 Mr. District Attorney, starring David Bryan. Mr. District Attorney, champion of the people, defender of truth, guardian of our fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And it shall be my duty as District Attorney not only to prosecute to the limit of the law all persons accused of crimes perpetrated within this county but to defend with equal vigor the rights and privileges of all its citizens. This is David Bryan. In a moment we'll bring you another case from the files of Mr. District Attorney. But first the word from our sponsor. Here is our star, David Bryan as Paul Garrett, Mr. District Attorney. A District Attorney knows that murder can strike any place in his county at any time. This case started on a rainy afternoon on an almost deserted highway west of the city. A man is sitting in a stalled car. His face brightens as a tow truck pulls off the road beside him. Painted on the door of the truck of the words, Joe's Garage. Hello! Oh, you having trouble? Yeah, wires got so coming through that low spot back there. She chugged and spluttered away and then conked out on me. Oh, I guess we can get you started again. Get the squirt gun ready. You want the tarp too? Yeah, the tarp over it so the rain can't beat in while we're working. I'll give you a hand. You just stay there and keep dry, mister. We'll have her perking in a minute. I'm sure grateful to you. What are you going to do? Squirt a little carbon tetrachloride on the ignition wires. Better release your hood. Oh, oh, yeah. Okay, Rusty. Lift her up. Fellas, sure you know what you're doing. What do you mean? Well, I can't see how you can get them wires dry by squirting them wetter. That's a mechanic's trick. Squirt them with carbon tet. Carbon tet cuts through the water and runs it off and the carbon tet evaporates. And there you go. Dry wires. Well, it's okay with me if you say so. Don't worry. When it rains like this, I do more business along the highway than I do at the shop. Wires are all spray, Joe. Okay. Try it now? No, no, you give it a second to dry out good. A couple of drops of water ran down my neck. It's only a mile up the road to Wally's cafe. We'll stop and warm up after this fellow gets moving. Good. I think I'll stop up there myself. I've been sitting here for more than an hour. Only other car that came through barreled right past. Where are you bound for? Just back to town. I'm a real estate agent. Just closed a sale on a piece of property up at Hilldale. Hey, that thing ought to be ready to go now, huh, Joe? Yeah. You can try starting it now. Oh, good. Here's hoping. Watch the puddles. You'll be okay. I sure wish there was some way of thanking you, fellas. Well, that won't be hard to do. The charge is 15 bucks. $15? We don't stand out in the rain for fun, mister. You were stuck, weren't you? Yeah, I was stuck, but $15 seems like a lot of money for three minutes' worth. Now, look, I've got a nice warm garage where the prices are regular, but working out here is a little bit different. Charge is 15 bucks. I haven't got $15. What are you, a wise guy? You told us you just sold a piece of property. Five bucks is all I have on me that's my own. The real estate money belongs to somebody else. Well, then you can borrow it until you get home. I think I'm not going to report this to the sheriff's office. If you report it any place you want, you just pay me. Except for the five, all the money I've got's in hundreds. You got change? You being funny. I'm telling you, it's all hundred dollar bills. That's the way I was. You want your money? I'll meet you at that cafe you mentioned and get change. Wally wouldn't have changed for a hundred in that crummy joint. The change ain't the problem, Joe. The problem is whether or not this guy's really got a hundred bucks to begin with. Yeah, that's right. Let's see the color of your money, mister. You're not seeing anything. I've decided to go to the sheriff's office first before I pay you. You think we're going to stand here in the rain and argue with you? It's a conversation, Joe. You've got hands and he's got pockets. He has it all right. Must be close to a thousand bucks. He comes too. We can fix it so he won't. He's going to sign a complaint against us anyhow. That wise guy wears your nerve. Got as much nerve as you got. All right, then grab his feet and let's take him into the bushes. Yes, money, Arrington. You should have taken those boots and carpet offered you. Yeah, I'm all right. Hell, here's the body. I thought you should see it. He thought it was moving at the time. You checked the body for identification? Mm-hmm. Licensed description fits. Names William McShane. He was a realtor. What are you looking at? What's left of those footprints around the body? Oh, lab says they have puddled up too much to help. Brain washed the edges away. He was carried in here by two men. All walked in with one. No, Arrington. He was carried. If he walked, there'd have been some mud on the soles of his shoes, especially at the joining of the heel. His feet never touched the