 Mystery House. Mystery House, that strange publishing firm owned by Dan and Barbara Glenn, where each new novel is acted out by the Mystery House staff, before it is accepted for publication. Mystery House. You said the story we're doing tonight, Death House Blues, is very unusual, Barbie. In what way? Well, for once in Dan, you'll never see or hear the hero of the story, and yet he's very definitely the hero. You don't say. Anything else? Yes. The whole story takes place in one room. The governor's office. Well, I'll be darned. It's an unusual story in other ways, too. Well, how does it start? You mean you don't know how it starts, Mr. Glenn? Well, of course not. I haven't read the script. Oh, but surely you know how it starts. It starts the same way. All good mysteries show a start. How's that? Why, with a brief message from our sponsor. Okay, boys and girls, you all have your parts. Places, everybody. Death House Blues. The night story opens in the governor's office, in the state capital of a distant state. Governor Burris is sitting at his desk as the dynamic Terry Rogan criminal lawyer speaks. The governor doesn't seem to like what he hears and says so. Great Scott Rogan, you act as if sending this client of yours, this Eddie Banks to the chair, with their personal pleasure to meet. Well, I think it is, Governor. You feel it's a popular thing to do. You think you'll get votes by letting this kid be killed for a murder he didn't commit. Oh, please now, Rogan. I'm not quite that bad, just because you and I belong to different political parties. It's politics that keeps you from granting executive clemency, Burris, and you know it. The word has come to you that Eddie Banks is supposed to fry. Listen, Rogan, if you're insinuating that anybody tells me how to run my office... I'll take the stuffing out of your shirt, Governor. It's too late for me to be polite. The kid's supposed to go to the chair in an hour. I've been fair and patient with you, Rogan. I've granted two stays of execution. I've examined all the evidence thoroughly. You've played to the grandstand all through the appeal and you know it. You've granted two stays because you knew it would keep the case alive in the papers and keep you in the spotlight. No, let's not be nasty about this, Rogan. That isn't a sporting thing to say, and you know it. Sporting? You can talk about being sporting when a man's life is about to be taken. You're darned right on that sporting. As his lawyer, I'll hit with anything I have. If I could put you in that chair in his place, I'd do it. I'm sorry, Rogan. Honestly, I am. I'd rather like your client the time I talk to him. Of course, his background isn't conducive to belief in his integrity, and I couldn't blame him for lying anyway when his own neck... He isn't lying, Burris. Try to get that through your head, will you? Look, the kid hasn't got a dime. I've been working day and night for the past two weeks trying to break this thing. Why do you think I'm doing it? Very touching speech, Rogan. I think you're doing it because you have political aspirations and you saw a good chance for a tangle with me. You was the champion of the oppressed, the fighter for the underdog. Oh, that's rotten, and you know it. Eddie Banks was convicted on circumstantial evidence. You don't like screaming about circumstantial evidence, don't you? There's nothing whatsoever wrong with circumstantial evidence. For some reason, there's a popular belief that circumstantial evidence is bad. When circumstances combine to indicate that a man is a killer, he usually is. The court... Comstock, I wish you wouldn't walk in here unannounced like that. After all, this is the governor's office. Oh, so it, Burris. I knew you and you were running for Alderman. I've just been up to the big house. You saw Eddie Banks, Comstock. Now, he's taking it big. Got a last-hour story for him. The boy's heart is mailed, Rogan. What do you want here, Comstock? Well, I figured there'd be another last-minute stay. Maybe? Then you'll think it wrong. Eddie Banks was said by a competent jury, and I'd be tampering with justice, if I may. Oh, nuts. You don't need to make a speech for me, Burris. And if you think I'd court a line like that, you're crazy. Some of our readers might have sensitive stomachs. Now, see here, Comstock. You presume on your position as a reporter. What do you want here? Well, I've got a photographer outside. I thought maybe you boys could give me a good pose. With Rogan banging his fist on the August desk. Clash of little minds. You