 Good evening Creep Your mystery playhouse story for tonight was written by Percival Wilde and is entitled The Adventure of the Fallen Angel The leading role will be played by one of your favorite radio stars, Les Tremaine In tonight's play you're going to meet a woman named Lucky, beautiful but cynical cold and deadly A suave gambler named Ace Kendrick's who plots to win a fortune with a marked deck and a steady hand and played by Les Tremaine A young man named Tony Venor who discovers that the only solution to his desperate situation is murder A death warrant is not always a legal paper with court seal affixed in wax Sometimes a death warrant is a simpler thing an ace of diamonds or a jack of clubs Gleaming ceiling word on a green felt table As our story opens Tony Venor bankrupt young playboy is leaving a nightclub the intent on getting home before his hangover arrives 20,000 bucks, where am I gonna get it? Yeah Pardon me, uh, you are Tony Venor Oh, sure. I am Johnny Johnny the gent mr. Venor you and me are taking a little ride Get into the car, please But what is this? I wait for Rocco Rossini Rocco. Yeah Rocco into the car Please all right hit it up, Eddie Hey, you're you're taking me for a ride Listen, I told Rocco. I pay a place. Please. Please don't raise your voice like that, mr. Venor You are a gentleman. I am a gentleman. Leave us behave like same Rocco only asked me to see you get home safe is all Well, you you aren't going to I know no not tonight Tonight we just drive you to your place What does he want me to do? He knows I'm broke This is of no interest to Rocco. All he wants is what you owe him He tells me say to this character That's how he talks mr. Venor. So he ain't been to school like me. He says uh Say to this character Venor that does he don't get up 20,000 clams He owes me in a fifth race at belmont last Tuesday. He is fish in the guanis canal Well, how much time have I to raise it that he doesn't sell me This is your residence mr. Venor Good night Yeah Good night Well, mr. Venor Lady came in looking for you around 10 Said to hand you this envelope here. Oh, thanks And nice perfume she uses, huh? Well, what the devil is it? Just a playing card The ace of spades, but didn't didn't she leave her name? Oh, no, sir Oh, she said for you to look at both sides of the message Maybe there's something on the back of the card Hey This card's one of the fallen angels And there's something scribbled here Meet me tomorrow four o'clock Savoy bar Sign your fallen angel Here, uh, waiter. Yes, sir. Bring me another old fashion. Yes 20 after four Probably won't show it. Would you like your fortune told sir? No, no, no, thanks. Oh, but i'm very good really. Let me try Your initials are tv You've gone through a $200,000 inheritance in six months You're broke You you are good too good You must be lucky lucky medic You're a fallen angel Sit down. Thanks. Did rock or send you? No, we want to help you and you can help us Us? Yes, i'm a friend of ace kendrick. He sent me to see you ace kendrick Or the gambler. That's right Go on He has a plan which by and odd coincidence will make you $20,000 $20,000 Where is he in this room? Waiting to see if you're interested. I'm interested call him over. She doesn't have to Hey, what nice going lucky You were sitting at the next table sure But uh, let's get down to business I'll deal you the setup You're a member in good standing at the metro club here in town. That's right. That's right and more than that You're chairman of the club's purchasing committee, right? Yes And the metro is known for its high stake games its members are exceedingly wealthy and its membership is highly restricted Well for years your members have played with a certain make of playing card known as The fallen angels because of the picture on the back Right well fallen angel decks are the tradition all right, but we've run out of them Companies quit making them exactly And now I have six growths of fallen angel decks. I bought them a year ago and I've been working on them ever since Working on them mark in them. I can win lose a draw with them that will well wait I belong to the metro club because my father did I run a social position to maintain on what mr. Vander Your social position is going to be horizontal unless you kick in 20 g's to racini Go on What's the rest of it? Well, it's very simple As chairman of the purchasing committee you buy six gross a fallen angel playing cards for me The ones I've marked and your fellow members patch you on the back for the painting And then later you propose me for membership. I play I win You get 20 grand. Well, there won't be any rough work. No breaks. The only breaks there'll be will be good breaks for you, honey Okay Deal me in I don't know how you ever got those cards. I thought I'd seen my last deck of fallen angels Oh tom tom. Oh, hello, tony. Uh tom. I I met a chap. I'd like to propose for membership You're on the membership committee. Aren't you a devil of a nice guy? Well, I certainly tony. I'll