 The Linux show starring Nick Carter, master detective, presented by ACME, America's great producer of fine quality paint. This is the story of a man known the world over as one of the most daring and resourceful characters in the history of detective fiction. A man whose name has become a symbol of the triumph of right and justice over the sinister forces of crime and lawlessness. A man recognized as one of the great masters of deduction. Nick Carter, master detective. A strange case, the haunted rocking chair. Another exciting chapter dramatized from the life story of Nick Carter. In just a moment we'll hear how Nick Carter investigated the old chair which was supposed to rock whenever anyone in the Trumbull family was due to die. And how he solved the mysterious death of a famous artist. You know it pays to keep up with the world. And homemakers throughout America are learning how well it pays to keep up with modern homemaking methods. For they now have their homes sparkling with new beauty and they save hours of time each week with those three great Linux home brightness. Linux clear gloss, Linux cream polish and Linux self polishing wax. Linux clear gloss which is brushed on gives lustrous longer lasting protection to every wood and linoleum surface. Linux cream polish which cleans as it polishes renews the sleek gleaming beauty of fine furniture. And Linux self polishing wax the amazing new wax finish lends rich satiny loveliness to any floor wood linoleum or tile. Take the modern homemakers shortcut to furniture floor and woodwork care. Help your home look its best and give yourself the greatest leisure with the three great Linux home brightness. You'll find them all at your hardware, paint or department store. Your headquarters also for chemtone, the miracle wall vintage. And now for today's exciting case from the life of Nick Carter. Once again we keep our weekly appointment which takes us to the sedate old Victorian mansion on the corner of Fifth and Fourth. It is late afternoon. The long shadows fall across the quiet streets. A solitary flower peddler ambles slowly down the block. His horse follows sedately pulling a dilapidated truck full of pottered geraniums and petunias. The peddler is exercising a fine Italian tenor voice with a nicer young lady as a home. This is a coming day. A good afternoon, Miss Patsy. Hello Tony. Hot garibaldi. Oh, it's fine. Tony, have you got any climbing roses? We lost our, you know, wintercales. No. That's too bad. It's a shame too. You want a pole of scarlet or that new dawn or a blazer maybe? Well, I don't got them today, but I'm gonna get them for you. Good. We'll take one of each. Miss Patsy and your boss, he's home maybe? You mean Mr. Carter? Yes. Yes, he's upstairs in the laboratory. You ask him, please, can he see Tony? Well, it's after office hours, Tony. I gotta see him, Miss Patsy. Please, I gotta see him. What's it about? My sister, Maria. She's afraid. She's got afraid to death. What are you afraid of, Tony? A rocking chair. What? A rocking chair that belonged to an old lady. And this old lady is dead a long time ago. But some time she's a comeback. She sits in the rocking chair in a rock, in a rock, in a rock. And every time she's a rock, somebody gets dead. Hmm, that sounds promising. Suppose you tell me all about it, Tony. Then I'll see if I can't persuade Mr. Carter to pay your sister a visit and investigate that rocking chair. Oh, but, Nick, you could do with some fresh air. We could rent a speedboat and take her run up the sound. The island where Tony's sister lives isn't very far beyond Hellgate. How does Tony's sister happen to be living in an island the other side of Hellgate? It's the old Trumbull estate, Shipwreck Island. Tony's sister, Maria, is the housekeeper for Eric Trumbull, the famous painter who lives there now. Hmm, I see. The old house has been in the Trumbull family for three generations. It was built by Obadiah Trumbull, an old sea captain who was suspected of being a freebooter at the time of the Civil War. The old boy had four wives. In succession, I hope. Oh, but of course. Now, where does the rocking chair come in? Oh, that belonged to the last of old Obadiah's wives. He brought her home as sort of an afterthought when all the children of his other wives had grown up. They hated it. Too little with skin the color of dark ivory and her face was sort of like a monkey. Some say she was a creole and others claim she was Portuguese. At any rate, she talked with an accent and claimed to have the powers of a voodoo witch doctor. Probably hated her because they were afraid of her. Probably. Now, sooner was Obadiah safely in his grave than the children turned on her. Eric's father, who was the eldest, had her declared insane. Nice people. She was locked up in an attic room and fed three times a day, but no one