 What is it? Another case for Nick Carter, Master Detective. Yes, it's another case for that most famous of all man hunters. The detective's visibility at solving crime is unequaled in the history of detective fiction. Nick Carter, Master Detective. Today's curious adventure, strands of murder. Or Nick Carter, the mystery of the Grecian daggers. And now for today's mysterious adventure with Nick Carter. As we commence today's story, we find Nick and Patsy strolling through one of the streets in the West 40s in the heart of the theater district. It's mid-afternoon. Gosh, Nick, couldn't certainly look different here in the theater district in the daytime, don't you? Crew it up, Patsy. But if we only knew what's going on behind the walls of some of these theaters along here, we might find mystery and excitement right now, even in broad daylight. For instance, look over there in front of the Rizzdale Theater. What? Oh, yes, that's Raleigh's official car, isn't it? Certainly is. There's one of his men on guard at the front door of the theater. Oh, come on, Nick, let's see what's doing. Well, that's a theater where Rizzdale's rehearsing his new super-colossal spectacle play, The Sacrifice, if I remember correctly. Oh, that's right, Nick. Lee or Fane, Fane Lee. There are three leading women. Mara Dobre, Lita Lindman, and Bella Clair. Gosh, I bet there's going to be a super-duper when it opens. Easy, Patsy. See if I know this man on guard here. Hmm, no, I don't. You can get inside here. Go tell him where you are. Maybe Raleigh doesn't want us inside. We better play it safe. I have an idea. You wait here a second. OK, good luck to you. This will be easy. We'll be saying hello to Raleigh in just a minute. Hey, fella, is that your car out there? Yeah. So what? You mind if the kids let air out of the tires? What? Say if those kids are playing around with those tires. Come on, Patsy. Let's throw them and see what Raleigh's doing here. Right with you, Nick. Oh, gosh, Nick. Isn't this the swankest theater you ever saw? Yeah. And the decorations cost $20,000. Oh, my God. You built the theater, you know, to house this super terrific production. Well, let's see what's inside. Oh, gosh, I'll put his excitement in here. Come on, let's find Raleigh and see what goes on. The wonderful scene you're directing here, Raleigh. This part of a new show? Carter, what the devil are you doing here? Patsy, quiet those women down with you. OK, I'll take it. When you tell me, Nick, how you got in here, I gave orders to go. I got in by the simple laws of cause and effect, Raleigh. I don't get it. Very simple. I called your man at the door to leave his post, and then I effected an entrance. Somebody ought to teach you not to stick your nose in what it ain't wanted. But now that it is stuck in, well, all right. But, you know, this is my case, and I don't want no interference and no middling. I don't want your face, Nick. I think it has been a murder. What and where? The deceased is neoprene. A medical, sweetheart, and cartoon's gift to women. In the party, you'll bump them off. I'll kill them. Leave a linman, get in. Mr. Clare. Why don't you say something? Come on, now. Come on. You'll get killed. Well, right there. Did Prane act so badly you had to kill him to teach him a lesson? Oh, this is awful, Mr. Carter. I'm low, and this will finish me as a producer. Everything I have in the world is sunk in this place. I lose my theory, too. Oh, it's the end of everything for me. Oh, come on, put yourself together, man. Rumor can be believed. You won't lose as much as all that. Haven't I heard that you have your stars ensured against that thing? Oh, sure, the big stars, yes. Prane's appearance in the show is ensured to $50,000. I admire that braze. I've already put a lot more than $50,000 into this thing. Oh, but you get over it. I think without losing the play alone, I would have grossed a million with Prane in the lead. The part was written for him. You can't go in without him. I hope it's not as bad as all that. Now, tell me what happened. OK. Leo Prane was stabbed half an hour ago. There were only seven people in the theater. Three women, Bella Clare, Myra Debray, Lita Lindman. Four men, Prane, my stage manager, the door man of myself. And he was on the way to my office when he was killed. Just the foot of the stairs leading to my office. Back stage there. Any idea who would have been interested in seeing him killed? I think Prane has fought with everyone here at some time or another this afternoon. Lindman fought with him, Myra fought with him, Bella and he had a big argument. He even had an argument with a stage manager. How about you? You fight with him, too? I would have liked nothing better, but I didn't. Actually, I'd