 Crime and Peter Chambers Henry Kane transcribed and starring Dane Clark private investigator duly licensed and duly sworn Peter Chambers You're a private. Eye. That's your business Anything else? That's for laughs It's strictly business this trip You've been paid a little fee by a little lady in a little apartment on Gramscy Park Now she's wringing her hands and she's got plenty to wring her hands about Her name is Mrs. Donald Sloan and only yesterday her husband was declared an embezzler Seems he worked in a bank only he must have thought it was a garden patch Because yesterday before he disappeared he helped himself to 100,000 shreds of lettuce All crisp and all green Mr. Chambers my husband wasn't a thief You've got a better name for a man who elopes with a hundred thousand bucks. Not Donald I tell you there's something wrong here something This is Sloan listen look here's the morning paper. Let me read it to you. But now the headline Bank teller and one hundred thousand dollars vanish at lunch. No, no, no beneath that the following Donald Sloan teller and junior officer of the trade bank of the city of New York is being sought by the police Charged with the embezzlement of a hundred thousand dollars of bank funds Mr. Sloan an employee of long-standing left his telus cage as usual at the lunchtime When he failed to return a hasty check by Charles Jenkins manager of the bank revealed that Sloan's cash was $100,000 short curiously Mr. Sloan had passed up an additional 28,000 in the same draw Look chamber to the police I'm just another wife doing the usual screaming about the innocence of her husband There's no denying the guy walked out of that bank with a hundred thousand clans, but he left 28,000 Yes, why if you're going to steal why not all this is Sloan. I'm a detective not a clairvoyant Okay, okay, just what do you want me to do for you look mr. Chambers? I'm not trying to whistle my way past a graveyard I have no illusions about my husband, but I know for certain the man was not a Wait a minute illusion's how did you and your husband get along? Not too well of late. Well, how so and since when since about two months ago a lady You might call her that what's your name? I don't know I tried to ignore it But last week we quarreled my husband and I and he asked that we separate I heard him on the phone several times talking to a Franky Franky could be a man. No, no, he has no man friend by the name of Frank You think there's any connection between the requests for a separation and the embezzlement? No, because I don't think he was involved in the investment. Here we go again All right. All right, then mr. Sloan your husband worked at the 34th Street branch, didn't he? Yes, fine. I'll be in touch with you as soon as anything develops One other thing. Do you have a picture of your husband? Yes. Yes, I do. Oh, it's an excellent Photo, I'll get it for you So off you go and it's tic-tac-toe You haven't the faintest idea where to make the first stab You check down at headquarters with your friend detective lieutenant Louis Parker and all he's got so far as a great big bunch of nothing He calls the bank for you gives you a nice write-up and that's your next stop Please sit down mr. Chambers. I know that you represent mrs. Sloan. I'll do my best to cooperate Charles Jenkins bank manager a skinny little guy egghead type Large ball dome heavy glasses and a mouth. That's all teeth This is a privately owned bank mr. Chambers all of our employees have been with us for many years and completely to be trusted Or so we thought the newspaper has said something about Sloan's having been a Junior officer. I think that was a term. Yes. Yes very true that part time He was at the teller's window and part time he handled business transactions for us mostly real estate. I see Now what about that $28,000 he left in his drawer? What about it? Mr. Chambers look grand larceny is grand larceny why take the hundred and leave the 28 if you're stealing one I take it all the penalties the same I'll admit you have a point there, sir Sort of puts me over on his side a little bit sort of spurs my investigation is sincerely mr. Chambers I hope and trust you right it would Shall I say it restore my faith in human nature? After all he was a married man Oh, well, don't get restored all at once mr. Jenkins Our boy was having a little trouble at home trouble a tomato Tomato A lady it seems it started a couple of months ago his wife tells me he met the lady here at the bank Suppose I take a gander at the books gander mr. Chambers Suppose I look over his books, you know a recent new accounts business matters that kind of stuff But the police have already done that sir not from my angle mr. Jenkins me. I'm