 Yes, it's a case for that most famous of all man hunters the detective whose ability of solving crime is unequaled in the history of detective fiction Nick Carter master detective Continuing the curious adventure called the house of death Or Nick Carter and the mystery of the missing grave Jonathan Drake an eccentric millionaire tells Nick Carter that his brother Philip Drake is trying to prove him insane So he can get control of the Drake fortune Nick finds evidence to support Jonathan's story and agrees to protect Jonathan against Philip in spite of Philip's warning that Jonathan really is crazy Sending the night of the Drake mansion Nick and scubby are wakened in the middle of the night by Jonathan Who is wandering through the halls calling for someone named Louise and when they try to quiet him He draws a gun and threatens to kill them All right, I'll take care of that right Nick. Are you all right mr. Drake? He doesn't even hear you so he must be nuts after all Sleeping like a baby at last if you hadn't kicked your slipper at him. We might have been dead pigeon Well, he never even recognized this just kept talking about Louise. I wonder who she could be his wife scubby I saw a painting of her downstairs in the library with her name inscribed on it But he's never go down and have a look at it. Oh, that suits me Nick. I don't feel sleepy anymore Gosh Nick, you know for a while. I thought Philip was trying to railroad Jonathan into an insane assault Looked as though Jonathan is crazy. I wonder scubby Jonathan seemed perfectly sane earlier this evening Seemed to be telling the truth. Oh, but gosh Nick You yourself have told me plenty of times that insane people can act perfectly normal for long periods of time and then we'll suddenly go haywire Maybe that's what Jonathan did could be scubby, but Someone's unlocking the front door quiet to see who it is. I thought Jonathan left here alone. He does scubby except for oh It's Hawkins Perhaps I should say good morning. Good morning Tell me Hawkins is mr. Drake in the habit of prowling around the house late at night Oh, did you find mr. Drake wandering through the house looking for his wife Louise? Yes He does that now and again sir, but he's perfectly harmless. Oh, that's what you think Would you say that mr. Drake is insane Hawkins? Oh, no, sir Except for such occasions as this. He's just as sane as you or I Tell me Hawkins. Have you ever seen a coffin and mr. Drake's room? Oh, yes, sir It's been there for years Mr. Drake sleeps in it every night. He says he feels that when he's in his coffin He's closer to his dear departed wife, but Nick you said quiet scubby. Thank you Hawkins Will there be anything else sir? No Hawkins. That's all very good. Good night. Good night, Jackie Hey, I don't get it Nick just a little while ago You told me the coffin had been placed in Jonathan's bedroom recently, but Hawkins says it's been there for years He's lying scubby the fresh scratches on the coffin and on the doorway to Jonathan's room proves it But Nick why should Hawkins lie about it Hawkins is obviously working with Philip and not with Jonathan But Nick Hawkins wasn't lying about Jonathan prowling around the house at night. We saw that for ourselves Yes, scubby, and that's the strange thing about this case If Philip knows that his brother Jonathan has these irrational moments Why bother to place a coffin in his bedroom? Well, maybe just trying to build up a stronger case against Jonathan perhaps scubby But I think there's some other reason and I'm determined to find out what it is Now good morning Nick. Oh, hello scubby. You get up finally that you shouldn't have let me sleep so late Nick Hey, what are you doing here in the library? Oh, I was looking at Jonathan Drake's books There's quite a collection of books on chess must be very fond of it Well, you ought to challenge him to a game Nick. Maybe I Know hey, what's that you're looking at it blotters scubby has writing on it Yeah, can you make it out wait? I hold it up to this mirror. Let's see May 2nd 1944 I Jonathan Drake being of sound So I can make it out. Well sounds like the beginning of a will Nick. Yes, scubby I should say that mr. Drake drew up a new will on May 2nd. That's just a week ago Probably got tired of Philip's attempt to get control of the estate and cut him off without a cent Oh, good morning, mr. Drake. Oh, good morning, sir. I trust you slept well. Yes. Thank you Mr. Drake if I'm not being too personal, would you mind telling me who the heirs to your estate are? My ears. Yes My sister Hester and my brother Philip will share equally in my estate You mean you're leaving Philip half of everything in spite of what he's trying to do to you Well, you see my will was drawn up before Philip started proceedings against me and I never changed it Yeah, but what about the will you are Mr. Drake? I am I see that you have quite a collection of books on chess. You must be very fond of the game Oh, yes. Yes, I am. I too am quite fond of it offers so many intricate moves Tell me mr. Drake when you play chess Do you find you get better results when you move the night horizontally across the board or when you move in vertically? Horizontally mr. Carter put Nick a night. Yes. I quite agree with you mr. Drake We must have a game sometimes way here. Well, yes, of course, mr. Carter I'm afraid though my assistant and I will have to leave you for a few hours though We hadn't anticipated staying here in your home and of course we'll need to change the clothes very well But you will return as soon as possible. Won't you? Oh, yes, of course. You can expect us back early this evening Oh Yes, Patsy. Hi a Patsy. Oh Patsy were you able to find out who Jonathan Drake's attorney is? Yes, Nick His name is Richard Morgan. He has an office in the Fairfield building. Good. Well, you make an appointment for me to see him this afternoon Yes, I'll do that Nick. I'll be back in just a minute. Hey, what do you want to see this Morgan guy for Nick? As Jonathan Drake's lawyer scubby, he may be able to clear up a few things for me Yeah, well, I hope so this case gets screwier and screwier sure has some queer angles to it Yes, you're right about that scubby and that's one reason. I took it, but it isn't working out at all I thought it would no, but what do you mean? Well first of all scubby as a matter of the coffin Now we know that Philip and Hawkins were lying when they said that Jonathan had been sleeping in it for years Sure, Nick the scratches on approve that therefore. It's obvious Philip and Hawkins are trying to put something over on Jonathan Then again Jonathan's prowling