 Stand by for crime Chuck Morgan speaking I'm in his cast and radio station KOP here in Los Angeles Like most newsmen the world over I found it smart to have contacts and as many government agencies and as many Stratas of society as possible You get tips on stories that way that might otherwise be on the wires a day before you become aware that they've happened Well my contact with the local police is Lieutenant Bill Megs Bill is more than a contact. He's a personal friend, which is an added help. He's never given me a bum stare So when I reached my office a couple days ago, my blonde secretary Carol Curtis told me bill had called Wanted me to meet him at a certain address in Serena small town north of Los Angeles. I smell the good yarn What's it about glamour first of bill say no he just said if we came out it would be worth our while Did he say we know but I did bill expects me And what makes you think that well because he always expects me to be along when you go after a story I see What's at this street address where he wants me to meet him in Serena? I don't know has it been a murder? I don't know how long we'll be there. I don't know. Are you a parrot? I don't oh Funny man Well, how can you expect me to answer your questions if I don't know the answers? I don't know but now you've got me saying it get on your hat and shoes and we'll go see if Bill knows the answers Serena's a small town about 20 miles north of Los Angeles as a residential community for workers in LA industries There are a few large estates But mostly the town is inhabited by small homeowners who take pride in their lawns and gardens and tree shaded streets It was in one of those quiet streets that we found Bill Megs He was parked beneath a huge pepper tree slouched down behind the wheel smoking a cigarette We swung in behind him and walked up to the open window of his car Hello Bill, how things hello Chuck. Hi Carol suppose you two get him back. Let's have a little talk. Okay, sure. It sounds like something important Okay, Bill, let's have it. Well last night a man named Gladstone Smith was murdered Took us quite a while to identify the body his face was badly smashed either of you ever hear mr. Smith I haven't someone important though. Oh Works in the city hall here in Serena. He's an auditor in the tax department Wait a minute if he lives in Serena and works in Serena. What are you doing on the case? You're in the LA force murder was committed in LA? However, that's one of the reasons I asked you to come here. Yeah, how's that? Well, you can do a lot of things I can't do because you're not restricted Now take a look around you and tell me what you see Nothing very exciting pleasant street small neat homes trees lawns shrubs nothing unusual There's a filling station on the corner. That's unusual Bill asked you both missed it You know what I see when I look around what's that? Well, I see security I See comfort and relaxation after a hard day's work I see pride in the things that a man lives for I see freedom from fear and want See a piece of America that everyone should look at and be glad exists. Well, well This is our bill makes talking sure it's corny go ahead and laugh I'm supposed to be a hard-boiled cop Wouldn't say this to anyone, but you too Because I thought up to now you might have enough imagination to go along with the gag Oh, well, that's putting it on the line. Okay, Bill. What else do you see? Well, I see the confidence and trust that the people who live in these houses put in cops like me Yeah, I see a community where people should be able to walk along a dark street at night without fear of violence I'm beginning to get it Bill. Don't stop now. No for heaven's sake I'm beginning to see things myself. Good All right, here's the deal a Resident of one of these small homes is murdered. His face is smashed beyond recognition just an ordinary guy Nothing to set him apart from his neighbors. He's been on the count for 25 years as a family owns an automobile Pages bills belongs to a large attends PTA goes to church So last night he becomes a corpse Why? There's an answer and it's got to be a good now wait a minute. You're talking like a cop again. Let's get back to the sentiment You want to do more than find this murderer? You want me to play it up big make a terrific story out of it so that the other people on this community and all other Communities were decent law abiding people live to be reassured. That's about it Chuck you've always fancied yourself as a half-baked detective Why don't you snoop around the neighborhood and see what you can pick up? Listen, I resent that crack about me being a half-baked detective Because I am all right. I'll go along with you on a bill, but it seems to me. There's one thing you've overlooked. Yeah What's that suppose I snoop around to find that mr. Gladstone Smith has been having a romance with his neighbor's wife Or he's been stealing funds from the city or something worse Then what were your great big sentimental theory V? I've already told you this murder was committed my district, Los Angeles Would it help matters any if I told you that I know who murdered mr. Smith? Well when do mags announced that he knew who murdered Gladstone Smith? I didn't know how they were throwing us a curve or not It wasn't like him But one thing I was sure of there was a whole lot more behind this murder caper than he was admitting He had a long-range plan that somehow involved me and the publicity I could give the results Well, that was okay But before committing myself. I wanted the answer to a few questions Wait a minute Chuck before you say anything. I have a question. I want to ask you glamorous. Go ahead Bill if you know who murdered Gladstone Smith, why haven't you arrested him? That's a good