enough to handle anyway without fighting with him. Well, how about showing me the victim, Rizale? Very well. Come on, this way. Hey, Titans, keep order here while we're gone. George, does anybody need the stage till we get back? Yes, sir. Now, show Nick your body, Rizale. Well, Alie, I never expected to find you in a motor case without all those so-called experts you have down his head corners. We have three bump-ups in the Bronx and two in Brooklyn. Everybody's busy. Anyway, I don't need them. Here we are. This little alcohol that we put at the stage, huh? I'll hold his trick and back for you to see him. Hmm. Leo Prane has certainly taken his last bow. Very pretty space, Mr. Carter, but not very helpful. Thought I wasn't supposed to be helpful. Well, you don't have to stand around for nothing now that you're here. Oh, here's where it looked to me. I was in my office. I had sent word to friend to meet me there. He was just about to go up the stairs and he met somebody and stopped to talk with him. Probably one of the women, I should say. Why'd you say that? Because I had doubt if Prane would have stopped to talk to a man, but he always had time for a woman. Also, a woman could have been holding a dagger in her hand, and he'd never noticed it, because it was part of all the women's costumes in this act. While he was talking to her, she stabbed him, and he fell back into that chair where he is now. Then she pulled a curtain across the alcove and went back to her dressing room. Who would say the dagger that was used on Prane is part of the costume? Yes. All the women wore them in their hair for the big sacrifice scene. Oh, so there were a lot of them all alike, eh? All identically the same. How many did they be all together? That's here, three, six, eight, nine, nine and all. Reddale, you said you thought a woman killed Prane. This would certainly prove your statement. Why? What did that mean? Two long black hairs, caught in the handle of this dagger and Prane's head. Then it was a woman, did it? Well, a woman is back here. Let's leave the limin' out. She's a blonde. Sure, she's a hair. Give me them hairs, make their evidence. Thanks. Yes, sir. We have Prane's witch to the women, has black hair and a jealous disposition, and we've got the killer. Now, let's take up on those daggers, please. Reddale, where's the dressing room? Down here, Lieutenant. Wasn't Ella Clair's dagger in her hair when I saw her on the stage a few minutes ago? Yes, she's still in costume. The other daggers ought to be here. This is Linman's dressing room. There's her dagger on the dressing table, please. Which leaves Mother Debrae's dagger. Nothing counted for her. Well, Debrae's dressing room's over here. And there on the table, Lieutenant, is another pretty silver dagger. Oh, well, what do you know? Just this, Raleigh. If one of those three women did it, she didn't use her own dagger. But where did the extra dagger come from? It could have been one of the chorus daggers. Or the killer could have used her own dagger and then borrowed one from the chorus to replace hers. Sure, Lieutenant. And let's see if one of the chorus daggers is missing. Over here, Lieutenant. They're all there on the dressing table. Let's see. Five, seven, eight. No, seven. You said this would be nine, Rizdale. That leaves two missing. Yeah. Well, get the stage manager. He'll know. Can you call him from here? No, but the other end of this corridor leads right out into the orchestra pit. I'll get him at once. Hey, wait a minute, Rizdale. Yes. You say you can get from here directly to the orchestra pit? Oh, yes, why? When you were telling me the story earlier, you said that you sent your stage manager, Macintosh, out front to get your script just before Frayn was killed, didn't you? Well, yes, but... And Macintosh knew that you were expecting Frayn to come up to your office. I believe I mentioned it, yes. Oh, Macintosh is where he could get to this part of the theater where Frayn was killed and back out tight again quickly without being seen. Yes, yes, yes, but so what? He had a car over Frayn. He knew Frayn would be here in the car. It's just about them. And he knew all about them. Now, if that proves anything, Riley, let's get on with our investigation. Well, oh, I wish we had a technician with a microscope here. That's a teller who belongs to them here as fast enough. Quite true, Riley. But if a darker-than-kill Frayn was taken from the car, it's less than room. Those hairs could have come from any dark-haired girl in the car. Look, we aren't doing anything just standing here. Let's do something. You suppose the doorman could tell us anything? Well, we can ask him, but he's a little deaf. He already told us he didn't hear anything