 Mr. District Attorney, starring David Bryan. Mr. District Attorney, champion of the people, defender of truth, guardian of our fundamental rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And it shall be my duty as district attorney not only to prosecute to the limit of the law all persons accused of crimes perpetrated within this county but to defend with equal vigor the rights and privileges of all its citizens. This is David Bryan. In a moment we'll bring you another case from the files of Mr. District Attorney. But first the word from our sponsor. And now here is our star David Bryan as Paul Garrett, Mr. District Attorney. Bryan very often takes a customary pattern with old performers working in familiar ways using methods of operations that we already know about and can use in identifying the culprit and running him down. But newcomers are always moving in. Mostly young people foolish enough to believe that crime is the quick way to easy money. Newcomers full of fresh ideas on how to get away with it. Making it tough on your law enforcement officers. Creating new patterns and new problems such as you will hear about in the case that follows. Better slow down. Just a few more houses now. Okay next driveway. What time are you at? 11 o'clock on the nose. The plane will be over in a few seconds. Let's go. Come on Nican. Come along. Got the keys of tape ready? Right here. Sash weight? In my pocket. Need that to plane? Yeah. But take it easy up these steps. Where do you want the tape? Corner of the glass. Right over the lock. Right. Hurry up. Here comes the plane. I am hurrying. There. There it is. Give me the sash weight. Why didn't you do that? I swear when you were escaped that you were dead. Tom. No. You're not going to rob us. I said stay out of the way. There goes another body to the morgue. Two kids are without a mother. Did the medical examiner say the fall was the cause of death, Hanson? Yeah, he's pretty sure. But my money was downright murder. But Lieutenant Padway figures we might have trouble tying it in with the robberies. How about the heaven? Did he hear anything? Yeah, he didn't know a thing about it until the little boy's crying woke him up. How old are the children? Boy's nine. Little girl is three. Things like these really get you. You know, what I can't figure is how these crooks can break a window without waking up the whole block. I'd hate to try to get away with it. How about evaluation of the loss? Not much. Between four and five hundred dollars? Doesn't make much sense, does it? A woman loses her life because of a few hundred dollars. Padway isn't around, is he? No. No, he left before you got here. Check with him, will you, Harrington? Have him fit you in on any housebreakers working in this area. I'll see you later at the office. Hi, babe. What's good for lunch? What difference does it make? You'll still order a hamburger and french fries. I ain't you the one. Just without I'll order a hot dog. Don't pay any attention to him, Sally. Don't worry. Anyway, this is a high-class drive-in. We don't serve hot dogs. How'd it go last time? Not bad. We got some nice stuff. Come on around to my side, babe. I'll show you something. Well... Sometimes you talk too much as you... What do you mean? She's your girl, ain't she? Did you get any wristwatches? Gotta get back to work, Sally. That kind of man's giving you the cold eyes. Why don't you relax, my ass? Give her a break. Yeah, babe. Get a lot of this wine. Hey, that's swell. Start on. Cut it out, he can... She's gonna want to keep it. I sure am. This watch and me were made for each other. It's yours, babe. Like fat it is. Now, listen, Egan, we agreed to keep this stuff in freeze for three months till the heat's off. If you think I'm changing my mind about that, you're crazy. She's your girl, ain't she? Is your old girl gonna get us into trouble? Somebody could see the watch on her. Cops are smart. Give them one little lead, and they move in on you. Babe, you ought to go to work on this guy. If you were my girl... Knock it off, Egan. Well, you and me ain't gonna get along. Okay, okay. I'm sorry, babe, but the watch's half-ish. You can see how it is. I can see all right. You turn into a real miser. I told you how it was with this sally. You knew all along. And with this mouthy, stoop hadn't said anything, you wouldn't even be thinking about the watch. Oh, it's not so great anyway. Give me a few more weeks, baby, and I'll give you something that really shines. I got a better idea than that. What? Let me go with you on the next job. What are you talking about? I mean it. I could be a real help to you boys. I want to make some