 The Linux show starring Nick Carter, master detective. 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 injustice over the sinister forces of crime and lawlessness. Nick Carter, master detective. Today's exciting case, Shakespeare's Ghost, in which Nick Carter tracks a disappearing corpse and a ghost is accused of murder. Here is brought to you each week by the three great Linux home Brightoners. Linux Cream Polish, Linux Clear Gloss and Linux Self Polishing Wax. You know, there's no time like New Year's for making good resolutions. And ladies, one of the best resolutions you can make for 1946 is that you'll keep your floors sparkling bright and beautiful with Linux Self Polishing Wax, the anti-skid wax finish that beautifies your floors without making them slippery. 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Why, that's amazing. Absolutely right, even to the day of the month. How in the world did you know that, Mr. Carter? Oh, I've always been interested in literary memorabilia, and an important say like that stuck in my mind, that's all. I see. Well, as you may surmise, I have quite a collection of rare books and manuscripts. Now, last week, a Mr. Rodney Stone called at my country home. He was a fully accredited representative of Blatchport and Blake. The English firm of rare book dealers? Correct. And as their American representative, he offered to sell me a copy of the Gutenberg Bible. But as all my capital is invested in books, I told Mr. Stone that at present I was more interested in selling some books than in buying. And he offered to sell some for you? Yes. His credentials were so good, I gave him my first folio Shakespeare and a few other items. He signed a receipt for them and took them to his hotel here in town. Well, Mr. Reed, you wouldn't be here unless something had gone wrong. What is it? Well, just to make sure, I checked Stone's hotel and he was registered there. But then I sent a cable to his London office to confirm the details. And this, Mr. Carter, is the answer I just received. We have no American representative named Rodney Stone. His potential is obviously forward. I suggest you contact Nick Carter immediately to investigate this problem. That's for the Blake London. I took their advice, Mr. Carter, and came here at once. Yes, I've handled two or three cases for them. Have you been to Stone's hotel? Well, I thought I'd better see you first. I phoned, however. He's still registered there. Well, it's probably a fairly amateury swindle case, but I don't like to disappoint people who cable a recommendation 3,000 miles. Then you'll go with me to see Stone? Yes, and there's another reason too, Mr. Reed. I've always had a soft spot for Shakespeare. Come on, let's go rescue old Master Will from the clutches of a rather clumsy con man. You say it was the first complete edition of Shakespeare's plays, Mr. Reed? Why, it must be 300 years old. 322 to be exact, Passy. All yours were printed in 1623. And my copy is of special interest. The fly leaf is signed by Ben Johnson, Shakespeare's friend and fellow poet. A Johnson's copy? Wow. Yes. Oh, there's a legend about that copy. Very foolish, I suppose. Yes, I know the legend. Well, what is it, Nick? Three times in three centuries that copy has been stolen. And each time the thief has been found later with his head cut off. Oh, lightly grizzly, what? A legend is that Shakespeare's ghost comes back and slays the thief for meddling with his friend Johnson's copy. And that's the copy that this man's stone has stolen? Yes, Miss Bowen. And if this legend is true, then he, his head... Oh, not since. Just a silly story, Passy. Yes? Well, if you think it's a silly story, why have you stepped on the gas? Still no answer. I'll try it. Never mind. I'll open the door. But how? I always carry skeleton keys. Great heavens. Inside quickly. Shut the door. That man on the floor. His head. Just like the legend. I suppose that's Rodney Stone, Mr. Reed. It was, oh, poor chap. Well, just look at this room. There must have been a terrific struggle. Yes, furniture overturned, blood all over, clothes almost ripped from the body. What a battle he must have put up to save himself. One thing's certain. Our simple case of fraud has certainly become a lot more serious. The bedroom door's open. I'll go in and see whether there's anything in there. Are you going to examine the body? In a moment, Passy. First, I want to get an old, an old over-picture of the room from here. I often tell a lot just from standing in one spot. Then in kind of a perspective on the crime. For instance, position of the body, location of the blood stains, and the way the clothes are ripped. This is if the ghost of Shakespeare is struck again. Mr. Carter, Mr. Carter, come in here quick. Right with you. Look what I found on the windowsill here, Mr. Carter. Don't touch it. Missy. A sword. A blood-stained sword. Yes. 16th century claymore. 