 Get this and get it straight. Crime is a sucker's road and those who travel it wind up in the gutter the prison of the grave There's no other end, but they never learn From the pen of Raymond Chandler outspending author of prime fiction comes his most famous character in the adventures of Philip Marlowe With Gerald Moore starred as Philip Marlowe. We bring you tonight's exciting story the long way home The valley floor gave off the kind of heat that ate into you stayed. I Wondered why some 800,000 people voluntarily made the San Fernando Valley their home That was their problem My problem at the moment was to make a right turn off Riverside Drive and I did Four or five blocks north. I saw the name on the redwood post by the driveway Mr. And Mrs. Enos Hopper Yeah, this was it. I Drove in the drive into the cool oasis and orderly wilderness of pepper trees palms evergreens Everything else I'd ever seen grown in Southern California The house sat well back on the lot very neat also redwood to match the post by the driveway I Got out of the car and walked across the grass toward the slightly stoop figure clipping their heads on the Far side of the lot. I didn't hear you coming. I'm sorry. Hope I didn't frighten you. I'm Philip Marlowe Mr. Hopper. Oh, yes. Yes indeed. Mr. Marlowe. I'm glad you're here. Here. I'll pull up this chair That's all right. I'll get it. It's all right. I've got it now Yeah, sit down, Mr. Marlowe. Oh, how about you? Well, if you don't mind I'll keep on clipping the hedge here while we talk Feel better doing something, you know. Oh, sure. We could go into the house. I guess if you'd rather I I Well, it bothers me to be in there now. Yeah, I expect it does How long has she been gone, Mr. Hopper? Since Monday morning. Oh, about nine o'clock. I guess it was She got the laundry together. She was going to the laundry mat and That's the last time I saw her Monday. That's two days ago. Let's take the car. No, Amy doesn't drive I offered a driver the laundry mat's about five blocks from here in that little community center on Riverside You probably passed it. Oh, yeah, and she said no Not the walk would do her good and she hasn't called or anything since no Nothing. Well, how about friends relative? Well, I've been quiet around the neighborhood. You see we have lived here Long as tomorrow. We're not really what you call well acquainted with anyone here. You mean the valley Well in California We're from the Jersey came out here right after the first year Amy always wanted to live in California We moved out. Yeah, but about those relatives. You didn't say why I I had none living Amy does have a cousin out here a cousin Beatrice. That's all I've ever heard a call Beatrice. She lives in Burbank I've never met her seems like I've always been busy when Amy's gone over there It cousin Ray here usually picks Amy up. That's a cousin Beatrice's husband. Have you called this and say me the spirit? Oh, yes. Yes a number of times, but There's been no answer That's odd too. How odd Cousin Beatrice is an invalid Amy says that's why she's never come to call on this Well, perhaps they were out when I called maybe so Tell me mr. Hopper you and Amy have you been happy together? I mean you haven't quarreled right? Oh, no, mr. Maro Amy and I have never raised our voices to one another We've been very happy Yeah Well, it isn't much to go on By the way to check the hospital, you know, there could have been an accident. I thought of that first. Yes, I called them No No one fitting Amy's description. Oh, that's a point about that description You have a recent picture of your wife. Oh, yes. Yes, of course. Oh, would you come in the house, mr. Maro? I'll get one for you. Okay, sure Amy loved it here, mr. Maro flowers Big trees all those plants you see Amy cared for them wanted cultivated. Yeah This is her garden, mr. Maro. I'm just trying to keep it nice for her He turned finally a slight little gray man Led the way into the house. I Felt sorry for him didn't take much to figure that his Amy was his whole life And in his mild gentle way His heart was broken Inside the house is neat and well kept as Enos Harper himself. I Got the first real shock of the day Because the Amy I'd pictured in my mind as Enos spoke of her Was nothing at all like the portrait he handed me from the mantle She's beautiful, isn't she mr. Maro? Yeah Yes, she is She's young too much much younger than I yeah much I'm a very lucky man, mr. Maro Well about this picture. Do you have a smaller one one I can take with me? Well, yes One of these on the desk should be about right size. I should think I Hadn't spotted the gallery on the desk across the room until Enos started for it a Quick count and I came up with seven pictures of Amy carefully arranged along the top ledge of the desk all different all beautiful a Sensational to better word I think The tinted ones showed the hair to be ash blonde the eyes large and brown in the mouth Oh This was mr. Maro, I believe it's Amy's favorite. Oh, thanks. That's a little fine. I Wanted back later. Oh sure sure you bet now then is there anything more anything else that might be helpful Now let's see. Oh, yeah That cousin Beatrice cousin Ray their address and phone and Burbank, huh? And if they have a last