ever spoke to her and she never came out of that room. No one would have known she was there if it hadn't been for that rocking chair. They could hear it creaking all hours of the day and night. After nearly 30 years, she was suddenly taken very ill. When she found she was going to die, she asked them to send for Eric's father. It was a nasty night with the wind howling about you. Entrez, come in, stupid. So you have come in. The doctor is for you. I am about to die. And you think at last you will be rid of me? Listen, you fool. You will never be rid of me. I will return sometimes and sit in that rocking chair where I have spent so many lonely years. You will not see me, but I will be there. Sometimes the chair will rock and that will mean there is to be a death in this family. There is about to be a death. And now I think, yes, see, the chair already starts to sway. This time it predicts my death, but it will rock for you, all of you. Rocks faster and faster, she died. Eric's father saw it. Probably a form of self-induced hypnosis brought about by the old girl's suggestion. Possibly. The rocking chair heard from again? Yes, every now and then. But the funny part is that almost every time, according to Tony's sister, someone in the family died within the year. A family that size, just by the law of average, is someone who has to die within the year, whether the rocking chair rocked or not. Well, I hadn't thought of it that way, Nick. Anybody living in the old house now, except Eric and Tony's sister? No. They came back a little over a year ago. Eric was too broke to live anywhere else. Has Tony's sister ever heard the famous rocking chair? Not until lately. Seems that everything was going along as well as could be expected until Captain Ralph Trumbull, Eric Trumbull's cousin, and his wife moved in. I gather the Captain's wife is very attractive. And the Captain isn't always home, and Eric is a notorious ladies' man. That's about the size of it. And to top off the whole thing, the rocking chair seems to have started to rock again. Well, what do you expect me to do? I just want you to find out what makes that rocking chair rock so Tony's sister can stop being frightened. All right, I'll look into it. If you can get them to rent us that new speedboat. But remember, I don't want any hard-boiled eggs in my lunch. We're coming. You'll be waiting for us on the dock. That must be the island up ahead, Nick. Well, you look at that house. It's got everything. You'll be loved. Waiter's walking. I'll bet there's even an iron deer on the front lawn. And I could certainly use a coat of paint. She's not exactly what you'd call a silk, is she? Oh, hand me that line, will you? Secretary. Oh, good. Give me your hand. I'll help you. Thank you. Be careful, please. So many of these boards are so old. OK. We'll be careful. Well, Maria, how about it? You think I can get a look at this notorious rocking chair that's causing all the trouble? See, that's easy. The Captain is away on a cruise. He won't be back until next week. Mr. Eric and the Captain's wife are in the studio. He's painting a picture. Painting a picture, is it? What's wrong with that? Oh, he's always painting her when the Captain is away. The studio's in the front on the second floor. The rumor with the rock and the chairs on the third floor over the kitchen. We'll take it the backstay. No one will see us. It has not been entered since Mr. Eric's father was found hanging to the rafters, and they threw the key into the well. Is there any way we can crawl in through a window? No. The only window is two floors above the roof of the kitchen. There's a tree out the side, but the branches are too small to hold anybody. Then I'll have to pick the lock. That shouldn't be much of a job with my pick lock. Those old houses are quiet. You almost feel it breathe. Wish it went so dark out here. Nick, Nick, you hear that? Santa Madonna, this is the chair again. The rocks. Someone want to die. Someone want to die. Quiet. The lock isn't as simple as it looks. Well, that didn't tick. The room is empty. Look, over there right beside the window, the rock is still rocking, and there's dust all over everything. There should be prints of some sort. But there aren't, Nick. Not a mark on the floor anywhere. The spirits are leaving no footprints. Now, the window. Little pain at the lower left-hand corner is missing. But the window is a locked pipe. Nobody could crawl through an opening so little as that. Nick, the cushion. The cushion on this chair is still warm. Where? Santa Maria, this is the captain. He's come home. He's looking for his wife. You better run down, Maria. See if you can stall him. Say that. And find your woman. You better handle her. A locked room and a rocking chair that rocks all by itself. With nobody around to set it rocking. And an angry captain