 The Blue Beetle. Weeping down upon the underworld to smash ganglin' comes the mysterious, all-powerful character who is a problem to the police but a crusader for law. In reality, Dan Garrett, a rookie patrolman, loved by everyone but suspected by none of being the Blue Beetle. As the Blue Beetle, he hides behind a sprained mask and a suit of impenetrable blue chain armor, flexible as silk but stronger than steel. Today's episode of the Fox Feature, The Blue Beetle, is entitled, Vanessa in Diamonds. The wealthy and beautiful wife of Benjamin Bannister, the oil magnet, claims to have been robbed of the famous Bannister diamond necklace along with other jewelry of lesser value. A peculiar fact of the case is that there appears to have been two robberies. The first, as she was leaving the Starlight Club, the famous dance rendezvous, and another at some unknown time. Apprehension of thugs who stripped a diamond necklace from her throat just outside the Starlight Club disclosed the fact that the necklace they stole was a fake, but the real necklace is still missing. As our story opens, patrolman Dan Garrett, who is really the Blue Beetle, is discussing the case with his friend and confidant, Dr. Fran, the chemist. Danny, is this Bannister jewel robbery a very interesting case? Yes, it is, Doc. From what you've read of it in the papers, do you believe Mrs. Bannister's social secretary is guilty? Well, the evidence so far is rather convincing. Some of the jewelry was found in the girl's room. But couldn't that have been planted there by the crooks? Yes, that's possible. Mrs. Bannister doesn't directly accuse her social secretary, Lucy Ridgway, according to this newspaper. But the real necklace is still missing. Yes. Mrs. Bannister claims Lucy Ridgway brought the necklace to her from the safe and fastened it about her neck just before she left for the Starlight Club. That must have been a fake necklace. Yes. But that still doesn't prove anything against Lucy Ridgway. According to Mrs. Bannister, she and the Ridgway girl are the only ones who know the combination of the wall safe, except Mr. Bannister, who was out west somewhere on business. The diamond necklace was insured for half a million, wasn't it? Yes. Are you going to work on this case, Danny? No, I don't think so, Doc. The Acme Insurance Company has its own investigators, the best in the country. And besides, it's out of the Blue Beetle's line. No unfortunate individuals are involved. There's the phone. Excuse me, Danny. Hello? Oh, hello, Charlie. Yes? Yes, he's here. Just a moment. It's for you, Danny. Charlie Storm of the Sun. Thanks, Doc. Hello, Charlie. What's on your mind? What? Really? Your girl's sister? Oh, I didn't know that. What? Yes, sure. Sure, you bet I will, Charlie. Sure, goodbye. Sounds like the Blue Beetle will be sharpening his nippers soon. Yes, Charlie Storm just told me Lucy Ridgway is his girl's sister. And he wants me to see what I can do to help her out of this jam. Well, what are you going to do? Have a talk with the Ridgway girl, and then get Mannegan and drive down to the Bannister place and interview Mrs. Bannister. The commissioner will assign me to the case. I think he'll do that all right. If he doesn't, I'll have to operate entirely as the Blue Beetle. I'm not ready to do that until I can get certain information. Well, good luck to you, Danny. Thanks, Doc. I'll be back later. I'll have your Blue Beetle chain armor and mask and equipment ready when you need them. That's fine. Well, so long. It looks as if I was going to be up to my neck in diamonds, but they won't be around my neck. Here's the Ridgway girl, Dan. I'm Dan Garrett, Miss Ridgway, a friend of Charlie Storms. Oh, yes? Charlie asked me to do what I can to help you in this unfortunate case. Now, suppose you'd tell me what you know about this jewel robbery? Well, all I know is that the night Mrs. Bannister was held up and robbed of what proved to be a joked diamond necklace, I was awakened by Mrs. Bannister and some police officers and questioned about the disappearance of a diamond necklace. Were you aware of the fact that there were two almost identical necklaces? Yes. Mrs. Bannister told me some time ago her husband had urged her to have a duplicate necklace made of imitation diamonds to wear when she went out in public. She had such a necklace made and when the necklaces were delivered by the jeweler, I put both boxes in the safe. You and Mrs. Bannister were the only ones who knew the combination of that safe. Mr. Bannister also knew it. Ah, he's away, I believe. That's right. Now, what can you tell me about Mrs. Bannister's private life might be helpful in solving this mystery? What has she done recently and with whom has she been associating? Oh, I'm afraid I couldn't divulge things like that. I assure you, Miss Ridgway, the information will only be used to right any wrong that has been done. Well, Mrs. Bannister has been losing heavily at bridge recently. She's been rather more than attentive to Don Ricardo, the orchestra leader at the Starlight Club since Mr. Bannister has been away and last week she had a long interview with Mr. McCaffrey, a