looking for a dame Yes, yes, mr. Chambers. Yes indeed indeed if you'll come this way, sir I'll put you into his tennis cage and surround you with everything pertaining to his affairs Dame dame indeed You spend a couple of hours bent over books like a bank examiner You go over the whole works and you come up with one lousy little item that you jot down on a sheet of paper You're hoping against hope and then Jenkins joins you. How goes it mr. Chambers? Well one tiny little lead here Within the last three months this new account here a Miss Francis Lake Opened her account about two months ago, which jives at the time element mr. Sloan mentioned Also jives at the name mr. Sloan gave me a name of what name sir a lady in his life Frankie That's all mr. Sloan knew just one name Frankie and you think this Francis Lake might be that Franky It's a frequent enough nickname. It's the only possible thing I can come up with in all this pile of stuff here I wrote it down see Francis Lake 1252 East 47th Street from which she removed about three weeks ago. Well, how do you know from the police? Did she leave a forwarding address? Unfortunately, she did not but it was strictly routine mr. Chambers There was no special interest in her then and there is none now The big brilliant detective and as one lousy little clue You crumple the sheet of paper and you pitchers to the wastebasket and you throw a strike But it pops out of the basket because the baskets brim full of junk You cast an accusing glare at the festivities mr. Jenkins is something mr. Chambers Say what's with this bank anyway don't people ever clean up around here matter of fact the baskets in this cage Haven't been emptied since yesterday. What's the matter can't the bank afford it? Well, we employ one cleaning lady who working through the night was an excellent and thorough job soul Our lady came down with of all things Measles and we were informed today to secure a substitute So when the men came in this morning each one of them cleaned and emptied their own wastebaskets Since mr. Sloan's cage was unoccupied today his baskets are still full Did you tell this to the police police? That our shower woman came down with the measles But don't be ridiculous mr. Chambers ridiculous, huh? These wastebaskets are still full of Sloan stuff yesterday stuff before he walked out with that famous lunch hour You make a dive for those trash baskets like there's gold in them our hills of refuse and gold there is Because you come up with a sheet off a desk pad diary yesterday's date and on it is written Frankie 1215 real estate Stanley building what is it mr. Chambers? What is it your faith in human nature? What are you talking about still holds good mr. Jenkins Donald Sloan is not an embezzler here read this Frankie 1215 real estate Stanley building 1215 lunchtime yesterday this guy was no embezzler mr. Jenkins and Bezler's don't tip their mitts like that tip their mitts mr. Chambers mr. Chambers You're off and running destination Stanley building Which turns out to be a dilapidated plea bitten crumb hole decked out to be an office building It's down near the battery wedge in between a couple of warehouses There are a few like it in every town pit it out for fly by nine operators It's four stories high and a peek at the billboard downstairs and forms you that f lake Real estate is on the second floor room 201 There is no elevator so you creep up the wooden steps But when you face up to the solid oak of 201, it's locked and nobody answers your knock Downstairs you flash your credentials at a seedy-looking janitor give off with some important detective routine palaver But $20 bill is the final convincing Gives you a key tells you to say you stole it in case of emergency and back you go to 201 You turn the key in the lock And you open the door Come in buster and close the door behind you You don't close the door just because he told you to His order carried additional authority in the form of a chunky revolver held in a pudgy fist The guy seated behind the desk is fatter than a bookmaker's bankroll He's really huge decked out in a white palm beach suit with a floppy Panama hat square on his head He's big thick Red-faced with tiny gleaming pig eyes set within many folds of fat like this little man. You'll I will get killed Like what like bodging in where you ain't invited Well, who invited you you're not f-lake. I ain't So who are you? There's a hot one A boy breezes in where you don't belong and right away he starts pecking with the stupid questions Sit on chump over there Okay, I'm sitting Or you're a large one little pal I don't know who you are, but stick in your nose and where it don't belong it picks up trouble. I Got a large hunch. You're