prentice, your husband quarreled with his half-brother, Walter Haskell, last week. I didn't know anything about that. We're here to ask him a few questions. Tell me, when did he leave the house? Early this morning, Mr. King. To go to work? Yes. Let me have his office phone number, please. I'd like to contact him. I don't know the phone number. Well, what's the name of the firm he works for? Please, Mr. King, don't ask me so many questions. Mrs. Prentice, you're holding something back from me. No, I'm not. As I understand it, your husband never had a steady job. You just said he'd gone to work as an excuse. Mr. King, I... Are you going to tell me the truth, Mrs. Prentice? Or must we send a police alarm out for your husband? Oh, no, Charlie's innocent. He didn't murder his half-brother, Walter. Then where is he now? I... I don't know. Mike, yes, sir? Make a search of this apartment, right, sir? My husband isn't hiding from you, Mr. King. He didn't come home last night at all. Did he have any reason that you know of for staying away? We had a fight yesterday with about money. I told Charlie that if he didn't try to get a steady job, I'd leave him. He left the house in a rage. I'm afraid I'll have to notify the police, Mrs. Prentice. Walter Haskell was murdered last night. Your husband is a suspect in the case. Oh, I'd say he is, boss. What's that you're holding, Mike? Well, I found this in a closet inside, hidden under some clothes. It's a sample case, Mr. King, and take a look inside of it. Loaded with jewelry. What costume jewelry, that's all? Yes, Mrs. Prentice. Some of these trinkets are partially made of gold. I'd say the contents of this sample case might be worth about $500. I was only keeping it here for Walter. Then this sample case of costume jewelry belongs to Walter Haskell, the murdered man. Yes, Mr. King. And you were keeping it here? Then your husband had nothing to do with it. Charlie didn't even know the sample case was in the house. His half-brother, Walter, came here to the apartment early yesterday evening and asked me to hide that case for him. The murdered man asked you to hide it? Those were the words that he used, Mr. King. And sure, and the whole thing sounds fishy to me, boss. Charlie Prentice and his wife here needed money. And I've heard a murder committed for $500 before. Mr. Clancy, are you trying to say that I'd kill my own brother and offer a sample case full of cheap jewelry? If that's your husband, Mrs. Prentice, I warn you not to tell him we are here. Hello? Oh, yes, Charlie. Very well, I will right now. Yes, goodbye, Mr. King. It was my husband. Charlie asked me to pack his case and meet him at the information booth at Pennsylvania Station in half an hour. All right, Mike. Suppose you go down there and pick up Charlie Prentice. Bring him back to our office. I'm going to take this sample case of jewelry over there now. All right, sir. Mrs. Prentice, is this your husband's picture on the piano? Yes, Mr. Clancy. Well, I'll take it long so I can identify him. I advise you to remain right here in your home, Mrs. Prentice. This sample case belonging to the murdered men places you under as much suspicion as your husband. I won't try to leave, Mr. King. All right, Mike. Keep that appointment with Charlie Prentice at the railroad station. I have a feeling we may be coming closer to the solution of Walter Haskell's murder with every passing minute. The murder of Walter Haskell, an exporter of costume jewelry, brings Mr. King, the famous investigator and his partner, Mike Clancy, on a new and mystifying case. Stabbed to death in an airport phone booth, Walter Haskell had been on his way to Europe on business. And among the suspects is his half brother, Charles Prentice, and Arlene Prentice, Charlie's wife. Now, Mike has picked up Charlie Prentice in a railway station as he made an attempt to leave town. And as Mike escorts him down the corridor leading to Mr. King's office where Mr. King is waiting. All right, Charlie Prentice, it's the second door on your left. I tell you, you've made a mistake, Mr. Clancy. I ain't made any mistakes. Mr. King and I are... Oh, no, you don't. Oh, why that? Well, yeah. Mike. Hello, Mr. King. I was just walking this buckle Charlie Prentice into the office when he started to make a run for it. You're Charlie Prentice? Yes. Bring him inside, Mike. Get moving, Mr. Prentice. You've got nothing on me. What's the idea of all this? Your half brother, Walter Haskell, was stabbed to death last night. He knows all about it, Mr. King. He was trying to leave town in a hurry. Not only that, Charlie Prentice, but a sample case containing at least $500 worth of costume jewelry was found in your home. And that case belonged