 Yes, it's another case for that most famous of all man-hunters. The detective whose ability at solving crime is unequaled in the history of detective fiction. Nick Carter, master detective. Presented by the three great Linux home Brightoners. Linux Clear Gloss, Linux Cream Polish, and Linux Self-Polishing Wax. Created by ACME, America's great producer of ACME quality paints. Today's curious adventure. Death plays the lead. Or Nick Carter and the mystery of the accidental clue. In just a moment, we'll hear how Nick used an accidental clue to solve a murder at a U.S. Army camp and break up a spy ring. But first, ask yourself this. Do folks have fun when they visit you? Make your home a more enjoyable place to be. With modern shortcuts to household loveliness. Probably you've already found how Chemtone, the miracle wall finish, brings new beauty to your walls. And for floors, woodwork, and furniture, the three great Linux home Brightoners do an equally fine job. Linux Self-Polishing Wax, which beautifies your floors with a satiny, yet tough, non-skid finish that resists wear, water, and dirt. Linux Cream Polish, which cleans as it polishes, leaving no oily film on your furniture. And Linux Clear Gloss Varnish, the durable supervarnish that drives to an elastic, transparent surface which protects all wood and linoleum in your home. You'll find the three great Linux home Brightoners at your hardware, paint, or department store. Your headquarters also for Chemtone, the miracle wall finish. Now for today's mysterious adventure with Nick Carter. Somewhere in these United States is an Army training camp and somewhere in that camp is the U.S.O. Theater, which on account of the rain pouring down outside is unusually well-filled. As our story opens, Nick Carter with his two assistants, Patsy and Scubby, are hurrying backstage in the theater in the company of their host, Major Wayne. Right through here, Nick. Gosh, what a mob. Look, Scubby, there are more soldiers backstage here than there. Yeah. Quiet. Quiet, please. Quiet. Where's Mr. Dexter? Right here, Major. I'm glad you could get here so soon. This is bad business, Mr. Dexter. Very bad business. Who was it that was killed? My leading lady, Margo Craven. She was shot in her dressing room, right in here. Mr. Dexter, this is Nick Carter. He just happened to be here visiting me today, but I'm going to ask him to take over the investigation for me. We're lucky to have such a great detective here when we need him. Thank you, Dexter. Now, suppose you tell me what you know about this right from the beginning. Of course. It really started right after the first act. I was in my office when Ross Craven, Margo's husband, came in. Well, Dexter, you've done it again. It's a hit. You really like the show, Craven? I certainly do. But say, what's the matter with my wife? What do you mean? Is anything the matter with Margo? I just stopped in the dressing room and she was crying. And she swears she won't go on for the second act. She will if I have to drag her on. Those boys will be disappointed. You go out front, Craven, and don't worry. I'll go back and see her. All right, Dexter. You know, sometimes I think she should have married you instead of me. You certainly can handle her better than I can. Did he mean anything special about that, Dexter? It's no secret that I've been in love with Margo for years. But she married Craven, and that was the end of it for me. I see. Suppose you go on with your story. I started backstage, and just as I got to the passion where Margo's dressing room was, I heard a shot. I ran to her room, opened the door, and found her lying on the floor. I just had time to be sure she was dead when Paddy came in. Who's Paddy? Paddy Berg, my assistant, my best friend, and my pal and protector. He entered the dressing room right behind me. Is she dead? Yes. Yes, she's dead, Paddy. What, did she kill herself? I don't know. That must be the gun on the floor there. A pearl handled 32. And I think I have seen her have it before now. Yeah. Oh, hey, she left the window open. It's raining in. I'd better close it. It's lucky you weren't in here with her when it happened. I saw you crossing backstage as the shot was fired, but I wish someone else had seen you. Meaning what? Meaning that lots of people knew you was in love with her, that it nearly broke you up when she married Craven. That's all. They might think you killed her because she was jealous. That's absurd. Five