 It's time now for Mr. King, Tracer of Lost Persons. We now present Mr. King, Tracer of Lost Persons at this new time every week in a complete 30-minute mystery in which the kindly-old investigator brings us one of his most celebrated cases. Tonight, the case of murder and the revengeful ghost. Our scene opens in a well-to-do home in the suburbs of New York. It is late in the evening as a tall, good-looking man opens the door to one of the rooms. He crosses to his desk in the semi-darkness. Suddenly he sees a sinister figure, a figure that instills horror in his heart. Well, what are you? A phantom or a human being? Lift your head and show your face. You? You've come to carry out your threat? No. I don't believe you've murdered me. You can't. Don't come near me. No! You must be Lona Wade, the young woman who telephones for an appointment here in my office. Yes, Mr. King, I am. This is my partner, Mike Clancy. Pleased to meet you, Miss Wade. Say, boss, the lady's as pale as a ghost. Ghost? Ghost? Mr. King, I've come to you for help. My fiance, Arthur Stacey, has been murdered. He was murdered by the ghost of his dead wife. She said she'd come back from the grave to murder him if he married again. And she has! She has! Since preservice, what's all this? Miss Wade, you don't look like a girl who believes seriously in ghosts. I never did, Mr. King. But now I do. I know that people can come back from the grave and commit murder. I've seen it with my own eyes. Just what did you see? I'll tell you the entire story, Mr. King. I met Ivor Stacey eight months ago. She was a millionaire, and the most wonderful person I ever knew. He and I were to be married this week. Well, then he was killed practically a meave of your wedding-ness? Made it by a ghost, Mr. Clancy. Under the weirdest circumstances. Ivor had been married once before to a woman named Theresa. She died two years ago. Good morning, Miss Wade. She had an incurable illness, Mr. King, and she was sick for years. During those years, she developed a burning jealousy. She imagined Ivor was seeing other women behind her back. Ivor Stacey, the murdered man, told you all this, I presume? Yes, Mr. King. His wife, Theresa, became a shrew. She wouldn't let him out of her sight. She complained that he did nothing to help her overcome her illness. But he actually didn't care if she died. And was any of this true, Miss Wade? Oh, no. Ivor was faithful to Theresa, until the end. But she didn't believe it. Then, on her deathbed, she made a horrible threat. She said that if Ivor ever tried to marry again, she'd come back. From the dead? Yes, from the dead. She'd come back and stop him. She'd kill him. And I think she did, Mr. King. Try to calm yourself, Miss Wade. People don't return from the grave. But I saw her! I saw a ghostly figure in gray that slipped out of Ivor's house. Just before I found his dead body. You really think you saw a ghost, Miss? I saw something, Mr. Glancy. I was bringing Ivor a book he wanted to read. It was almost dark when I got near his house. And from the sidewalk, I saw his door open. And this, this gray woman walked out. Then she seemed to vanish in the darkness. You didn't see her face? No. When I hid inside the house, I found Ivor lying on the floor near his desk. He'd been stabbed to death. Miss Wade, did you tell the story of this so-called ghost to the police? No. I was afraid they wouldn't believe me. It, it sounds so fantastic. That's why I came here to ask you to help me, Mr. King. I owe it to the memory of the man I love to get to the bottom of all this. Suppose you take us to Ivor Stacey's home. I want to see just what the circumstance is where. Oh, Mr. King, don't you believe my story? Yes, Miss Wade, I do. It's your interpretation of it that I question. But we'll soon find out a little more about your fiance's murderer and the revengeful ghost. This is Ivor's house, Mr. King. Miss Wade, just where were you standing when the front door opened and the woman in grey walked out? Um, right about here. Boss, look. The door's opened again. Yes, Mike. There is slowly. But no one's supposed to be inside that house right now. I'm frightened. No one's come out, sir. But the door just opened and stayed open. And please wait in our car, Miss Wade. Come with me, Mike. Well, I'm no expert on Ghost Boss, but from what I hear, they don't have to open doors to get out of the house. They can walk right through