 The Adventures of Frank Race, starring Tom Collins. The war changed many things, the face of the earth and the people on it. Before the war, Frank Race worked as an attorney. But he traded his law books for the cloak and dagger of the OSS. And when it was over, his former life was over too. Adventure had become his business. The Adventures of Frank Race. And now we join Frank Race for the adventure of the garrulous bartender. Well, something about having a date with a redhead that causes a man to spend an extra five minutes with his razor and take a little more time in choosing a tie and maybe giving himself a last look in the mirror just before he's ready to go. Which is just what I was doing when... Hey, I was wondering if you'd be here. I've been trying to get hold of you all... My, my, my, don't the man look pretty? Big night, Markis. I'm done with that delicious lass with the Titian tresses who... Who is toyed from the left in the chorus that legs it my chance for you. Exactly. And now you may congratulate me. And now I am going to break your heart that the Daniel Poulsen at a Pacific insurance company wants he should see you, but bad and but right away. Look, Mark, I'm willing to forget you ever gave me this nose. Breaking this date tonight would make me very unhappy. Yeah, huh? Mr. Poulsen is already unhappy. He told me so three times all the way from Los Angeles. You mean Poulsen's been calling from California? Yeah. Which cost more than a nickel of throw. He's a big accountant, you raise? Yep. Here goes my red hat. What did Poulsen say? He said to build more hotel out there, which I understand is a fair to Midland manger. And he claims he wants to see you the first thing in the morning. He told me that three o'clock this afternoon. It is now 8.30. All right, let's go. Los Angeles was having one of those days her Chamber of Commerce doesn't like to discuss. Cloudy. The weather matched the expression of Dan Poulsen as he greeted me in his suite at Biltmore. I'm glad you got here. You get to move fast on this thing. What is it? An embezzlement job. $100,000, and you know what that means. We don't crack it. There'll be a hundred more of them all over the country. There must be a bank job. It is. Man by the name of Thomas Carney. Manager of the Spring Street branch of the Merchants National Bank. Really? Just two. They're both pretty slim. He had recently been frequenting a bar on Main Street, a spot called Crow's Nest. And in his apartment, the police came across an envelope post-Marked Warriors, Mexico, had no return address, and there was nothing inside it. Oh, that's something. There was a visit to this place called the Crow's Nest. Skid Row with Music. That's Main Street, Los Angeles. Here, you'll find plenty of drifters, the lads that don't seem to have a knack for what's known as making a living. But the bar keep at the Crow's Nest looked affluent enough. He had a pendulous paunch, cheeks that could have doubled for doulaps, and a pair of Popeyes that indicated thyroid trouble. Sure, I know Carney, not a bad guy. Never can tell, can you? Never hear him say it had been in Juarez. Juarez? You know, I think he did say something like that once. But why? I'd like to talk to him. I thought he might be there. Oh, kid yourself, mister. He ain't got a chance at talking to Carney. He might want to talk to me. He might even have changed his mind about keeping that money. $100,000? Why would a guy want to change his mind about $100,000? Because he finds that he's afraid of what he's done. Because he finds that if he had it to do over, he wouldn't. Well, he got something there. Come to think of it, he's not a scared little guy. He might change his mind at that if you could put it to him that way. What way, Benny? Remember the kid you know in school who enjoyed pulling the wings off life flies? Well, he was one grown up. He looked as though he might have just stepped out of his web. And the bartender's reaction made you think of the flies. Oh, uh, hello, Zooker. What way, Benny? Oh, what you saying? I bet Carney's having a good time in Juarez. No, Tijuana maybe. You know that, Benny? Sure, sure. I talk too much, Zooker. But I don't mean nothing, Bonnie. Guys who talk too much don't hang around very long. They don't know that, Benny. Sure, sure. I know it. Excuse me, Zooker. I got a customer. You heard my name, pal. What's yours? Ray's. You're a cop, aren't you? Not exactly. I hate cops. Now, just to keep the record straight, I'm an insurance investigator. It's all the same. You're a cop. Which adds up to what? And I had right for Juarez, ain't you? Just because that flapmouth said Carney might be there. I might had for Juarez? And I had right for Juarez just because that little flapmouth likes to jabber. And Benny... Evan, what do you want, Zooker? Come here. Oh, look, Zooker, I told you I didn't mean nothing. I said come here. Well, well, what do you want, Zooker? A drink, eh? A little lean over here. What for? So I can take hold of you. Like this? Let go, let go, let go. You fat flapmouth, I'm gonna... Let go of him. Get your hands off me. Zooker, no. If you don't let go of him, I'm gonna break your arm. All right, don't let him go. Big guy, ain't you? Tough, hard, big guy. Why don't you drift? You know what I'm gonna do with your big guy? I'm gonna be around. I'm gonna be around all the time. You stay here, I stay here. You go to Juarez, I go to Juarez. All the