minutes, Mrs. Craven, five minutes. Well, Paddy, there's one call she'll never answer. Never again. Gosh, Mr. Dexter, that's tough. I've been examining the gun, Nick. There are no prits on it at all. I see. Dexter, do you have any idea why Mrs. Craven refused to go on for the second act tonight? Why, uh, she... I can tell you why. Yes. And who are you? That is Carl Shaw, our star. Mr. Shaw, what did you mean by saying you could tell why? Margo Craven was in love with Dexter. She was eating her heart out for him. Said if she couldn't have him, she'd wreck the show. That's why she wouldn't go on for the second act. And I'll bet he went in to argue with her, maybe threatened her, and she grabbed the gun for protection. They struggled for it, and it went off, killing her. Do you know that that happened? No, but I know Margo and I know Dexter. Look here, Shaw, if Dex won't defend himself, I'll do it for him. Why don't you tell Mr. Carter the truth that you were in love with Margo yourself, that you've been threatening to kill her ever since she married Craven. Sometimes she teased you, and he got so mad you almost went crazy. Are you insinuating that I killed her? Yes, I am, right to your face. What's the matter here? Watch out. Margo. Margo! That's her husband, Mr. Carter. Your wife's dead, Mr. Craven. Dead? You didn't kill her, did you, Dexter? We don't know who killed her yet. We aren't even certain she didn't kill herself. I was afraid Dexter might have done it. I guess it's a rotten temper. And it would have been my fault because I asked him to come back here and argue with her. Mr. Craven, do you know anyone who might have had reason to kill her? Yes, Carl Shaw. What? He had a filthy temper and Margo was always teasing him. You lie. Maybe you killed Margo yourself. Why do you say that, Mr. Shaw? Craven didn't love his wife. He wanted to be rid of her. You told me such a lie and you know it. Mr. Craven, where have you been since you talked to Dexter before? You certainly didn't get as soaked as you are now sitting in the theater. No, I went out and walked around to cool off. Then I saw the soldiers leaving the theater so I came back to find out what happened. Nick, don't move too suddenly. But as soon as you can, look at the window. The window, what do you... Oh, a face. What was that, Nick? Now it's gone now. There was a face at the window staring in at us. Major. There's nothing but rain there now. Scubby. Yeah, Nick? Take a look outside. See if you can find any footprints. The mud's so thick out there you want to be able to find some good ones. Sure thing, Nick. I'll be right back. Well, Major, I'm afraid we'll have to ask the whole company to stay here in town tonight. Accommodations may not be too good, but they'll have to do until the case is cleared up. Looks to me as if any one of several people might all equally well be guilty. We'll see that they're all taken care of, Nick. There are tracks all right, Nick, but there's nobody there now. I'll put a guard out there for tonight, Nick. We can take a better look at the prints in the morning. That's all, folks. But don't go anywhere until I say so. Room 211, the clerk said. That should be right about... Ah, here. Hi, Dick, did I? Come in. Have a drink. Thanks, Craven. I don't drink. I don't ever want to be sober again. But I'm sober. I remember all the rotten little things I did to Margo. She should have married Dexter. He's always been the kind of man that I wanted to be and never was. But I beat him just once when I married Margo. That rather evens things up, doesn't it? So that's why you married her. Because Dexter loved her and you wanted to beat him at something. Yeah. But don't tell anybody. Craven, did you kill Margo? No. Why should I kill her? You were outside and could have shot her through the window. She was shot with her own gun and you admitted you'd been in a dressing room just before you talked to Dexter. You could have taken her gun then. So now you're trying to frame me for her murder? I'm not trying to frame anyone. I'm trying to find out the truth. Well, why don't you ask Dexter then? He was the first one in her room. He found her. Or asked Carl Shaw. He hated her. And loved her. I guess they're the same thing sometimes. Sorry to see you in this condition, Craven. I'll talk to you again when you're more yourself than you are now. Good night, Craven. Scuppy and I have been waiting here in the lobby for you. Yeah. Did you get any more dope, Nicodemus? No, Scuppy. Too