know. Now, listen. I don't know. You go straight. I suppose we might as well do with the press. Hey, Rogan? No, you go straight. Look, Burris, I told you this is no cheap political trick with me. I'm arguing for this kid's life. He didn't kill that dirty rat, Bickford. And you know it just as well as I do. Well, the evidence, Rogan. Somebody framed Eddie. Framed him with phony evidence that doesn't even hold together. The cry of the man who gets caught from time immemorial. I was free. Expecting anything that might make a good human interest sidelight, Governor? Well, Eddie Bank's street artist is supposed to see me at the 1130. Last minute request. He's waiting outside now. But who's the dirty little guy with it? What? Madeleine's out there? Why didn't you say so? I thought you knew. Send her in. Okay. Ah, there's a true blue loo for you, that girl. The way she's stuck by Eddie is... Is what? Well, it's proof that Bank's is innocent. No girl would be as loyal as that unless she actually believes that he was... Oh, hello, Madeleine. Hi, Rogan. I brought along a character. A little light for new evidence, Madeleine. I know. This is Patsy Lasker, Rogan. Hi. He has some bearing on the case, has he? Sure. Just like a lot of other people have had. If you'd believe him. I'll listen to his story. Go ahead, Patsy. Tonight, Bickford was killed. I'm standing in the mob in front of the club mirror door. See? Yeah, well, what of it? I see a guy I later learned as Eddie Bank's coming out with a dame. This dame, who brought me here tonight? That was established in the trial that Eddie had taken Madeleine to the club. There was never any argument about that. And he had a fight with Bickford on the dance floor. Over Madeleine. Hold still, Rogan. This little guy's got some new stuff, whether you think it's important or not. All right. Go ahead. Bank's and his dame, they kind of edged their way into the crowd. Bank's is best in Super 50, and I bumped into him. A little hard. When I bumped into him, my hand brushes against the side, and he ain't carrying any gun when he left the club mirror door. How do you know? I'd stake my professional reputation on it. Your what? Patsy is a professional kick-pocket, Rogan. If I got to be blunt about it, I was fricking the guy. And there's no rad. That's for sure. I'm sorry, Miss Martin. It is an important testimony for one day. No, it's important, Governor. They never found a murder weapon. They shot, and they said it was Eddie who shot him, but they never found the gun. Bixford followed Eddie and me home. He was shot after Eddie dropped me at my apartment. Eddie wouldn't have had time to pick up a gun anywhere. This man, though, he couldn't possibly know whether or not Eddie Banks had a gun on his person. No? Have a look at this. Yeah? What is it? It's Eddie's wallet. Patsy got it in the crowd. Hmm. Rather neat trick. I'm afraid it won't help us any. But it shows definitely if they'll believe Patsy that Eddie couldn't have killed Bixford. That's the money I would admit his pickpocket had me. Thanks, Miss Martin. Thank you, Miss Martin. It's like I told you. I wouldn't have done any good. Just got myself in the trouble by getting spotted by cops in the courtroom. I suppose you left the money in this wallet. A great lift, that was. Five bucks in it. But that's not true, Patsy. Aren't it? Five bucks. When Eddie and I were in the cab going to the club, he said to me, how would you like to take a look at real, though? And he pulled out his wallet and showed me $5,000. Oh, look, lady, I never got no five cents. I believe you, Patsy. And I'm pretty sure I know who got it. Who? Bixford. He was the guy who received the dough for the crooked politicians. That fight between Eddie and Bixford was a fake. It gave him a chance to wrestle around just long enough for Eddie to drop the $5,000 in Bixford's pocket. Eddie was paying off. If such a thing were true, it seems questionable. I mean, there is a political payoff. Why didn't Eddie Bank say something about it when he had his day in court? I don't know. But I'm going to find out. Yes, how? Hello? Warden? This is Madeline Martin at the governor's office. It's terribly important for me to talk to Eddie Bank right now. Oh, thank you. Have him call me right back. Goodbye. This is a pick of yours, Rogan. I didn't even know about it. I never heard of this pickpocket before. My name's Patsy Lasker, Mr. Rogan. You don't need to keep calling me a pickpocket. The credibility of Eddie Bank's witnesses have been bad all through this day. Well, what