gonna be awful. Sorry you came here little pal Yeah, I'll tell you a little secret I'm sorry. I came here I'm sorry. I ever came here Now I'm gonna blow First I take your key like so and then me I blow And I'm gonna lock you in and you're here and I ain't Goodbye little pal And take it from me You ain't gonna be lonesome for a few seconds. You sit there like you're rooted to the chair Who wouldn't? Then you bounce up and start moving And then behind the desk you find them Donald Sloan sprawled on the floor Dead a knife stuck in his back You reach for the phone, but the phones as dead as Donald So you're back to being a detective you frisk the dead Donald and you come up with the usual items But you're working at your trade and some of the usual items are unusual For instance, he's a smoker cigarettes in his pocket and seven packs of matches But four of them bear the same ad cafe prints Cafe prints You check it in the phone book and it's down on Sullivan Street The next problem is getting out of there the door is too tough But it develops that your fat friend isn't too bright the windows are sealed, but glass is breakable There's a fire escape right handy So you're moving again, but you stop off at your office for your gun and then it's the cafe prints a Sign on the door says closed moving out But when you try the door, it's open what's on your mind Bob the question comes from a redhead at the check room She's black-eyed and pretty with a cuter assortment of curves in a world series pitcher You stick your head around the bend the joints deserted a saloon with most of the chairs on the table But the liquor bottles are still showing behind the bar joints closed. Mr. We're moving out tonight. Well can I check my hat because it was you I'd love to check my head look Mac if you got a thing for check girls go somewhere else Lots of check girls in this town. I got it for you cutie. Hello. Will you well? Have some food. How's about some food can I get some clothes? Oh, I I saw the bar is still open. That's all I want honey I need a drink that's all Arguing with a rum pot adds up to a rumpus in a Rumpus we don't need around come on honey. I need a drink. I need a bag Okay, okay go on in have your drink have two drinks tell the bartender the chick girl said you can have them for free and then get out of here You understand You weave around the bend into the deserted room and there's no one behind the bar So you go into the usual drunks routine you slam your hand down How's the bottle service around here? Ah a curtain moves at the far end of the bar and a man comes into view Now what do you know? It's your fat friend from the Stanley building He's wearing an apron now And on this trip you've got the jump on him. I look back. What the heck is going on? You see the pre little gun in my hand fat boy. Yeah, I see it'll be a nice little fat boy and come out from behind that bar Sit down here at the table and let's you and I have a chat. That's a nice little fat boy Sit down What do you want? The story on how come you're locked in a room with a cadaver which turns out to be Donald Sloan Who lifted a hundred thousand samples out of a little old bank called the trade who? Who are you as far as your concern on the law cop private cop? I Didn't do it. What's your name George sacks George all the way, huh? Okay, let's have your story. It might do you a little good with the da little pal If private law is sitting here right opposite me Public law don't figure it before behind that's smart enough for a stupid guy Now if I spill you figure I can make a deal with the da. It's happened before will you help little pal? I'll do what I can Okay It was the dame Francis Lake Oh, how'd you know? You haven't been reading the quarter books lately pal every privatized a genius Come on talk it up. Pocky Okay Now She happens to open an account in that bank and that Sloan guy he goes for it like a ton of bricks She figures a guy works in the bank a junior officer guy. It's an opening so she punches A cutie that one Real cute keep talking. She don't go to rob the bank. She makes the bank come to her like how? She opens the phone a little real estate office She tells him about a deal she's got to buy a piece of property with three quarters of a million dollars She tells him she needs a hundred thousand bucks for an option that she can turn a profit within five days How could she figure we could keep a hundred G's out of the bank for five days? I told you she's a cutie. She sold it to him good, but good like how me I'm supposed to own this hunk of property an ex bootlegger with plenty of old moolah property supposed to be worth three quarters of a Million okay, you're the bootlegger with the property he