 New post-war old Dutch cleanser famous for chasing dirt presents Nick Carter famous for chasing crime every week at this time two great names are joined as new post-war old Dutch cleanser brings you one of the most resourceful and daring characters in all detective fiction Nick Carter master detective Johnny I know how you feel you don't Mr. Carter nobody knows how I feel a couple of guys named Ford and Bisbee are gonna find out and soon now wait they frame me they stole three years out of my life they killed my mom now I'm gonna do something about Johnny Johnny Nick's your friend listen I don't want any friends that work with the cops because I got a job to do that the cops ain't gonna like and now the case of the double frame today's adventure starring Lon Clark as Nick Carter brought to you by new post-war old Dutch cleanser today Johnny Wade is being released from state penitentiary and at 10 o'clock in the morning Nick is waiting outside the prison gate his secretary and assistant Patsy Bowen and Sergeant Matheson of the homicide squad are in the car with him yeah what's Johnny gonna think when he sees a cop with you Nick I'll simply tell him the truth Maddie that you and I are old friends and that you came along to get some fresh country air Johnny won't be suspicious of any friend of Nick Sergeant why when Johnny was a member of the downtown boys club he simply worshipped Nick used to call him his big brother yeah you see Johnny never had any family except his mother and she's dead now so naturally I wanted to meet him when he got out you sure must have a lot of faith in him I have met him even after he stole 20,000 bucks now look Maddie I don't believe he did if I'd only known about it sooner I might have been able to prove that Johnny was innocent but we were out west on a case at the time of his trial was only recently when we learned he was being released today that we knew he'd been in prison I made a few inquiries but the evidence is all against him and his employers Ford and Bisbee flatly refused to give me any help Nick look isn't that Johnny coming through the gate now it looks like it is oh Nick Nick how he's changed he's so thin wait a minute I'll be right back right hey Johnny Johnny Johnny wait yeah it's me Johnny Nick Carter hello Mr Carter what are you doing here I thought you'd like to have me meet you when you got out we're all friends aren't we we used to be well we still are Johnny come on patches in the car she's anxious to meet you and see I've got a job lined up for you no thanks but listen son no soap mr Carter he was always swell to me and I appreciate it but I don't want any friends not any more don't be foolish John okay so I'm foolish maybe three years and stir makes you that way but it needn't Johnny now look I want you to forget forget it forget that Ford and Bisbee frame me forget that for the rest of my life people are gonna say I'm a crook and a jailbird I know it won't be easy maybe I ought to forget my mom too maybe I ought to pretend that it wasn't grieving over me that killed her believe me I understand how you feel John no you don't nobody knows how I feel there's a couple of guys it's gonna find out a couple of guys named Ford and Bisbee now wait when they frame me they stole three years out of my life they killed my mom now I'm gonna do something about it Johnny I'm speaking as your friend you used to say I was the best friend you ever had and I'm not forgetting it but I got a job to do and friends lonely get in my way especially friends that work with the cops so long mr Carter Johnny wait a minute you can tell mr Ford mr Bisbee I'll be seeing him Johnny's in a dangerous mood mr Bisbee and I think both you and mr Ford should be prepared for trouble if you're such a friend of his Carter why did you come here to warn us because he's had trouble enough I don't want to making any more for himself I see and it's not out of any regard for our safety I'm thinking of that too mr Ford I don't blame Johnny for being sore if he's in a feeling out money innocent he's a dirty crook miss Bowen and he didn't get half what he deserved that's what I thought at the time Bisbee but I'm beginning to wonder you're out of your mind Ford if he didn't get the money who did did you get it did I beg your pardon mr Ford but I have the report just a minute minor yes I put that money in the briefcase myself you saw me didn't you minor oh yes sir as I testified in court I brought the cash from the bank and handed it over to you and I was there when you put it in the briefcase fastened the case and gave it to Johnny and the young thief admitted that the briefcase never left his hands till he gave it to you at the airport for the money certainly wasn't there then all right then he took it nobody else could I don't care Johnny wasn't the kind of a boy to steal I see miss Bowen you think either mr Ford or I stole our own money that isn't what she said mr Bisbee but it still seems odd that neither of you gentlemen would give me any cooperation and trying to find out who did steal it rubbish we knew who got it by the time you came around he'd been tried and convicted we were both pretty angry mr Carter this was a new business then and 20,000 was a serious loss it was disastrous as far as I was concerned you had money in the bank for it but I was broke well if you didn't put all your money on the horses or a roulette wheel you don't have to give me another lecture for it don't complain because you're always broke I just a minute gentlemen you're getting away from the subject you're quite right mr Carter and while both mr Bisbee and I appreciate you're warning us about Johnny I don't think there's any cause for alarm but he blames you too for his mother's death and there's no telling what he's likely to do he'll most likely get that money from wherever he's got it hidden and