 crime and Peter Chambers Henry King transcribe and starring Dane Clark private investigator duly licensed and duly sworn Peter Chambers you're a private I that's your business anything else that's for laughs there are no laughs in this one not unless you're a ghoul because you're strolling in a graveyard at midnight you're walking in a cemetery out on Long Island that's the job of work you're being paid for you've got a package in your left hand and a flashlight in your right your imagination is starting to do nip-ups when you get an interruption without the flashlight yes sir I'll reach back and hand me that package well you're supposed to give me the word word well them's my instructions pal a real melodramatic bit you're supposed to say a name Abner read that's the jackpot answer reaching grab your prize and notice please I've still got my head turned and it better stay that way if you don't want holes in it you stay the way you are for the next five minutes but you don't stay the way you are for the next five minutes for two reasons one five minutes in a graveyard is like say five years on the French Riviera and to your blessed or is it cursed with a large lump of curiosity so you turn and you don't turn a moment too soon because you drop you look to where mr. invisible disappeared but you don't try to go after him because he's gone and all the way back to town you ponder about why the guy took potshots at you you didn't see him he made sure you didn't so why the extra precaution of a spray of bullets well he missed you so you shrug it off and pretty soon you're in town at the fancy fifth Avenue mansion of Mrs. Abner read well back so soon mr. Chambers mission accomplished milady come in please come in sir Mrs. Abner read born Florence Fleetwood lovejoy thrice married and rolling you should pardon the expression in much showed an arrow worth maybe 25 million bucks and reputed to be stingy about the whole thing here's your fee mr. Chambers as per agreement $1,000 thank you ma'am and now may I know what it's all about you know what was in that package Goulash for ghosts $250,000 a quarter of a million dollars look Mrs. Reed you have a reputation for being well centric but business transactions in the middle of the night in a graveyard that wasn't exactly a business transaction mr. Chambers what then it was a delivery of ransom money what you mean I'm mixed up in some kind of a cock-eyed kidnapping not exactly mixed up you were an instrument of delivery a chore for which you've just been paid the police know about this not yet not yet when do you expect to inform them tomorrow morning look what happened here well last night my husband stepped out for a newspaper he didn't return for for two hours naturally I was perturbed naturally I thought well perhaps he'd stepped into a tavern for a drink but then I got a phone call he'd been slugged rendered unconscious and kidnapped how can you be sure there was no doubt it was he himself who was talking to me with a gun pointed at his head I see I was told they'd call back this morning and they did would you be able to recognize the voice they're too smart for that they put him back on the phone the arrangements were made and then came the question as to who would make the delivery you're very well known mr. Chambers and yours is an excellent reputation well thank you they're supposed to return him to me during this night quarter of a million dollars I'm regarded as a well a rather frugal person but this is different we've only been married six months and I believe you know from the newspapers my husband is 20 years younger than I am yes I happen to read I read about it and I suppose you want me to clear out of here frankly I do but you are going to the cops with this definitely tomorrow morning whether he's returned to me or not at least then I'll know that I've done what I could to affect his release they warned me that I was being watched that if I called in the police they'd kill him easy doesn't Mrs. Reed easy good night and thanks so you go home you feel sorry for the old gal with the young husband you think she's nuts not the contact cops but you can't creep into another person's soul you go home and you have a bit of scotch and you chase it with another bit of scotch you had a tough evening and you're ready to wrap up this day and put it to bed when in the middle of the night you've got a caller that's the life of a private eye about as much privacy as a parakeet in the kindergarten but it can always be a client somebody's turned off the car the lights and it's pitch black out there and suddenly the blackness is punctuated with blaze of light and you don't know how bad you get to the phone hello operator hospital emergency under sedatives for a day while they probe for the bullets then you're sitting up in the hospital bed rare and ago but they tell you five days five days before they'll let you out of there and then you get a caller amiable but worried looking hi detective are you coming around real good a high lieutenant but brings you as if you didn't know he stares down at you detective lieutenant Parker New York City police stern square and a friend that abner read shindig I hear you were an innocent bystander in the cemetery did they return the guy yeah none the worst for his experience newspapers got it yet now we're trying to work it through before it gets any publicity what kind of a guy is he this abner read oh nice enough kid he used to be a dancing instructor that's how he met the lady with the bucks she been liberal with him liberal as she can be I suppose rich but plenty tight while that one what did he do for amusement before before he got married ran around a lot nightclub stuff and things handsome kid figures for a lot of gals why this line of questioning trying to get an idea as to his background if it was hard guys that he used to run around with it might clue us to the brains behind this match it's all been done the lad and what we've come up with is a large selection of zeros now let's hear your story you give it to him the whole deal and his face furrows up as he ponders it what makes you a target pick I wish I knew first the