to your murdered half brother. Sample case? I don't know anything about a sample case of Walters. Your wife, Arlene, claims Walter Haskell left it with her for safekeeping. Two of you may be working together or separately. Mr. King, do you think I'd murder for some cheap jewelry? Charlie, you disliked your half brother and he refused to let you borrow any more money from him. That alone could have been a murder motive if you became angry enough. Yes. Well, I'll give you two more suspects, King. My half brother, Walter, and a woman named Margo Allison were having a love affair. His wife, Emily, had as much of a motive for murdering him as I had. And as far as Margo Allison's concerned, many a woman's committed murder when she was thrown over by a married man. Sure, and just listen to her, Mr. King. You'd think he was investigating this case. Prentice, we know all about Walter Haskell and Margo Allison. Mrs. Haskell told us. Sure, she gave you her version. Just let me accuse Emily Haskell to her face and see what happened. I'll give you that opportunity right now. Mike, while you were gone, I telephoned Mrs. Haskell. I told her we were coming over here and I asked her to get in touch with Margo Allison. I wanted to ask Miss Allison about that sample case of Walter Haskell's. She worked for him, so she might be able to enlighten us. What'll we do with the sample case, boss? We'll leave it here in the office. Come on, Mike. We'll give Charlie Prentice a chance to prove his accusation of Emily Haskell, the murdered man's wife, and Margo Allison. Oh, Mr. King, and Mr. Clancy. Mrs. Haskell, we've brought Charlie Prentice with us. Oh, come in. Margo Allison is here. Are you, Mr. King, the great investigator? I'm Margo Allison. And this is my partner, Mike Clancy, Miss Allison. How do you do? Please, to meet you. I'll ask her, Mr. King. Go on, ask Margo Allison if she wasn't seeing Walter behind his wife's back. Must we go through all that again? Mr. King, I've admitted that I fell in love with Walter Haskell. And I also told his wife, Emily, here that he never dreamed about how I felt. Our relationship was an innocent one. She's only trying to make a liar out of me. As far as the fact, you can tell. I think I know what the facts are, Charlie Prentice. Now, Miss Allison, there's something else I want to ask you. Yes, Mr. King? We found the sample case of costume jewelry in Charlie Prentice's home. It belonged to the murdered man, Walter Haskell. You worked for Haskell? So what would you say the value of that jewelry would be? Well, when Walter Haskell went abroad, Mr. King, he always took about $500 worth of costume jewelry with him. Oh, where is that sample case? I know one of them was missing. It's in my office for safekeeping. Well, Charlie Prentice, you admit you were desperately in need of money, and not necessarily a large amount. I don't know anything about that sample case I tell you. There's your murderer, Walter's wife, Emily. Why don't you put her under arrest, Mr. King? I'll go along with you to police headquarters for questioning, Mr. King. I'm not afraid of this man's accusation. Well, that won't be necessary, Mrs. Haskell. I'm putting Charlie Prentice under arrest. But you can't. I'm innocent. Let's take him down to police headquarters, Mike. But let go of me. Come along now on no tricks. You'll hear from me again very shortly, Mrs. Haskell. Very well, Mr. King. And thank you for your help, Miss Allison. I'm happy to do anything I can. All right, Mr. Clancy, you can let go of my arm. I know when I'm licked. Mike, you can release Charlie Prentice. Get out of my way, Frank! Stop! Stop or I'll shoot! No, Mike, let Charlie Prentice get away. This is how I planned it. You mean you wanted him to get away, boss? I want all our suspects to be free, Mike, so one of them can incriminate himself. I don't get it, Mr. King. I found out something when I examined that sample case of costume jewelry. It puts an entirely new aspect on the case. We're going back to the office, Mike, and believe it or not, I have a feeling our murderer will come to us. Mike, have you got your key to the office door? Right here, Mr. King, sir. I think that I... Wait a minute. There's a woman standing in front of our office door over there. Trying to break in? It's Arlene Prentice, Charlie Prentice's wife. Looks as though your murder suspect showed up even sooner than we thought, boss. Mr. King! May I ask what you're doing here outside our office, Mrs. Prentice? I just had to see you to find out about Charlie, my husband. Unlock the door, will you, Mike? Right, boss. Come in, Mrs. Prentice. Have you turned my husband over to the police, Mr. King? Not yet. Well, then you've found some evidence