name that would help I don't have their address, but I imagine it's in the book named Quinlan when the Ray Quinlan bourbon, okay? And by the way, you said the laundromat your wife patronized is in the community center on Riverside On the north side of the street just a few doors east of where you turn to come up here. All right. I I'll be waiting tomorrow If you find out anything Anything oh sure right away a Little community had no name, but it had everything else a Series of one of each shops and services All the way from health foods to a branch bank Well, I parked on the street in front of the laundromat and studied the picture of Amy Harper again tried to figure her with a laundry bundle and couldn't tried to figure her with Enos and Decided to go back to the laundry bundle made more sense I went inside never smelled anything so clean Yeah, I'm trying to get a line on someone a mrs. Hopper do you know Mrs. Harper Mrs. Enos hopper. Oh here. Look at this. She looks like this. Oh Amy sure Yeah, well when's the last time you saw Well, let's see a day or so ago. I guess Let me check the bundles here that and tell us Oh Yeah, here we are Monday Monday morning, I think yeah, well what I'd like me but my daughter's double parked out in front Can I pick up my laundry you can't have you got the right ticket? Oh, yeah, here it is Banning I just washed with it mrs. Vanning no ironing. It is wash Here we go 62 cents Thank you, can I take it out for you mrs. Vanning? Oh, thank you. No, no, no, I can manage. Oh, and Thank you for letting me bargey him. Oh, thank nothing of it You're trying to get a line on Amy. Oh, well just that anyone ever come in with her No, can't remember anyone. Well, can you remember if you noticed anything special about it when she came in Monday? Yeah Why? You got her picture Yeah, I mean beside that No, she was just Amy You want to pick up her laundry? I don't have her ticket I Was doing great, huh? Enos had told me Amy went to the laundromat on Monday morning and now I knew as much as he did Now I took a picture with me into all the transportation offices around bus train plane car rental Everyone liked the picture, but no one had sold her a ticket on anything The supermarket and the drugstore were every good. It's helpful. And then I Remembered her green thumb. Well, I must say I've seen her many times many times with mr. Harper, of course Well, do you think you might have seen her Monday? No, not that mrs. Harper I do believe mr. Harper within Monday though seems to me It was about his zinniers. Yeah, well what was it is aster's I really couldn't say I believe it was Of course, it really doesn't matter too much. They're the same family, you know Zinniers not the same family Compositor, you know, that's the family name. I'm impressed. But look, I want to tell you can you imagine they used to be called Star Wars Star Wars what a nasty little name for an after have you got a Burbank phone directory? No, I think part of Burbank phone directory. Oh, I thought we were talking about the Harper's I thought we were too Molo investigating the possible disappearance of Amy hopper Amy Thanks, I Understand that she's your wife's cousin, but oh It was yeah, oh, thanks Enos hired you. Yeah, that's right. He says he's tried to call here several times. No answer How long has Amy been missing since Monday morning put some laundry to the laundromat and that's all anybody knows Have you seen it since then heard from her? No, no, I sure haven't I We halfway expected to hear from Amy Monday, too Usually do but didn't Well, how about your wife? Can I talk to her Beatrice isn't here. She I took her to the hospital this morning They're gonna operate later today. Oh, I hope it does it right. Yeah, so do we Well, that's right. You know says she's a she's an invalid. Yeah, that's right about Amy I that's all you know just that she left for the laundromat and got there. That's about it Crazy Amy wouldn't just disappear wouldn't she no No, I don't think she would Yeah, well, I'm in the book. Mr. Quinlan central directory if you get any ideas call me. Yeah. Yeah, I will oh Well, by the way, what are you happy together the hopper? Yes, or as I know The late afternoon Sun was just at eye level as I headed west again on Riverside Drive Cousin Ray was a brown solid man not fat, but husky not too tall 510 maybe must be about 35 or so Enos wasn't home when I got back to Amy's natural habitat, so on a hunch nothing more. I checked with the next-door neighbor Mrs. Brownley her name was was spooning her yogurt straight and propelling her patio glider like she was closing in on the finish line of the Honolulu yacht races Well, I saw her coming out of the laundromat and offered her a ride home Monday was just real warm. You may remember Lulu Yes, you might put it that way Anyway, I told her I was driving right after I picked up some wheat germ and some black strap molasses I'd be going home and that she was welcome to ride with me Uh-huh and she gave me that nice smile of hers and says no thanks, Miss Brownley the walk would do me good Now just why a walk in the hot sun and do anyone any good beyond me But I'm not one to push myself on other people and the ride was there. She could take it or leave it Yeah, tell me did