 Hello, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the crime club. I'm the librarian. Fish for entree. Yes, we have that story for you. Come right over. We're here. Good. Take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The manuscript is on this shelf. Here it is. Fish for entree. The very unusual story of a fishing expedition that was foul with murder. Let's look at it under the reeling lamp. Being the son of the local chief of police never kept Barney Crawford from doing anything that was normal. Example? Well, Barney loved to go fishing. It was late one bright sunny morning and far out on the bay in a rowboat that was being rocked by the choppy water. Barney Crawford was holding a line and Janice Turner, his fiance, was just about holding her own. What a day. Yes. Why are they Barney? Who, Janice? The fish. What's the matter, dear? You look green. I feel green. Well, why don't you say so? I was trying to be very brave. I'll pull in my line and we'll get back to shore. Thank you, dear. I'll have it up in a... wait a minute. I don't know if I can. Something's under the catch. Can't you shake it loose? I'd rather not look at a fish right now. You have to sit here all morning. Wow, it must be a whale. Look at the way the rod has bent. Would you mind if I did? Lucky I brought out the heavy equipment. Just a few more seconds, Janice, and I'll have them. Hold everything. I'm trying to, Barney. Easy does it. Easy. I've got to be careful. He doesn't snap the rod. He's not fighting now. Well, when I get into the surface, you'll see a battle. Some fish waiting till that... He's breaking water. Don't look, Janice. It's the body. It's the body of a man. We're going back to shore and call my father. He'll want to know about this. Barney, take Janice away from here. This is no place for him. I'm not going, Chief. Now, see here, Janice. I'm not going. See what I mean, Dad? She's your woman, son. Chief. Chief Crawford. Now, what is it, Bailey? The current has finished. He says the guy was killed by two bullets in the back of the neck. I saw that for myself. How long's he been dead? About three days. Three days, huh? Who was he? I didn't check him for identification, sir. I thought you might want to... All right, all right. I'll do it. Let's go. Janice, that was no invitation to watch. But I'm accepting it anyhow, Barney. Do you have to see everything? Now, you make a list, Bailey. I'll check his pockets. Okay, Chief. You ready? Yeah. Chewing gun. Cigarettes. Toothpicks. It's all in this pocket. Now, let's see. Nothing in the other. Now, the inside pocket. Bailey, hello? What's this? Barney, it's a dead fish. Yeah, Bailey. Throw it back in the water. Okay, Chief. Now, let's see what else there is. Card. Press card. Dad, that fellow must have been a newspaper man. You don't say. Well, what I mean is... Janice, take him away before he solves this case. Oh, now, look here, Dad. Now, look, I'm too busy. Three days in the water is washed up while the writing is off this card. And the name, too. Bailey. Yeah? What do you know about a newspaper man who disappeared three days ago? A newspaper man? Check with missing persons when you get back to headquarters. A newspaper man. There was a call a couple of days ago from a family of a certain Cal Foster. Cal Foster, the Daily Register reporter? That's the one, Barney. You know anything about him, Barney? Well, he was a byline writer, Dad. He was working on a series exposing rackets. Sure, I remember him. If that's the body of Cal Foster, then I've got a hunch. Yeah. All right, Bailey. Get me pictures right away. I'm going to take one up to Sam Sullivan, the Daily Register. Maybe he can tell us what we ought to know. Mr. Salivar, do you recognize the man in this picture? Yes. Well, certainly. That's Cal Foster, one of... Chief Crawford. He looks dead. He is. He was murdered. What? My son, Barney, and Miss Turner here fished him out of the bay this morning. Good Lord! He was my best reporter. He was... Yes? You're going to find his killer, Chief Crawford. This is one crime that's not going to go unsolved. Name the one crime in this town we didn't clear up, Mr. Salivar. I'm not going to argue with you. I want action. This paper's been fighting crime for months, exposing rackets, helping to bring criminals to justice. How do we know all about it? Cal Foster was doing the