 My name's Regan. I work for Anthony J. Lyon Detective Bureau. They call me the Lyons Eye Jeff Regan Investigator starring Paul Dubov as Regan with Frank Nelson as Anthony J. Lyon So stand by for mystery and suspense and adventure in tonight's transcribe story oil for the lamps of Burbank There was a girl in it a young pretty girl about 19 and her father A scared little man who couldn't remember the last time he'd had an opinion There was a boy about the girl's age And he was dead And then there was a woman It all started with a phone call a simple little five cent phone call that the lion answered that friday afternoon Only what you didn't guess was that the conversation on the other end of the line was more than five cents worth of trouble I've got that Could you speak a little louder, please? Oh, yes indeed. I'll send the man right up. Hello. Hello Hang up on your fatso. Oh, I is it Jeffrey. I'm glad you got here sounds bad Oh Jeffrey it is bad that poor man. He could hardly get the words out. What's his name lion? Name I don't know He talked so softly. I barely understood him. But you said you'd send the man out. Well, I did get the address Jeffrey It's in burbank 216 north codover street. He told me that before he told me the rest What's the rest? Well, there's something about his daughter. She's in jail for murder Then he mentioned someone else. I think it was his wife. He wasn't sure He wasn't sure if she was his wife. Well, he just didn't seem sure of anything He didn't or you didn't now Jeffrey. You know, I always get the facts of the case like the client's name Well, or why he wanted a higher private detective Well Now Jeffrey there were extenuating circumstances his head of the lion detective agency I can only do so much After all some of the work is up to you. How much is he paying fatso? $50. You heard that all right Well, he said that before his voice got so soft. Sure. He did fat. So he probably repeated it a couple of times Yes, as a matter of fact, he didn't Well, don't just stand there. We can get out there and see our client The lion produced one of his more operatic type roars and I left the office 20 minutes later, I found 216 north codover a two-story stucco house surrounded by apartments The street had just been paved But that didn't stop the rest of the yard from looking like an oversized sandpile When the door finally opened a little man balled and red eyed stood peeking at me from behind thick lens glasses He wore a pair of house shoes an open vest And a frightened look You're uh You're from the detective agency. My name's reagan. Well, I'm clearance and over mr. Regan Please come in I I'll have to ask you to speak softly mr. Regan. My wife is upstairs asleep The priest sit here My uh boss said something about your daughter mr. Andover My daughter's in jail mr. Regan. I just don't understand they've taken her to jail When last night they took Dorothy to jail last night. You want to tell me about it mr. Andover? But mr. Regan, she didn't kill jimmy withers. She wouldn't kill anyone. Maybe you better take it from the beginning Well, the police And they came here this morning and they told me Dorothy was in jail They said she'd shot jimmy Don't you see mr. Regan Dorothy wouldn't hurt anyone jimmy was her boyfriend Yes, they were well almost engaged. You see My wife mr. Regan Well parents answer me When I speak to you, I certainly expect Oh, you are talking to someone Well, parents aren't you going to introduce me? Isn't your wife important enough to be introduced to strangers? Yes, uh, this is mr. Regan. He's a friend. How do you do mr. Regan? You're selling something I imagine might as well know we aren't interested in buying anything We certainly can't afford to buy anything on the little money. Clarence makes you should have told you that Clarence, shouldn't you have told the gentleman we can't afford to buy What's that? He isn't selling anything Mr. Regan is a private detective, dear mr. Regan is a private detective Clarence, what on earth is a private detective doing here? Haven't we had enough trouble for one day? I called him emily you called him Well, I'll explain it. Please mr. Regan Clarence. I'm waiting for an explanation. Look mrs. Andover. It's about your daughter Dorothy She most said me is not my daughter my first wife died 15 years ago, mr. Regan All right your husband's daughter mrs. Andover she's in trouble your husband figures. She needs help Well, he's certainly right for once in his life. The girl does need help But I assure you mr. Regan. It's not the kind of help that requires a private detective What that girl needs is spiritual and moral guidance Clarence had thought of that sooner It's just like I always told you clarence that girl would