you see her after that? Yeah. Yes. I did this time from across the street But there's no mistake in her for anyone else, you know, I don't suppose there is well there She was going into plenty just a minute just a minute. Pliny the camera shop Pliny Branstetter's place focus focus out of focus Mr. Brownley But then they're in the lodge together, you know, yeah That makes all the difference No, she wasn't not you see Pliny's not here. He had to go to Hollywood for supplies I don't work here on his wife. Yeah, but if Mrs. Harper left some pictures here or picks them up there'd be a record of it, wouldn't there? Yes, I suppose they would Just left the door open to keep cool. We're really supposed to be closed. Yeah, I realized this Well, I I just thought for a member of the lodge, you know, Pliny might be willing to Why didn't you say so? Well left your emblem on your other suit. I'll bet Pliny does it all the time. You man. That's right. I'm in the auxiliary. Well, now let's have a look here Amy That'll be 73 cents including cash 73 cents, Mr. Harper. Oh Yeah, well, I want to tell you two things. I think Mrs. Harper would want to pick these up herself and I'm not Mr. Harper Slowed to a walk around the corner got in my car and thought about what I'd seen a Cozy selection of pictures taken at the beach of Amy mostly But one or two of cousin Ray lifting weights yet and one of Amy and Ray together Who took it? Enos cousin Beatrice. I don't think so I was almost dark now as I eased the car into Enos's driveway And when I got there it was dark The sky above still held the afterglow of early evening But the web of compact trees and shrubs that surrounded the Harper house made patches of blackness all around me. I Got out of the car and I saw a light somewhere in the back of the house And back there to a faint sound I couldn't distinguish There was a sudden movement from the head behind In just a moment we will return to the second act of Philip Marlowe But first a crossword puzzle traps a criminal tonight and most of these same stations when CBS radio brings you gang busters This latest gang busters thriller titled the case of the Missouri puzzle is law enforcement at its cleverest Tonight on CBS radio your court will invite her to sit in as an armchair sleuth and enjoy the case confronting gang busters And now with our star Gerald Moore the second act of Philip Marlowe and tonight's story the long way home There was a shop not a pain at the top of my spine But the bulldozer who jumped me from behind wouldn't settle for that My face smashed into the dew-soaked grass and I inhaled a lung full of wet vigor Oh, well someone with the strength of 10 flailed away at my back Why I wanted to turn over and take it head on I'll never know I kept trying to turn I Slipped it instead slid along the wet grass with a vice on my back a vice with a voice that kept hounding me Out of it Marlowe Hopper you had it Marlowe hopper hopper my property now go on get over here. Hey hopper Mr. Marlowe slept at me. Oh, I don't understand. What what happened? Who was it? Three guesses. What do you mean skip it? What do you better come into the house? Is it loud enough for you to hear out back? London. Oh, yes, I came running didn't I? Hey should come along now. I'll take care of you Someone beat you to it inus Should I Hey Inus You like the beach Well Amy never cared for the beach, so we never went And what do you ask I don't know Why do you ask anything? Hey, mr. Marlowe? I know you've been through a lot I I wouldn't blame you if you'd want to give up looking for Amy if you get it inus I'll give up anything Well so far the case added up to a stiff back and I had wrapped in a tight band of steel with built-in hammer You quick blasts at the pint and the glove to pop and help not at all But something drove the car to stop at the hospital in Burbank could have been for personal reasons The attendant at the main floor desk looked real surprised when I asked what floor cousin Beatrice was on Nearly 9 30 visiting hours are over at 8 30. Oh, well. I lost track of time I guess can you tell me where she is anyway? I'll come back tomorrow What did you say the name was Quinlan, mrs. Ray or mrs. Beatrice could be I don't Know Quinlan list you sure I just look are you sure? No matter a fact or not Thanks for asking me. Oh Marlowe, come in. Yeah, I will You look all in I'm fine. What hospital is your wife in Quinlan one of our three blocks from here just up on Riverside Who made her up Quinlan you were Amy you mean made her up Amy never had a cousin bitch was like you never had a wife of the same name You know that much You know where Amy is no And they get another psychic flash any minute now like the one I got when you were on lacing my spine a while back You shouldn't have found out about those pictures more than that. You shouldn't have gone to tell Enos about him There's a lot he don't know Amy doesn't want to hurt the old guy. We've been trying to figure out how to tell him You got any leads on it not any real ones you Hey, wait a minute You really don't know where she is I Knew I'd be with it. Tell me how'd you meet her at a bar over on Riverside near where she lives Yeah, she'd already invented cousin Beatrice all by herself to give her some