attempt at the cemetery then the attack at your apartment you sure you told me everything I know Louis but I'm going to know more somebody sets me up as a clay pigeon and it becomes my job to find out who's taking target practice and the objections lieutenant to my sticking my nose into it if my objections could keep you at thanks pal okay then I'll beat it now you get your rest but remember when they let you out of here we worked this one together sure enough lieutenant anger and well-being seem to run hand-in-hand and as your health improved so your anger mounts by the time you're out of the hospital your tense is a piano wire and fit to bust wide open you run around and ask questions you see Mrs. Reed several times the husband's in the mood of recuperating but Parker's interviewed him time and again in his squeeze every possible fact out of him and now the husband's back in town but you're not wasting your time there anymore Parker's an expert and Parker's already rung him dry so now you're sitting in your office and thinking about your next move and then your next move is made for you Oh Peter chambers out of the one seven eight six East 54th Street apartment to downstairs this man to okay I want to talk to you about a kid now kidnapping of Abnery what what's that I'm involved with my idea really I dreamed it up I'm supposed to get a third one third share yes yes Sandra I want you to make a deal for me the sentence but why are you calling me the address she gave you was near near enough you slam out of the office and you run all the way and then you're there apartment to and you're in the presence of death a blonde with blood on her face but there's another blonde standing by and this one's very much alive Peter Peter chambers now this girl was talking to me when that happened you didn't do it did you know who are very very royal my name's very royal I'm a roommate I've only been a roommate for a week you call the cops yes yes I phone a well-stacked blonde a beautiful blonde alive one the dead one must have been pretty too you prowl around and you see the gun on the floor you see that the receivers back on the hook too but that figures very royal said she called the cops let me tell you let me tell you what happened wait wait wait let me ask the questions miss royal now that gun on the floor is that yours no no no it's not fine I found it easy easy does it easy I just tell me tell me what happens I was coming back from rehearsal now I'm a ballet dancer and as I came into the hallway I heard the shots I hurried forward the door opened and a man came running out we walked into each other and that's when the gun dropped to the floor he struck me and ran out what he looked like I have no idea I came in and found her like that she was dead and then I went out in the hall for the gun I remembered about not touching things fingerprint I kicked it with my foot I kicked it along until I worked it into the apartment good girl then I picked up the dangling receiver and I called the police she's in tears again and you go to her and you hold her and she's a cuddly little package and you think about how sweet this could be on the different circumstances cops lots of cops tons of cops and they're in charge of detective lieutenant Louis Parker never fails when there's a corpse there's you it's mixed up with the other thing lieutenant what other thing you're straightening them out on current events from the phone calling your office to right now you wearing a gun Pete yeah good now listen to me for once will you listen to me don't I always listen lieutenant okay there's some kind of crazy killer loose right right and he's mixed up with that abner read snatch right right as rain lieutenant you're still unfinished business on his list right as a real down so go home go home and lock the door you stay there now what are you gonna do in the meantime I'm gonna work at my trade but I'll come up and see you Peter so as I get loose more listen and we'll knock it around some more but don't open your door to anybody but me so you go home you're a good little boy and you've listened to Papa you sit around like an old lady with lumbago but you sit you do some home cooking and some home drinking but you sit finally at two in the morning was it a bit of the cup that cheers lieutenant I can use a little cheer thank you it's the right spot well let's get down to cases lieutenant and there's my boy always in their picture cases Louis well Petey boy that gun on the floor was the murder gun good and we've got a gorgeous set of fingerprints offered only Prince on it as a matter of fact good so now we come to the catch there's gotta be a catch the Prince match nothing that we've got on file don't match anything out of Washington where's that leave us way out and left field on a rainy day but there's no ball game guess who is her boyfriend guess who whose boyfriend the dead doll that's Sandra Mantell oh by the way you know what her business was I don't know nothing much dancer burlesque pretty good at it too I'm thrilled now who's a boyfriend Nikki Darrell what Nikki Darrell oh that was a rhetorical what lieutenant it was a lot of amazement a lot of astonishment a lot of shock all right stop making on me well don't you call that a lead we had I mean we questioned him we did the fingerprint bit total reaction negative we had a release of what time is it it's a 2 30 in the morning let's get out of here out where you go work you I'm going to sleep Pete yes lieutenant be careful Nikki Darrell hoodlum with big ideas ex-gunman ex-con ex-crook gone real respectable now owner of a fancy saloon caterer to cafe society big wheel with the theatrical folk the way down deep under deadly is a two-headed rattlesnake bent on mischief you get the next place which is hopping and you jostle through the happy people to Nick where the private eyeball long time no seesaw and I talked to you Nikki talking with you and it is lively get educated he's big he's arrogant he's powerful he leads you through to the back and he sits you down real nice and comfortable have a drink on a house okay thanks Nikki wait a couple of drinks here scotch for the eyeball that's his