Danger, Dr. Banfield. Our story opens in the small town of Benton, located north of New York City on the Hudson River. Two French-Canadian laborers are digging a ditch on the grounds of a prosperous-looking farm. Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu! Pierre! Hey, Pierre! Oui? What is it, mon ami? Come here! There is something I do not understand. What is the matter, Jacques? You find some gold, maybe? Ah, our Mother of Mary. I think perhaps we have found something we are not supposed to have here. Oh, crush yourself, Jacques. It is the body of a man. Suck. What is left of a man? Come we should not disturb the grave of the dead. Grave, you say? Do not be a fool, Pierre. Does one bury one's dead in a field behind a house with neither casket nor cross to mark the spot, huh? That I do not think. No? Then what is it you think, mon ami? I think that we will find this is the body of Monsieur Howard Holbrooke, who has been reported missing these past months. Come, let us go to the police. Eh, it sounds interesting, Mr. Fuller. Go on, please, will you? Well, there isn't a great deal more to tell, Doc. You see, as representative of the Great Eastern Insurance Company, it is my job to check every detail before I recommend to the Home Office that they pay Mrs. Holbrooke the hundred thousand dollars. A hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money, I do not blame you. Still, I do not see that you have any real reason to suspect that Howard Holbrooke was murdered. Well, I am relying mainly on a hunch, Miss Fairfax, and the so far unexplained reason why Holbrooke's body was found in a trench behind his former home. Your positive that they was that of Holbrooke? Yes, yes. The corpse had, of course, disintegrated beyond recognition. But Mrs. Holbrooke identified him by the fact that the third toe of his left foot was missing. Also, there was a watch inscribed with Holbrooke's name. Were you able to determine the cause of death? No, there were no marks of violence at all. But still, do you think he was murdered, possibly by his wife, in order to collect the insurance? Well, we have definitely established that Holbrooke's wife was spending most of the month of June with her sister in Fairfield. But Fairfield is only fifty miles from Benton. Couldn't she have driven back without her sister's knowing about it? Well, from June 6th to June 13th, Mrs. Holbrooke was sick in bed with a cold. Her sister and some friends have already testified to that fact. Well, that establishes her alibi rather completely, doesn't it? Wait a minute. June 6th. That was a year ago. I thought Howard Holbrooke was serving a jail sentence at that time. No, you see, Miss Fairfax, he was given his freedom on June 5th. As you'll remember, Holbrooke was sentenced on a charge of embezzlement from the bank of which he was president. Oh yes, yes, yes. It was quite a scandal. He'd been appropriating the bank's funds over a period of years. That's right. He had amassed a small fortune, but all of it was spent fighting the charges against him. So when he was released from jail, he was broke? Yes. On June 5th, he was set free. On June 14th, he appeared at the home of a cousin in Chicago, and he told the cousin he lacked the courage to face his family or society. The next day he disappeared and hadn't been heard from since. It looks to me, Mr. Fuller, as though you'd have to pay Mrs. Holbrooke $100,000. Possibly you're right, Miss Fairfax. Oh, before I make my offer, there's one other thing you must know. Oh, what's that? Well, between June 6th and June 13th, neighbors reported seeing a light in the Holbrooke home, and some of the reports stated that a mysterious figure was seen moving about the grounds. Mm-hmm, and what's your answer to the stories, Mr. Fuller? Just this, Doctor. When Holbrooke was in jail, he made an enemy of a man named Guy Emerson. They quarrel frequently over small matters, even resorting to fisticuffs on one or two occasions. Emerson was released two days after Holbrooke. And it's your opinion that this Guy Emerson came directly to the Holbrooke home, found Howard Holbrooke waiting there for his wife to return from her sisters, and murdered him? No, no, it couldn't have happened that way. Remember, Doctor, Holbrooke was seen in Chicago on June 14th. Oh? As a matter of fact, Dr. Danfield, I don't believe he returned to his home at all. Then what do you believe, Mr. Fuller? I believe that Holbrooke was murdered by his wife. I don't know how or when or where, and I've absolutely nothing to go on but a hunch. But my company, Danfield, is willing to gamble $10,000 to have me proven right. In a moment we return for the second act of Danger, Dr. Danfield, but first... Now for the second act of Danger, Dr. Danfield. Dan? Oh, yes, Rusty? What time did the plane get into Chicago? Oh, about an hour, I think. And do you really believe that these cousins of Howard Holbrooke can help us any? I don't know, Rusty. I'm not yet convinced that it was actually Holbrooke who called on them a year ago last June 14th. What if it wasn't? Dan, do you know what I think? Hmm? What's that, Rusty? I think that you feel that this case is as hopeless as I