them. I doubt if we're dealing with a ghost just yet, Mike. But there's no one here in the hall, Mr. King. And come into this room on the right, Mike. Well, this must be the manor room. There's a disk over there. What's this on top of the disk? It looks like a pad of paper and a pencil, Mr. King, sir. The pad's been scribbled on. I'm sure someone's drawn a lot of odd-looking little diagrams on it. Now, keep this pad of paper for future reference. And there's a door over there, Mike. Let's see where it leads. Boss, there's a man tied to that chair with a gag in his mouth. Here. Here. I take off that gag. There. Thank you. There's a killer loose in this house. He tied me to this chair after holding me up with a gun. I was afraid he was going to kill me. I'll untie this, man, Mike. Well, you search this house quickly. Right, sir. That man name is King. Now, have you free in just a moment? You're Mr. King, the famous investigator? Oh. I'm Alec Barnes. I didn't recognize the man who tied me to the chair. What were you doing in Ivor Stacey's home in the first place, Mr. Barnes? He was my business associate. His murder came as a terrible shock to me. About an hour ago, someone phoned my home. She said if I wanted to find Ivor Stacey's killer, I should come here. A woman phoned you? Yes. It was a woman's voice, Mr. King. But a very strange one. Why did you come here alone, Mr. Barnes? Alone? How do you mean? Well, if you thought you were going to meet Ivor Stacey's murderer, why didn't you bring the police with you? Well, Mr. King, I... I wasn't sure if it was a hoax or not. I didn't want to make a fool of myself by taking the police in a wild goose chase. Was that the real reason? Now, look, what reason would I have to... Mr. King. Mr. King, he's standing right behind you. The man who attacked me. He's holding a gun. Don't move, either of you. Who are you? My name is Charles Harper. If it'll do you any good. Charles Harper. I know who this man is, Mr. King. His sister, Teresa, was Ivor Stacey's wife. She died two years ago. Yes. My sister died of neglect and cruel treatment. Even while she was on her deathbed, Ivor Stacey was seeing other women. And Teresa swore he'd never marry again. Well, he won't. You're all right, Mr. Harper. Where is he? I'm having this out with him right now. If you're referring to Ivor Stacey, you'll find him murdered. What? Yes. He's been murdered. I don't believe it. You're trying to hide him, to shield him from me. Do you feel this gun barrel against your head? Tell me where Ivor Stacey is hiding or I'll finish you off. Mr. King, he means it. Whether he does or not, Mr. Burns, I've given him all the information I can. Don't move, Mr. or I'll put a bullet for you. Drop the gun. Drop it, do you hear? Here, I'll take that gun, Mr. King. You had a close call with this fella. You came back just in time, Mike. Another second or two, and he may have carried out his threat. Who is he, boss? He's Charles Harper, the murdered man's brother-in-law. Oh, Mr. King. It was just a bluff when I threatened you with that gun. I had no intention of harming you. I don't know what came over me. You behaved like a man who was thirsting for revenge, Mr. Harper. And it may have been revenge that drove Ivor Stacey's killer to this crime. Then Ivor is really dead? You mean this is the first you heard about it, Mr. He's trying to give us that impression, Mike, but I'm not so sure that I believe him. Oh, would I have come back here to look for a dead man, Mr. King? You may have returned to look for something the murdered man possessed. That could have been the reason you tied up his business associate, Alec Burns, here, so you could search the house. No, Mr. King. Yes, Mr. Burns? Ivor Stacey once told me he had a brother-in-law who hated him. Did he? It was this man, Charles Harper. He thought Ivor was mistreating his sister Teresa. He did mistreat her. He ruined her whole life. Mr. King, it looks like this fellow might have carried out his sister's deathbed threat that she'd stopped the husband from marrying again. That's what I was thinking, Mike. It was a foolish thing for Teresa to say. She knew well enough she couldn't return from the dead. But someone seems to believe that she did return, Mr. Harper. What do you mean? I mean... Mr. King, wait. What is it, Mike? A woman in gray. She's staring in that window. Don't turn around, boss. She thinks we haven't seen her. What