time till I get you somewhere just right. Then I'm gonna make you wish you'd never been born. Hey, that character wasn't kidding, Ray. He's a bad one. We've had bad ones before. All right, sure. When we made a plane, we took care of him. This guy's gonna hang back. That ain't good. But I got an idea. Why don't we go to work on him first? It's probably a good idea. Early sound. But it isn't the way we operate, is it? Ah, ethics. What good are ethics? Me, I'll take an enrich anytime. Yeah. What do you make it a setup anyway? A little bank manager rubbed shoulders with the underworld. And lets his self get talked into a bezel and a hundred grand. He'll be lucky if you let him keep a nickel. That's a pretty sound observation. No nothing about Juarez, Mark. How was that during the war? That's the toughest town on the North American continent. Well, Juarez is where we're going. As of now. The toughest town on the North American continent looks sleepy. Felt unbearably hot and gave you the feeling that here it would gather all the dust in the world. It was just after noon. It's just a time. But I ran into one lady who seemed willing to give his time to something else besides slumber. You better come in from that sun, senor, before it burns a hole in your head. That's probably an excellent suggestion. You are looking for something, senor. My name is Enrique Hernandez. I like to help people look for things. I'm looking for Americans. Oh, we got a few here. How do you like them? Like this or like this? I'm looking for a man. A man by the name of Carney. Carney, a little man with part of his hair gone. That adds in. Can you take me to him? He would be worth something, senor. A hundred dollars if I get right to him. This evening, senor, I go to meet you here. You have a hundred dollars in your hand, and I will show you the way to this man, Carney. I had sent Mark Donovan looking for information. I found him seated at a table in the bar of our so-called hotel, sipping drinks with three people who were obviously Americans. There's a man and two women. Mark saw me as I came in, excused himself, and came over to me. Hey, have any luck, race? Oh, little, it looks like you're doing all right. Yeah, I kind of stumble into this. See the two dames? Well, they make a play for me. The dames? Well, they make a play for the young one, and the old one gets the idea I mean her. Well, look at what she didn't exactly slap your face. Eh, not Emma. In 15 minutes, I am the thrill of her life. Eh, may not be important, but they're a lot of fun. Come on over, I'll introduce you. Mark introduced the man at the table is Jack Kemp. The woman is picky dinner, and Emma tell her for him. Kemp must have been about 30. What a nice-looking person with a pleasant manner. Peggy Dan, that reminded me of a girl I'd once fallen for in high school. She wore slacks and a sweater, and I felt I could do the falling all over again. Emma tell her I was wearing slacks too. Man, she shouldn't have been. A red splash of bandana had been tied around her head and face that would have looked better in a football helmet. Suppose you're wondering what we're doing down here, Mr. Race? Matter of fact, I'm wondering myself. What are we doing, Peggy? My darling, you said you wanted to do something different. Something exciting. Didn't you, Jack? That's the way I heard it. As Mark had said, it wasn't important, but it was fun. So much so, I remembered my appointment with Enrique Hernandez just in time. I made my excuses and left Mark behind without defining Enrique waiting impatiently. He had me follow him to an alley that led to what appeared to be an abandoned café. Here you are, senor. Another hundred dollars, please. After I've seen my man, where is he? You just open the door, senor. Where'd you see your life? You're going to find him inside? All right. I find him, then you get your hundred. Who is that? The man on the other side of the room was staring at me with a cool, clear, all-seeing gaze of a drunk peering through a wet window. But he wasn't drunk. He was frightened. Little and bald-headed and frightened. Didn't you hear me? I said, who is it? Someone who wants to talk to you. Who are you? I don't know you. If you'll let me, I'm going to help you. I don't need any help. Help me. How? I can make it possible for you to go back to the States. I don't want to go back to the States. How would you make it possible? I can arrange a deal. What kind of a deal? You turn back the money you embezzled and I think I can get you off with a light sentence. No, I couldn't do that. You'd rather split it out like this, would you? Terrorist trick and wondering what's going to happen next. I know. I know, but I couldn't return the money. Now they wouldn't let me. Who wouldn't let you? Never mind, I can't say. You'd rather keep eating your heart out, would you? All I have to do is telegraph. We'd get a reply back in a matter of hours. A light sentence, Connie. Then you're free again. I don't know. I don't know. I can see I had him going. So I kept talking until he finally gave in. Now, Mr. Wireless Angles, if the deal could be made, if he could get off with a light sentence, he was willing to turn over the money. I left him and found a telegraph office. But it wasn't until the next morning that I got my reply. Then I went back to see him. Connie, you here? Yeah, he's here, Rick. Why'd you shut the door? It was OK. Looking as though he just