do. You're just pretending there's a chance of proving that Elsie Holbrooke murdered her husband because... well, because... Because of $10,000, Rusty? Oh, I don't mean to imply that you take money under false pretenses only. Rusty, you're wonderful. Don't worry. If I fail to prove that Mrs. Holbrooke murdered her husband, I'll not take Mr. Fuller's $10,000. I'm sorry you came way out here to see Dr. Den Finch. There's not the least doubt that the man who called on me a year ago last June 14th was my cousin Howard Holbrooke. Thank you very much. You've still got it. Well, Dr. Dan Field, now are you convinced that it was Howard Holbrooke who called on his cousin Charles in Chicago? Yes, yes I am, Rusty. Charles Holbrooke struck me as the type of man who wouldn't lie. I can't see that it would avail him anything if he did. But you're still convinced you can build up a case against Mrs. Holbrooke? Don't be so pessimistic, Rusty. There's an answer to this problem somewhere, and we're going to find it. What problem? I don't see that there's any problem. A man is found dead. His wife identifies him. There's no indication that he was murdered. There is no indication that he wasn't murdered either, Rusty. And if he wasn't, how did he die? And who buried him in a ditch behind his own house? Guy Emerson, his prison mate. Oh, quite as plain as the nose on your face. Oh? I thought you didn't believe that story about a mysterious figure being seen about the Holbrooke place a year ago last June. All right, all right. So I made a mistake. So now I've changed my mind. If Howard Holbrooke was murdered, the murderer had to be Guy Emerson. I think we'd do much better if we tried to run down this Emerson person instead of chasing all over the country trying to prove that Howard Holbrooke wasn't Howard Holbrooke. Oh, do you, Rusty? I disagree. I think we're going to find the answer to our problem at Holbrooke's home in Benton, and that's where we're going right now. Really, Dr. Danfield, your purpose in coming here is too obvious. Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, Mrs. Holbrooke. Just what do you think my purpose is? Oh, come, let's not try to fool each other. Didn't Mr. Fuller of the Great Eastern Insurance Company offer you a sum of money to prove that it was I who murdered my husband? Do you believe your husband was murdered, Mrs. Holbrooke? I don't know. There are no indications that he was. You haven't answered my question. Oh, Mr. Fuller did offer me some money to work on the case, that's true. Then aren't you being presumptuous to think that I would help you prove myself a murderess? I don't intend to prove you're a murderess, Mrs. Holbrooke. In fact, I intend to prove just the opposite. Mr. Fuller believes it. Yes, I know Mr. Fuller believes you're guilty. I don't. Now, will you cooperate? I don't know what to say. I think what Mrs. Holbrooke wants to say is that she doesn't believe you, Dan. No, it isn't, Dad. I... Oh, I don't know. Everything seems so strange and unreal. People have been coming to the house ever since poor Howard's body was found. They all act suspicious. They all look at me and go away without offering any explanation. It's terrible. Believe me, I know how you feel, Mrs. Holbrooke. Suppose you look at it this way. You didn't murder your husband, so therefore you have nothing to lose by offering me your help. As a matter of fact, you have everything to gain. But I suppose you're right. What is it you want me to do? Well, I'd like to ask you a few questions and then I'd like permission to remain here at your home for a few days. Very well. You'll have to shift for yourself, however. I've had no servant for over a year. Everything's run down. I've only been able to survive because there was a lot of valuable machinery and livestock that I could sell. Yes, yes, I understand. Howard Holbrooke's plan was to build himself a model farm up here, wasn't it? Yes, we'd only lived here one summer, you know. Howard invested most of our savings. We had great plans for the future and then... Yes, yes. Now, Mrs. Holbrooke, are you sure in your own mind that the body that was found by the laborers was that of your husband? Oh, yes, I'm positive. Why do people keep asking me that question? Because if you weren't sure, Mrs. Holbrooke, the insurance company would save themselves $100,000. Now, now about this ditch that the laborers were digging, what was to be its purpose? Well, there's an orchard behind the garage. Howard had had it set out. A neighbor told me that if I kept the trees alive, the value of my property would be much increased. I see. So you decided to pipe water into the orchard? Yes. One more question, Mrs. Holbrooke, and then with your permission, I'll browse around the place. Certainly. What is the question? Do you believe that this man, Guy Emerson, who knew your husband in jail, is his murderer? I'm not sure. How can I be? There's no indication that Howard was murdered. However, it seems to me that the least the insurance company could do is to find this Emerson person and question him. The police are endeavoring to do that right now. Well, thank you, Mrs. Holbrooke. Come on, Rusty. Let's see