do you expect? Eddie was working for Spike Polto. Spike owned gambling joints all over the country. Who do you expect Eddie's witnesses to be except for people who know him? My dear. How did an attractive young lady like you ever become acquainted with a person like that? I'm not so high class myself. Eddie's a swell guy, and he didn't like the idea of my waiting tables in a gambling joint. He taught me into getting a job for less money playing house in a restaurant. And he was gonna stick on with Polto until we had enough money to get married. Excuse me. That's for me. I'll get it. Hello? Eddie? Darling, you've got to tell me the truth. This is terribly important. Did you really have a fight with Victor that night or were you pulling him off some pay-off money for Polto? What? $5,000? I knew it. But why? Why didn't he just say so? Oh. No, I'm afraid I don't understand. Well, there's no time to discuss it here. I'll call you later. Goodbye. Well? Eddie says he gave Dickford $5,000 and the fight was all opponents. The fight was supposed to be over you, wasn't it, Miss Mark? I don't know what it was supposed to be over. The prosecuting attorney said Eddie was jealous of me, but that wasn't true. That's coupled with Eddie's way of flipping Dickford the $5,000 pay-off right out in public. The place for that to have come out was a betrayal. Why didn't he talk about it there? He says Rogan told him not to mention it. What? You mean to say that Rogan would deliberately purge a client? You admit that you told him not to mention it, Rogan? I didn't ask him about it in court. Neither did the prosecuting attorney. The attorney had no knowledge of what happened. He couldn't have. But you deliberately withheld evidence. No, don't look so pious. You can't deliberately run evidence into a case that makes your clients look bad. Look bad? If I had to ask Eddie Banks about that pay-off in court, he'd have been in the electric chair by now. Are you insinuating that our courts aren't honest? I'm insinuating that Dickford was playing with the party in power. We started talking about pay-off money. They'd have framed us with everything in the book. Besides, the pay-off just gave another motive they could throw against Eddie Banks. So what motive? Well, you had testified that Eddie was trying to get enough money to marry you. He knew that Dickford had $5,000 on him. He knew it because he'd given it to him. But so was a lot of other people, bad people. Poldo gave Eddie the money to get to Dickford. Poldo could have told some of it. Who would know about it? Look, Madeline, I appreciate that you're desperate. So am I. The story about the pay-off money doesn't help a bit. Now, really, it doesn't. I think the governor will agree with me that it's better left out of the picture. How about that, governor? If you're insinuating that any bribe money gets to me, I resent it, Rogan. And the bar association's going to hear about your counseling and defendants to purge themselves. I did no such thing. I merely advised him not to, well, not to talk about things that would get him into trouble. What yourself? What are you, pardon me, mister? Sorry, I bumped you. There you are, lady. Is this what you wanted? What? You stole my wallet right out of my pocket. Yeah. Well, give it to me. You have no right to... I'm beginning to see a few things, Rogan. This is kind of interesting. What is it? Porto's private phone number. By any chance are you working for Porto too, Rogan? You and Eddie Boat? That'd make everything that's happened kind of interesting, wouldn't it? Come on, mister. You back again? I do. We've used nothing. I don't have to knock when I have news like this about it. It'll knock you right off of your seat. And, uh, I guess you might as well call the big house and tell them to get Eddie Banks off the electric chair. You know, they're due to turn it on in 25 minutes. What is this big news you're talking about, John Fuchs? They just found Spike Porto with a knife through his heart. What? Yeah. And a note on his chest that said, this is for Eddie Banks, a right guy who got a wrong rap. Eddie Banks guilty of Brickford's murder. And who killed Spike Porto, the gambling king? We'll find out in the second act of tonight's story. Meanwhile, here's a brief message from our sponsor. That's two of Death House Blues. The scene is filled to Governor's office, and the cost says 20 minutes till midnight. That comes up to reporter is questioning Rogan, the lawyer for Eddie Banks. So, uh, it was because you were looking out for Eddie Banks