job with my support. Every racket in this state involving... Dad, would you mind if I asked Mr. Salivar one question? Barney, no. Just one, Dad. It might help you. All right. Thanks. Mr. Salivar, what was Cal Foster working on three days ago? I don't know. But you're his publisher. Cal never talked about what he was going to write until he was ready to write it. Oh, then he was about to begin a new series, huh? I think so, but just what it was going to be... Well, this may sound strange to you, Chief Crawford, but I seldom saw Cal. He did all his work away from the office. When he came in, it was to get my approval of something he wanted me to run. The last time I saw him was two weeks ago. What did you bring in then? The astrology racket. Mr. Salivar. I'm sorry I busted in, Mr. Salivar, but I just heard a rumor about Cal. Cal Foster. Is it true? Who are you, Miss? I'm Ann Rooster. I run the woman's column for this paper. Cal Foster and I are engaged to be married. Anything else you'd like to know? Maybe. Then you can send me a letter. I give out all kinds of advice and information. No, Mr. Salivar. And that's Chief of Police Crawford and those two people with him. Police. And it's true, Cal's dead. They told me he was murdered. Murder? Janice, see what you can do. Don't be foolish, Barney. There's nothing anyone can do at a time like this. I... I was coming out of my office when I met one of the reporters. He told me he was going down to the bay, something about Cal having drowned. I didn't believe him. He was shot twice in the back of the neck. Now, would you know... Would I know what? Who killed him? Well, Chief, your guess is as good as mine. Cal was a racket buster. He exposed a lot of rackets. Yes, and that... Who are you? Janice Turner. I'm here as Barney's. Were you with the police? Well, I'm sort of engaged to... Excuse me. I'll keep my mouth shut from now on. See that you do. There's one thing I can tell you, Chief Crawford. What's that? Every gangster in this state was out to get Cal. I begged him to give up his job and go away with me. And? Cal wouldn't do it. Only four days ago, the last time I ever saw him, he was all set to break a new story, another racket. What about? He didn't tell me, Chief Crawford. But he did say it was going to be the biggest thing that ever hit this town. And he mentioned names. Oh. The first time he ever did it before publication. I think he was frightened. He didn't say so, but... Whose names did he mention, Miss Brewster? Tony Cropin, the gang leader, and Lon Fairbanks. The night club owner? Yes. But he didn't tell you what he found out about them? I said he didn't. All right. I thought maybe you'd forget yourself and remember. Chief Crawford, do you think I've lied to you? I'll let you know when I'm ready. Come on, Barney. There's just one question I'd like to ask Miss Brewster, Dad. She doesn't have to answer it unless I ask it, Barney. I'll take that chance. Did Cal force to keep any notes, or did he write for memory? He kept notes, but I never saw them. Thanks. I'm ready, Dad. Then we don't have to waste any more time, do we? Chief, do you really think that girl was lying? Goodbye, Janet. It's a nice day now. Why don't you and Barney take a walk in the park? Where are you going, Dad? Tony Cropin. Well... Nothing doing now. You're going for a walk in the park. But, Dad, we found... Look, son, would you mind if I did the police job all by myself? Well, you're not being fair, Dad. Don't tell your mother. See you at dinner. Tony Cropin doesn't turn out to be too tough. Yeah, maybe. What do you mean, Barney? We found Cal Forster's body, and we're going to find out who killed him. Oh? Have you got an idea? Uh-huh. Those notes he kept. What was in them that made him dangerous enough to kill? Tarling, aren't you assuming too much? Am I? Cal Forster wasn't killed by someone who didn't know what he was going to write about? No. Whoever killed him must have had a motive. Cal and one of his published stories stepped on somebody's toes. And that somebody got mad and... boom. Let's walk away from here. I've got a theory about that girl, Ann Booster. You think she's that somebody? She knows. And that act she put in inside Mr. Salliver's office... Your father didn't fall for it. Well, maybe he didn't. I'd like to see those notes anyway. Come on. We're going to Cal Forster's