does she look like, Mike? I can't tell. She's wearing a gray veil over her face. A chorned lawn away who brought us this case is right. She does look like a ghost. She's gone, boss. Was he at this window, Mike? Yes, sir. There he is, walking away from the house. You remain here with the others, Mike. I'm going to follow that ghostly figure in gray and identify it once and for all. In just a moment we'll return to Mr. King and the case of murder and the revengeful ghost. Tomorrow and every Wednesday night, CBS Radio brings you thrilling adventure on the FBI in peace and war and the human side of police work on the 21st precinct. Be listening tomorrow night on most of these same stations when the FBI in peace and war exposes the specialty act racket and when Captain Cannelly's hard-working police of the 21st precinct tackle their latest unusual case at the Starz Address where America listens most for mystery too. To Mr. King and the case of murder and the revengeful ghost. Mr. King, the famous investigator and his partner, Mike Clancy are investigating the strange murder of Ivor Stacey, a widower who was about to marry for the second time. Stacey's first wife, Teresa, had sworn just before her own death that if he remarried, she would return from the grave for revenge and his fiance, Lorna Wade, now fears that the murder could have been the work of a revengeful ghost. But Mr. King has other more logical suspects in mind as he follows the eerie figure of a woman completely dressed in a ghostly gray color and the end of the trail leads the famous investigator to a small midtown apartment. Yes? Are you Miss Amy Fairchild? Yes, I am. How do you know my name? It's right here under your doorbell. Oh. My name is King. May I come in? What do you want, Mr. King? I'm investigating the murder of Ivor Stacey. I'm afraid I don't know who he is. I think you do, Miss Fairchild. You see, I followed you here from his home. A short while ago, you were peering through his window. You must have the wrong woman. No. Lorna Wade, the victim's fiance, identified you just before I started to follow you. She said you were the so-called ghost she saw coming out of the house right after Ivor Stacey was stabbed to death. Mr. King, what do you mean? She saw a ghost. Lorna Wade mistook you for the ghost of Ivor Stacey's dead wife, Teresa, who swore she'd come back from the grave and stop him from ever marrying again. I don't know anything about Ivor's murder. Please! You seem to be reluctant to answer that telephone, Miss Fairchild. Are you expecting a call you don't want me to overhear? No, I... You won't answer, I won't. Hello? Doctor Who? I see. No, my name is King. Yes, the investigator. Miss Fairchild is involved in a murder case, Doctor. I see. Has she ever been violent? Well, let me get back to you later on, Doctor, and thank you for your information. It may have an important bearing on this case. Goodbye. Mr. King, what did the doctor tell you? Evidently, Miss Fairchild, you've been under his care ever since you left a private sanitarium for the mentally ill. They said I was cured, and I am. You've got to believe me, Mr. King. Please. Please. Miss Fairchild, a man has been murdered, and you were seen leaving the scene of the crime. Now, as a mental patient, you'd be under strong suspicion. All right, I'll tell you everything. However, Stacey was my cousin. It was he who had me committed to the mental institution. And did you resent his doing that? Well, maybe I did in the beginning, but I'm cured now, and I hold no grudge against him. What were you doing in his home at the time he was murdered? I went to thank him for having spent the money to have me cured. But he was dead when I got there, and I left the house quickly to avoid being implicated. That's when you were seen by Lona Wade, who mistook you for a ghost. But, Mr. King, there is a ghost. I've seen her myself. You have? Ivor Stacey saw her too several times, and she terrified him. I'm sure it was the ghost of his dead wife, Teresa. Did you see her face? No, but I recognized a certain dress she was wearing. You don't believe me, do you? You had a motive for murder yourself, Miss Fairchild. Revenge. Let alone would make one a bit skeptical. Mr. King, when you saw me looking in the window of Ivor's home, there was a man with you. He also had a motive for revenge. Which man do you mean? Alec Barnes, my cousin Ivor's business associate. Did