trying to find his missing wife. How can Nick put all these things together and get the right answer? We'll see in just a moment. The things you learn firsthand are the things you really know best. That's why women who have used the new Linux self-polishing wax are so enthusiastic about it. For they've found how different, how perfect a quick-drying wax can be. They've learned what's sparkling new beauty, new protection, new skid resistance that gives their floors and linoleum. Developed by leading research chemists to give you the best, the formula of Linux self-polishing wax is completely new. It has the highest possible content of genuine carnauba wax, lending handsome appearance, lasting protection, real anti-skid finish to every household floor surface. The underwriters' laboratories have actually proved that linoleum, hardwood and rubber tile are less slippery after application of Linux self-polishing wax. The minute you walk where it's been applied, you can tell the difference. What's more, Linux self-polishing wax dries quickly to a satiny luster without tiresome rubbing. And it takes only a jiffy to wipe on. So follow the example of wise American homemakers use genuine Linux self-polishing wax. And remember when you want a modern finish of the brush on type to give even longer lasting protection, get Linux clear gloss, which dries overnight to a beautiful gloss finish that lasts amazingly. Whichever you prefer, Linux self-polishing wax or Linux clear gloss, you get the finest product of its kind when you ask for it by name, Linux. You'll find all three great Linux home brighteners and Chemtone, the miracle wall finish that dries in one hour, at hardware, paint and department stores everywhere. And now back to our story. Investigating an old house in which an ancient rocking chair started rocking without any cause or reason, Nick runs into a complicated set of circumstances. Eric Trumbull is painting a portrait of the captain's beautiful young wife, much against the captain's wishes. And Maria, Eric's Italian housekeeper, is scared of both the rocking chair and the quick-tempered captain. As we pick up our story, the captain is storming through the house looking for his wife. Maria, Maria! Oh, there you are. Where in thunder is my wife? Is she not in her room, Captain Trumbull? You know, blame well she's not. I remember now she's gone to the mainland to do the marketing. Yeah, now she hasn't. Her hat's right here on the table. And the rowboat's tied up to the dock. Well, maybe she got a lift. Who in places are you two? Just friends of Maria's brother. The Trumbulls don't like visitors. Captain Trumbull, don't you think you're a bit casey? Suppose your wife is posing for Eric Trumbull. Lots of perfectly nice women model these things. Not my wife. That's the door of his studio. Eric! Eric, open up! I know my wife's in there. Open this door or I'll break it down. All right, all right. Really, Ralph, you have to be so boisterous. You're not yelling into a gale, you know. Where are you, Claire? Well, Ralph, this is too naughty of you. I was having my portrait painted for your birthday as a surprise. There it is. Eric, I told you to keep away from my wife. But when I come back unexpectedly, I find you both in the studio with a door locked. Oh, don't be so Victorian, darling. Eric hates to be interrupted when he's painting. Yes, now do go away, old boy, so we can get out of the portrait. The blade is over the portrait. You'll never do any more painting on this canvas. You're making a fairing a picture of a train. Well, I'll get old C. Belginley. Ralph, I hope you realize you've destroyed a priceless work of art. Don't worry, I'll pay you for it. Although I have my doubts about how priceless it is, Claire, get your things together. We're leaving this house. No. This minute. Miss Bowen and I will be delighted to take you to the mainland with us. Good. You go ahead. I'll join you on the dock as soon as I've made out a check for my cousin's priceless work of art. We just left it a short while ago. I know it, Pat, but I got to thinking. Eric Trumbull may not be the nicest guy in the world, but I'd hate to see anything happen to him. I think it ought to be fair to warn him. Warn him about what? About the captain's crazy jealousy. From the things he said as we were taking him and his wife back to the mainland, I suddenly realized how intensely he hates Eric. I don't think Eric realizes it. Good grief, Locke. Tied up to the tumble dock. It's a police launch. Yes. But too late, Patsy. What a fool I was not to come back right away. Oh, Nick, look. There's Lieutenant Riley standing on the breakwater. Something serious must have happened that he's been called in. Oh, oh, there, Nick. It's not should be back when you heard the news. But you're too late, everybody. The whole thing's solved. What's