question Because the man who murdered Gladstone Smith is a sneaking little turd named spider Morally. Oh That's a good answer to a good question. Why what difference does it make what his name is if he murdered? Because glam of us spider isn't the man the bill wants spiders a paid murderer He kills for money not motive bill wants the man with the motive the man who hired spider That's it He thinks that I under the guise of a newsman looking for a story can find that man That's it So we'll just just around the neighborhood talk to Gladstone Smith's friends and see what we can pick up that said bill Do me a favor. Will you sure girl? Stop saying that's it And there's one other thing if the man who hired the sneaking little cur to murder Gladstone Smith gets suspicious of what Chuck Is up to which he probably will then he's going to hire the sneaking little cur to murder Chuck Did you think of that sure I did well? Well, what well what if Chuck is murdered? Well, then Chuck will be dead Don't worry glam of us bill isn't gonna let that happen. Oh by the way bill Smith's family has been notified I suppose and no they haven't huh? We haven't told anyone about this thing yet, so you'll have to work fast, but the family should be notified bill Yes, they should I I thought I'd let you to handle it. Let us Bill you're supposed to be a friend of mine, aren't you? Well, yeah, sure. I've known you for years Chuck. Why get lost Wasn't an easy task the bill had handed us ordinarily I would have blocked But I was still convinced he had an underlying motive that he couldn't let us in on at the moment Well Carol and I found the Smith home a block from where we'd met bill It wasn't unlike any other house on the street except that the small well cared for lawn was enclosed by a white picket fence We went up the flagstone wall and then we front door down Yeah, hello. Are you oh, I'm sorry. You wouldn't be mrs. Smith. Is she in there isn't any mrs. Smith If you want to talk to the lady of the house, I'm your pigeon. What are you selling? We're not selling anything. Are you related to Gladstone Smith? Yeah, I'm his daughter close the name why may we come in We'd like to talk to you a minute. What about Okay, I guess it's all right Come on in. Oh, what's the old man been up to now? I'm afraid we have some unpleasant news for you flower. Yeah, what is it? Your father's dead My father's dead and you call that unpleasant news Well, that's the best news. I've had in years What the old man dying squeezing nickel he was murdered Murdered huh? Oh now that's something I'll buy That's the one to someone didn't do the job long ago You mean there's a lot of people who had a reason for murdering your father sure Everyone who knew him including yourself. Yeah Included myself seems to me you're talking rather strangely for a girl who's just lost her father Does it and you should have lived with my old man. He was mean and he was stupid Stupid I'll tell you how stupid he was Last week he paid the real estate tax bill paid it to his own office and it bounced. How do you like that? It bounced? Oh Brother did Barney get a laugh out of that one. Who's Barney? Oh, he's my boyfriend The guy I'm gonna marry. I should think you'd have married him long ago just to get away from your father Ah, the old man wouldn't let me he said Barney was too old He used to get a big bang out of reminding me. He was still boss. How old are you Flo? 17 but don't get me wrong Buster. I've been around. Yeah. Yeah, I can see you have around the wrong places and the wrong people I'm afraid Well, I suggest you don't do anything as rash as to marry this Barney into the juvenile authorities have a talk with you Also, I suggest you don't leave town until the police have learned just which one of your father's friends or relatives hated him enough to commit murder Well, it seemed to both care on me that Bill Meg's dream of a quiet peaceful law abiding community had come to an abrupt ending of the Smith family was an example of the type of people who lived along these tree shaded streets There was a toss up with a grammar person I felt more sorry for Bill or more disgusted at Gladstone Smith's charming daughter when we left that house Well, anyway, the green coupé was parked at the curb and Papy Mansfield owner of KLP was sitting in it Hi, Papy Papy, what are you doing out here? I just happened to be in the neighborhood saw your car and thought I'd find out what you were up to Yeah, you didn't happen to see Bill Megs first. Did you well? Yes as a matter of fact, I did Did Bill tell you why we were here? Well partly. How'd you like flow? Do you know flow? Nona for years? She's a stinker, isn't she? Oh, that's putting it Marley. You know, Papy I smell something I don't like the odor first Bill Megs tells us a sentimental story about a beautiful community with flowers growing Around doorsteps and birds twittering and treetops now just calm down Chuckie boy Bill knows what he's doing You know that do I now look I don't mind being a fall guy if it pays off with a good story But this is going too far now this will pay off to Bill's got a good idea his hands are tied So let's give him some help he called me because he knew I was a friend of Gladstone Smith And he wanted you to know something about the man's character before you made the next move Gladstone Smith is a was a friend of yours Papy. I've known him ever since he adopted flow 17 years ago I gave him a character reference close adopted. That's right. She's a living example of heredity over environment She began giving the Smiths a bad time from the minute she could walk when she was five Mrs. Smith died and Gladstone Friends urged him to turn the kid over to one of the societies who handled such cases But glad felt she was his