ground after he left the pavement. The ignition keys to his car were lying right there beside him. Good thing the state troop investigated when he found the car abandoned this morning. Any sign of a weapon around? Must have been one. Well, this had the way it is. Well, the lab boys figured it was a large rock they found over there. Some indications of blood on it. It was almost washed clean by the rain, though. They didn't want to leave it here, so they wrapped it up and took it in for examination. It doesn't sound like it'll help much. Some of the blood might have held, but the prints won't. Now, let's get back to the car. All right. There it is. Just the way the trooper found it. Door on the driver's side open. Seat and steering wheel soaked with rain. Well, he might have gotten out to fix something. Tires are all OK. Well, if he did, he finished it before he was killed because the car runs. I checked it. He stopped for something. Pull the hood release. Let's have a look at the motor. There's no sign of any fresh tool marks. Wires haven't been taped any place. No, but look. What? Son of a thin white film on the wires. Distributor and coil connections, too. I want the lab to check that. Morgan's still here with the mobile unit. He'll be able to work better indoors. Haven't told the car to the nearest garage. What was the name of that cafe we passed? About a mile up the road. You mean where the trooper met us? Wallies. Good. When Morgan finishes, he can radio his findings into the office and Miss Miller can relay him to us at the cafe by phone. Meanwhile, you and I can get some breakfast. All right. What do you have, gents? How about hair man, chief? Sounds good. Not to me, I'm out. You settled for bacon? Yeah, sure, sure. OK with you, chief? Fine. Excuse me, sir. Never mind. I'll take it. We're expecting a call here. Hello? Hello. Is there a Mr. Garrett or Mr. Harrington there, please? This is Harrington, Miss Miller. Oh, I just called to tell you that Morgan is taking the car to a place in Hooperville about two miles closer in, Joe's garage. OK. We may be in there before he's through. The medical examiner's report just came in, too. He says McShane was killed sometime yesterday afternoon. Oh, that's a long time. OK, Miss Miller, I'll tell the chief. Thanks. Bye. Bye. Anything? Yeah. Medical examiner says McShane's been dead since yesterday afternoon. Not long. So he says. That car was standing on the highway for a long time then. I think somebody would have stopped, seen the door open and that downpour. Yeah, you know how people are sometimes. Everybody's in a hurry. Yeah. How about the car? Morgan is talking at the Hooperville. Two miles. Place called Joe's garage. Here you are, gents. Say, I hear you mentioned Joe's garage. Huh? Oh, yeah. You going in there for anything? Possibly. Why? Uh, mind and do me a favor if you do. Sure. What? Ask Joe to bring out a fan belt for my pickup next time he passes this way, huh? Fan belt. All right. I just swank on no ham. I couldn't make a trip in for supplies this morning. Tried to get him on a phone a couple of times yesterday, but I didn't get no answer. Well, Ray might have kept him busy. Yeah, I guess so. I just miss flagging him down on the road yesterday afternoon. I saw him coming around the curb. I expect him to stop, but he didn't. Just went barreling by in his tow truck. Yesterday afternoon, you saying? Yeah, about four o'clock headed for his garage. Huh? I should have run out and signaled him. I shouldn't have nothing else to do. Dawn Rainer, but I didn't shove three blue plates across this corner all day. Big breakfast trade this morning, though. Excuse me while I get on a dish. Yeah, sure, sure. That garage tow truck must have compared to the spot where McShane's car was found, chief. Yes. Ordinary drivers might have passed the car with a door open like that. It seems to me that a mechanic would stop, though. Doesn't it, to you? Especially in that rain. Yeah. Of course, maybe the car wasn't there yet. Medical examiner couldn't fit the exact time of death. But he'd been there too long before he got to it. Well, if the garage man didn't see the car, it'll be some help anyhow. Well, no McShane was killed after four o'clock. Yeah. I was wondering... Could that be Miss Miller again so soon? You want to get that? Yes. I'll take it. Hello? Mr. Garrett? Yes, Miss Miller. Mr. Garrett, we located McShane's wife. She just came into the office. I think you'd better come in and talk to her. Do you know anything? McShane sold a piece of real estate yesterday. He called her after he closed the deal. He was carrying $1,200 cash and $100 bills. We'll be right in. I have to skip breakfast now, Harriigan, and get back to the office. McShane's wife is there. Oh, does she give any line on a motive? $1,200 he was carrying. Here's your money, Wally. Oh, but you didn't eat nothing. What's wrong with it? Well, just a rush business call. We'll see you next time around. Well, hey, you'll remember about that fan belt, won't you? You better try reaching