many suspects and too few clues. Can we do anything for you, Nick? No, not just now, Patsy. It's getting late. I'll turn in. Well, I'll tattle after my room then, if nobody minds. Okay, Patsy. See you bright and early in the morning. Good night, Patsy, old kid. Got lots of nice, pretty beauty sleep. You wouldn't do you any harm to get some of that beauty sleep you're talking about. You need it more than I do. Oh, that's what you think. I've got eyes. Well, I guess I'll put my car in the garage. Left it standing outside when I drove down to the theater. Hey, Nick, I've got something important to tell you. How about going to your room where we can talk? I sure think, Scuppy. Just as soon as I get the car put away for the night. I'll be right with you then. One take me about a couple of minutes. Right, Nick. I'll wait for you here in the lobby. Good evening, Mr. Carter. What the... Keep your mouth closed, Mr. Carter, and climb in behind a wheel. Just a moment. Honey, one gun tonight, huh? That's all. Okay, get going. Very well. You're giving the orders... for now. Drive straight out Main Street, Mr. Carter. So it's you. You know me? Don't know your name, but I do know that you're the man I saw staring in the dressing room window earlier this evening. Yes. You'll drive straight ahead for about five miles. When you come to a crossroads, you'll turn left and continue on. I'll give you further directions then. I'll just head on a left. Yes. I haven't had time to search him yet, but he must have him. The MPs didn't get him. We know that. If you'd only tell me what this is all about, maybe I could help you. Step out of your car, please. It's very simple. Margo Craven got some papers which didn't belong to her. Got them by accident. They belong to us, and we want them. Papers? What papers? Oh, nothing that concerns you. We're sorry we have to drag you into this. I admire your work greatly, but we think you may have those documents, and we must have them. Hey, wait a minute. Is that why she was killed? Because she had them? No, Mr. Carter. They had nothing to do with her murder, nothing at all. Come on. Search him and be done with it. I don't enjoy standing out here in the rain. Of course. Now, permit me to be sure you have no papers on you, Mr. Carter. Go ahead. Craven's been taken care of. I searched Carter's car while I waited for him. So if he doesn't have them on him, I don't know where they are. Well, they are not on him. Hey, Mr. Carter, on your word of honor, you know nothing about our papers? I do not. How much does that mean? Oh, with Mr. Carter, it means a great deal. Well, thank you. That's a bit unexpected, but very welcome. If we find later that you've lied, we shall, of course, kill you. Now you may get back in your car. Watch out. We're still covering you with our guns. That's better. Now what? Now I take over. We're going to drive away and leave you here. I'm sure you won't try to follow us. And why not? Because you're going to sleep right now. Miles from the little army camp town, alone and unconscious in his car. What's going to happen to Nick now? Are the men he just met mixed up in the murder or was Margo Craven killed by one of her so-called friends? We'll see in just a moment. Whatever floor surfaces you have in your home, wood, linoleum, rubber, or asphalt tile, you chose them because you found them attractive. Keep them that way with Linux self-polishing wax, which beautifies without tiresome rubbing and polishing. Simply wipe Linux self-polishing wax on any floor surface, and it dries to a satiny yet tough finish, which wears amazingly. That's because Linux self-polishing wax contains the greatest possible amount of genuine carnauba wax. And once you've applied Linux self-polishing wax, there's no need for you to re-wax the whole floor when parts of it begin to show wear. A floor finished with Linux self-polishing wax is easy to keep clean, too. For Linux self-polishing wax is unusually resistant to dirt and water, keeping the dirt on the surface, where it's wiped away in a jiffy with a damp cloth or mild suds. And the underwriters' laboratories, whose seal is on every bottle of Linux self-polishing wax, have proved that it's the non-skid floor wax, resisting slip even when water is spilled on it. Get Linux LIN-X, Linux self-polishing wax now. You'll find all three great Linux home brightness and chem-tone, the miracle wall finish at hardware, paint and department stores everywhere. And now back to