apartment. Imagine the son of a police chief picking a lock. Janice, please. And with a hairpin just like a rabbit. For Pete's sake, will you lower your voice to the neighbors? Yes, dear. I'll shut up. Barney, you did that job like an expert. Let's get inside. Oh, my. Somebody's been here. You think maybe it was a hurricane? At least. Now what do we do? Let's go for that walk in the park. No, let's not. Somebody was looking for those notes. Someone was looking for something else, could it, Barney? I've just had a brand new idea. Suppose Cal Forster and his girlfriend Ann Brewster... You don't like that girl, do you? Suppose they were running a cute little blackmail racket. Janice. Cal Forster dug up a lot of dirt about dirty people. Whoever paid off was left alone. Whoever didn't was plastered in a newspaper column. Is that why Ann Brewster told Dad about Tony Croton and Lawn Fairbanks? Exactly. Fall guys, you know. And the real killers, the ones Cal and she have been blackmailing... You think I don't blackmailing, eh? Sure. Let's look for those notes. Now, if I wanted to hide some papers my life depended on, where would I put them? And your hat. Janice. Alright, dear torture yourself. Where would I... Of course. I'm so glad. In my hat. What? My top hat. Let's see if Cal Forster owned one. Oh, now listen, Barney. I was only kidding. After all that. After all, darling. Look on the shelf in this closet. It doesn't prove a thing. You're just saying that because you're licked. Now, if this lining comes out without any trouble... Barney. What's in there? Papers. Shut up. You don't have to be so proud of yourself. Here's a handful, darling. Well, after all, if it hadn't been for me... What did you say? A handful of papers, Janice. Look through them. I'll read these. What's the matter? Proof. Right on this top page. The names of Tony Crouppen and Ron Fairbanks. What does it say about them? Engaged in a racket of international scope. What heavens? What kind of a racket? I don't know yet. The pages are not in order. They're not even numbered. Oh, what a job we're going to have. Why don't we turn it over to your father? Later. Spend all your papers on the table. I'll do the same with mine. What will that do? Come on. Let's get moving. Just a minute, Barney. What now, darling? Here are some pages clipped together like a manuscript. Janice, do you know what this is? You want me to guess? It's a carbon copy of the first installment. What first installment? Cal Foster's about the racket he was investigating. Oh! Then the story was ready for publication. You bet it was. And that's why he was murdered. But there's not a thing in here about the racket itself. Isn't there even a hand, a slide hand? Just a reference to a fishing expedition that just should start the nation. A fishing expedition? Barney? Yeah, I know what you're thinking. That fish dad found in Cal Foster's pocket. It meant something. Ridiculous. A freak. Well, just between you and me, I never heard of a fish getting lost. Cal Foster could have meant anything by a fishing expedition. It's a very common expression. Yeah. Very common. Huh? Well, tell me you're glad to see me. I won't believe it. Where did you come from? The bedroom. You ought to take a few lessons in snooping, pal. What? Lesson number one. When you break into somebody's apartment, always look in every room. You mean you're the one that... Yeah, I'm the guy that messed up this place. But you're the guy who found what I was looking for. And we're going to keep the Mr. Croton. Oh, you know me, huh? I've seen your pictures in the papers. I look better in person, don't I? Well, if you want my frank opinion... Table it. And do the same thing with those papers. Now listen, Tony. Do it, Mr.... Bonnie. Don't prompt me, Janice. I see they've gone through. All right. I'm clear. So am I. You don't mind if I say me too, do you? That's your privilege, Mr. Croton. Thanks. Me too. And now me and the papers will take a walk. What's so funny about it? I'd tell you if it'll do you any good, but I know it won't. Try it anyway. Okay. I get the evidence and you get the works. Will you please be not quite so technical? I'm gonna kill you, baby. You wanted a note, didn't you? Hey, mister, where are you going? Taking a walk. Get away from that door. Not to the door, I want Tony. The light switch. Hey! Get down, Janice. I'm going