place to go How we we liked it being together Got kind of brave about it after a while Sometimes I go right up to a door for the rest of the time we have a regular corner where I took her up this corner Is it near a house? Not far. I was supposed to pick her up Monday, but She didn't show up Yeah Hey, you know, it's funny I'm gonna set the beach ahead flat when I came in All of a sudden I don't feel like When I got back to the car, I thought my head would cave in Every inch of me screamed with pain and sometimes you got to give in to these things. I Tried for home, but I only made it to a motel on Riverside. I Was out before the light was I Found a barbershop and black coffee the next morning in the community center near Harper's It was a thick fuzzy 10 o'clock when I reeled out onto the street and headed toward my car That's the wrong time Are you there wait a minute me? Yeah, are you sure honey? I'm sure all right. What's the trouble? I do something wrong with this planning on anything so tell him well posing as a large brother when you're not as pretty serious Mr. I don't like that. Well, I don't think much of it myself now that I think of it But we'll skip that what I want to know is what's the deal with those pictures of Mrs. Harper's no deal Why everybody's looking at him nobody's picking them up for paying wait a minute wait a minute do that slow First Mrs. Harper comes in there Monday it was Monday, and they're not ready yet. She says she'll pick them up later that day She don't come back a guy does though. He just looks at them smiles and says she'll get who is he do you know? Well, I don't know me a young guy brown hair got a tan Well, well in about an hour another guy comes in and he looks but he don't buy then last evening You wait a minute that second guy plenty. He's older small man gray about 60. Yeah Now here's my problem who wants those pictures not your problem plenty. Oh boy. It's mine The house was open. So I walked in Enos was out in the back pouring something out of a sack onto a flower bed along the back fence Then working it into a soil around the flowers. I Looked around and found a bedroom that had to be Amy's Everything was neat in order. I Turned and started out of the room and then I saw it sticking out from under a cologne bottle on a dressing table. I Picked it up And as I turned to go out Free matched pieces of luggage pointed an accusing finger And then I found my way back into the garden Good morning, Mr. Marlow. Have you found out anything? Yeah, I think I have This laundry ticketing us. I found it in Amy's room. Oh Why didn't you tell me the truth in the first place? I don't know what Amy was here after she left for the laundromat the ticket proves it You found out about cousin Ray it in genus You looked at the pictures in the camera shop. Maybe you suspected for a long time in this synch to it So you picked her up on the corner instead of Ray and you came home, mr. I had a big fat fight about Ray. Didn't you? Yes, yes, we did I said some horrible things tomorrow horrible Are you sorry? You want to back on you right? I give anything to have a breakfast tomorrow. I love it Yeah, I know In this I looked through Amy's closet. It's pretty full of clothes. Our luggage is still there. Yes Amy has a lot of clothes She she wears them well, too Amy didn't go very far in it No The man in the garden shop says you're the gardener around here Not Amy did it That sack of lime is almost empty, you know 50 pounds is a lot for garden isn't it? Depends on what use you put it too much tomorrow. Do you have to kill her? To keep her I did She wanted to leave me Go away with him I couldn't stand that Did you think I wouldn't figure it out? I didn't know But I had to find out Didn't I miss tomorrow? He came with me quietly Everything about him was quiet and neat and gray He was the mildest gentlest man I ever met and yet He'd killed the thing he loved most his Amy The oldest reason in the world She wasn't his anymore What was it the old man said? I had to find out didn't I miss the Marlowe? Yeah Curiosity killed the cat It also killed Amy The adventures of Philip Marlowe bringing you Raymond Chandler's most famous character star Gerald Moore Are produced and directed by Norman McDonnell and written for radio by Kathleen height Featured in the cast were Bill Johnstone, Azenis Harper and Jack Moyles as Ray Quinlan with Mary Lansing, Sam Edwards, Junius Matthews, Vivi Janus and Peter Leed Gerald Moore may currently be seen in the Santana production, Siraco The special music for Philip Marlowe is composed by Pierre Garaganc and conducted by Wilbur Hatch Be sure to listen again next week at the same time when Philip Marlowe says This time Napoli was divorced to kidnapping the black male And everybody was a wise guy that damed the racket boss in the private eye But the wisest guy of them all turned out to be an eight-year-old kid What a combination for Tin Pan Alley Pan Steve Allen is emcee his vocalists this week are Peggy Lee and Johnny Desmond Song publisher JJ Robbins band representative Mark Hannah and composer Mitchell Parrish are the judges There will be four brand new songs for sale tonight on CBS radio on most of the same CBS station Roy Rowan speaking This is the CBS radio network