unusual. Well, I'll ask him anyway. Call him in, won't you? Of course. Henry? Henry! Yes, sir? Come in here, will you? Yes. Do you want me a little blistering stand? Yes, Henry. Lieutenant Riley wants to ask you a few questions. Now, Henry, after everybody else had lived, did you pay any attention to what went on down here? Eh? After everybody else had lived, did you notice what went on down here? No, sir. That ain't my job. You didn't hear anything? People passing, talking, or crying? No, sir. Once or twice, I heard a door shut, I think, and just before we found Mr. Frayn, I heard him leave his dressing room and slam his door. Anything else? I thought I heard a door shut very quietly right after that, but I can't be sure. I don't hear as well as I used to. You say you heard a door close quietly. Any idea which one it was? No, sir. Even sure I heard it. Look, she gives somebody snuck out into the corridor as if Frayn started for the stairs and killed him. Maybe they planned it, but maybe they just thought it was a long, undone it. Oh, I don't like this. We're getting nowhere fast. Now, does it feel hot in here? I just... What's the matter? Why'd you get that hang of it if you're using it? Yes, who is it? Well, it's mine. Why? Because there's blood on it. Fresh blood stains. Is it possible that Rizdale himself is the killer of Leo Frayn? Or is this some new and unexpected twist of the case? We'll see in just a moment. And now, back to our story. We left Rizdale trying to explain to Nick and Lieutenant Riley how there happened to be fresh blood stains on his handkerchief. Can you explain those blood stains, Rizdale? Blood them, I... But I can't... Wait. Yes, of course, now. Now I remember. This isn't my handkerchief. As I came down the steps looking for Frayn tonight, I found this at the foot of the stairs. I picked it up without thinking. Well, just a moment later, when I found Frayn's body, I must have stuck it in my pocket without thinking what I was doing. May I say it? Oh, of course, here. Hmm. A little snarl for a man, the handkerchief. And here are some initials. They're fancy, but I should say they were... B-A. B-A. B-A. Subray. Hey, is Miss Subray got black hair results? Yes, she has. That's sad, isn't it? She wrapped this around the handle of the handkerchief to keep the blood off her hands and to keep her fingerprints off the handle. The loose handkerchief and then black hairs we found in the dagger were sent right to the chair. If the hairs are hers, Riley, and don't forget how easy to be for anyone to pick up a lost handkerchief and use it for a false clue. Oh, look here, Nikata. Will you stop trying to tell me how to run my own business? I'm just trying to point out to you, Riley, that if those hairs didn't come from Miss Subray's head, you're right back where you started, handkerchief and all. All right, all right. Then what do we do now? Well, it is many of my business, but I have an idea that might work. Well, let's have it by all means. Suppose whoever left this handkerchief near the body didn't do it intentionally. Hmm? Suppose they just got to it without noticing it. Now, nobody but us knows it's been found, but whoever lost it is bound to think about it when the excitement dies down a little. Then she'll get scared and maybe look for it. Suppose we give her the chance to find it. How do you mean, give her a chance? Well, like this. They put the handkerchief right back where I found it, only hidden a little more. Then we'll send the three women back to their dressing rooms. Then we give them a chance to sneak out. Hmm? There'd be an interesting experiment, Riley, even if it doesn't prove anything. No cares here, I'll try it. But where should we hide somebody to watch? There's a vacant men's dressing room just down the hall here. Suppose I put Henry here on guard in there. There's a phone there. He can phone us as soon as he sees anybody come out. We'll be in my office. Okay. You got that, Henry? Yeah, sure. Sure, I can do it. Now, Henry, you can sit right here. We'll leave the door open to crack, and as soon as you see one of them leaving your dressing room, call me at once. Yeah, I got it, Mr. Rizdale. I'll watch real good. Now, let's get those women down here. The poor detectives think that you make so much noise. Now, now, Patsy, what's the trouble? Well, Nick, everything was feasible enough, and suddenly Bella jumped up and came over here and started yelling at Miss Linman. And she started yelling back, and a minute there was a swell fight going on. Didn't I say I wanted no noise here? When I meant it. I don't want to sound out of any of you. Now, go back to your dressing rooms and stay there and be quiet. And don't shout out to them until I say you