16th century sword. The thief's head cut off. Why, it all fits. Well, Mr. Carter, what do you think of the legend of Shakespeare's ghost now? Find any clues, Nick? No. Bring me a pillowcase from that bed, will you, Passy? I want to wrap up this sword. Yes, Nick. How do you explain it, Mr. Carter? I don't yet. This is the 23rd floor. The door was locked from the inside. There's no fire escape or balcony outside these windows. Here's the pillowcase, Missy. Thanks. Now, gently. That's it. Well, it's a good thing we're all intelligent adults because it certainly looks like the work of a ghost. That's one of the things that bothers me, Mr. Reid. It looks too much like ghosts. I think I'll go back and give the body a closer examination for if there's a button. What is it, Nick? What's wrong? Look, Passy. Where's the body? It's disappeared. Finished. Hand me that microscope slide, Passy. Here you are. Nick, why didn't you investigate the other rooms on the 23rd floor of that hotel when we found no one had been seen leaving the floor since we came up? You can't search people's rooms without their permission or a warrant. Besides, there's more than one way to skin a cat. And catch a murderer? Right. Now, I just want to check the blood cell structure from the stains on the sword. How can you tell whether it was stone's blood? Can't, but I can be sure it's human blood. Evidence can be framed, you know? Uh-huh. Well, how about it? Yeah, human blood, all right. Been on that sword about seven hours, which means about six hours before we found it. Well, what does that prove? It could prove or disprove. A great deal. That's going to steal punch with him. Sure. I just want to take a small chip off this sword. Obviously, hand forged. Now I'll smelt down this little piece over a high heat flame. Here's a crucible. Thanks. Now, Passy, while you're waiting for that steel chip to melt, we should look up J.T. Reed and our files. All right, Nick. Are you sure we've got him listed? You ought to be there. Uh-huh, here's his card. J.T. Reed, Chief Interest Books, Manuscripts, and Curios, and... Mm-hmm. Oh, quite a patriotic citizen, too. Did a lot of volunteer work. You did, huh? Uh-huh. Very interesting. Let me see that. Oh, there's a signal on the heat gauge, Nick. The steel's melted. Better tend to that first. Mm-hmm. I'll just have this catalyst, just as I thought. What's the matter, Nick? Was the sword a modern fake? On the contrary, Passy, the chemicals used in this manufacture prove almost conclusively that it's authentically Elizabethan. Now, let me see Reed's file card. Here you are. Nick, why were you so anxious to prove the sword is genuine? Because it shows someone is trying to throw a suspicion. Right, Scott. What is it, Nick? What do you see on the card? Passy, send a wire to J.T. Reed. Tell him we're coming out to report to him tonight. Well, that's more like it. A little action. Reed can tell us if we need to know we may crack this case tonight. Oh, tell me what's on your mind, Nick, please. I can tell you two things, Passy. First, there was more than one criminal involved. There was? And second, they're among the most cunning and cold-blooded men I've ever met. You haven't met them yet? Well, we made a night. And we're my cold automatic. Men were on our way. Well, a swindler murdered like other men before him who stole the same rare book. The legend of Shakespeare's ghost brought to life as a genuine Elizabethan sword is found in the room. Then the body disappears. Where will this mysterious trail of bloodshed and theft lead, Nick? We'll see in just a moment. What happened last time you waxed your floor? Did Hovey grumble because the floors were slippery? Did the youngsters use that fresh new wax job for a skating rink? Not if you used Linux self-polishing wax. For Linux self-polishing wax cuts down the slipperiness of your floors, and at the same time gives that satiny beauty only real wax can give. Yes, it's true. The underwriters' laboratories have proved by test that hardwood, linoleum, and rubber tile all are less slippery after Linux self-polishing wax has been applied. Yet your floors in linoleum will look more beautiful than ever before when you use Linux self-polishing wax. And you'll find it easier to keep them clean, too, or Linux self-polishing wax gives a finish that lasts longer so that you just whisk a damp cloth over the surface to keep them spick and span. What's more, Linux self-polishing wax wipes on in a jiffy and dries quickly without tiresome rubbing. So, in every way, it's the wise choice for wise homemakers. Get Linux self-polishing wax now. It's the modern anti-skid floor finish. Get all the great Linux home brightness