our story. Slugged unconscious by a pair of desperate men, Nick Lay slumped over the wheel of his car for several long minutes. Then when the sharp stabs of pain which accompanied his return to consciousness had died down slightly, he slowly drove back to the hotel where Scubby was waiting for him. Taking Scubby to his room, he told him what had happened. Well, I'll be dog-gun, Nick. You're the luckiest guy in the world. What's lucky about getting your head split open? I mean, you're lucky that you didn't stop and talk with me before you went to put your car away. Here. Oh, what's this? If I'm not mistaken, those are the papers your friends wanted. Huh? Where'd you get them, Scubby? I found behind the dressing table in Margo's room. You did? When? When was that? While you were busy talking to Dexter, I was looking around and, well, I ran into these. Well, why didn't you say something about it then? I thought you might like to go through them before we turn them over to the police. This is the first time since then that I've had a chance to give them to you alone. What are they, Nick? Scubby, these are in code. I'd rather think they should be turned over to the camp. Well, why give them to him? Use your head, Scubby. They're in code, I said, and Margo got them at an army camp. These were given to her by mistake. And that can mean only one thing as I see it. Spies. Gosh, Nick, do you really think so? I do. Come on. I'll get my car out of the garage and take them out to camp right now and turn them over to Major Wayne. Maybe these papers will help us catch the killer of Margo Craven. Oh, gosh, it's still raining. What a night. Yes, what a night and more ways than one. So, we meet again, Mr. Todd. What did you see? You again. If I were you, I would be very quiet. I won't hesitate to shoot you both if I have to. Keep a hand in plain sight and walk over to the little door at the far end of the bar room. Move carefully and slowly. Shall we walk, Nick, slowly and carefully, as the gentleman says? I guess we'd better, Scubby. I told you I was not a man who could safely be lied to. I didn't lie to you. Mr. Carter, those papers we are looking for are in your overcoat pocket right now. Please give them to me at once. Certainly. Thank you. You're a man of sense. I regret it is a little late for having sense. Here are the others now. Well, it's about time you were coming. Hey, Nick. Nick, that's Carl Shaw. Oh, I see. Carl Shaw. Well, this is fine. Did you get the papers from him? Yes. No thanks to you. It wasn't our fault that my sister was assigned to the wrong dressing room. I had a devil of a time getting things fixed up so she could change, but France threw the papers through the window before Margot got her things out. She had never seen my sister, so the mistake was natural. Mistakes are never natural and mistakes are never tolerated. I'll be happy when that man Carter dies. He's too clever to be allowed at large. Yes, you're right. But he's such a prominent man. His death will make quite a stir. It's unfortunate. It will break up the show unit, which we have so carefully organized. Now, Shaw, you will have to form a new unit of your own and take it around to the different camps. The work must go on. Of course. When do we take care of Carter? As soon as we've finished our work here, we're going to pack up and move on to another town. On the way, we shall dispose of Mr. Carter and his able assistant. Right now, we must see about the contents of these papers. They must go out at once. And we better tie up these two guys to be sure they'll still be here when we get back. Yes, Mike. Tie them both, hand and foot, and leave them back at the bar. We'll take care of them later. Hey, what are you doing, Nick? You've been wriggling around like that for the last half hour. I'm getting these ropes off my wrist, Cubby. I hope. Yeah? Well, how are you coming? I'll have my hands loose in another few minutes. Well, how are you doing it, Nick? I tried to get my hands free, but gosh, these ropes are too tight for me. Hey, what's the secret? The secret's very simple, Cubby. When the ropes were put on us, they were damp. I enlarged my wrist muscles as much as I could, but he tied the rope too tight for me to get out of it. But I found a hot water pipe under the bar here, and I've been drying the ropes out against that. As it dries, the rope is stretching just enough to let me get loose. But I've had to keep wriggling around so as to keep the wet