drink scotch was it tickling your belt that kind of tickling you can die laughing what are you talking about bullets you are my back Nikki me I don't even know what you're beginning to think you want to talk about somebody's blowing spitballs at me Nikki any idea who no sir I got no idea no good enough now we shift the gear girlfriend of yours died today of unnatural causes yeah so I hear ideas on that like who done it no but I'm gonna find out this is one time I'm working on your side okay now we shift the high you'll be getting the stick your dirty medicine to kidnapping to talk nice to Nikki I talked the way I want to talk to whom I want to talk you're a sweet hot candy guy a lot of guts I like a guy with a lot of guts the answer is no no to what have a little sense pal the snatch racket is out for any guy with brains it's easier ways turn a book that's all fine on Nikki live it up have fun big shot hey there's drinks coming we'll skip at this trip so you're back where you started fresh out of leads and it goes on like that for the next few days long days lumpy one slow moving and you're wearing your hardware and you're turning to look over your shoulder wherever you are you've called on Betty Royal a few times and to like that you like that very much and now you're calling on her again for no reason at all except that you like that very much but you find her breathless with excitement I found something with the chambers I think it could be important Pete Pete not Mr. Chambers Pete remember a little black book it belongs to well it belonged to Sandra is she must have put it into my bag by mistake and that bag's been in my locker at rehearsal hall let's see it a little black book with a lot of names and not one that means anything to you but they may mean a lot to Parker so you latch on to the lovely Betty Royal who's as lovely and his regos are named and off you go a chattering to some downtown to police headquarters downtown to detect the lieutenant Parker and you barge in without knocking because you think you've got right only to find that he's got company so you start backing out again come in come in Pete Mr. Royal thank you kindly governor thank you companies a tall young man with a bruises shoulders and an angel's face lieutenant Parker I found a little black book I found it in my locker it doesn't belong to me mistaken bags it sanders sanders this is the little black book lieutenant yes fattling is God's given right to a beautiful girl well thank you Peter by the way let me introduce Abner read I don't think you two have ever met Abner read Peter chambers miss Betty Royal how do you do I don't know you well lieutenant as we were saying wait a minute what about what did you say your name was I just told you I'm asking him my fellow keep talking what did you say your name was my name as the lieutenant told you Abner read Abner read of course you jump him right away you don't wait he's big and you want the first punch and you get the first punch in but he takes a standing up and let's do a few of his own all right stop it break it up what the devil's going on hey you slip by a couple of his lefts and then he's wide open and you come up with one off the floor and he catches a clean on a button and now he's down and out and he'll stay out until someone brings him to crazy man that's a salt and battery you're going to do time fella well you really flipped your wig this time yeah let me help stay away from him now look Peter you and I lieutenant we've thrown a lot of questions around there's a couple of answers coming up right now like what like why I was shot at at the graveyard and shot up in my apartment like why Sandra Mantell was killed like why she called me in the first place like why that gun has fingerprints easy easy one at a time let's take the last one first fingerprints on a gun yeah a guy dropping it when he collides with a dame panicking running out leaving it there that sound professional not especially while it rules out a pro what is the rule in an amateur so so let's do it right side up now now here's a guy Abner read he married a large hunk of dough but he can't reach too much of it because she's frugal so so what the suggestion of a friend of his miss Sandra Mantell and you'll find I'm sure with a good deal of digging that those two at a close sub-browser association well never mind what I'll find out let's get this over with on her suggestion they figured out a beauty the guy kidnapped himself remember Mrs. Reed talked in the alleged ransom discussions to nobody but him on the phone yes yeah he knew the old dame she'd pay and play ball which she did why why were you attacked there in the cemetery because Reed didn't want any remnants hanging around but Pete how did you tell them so quick he never bothered to disguise his voice in the graveyard he figured to leave me there for dead and this was the first time I've heard it since so he punches bullets at you in your apartment then that time he almost made it and then then when when he wouldn't divide with Sandra everybody's everybody's a detective although you're a hundred percent right but he lasts she called me knew where to call me because she was in it from the very beginning he caught her in the act and finished her off and if you will kindly use the fingers of that comatose gentleman for the purpose of making fingerprint impressions I don't have a doubt in a world what you'll find and so one hour later Abner Reed is booked for murder and extortion and you're strolling in the joyful sunshine with Betty Royal cleaning of your arm tightly and proudly and what prettier termination can there be to so unfortunate a circumstance as murder and there you've had crime and Peter Chambers Dane Clark was starred as Peter Chambers crime and Peter Chambers transcribed was created produced and written by Henry Kane others in the cast were Bill Zuckert heard as Lieutenant Parker with Evelyn Barton Patricia wheel and Roger DeCovid it was directed by Fred Way this is Fred Collins inviting you to tune in next week same time same station for Dane Clark in crime and Peter Chambers visit with Fiber McGee and Molly tonight on the NBC radio network