pulled a wing off of one of those flies. He was sitting in a rocking chair, rocking gently. Sit down. Well, I'm afraid you'll get your clothes dirty. Where's Connie? He's here in the other room. Go take a look. I will. Connie was sitting in a chair too, and it happened to be another rocker. But Connie wasn't rocking. Someone had beaten the life out of him with a blunt and heavy instrument. We'll return to the adventures of Frank Race in just about one minute. Back to the adventures of Frank Race. It had all seemed so pant. My scared fugitive with his $100,000 hidden away somewhere. I mean, I'd needed only a talk with him to break the case. So I'd been telling myself. Or should I say, kidding myself. But a man has no breath in him. He does know talking. And this was now the permanent condition of Thomas' Connie in Bessler. All right, turn back to Sookoo. You find he'd been joined by a couple of dubious-looking companions. I have a mess, ain't he? Connie? Yeah, it was a mess, all right. Somebody must have really had a grudge against that boy. Somebody who wanted that money he was carrying. Yeah, that's the way I figured it, too. You didn't want it, of course. Me? I was Connie's pal. That's right. You were his protector, weren't you? See, he let someone murder him. Go ahead. Needle me. See what it gets you. Of course you weren't with him when it happened. That's right. I wasn't with him. Or it wouldn't have happened. Not right now, anyway. But somebody was with him. It might have been you. Sure, yeah. That's the way I make my living. By murdering the one man who can break the case for you. Well, it's been done before. That's right. You don't like cops, do you? You don't think they're honest? That's right. I don't think they're honest. I told you I wasn't a cop. They're a cop, all right. I suppose you've been looking for that money. I hate cops. If you had the money, you wouldn't be here. And you wouldn't have killed Connie unless you were sure of the money. So then, it lets you out. I'm much obliged. But it don't let you out. No? No. You know what we're gonna do? We're gonna tease you. Tease you till you tell us the story on that dough. You're overlooking something, aren't you? Yeah? What? Would I have come back here if I already had the money? How do I know? How do I know what a cop's level would do? You want to we should start in on him now, Zooka? No, no. Not here. We might want to work on this boy for quite a while. We wouldn't want them more as police to butt in. So I take him to the motel, eh? No. You take him out in the sticks. Hot in the sand where we went yesterday. You keep him in the sun while you work on him. That's gonna get a little hot. For you? But think how hot it's gonna get for him. You ain't coming? Not right now. I want to have a look around this joint. I'll catch up with you later. A pair of assistants took me outside to a car they had waiting at the end of the alley. I was pushed into the back seat, but it didn't start moving. The car just wouldn't cooperate. Sounds like your boys might be a little low on gas. Then you'll put no push in this crate. Nah, you're dead. Look at the gauge, you jerk. Well, let's go back and tell Zooka he'll probably be quite happy with the efficiency shown by your boys. I'm going to tell Zooka nothing about it. There's a gas station a couple of blocks away from me. We'll go get some. All right, come on. Get out. Oh, you weren't me along, too. I thought maybe you'd let me sit here and watch the passes by. Quick clowny. Get out. It was more than two blocks. It was five. All of them dusty, all of them hot. And my companions weren't used to walking. My quick lip came obvious. So by the time we reached the gas station, both were thoroughly disgruntled with me, with the weather, and with each other. And then we had to wait. Well, it goes on around here anyway. Ain't there nobody to run this joint? It was one o'clock, C.E.S.T. time. Ah, damn it, C.E.S.T. No wonder they never get nothing done around here. Now, here's a can. We can just take some gas and leave the money. We'll take some gas, all right. But we ain't leaving nothing. Here, I'll fill it for you. OK, where do you want it? In a can, your crepe, where else? I was thinking a good spot might be your face. I let them both have it right in the teeth. Then I dropped the thing and ran. I didn't slow it until I felt purple, and reasonably assured that I'd lost them. It was then that a familiar voice spoke to me. You better come in from that son, senor. He's not good for running like that. Oh, it's you who went at it. You're so right. Only an idiot would run in heat like this. See? See? You had not forget my hundred dollars, have you, senor? Well, I reckon I have not forgotten. Yeah. Gracias, senor. Muchas gracias. I was a little surprised you weren't waiting for me when I came out of the police last night. I would have waited, senor. I was afraid. While you were in that place, there was someone else who came. Someone else? Who? What did they look like? I could only hear, senor. It was too dark to see. But they stood outside while you were there, and that hundred dollars, it was for telling about Garni, not for fighting about him. You have sound logic, Enrique. To carry you a long way. Is there anything else for which the senor would like to employ me? There may be, Enrique. We'll see. I was hot and thirsty, and full of the conviction that I had bungled would appear to be