leave this part of the country sounds logical to me I don't think you want to attract any attention to himself by coming here gentlemen I hope you're right if he tries anything with me I'll break his thieving neck what can I do for you that he you daddy Greer what if I am my name is Johnny Wade link garson told me to look you up when I got out link garson hey well well link said that if I come to you you take care of me so well I guess any friend of links is all right so what do you want from daddy Greer just one thing a gun Johnny boy it's good to see you hello mr minor still doing the book keeping around here yes oh Johnny you got sin must have been pretty bad up there wasn't skip it well Johnny if there's anything I can do no thanks afford and busy in their offices yeah but you don't want to go in there don't I Johnny Johnny listen to me what's the idea but oh yeah it's me it's the guy you and that crooked partner yours railroaded into the pen hold on Johnny hands on the desk mr. Ford away that gun you crazy fool maybe you didn't know my mom was dead mr. Ford maybe you wouldn't care she died thinking I was a crook and a thief don't do anything you'll be sorry for Johnny I couldn't do anything to you I'd be sorry for what a busy either wait no I waited long enough and now watch out busy he's got a gun I've got it busy that door hadn't knocked me off balance when you open the door isn't the only thing that's gonna knock you off balance you stop you dirty that's enough busy can't you see he's out cold oh I ought to call the police and have him locked up oh no no please mr. Busby I'm sure he didn't know what he was doing no so you're a friend of his to are you minor well not exactly well get him into the outer office and when he comes to tell him if he shows up here again I'll send him back to jail where he belongs they caught her speaking what's the matter Ford did Johnny show up from him well I'm glad to hear nobody was hurt what did you do have him arrested no busy was going to but he changed his mind I'm glad he did so am I sending him back to jail might be the worst thing in the world for him right now you saw how bad he looks I know he was talking pretty wildly to evidently he's been brooding over his mother's death that's what I mean mr. Ford if I can get hold of Johnny I'm sure I can straighten him out maybe it's because I take a personal interest in him but I still don't believe he stole your money that's why I called you Carter I'm not so sure he did either what you've changed your mind well if he had the money hidden away why would he come up here threatening me and take a chance and going back to jail it doesn't make sense no it doesn't a guilty man would go get the money and leave town as quietly as possible that's what I think but if he didn't take the money I'd like to know who did are you asking me to make an investigation yes if you don't think it's too late to find out anything after three years as a matter of fact I've been doing some looking around on my own hook mr. Ford and I turned up one very interesting fact what's that may not mean anything but in August of 1945 your partner J. T. Bisbee bought $28,000 worth of stock in an East Texas oil company in 1945 Bisbee didn't have a dime so he said but he paid $28,000 for oil stock just the same August 1945 that was less than two months after that 20,000 disappeared I wonder of course there's an $8,000 difference between the amount that was stolen and the amount Bisbee invested in oil stock but it still was in charge of the office that year Carter I was on the road all the time well everybody be leaving the office in a few minutes but I think I'll stay down here and look over the books for 1945 maybe I can discover where that extra 8,000 came from do you know enough about bookkeeping to recognize something wrong if you found it I think so and if anything does look suspicious I'll have minor come down and check with me on it good idea let me know how you come out I'll do that I'll give you a ring first thing in the morning it's fine and cold weather Charlie but on a night like this I'd rather be back pounding a beat of two to one at some game whose kid hasn't got back from the movies yet 45th precinct Sergeant Lafferty speaking oh yes Mr. Ford what's the matter hold it Charlie get an ambulance over to the Janssen building on the double guy's been shot right you're still there Mr. Ford just hold on we got an ambulance on the way do you know who shocked you wait you're sure of that Mr. Ford yes I saw him Mr. Ford Mr. Ford snap it up Charlie I think he's croaked already but I got the name of the guy that did it as the police ambulance speeds toward the Janssen building the alarm goes out to pick up Johnny Wade for murder we'll see what happens in just a moment now back to the case of the double frame today's adventure with Nick Carter brought to you by new post-war old Dutch cleanser it is an hour later the photographers and fingerprint men have left but Nick Patsy and Sergeant Matheson have remained at the office of Ford and Bisbee the body of Adam Ford still lies beside the desk his dead hand clutching the telephone with which his last call was made to police headquarters wish we could get hold of Bisbee but his housekeeper says he's been out all evening have you found any trace of Johnny yet no Patsy but every cop in town is on the lookout for him we found out he's registered a little hotel called the Meckley I got a couple of boys stationed there too oh not that he'll be crazy enough to come back Maddie I have a hunch Johnny didn't do this oh Nick use your head I know you like the boy and I'm sorry but we've got Ford's dying statement that Johnny Wade shot him yes I know but I think the killer himself made that call to police headquarters after Ford was dead all for Pete's sake and then put the phone in Ford's hand