 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. The first a word from our sponsor. And now here is our star, David Bryan as Paul Garrett, Mr. District Attorney. In order to prove the guilt of a murderer, a District Attorney must establish a motive. But a motive is sometimes hard to prove, especially when the killer and his victim are total strangers to each other. This case started late one night at the service station on the outskirts of the city. Sorry fellas, but I'm just closing for the night. We need some gas. I've already locked the pumps. There's an old night place, bought two blocks of a big truck stop. You can't miss it. You hear that, Fred? Yeah, Benny, I heard. Man, don't want to wait on us, Fred. I didn't say that. I said I'm closed. He's laughing at us, Benny. He thinks it's funny that he don't want to wait on us. There's no point in getting out of the car. I'm not going to wait on you. You hear that, Fred? This is a real nasty guy. Yeah, no wonder his wife don't like him. What's that supposed to mean? You know, Benny, this guy ain't very bright. Yeah, maybe his wife never told him. Maybe she didn't want to hurt his feelings. What are you guys up to? What's in there? Get inside to your friends. Hey, what the... He said get inside. Gun, huh? Madanone, this jump just don't know enough to shut up, Benny. Move! If this is a stick up, you're out of luck. All the money's in the safe and the day man has the keys. He thinks it's a hold up, Fred. I don't know why, Benny. You got a nice, honest face. Could it be me? No, you got an honest face, too. It's like his wife says, he's a dope. What is this? Some kind of a gag, Estella's poem? Oh, no, Mr. Wade. It's not a gag. Would you think it was a gag when she took out the insurance policy last year? Why... I don't understand, you guy. Step into the accident room, Mr. Wade. You heard me get in the storeroom. No, no, listen to me, kid. In there, he... Well, now we have got it nice and private. Don't be crazy. You guys, you'll get caught. You'll go to the chair. You know what she was right, Benny? This boy's a very dull talker. Yeah, he grabbed a tie, Ryan, Fred. No, no, let me call Estella. Let me talk to her. Not only Bora. Go ahead, go ahead. Give it to him, will you? You can't! Can't we? Oh, I did it. Let's get out of here. Hope his wife don't get nervous collecting that insurance money. Well, why should she? She's got a perfect dollar, boy. You're spending the evening with her mother-in-law. That's mother-in-law you mean. Do you know something, Benny? Oh, what? I'm hungry. So stop when we get to town. Let's eat. Be with you as soon as I finish this paragraph, Mrs. Wade. Thank you. I'm sorry to keep you waiting. That's all right. It's all I've done for a month. Wait. What does Mr. Garrett want to see me about this time? Well, I'm afraid that's something he'll have to tell you. Mr. Garrett. Yes, Miss Miller? Mrs. Wade is here. Thank you. Come in, Mrs. Wade. Go right in and have a seat. Call Hank and Miss Miller. Ask him to come in. Yes, sir. I'm sorry to have to call you in again, Mrs. Wade. I'm sorry too, Mr. Garrett. My husband's been dead for almost five weeks. I want to get away someplace by myself and forget about it. But you won't let me. You want to help us find out who murdered your husband, don't you? Of course I do if I can. But I wasn't with him when it happened. I was spending the evening with my mother-in-law. Yes, I know. As a matter of fact, that's the only time your mother-in-law saw you in more than a year, except for your husband's funeral, of course. Well, what of it? Well, you hadn't been speaking. But you paid her rather a sudden visit at what turns out to be a very strange time. What are you insinuating? I'm not insinuating anything, Mrs. Wade. I'm just stating a fact. I might as well tell you, Mr. Garrett. I don't like your way of stating things. I certainly... Come in, Hargan. Hello, Chief. Afternoon, Mrs. Wade. Sit down. Pardon the interruption, Mrs. Wade. I'd like Hargan to hear this, too. You don't seem to be able to find my husband's murderer. So you seem to have selected me as some sort of a target to hide your inefficiency. Well, I'm not going to stand for any more of it. The insurance company was perfectly satisfied. They paid me despite your investigation. They paid you because I suggested they pay you. Is that supposed