real money, too. I'm sick of working in this hamburger roundhouse. Oh, forget it. Just forget it. I think it might be a good idea, Myers. You think? You never think at all. That's the trouble. She's not coming with us. And I don't want to talk about it anymore. Bring me a hamburger sally well done with fries and coffee. You heard the man, babe. Yeah. I heard him. Chief in this office? Yes, he just came in. All right, Egan. What did you find out? Well, two or three different hoods have been breaking and entering around the city. But not with the same M.O. as last night's job. Well, it looks as though we're dealing with newcomers. Yeah, and that can be tough. It means no chance of getting a run down on their identification. Probably young ones, aren't you? Yeah, the crazy kind. Full of phony ideas about easy money, cleaning up in a hurry. They can be the most dangerous kind, too. Carrying weapons for the first time. Yeah. Jump in, ready to kill without giving it a thought. And you get a chance to check around the neighborhood again. Well, I talked to the folks who live on both sides of the house. One of them was, well, he's an old man who doesn't sleep very well. Says he had a car stop out in front of his place about the time this must have happened. Did he invest again? No. No, he says he didn't pay much attention. But he told me one thing that could be important. He said that dead woman was like him. She wasn't a good sleeper. So maybe she had these crooks and got up to see what was going on. Which means she probably didn't fall down those stairs by accident. Yeah, that's the way I figured it. Oh, and I found out something else, too. What's that? I checked through that neighborhood and ran into a fella who thinks he saw the crooks. He stepped down on his porch to get a breath of air and noticed a couple of men walking up the street across from him. Then he got busy watching a big airline go over. You heard one of those planes this morning. They make a lot of noise. Yeah. You had a yell at me and I was standing right next to you. Drowns out everything. You're in the crash of breaking glass. Huh? That could be the MO of this new team, Heingen. They're using the sound of those planes to cover the noise they make when they break into a place. I'll be a son of a gun. Chief, I'll bet you're right. That woman was probably a very light sleeper and happened to hear them after they got in. I got a report from the coroner's office on that woman, Mr. Garrett. I just finished typing it up. A caring came in here. Thanks, Miss Miller. Listen to this, Heingen. A bruise under left eye of victim incurred before death suggests she may have been struck and knocked downstairs instead of fallen. That would make a murder, chief. It certainly would. Miss Miller. Yes, Mr. Garrett. Call the airport. Find out the exact time each airliner takes off. Yes, sir. I think I've got that number right here on the side. You got a plan, chief? I've got a plan. Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you and Myers were going out on a job tonight. We are. We've been picking them up in 15 minutes. What are you doing here, then? I thought maybe you still wanted to come along. I do. But you heard what Myers said. So Myers don't like it, so what? You show up with me, what can he do about it? Gosh, I don't know, Heingen. Which matter, you're scared? I'll take good care of you, babe. I bet you will at that, Heingen. Sure, I will. You want to come along or not? I'm working the middle shift. I'm due to be off in a few minutes anyway. Wait a second, I'll get my coat. About time you got here, I've been... Wait a second. What is this? Careful, Myers. The kid wants to come along. I figure she can be a help, so I let him. I don't want her in on it. I told you that. Why? Just tell me why. I told you already a dozen times. You said yourself we could use a lookout. Not her. Oh, come on, Myers. Let me go along. Shut up and get out of that car. Look, Myers, you're wasting your breath. She's going with us. Sally, are you going to get out of that car or do I yank you out? You stay right here, babe. I said she gets out in nine minutes. How? Let me go, you big moot. Get your paws off of her. She's staying here. And you've been begging for something, and here's where you get it. Why you... What a punch. He's out cold. Tim is a ten-watt bulb. Get back in the car, babe. What about Myers? You care? No. Well, let him lay there then. You afraid of cops, babe? What a question. Suppose you had a gun the cop tried to put the pinch on you. What would you do? What do you think? All right, kid. Where are we going? We're going to take care of that job we