for it. Janice. Darling. You feel better now? A little. The next time you tell me to get down. It's not my fault you hit your head against the table. It's not your head, either. I'm sorry. Anyhow, you falling down saved our lives. Croton must have thought he killed you. You mean you let him get away? Now look, dear, he had the gun. And I thought you had him tied up in the other room and you, the son of a police chief. Maybe you'd better tell Dad about this. Well, it's about time. And when you get through talking to him... Stop right there. Give me police headquarters. You can call up that man that publishes the daily register. What's his name? Sam Saliver. Hello, police headquarters. Let me talk to Chief Crawford, please. Son. I'll wait. Now Janice, what about Sam Saliver? Tell him what Tony Croton did and then tried to do to us. Make him splash it all over the front page. All right, dear. Hello? Uh-huh. He did, huh? Thanks. Goodbye. Dad went out a few minutes ago. He didn't say where. Well, of all... Why didn't you tell somebody at police headquarters what happened to us? They're all policemen down there, you know. Oh, I didn't think of that. I'll call right back. Wait a minute. Of course. But will Tony Croton wait? He's getting away. Hey, wait a minute. This paper under the table... It must have... Well, it did, Janice. I tickled to death. Some of Calforster's notes must have dropped out of Tony's hand. I've got too much of a headache to care, Barney. There's a woman in this case, Janice. A woman? Uh-huh. What's her name? Winnie Roberts. Oh. And here's something strange. After a name Calforster typed in Lawn Fairbanks via Bayshore. Whatever that means. Lawn Fairbanks. Let's go down to his nightclub and find out. Barney, the police in this town are still being paid. Come on, Janice. I've got an idea. No, I've got a headache. But all right. Good evening, Mr. Trafford. It is always a pleasure to welcome such a distinguished son of... I'm here, too, Henri. Oh, but of course, madam, for you, I... Stepney Sweet. Well, that's staying on me. No? As a matter of fact, we only stopped in to see Winnie Roberts. Winnie Roberts? Mm-hmm. Is it a reservation? No. It's an entertainer in the floor show. In the... Oh, but, ma'am, there is no such lady in our floor show. Are you sure? How could I be otherwise? I know every charming lady in this establishment and they are all charming. I see. Well, it's supposed to be a lot of Lawn Fairbanks, huh? Of course. You'll be most happy. You'll find him in the office. Thanks, Henri. You and your ideas. Barney Crawford, do you realize we've been on the go since this morning? Mm-hmm. Has it occurred to you that I might be tired? Mm-hmm. I'm so glad. I feel so much better now. Come on. We're not going to be polite. Now, look here, Lawn. Come in quick and shut the door. Stay right there, Janice, and don't move. You don't have to worry about that. I won't even look. He's dead all right. Two bullet holes in the back of the neck. Right, Henri. All right. Now, never mind the hysterics. But, Chief Crawford, I cannot believe it. Monsieur Fairbanks? You said you didn't leave this club all evening. Oui, Monsieur. How come you didn't hear the shots? But I have told you, it is possible the orchestra was playing. When that is going on, it is impossible to hear anything else. Slappy excuse. I do not lie, Monsieur. No, and you didn't see anyone going in this office, either. I did not say that. What? You did not ask me. A very excited young lady inquired for Monsieur Fairbanks. I told her she marched into the office, exactly here. Oh, Chief. What is it, Janice? That sounds like it might have been Anne Brewster. Yeah. Send out an alarm for Anne Brewster, columnist for the daily register. Do it right away. Right away, Chief. You go with them, Janice. Mm-hmm. Take Barney with you. For Pete's sake, Dad. For my sake. This is not amateur night. Henri. Oui. Where does that back door lead to? That, Monsieur, leads to a driveway. The door was used by Monsieur Fairbanks as a private entrance. Can we go out that way, Chief? Any way you like, Janice. All right, Barney. Why the back door? It's quicker, and I've got things to say to you that can't wait. When I say... Hey, what's that over there? The delivery entrance of the club. Now, Janice... Let's walk toward the street. There's a man in that truck. I don't want