the garage on the phone again. We're not stopping there after all. Well, thanks, anyhow. Hurry back. You know what it sounds like to me, Chief? What? Somebody who knew he had that money followed him and forced him off the road. Yes. That's the way it's beginning to look to me, too. This is David Bryan. Before we continue with Mr. District Attorney in the case of the murderous Good Samaritans, here is an important message from our sponsor. Calling us Paul Garrett. Mr. District Attorney. One had been murdered and his car abandoned at the side of a rain-drenched road. His wife gave us our first indication of a motive. $1,200 in cash that the dead man had been carrying. We questioned her further at my office. Uh, how did you know your husband was carrying the money, Mrs. McShane? He... He'd telephoned me from upstate after he made the save. Wasn't a cash transaction a little bit unusual? No. Not with the Athens sisters. Mrs. McShane, did your husband have anything else of value on him? Anything of his own, I mean. I don't think so. Jewelry of any kind. Oh, wristwatch. That's all. There was no watch on the body, Chief. Do you know what make it was, Mrs. McShane? No, I just know he had one. That's all. He wore it all the time. I never gave it no special notice. Well, could you describe it? Gold, leather strap. I don't know. All men's watches look the same to me. Well, would you know it if you saw it again? I don't think so. I don't know. May I go now? Yes. Thank you for coming in. Yeah, let me get the door for you. Oh, Miss Miller, hi. I didn't mean to close the door on your face. It's all right. I knew she was upset. I didn't want to come in until you'd finished with her. What is it? Morgan just called about McShane's car, that film on the ignition wires. Well, what was it? He said carbon tetrachloride residue. You have any ideas how it got on there? Yes, sir. He said the car must have been stalled with wet wires and the carbon tet was sprayed on to dry them off. Where would he get carbon tetrachloride on a highway? Was there any in the car? Did he carry a fire extinguisher or anything like that? He said somebody must have helped McShane spray the wires, somebody who had the equipment like a mechanic. Uh, Chief, that guy at the roadside cafe, Wall-E, he said that... I know. The tow truck from Joe's garage. Go to the teletype room. Get out that query to the Athens sisters on the serial numbers of those bills. And then meet me down at the motor pool in the basement. We're going to visit a guy named Joe. Is that all you got to do, Rusty? Throw playing cards into a hat? What would you like me to do? Well, give me a hand with this fender. No thanks. I'm no grease monkey. I only work for you when it's raining. A sweet guy. A real sweet guy. When it comes to taking the gravy. So what? Well, I think it's a good idea to keep working. That's what. So who's stopping you? You. Hey, here's another customer. Work yourself to death. Which one of you is Joe? Me. What can I do for you? The county lab brought a car in here this morning. Oh, yeah. That's it over in the corner. Grace Dan. I know. My name is Paul Garrett. I'm the district attorney. Sometime late yesterday afternoon during the rain, that car was parked off the road about a mile past Wally's Cafe out on State Highway 27. It was stalled with wet ignition wires. Somebody fixed it with tetrachloride spray. Wally said he saw your tow truck pass out that way at about four o'clock. Yeah. Yeah, I guess he did. Did you see that car on the highway yesterday? Well, I can't say for sure. Maybe. I guess you're going to be busy for a while. Joe, I'll call you later. Sure. Sure, Rusty. You go ahead. Oh, if you don't mind, I'd like you to wait just a second, please. Sure. I don't work here, though. Uh, just wait. You keep saying maybe about that car, Joe. How about making it yes or no? Well, I... I did stop for Grace Dan out on 27. Yeah, yeah. I guess it might have been that one. Lots of Grace Dan's around, though. Not yesterday, the one. Then you did get that car started. Yeah. Was the driver all right when you left him? Well, yeah. He was all right. Uh, you still want me to wait? Oh, uh, I almost forgot about you. No, I was just wondering if you might have been with Joe when he fixed McShane's car. Oh, no. I'm hardly ever around here. He just happened to stop by today. I see. Well, thank you. You're welcome. So long. Oh, uh, by the way, I think my watch has stopped. What time do you got? 20 past two. Thanks. Yeah, that's a good looking watch. Keeps pretty good time. Yeah. Yeah, right on the dot. Looks like you've had it for a long time. Uh, yeah, yeah. Quite a while. You must have gained a lot of weight since you bought it. Huh? I don't get you. The strap is getting too small for your wrist. A badly worn mark on the leather band there where you used to hook it through the fourth hole. You're wearing it hooked through the second hole now. So long. Yeah, uh, be seen around, Joe. Well, Harrington, I guess we might as well get back to the office. That