parts of the rope against the hot pipe. Nick, oh boy, we'll fool these thugs yet. They only leave us alone just a couple of minutes longer. We'll be out of here. You'd better not drive too close to their hangout, Major Wayne. No, I won't, Nick. I'll stop a couple of blocks away and we'll sneak up on them from there. Sorry, I couldn't arrest them myself and save you the trouble, but I have no official standing in cases of espionage naturally. Quite so, Nick. But I'm glad you're going to give me a hand to capture them. Me too, Major. Of course, Dexter. I'm only too glad that you and Patty happened to be with me when Nick brought me the news. Now, we'd better work out a plan of action before we get there. You know the layout, Nick. What do you suggest? I think it'd be a good idea for one of us to knock on the door of the place. Then when it opened, the rest of us will be in hiding just out of sight of the door. We'll rush in and take over. We try to rush them from outside. Someone may get killed before we can get inside. Good. I'll go ahead and knock at the door. No, Major, let me do that. I'd like that job. Patty, I can't let you risk yourself like that. That's my job. Please, Major, I want to do it. I've got a special reason. But I think it's too dangerous. I can't let... I think it's a good idea, Major. Patty would be just the man for the job. Well, of course, Nick, if you say so. But I don't like... Oh, thanks, Mr. Cotty. You're a good egg. Well, you better stop somewhere in here, Major. This is close enough. Right. Now, give me your attention, please. We'll hide near the front door of the building, except Patty. You'll go to the door and knock on it. When someone answers the door, we'll rush him. I hope nothing happens to Patty. I can't understand you're wanting him to do that job. I'll explain later, Major. Oh, there, the door's opening. Well, what do you want? Get your hands up. Come on, Nick. Keep them outside. So, that's it. How well I... Drop that gun before I... You, I hear... The rest of you come out with your hands up. The building is surrounded. No, we're coming. Don't shoot. We get up. Stop shooting. We're coming out. Nick! Nick! Patty's badly hurt. See what you can do for Patty, Nick. I'll take care of these enemy spies. All right, Major. How bad is it, Patty? It's curtains, Nick. Last curtain for me. We shouldn't have let you do this, Patty. But I wanted to, Dexter. I wanted to. But why, Patty? Why? I think I can answer that, Dexter. Yeah. Nick can tell you. He knows. What's he talking about, Nick? You know. Patty, you killed Margot Craven, didn't you? Yeah. I killed her. And now I'm dying just like I hoped I could. You killed Margot? But why, Patty? Why? Because Patty was afraid that she'd wreck your business and your life, Dexter. She was the kind of a woman who had to rule everybody with whom she came in contact. And she could have ruled you in the end because you loved her. Unless I'm mistaken, Patty tried to argue her out of a sit-down strike. And she was killed, accidentally, perhaps. And then Patty jumped out the window, ran outside and came back in just as you went into the dressing room from backstage. Right, Patty? Yeah. I don't know how you knew it, but I felt you did. Thanks for letting me go first. This way. Patty, you put me in your debt forever. But, Nick, how did you know that he killed a Craven woman? I thought it would have been sure her husband or, well, maybe even Dexter. Well, Scubby, for one thing, there were those footprints in the garden outside her window. You found where a man had stood on tiptoes to look in. Yeah. But you didn't notice that there were also definite marks of where someone had jumped out the window. And Patty was the only one in the dressing room when we got there who had on his shoes the black dirt that was used in making those flower gardens. Oh, I see. Also, I could see he just coming out of the rain. And then, too, Scubby, you remember that Dexter said that the first thing Patty did when he followed Dexter into the dressing room was to rush over and close the window? Yeah. Well, Dexter hadn't even noticed it was open. But Patty was more interested in getting it closed than examining the body of the woman because he already knew she was dead. Yeah, I see. Well, it's simple when you explain it. And another thing, you recall those papers you gave me? The ones in code? Yeah, sure. Well, as soon as you gave them to me, I knew that I had seen them in Patty's pocket when