to be amusing, Mr. Garrett? I hope it was, because this isn't going to be. Read your report, Hargan. Be glad to. You got a check for $40,000 last Thursday, Mrs. Wade. Double indemnity payment on a policy on your husband's life taken out 11 months ago. What else is new? Don't be impatient, Mrs. Wade. It gets more interesting. Go ahead, Hargan. During the 11 months, the policy was in force. You borrowed the money to pay the premiums from France. Girls you used to work with before you got married. Is that a crime? Your husband's salary didn't warrant that kind of insurance, Mrs. Wade. The agent advised you against it when you bought the policy. Both he and your husband wanted to write it for a smaller amount. Unfortunate for me, I didn't let them. Suppose your husband had lived out a normal lifespan of 70 years, Mrs. Wade. Did you intend to keep borrowing premium payments for 40 years? Go ahead, Hargan. Mrs. Wade deposited the insurance company check in her bank on the day it was issued. But the next day, Mrs. Wade, you made a withdrawal of $10,000 in cash. That's a large sum, Mrs. Wade. Where is it? I'm not obliged to answer that. In other words, you haven't got it anymore. I had some bills to pay. Might I see your receipts? Personal loans from friends. How about a list of their names, then? We can ask them. I won't have you embarrassing me. No, and I'm sure you would be embarrassed if we could find out who got that money and why. I don't have to listen to this. I'm leaving. You do, and I'll have you brought back on a warrant. All right. I'll listen to you for one more minute. But the next time you call me in here, I'm going to bring an attorney. I advise it, because the next time I call you in, you may need one. Do you know what these are? No. Reports on your husband. No criminal record. No dubious associates. No enemies. Well liked by all who knew him. Except you. Do you know what reports like this, in cases like this, always make me think? I'm not a mind reader. They make me think of professional killers. Killers hired by somebody who can profit by the murder. But be shielded by the safety of a perfect alibi. Do I make myself clear? Too clear. What did you do with that $10,000? None of your business. If the lecture is over, I'll leave now. Mrs. Wade? Yes? A word of advice. Don't make any attempt to leave this state. If you do, I'll have you arrested at the border. That's a cold tomato, chief. Ice cold. Where did you post Tennessee? No, he's waiting in a phone booth in the drugstore on the street level. Call him. Tell him she's on the way out. From now on, I want her under 24 hours surveillance. Kraft? Yes, sir. I just left Garrett's office. What did he want this time? He... wait a minute. Can't you find another booth to wait for? I'll be some time. Hello? What was that? It was nothing, Kraft. There's somebody waiting for the booth. What about Garrett? He asked a lot of questions about the $10,000 I gave you two. You know. Let him ask. What if they happen to pick up those boys you hired for the job? They're going to ask them. All right. I waited a long time for this money. I want to enjoy it. Goodbye. Not at Tennessee Fine, not at what's Max Kraft, she called. He was coming out of the drugstore to tell her after we called him. But when she came off the elevator, she had it for a phone booth herself, so he tagged. He pretended to be waiting for the booth, too, to see if he could hear any of what she said. Well, that's a lucky break for us. Let's hope Max Kraft actually has a hand in this. How do you know he'd be at the cameo restaurant, though? It's his hangout. Goes there for dinner every night, about eight. Sticks around until midnight or later, listening to himself talk. He gets quite an audience, too. True. You know, thugs, hoodlums. You know the kind that plays to us. Well, here we are. We'll have a good show for his audience tonight when you start asking him questions. Well, there he is. Corner booth with those two guys. Quick, into the alcove before he seizes. Before he seizes? He came down here to talk to him, didn't he? Not now. Not after seeing who is with him. Take a look. Yeah. You recognize them? I've seen them on a hundred wanted bulletins. They've done time and half the pens in the country. Benny Fox and Fred Lesser. Yes, Benny Fox and Fred Lesser. The only two mentors, the Black Sash Gang, the