for new home beauty the whole year round. And now back to our story. Nick and Patsy are investigating a strange murder, a vanishing corpse, and the disappearance of a copy of a first folio Shakespeare. The entire crime seems to be linked to a legend about Shakespeare's ghost. They are now in a small suburban railway station waiting for their client, J.T. Reed. Nick, what are you supposed to keep, Mr. Reed? Oh, station master. Yes? Are you sure Mr. Reed got the wire we sent this afternoon? First I'm sure. This is before the telegraph office, too. That's the wire saying you was arriving on the 7-12 and sent it right up to Mr. Reed. And imagine why he isn't here? It's almost 7-30. Well, anyway, Nick, we had a cozy place to wait during the shower. It was short, but awfully wet. I'm not interested in waiting anywhere cosily. I'm going to just go in. Well, if he's supposed to be here, he will be. He'll find men, Mr. Reed. Humbreg Spirited. Worked on bond drives. The woman saved as a volunteer up to the county hospital. Well, here's a car now. Is Mr. Reed, Nick? Let's go, then. Thanks for your hospitality station, master. You're welcome. Oh, Miss Forer, Mr. Carter. I'm just really sorry I'm late. Oh, that's all right, Mr. Reed. Those are wire, surprise you. No, no, it wasn't that. I had trouble starting my car. Couldn't even get it out of the garage till 10 minutes ago. Oh, no. Right this way. No. And my butler Evans insisted on helping me. Every time I thought the motor was ready to run, he'd reach in under the hood to adjust something and bang, it would stall again. Well, let's hope it won't stall on the way back. I'm rather anxious to see your place and your butler. Mr. Carter, I do hope you can get my beautiful books back for me. I'll do my best, Mr. Reed. Oh, by the way, were they insured? Oh, yes, yes. Thank heaven. But I want my books back. Mr. Carter, shouldn't we notify the police? No, Mr. Reed. You can't make a murder charge stick without a corpse. But I saw it. I could testify that I'm... No corpse. No case. Oh, well, just around the next turn and we're home. Oh, there it is. Oh, what a lovely place. Isn't it, Nick? Yes, indeed. Charming place. The whole scene is so nice. Smoke curling from the chimney. Oh, that's fun. What is, Miss Bowen? Smoke curling from the chimney on a warm summer night. Oh, that. That's the hot water heater, really. Really? An awful lot of smoke for one of those things, isn't it? Oh, yes, yes. It's a nuisance. We have to burn soft coal. Oh, we can get right now. Who tends to boil, Mr. Reed? Why, Evans the butler. Even though he considers it a little beneath his dignity. Why do you ask? Oh, no particular reason. Just curious. I'll leave the car here in case we want it later. Let me help you, Betsy. Thanks. Good evening. Oh, good evening, Evans. Come on in, both of you. Thank you. Evans, this is Miss Bowen and Mr. Carter. They'll be staying the night. Very good, sir. Oh, Mr. Carter, was it effective, may I ask? Yes, five. Nothing, sir. Nothing at all. Would you care to wash up, either of you? Oh, no thanks. I've freshened up on the train. I'd like to wash, please. Oh, but Nick, you... I know, Patty. I'll take you upstairs. Thank you. Meanwhile, Evans, will you show Miss Bowen into the library? The library, sir? Yes, the library. Perhaps Miss Bowen would like to see the garden. The hollyhocks are quite lovely now, and there's still enough light. I'll look at the garden in the morning, if I may. Oh, certainly. Show Miss Bowen to the library, Evans. Yes, sir. Very well, sir. The library. This way, please. A collection of books. First edition Paradise Lost. David Bacaba fell in the original part. Big part, Miss. Oh. Oh, Evans, you surprised me. I didn't hear you come in. Sorry to startle you, Miss. Hope you might like some tea. Thank you. And Evans, could we have a little more light in here? Why? You've only this one lamp on. The whole other half of the room is dark. Makes it gloomy. I don't think it's gloomy, Miss. I do. Can we have a little more light, please? Very good, Miss. Look at that other wall. Yes, Miss. It's covered with armor, swords and things. Yes, Miss. Very interesting. If you need anything, you will please ring this. Thank you. Let's see. I think I'll take a look. A suit of armor. Time of Henry II. Well, in target 14th century. Crossbows. Hiya, Fatsy. Oh, Nick, it's you. I thought one of them mine. Come along. We've got work to do. Oh, Nick, look. Look here at the collection of armor and swords. Oh, I see. A good collection of British battle swords, too. Look here, Nick. See this? Ah, yes, one sword missing. And the label says it was a 16th century claymore. True enough, Fatsy. Good for you. Nick, that butler. Save it for now, Fatsy. Come on. We've got work to do. Where are we going? Out through the