responsibility. So he kept her well. I'll be done He did everything he could to give the kid a break good schools a companionship of his friends kids summer camps everything But it didn't do any good just about broke glad's heart. Well then mr. Smith isn't the lousy's daughter claims glad Why glad Smith was one of the finest men who ever lived. I'm proud to have known him You'll find out that all his friends feel that way when you get to talk to them when they get to talk to them Are we going to talk to them? You are Carol isn't she's coming back to the office and work up a human Interest angle on this yarn. Oh, I am yes, you am Chuck the next man you're to talk to is bl Darcy who's he he's the tax collector of sereno Man glad Smith worked for so what am I going to talk to him about tell him glad's been murdered Ask him questions about glad about his work about flow You'll find out why we want you to talk to him and you'll get a more surprising reaction than you did when you talked to flow Now the conclusion of stand by for crime Well, this was a switch on my usual procedure and I wasn't sure I liked it So what if I didn't happy man's field was my boss bill makes with my friend And carol was all in favor of letting me continue to stick my chin out So I drove over to white oaks avenue and found the address of vl Darcy given to me by pappy It was one of sereno's smallest states a comfortable ranch style house Set on two acres of well landscape ground with shrubs and shade trees No one answered when I rang the front doorbell So I walked around back And found a man in shirtsleeves burning some trash in an incinerator He was in his middle fifties well dressed Present appearing. Hello there looking for me if you're bl Darcy. I am that's right. I'm Darcy My name is Morgan Chuck Morgan newscaster and klp. Oh, sure. Sure. Listen to you a lot. Thank you. What can I do for you, mr Morgan I guess you haven't heard about gladstone smith's death glad smith dead. That's right Finally caught up with him a pity what caught up with him He had a heart condition been favoring himself for years Oh, no, no, it wasn't his heart or at least the police don't think so. They believe smith was murdered murdered Glad smith Well, that's a hard one to believe mr. Morgan Who would want to murder harmless old glad? Well, that's what the police are trying to find out and I'm trying to work up a story on the case Do you mind if I ask a few questions about smith and his family? No, not at all Just wait life stuff the rest of these papers into the incinerator. Sure Here we are Let's walk back to the house. I'll buy you a drink What kind of a man was smith mr. Darcy? None better Quiet unassuming credit to his job Yeah, sit down here in the patio mr. Morgan. I go makes us drink. No, no, I I'm afraid I'll have to skip the drink Thanks just the same What member of your department will replace smith as auditor? You could work up a good case there without half trying Harry Thomas has been after glad smith's job for years now. He'll get it. What kind of a man is he? A different type than glad but equally as reliable No, mr. Morgan I'm afraid you'd be wasting your time if you tried to make a murder out of harry He isn't a type. Well, I think I'll have a talk with him anyway. Thanks for your time, mr. Darcy I'm glad to be of help any time you want a favor just call on barney darcy. Well, I'll do that and Wait a minute. Yeah, Barney Darcy You're not the barney who's going to marry gladstone smith's daughter flow my yes. I am We'll be married as soon as flow comes of age Anything wrong with that? I went away from BL Darcy's in somewhat of a days Mr. Darcy had put it right on the line. What's wrong with me marrying flow smith? He'd asked What was wrong with the 55 year old man marrying a 17 year old girl? It happens all the time among some of our best families I mean somehow this deal didn't ring true I drove down to the serena city hall and found harry thomas He was a little Whizzened up man. Maybe 40 maybe 50 He was willing almost eager to answer my question glad smith did Say that means I'll get an automatic promotion into his job been waiting for this day for years Well, don't you think it's more important to think about finding the murderer of smith at the moment than it is your promotion Sure, I'll do anything I can to help but we've all got to go sometime, you know, mr. Morgan Yeah, that's right, but the method of going is sometime more important than the going And how about your boss BL Darcy you like working for him? Oh sure barney's okay Works hard never misses a day fair to everybody who works in his department Yep, barney's all right. Did you know he was planning to marry flow smith when she comes of age? Yeah, just talk the kids infatuated barney's a handsome sort of guy his wife died last year He's lonesome probably gets a bang out of the kids interest when he told me an hour ago. He intended marrying her. That's so Well, that's his business if that's the way he wants it. Yeah By the way, are the tax books open to the public tax books open to the public? Hmm. That's a funny question Nobody ever asked it before Are you sure I suppose they are You want to look at him? Yeah, I'd like to see what kind of an auditor gladstone smith was I'd ask that question on impulse. I didn't know what I was trying to prove Anyway, Harry thomas showed me the books And I began going through them haphazardly not knowing what I was looking for But all of a sudden finding something it was there and the third book I looked at And the only reason I found it was because the book fell open to a certain page when I picked it up As though someone had been looking into the same book not too long ago Well 10 minutes later, I was back at the gladstone smith house talking to