Detroit police didn't put away for good. They were with the Black Sash Gang? That's right, Hankin. The Black Sash Gang. Alias, the murder syndicate. Calling us Paul Garrett. Mr. District Attorney. A man had been brutally murdered and his widow with a perfect alibi had profited handsomely. We suspected professional killers hired for the job. But the only link between the widow and the killers seemed to be a disbarred attorney Harrington and I had traced to a midtown restaurant. They're getting up to leave, Chief. Yes. Benny and Fred seem to be unhappy about something. Have they ever seen you? Well, they know you by sight. Benny and Fred? No. Max Kraft knows me, though. I don't want the others to see you, not just yet. You stay here undercover. Ah, what are you going to do? Say hello to the gentlemen. Here they come. Next time, you got something to tell us, Max. Can you tell us by phone? You worry too much, Benny. We like to worry, Max. Well, hello, Paul. Hello, Max. Well, I'd like you to meet a couple of friends of mine. They're from California. Mr. Evans and Mr. Johnson. Gentlemen, this is Paul Garrett, our District Attorney. Nice to meet you, Mr. Garrett. Yeah, real nice. Your friends don't happen to be in the stolen car business, do they, Max? Paul, these gentlemen are in the real estate business. Yeah. Yeah, real estate. Thinking of opening offices here. I've been telling them about you. About how nice and clean you keep this county. And tell them I intend to keep it clean of automobile fees. Good evening, gentlemen. Come on, Max, let's get out of here. Sure. Good night, Paul. Good night. Hey, does he think we're dumb or something, Chief? Yes, Harrington. I'm afraid he does. What was that stolen car business all about? Just a throw-off. To make him keep on thinking as he does. Why didn't you want them to see me? Because you're going to be part of a little scheme, Harrington. A scheme to draw them out into the open. Oh, how? Oh, to be brief. I'm going to have somebody hire them to kill you. Well, how nice for me. It's our only chance, Harrington. If we could catch Benny and Fred red-handed, they might open up on Max. And if Max gets trapped, he'll dump anybody overboard trying to get himself out. That's right. Let's go. You know, there's just one thing about it that bothers me, though. What? How dead do I have to get to make this thing work? Just dead enough to make it convincing. Convincing to who? Them or the undertaker? Harrington, you worry too much. Who's going to hire them to kill me? Miss Miller. And from now on, her name is Mrs. Miller. And you're Mr. Miller, her husband. Any objection? No. Just make sure of one thing. What's that? I'd like my maiden name back when you order the tombstone. Yes? Are you Max Kraft? That's right. I phoned you yesterday, Mrs. Miller. Oh, yes. Come on in. What's so important that you couldn't talk about it over the phone? My husband was around. I didn't want him to know yet. I want a divorcee. I see. I want you to handle it. I can't. Why not? You're an attorney. Uh, disbarred attorney. Let me make a call. I'll get somebody for you. But I want you to handle it. I've read so much about you. I remember so many of your cases. You were always so clever. Well, I didn't know I had such a good-looking fan. Please. You can find some way to do it. Well, maybe I could work behind the scenes. Sit down, won't you? Okay. I can't pay you too much, though. Even if I get you a nice slice of alimony? From my husband? You'll never have a dime. The only way I could get any money out of him would be if he'd drop dead. Dead men don't pay alimony. No, but insurance companies do. That's all you ever think of, insurance. How's your husband's health? Too good. I wouldn't be here. Why? I don't like to see young ladies rush into a divorce without thinking of all the possibilities. I've thought of all of them. Have you? Let me think about it. How about having dinner with me tomorrow night? Then you will help me? Maybe. After we get to know each other better, I can help you a lot. Are you as clever as everybody says you are? You will find out tomorrow night? Where? In the cameo, eight o'clock. If I can get away? I'll be waiting. Goodbye. Yeah, Kraft. You get my letter? Yeah, we got it. You burn it? Of course. What do you think we're stupid? The instructions, though. Well, remember, you just tell us