come to no good. You would bear me witness. I told you so Yeah, yeah, but when mr. Regan if you'll just leave us alone. I'm quite sure we can handle our own problems Isn't that right clarence Well clarence Yes, Emily. I I guess that's right Well, thank you mr. Regan for coming out Yeah, we'll get along. I'm sure we'll get along Won't we clarence Yes, dear We'll get along Clarence Andover wanted help. He told the lion he'd pay $50 for private detective only Emily clarence's wife didn't see it that way I decided to stick with clarence. I headed my car for the city jail Okay, five minutes Dorothy My name is jeff regan. Your father sent me daddy. He thinks we might help straighten this out Then he He knows your father knows you didn't kill jimmy dorthy, but we got to prove that I knew he'd believe me mr. Regan Danny believes me. Suppose you tell me what happened Well jimmy and I We were in his car We parked by the side of the road Must I tell it all over again if you want me to help they made me tell it so many times so many times I know but try it just once more for me All right All right, I'll tell you We were in good with park jimmy and I we were talking really just talking Go on. Go on. Suddenly somebody stuck a gun in the window and shot at us jimmy yelled and and I yelled and then And then I guess I faint you didn't see who did it. No. No, I just couldn't see anything It was so dark and there was this gun in the window and that's all I remember When I came to the police car was there and they were looking at me and What else? The gun was in my hand the gun that killed jimmy. Yes, that's what they said. That's all of it. Yes That's all of it. Tell me about jimmy. What did he do? Who were his friends his enemies? He didn't do anything He used to work for dad Daddy has an electrical appliance store in bourbon jimmy used to work there She made daddy fire your stepmother. She's awful. I hate her mr. Rig and I hate her Why did she make your father fire jimmy? because Because he stole something Tell me about that he and another boy george denison They robbed the store one night But jimmy didn't really mean to do it. He brought everything back the next day He just let george talk him into it Daddy was willing to forgive but not your stepmother. She took jimmy to the police They kept him locked up until he had to tell him who else was with him. So jimmy told on george He didn't want to but they made him it stands the reason george denison might like to get even with jimmy for that george had a bad record When the police found out about him he was sent to jail And they let jimmy go because he brought everything back But it didn't do any good What didn't do any good? My stepmother phoned everyone in town and told him Not to give jimmy a job Because he was a thief. Is there anyone else who knew jimmy who believed in him my uncle? He believed in jimmy. What's his name uncle peter peter chain. He's not really my real uncle. He's he's my stepmother's youngest brother But he's not like her really is and he's he's a lot younger and he's nice He works for my father too and and and and he lives with us. Maybe I'll have a talk with him. You'll like him I'm sure you will. Why don't you give him a chance? He's uh kind of odd at first That's only because my stepmother brought him up. Okay dorthy. I'll talk to him Oh, there's There's one more thing mr. Weird I haven't told anybody about that Yeah Jimmy and I We were going to be married tomorrow I checked out front for lieutenant sanducci, but they said he wouldn't be in for an hour That gave me time to run out to burbank and the girl's father's electrical appliance store Only when I driven halfway out riverside, I discovered something something I didn't expect Behind me a gray coop that had been there since I left the jail I was being followed But when I pulled up in front of andover's appliance store on san fernando road, the gray coop was gone I'm looking for peter chaney. Then you've come to the right place. May I show you something electrical appliances? No, thanks Fine, if you'll step this way, I'll show you our new home. Suppose we start with your home. Now here we Here we have the latest in coffee makers with this little gadget. I can look cheney never tell me about jimmy withers Nice boy Now here we have a waffle baker fully automatic and it serves four people Okay, cheney now. We'll talk my business Do you think your niece killed that boy? Dorothy andover is not my niece She's my sister's husband's child. I know that skip technicalities. I think we'd better skip the entire discussion, sir I don't like your tone of voice jimmy withers was killed at 11 o'clock last night cheney. Where were you at the time? I was at home reading and I have a witness