got planned. You and me. This is David Bryan. Before we continue with Mr. District Attorney in the case of the staircase killer, here's an important message I'd like you to hear. And now back to David Bryan starring as Paul Garrett, Mr. District Attorney. A home had been broken into and robbed, with the cooks doing their work while the family slept. We figured that they had been able to do this under cover of sound from an airliner that passed overhead at the same time every night. The take hadn't amounted to very much between four or five hundred dollars worth of jewelry. But the wife and mother of the house was dead of a broken neck. And indications were that she had lost her life by being knocked down her own staircase. Investigation had disclosed that the thieves were newcomers to the profession of burglary. It was probable that they would strike again, so Harrington and I were cruising the neighborhood waiting for them. What time is it now, Chief? Ten forty-five. Fifteen minutes before that plane takes off. Well, if my hunch is right, we know when. I wish we knew where. This isn't such a big neighborhood. We know it's a couple of guys. Turn the next corner hide. Oh, I've changed so many corners, I'm beginning to feel dizzy. The worst of it is they all look alike. You'll just have to keep cruising. We almost there, Eagan? Almost there. You getting eager? I sure am. This is living. You're all right, babe. You're all right. We getting close? Yeah, this is a block. Not bad. There ought to be some good stuff on a street like this. Sure, we'll do all right. This one? No, it's five or six places back, but I'll walk. No sense in stopping right in front of the joint. Okay, let's go. I'll go. You're staying in the car. Oh, come on, Eagan. Nothing doing. There's people in that house. If they spot me, I want you to have this car ready to move when I come out. Well, one more thing, babe. If a prowl car comes by and gets nosy, save that toughness of yours. Telling the batteries down has come to give you a push. Okay, Eagan. Bring me back something nice. Special order, babe. Special order. How many more minutes for the plane, chief? Just a couple now. Turn here. How about that makes 50 corners I've taken. You know, driving like this gets on my nerves. Would you rather do it on foot? With my dogs? I'd rather do it on my hands. Hold it, Hanson. What's the matter? Make up a little. Don't get what it is yet. Oh, I see. Let's start our check. Waiting for someone, miss? The man of the hour. I've been waiting for you, mister. You what? You couldn't have come along at a better time. My battery is just given its last dying kick. I need a push. I see. You live around here? No, I was just driving by, and some creep came barreling out of a driveway right in front of me. I had to stop so fast I stole this thing. And I tried to start it with a lights on. Clunk. Well, I guess we can get you going. Thanks, mister. Battery's dead. Back up a little and we'll give her a push. Hey. Listen. The plane. Yeah. Looks like we wasted our time. If those guys are waiting tonight, it must be on some other street. If you read the papers, too. Yes, another fancy job of burglary. And on the same street where we pushed that girl's car. Yeah, nobody could hate this time. But I figure I goofed anyway. Well, I was so busy thinking about two men that I didn't check her license plates. And we haven't lost her, Harrington. She had on a waitress's uniform under her coat, pale green with a yellow collar and trim. Hey, that's a good lead. I just hope it pays off. Make a check of the whole area. Take in every cafe, drive-in, and hamburger stand till you find out where they use that color combination. Okay, Chief, I'll get on it right away. Oh, it's you. You gonna ask me in? Come in. What do you want? I wanna talk to you. Better make it short. I gotta go to work. Work? What are you talking about? You're going back to the plant. Oh, listen, my ears make sense. You hate that place and you know it. You and me can still pull together. I don't think so, Egan. What is it, the dame? If I had a girl who left me lying on the sidewalk, I'd be glad to lose her. I already told myself that. So you find yourself another one. The town's full of dames. What about you and Sally? What about us? Kid's a real good lookout. She brushed off a prowl car while I was loading up last night. You went through with the job? Sure. But we could have done a lot better if you'd been with us. How about latching on again? You get your cut of what we got last night. Well, uh... Come on, Myers, we figured the next job for our biggest. Remember? Yeah, I remember. Here, hand me that