can. Mr. Bray. Yes, Mr. Carter? Well, things around here this afternoon really get better as Rizdale says they were. Yes, Mr. Carter, it was good. Even I lost my temper once. Crane was especially unpopular all afternoon today. Why, even Quarrel with Mackintosh who generally never takes the trouble to quarrel with anyone. That Mackintosh over there? Oh, yes. He's an ugly little man, but I guess he's all right. How did Crane take all the argument that was going on? Well, it was Nick and his junkie. He was talking of quitting the show and he was going to have to lay down the law to all the rest of us to serve him. But I'd better go and back to my dressing room before the lieutenant gets mad. Well, before you go, Mr. Bray, I have to borrow your handkerchief just a moment. What? I don't seem to have it. I must have lost it in my dressing room. I'm sorry. Hey, come on. Let's get up to Rizdale's office and see what happens. See if anything. We don't expect this will produce much in a way of his own. Well, come on anyway. Even you could be wrong, you know. Oh. This waiting is a tough game, isn't it? Yeah, I'd rather be doing something. We had a microscope. We could save time. Let me have those hairs we found, will you, rally? What do you want them for, now? Just to match them up with these hairs. What do you think of those? That specimen, the Clair's hair and the Bray's. I have a pocket magnifying glass here. All I'd say is they could be matched up roughly. Sure, here you are. Hmm. Yes. The Bray's hair is finer than Clair's. And it has a faint ripple that Clair doesn't have. That's rather, there's almost no question but what the hairs found on the dagger match the Bray's hairs. There's I can tell. Oh, look, I'm going crazy sitting here. I can't think. My nerves are like a jackrabbit. Oh, is he the one who got an aspirin? Aspirin? Not me. Sorry, Rizdale. I don't carry them either. Oh, my head is splitting it. I think my secretary keeps someone her desk in the next office. She doesn't off-fire her. Oh, by the way, the ring for this office is two short ones. All the office loans are in the same line. Now, if you hear two short rings, it'll probably be Henry. So you'd better answer fast. I'll be right back. Rizdale seems to have the heebie-deebie. So do you, Nick. He was losing a hundred grand. Even if it wasn't all your own money. Well, look, what about them hairs? I feel sure the hairs are the Bray's all right. But I'm not yet positive. That's what they prove. Hmm. Oh, that's Henry. Yeah, Nick, Henry's ready to begin. Nick just came out. I can't be sure who it is, but it is a woman. She's just taken up the handkerchief now. Huh? Now she's starting back to her... Henry! Henry, what is it? What happened? What is it, Riley? Something's happened to Henry. Happened to Henry? Yeah, let's go. It wasn't locked when I left it. It was open so Henry could see who was going down the corridor. But the handkerchief, he was on the inside. I don't get it. If I haven't got a key, that'll open it. Yes, I have a master key. Here. Henry. Nick. Look. Another wonder in Vegas. Yes. Right in the middle of his back. He's dead all right. She must have seen him looking out, heard him talking to me. She pushed the door open and stabbed him before he could turn around. It's gone. The handkerchief has gone from where we left it. That's it. No more stalling. We'll break her door down if we have to. Hold everything, Riley. Take it easy. What do you mean, take it easy? You want a live prisoner or a dead one? What do you mean by that? Look here. If Mr. Berry is guilty, and you break her door down, she'll know you have the goods on her. Well... She still has one of those daggers. If I know her, she'll use it on herself if she is guilty. Well, so what? Further, furthermore, Henry said he couldn't be sure who it was he thought, didn't he? Nick, it couldn't be anybody but Dabre. Even if you're right, Riley. If you let her think she's gotten away with it, you can search her dressing room and she's out of it. Then you can find the handkerchief in the key she locked this room with. They'll be hidden somewhere in there. All of them are private washrooms. She might try to put the key in the handkerchief down one of the drains. They'll take a plumber to get at them if she does. Then my gully will get a plumber and tear out every pipe in the place. All right, Bruce. Here, get him out. It's your idea. Get the women out of the dressing room so we can search him. All right. Cut in. I'll go to my office. I'll call them from there and then ask them to come up. Okay, okay. Get going. Do we have to wait here, Mr. Carter? Won't be long now. We just wanted to get all three of you out of the way while Lieutenant Riley digs up the evidence that he'll send