when. He goes bowling tomorrow night. Eight o'clock sharp. Yeah? You know, as soon as he leaves, his wife will go next door to play bridge. Mm-hmm. Do it when he's on his way back home from the bowling alley. Okay. Is Fred there? He's across the street eating again. I'll go tell him. Goodbye. They still out there, Chief? Yes. Hennessy said they're parked in the far corner of the parking lot. It's almost eleven o'clock. You can get ready to go. You know what to do. Drive straight up Franklin Avenue. There are unmarked, prowled cars at every intersection. As soon as they gun you, we'll get them. I hope that car was as bulletproof as you think it is. Don't worry, it is. And when they open fire, break, skid, run into a building, make it look good. The inside of the car is covered with crash padding. You won't get hurt. If I don't, it's a cinch. Nobody else will. Well, here goes nothing. All right. Here, you forgot your bowling ball. Thanks. I wish my head was this hard. Just puts it back. He's not gone very fast, Bunny. Just fast enough to make the lights without stopping the time for twenty-five miles an hour. The street up ahead looks good. Yeah, street light in the middle of the block. I'll pass him on the outside just as he gets to it. No, no, no. Not too fast. Look, I know how to drive. Okay, okay. Well, you're going to roll your winder down, and you're planning to shoot right through it. I'm rolling it down. Happy? Yeah. Then speed it up if you're going to pass at the light. Now, how's this? Perfect. We're coming up just right. Now! It was sweet. Get rollin' fast. There isn't another car in sight. Benny, Benny, Benny, Benny, Benny, up ahead. Two cars blocking intersection. Back up. Turn around. It's no good. Other cars coming from back there. Red lights flashing. It's police cars. Alright, pile up. No, no. The wall over there. They'll chop us to ribbons with that thing, Benny. Alright, drop your gun. Hey, we give up. We drop that gun. That's better. Looks like we got to you a bit too late to say that man you killed back there, though. Who tipped you to this? His wife got cold feet at the last moment. I've seen you two before, haven't I? With Max Kraft. I told you, Benny, we were crazy to trust Max. Shut up. Shut up, nothing. He was so sure his stain wouldn't crack up. Oh, no, he tells us. Iron nerves, just like the Wade Dame. Mrs. Wade, the wife of the service station operator who was killed? Who else? Max and his bright idea. I told you to shut up, Brad. You shut up! If I get the chair, I'm going to make sure one thing, Max Kraft is going to be sitting there right in my lap when he turned the juice on. Max hired you to kill Wade? That's right. And he got the pay off from Wade's wife, but still out of the insurance money. You hear that, Harrington? Yeah, Chief. I heard. Hey! This guy ain't dead. Not because you didn't try. You see what your blabber did, Fred? They had nothing on us. Until now. All right, boys. Take them in. Go ahead. All right. Quit your shop. All right, Harrington. Bring your bowl and bowl, and let's roll for the spare. Mrs. Stell Wade and Max Kraft are all set up in the middle alley. Go ahead, Mrs. Wade. Lock it up, Mulligan. Down that way for you, Kraft. What do you want, Max? How about me turning the state's witness, Paul? Want to make a deal? I don't want to. And I don't have to. Don't be too sure, Paul. When it comes to courtrooms, I know a few tricks. You'll need them because I've got a surprise witness who might be too much for you. Who? Mrs. Miller. She knows your whole operation. Don't kid me, Garrett. Why would she testify and incriminate herself? Because she isn't Mrs. Miller. She's Miss Miller, and she happens to be my secretary. You see, Max, I know a few tricks, too. This is David Bryan. I hope you enjoy this case from the files of Mr. District Attorney. I'll be back in just a moment after this message from our sponsor. Now, here is the star of Mr. District Attorney, David Bryan, with a word about the program you have just heard. The law clearly states that the person who engages a professional killer or a homicide is fully as guilty as the harrowing who wields the murder weapon. Estelle Wade, Benny Fox, Fred Lesser, and Max Kraft were all found guilty of murder in the first degree. There were no recommendations for clemency. 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.