to prove it Now crude fellow get out That took care of that peter chaney hurried off to another customer and I walked outside to my car Then I got another idea A great coop had tailed me to burbank and then disappeared But maybe it had pulled over to a stop just before I did Maybe the great coop was waiting for me to get started again I left my car and walked down the street then back no sign of the coop Then I moved around the corner and back behind andover's appliance store There was a parking lot back there and there was a great coop parked in it the same car that it tailed me from the jail 1941 Nash license plate number 26 n 99072 But that wasn't what I wanted when I wanted was inside Wrapped around the steering post in a neat little celluloid folder the registration card that would tell me who drove the great coop I leaned in moved it around to where I could get a good look and I never got a chance to find out It was late afternoon and the sun was standing behind the ancient brick buildings and there was fog Fog mixed up with the sunshine and the taste of gravel in my mouth I was lying in the parking lot behind and over's appliance store and the fog was in my head I sat up and looked around The great coop was gone and with it whoever had bent a blackjack over my head I got up dusted off my pants and decided to have a talk with my old pal lieutenant sanducci So I drove down to police headquarters You wanted to talk to me. Yeah. Yeah, that's right sanducci You look like you don't feel very well. You know that could be the most honest statement. I've heard all day Okay, reagan, what's the problem the girl you got on a murder rap Dorothy and over Go on you sure sanducci All the evidence went directly to this girl But you asked me if I'm sure and I was telling you the truth I am not but you're still holding her Regan she was found with a gun in her hand. The boy was sitting beside her dead What else can I do turn her loose and pray for a miracle? Okay, okay What about the dead boy? He was mixed up in a robbery with another kid about six months ago I know. I know. I know what you're thinking The other one's name was george denison the bad one, but you checked him. Of course we checked him Regan believe me There'd been any other way george denison had an alibi Six witnesses reagan six He spent the evening in a bar So we have the girl Ah, that was your mother mean that was that mean what a rotten way to make a living George denison the logical suspect had six witnesses that he was nowhere near the scene of the crime But I still wanted to talk to him I went out to a phone booth in the lobby and called my boss anthony j lion Me that's oh jeffrey. What's so surprising about that jeffrey you get up here to my office immediately Is that clear listen lion? I'm in the middle of finding I don't care what you're in the middle of you report back to my office at once and reagan if you aren't here in 10 minutes You're tired Is that clear mr. Lion? I'll sue. I won't have you and your employees disrupting my life reagan come here this minute. That's the man Arrest him. I want this man arrested reagan. Do you know this woman? He most certainly does know me if he says he doesn't and he's lying. Yeah, I know where fast Now just a moment mrs. Handover suppose we hear what mr. Regan has to say about this Well, mr. Regan, what do you have to say about this about what that's so you know very well about what Did you or did you not come to my home this afternoon? I did Did you or did you not hear me say that my husband does not require your services? I heard you say it mrs. Handover reagan. I will not tolerate your impudence I told you we were perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves And let me assure you I intend proving it reagan. Why didn't you tell me mrs. Handover had fired you off the case? So you're lying to your employers. Shut up both of you Now suppose somebody tells me just what the complaint is reagan. You had no right to investigate the private lives of my family The very idea of your questioning my brother. Oh, so that's it that most certainly is it Need to phone me that a man had been in the store questioning him And I knew immediately that you would be just such a person Well, I'm going to put a stop to it you all through mrs. Handover You too fatso Okay, then I'm gonna tell you something both of you There's a girl sitting down there in a jail cell. She's charged with murder Well, I don't think she killed jimmy withers I think she's telling the truth and I'm gonna find out one way or another I'm gonna find out and you mrs. Handover or you line. I'm gonna stop me if I made myself clear Just stay out of my way There was one visit left to make One more place to add facts I phoned