French windows, into the garden. Whatever for? To see the polyhawks and other things. Come on. The polyhawks are beautiful, Nick. But what do we want with flowers at a time like this? You'll see in a minute. You know, Nick, I just realized why you were so excited when you saw Mr. Reed's file card. You knew that curios meant swords and armor, didn't you? Oh, did I? Oh, I knew there was some reason why that butler was so anxious to keep me out of the library. He didn't want us to notice that that sword was missing. Maybe so. We ought to have him crippling me. He'll make a getaway. Not just yet, he won't. Ah, oh, here, Fatsy. Hmm? I found what I came out for. A door? A door to the house. But why come out here to find a door going back into the house? Unless I'm much mistaken. This is a door to the cellar. Oh, the cellar. A block, of course. Well, a curious keyhole. Now, my picked block was made for just such unusual rocks. So let's see. What do we want in a cellar, Nick? Fatsy, when we arrived, you noticed smoke pouring from the chimney. And Reed said it was the hot water heater. Yes. Well, I made a point of going up to wash my hands. The water in the hot faucet was only lukewarm. With all the smoke we saw, that water should have been boiling hot. I see. That means... That it's not the hot water boiler that's burning. Something else is burning in the cellar. Or being burned. There. I thought that would do it. Now, wait till I turn on my flashlight. Fire going in that furnace. You can see it's still going over there. Nick, that, that smell. It's like... You're right, Fatsy. I'm afraid that's just what it is. Take this slice bar and open the furnace door. Just as I thought. Look, there's a toe of a shoe left. Yes. Unquestionably, one of the shoes we saw on the body of Rodney Stone. Nick, shut the door, please. Right. It all fits together in it. That butler. He probably overheard everything about Stone in the first story of Shakespeare. Then stole the sword. Then followed Stone to the hotel and killed him. And Nick, remember? He said he was delayed because Evans kept stalling the car. And Evans has charge of this cellar. And he thought he'd have time to burn the body. But our wire surprised him. He kept delaying we, so we wouldn't get here too soon. Certainly hangs together, Fatsy, but you... Oh, someone's coming. Wait, that's behind us. Just keeping the home fires burning? Mr. Cuthard. Drop that poker, Evans. But Mr. Cuthard... Drop it, I said. All right. Have all that cold, blooded, fiendish killer's life. I got you dead to the right, Evans. Now you're going to tell us where you've hidden those books. No, no, I... Here where you are. I've got a gun. So have I. Mr. Reed. I've got the drop on you, Carter. Let go of your pistol. Very well. Kick it over here. I congratulate you, Carter. You're cleverer than I thought. But from now on things will go my way. And what way is that? I'll turn Miss Bowen over to my associates whom you haven't met. They'll take excellent care of her. Then tomorrow you and I will visit the police and the insurance company. And if you don't testify as I wish, Miss Bowen will... Oh, Nick. You see? I don't want the books back. I want the insurance. It's a great deal more than the present market value of those books. And you're too clever. You really might find those books. You're darned right, he would. Look, on the wall behind you. The shadow of a bearded man. Shakespeare's ghost. Now, Mr. Reed, I have the drop on you. Smart boys are always fooled by the simplest tricks. The furnace door was open. And by manipulating my fingers behind my back, I cast a shadow of a bearded man on that wall behind you. Oh, thank you, Nick. I would never like to meet Shakespeare's ghost. I think I'm much more attractive with my head on. Now, Reed, I'm sure you won't be too reluctant about naming your accomplice, because you won't want to go to jail for both of you. Then we'll turn over to the police, two of the most cold-blooded thieves I've ever met. Thieves? You mean murderers? No, Patsy. They aren't guilty of that. They couldn't have murdered Rodney Stone, because Rodney Stone never lived. In just a moment, Nick will be back to give you the final details of today's adventure and tell you how he followed the mysterious trail of Shakespeare's ghost. Fingerprints and dust smudges can spoil the appearance of the finest furniture as every housewife knows. Help your fine furniture to look its best always with Linux Cream Polish, the polish which dries hard with no oily surface film to attract those ugly smudges and finger marks. You'll find Linux Cream Polish, all the great Linux home brightness at hardware, paint, and department stores everywhere. And remember that your dealer is headquarters also for ChemTone, the miracle wall finish that has brought