Alec tell you that he was forced out of their business by Ivor? No, he didn't. Alec Barnes and my cousin Ivor were both fighting for control of their corporation. Ivor won the fight and forced Alec Barnes out entirely. That's very interesting. Alec swore he'd get even. And perhaps he did by killing Ivor Stacey. Do you know why Alec Barnes was there in Ivor's house today? He said he got a telephone call seeing his friend Ivor Stacey's killer on the scene of the crime. I made that telephone call, Mr. King. You made the call? Why, Miss Fairchild? I was hoping to trap him. I thought Alec Barnes would get himself away in some manner. Fairchild, do you know a man named Charles Harper? Yes. His sister was Ivor Stacey's wife, who died after a long illness. Charles Harper is also under suspicion. He hated Ivor Stacey because he said Mr. Stacey was seeing other women while his wife was dying. I don't think that's true, Mr. King. Now tell me this. Did your cousin Ivor Stacey meet his fiancee Lorna Wade after his wife was dead? Yes. His business associate Alec Barnes introduced them to each other. He can tell you anything you want to know about my cousin Ivor's affairs unless he wants to deliberately hide something from you. You're very bitter about this Alec Barnes. Why, Miss Fairchild? He was the first to suggest that there was something wrong with my mind. Is that why you're so willing to accuse him of murder? Why do you say things like that? Are you against me like all the rest? You can become violent as the doctor said. Fairchild, I want you to stay here in your apartment until you hear from me. Don't leave unless you want to be arrested on a murder charge. You can't do that to me. I'm not a prisoner. I'm sorry, Mr. King. I'll do what you say. The murdered man's fiancee Lorna Wade believes that a revengeful ghost caused Ivor Stacey's death. And you say you've seen that ghost. But I have another theory which I hope to put to a test very shortly after I return to the murder house. How'd you make out, Mr. King? Mike, I followed our ghost to her apartment and she turned out to be very much alive. Where are the others? Inside, Mr. King. I could have been in separate rooms to avoid trouble. And I locked Charles Harper, the brother-in-law, in to be sure. What's this sheet of paper here on this table? Anything important on it, boss? Maybe a clue to this murder. Mike, how long were you and the other two men in this room? About a half hour before I sent them inside. And where were they sitting? Mr. Harper was over there and Alec Barnes was in this chair. I see. Mike, I'm going out again for a short time. Let me have your skeleton key and keep a sharp eye on our suspects. When I return, we may have all the evidence we need to convict the killer. Oh, you're back already, Mr. King. What's in that package you carried? You'll see in just a moment, Mike. Please call the two men in here. Okay, sir. Uh, step inside, Mr. Barnes. Mr. King wants to see you. Yes, Mr. King. In just a moment, Mr. Barnes, I want Charles Harper, the murdered man's brother-in-law, to hear this, too. Come into this room, Mr. Harper. You locked me in. I can't see you're treating me like a criminal. I'm afraid you're acting like a criminal, Charles Harper. For one thing, you were carrying a gun. Mr. King, you admitted he hated Ivor Stacey, but he had a motive to kill his brother-in-law. So did you, Mr. Barnes. What? You and Stacey were partners in a very successful business. And as I understand it, he forced you out of the firm and ruined you financially. Are you going to accuse me of murder because of a business transaction? No, Mr. Barnes. Because it isn't true. I know it isn't true. Well, thank you for that much. Don't thank me too quickly. You may regret it. What do you mean? Like, you know what doodling is. Doodling, Mr. King? For sure, boss. Those are little pictures and diagrams that some people draw on paper a while away at the time or when they're talking on the telephone. Yes. It's usually done absent-mindedly. Do you remember that when we first came into this house, we found a small pad of paper on the desk where the murder took place? Sure, Mr. King. It was scrawled with a lot of doodads and crooked lines. This paper I just discovered here on this table is covered with the same kind of scroll and the little diagrams and pictures on both the pad and this paper are alike. Well, the same fella made the