all of, Lieutenant? Eric Trumbull's death? I was afraid of that. What happened? Hanged himself, he did. We were just waiting for the photographers to finish before we cut him down. No, Riley, don't touch him. Don't touch a thing. Do I have a chance to see him? This isn't suicide. It's murder. Would you mind telling me why you're so sure that he is suicide? Because Eric Trumbull was psychologically incapable of killing himself. Do you think the captain came back and did it, Nick? No. The captain wouldn't have hanged him. Now, if he'd been beaten to death. Couldn't. What for? Where's the housekeeper? The room's just down the hall a bit here. Maria. Taking it awful hard, she is. OK, Nick, after you. Beat clear the ground by bare six inches. Six inches is enough. Medical examiner took a look at him and says it's death-based triangulation, me by no mistake. I'm not doubting that. Is there nothing to touch, Riley? Not a thing, Nick. And it's definitely murder. No, you don't, Nick. Just take a look at this here suicide note pinned there on his chest. I can't live without her, and I won't. I'm very troubled. That's me, boy, he's in his own head writing. Checks with the writing we found in his diary. It's possible that this is only part of a piece of paper. The upper part missing. So what? It's a suicide note. That's enough for me. Riley, if a man's going to commit suicide, he has to stand on something. Box, chair, even a few books, and then kick them away from him. But there's nothing here. Nothing within 15 feet of the spot with the bodies hanging. You're right. Consequently, Trumbull was strung up by someone else. Someone who threw the rope over that beam, hauled the body up, and then tied the rope to that bracket. I'm in another way to me. What would Mr. Trumbull be doing all that while? There's no signs of a struggle here. Probably because the murderer was careful to sneak up behind him and knock him unconscious first. Your medical examiner will take a good look, Riley. I think you'll discover a lump at the base of the brain somewhere. I'd better go and talk to him. Who would ever think of looking for a lump on the head for the day he was hiding in there? Nick? Nick, will you come out in the hall a minute? Right away, Patsy. And as I am, pin the so-called suicide note. All right. What's up? It's Maria here. She wants to talk to you. Mr. Carter, please. I hear what you said that it is not the suicide. Is that the truth? I'm afraid so, Maria. I know it. I know it. It was the captain. They had a terrible battle fight after you left to go to the boat this morning. Maria, what makes you so sure that Captain Trumbull killed his cousin? Is that the note you have in your hand? It's part of a letter Mr. Eric sent three days ago to New Bedford where the captain's ship had gone. Mr. Eric was in love with the captain's wife. He was bent on a picture of her. Yes, we know that. He did it then. I know it, so why don't you wait it on the dock? We were there less than five minutes. The captain is so strong. For him, a five minutes is a plenty. What makes you so sure it wasn't somebody else? Somebody who came to the island after we left. Because nobody came. When you are gone, I lock all of the doors in a window. I go to the kitchen to pick Mr. Eric's lunch. When I take it up to him, I find him like that. And you're sure no one else was here? You didn't open the door to anyone? I sway on the Bible. Tell me, Maria, why did you kill Eric? You think I did it? No, you're wrong. It was the captain that let the prove him. The captain didn't do it, Maria, for two reasons. One, the letter, though undoubtedly written by Eric, was never sent. But Nick, how could you possibly know that? Because this torn suicide note covers more than half a sheet of note paper. Any letter that's gone through the mail has been folded at least once. This one was never folded. Consequently, never sent. That's the second and the most important reason. As we left the island this morning with the captain and his wife, I happened to take a look at the house. Eric Trumbull, alive and healthy, was glaring at us from his studio window. No, no! Consequently, Maria, since no one entered the house after we left, and since you were alone with Eric Trumbull, the only person who can possibly be responsible for his death is you, Maria. Your last name is Trumbull, isn't it? Yes. Maria Trumbull. I was Eric's wife. That's why I killed him. Yes. Had an idea of that was the reason. He married me 20 years ago in Sorrento when I nursed him back up from the bed. Though in all this time, no one has ever known. I sold my house in a my little farm. It was that money paid for his first exhibition. I do not begrudge him that. He was a genius, senior. They are not like other men. After a little while, I did not even imagine he's a lover face. So long as it