lieutenant sanducci down at headquarters and got the address then I drove out Boyle heights wilmett street four family flat and out in front Out front of the four family flat was parked a gray coop A gray coop 1941 nash license number 26 and 9907 to I moved faster Yeah, I think you and me are gonna have a talk. He ain't home. You're home denison. You left your car parked out front What's it to you flat foot your memory is not that short george move over That's better george. I suppose we talk about a robbery You're trying to frame me chamis a job you pulled about six months ago. You and a kid named jimmy withers Get lost. Thanks george. I may be here all night. Oh, no, you got the wrong guy All right jimmy stool on you the next day. You remember that george you were saw a real sword jimmy not only stool He took back the stuff you'd stolen You don't chamis not any more yet. Oh george has a gun now. We'll put it down stay right there We can add gun without permits. We ain't gonna add nothing chamis Not a solder battery or nothing stand back. We'll add plenty Now let's not waste any more time leave me alone. Who killed jimmy withers? I don't know Why did you rob and overstore? It was his idea. He had the combination of the safe jimmy was just a clerk They don't give clerks the numbers to the safe. He got it somewhere. He had inside dope. He told you that Yeah, yeah, he wanted me to plan. Now. Why did he squeal because of the girl? He said because he wasn't love with some girl any shit He was afraid he'd lose the girl. She had other boyfriends. I don't know. I don't know. Why did you tell me george? Why did you sap me? I I was down at the jail. They had him for questioning. I saw you leave san duchi's office I figured you were trying to frame me you were gonna make trouble you made your own trouble george plenty of it You're gonna frame it for that murder rap chamois just for assault for carrying a gun without a permit for trying to use it You framed yourself I called the police and waited for a squad car to pick up george denison They came and went and I drove back through town toward burbank Yes, oh, oh mr. Regan mind if I come in clarence. Well, uh, well, I wouldn't mind mr. Regan, but you see That is my wife was upstairs. She wouldn't care much for the idea that it. Well, I wouldn't say exactly It's okay. Clarence. I'll say it besides your wife's the one I want to see Well, if you say so mr. Regan, I suppose Uh, I'll tell emily you just a minute clarence. I want to ask you one question first Very well, mr. Regan last night when jimmy withers was shot. Were you at home? No, no, no, no, I wasn't I was at a large meeting until midnight. You see emily said there was just emily and her brother peter Uh, why yes, we can talk about it later. Suppose you call your wife The nervous little man shuffled up the stairs rather than raise his voice to call emily Glanced back at me once unsure worried then moved up to the second floor There were voices up there for a few minutes and then down the stairs came emily and over Emily in all her bombastic glory a house coat wrapped around her big frame hairpins holding down a mass of twisted ringlets emily the queen Hand it for a crown Mr. Regan and what excuse are you giving for barging into my home again meddling into my affairs, mr Regan, I don't think you stay out of this clarence What I've got to say is for your wife Mrs. Andover you spent the evening at home last night Yes, I did your brother. He was here with you. Yes. He was all evening Mr. Regan, I'm going to call the police. I said all evening Oh, yes, but you're not sure Yes, yes, I'm sure you sat here all evening with peter What is the meaning of this mr. Regan? Are you trying to imply that I lied to the police? Yes Mr. Regan, you shouldn't say it a boy was murdered last night. Mrs. Andover your husband's daughter's in jail for that murder Sure. She's not your flesh and blood. She's your stepdaughter, but peter chainy is he's your flesh and blood brother He's yours. Mr. Regan, yet you'd lie for what's yours and let another man's daughter die for a murder. She didn't commit That's not true. It's not true. It isn't You don't believe in murder. Do you Mrs. Andover? Murder is wrong, but you provided an alibi for a murderer No peter chainy your brother shot and killed jimmy withers Shot and killed him because jimmy was about to take dorothy away because jimmy was about to marry her No No, that's a lie peter chainy followed them to griffith park. He shot jimmy withers He returned to the house and you provided the alibi for him. No, no, he wouldn't do a thing like that peter wouldn't he couldn't he wasn't home with you all evening No, no, he wasn't he went out about 10 or 10 30 came back maybe 30 minutes