both, Mr. King. Exactly, Mike. The murderer apparently idled away his time while waiting for his victim by drawing on the pad of paper. Just a few minutes ago, that same murderer passed the time again in the same fashion. The man who was sitting in that chair near the table. Yes. And that man is Alec Barnes. What? Barnes, you murdered your business partner, Ivo Stacey. Do you think you can hold me on that kind of evidence, Mr. King? I have further evidence in this package. Please open it, Mike. There's two dresses in here. Yes. Dresses that belonged to the murdered victim's dead wife, Teresa Stacey. I found them in Alec Barnes' apartment. He stole those dresses after Mrs. Stacey died so he could impersonate her as a ghost and frighten her husband. Alec Barnes was the revengeful ghost. I think I'd better search this fuck up, boss. Why? He's carrying a switchblade knife. Look, you snap this button on the end and the knife pops out. Look at the size of it pop. It looks like there's blood on the blade near the handle. It's undoubtedly the murder weapon. You'll have to prove that, Keel. There's no use putting up a front barns because I also know your real motive for murdering Ivo Stacey. Or do you? I found out that it was you who introduced Stacey to Lorna Wade. The girl he later was going to marry. Lorna? Yes. The girl who asked me to investigate have fiancee's murder. And, Mike, I talked to Miss Wade again just before I came in here. She's waiting just outside the door. I'll ask her to come in, boss. Come in, please, Miss Wade. Lorna. Alec, help Mr. Keen. What have you told him? What did you say about me? Miss Wade, please repeat. Please repeat what you told me on the way over to this house. I told you, Mr. Keen, several times in the past. Alec Barnes tried to force his attentions on me. He was infatuated with me. Lorna, you're putting me in the electric chair. Lorna Wade didn't connect you with the murder Alec Barnes. Oh, she would have told me this before. Her mind was only on the fact that a ghost may have been responsible for Ivo Stacey's death. All right. I'll admit it. I killed Stacey. He forced me out of the firm. But that wasn't the thing that nearly drove me crazy. It was losing you, Lorna. Alec, I told you I didn't love you. I only loved Ivo. If it hadn't been for him, Mr. Keen, I thought I could make Lorna love me with Stacey out of the way. Anyway, when I thought I was losing out to him, I couldn't stand it. So you broke into Ivo Stacey's house and waited for him to return with a nine-inch knife in your hand after masquerading as his wife's ghost. You evidently knew about the threat she had made that she'd return from the dead and kill him if he ever tried to remarry. Yes, I knew. At first I tried to frighten Stacey away from Lorna by appearing as his wife's ghost. When that didn't work, I used another method. Yes. Murder. Plunged in a cool remorseless fashion. But you gave yourself away when you scribbled idly on that pad of paper while waiting for your victim to arrive. Make turn Alec Barnes, our revengeful ghost, over to the police for the murder of Ivo Stacey. So Mr. Keen finds the solution to the case of murder and the revengeful ghost. Don't forget, mystery fans, the man who walks by night. The Whistler will be heard coast to coast beginning this Thursday night on CBS Radio. Long a familiar figure in eerie mysteries heard by West Coast fans, the Whistler will be yours to listen to Thursday nights on most of the same stations beginning this week. A shady private investigator is double-crossed by his attractive but just as shady Girl Friday. Leading to a story the Whistler believes you will find packed with intriguing angles. Thursday night at the Star's Address. Stay tuned now for the Rosemary Clooney Show, which follows immediately over most of these same stations. Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons is based on the novel Mr. Keen. The radio sequel is originated and produced by Frank and Anne Hummert. Dialogue by Lawrence Clee, directed by Richard Leonard. Phillip Clark plays Mr. Keen. Mr. Keen will be on the air at the same time next week, solving a full 30-minute mystery. So make this new time every week, Mr. Keen time on your radio. Next week, here Mr. Keen in the case of murder and the omen of death. Your announcer is Harry Kramer. Ride a real squad car with Night Watch Thursdays on the CBS Radio Network. This is WMT Cedar Rapids.