a fairly simple case. A combination of circumstances that called for a drink. A long, tall, cool one that I secured at the bar of our hotel. And while I quaffed it, something feminine and lovely sidled under the stool next to me. Something feminine and lovely by the name of Peggy Dana. Hello, Raze. Hello yourself. You look as though you'd been running. I have, but we ought to talk about that. What would you like? I didn't stop for a drink. I just thought I'd like to talk to you. Mm-hmm. I don't know when that was coming up. I'd have gone downstairs and prettied up a little. Oh, you look all right as you are. You look all right, too. You look awfully all right. Raze, why are you down here? Hasn't Mike Donovan told you? You know he hasn't. He's not the type. What are you doing down here? I just came down for a look at the place. I'd heard it was wild and woolly. Now I guess I'm just staying because you're here. But you've been keeping so busy. What about the boyfriend, Jack Kemp? Yeah, what about me, Peggy? I thought I was in your good books. I think you're wonderful, darling. See, Raze, the girl really loves me. It's a bit trying to steal it, will you? Look, why don't we go to a table where we can start some serious drinking? Jack, it's too hot. Not for me. How about you, Raze? I think I could handle another one. Good man. Now, I'd like to make you bet. Just finish one more of those things you're serving now. And I'll give you any odds you want, that it's the beginning of your downfall. He was almost right. A hot day and a bartender who knew how to hide dynamite in a cool, delicious drink. That's enough to cause your grandmother's downfall. But the fourth one I knew I'd have to slow up. It didn't seem to bother Kemp. The only way he showed any effect was paying on paying for every round. And by the careful and exact way he counted out the bills to pay for them, I was finally rescued by Mark, who somehow got me up to our room. Now, you off your rocker. You can't drink like that in this country. Or in any other. What do you want? Hot coffee, cold shower, or both? I don't want either, Mark. Be quite truthful. I just want to go out and send another wire to Los Angeles. You're nuts. Just let me ease you down on this bed now. Mind yourself, boy, I'm going out and sending a wire. I just thought of something that I think is going to crack this case. It's almost midnight. What are you doing? Playing watchdog. Now get away from Los Angeles. Here it is. So what do you want? Right on the button. Come on, Mark. So now what? We're going to have a look at a room three doors down the hall. In the room? Key and everything. I got a friend of the night clerk. I don't have to pay back. Look, tell me, what are we looking for? A hundred thousand dollars. Or most of it anyway. Oh, brother, a hundred grand. Listen, if we find that, you're going to have to worry about me. But what makes you think it might be here? Because this is the room of the... What is this? Got anything, Mr. Kemp? Race what goes. You ain't tagging Jack for this deal. Are you? Jack's a nice guy. Kemp just seems to be a nice guy, Mark. He also seems to be a wealthy playboy, but he isn't. He's a bank teller who followed Carney down here and murdered him. You drank too much today, Race. A bank teller? I think you're missing on this one, Race. Jack just ain't the type. Everybody acts the type. In one very peculiar way. What are you talking about? I'm talking about the way you counted out the money this afternoon when you were paying for those drinks, meticulously, carefully. You laid out each bill with just the proper snappy of your thumb. Just the way you've been doing it for 11 years at the Merchant's National on Spring Street in Los Angeles. Start looking for the money, Mark. Right. The bank has nothing on me. I quit, legitimately. Without touching a dime. So they said. But you knew about Carney. He'd been foolish enough to confide in you a little, shall we say? You know, he was going to a rendezvous down here with thugs he thought were going to protect him. So you came here, too, and got to the money before they could. But you had to murder him to make it stick. Hey, Race, is the dough? Who's in his phone book? Hey, you can turn it all over to me. Thanks for leaving the door open, boy. It's a written invitation. It still opens, OK? For you to back out. I ain't backing out of nothing. Come on, Chum. Bring me that phone book. You can still leave, Chum. But not with that phone book. Like I told you before, Race, I don't like cops. They crad me too far, and I'll prove it to you. Bring me the phone book, Chum. That Carney's gotten his hand, Race. That's a good argument. I've got a gun in my hand, too, Mark. In my pocket. But, uh, maybe you had better give him the phone book. Oh. All right. I'll give it on. You did have a ride in your pocket. That's right. Sometimes when you can't afford to bluff. And this was one of them. Choose a Frank Race starring Tom Collins with Tony Barrett as Mark Donovan comes to you from Hollywood. Others heard in tonight's cast were Michael Ann Barrett, DJ Thompson, Wilms Herbert, Tom Holland, and Jack Krushen. This series is written and directed by Buckley Angel and Joel Murkart. The music is composed and played by Ivan Ditmars. Be sure to be with us again this same time next week for another dramatic chapter in the Adventures of Frank Race. Art Gilmore speaking. This is a Brucell's production.