through the house and his attempt to kill us would seem to prove his insanity without anything else Now Hawkins is a rather if Jonathan is crazy Why should Philip go to all the trouble of planting a coffin in his bedroom to prove it gosh they could it doesn't make sense Does it no scubby? It doesn't and that's what puzzles me and this morning in the library I found a clue that changes everything. Oh, what was that me? You recall the blotter scubby the writing on it? Surely you mean Drake's new will exactly Jonathan Drake obviously made out a new will on May 2nd one week ago Yet when I asked him about his will he told us he hadn't made it out before Philip started proceedings It was a month ago. Oh gosh Nick How could a guy forget a will he drew up only a week ago scubby perhaps he never did draw it up But Nick we saw it on the blotter perhaps Jonathan Drake We talked to is not the Jonathan Drake or drew up the will all Nick don't tell me you think there are two of them Yes, scubby possible that the Jonathan Drake. We know is not the real Jonathan Drake Nick you mean he's a phony Yes, scubby. I do I was suspicious of him when he denied any knowledge of the will So to satisfy myself I tested his knowledge of chess and he didn't know the first thing about the game I didn't even know how a night should move that made me certain He was an imposter for the real Jonathan Drake does know chess But Nick if the guy we know is a phony where's the real Jonathan Drake unless I'm very much mistaken scubby He's dead dead. Yes, and the man who's impersonating him as part of Philip Drake's plot to gain control of his brother's millions Gosh dick, how do you figure that scubby? It's plain as can be Philip Drake is a playboy who lives far beyond his means And as long as his brother Jonathan was alive. There was no way he could get more money out of it Oh, so he had to figure out some way to get rid of his brother without letting anyone know exactly scubby I see the fact that the real Jonathan Drake was a recluse was all in Philip's favor There were only three people living who knew the real Jonathan Hawkins Hester Drake and Philip himself. You're right Nick So Philip's first step was to bribe Hawkins to assist him his second step was to kill Jonathan and to substitute someone to impersonate him But Nick why would Philip want to have this phony Jonathan declared insane scubby? Don't you see with a phony Jonathan out of the way Philip will gain control of the fortune and yet to the world Jonathan Drake will still be alive. Oh sure. I see it now But Nick why did Philip have the phony Jonathan call us into the case? Ah, that's where Philip overplayed his hands scubby I think he wanted a prominent witness like myself to testify that the phony Jonathan really was insane You mean Nick that he was playing you for a sucker exactly Well gosh Nick what a dope he was he might have gotten away with it too if he hadn't called you into the case quite right scubby But now that I've guessed the truth. We're going to prove it step by step. All right What's our next move Nick? We're going to pay a call on Richard Morgan attorney for Jonathan Drake and see what he knows Mr. Morgan yes, I'm Nick Carter And this is my assistant scubby Wilson. How do you do? Won't you be seated? Thank you Mr. Morgan, I understand you're to represent your client. Mr. Jonathan Drake at his sanity hearing Yes, although I'm in a rather difficult position as I can hardly defend a client who refuses to see me Oh, you've never met mr. Drake. No, I haven't my father occasionally so mr. Drake at his home But since he died mr. Drake has transacted all his business with me over the phone I see mr. Morgan I have reason to believe that Jonathan Drake drew up a new will on May 2nd of this year You know anything about it? Yes, but I'm surprised that you know about it. Do you have that will yes, I have It was delivered to me on the morning of May 3rd by a mr. George Ross I believe is an air raid warden in mr. Drake's neighborhood He received it under the most peculiar circumstances. Why is there a letter with the will yes the letter was very brief It said that mr. Drake was in great danger that he was sending me a new will which was only to be opened upon his death There was also a sealed letter to his sister Hester in California, which I was to mail I see and you did as he asked naturally Mm-hmm, but I was quite worried by the tone of his letter So I phoned him at his home to find out what the danger was that he was in what did he say? He was very brusque. He said there was absolutely nothing wrong. There was no need for me to concern myself Then he hung up. I see Mr. Morgan Would it be possible for me to see the will that mr. Drake sent you a week ago? I'm afraid mr. Carter that's out of the question. I must respect my client's instructions I know my request is an unusual one mr. Morgan, but it's extremely important that I see the will I'm sorry mr. Carter, but I must refuse your request just as I refused a similar one this morning You mean someone else knows about the will and asked to see it. Yes, his sister Hester Drake Hester Drake is here in town. Yes, she arrived from California this morning She's staying at the Edgewood hotel. Come on scubby. There isn't a minute away. Why what's wrong? We don't get to Hester Drake before it's too late. Her life is in danger Well for some reason known only to himself Nick seems to believe that Hester Drake is in great danger But what danger can it be that threatens Hester's life and will Nick be able to save her? Listen tomorrow Don't miss the special appearance of Nick Carter is guest detective on Johnny Morgan's program showtime at 10 30 tonight over another network The strange adventures of Nick Carter master detective features Lon Clark is Nick Carter Fatsy is played by Helen Chote the stories are written by Bob Arthur and David Cogan and original music is played by Lou White The entire production is under the direction of Jock McGregor Tomorrow night at the same time listen to the further adventures of Nick Carter in the case entitled the house of death Or Nick Carter and the mystery of the missing grave The Adventures of Nick's adopted son Chick Carter boy detective our broadcast over most of these stations Monday through Friday at 5 30 p.m Eastern wartime Nick's own show the return of Nick Carter a copyright feature of Street and Smith publications Incorporated is presented by the mutual broadcasting system from our New York Studios and is broadcast over most of these stations every evening Monday through Friday at a quarter past nine Eastern wartime This is Mutual