somebody to the electric chair. The chair? Yeah. You know that human hair can be identified just the same as fingerprints can and just as exactly. Well, I didn't. All right. I can call in you at least recently. Well, I appreciate it. How do you plan, Mr. Carter? I'd rather not divulge that. You've got to, Nick. The key in the handkerchief. There was both of them in the drain pipe caught in the first trap. Which room did you find them in? Miss Subrave, how do you explain this handkerchief and key which we've found in your dressing room? Well, let me see that handkerchief. Yeah. All right. Can I explain it, Lieutenant? It's not my handkerchief. Well, not yours. No. It's mine, Lieutenant. I thought so. You know it's Miss Clear. Yes. Well, it's a very elaborate monogram. Probably anybody could read it, but it is DC. It does look something like my monogram. Be a class 50A. Except that my monograms go pretty simple. Yeah. Well, I'll be a... I'll bet you'll kill them anyway. You will kill them. Oh, Anne Wiley. What did you find that key in handkerchief? You married a brave dressing room. Right. You married a brave dressing room. You married a brave dressing room. You married a brave dressing room. You married a brave dressing room. You married a brave dressing room. You married a brave dressing room. Right. And since Mr. Bray wouldn't have put it in her own dressing room, and Ella Clare couldn't have, and since Macintosh wasn't on the scene at all when Henry was murdered, the only other possible person who could have killed both Frank and Henry is... Ah, you mean Lisa Lutman. No, Riley. I mean Mark Resdale. Oh, gosh, Nick, I don't think you figured that all out as fast as you did. There were too many clues, Patsy. The black hairs and the dagger were the clues. The handkerchief with the Bray's initials on it was a clue. But both together were just a little two-pack. Oh. Nobody leaves several incriminating clues around. Bothered me until I found that it wasn't that Bray's handkerchief. Then everything fell right into place. Why do you need everything? Well, Resdale had a flop on his hands and he knew it. Uh-huh. He was built. He was going to lose his theater. But the appearance of Frayn and Bray was insured for $50,000 each. That is, Resdale got $50,000 if either Frayn or Bray did not appear in the show for any reason, except voluntary withdrawal. So, if he could kill Frayn and hang the killing on Myra de Bray, he could collect $100,000 cash. And that would put him on his feet again. Oh, I see. So he sent everybody home, except the seven who had to be there. Then he went to his office, sent for Frayn, and then late and wait for him at the foot of the stairs, having arranged that no one else would be around at the time. And after killing him, he went back to his office and waited until the body was found. And he handed the handkerchief there, assuming it was Myra de Bray. That's it. It was easy enough for him to plant the hairs on the bagger. But how did he kill Henry? We were all there together, weren't you? And he was clever enough to make it look so. He planted Henry in the vacant dressing room, and we all started upstairs. He probably had invented some excuse to stay behind, but Linman started screaming just then, and we all rushed up on stage. That's all right. Well, that gave Resdale a couple of minutes to slip back into the corridor. Stabbed all Henry, locked the door, plant the key and handkerchief in the drain in De Bray's room, and then joined us in the office. But make you hear, little Henry, when Roddy answered the phone, didn't you? No, Patsy, I didn't. I heard Resdale impersonating Henry. Oh, I didn't. You recall he slipped into the next office to get some aspirin? Well, he used the house phone in there, called his own office, impersonated Henry. Remember, he used to be an actor years ago, and then faked the blow in the fall. It was almost a beautiful alibi. And if he hadn't been faking Billy's handkerchief for nine years, who might have gotten away with it? Yes, Patsy. And that was a fatal error. Either the handkerchief or the hairs of the dagger would have been excellent proof, but he was so anxious to be sure that Bray was the ghost that he planted too much. He wove too many slants to his web, and one of them kept him up. Well, so long for now. So long, everybody. And so long to you, Nick and Patsy. Nick Carter, master detective, is featured in Streep and Smith Magazine. Lawn Clark is starred as Nick with Helen Chauth as Patsy. Original music is played by Lou White, and the programs are written and directed by Jock McGregor. Nick Carter, master detective, is presented at this time and over these same stations each week by the three great Linux home brightners. This is Neutral.