devil, were you talking... I have a million cards I signaled you to get. Yeah, I had a tough time figuring what you wanted for a minute, though. All I could get was a few of them while they were talking to you. They're in my pocket. I don't touch them any more than you have to until we get them to the lab. But what's the idea? Well, those cards are greasy. They'll be covered with clear prints. Joe's and that other fellas who just happened to stop by. I want to know if either or both of them have records. Ah, now I get it. And that wristwatch business. Well, that wasn't his watch. And from the size of him, I figured that his wrist would be just about two notches bigger than McShane's. I want McShane's car moved to the police lab. Prints on the playing cards were good. They're running the codes through the machines now to see if we can match them. Car in yet? Yep. Morgan's got it down the garage in the basement. No, here comes Miss Miller. She has a couple of identification cards, all right? Here they are, Mr. Garrick. Both men have done time all right. Good muck shots, too. Robert, Rusty, Allison, and Joe Faller there. Good. Get these down to Morgan in the basement garage right away. See if he's getting anything like these from under the hood rim of McShane's car. Especially Rusty, Allison's prints. Yes, sir. Oh, Chief, what about the serial numbers on the currency? Here. The athletes and sisters had a complete list. Much to my surprise. Has that gone out yet? To every bank and store in the city and all the transportation companies in case anybody decides to run. Let's go up to the office and wait for Morgan's report. I wanted that stuff to go down right away. Well, I didn't have to go down. Morgan was coming up when I reached the elevator. He found what you wanted. Rusty, Allison's prints on McShane's car? Yes, sir. Right where you told him to look. The rim of the motor hood. Well, that does it, Chief. Yes. What time is it? Uh, it's only, uh, 4.35. Why? I just wanted to be sure he'd get to Joe's garage before he closes. Tonight we'll close him for good. Place looks like a shutdown, Chief. Get out and look around. Locked all right. Only 5 after 5. The service truck is gone. He wouldn't make a run on that. Yeah, wait a minute. Sign on the door there, written in pencil. Out on service call in emergency phone Elmwood 4677. I've seen that number before, earlier today. And so have you. Huh? When? When we answered the phone calls from Miss Miller at Wally's cafe. Hey, that was the Elmwood exchange. And Wally wanted a new fan, Belchrist Pickup. Come on. I hope he's still there. I hope more than that. I hope Rusty is with him. Now this Titan generator, and she's fixed. Why don't you keep things where you can get at him? Oh, never mind. I'll get it myself. Okay, okay, get it. Just don't look to me for free labor. Drop dead. Say, you two ain't in some kind of trouble, are you? What makes you ask that? Whoa. It's just the way you're acting, that's all. Two fellas here this morning wanted to know all about you passing on a highway yesterday during the rain. Yeah, and you had to tell them too, didn't you, your big mouth hair slinger? Why don't you go out in front and tend to your cooking? Don't you go calling me names, Jim. What was that? You heard me. You're an ex. Well, you keep hearing all you want. But if you ever tell anybody, especially the two guys that were here this morning... Why? Because that a guy was killed up the highway? Oh, Joey. This guy needs a little lesson. I wouldn't do that if I were you, Rusty. What? What? Interesting conversation you boys were having. I thought you weren't with Joe when he came by here yesterday, Rusty. I wasn't. Then how did your fingerprints get out of the hood of McShane's car? Get something, Joe! I got you! I got you! You all right, chief? Just dizzy. I had to fire. He'd have split your skull open. He's dead. I had nothing to do with this. We know you didn't, Wally. Just get out front and call for a police ambulance. You're going to pin this on me, aren't you? You killed him and now it's all on me. Look how he'd get a break. It was his idea. Oh, sure. It's always the dead man's idea. He can't contradict you. But you were there, weren't you, mister? What do I do to me? Can't you wait a minute? Can't you answer that one for yourself? Huh? Yes. What did you do to McShane? This is David Bryan again. I hope you've enjoyed this case from the file of Mr. District Attorney. I'll be back in just a moment after this message from our sponsor. Here's the star of Mr. District Attorney, David Bryan, with a word about the program you have just heard. With Robert Rusty Allison dead, Joe Faladea made a complete statement and agreed to enter a plea of guilty to a charge of murder in the second degree. He was sentenced to prison for the rest of his natural life. And now this is David Bryan inviting you to join us when we present our next case based on the facts of crime from the file of Mr. District Attorney. Mr. District Attorney was originated by Phillips H. Lord.