we first entered the dressing room. Yeah. I recognized the big blot of ink in the upper corner. But it didn't mean much to me until I heard Shaw say that the papers had been delivered to Margot my mistake. That they should have gone to his sister, who was one of the spy ring operating through the camp show. I knew then that Patty had picked them up in Margot's room when he was there before she was shot. He probably picked them up without knowing what they were. And as soon as he found they were in code, wanted to get rid of them again. So he left them where you, Scubby, found them. But couldn't he have been a spy himself? No, Scubby, because if he was, he'd never have left those valuable papers where they could fall into the wrong hands. And finally, when I heard him say that he'd do anything in the world to help Dexter, it all added up. He wasn't interested in hurting Margot. He just wanted to keep her from hurting his friend and his god, Dexter. And if that meant her death, that's what it had to be. He loved Dexter more than he loved his own life. Well, you sound almost as if you condone this murder, Nick. I never condone murder, Scubby. You know that. But I understand it. And sometimes I feel sorry for the murderer. And in this case, I'm happy that the murderer won't have to stand trial before an earthly judge. The courts above may treat him more leniently than our earthly courts would. In just a moment, Nick and Patsy will bring you a preview of next week's exciting case. But before they do, consider this. When it comes to keeping up your furniture's appearance, fingerprints and scratches are two of your greatest problems. But Linux Cream Polish, the quick, easy way to furniture beauty, banishes fingerprints, helps hide ugly scratches in one application. Linux Cream Polish actually cleans as it polishes, too, saving one whole step in your cleaning routine and removing cloudy dust and polish accumulation immediately. And, best of all, Linux Cream Polish dries to a hard surface that leaves no oily film to attract additional dust. Make additional work for you. Save hours of extra work each week for the added leisure time you need to do the things you like to do. Ask for Linux Cream Polish at your dealers now. Get all three great Linux home brightness, Linux self-polishing wax, Linux Cream Polish and Linux clear-glass varnish. The three great Linux home brightness will keep your floors, your woodwork, your furniture, looking the way you want them to look. So ask for these products at your hardware, paint, or department store by name. The three great Linux L-I-N-Dash-X Linux home brightness. Another outstanding investment, the world's safest investment, in fact, is United States war bonds. And every bond you buy brings victory nearer, makes America safer. Let's go for the knockout blow. Now let's hear from Nick Carter himself. Well, Nick, would you care to give us a hint as to your next week's story? Yes, Ken. I'll give you just a hint or two, and that's all. A gangster dead on the beach of an exclusive Long Island estate, a dope peddler shot to keep him from talking, Hindu servant who knew too much and not enough, a movie star in the making, and plenty of trouble for Nick on the way. On the way where? To the solution, naturally. Nick never goes anywhere else once he gets started on a case. Okay, I'll be waiting for that solution. He digs up in this one. What do you call it, Nick? Murder by suicide. Or the mystery of the death on the beach. And no more until next week. So long. So long, everybody. And so long to both of you. We'll be looking forward to seeing you again next week. Next week at the same time, listen to another curious experience of Nick Carter, master detective, entitled Murder by Suicide. Or Nick Carter, and the mystery of the death on the beach. Nick Carter, master detective, a copyright feature of Street and Smith Publications Incorporated, stars Lawn Clark as Nick with Helen Childress Patsy. Original music is played by Lou White, and the programs are written and directed by Jacques McGregor. Nick Carter, master detective, is presented at this time and over these same stations each week by the three great Linux home Brightoners. Linux clear glass varnish, Linux cream polish, and Linux self-polishing wax created by ACME, America's great producer of ACME fine quality paints. This is Ken Powell speaking for the thousands of Linux dealers all over America and saying so long until next week. This is Mutual.