to make the story look good well if that's the best idea you can dream up I'm not dreaming look at that phone it's in Ford's hand backwards huh my mouthpiece and the earphone are reversed Ford's thumb is next to the mouthpiece well I can see that but what no one would hold a phone that way matter you'd have to twist your arm half out of its socket to speak into it hey you're right Nick now how it what that isn't the phone in Ford's hand sergeant is the other one on the desk he had two of them oh yeah yeah yeah of course sergeant Mathersons speaking oh you have huh good we'll be down to talk to him pretty soon did they find Johnny no Bisbee he's down at headquarters oh and look how about Johnny Wade yeah one well why didn't you tell me before that 14 minutes after 10 huh all right Hanson I'll see in a few minutes that's funny what is matter Nick Hanson says Ford called Johnny's hotel tonight left a message that Johnny should come here to the office right away no matter what time he got in what was that about 14 minutes after 10 that was the time on the message of the hotel patsy they always mark it down when a guest isn't in hey Maddie yeah thought you said Ford died at eight minutes after 10 well that's the time he found headquarters all right hey wait a minute yes for it was dead before the call was made to headquarters and that call was made six minutes before the call to Johnny then both of those calls were fakes but why should anybody call Johnny I can think of one very good reason patsy the murderer is trying to make sure that Johnny isn't able to defend himself on the charge of killing Ford Nick it was a trap it's exactly what I think and if Johnny had got that message and started for here he probably wouldn't be alive now Nick you don't suppose the killer could have found him on the street no it's not likely patsy the police will pick him up when he returns to the hotel if they don't locate him sooner you know I'm beginning to think you're right about the lad being framed Nick but who's doing it we may find the answer in this open ledger on Ford's death now how can you tell anything from that with ink spilled all over it yeah everything on the page has been blotted out just the point looks to me as though the ink had been spilled purposely and then spread around the ledger for August 1945 that's an old one yes Ford told me this afternoon he was going to look over the books for 1945 to see whether there was any evidence that something crooked was going on then well if somebody tried to destroy what was on those pages he didn't get away with it the lab boys can bring out what's under that ink blood as clear as it ever was no I don't want to wait for that many suppose we talked to the bookkeeper tonight minor yeah if anybody would know what was in this ledger he would huh well I sent a man over to his boarding house after him you know he was a witness to that brawl this afternoon good he ought to be here any minute I saw John Mathers and speaking huh he did well he never got here yeah yeah you'd better stay there and wait for him right what was that matter minor isn't that he's boarding house Nick he left for here quite a while ago what yeah it seems someone who said he was Adam Ford called an essay McComb to the office right away well that's exactly the message that was left of the hotel for Johnny yeah only minor got his message and started out and he isn't here yet but why should anyone well maybe he did know something about that ledger Nick maybe he knew too much perhaps you're right Maddie let's go down to headquarters and see whether mr. Bisbee thinks so too I don't know anything about any phone calls I didn't even know Adam was dead until the police officer told me where have you been all evening mr. Bisbee that's my business yeah it's police business now mister well I'd if you must know I was at the Blue Eagle the gambling house yes can you prove that why someone will remember me but I huh well you better just hope that somebody does Mr. Bisbee your partner was examining the ledger for August 1945 at the time he was murdered well that was the month you invested twenty eight thousand dollars in oil stocks wasn't it all right it was so what thought you were broken 1945 well I where'd you get the twenty eight thousand dollars I want it in the poker game oh you play for high stakes don't you mr. Bisbee suppose I do what are it and you prove that's where you got the money after three years don't be ridiculous mmm Maddie yeah well you check mr. Bisbee's alibi for tonight I think Patsy and I'd better go over to Johnny Wade's hotel yeah what for Nick I'm worried about a Maddie and maybe the desk clerk or somebody there may be able to tell us where he went tonight I'm sorry mr. Carter but mr. Wade checked out he left no forwarding address checks out when not more than five minutes ago you mean he was here in the hotel and the police the police oh you mean those cops across the lobby you're waiting for mr. Wade didn't you know I know sir I just came on June all right but how did he get out of here without the seeing him oh mr. Wade wasn't here he phoned and said we could release the room he paid in advance so Nick another phone call if the police are looking for him they may be able to catch him at the office of Ford and Bisbee in the Janssen building why do you say that well there was a message from a mr. Ford that he should go there immediately no matter how late it was you gave him that message of course I did and and he said he'd stop there and his way out of town oh thank goodness he's all right Nick when he gets to the office the police will be waiting that's what I think we better see whether we can catch him before he gets there why because it may be that whoever phoned him doesn't want him to reach the office wait oh mr. Minor what are you doing here Ford went home Johnny