that proves his innocence. On the contrary. He looks even guiltier than ever. And so do you, Mrs. Prentice. What? Are you quite sure you tried to get into my office just now, just to see me? Oh, yes, Mr. King. What else could I have come here for? I have that sample case of costume jewelry here, the case that belonged to the murdered Walter Haskell. Who still thinks it was stolen by Charlie or me? Now you think I'd try to steal it again? Mrs. Prentice, do you recall the Royal Jewelry Company robbery? The Royal Jewelry Company? It's one of the bigger jewelry concerns. Their safe was looted about three months ago. The haul amounted to almost $300,000 in jewels. And so far, those jewels have never been recovered. Don't answer that phone, Mike. Sorry? Let it ring. And whoever was calling this hung up, Mr. King. But why didn't you want me to answer? I'll explain later, Mike. Take Mrs. Prentice into my private office and stay there with her. Keep the light off, and don't make a sound unless I need you. Come with me, Mrs. Prentice. I don't understand. You will very shortly. Mike, I'm putting out the light in this office, too. And hiding in the file closet. We'll probably have 10 or 15 minutes to wait. And then I think we'll have our solution to Walter Haskell's murder. Margot Ellison, just the person I was waiting for. But I thought no one was here. The office was dark. Well, were you planning to take that costume jewelry sample case home with you, Margot Ellison? Now I can understand why you think it's so valuable. What are you talking about, Mr. King? I have already removed the diamonds from the false bottom. The diamonds you murdered Walter Haskell to get. Stand where you are, King, or I'll shoot to kill. I see you've brought your confederates with you, Miss Ellison. That's your car parked on the other side of the street, isn't it? I can see it from this window. I imagine they're keeping the motor running for a quick getaway. You're a pretty clever King. And so are you, Miss Ellison. When you took a job working for Walter Haskell, he never realized you were the famous jewel thief the police have been after, ever since the royal jewel company was robbed of $300,000 worth of diamonds. You stole those gems, then devised a very interesting way of smuggling them out of the country so they could be safely sold abroad. If that fool Walter Haskell hadn't crossed me, my plan wouldn't have failed. He said he'd go in on this with me, then he tried to double cross me at the airport by calling the police. First, he hid this sample case in his half brother Charlie Prentice's apartment. That's something you didn't count on. You're right, King. Walter Haskell took another sample case to the airport with him, pretending it was the one we'd hidden the diamonds in. But I didn't have to figure out what to do when I saw him go to that phone booth. I stepped into the booth next door and heard him ask for the police. And that's when you left him to death. I took that job with him just to see how well he stood with the customsmen in Europe. That's where we had to take the stolen sparklers to sell them. I couldn't have smuggled those diamonds through. But they would never have suspected Walter Haskell, a maker of cheap costume jewelry. It was a perfect scheme. And you let him in on your scheme, Miss Allison, thinking you could buy him off. Yes, but something told me to keep an eye on him, and my hunch was correct. You played your cards carefully, didn't you, Miss Allison? You even pretended to be in love with Walter Haskell. You were just as cautious a little while ago when you phoned this office first to make certain no one was here before you came for the sample case. But I was suspicious of you before that, Marko Allison. Really? When you asked me casually where the case was, I thought you would be the one to fall for my trap. Hand those diamonds over, Keen. Hand them over or I'll kill you. Look out, boy. Don't try to reach for that gun on the floor, lady. Next time I'll aim for your heart, not your hand. Good work, Mike. Oh, bring Marko Allison over here and let her look out the window. You may have me, Keen, but when my boys find out their square accounts. Oh, no, they won't. Look. It's a police car. Yes, Miss Allison. And your two Confederates are coming out with their hands in the air. I took the precaution of calling the police while I waited here for your arrival. They've got your partners, Marko Allison. And they'll be up here within five minutes to arrest you, too, for the murder of Walter Haskell. Tracer of Lost Persons comes to you each week as a regular dramatic feature of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service, The Voice of Information, and Education.