that you didn't bring the payoff money into the trial, huh? And Madeleine finds you were working for Spike Porto. That's very funny. I don't like the way you say that, Comptuck. Sure, Porto Hardney didn't defend Eddie Banks, but he was one of his boys. You've been spouting about how Eddie didn't have a dime, and that this was a labor of love, as far as you were concerned. Well, you practically had me in tears. Look, what difference does it make whether I get paid or not? The important thing is to get the kid off. Now, he didn't kill Brickford. Look for things now when a Porto's boy did it, and Porto picked Eddie for the fall guy. Uh, like your methods of operation less and less, Rogan. Uh, well, I was listening to you with some little favor. But now, you're just against the lawyer. A lawyer who covers up evidence not to defend his client, but to defend the man who's paying the bill. What you think of me doesn't make much difference, Burr. As long as the kid gets to live. And you better start making up your mind fast, because there's only about 15 minutes left. You can't make them kill Eddie. Rogan's been working for Porto, not for Eddie. He's been letting Eddie take the rap. That phrase, take the rap, Miss Martin. Wasn't there something like that in the note that Comstock says the police found on Porto's buddy? What do you mean? You came up here only a short time ago. You had a criminal with you. I never heard anybody in my life. I'm wondering if you might not have visited Porto before you came here. Oh, you're trying to say that I killed Porto? Somebody killed him. As soon as this execution is over, I'm going to ask the police to check your movements this evening prior to your coming here. Governor, why should I kill Porto? You fancied this gangster Porto was responsible for your sweetheart seeing the death house. You thought, perhaps, that his murder, together with the note, would throw suspicion on somebody else. It would make it look like somebody knew that Eddie Banks was innocent. That's wrong rap phrase. It's not too difficult to pick this up, right? Well, for heaven's sake, Governor, it's just 12 minutes till I'll trap Eddie into the electric chair. There's plenty of things to talk about Porto's murder later. I'm talking about it right now because I think it's a plight to the case under discussion. I think Porto's murder was a daring effort on somebody's part to confuse and distract me. Do you think I killed somebody just to get you mixed up? I don't want you mixed up. I want you to have one thing clear that Eddie didn't murder this man. Let the note on Porto's chair. Forget about Porto's chair. You forget the note. In 11 minutes, the man I love is going to be electric chair. He's a nice kid. I'm sorry for you, my dear, but I can't let my personal TVs allow me to turn loose a man who should pay for his crime. I've always felt it was a place for sentiments in law enforcement, but it isn't right to just to let Eddie man get away with murder. Eddie didn't murder anyone. Don't go. Can't you see what's happening? Maybe you better go outside, Madeleine. You're getting hysterical. I'm going to have to work fast to get Eddie off now. You get him off. You never wanted to get him off. You better go outside, Comstock. Well, yes, she's cracking that thing. I guess you'd better, Comstock, at that. Pardon me, Ganks. I come here with the little lady and fear leaving since she's gone good and ready. You haven't got the best of me to pull a gun in my office? Kind of funny, ain't it? Me, who always got away from force, who got into the dipwrecked because it didn't have no violin. Me, holding the gun on the governor of this state. Well, I'll have you thrown into jail for this. I'm going to stay here as long as she likes. Thanks, Patty. Now, I want you to listen to me, Governor. Rogue, that he sold Eddie Banks' house. He put on a great show of kind of helping when all the time he just kind of hurt him. Rogue didn't want Eddie to go to the chair. Total podium to work at. The one really important point of evidence that could have helped Eddie, Rogue unheld out. He's given Eddie wrong advice right from the start. I'm leaving, Bert. If five minutes at 12 and this thing comes to me, why, I can just see it. Gun crazy pickpocket holds Governor that day while killer fries. Don't be, don't talk like that. You ain't leaving, Bert. Not yet. If I had an opportunity to kill Pozo, so did Rogue. Before it came up to your office tonight. Oh, you're out of your head, and you're wasting time that I could be spending in