brings it a hundred thousand bananas It's supposed to be how money then a two of them yesterday at 12 30 I supposed to wait for me Why is he waiting? Apple deal listen I'm supposed to arrive She hands me the option money the papers are all drawn Then I turn the money over to him so his bank can hold it in escrow for what either she buys the property within five days Or she's supposed to lose the option money He figured the money goes back to the bank so he's protected, huh? Now this is how it's supposed to work out. I give him the hundred G's He's an officer at the bank him and I sign a paper. He picks up the dough and brings it back to the bank Supposed to be holding it on the deal. Oh the all-round robber. That's right He's gonna cover up for her with the bank records like that according to her nobody gets hurt the money's back in the bank She's got a tight option on the property She tells him she's already got a suckers gonna buy the property within five days then within the five days She's supposed to sell the property at a neat commission She's used the bank's money for the option, but the bank still got the dough and nobody's hurt smart thing So how come the guy winds up dead? That's my beef. I Don't mind taking money from a bank. That's like taking a jelly bean from a candy factory But murder Rather that ain't my department. I don't mind the philosophy fat stuff. Just keep talking. Well yesterday. I wasn't even there What do you mean you weren't even there? Well Sloan thought I was supposed to be there you understand The plan was that it was her job to clip him over the noggin tie him up and then beat it with the hundred thousand bananas Instead she sticks to seven to him why so she can't ever put the finger on her I don't know nothing about that. I was here today. I read it in the papers on how he disappears and I asked her And then she breaks it to me That's why I was there when you botched in Just what were you doing there figuring the angles how to get the body out of there? Maybe folded him in a trunk. Yeah, but you're the guy that don't want no truck with murder. It was done, wasn't it? Might have warmed up like him if I didn't listen to her I'm talking now ain't I? I've had it little pal Private eye in a deal like this He can help a guy like me You're about up to the jackpot question as to where the dough is When you feel the cold muzzle at the nape of your neck You feel that gun at your neck, mister. I feel it. Okay, and I'll give you a rascal to fat stuff Okay, he's got it now Just before your brains get blown out. I bet you're dying to know where that dough is, huh? Dying is correct. My lady in a suitcase in the trunk compartment of my car right outside So near and yet so far You'd be Frankie Lake, wouldn't you? Yeah And if I could turn around you'd also be the hatchet girl correct Only it also happens that I own this joint which is a white elephant if there ever was one And now mr. Nosey body a fun farewell to you But it was fat stuff who pulled the trigger down She goes and you come up out of your seat and you're bent over her doing the inspection bit It was the only way the only way I swear. I never used the heater in my life. Never it ain't in me I ain't no killer, but it was the only way Easy does it fat boy no harm done more as a pity Scratch flesh wound period They'll patch her up nice and pretty and they'll make her nice and healthy And then she'll stand trial and she'll wind up in the hot seat after all That's the way it goes fat boy a merry-go-round that's life and death and there you've had crime and Peter Chambers Dane Clark was starred as Peter Chambers Crime and Peter Chambers transcribed was created and written by Henry King Others in the cast were Mary Patton heard as Mrs. Sloan and Joe DeSantis as Jenkins. It was directed by Fred Way Mrs. Fred Collins inviting you to tune in next week same time same station for Dane Clark in crime and Peter Chambers Some days are blue days Some days are happy days Some days are just ordinary days that you don't even notice go by but here's a word about a day You can't miss it's Tuesday any Tuesday on the NBC radio network this fall We're calling it the biggest Tuesday night in radio. That's a big statement, but it's a big night Listen Lux radio theater moves to NBC in the fall and you'll hear it every Tuesday Yes, Lux radio theater on NBC your favorite stars your favorite stories on this station Lux radio theater is enough to make any night a big radio night But that's not all we mean because your lineup also includes dragnet people are funny Fiber McGee and Molly and the great gilder sleeve you can see what we mean by the biggest Tuesday night in radio It's so big. We couldn't wait to tell you about it