phone. What are you gonna do? I'm gonna call a plant and tell them you've changed your mind. Now, just about time we called it a day, Miss Miller. It's after five o'clock. Well, I guess so, Mr. Garrett. He look a little tired. I hope he gets some rest tonight. I've been expecting to hear from Harrington, but I guess he's not going to call in. I was hoping he'd be able to locate that girl, but... District Attorney's Office. Hello, Miss Miller. Is the chief con yet? No, he's right here, Harrington. Hold on. Hello, Harrington. Where are you? Hello, Chief. I'm in a drugstore on the corner of Bentley Street and Lake Avenue. I found out where the girl works. Good. It's Fat Joe's driving right across the street. Is the girl there? Well, it's kind of fouled up. The girls have been swapping shifts with each other. She's supposed to come on at eight and wait till midnight. Do you want me to question her? Well, let's save that for a while, Harrington. Just hang around. I'll join you there later. Well, there goes your good night's rest. Hmm, Harrington's rest, too. We'd like to crack this case if we can. It might save other people from dying violently. You ready to leave? Yes, sir. Hi, Chief. No, you must be tired. It hasn't exactly been a short day. You're going to have to take some time off. I'd ought to go for you, too. See the girl? She seems to be working like a beaver here. She certainly doesn't act like a doll with a load of stolen loot. Could be that we're wasting our time, Harrington. Hey, look, behind us. Is that the car we pushed last night? That's that one. Two men in there, huh? Yeah. You think we should talk to him? How much weight? I'd better move off to one side so she doesn't see us. Get in, Harrington. I've been wondering if you'd come in tonight. See who I got with me? I see. How are you, Myers? I'm okay. Listen, babe, we're going through with the job tonight after all. Me and Myers. You want to make it or not? Sure, I want to make it. Wait a second. I'll tell the boss. The heck with the boss. He'll only bore me out anyway. Let's go. Nifty, huh? Real nifty. Are you sure there's nobody home here, Egan? I'm positive. That's why I figured we didn't need the babe for a lookout. The three of us can get all the more loot. Okay. Where do we start? Upstairs. That's where they always keep the bangles, baubles, and beads. Come on. Pretty sure themselves, aren't they? Took the girl into the house with them. They must have known they'd be knowing at home. But that many of them, we'd better put a ring around the place, Harrington. Good idea. I'll hit the talk box for some help. Car 36 calling control. Car 36 calling control. Car 36 calling control. Why don't you get the phone, Myers? You went to that and we could be in trouble. Yeah. I guess you're right. It's better. Relax, babe. With this load of loot, you can have a lot of fun for a long time. I say we get out of here. It's okay by me. We got everything, but the kitchen's sinking. Like somewhere? Cops! Think you got him, Egan? I don't know. I hope so, but I don't know. You're all through there. We've got the place around it. Came off for you in the last ones. Better come over with your hands up. Myers, take a look outside. He's right, Egan. We're finished. Not me. I'm coming through, coppers! Now, just get your face to the wall. And you two, line up there with him. I said you weren't playing that smart, Egan. I told you. I wasn't in on all these things, Mr. Honest. She's telling the truth, Mr. She wasn't in on the first one. I told that woman by knocking her down the stairs. I wasn't the one who did that. Shut your face, Myers! It'll all come out anyway, Egan, and I didn't do it. You know that. Killed somebody? Did they kill somebody? Don't you ever read the papers, Miss? Sometimes I read them. But you've been too busy lately, is that it? Well, you'd better read them for the next couple of days. You'll find out what kind of trouble you're in. Let's get these people outside, Harrington. This is David Bryan. I hope you enjoy this case from the files of Mr. District Attorney. I'll be back in just a moment after this message from our sponsor. Now, here is the star of Mr. District Attorney, David Bryan, with a word about the program you have just heard. This was the case that made the headlines. The two men we called Egan and Myers were tried and convicted of first-degree murder. Sally, the drive-in waitress, is now serving a sentence for burglary. And now this is David Bryan inviting you to join us when we present our next case based on the facts of crime from the file of Mr. District Attorney. Mr. District Attorney was originated by Phillips H. Lawrence.