him to hear. You what? Barney Crawford. When I say to you that Anne Brewster knows who killed Cal Foster, I know what I'm talking about. Is that all you wanted to tell me? She killed him. What? She's Winnie Roberts. But, Gin... Don't interrupt me. I've got a new theory. Oh, well. Anne Brewster, as Winnie Roberts knew back at that Cal Foster was investigating. Anne found out that Cal was ready to break the thing wide open, so she killed him. Ron Fairbanks, too? Of course. You heard what Henri said. A woman. Now, we'll have to find the reason. For what? Why she killed Ron Fairbanks. Don't you know, Janice? Well, how would I... He's driving. It's a truck. We'll have to get to the street. Come on. Let's get out of the way. Well, Barney, what do you think? Darling, I know it smells bad here, but I'm talking to... Fish. That's what that truck was unloading. Do you think I care? You should. You can build a brand new theory around that truck and the fish. What are you talking about? Winnie Roberts. Let's go for a drive. Where to? Bay Shore on a fishing expedition of our own. Have you gone out of your mind? Not tonight, Janice. Let's get out. But this is the Bay Shore boat club. Out, honey. All right. But since when does anyone live at a boat club? Anyone doesn't. But you said... Yes, dear. We're riding out. I wish I knew what you were talking about. You will. Janice, darling, have you ever seen such a beautiful moon? I'm not in the mood. Why did you stop dragging me toward the water? Can I help it if I want you in a rowboat? There's one tide of the pier. Come on, let's get in and forget all about life and people. Romance at a time like this. Well, we've had a tough day, sweetheart. We should be looking for Ann Brewster, that killer. Oh, why worry about her? Because she's Winnie Roberts and she knows all about the racket. Yeah, we're free. Now, down to the sea in a rowboat. Whatever that racket is, it must be something... I'm sure it is, dear. ...something out of this world terrible. Of course. I don't get you at all, Bonnie. You spend a whole day digging for information. You almost get us killed by Tony Croton and now all of a sudden you don't even... That's me, honey, unpredictable Bonnie. Do you think I ought to stop talking, dear? I think you ought to look in back of you. Hmm? Just look and then you can stop talking if you want to. Look at that moon again. Bonnie. Yes, dear? It's Winnie Roberts. Beautiful, isn't she? Why didn't you tell me? I didn't know, Janice, I was just playing a hunch. You mean... Shhh. You're pulling up alongside Winnie. You don't want to wake her up to you. Bonnie, are you thinking of going on board? Why not? The lights are out. This side, but all boats are on two sides, darling. And on the other side... Shall we find out? No. All right, you stay here. I'll climb up this ladder and do this whole job myself. Bonnie, listen to me. Goodbye, dear. I'm not back by morning. Don't wait for me. Bye, Bonnie. That's right, sweetheart. Have breakfast. How do you know that man on deck was sleeping? He was snoring. How do you know he wasn't fooling? Fish. Bonnie. We're getting close. What are you doing? I'm lighting a match. Look, Janice, steel drawer. Bonnie, I'm frightened. Hold the match. I'm going to see if that door can be opened. Pete's safe, Janice. What a time to cough. Oh, that odor of fish. We'll bring the match over here. Ah. A light switch. If anyone should see that light, Bonnie will... There's no one down here. Come on. Watch your step. Where can I get you over your nose? That smells going to get worse. We're going into the hold of the ship. Oh, the things that happened to me. Bonnie. Yes? Are all those barrels loaded with fish? I don't know, but I... Yes, Janice, they are. Dead fish. And we've got nothing to worry about, have we? Not a thing. I'm so glad. But the next time anyone talks to me about fish, even lobster, Thermador, I'll... Bonnie, what are you doing? Squeezing a fish. Oh, for heaven's sakes. Do you have to? Uh-huh. Look what's popped into his mouth. Not now, please, dear. I'm too busy trying to stay conscious. It's a package, darling. See? Paper, oil swimming. Look, a white powder. What? A white powder, Janice. What Cal Foster meant by a fishing expedition that would startle the nation. I don't follow you, Bonnie. Well, this powder's a narcotic. Every fish down here is stuffed