private detective from the Acme Insurance Company. Before the robbery? Yes. Have you any idea what the interview was about? No, but I noticed she seemed quite thoughtful after he left and a bit more cheerful as if something had relieved her mind. Hmm, that's very interesting. Oh, please, when can I get out of this horrible place? The disgrace of it being put into jail like a common thing. No, no, no, don't worry, Miss Ridgway. I'm on your side and I'll do what I can for you. But I think that for the present, you're safer in and out of jail. Well, Lanny, I got the commissioner to assign us to this Bannister case like you asked me to. Now, where do we go from here? We separate at the next corner. Watch that. So what sort of a game is this? Sorry, Mike, but we've got to work fast in this case and we can get results quicker if we each work on separate leads. That way we'll still be solving the case together. Okay. Well, what do we do? You run over to the Bannister's townhouse and interview Mrs. Bannister. What do I ask her? Ask her what her interview with McCaffrey of the Acme Insurance Company was about. And also ask her if it's true that she's lost heavily at Bridge recently. Well, maybe she'll refuse to answer the questions. That doesn't matter. The important thing is to study her reactions to the questions. Okay. Well, what are you going to do? I'm going to make some important phone calls. I'll see you later at headquarters. Okay, but if Mrs. Bannister throws me out of my ear I'll take you across me knee and paddle your pants. If you can be thrown out of your... on your ear by a woman, you're too weak to paddle my pants. Well, everything's ready for you, Danny. Thanks, Doc. I'll only take the magic ray and the blue beetle flashlight with me tonight. I've got a lot of ground to cover and I want to travel light. Where's the blue beetle heading for tonight? The Strathaven Arms Apartments. Who's your host? Don Ricardo, the orchestra leader. According to the information I got over the phone from Charlie Storm. Is Ricardo in on this robbery? I don't know, but I'm going to find out. What about this McCaffrey, the insurance company's investigator? Well, there's something fishy about him. I called the office today, but he wasn't in. Did Mannegan get any valuable information out of Mrs. Bannister? Just a Park Avenue manor and a threat of legal action in the city if they sent any more policemen to ask impudent questions. Poor Mannegan. I bet his face was red. Yes. Well, I've got to be going, Doc. Ricardo was just about playing his closing number at the Starlight Club. So long, Doc. Diamonds are at Trump's and the blue beetle is playing to win. Now let's quit playing cards and have another look at the necklace. Well, there it is. Oh, boy, they sure are pretty messy sparklers. Yes. We should realize quite a bit some of money on them. Is it not so, Mac? About a hundred grand. Is that all? Sure. The necklace has to be broken up. The diamond sold separately. Oh, I see. Well, then there's a part of the insurance your company pays over to the Bannister team. Hey, Mac? That's right. We'll get 20% of that. Well, that's another hundred grand. With my share, I can go home to South America and marry my sweet senorita. Say, where's the fence? You said he was coming over tonight and make us a bid on these sparklers. He'll be here in a minute. That's probably him now. Open the door, Ricardo. The blue beetle! Who is he, Mrs. Blue Beetle? I do not know him. Oh, he's a masquerader. He runs down criminals. I'm afraid you're on the wrong track, Blue Beetle. There are no criminals here. Where? What is it you want? I'd like to talk with you alone, Ricardo. Oh, but what about? As you see, we are playing cards. Well, why not deal me in? I'll make the fourth at Bridge. We're expecting the other player any minute. And are these the stakes here, this string of glass beads? Mac, he calls them... Quiet, Trigger. Your friend seems to resent my calling these things beads. Oh, I dropped that necklace, Blue Beetle. Quiet, Trigger, I said. You must pardon my friend, Blue Beetle. He's laboring under the impression that those glass beads in that necklace are real diamonds. So I gathered. I must say this necklace is a very good imitation of the famous banister necklace. Oh, that must be your fourth at Bridge, so I'll be going. I'll talk with you some other time, Ricardo. By the way, gentlemen, if your visitor is by any chance a fence to whom you hope to sell the necklace, I'm sure he'll verify the word of the Blue Beetle. Those diamonds are fakes. Were the diamonds in the possession of Ricardo, Mac and Trigger fakes? And if they were fakes, who has the real diamond necklace? Can the Blue Beetle pick up another clue and locate the missing gem? Or is Lucy Ridgway an accessory to the real thief? These questions will be answered in the next episode of the Blue Beetle. The Blue Beetle is a copyrighted box feature appearing in Mystery Men Comics Magazine and the Blue Beetle magazine. The Blue Beetle is on the air twice a week on this same station. Consult the broadcast schedule in your local newspapers. And don't forget to listen in to the Blue Beetle.