pleading Eddie's case. There's only three minutes to go. I think for Pozo, Rogue could have even been the one who killed Bookford. Oh, Governor, there's only two and a half minutes. For the love of Eddie. Grab that phone. Call the warden right now. I'll dial the number. If you just hold off a few minutes, I'll think here that it's Rogue who should do that and not Eddie. Put that phone down, Miss Martin. I'll make my own telephone call if there's any help from you. I have to consider facts. Not the emotional outburst. You have to consider yourself, too, don't you? You're going to have to live with yourself after Eddie Banks is dead. After I prove that Rogue inflamed him into the electric chevrolet Rotten Crooked Dancer. And you're going to do real pure murder than Eddie ever was. How are you trying to feel when you discovered you killed an innocent man? I'm sorry, my dear. I'd like to help you, honestly. I'm mad at only one minute and don't sit there like a fool. It's a human being and it's a human love, you play. They're not convincing your mind, Governor. As you laid this thing twice, Rogan, it's looked bad. Oh, what difference does it make? Listen, Rogan, you were at the clubyard the night of the murder. You saw the price when Eddie took the money in the Bigfoot's pocket. You'd have been the one person who realized what was happening. Wait. You say he was at the club and hasn't anything been said about that before? There was. I meant that to Rogan right at the start and he said neither Eddie or I should ever see this in the club. Folks on the jury with pink Eddie had a lot of panic in the club to establish an alibi for himself. Oh, exactly. I'm afraid it's too late this much. I couldn't possibly get through in time. I'll be out now, Fred, and don't let this six-part of the night of the murder. You will tend to him. Okay, Governor. You know, I am so sure. I didn't ask you to be sure of anything, Constance. Get them out of here. I want to talk to Rogan. You killed a man! You're a murderer! Well, in the name of the state, you're going to have to put you under arrest, Rogan. Well, on that perjury business? No. You killed Bigfoot. You don't say. $5,000, I suppose. And photo. Finally, come to what had happened. When you saw how you handled Eddie's bank defense. So, you had to kill him, too. You left that note about Eddie Banks to throw anybody off the fence. You have a good imagination, Governor. I don't think I have, Rogan. I'm quite unimaginative of the rules. So unimaginative, but I'm going to have a handwriting respect compare that note with your handwriting. I'm going to have finger protection going to have finger protection. Look for your fingerprint. Going to trace the note they found in Porto's heart. And I imagine I'll find some very interesting things there. Yes, I imagine you will, Governor. It's too bad you won't be able to do anything about them. Isn't it? Just what do you mean? You'll try to do anything to me for telling Porto and I'll ruin your whole career. You haven't cut this out yet, Governor. But you're going to see a great light. Don't dare touch me on Porto's murder because the minute you do, I confess Vicford's murder. So you really did kill Vicford? Sure, I killed him. And that's why you can't touch me for killing Porto. The third of you figure that's what. The minute I confess I killed Vicford, you're so washed up in politics you're a bum. Sure. The girl gave you all the dope straight. And you let an innocent man go to the elected chair. How does that make you look to the public, Governor? You not only look like a sap, but dangerous one. You can't touch me without smacking your whole career. You've been very smart about this, Governor. How many shots is the word? You played every angle, didn't you? I always play every angle, Governor. There's only one little thing we overlooked. What? This. I don't get it. You wouldn't have the nerve. And putting you under arrest for the murders of Porto just for a minute. And then one cancel everything. You can turn any banks loose now. Thank you. I don't get it. He was to be electrocuted at one minute past midnight. I know. Well, it's eight minutes past now. Eight minutes past midnight by my clock, Logan. What? I set my clock 15 minutes ahead tonight, Logan. 15 minutes past. I had my doubts about the boy's guilt even in spite of your bad pleading that is very factual. Yes, yes. Yes, that's it. You know going to disperne letting that reporter calm stuff know about this. He said I was stuffy. I don't think I'm stuffy at all. Do you, Logan?