the charming flow Where's the blonde babe? She gave you the bride never mind that I want to see the tax check your father wrote the bounced. Oh, you do ha why just go get it. I'll explain later Oh, you will Look jerk. Who do you think you're ordering around play it for all its worth flow I happen to know you can't show me that check because there is no such check What are you talking about? Didn't I tell you I saw it with my own eyes prove it You gave that check away to protect the murderer of your father. Are you nuts? Okay, just to show you what a knucklehead you are. I will prove it It's right over here in this desk The old man kept all them things in this drawer Well flow It isn't here Hey, what kind of a game are you trying to pull anyway? Look, I don't like you. I don't like your looks or the sound of your voice or nothing So get out get out before I call the cops sure flow sure I found out what I wanted to know So long I was beginning to see the light at last So I called my office told glamour post to tell papi and bill that everything was going fine to put a sub in on my 7 o'clock broad gas At 9 o'clock that night. I parked on a street running parallel to white oaks avenue And tore my pants climbing a fence into barney darcy's backyard The house was dark But I waited 10 minutes before making a move Nothing happened So I sneaked up to the incinerator and carefully opened the door Then something did happen. There was a quick step behind me And Suddenly I was lying on my back looking up at the stars trying to recapture full consciousness and failing Away way off. I heard voices. Nice going spider. He didn't see a thing. You want. I should finish him off here, boss No, get him out of here downtown same place same method. Okay, boss Uh, look boss, you'll get your money as soon as the job's done. You got it before didn't you? Okay, boss. Okay Help me look this guy out of the car. He's heavy It was just about then that the reeling stars came into focus They were blotted out as a figure leaned over me and put his hands under my shoulders I reared up into court of his neck This time I didn't have the reeling stars to look at I was out like a candle dipped into a bucket of water The next time I knew I was lying on the floor of the back seat of an automobile with my hands tied I could tell by the sounds of traffic. We were in downtown la I began working at the ropes But there wasn't a chance of getting loose The car made a sudden left turn I got up to my knees I saw we'd entered an alley The headlights of another car suddenly appeared at the other end of the alley and a moment later headlights appeared behind us Spider cursed and rammed on the brakes The back door to a building stood open on our left Spider saw a chance to escape and I saw a chance to stop him. I looped my bound wrist over his head and yelled All right spider. This is the end of the road for you. You lousy. Let me go Not a chance spider. You couldn't get out of this back at Darcy's and you can't now Chuck yeah, fine friends you are megs. I might have been killed. You wouldn't have been killed You have been out of our sight for the past 10 hours Are you all right chuck? Yeah, sure. He's all right He's just mad because he thought he was going to be martin because he's got a hole in the seat of his pants Well, the thing wound up about as bill megs had planned He'd had a tail on borny spider flow harry thomas and myself ever since the caper started They'd overheard the conversation near the incinerator So all three members of serena's police force had closed in on b. L. Darcy the minute spider had driven me off bill wanted spider for himself Which is why he let the rat back into los angeles I went home changed my clothes Then met carol bill and pappy at nick of del's for dinner before doing my 11 o'clock broadcast So you had the whole thing worked out beforehand a bill. No, I wouldn't say that I talked to the sereno police We suspected Darcy, but we also suspected harry thomas and we figured flow was mixed up in it somehow We didn't have any proof which is why it was necessary to bring someone in from the outside That's why I suggested you You're not a cop and we wanted to keep this as quiet as possible serena's a nice top Was flow mixed up in a chuck? No, she wasn't putting on an act when she discovered that the canceled check was missing You see it wasn't a check that had bounced It was a check that would prove that bill darcy was guilty of juggling the sereno tax books Well, just how do you figure that because gladstone smith had occasioned to check the books one day pappy Probably for some other purpose entirely and found that his own taxes were in arrears This bothered him because he knew he'd paid them. He went home dug out his canceled checks and found the one that paid the bill Must have said something to flow about it And she thought he was talking about a check that had bounced sure flow thought it was a good joke And she mentioned it to bonnie. Darcy. So Darcy knew that gladstone had to be liquidated or his little racket would be exposed So he hired spider A lot of other things made me suspicious about this Darcy A man as well off as Darcy wouldn't be bringing his own rubbish in the middle of the day Especially a man who had the reputation of never missing a day at his office So you went back to the incinerator to find out what he'd been burning hoping to find a fragment of smith's canceled check That's it. So Darcy and spider will probably go to the gas chamber The charming flow is taken over by a welfare society and harry thomas gets to be tax collected. That's it Hey, wait a minute. Chuck. That's my line. What's your line? That's it. Oh Okay, bill. It's your line Here comes vince with the check Bill will take it vince That's it bill