with one of these packages. I... And Cal Foster was killed because he was about to expose a narcotics ring that Tony Croton was operating. Bonnie. We're on our way, Janice. The boat's moving. Yeah. Tony Croton. Yeah. I thought I killed you two. But it's all the same now. What's a few hours among friends, huh? Tony, what would you look like without that gun, huh? Not so good. Get in. You too, sister. You know Anne Brewster? Of course we do. Hmm. Well, Bonnie, what did I tell you? Yeah. You don't have to be so glum about it just because I happen to be right. Right about what, Miss Turner? You killed Cal Foster in Lawn Fairbanks. You're the mastermind of this racket, and tell her she's crazy, Tony. OK, then I'll tell her. I'm handcuffed to this chair. If you don't believe it, walk behind me. That is true, Miss Turner. Mr. Salliver. Good evening. Where did you find them, Tony? In the hold, boss, with the fish. With the fish? What goes with fish? Wine. I wasn't expecting you, Mr. Crawford, but since you are here, and I've gone to the trouble of getting this bottle from the other room. He's going to kill us. But not without kindness, my dear Anne. You murdered Cal. He was treading on my toes. Come, let's have a drink, and then we'll go fishing. With them as bait, huh, Sam? Open the bottle, Tony. Sure. How did they get you on here, Anne? Mr. Salliver did. He told me about the Winnie Roberts. I, like a fool, didn't go to the police. I was going to solve Cal's murder all by myself. Well, just as I thought, I was never quite sure how much you knew, Anne, about my business. Well, we know a lot now, Mr. Salliver. Yes, Mr. Crawford, but what good will it do you? I never can tell. Hey, I've got the gun now. Tony, you can't. And I wanted to see him coming. Sam, you told me to open the bottle of wine. I had to put the gun down on the table. Don't be angry with him, Mr. Salliver. He might have holes in his pocket. Shut up, Mr. Turner. Why, Mr. Salliver? Every newspaper publisher invites comment from the people. Salliver, give orders to your skipper to stop the boat. Of course. Hello. Salliver speaking. Full steam ahead. Barney, he's double-crossing us. What did you expect, Mr. Turner? Give the order, Salliver. You're going with me, Mr. Crawford. And shooting me won't help you. I've got a dozen men above, not to mention... Give the order, Salliver. Who he spoke to, Sam? My father's a great guy. Don't you think so, Janice? I certainly do, Barney. You never know what he's got figured out. He just doesn't talk except a mom. Home again, darling. Say goodnight to Barney. But why did Sam Salliver kill Lawn Fairbanks, too? He was clearing the decks. What? After Cal Foyster found out what was going on, Salliver got worried. He didn't know where Cal got the information. Then Tony Croton might have been next. He was. Salliver was taking no chances. But how did he find out what Cal Foyster knew after all? Remember that carbon copy of the first installment? Yeah. Where was the original? Hmm? That's it, Barney. Cal Foyster had given it to Sam Salliver for publication. Hey, but didn't he know? Maybe he did. Maybe he wanted to see what Salliver would do. Hmm. You can tell. Yes. Anyway, he exposed the racket. Ann's going to write the whole series on the Foyster's byline. And I thought... Yes, dear. But please don't think about it now. Barney's tired. And so closes tonight's story. Fish for Entree. Stedman Coles wrote the radio script. Roger Bauer produced and directed. Walter Consellor played Barney Crawford. Virginia Dwyer was Janice Turner. Charles Smith was Chief Crawford. Reese Taylor was heard as Sam Salliver. Julie Stevens was Ann Brewster. Paul Hammond played Tony Croton. And Barry Thompson was only. Oh, I beg your pardon. Hello? I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the crime club. I'm the librarian. Yes, come over a week from tonight. Good. We have the very intriguing story of a two-time that was double-quick with murder. It's called A Frame for Murder. In the meantime? Well, in the meantime, there is a new crime club book available this week and every week at bookstores everywhere. Yes, it's available now. And we'll look for you next week. This program came from New York. Be sure to stay tuned now for that mystery pack broadcast Quiet Please, which follows in just a moment. This is the Neutral Broadcasting System.