was only his model. You see, I knew they would not last long, Maria. But at this time, it was different. The captain's wife, she was the woman of his own class. He wanted her to divorce the captain and marry him. He don't know what would become of me. And it was this afternoon when I found out later he was writing to the captain. I know it was over between us. I know he was through with me. After all the hardships, all of the insults, something inside of me burned a strange in the core. And I killed him. I am not sorry. You think that is strange. No, I got the Berkey losses. In the sixth month, I'll be dead. Well, Nick, you're right again. He found a lump as big as an egg behind his left ear. You got any idea who could have done it? Maria knows, Rally. She was Eric's wife. I have no doubt she'll be glad to tell you whatever you wish to know. In just a moment, Nick will be back to give you the final details of today's story and tell you what caused the rocking of the haunted rocking chair. You and your family take pride in your home, of course. That's why you keep it bright and sparkling. And the finest household health you can find are the three great Linux home brightness. Take Linux Cream Polish, for instance. What a health it is in keeping your fine furniture lovely. Because it cleans as it polishes, Linux Cream Polish erases finger marks, removes deposits of dust and old polish, helps conceal scratches, all in one quick easy application. And it leaves a lovely gleaming luster that brings pride to the heart of any homemaker. What's more, Linux Cream Polish leaves no surface oil to attract more dust to make more work. So save half the time, half the fuss of furniture upkeep. Care for your furniture the modern way. With Linux Cream Polish, the up-to-date shortcut to furniture protection. Get it at your dealers now. Linux Cream Polish, which saves one whole step in your cleaning day routine. You'll find all three great Linux home brightness, Linux self-polishing wax, Linux Cream Polish, and Linux Clear Gloss at your nearest hardware, paint, or department store. Your headquarters also for ChemTone, the modern wall finish that beautifully decorates the average room for only 298. Make it a point too to stop at your nearest war bond headquarters for that extra war bond. It takes money as well as men to finish this war. The men are doing the big job overseas. Let's do our job over here to raise the money now during the mighty seventh war loan drive. Invest all you can in your future and America's. And now let's hear from Nick Carter himself. Nick, what happened to Maria? Did Riley arrest her? Yes, Kenny did, but she died before she could be brought to trial. What about the rocking chair? After considerable observation, we found out it was just a trumbled cat. They used to climb up the trees, jump through the broken pane and into the chair, which stood right beside the window. She'd sit there in the old chair and wash herself and her movement would make the old chair rock. But how come the cat just started recently to sit in the old chair like that? We learned it was only recently that the cat came to live at the house. Disgustingly simple when you know the answers. That's what I always say. And Nick always laughs at me when I say it, but it's true. What's about your story for next week, Nick? Got a couple of not-too-well-vailed hints on that one? Well, I don't see why not, Ken. Patsy and I were taking a shortcut through the park one day in my car. Which is more like a police squad car than a pleasure car. When we heard a police call over the radio, directing the nearest squad car to a certain address to take care of a dead body. And were we interested to find that the address where the body had been found was our own office at 4th and 5th? Well, that sounds like an interesting start to a story. And when the band of thieves kidnapped me and tried to... No, hold it, Patsy. Say something for next week. Well, Nick, what do you call a story? The body on the doorstep. Nick Carter, master detective, is copyrighted by Street and Smith Publications Incorporated. Lawn Clark is starred as Nick with Helen Chote as Patsy. Original music is played by Lou White. The programs are written by Edith Meiser, and any resemblance there into actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental. The entire production is under the direction of Jacques McGregor. Nick Carter, master detective, is presented at this time and over these same stations each week by the three great Linux home brightness. Linux Clear Gloss, Linux Cream Polish, and Linux Self-Polishing Wax, created by Acme, America's great producer of Acme's fine quality paint. This is Ken Powell speaking for the thousands of Linux dealers all over America and saying so long until next week. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.