push him What's his name ace kendricks? I mean mr. A kennedy Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet mr. Kennedy our newest member Good evening gentlemen Mr. Kennedy would like to sit in on your game if you haven't filled the table. I hear mr. Kennedy take my spot It's been pretty lucky for me. Oh, well, thank you very much. That's very kind Shall we have a fresh deck of cards? Well, that beats me You are a disgustingly lucky man, mr. Kennedy and I am disgustingly broke. I'm going home Get real this kennedy fellow has amazing luck one over 50 000 in three weeks But look kendrick, why can't I have my 20 000 now? I know I promised to wait until you were all through making your killing, but I I'm not sniveling, but we're senior threatening Hello Quite a dirt Who's there? Johnny The jant and pison Listen, johnny I'm going to have the money soon Just ask rock rocker to give me a little time That's it mr. Venner You got no more time Will you stand up, please? Well, wait a minute. I I'll get the money tonight. Oh now look, I'm a busy man If this is a storm no no on the level a man owes me 20 000 dollars. Yeah Well, then you don't mind if I go along with it. Do you? That's all right. I do hope there's no slip up, mr. Venner. Well, there won't be He'll give me the money you'll have to or I'll Well, I'll get it Don't worry Come in I just got back from our club We had a good evening partner You had a good evening kendrick. I almost was shot by rocker's executioner. He's waiting outside for me now Oh, well, let me pour you a drink Steady your nerves. Thanks I'll get right to the point eight In the last three weeks, you've made over 50 000 playing cards with the fallen angels. That's right. All right Give me 30 000 and we'll call the whole thing square all the rest your win. You can keep 30 000 You get 20 000 and you get it after I'm through clean enough. No kendrick I gotta have that money now The scene he can't be stalled anymore. Oh you cheap little punk I've always hated snivellers especially blue blood snivellers Get out of here. You're not even getting the 20 grand. I hope rascini rips your throat from ear to ear It would save me the trouble later You're murdering me You're handing me over to rocko Well, you won't get away with it. Put that candle stick down your little fool Am I I couldn't have done that. She's dead I'm just get out of here Johnny the janitor. You'll see me The back way I'll come out the back. Now they're going to connect me with the murder Nobody saw me go to kendrick except johnny and he won't talk I'm just gonna sit here and Drink Yeah, that's it. Get a drink. Just drink and forget it Wait, hold on. Hold on. Not this fast. Who the devil? Who is it? Yes Mr. Venner Yeah, that's right. Sorry to trouble you. I'm Burke from homicide. Can I come in? Yeah, yeah, sure Come in. Thanks You knew ace kendrick's didn't you? Or perhaps you knew him as a kennedy Kennedy Yeah, certainly. I know him. Why? You knew him mr. Venner Ace Kendrick's dead Beaten to a pulp with a brass candle stick a couple of hours ago Did But Well, I saw him at the metro club earlier tonight Well, how How and who is what I'm after mr. Venner. This is just a routine check as yet What time was it you saw Kendrick's last? About about eight I'd say inspector Good gosh Beaten to death Messy Now exactly, what did you do from eight o'clock on? Well, I Well, I suppose I must tell you in a case like this would be smart And smarter still to tell it straight Well, I I left the club and uh Well Look mr. Venner Kendrick said hundreds of enemies. I have a lot of calls to make You'd better come to the station with me. Oh, no, no, I All right, it's just that I had a date. Here's your alibi. You'll have to dig her up Come along with me. But I Who's in the bedroom? Honey, honey, you didn't tell me you expected anyone. Well, hello. She's I'm uh Alice Aren't you going to introduce me you jealous boy? Oh, sure. Uh, I'm from homicide You two, uh Been here long. Why since nine o'clock at least Tony picked me up at 8 30. Why just curious I gotta be going now. It looks like let me give you some advice When a friend of yours gets killed, that's no time for chivalry Lucky, you know sure I do I don't know why you did it, but I know you did I must have gotten to aces right after you killed him What? How did you know it was me? I didn't what thanks for telling me I was surprised to get here ahead of you Well, I I didn't come directly. I was going to run for it went grand central and then I changed my mind It's too hot in here for a man's dressing down over a dress here throw it on the chair How'd you get in here up the fire escape through the bedroom window? Why are you doing this? You were pretty thick with ace Ace is dead Now you're carrying the ball I thought you might need an alibi for your whereabouts Oh, you're pretty icy aren't you? Let's forget it From now on you're going to play at the metro club for big stakes And to win Me? Yes I'm going to teach you the markings on the fallen