but he asked me to wait here and drive you to his house come on get in what's he want to see me about well I think he's found out that you didn't take that money after all he has that's the impression I got hurry up get in well you bet I would here's this on the level you're not kidding me take my word for it Johnny the for long your troubles will be all over we doing out here mr. Minor you said we were going to mr. Ford's house he said his country place Johnny sure out at the end of nowhere don't look like there's three cars a year come over this road it is lonely isn't it well here we are Johnny what do you mean here we are where's the house there isn't any house Johnny only an old stone quarry about half full of water but it's very very deep Johnny I don't get it you will get out hey what's the idea the gun get out Johnny you're going to join mr. Ford right here as Johnny Wade gets out of the car there is no sign of mercy on the face of his supposed friend the book keeper only a grim determination to kill we'll see what happens in just a moment now for the conclusion of the case of the double frame today's adventure with Nick Carter brought to you by new post war old Dutch cleanser beside a lonely country road the headlights of a parked car shine upon the figure of an elderly man with a revolver in his hand and a young man standing helplessly at the edge of an abandoned rock quarry half filled with water you're the one that took that 20 grand three years ago you're the one that framed me it was so easy Johnny after visby put the money in the briefcase he turned his back to get some papers off for death and I took the money out again that's all you put that ticket for Montreal in my pocket too of course I did it made the police think you were planning to run away it is a very efficient plan yeah you're a smart guy you are so you bring me out here make me carry all this scrap iron over from your car they make excellent weights journey now I want you to take that roll of wire and fasten scrap iron securely around your ankle oh go on take a piece of that scrap okay I'll take it and give it a right back why are you yelling keep away Johnny I don't want to kill you just yeah okay okay what do you want to bump me off for you frame me you got away with it you have to disappear Johnny you see you murdered Mr. Ford tonight I did what I needed that money three years ago to cover a shortage in my accounts and tonight the old fool started looking over the books he found you'd faked him huh unfortunately for him yeah he phoned me to come down to the office to accuse me but I wasn't going to the penitentiary as you did so you knocked him off oh no Johnny the police have Mr. Ford's dying statement that you killed him I know because I made that dying statement myself over the phone well you're double crossing enough Johnny get busy with that scrap iron with his bullet in my arm you're crazy you're right I'll have to attend to that detail myself later goodbye Johnny now look Mr. Minor it won't hurt much Johnny I'm just going that's just a warning gunner I'll shoot to kill Mr. Carter where the devil did you come back see take mine is gone right Nick look Carter I can explain Johnny confessed to killing Mr. Ford he was going to kill me save your breath minor for you the highway back to town is going to be a one-way road to the electric chair how's your arm Johnny oh it'll be all right it's just a flesh wound oh gee you're lucky Johnny we were on our way to Ford's office when Nick saw you getting into Miner's car and you followed us all the way out from town yeah we had to drive without lights and stay quite a distance behind or minor would have noticed us I still don't know why he wanted to bump me off after the way he framed me I never could have proved I I didn't kill Mr. Ford well they couldn't take any chances on you having an alibi Nick Nick how did Bisbee get that 28,000 did he really win it in a poker game there's no reason to doubt it now Patsy oh Johnny here's something Bisbee asked me to give you oh probably a nice little apology for sending you to the penitentiary for something you didn't do I just don't like that man what is it Mr. Carter here he it's a check for $1000 he thought it might make up for at least part of what you've been through oh Johnny that's wonderful now you can make a real start in life yeah yeah gee a thousand bucks I wish mom could be here to see this and he has a job for you too much better job than you had before gosh Mr. Carter that just goes to show you how wrong a fella can be sometimes Mr. Bisbee ain't a bad guy at all when you get to know what he's really like you know Johnny that's generally true very few people are really bad when you get to know them I'm glad you found that out while you're still young it'll make your life a whole lot easier sometimes well Nick can you tell us something about the adventure new post war old Dutch cleanser is going to bring us next week yes Mike next week we're going to meet a young man who didn't commit murder because the victim wasn't running backwards and the only way Nick could prove it was by tracing $5 worth of toy money to the real killer between running backwards and toy money there ought to be plenty of excitement what do you call this adventure I call it the case of the bull and bear Nick Carter master detective is presented each week at this time by the Cuddehy packing company it is produced and directed by John McGregor and is copyrighted by Street and Smith publications incorporated Charlotte Manson is featured as Pat C. today's script was written by Jim Parsons original music is played by Henry Silver this program is fictional and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental this is Michael Fitz Morris saying when minutes count use new post war old Dutch cleanser this is the mutual broadcasting system