sparkling new beauty to 20 million rooms in American homes. ChemTone covers in one coat, dries in one hour. And now let's hear from Nick Carter himself. You see, Patsy, there never was such a man as Rodney Stone. There's only scheme that Reid and his accomplice cooked up to collect the insurance on those books. You see, Reid's file card told me he'd been a volunteer worker at the county hospital. That's what excited me, because that meant he had access to the hospital morgue in the blood bank. You mean they stole a corpse? Right. Some poor, nameless pauper probably. And they also took a couple of pints of blood from the blood bank. His accomplice took the body and the blood to the hotel in a trunk, hired two sweets, and set the scene we saw in one of them. Meanwhile, Reid had sent his cable to London, knowing full well the answer he'd get. Why did he want you in on it? He needed a reputable witness to the murder and the theft. Then as soon as I had seen it, they had to get rid of the body at once but how did the body disappear? The accomplice was hiding in a closet. When Reid called us into the bedroom to see the sword he'd planted there, his pal slipped out and took the body into the suite next door. He put it in a trunk and as soon as we left, brought it back to Reid's house so Reid could burn it up. I thought Evans was the guilty one. No, Patsy. I was convinced Reid was lying when he met us at the station. He said he'd started only ten minutes before, yet his car was wet. I remember. The sudden summer shower. The rain had stopped fifteen minutes before, which meant that Reid himself had delayed along the road in the shower so that cremation would be over before we got back to the house. Yeah, but Nick, when we were in the cellar, it was Evans who came down to see if the body were consumed. Patsy, Evans told me that he knew nothing of this window-readed plan until he accidentally found him putting the body in the furnace. Then, having been with Reid's family for years, he loyally did what he could to help him out. Oh, Nick, why didn't you try to trace the body when it disappeared? Because I had a strong hunch that there was something phony about the murder, and I felt sure I could catch the crooks another way. Looked awfully real to me with all that blood around. That was one reason why I suspected his genuineness. If the man had been killed, as we were led to believe he had, he would have dropped down the spot. There had been no blood in the far corners of the room. Oh, Patsy, there was too much blood in too many places. Why, of course. What's more, the body was too dramatically arranged. It usually sprawled in almost ludicrous and unbelievable positions. But the clincher, Patsy, was the corpse's elbow. Oh, Nick, what could you tell from an elbow? Patsy, you recall that the blood analysis showed the blood was at least six hours old. Uh-huh. Well, when a body lies as long as six hours in one position, immediately after death, gravity causes the blood to settle into the parts of the body touching whatever it's resting upon. As a result, the skin becomes purplish at that point. Well, the corpse's bare elbow was touching the floor, yet there was no sign of any purple color, which meant something was not as it should be. Well, well, work for Nick Carter and learn what you were, and I always say. And so do I. What's next week's adventure going to be, Nick? Well, Ken, next week, I have a rather unusual story for you. A man came to my office and told me he had just killed a man. Well, that's odd. I suppose he came to give himself up. Oh, no. He came to ask Nick to find the body of the man he just killed. Oh, we found it all right. But it took a black mirror and a pinched bar to find the killer. Well, I thought you said he confessed. He did. And that's what makes the story. I give up. What do you call the story? I call it the case of the wandering corpse. Nick Carter, master detective, produced and directed by Jacques McGregor, is copyrighted by Street and Smith Publications Incorporated. Lawn Clark is starred as Nick with Charlotte Manson as Patsy. Script is by Stanley Kaufman. Original music is played by George Wright. The programs are fictional and any resemblance therein to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Nick Carter, master detective, is presented at this time and over these same stations each week by the three great Linux Home Brightners. Linux Clear Loss, Linux Cream Polish, and Linux Self Polishing Wax. Now the makers of the great Linux Home Brightners take this opportunity to send you their most cordial good wishes for a bright new year filled with contentment, prosperity, and the realization of every personal ambition. May 1946 be the best year you've ever known. 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.