angel cards you bought for the club You're taking ace's place tomorrow night I picked up a texas oil man last night. He's got plenty I'll bring him along and You take him It is my only chance to get that money I overseen Lucky Yes Will you stick with me? I can't answer that honey I go with the money I think I got what it takes winner. I'll raise you 3000 Venor's had a terrific winning streak all night Yeah, I know he never won a nickel in his life before one of those few lucky streets I raise tex I'm puppet 5000 beats me how I can be so lucky find an oil wells and takes us a minute. I come north. I get so unlucky All right. I'll see you venor Wow a full house Who's the lovely creature smiling at venor or its friend of his of course a lucky She must be for him. You know, I think texas on the make for her. Let's get closer. Yeah venor I've lost a hundred thousand to you and I'm just about ready to call it quits But um, I'd like one more chance a kind of quick chance. Okay tex I owe you a chance. Well, we'll cut cards high card for 200 000 dollars Hey, that's pretty steep tex. Well, then you kind of think it over view me in this vener Oh joe, uh, bring me a drink will you? Well, I do lucky do it honey How can you lose, you know those markings as well as I do? Yeah, but a hundred thousand cleans me out lucky I have to pay ronko racini 20 000 tonight or Look, let's make it 80 000. No if I All of it You'll never get another chance. They're running low a full and angel decks. Well venor. How about it? Okay, tex boy bring a fresh deck. Well, that's very sporting of you venor But then uh, you had an unfair advantage of me right alone unfair advantage tex Oh, you had miss lucky for moral support. Oh, yeah. Oh, that's so All right, here's the deck You'll break it open tex. Mm-hmm There you are vener After you Yeah, sure I'll take This one I love that You got to beat the king of hearts tex. I'm pretty slim chance. I'd say Well, here goes nothing. Hold it tex. Yes miss lucky. Let me draw your card. I'm lucky. No, uh, I'd say that's up to miss lucky vener Unless there's some reason she shouldn't there isn't I'll take this one Well, ace of diamonds miss lucky Lucky I kind of owe you a great deal Would you allow me to start repaying you with a dinner, ma'am? Why not? I go with the money The venerate's 10 30 you got an hour and a half to dig up 20 000 class of rocker We closed the books on you and all you do is talk about a bay Yeah, well, I've got to see you johnny take me to her apartment, will you? Okay, mr. Vener if you want to spend your last minutes with a doll it is your business come on What do you want tonic? This is Johnny the gent lucky He's going to wait outside for me. How do you do? I will be close by mr. Venner Remember that? Yeah, I know Okay, Tony, what's it all about? You know, we're washed up. Yeah, I know You go with the money and text Ruskin as millions You know, you're dumber than I thought Didn't it ever occur to you that I might really love ace kendrick? What? Well, I did more than any man I ever met I was crazy about him Did you think I'd let you get away with murdering him? Well, but then Why did you help me furnish me an alibi? You were so grateful you couldn't see you'd pulled a perfect job You were clean on that murder no fingerprints and nothing Well, then Then why didn't you turn me over to the police? How could I? I had no proof Anyway, I wanted to square it for ace myself Your face was wonderful to watch when I flipped that card tonight It was white and pasty like it is now like it's going to be when they shave your head Now do you understand? You killed the man I love you milk fed loungelizard You're gonna whine all the way down the last mile and I'm laughing You're mistaken lucky You shouldn't have laughed Fallen angel Okay, Johnny. Hello, Mr. Venner. Remember me Burke from homicide? Burke I trailed you and Johnny the gent here just that Johnny taken down the headquarters See we learned Johnny had driven an unidentified man to Kendrick's apartment the night he was murdered We figured with his boss Rocco, so we raided this place found his books found ace old Rocco some dough So we doped it Rocco bump days you you think racini killed ace Kendrick. Sure We also saw your name in the books and figured you were in danger. What was Johnny telling you all over? I'm glad I didn't arrive too late Well, I'll be going now Oh, uh, by the way, I got a call headquarters. You mind if I come inside and use the phone? No, no, no, you're messing with me. I'll only be a minute. I could have been free. Oh, no Yeah, I know You should have dealt them off the top of the deck kid and that creep Brings down the curtain on the adventure of the fallen angel the night's performance and the mystery playhouse starting less remain as Tony Venner The original music for tonight's program was composed and conducted by Alexander Semler for creeps our mystery playhouse doors are closing so until next time Good night Sleep tight. This is the armed forces radio service