or so later Yes, yes, he did But peter wouldn't kill anyone. I know he wouldn't he's my brother Thank you for defending me. Emily peter Mr. Regan is lying. Emily You and I both know that He did that gun mr. Regan talks too much my dear We wouldn't want some of those lies spread around the neighborhood, would we or to the police chainy We wouldn't want them spread there precisely mr. Regan just the way I feel about it peter What what mr. Regan says Emily you shouldn't have admitted to mr. Regan that I left the house last night That was quite wrong of you, but peter I didn't know you'd lied for a murderer of mrs. Handover. You didn't know because he happened to be your brother Mr. Regan, I don't like what you're doing at all You're undermining my sister's faith in me to say nothing of my dear brother-in-law that right clarence Don't talk to me You see mr. Regan My sister crying and my brother-in-law trying to act like a man again Terrible what you're doing like you did to jimmy withers You gave him the combination to the store safe You encouraged him to pull off a robbery so he could turn on him have him arrested and have dorothy for yourself How did I know jimmy was going to bring everything back the next morning when george denison told me jimmy had inside dope It began to make sense george also told me jimmy was afraid of losing his girl dorothy A lovely girl Dorothy's quite fond of me, you know So she told me in her jail cell this morning When I added the robbery and the other man jimmy was afraid of It had to be you you wanted dorothy, but you let her go to prison for your crime I was sure george denison would be arrested He'd been caught stealing the neighborhood before he hated jimmy and he had a prison record Naturally, I was I was quite shocked when he turned up with such a good alibi You're hateful Hateful sister dear That's no way to act After all you are an accomplice And then too We must kill mr. Regan before he brings ruin on both of us. No You mean you aren't going to supply me with another alibi Emily dear don't forget you have to save your own skin. No No, I won't do it I don't care what they do with me I don't care Even emily peter And you clarence Surely you don't want to see poor emily in prison I want to kill you Clarence stay right where you are. I've hated you from the first moment you set foot in my house From the moment I first saw you looking at my daughter I listened emily I gave you a job I supported clarence. I am not going to listen to emily any longer brother peter I am not going to let you and your sister destroy what's left of my life Don't stop him clarence All right peter. I'll take that gun. No, no Clarence you all right? Yeah Yeah, yes, mr. Regan You You saved my life I know Not me clarence For once you You saved your own life Lieutenant sanducci showed up for the prisoner peter chainie and with him went his sister emily It made sense that emily wouldn't get off scott free for lying to the cops But peter he could plan nothing less than life Clarence and overwatched them go And the look in his eyes gave the whole thing more meaning Clarence didn't eat either of them anymore Even my boss anthony j lion was happy when I showed up for work the next morning Hello, the flower Happy today her lion Not especially jeffrey not especially funny. You sounded to me like a guy who just received a check Hey, jeff. Well, why how ridiculous? Jeffrey who told you clarence handover? He said he was mailing the fee to the office last night. He did All the fee. Yes. Yes. Yes. He mailed the fee just like I said $15 very kind of him I'm sure $50. Yes. Yes, jeffrey. I I deposited his check at the bank this morning I'd have saved it to show to you, but you see I wanted to get to the bank early avoid the rush who understand Oh, sure. I understand Banks are crowded these days if I'd gotten there any later. Why why even as it was jeffrey The line was halfway down to the next counter $50 a fat song well Jeffrey There was a small bonus included a mystery handover just enclosed a little something to buy a new doormat You know lion 100 dollars will buy a lot of doormats. Yeah 100 dollars Who told you that clarence handover added another 50 because we saved his daughter Well now fat oh very well jeffrey 100 dollars is in the bank. You'll get your share. Thanks fat. So I already have I was at the bank this morning standing in line right behind you jeffrey Jeff reagan investigator is written by william frug produced and directed by sterling tracy And stars paul dubava's reagan with frank nelson as anthony j lion Original music is by dick around bob stevensson speaking Inviting you to be with us again for more transcribed suspense and mystery and adventure with jeff reagan investigator