if we can't dig up a clue or two that our employer is overlooked. Dan, when you told Mrs. Holbrooke that you didn't believe she murdered her husband, did you mean it? I have already told you I meant it, Rusty. Now stop asking me. I don't want to change my mind. This must be the ditch. Oh, let's skip the ditch. It's almost dark. We can't see anything tonight. Besides, I have some questions. I want to ask you. Let's see now. If I touch the silhouettes over there, it must be the apple orchard. Well, that means, of course, that the pipeline should run right... Well. Now what? Well, no surveyor, Rusty, but it seems to me that if Mrs. Holbrooke wanted to run water from the house to her orchard, she's spending a lot of money unnecessarily. Why? Why? Because if those laborers kept going in the same direction as they started, they'd run up at a point between the house and the garage. Oh, Dan, stop grabbing at straws. There could be a dozen reasons why the ditch is heading in that direction. Oh, name three. Hmm, laborers might have struck a ledge. They might have intended to splice into the pipeline that must run from the house to the garage. Or they might have intended to splice it at the garage instead of the house. Now perhaps you're right. Where are any of your ancestors, Palmer and Rusty? Oh, Dan. Say, it's getting dark, isn't it? Now, say it is, and I'm tired. Oh, gosh, what's that? Now, don't get alarmed. It's only a screech owl. An owl? Well, let's get back. I hate owls. They're like that. They're not at all like that, Rusty. All right, come on, let's go. There's as much more we can do until daylight anyhow. Oh, I'm beginning to think there's as much we can do even in daylight. Dan, I wish we weren't going to stay here tonight. Why, I'm afraid Mrs. Holbrooke will murder you and your son. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, Dan, I'm afraid I won't even sleep. Oh, here's the garage. Yes, yes. I imagine those outside stairs lead up to the servant's quarters. Well, Rusty, come on, let's get out of here. Hey, look out. Oh, Dan, someone's... I want you to look out. Dan, someone! No! No! In a moment we return for the third act of Danger, Dr. Danfield, but first... Now back to our star Michael Dunn for the third act of Danger, Dr. Danfield. Rusty, Rusty, you all right? Oh, I guess so. What happened? I don't know. Someone attacked us. Here, let me get up my hand, just in case your face is bleeding. I didn't see anyone, and I didn't hear anyone either. Hello! Is that you, Dr. Danfield? Is something wrong? Over this way, Mrs. Holbrook, bring the light, will you please? How is it now, Rusty? Oh, I am all right. More scared than anything, I guess. Dan, what was it? What was what? Oh, here's Mrs. Holbrook. Over here, Mrs. Holbrook. Oh, what is it? What happened? I heard the girl scream. Oh, it's nothing serious, Mrs. Holbrook. Someone attacked us. Hold the lantern up a little bit, will you please? Oh, my, she's bleeding. I'll call the doctor. It's only a scratch. No, no, I don't need a doctor. Dan, did you see the person who attacked us? No, no, he got away too fast. He got away too fast. Are you sure it was a he? Am I sure it was a... What do you mean by that? Well, she's upset and frightened. Come back to the house, both of you. If you won't let me call the doctor, I can at least bathe that scratch on your face. Well, that's an excellent idea, Mrs. Holbrook. Come along, Rusty. But, Dan, you don't seem to understand. I understand perfectly, Rusty. Come along. Yeah, this is your room here, Rusty. Oh, Dan, I wish I didn't have to go to bed. I'm scared. Oh, I'm scared. Oh, I'm scared. Oh, I'm scared. Oh, I'm scared. Oh, I'm scared. Oh, I'm scared. Oh, Dan, I wish I didn't have to go to bed. I'm scared. Can't we sit up all night? Sit up all night? That isn't going to help manage any, Rusty. There's nothing to be frightened of. Well, there is. I don't know what, but there's something terribly wrong in this house. Dan, why do you suppose Mrs. Holbrook left us alone so long in the kitchen when she went for the antiseptic? I think she went to telephone. Oh, here's that awful owl. Telephone? To whom? I don't know, but I planned to find out in the morning. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. Oh, I see. I planned to find out in the morning. Oh, was she telephoning to someone about us? I wouldn't be surprised, Rusty. However... Dan, that was a shock. Yes. Come on, there's a window at the end of the corridor. It sounded as though it came from the garage. What there? Someone's running across the fields. He's carrying a rifle. That bright moonlight, it's easy to see. Yes. Dan, what's that in his other hand? I don't know. I think he's gone now. I wonder if... Dan, what does it mean? Oh, I wish we'd never come here. On the contrary, Rusty. I'm very glad we did. I'm very glad we did. I'm very glad we did. I'm very glad we did. I'm very glad we did. Let me see now. Yes. Yes, by George, that must be it. What must be what? Rusty, I think I'm beginning to see the answer to all this mystery. Yes, I'm sure I am. Well, what is it? For goodness sake, tell me. Yes, yes, it all adds up now. As soon as I check a few more facts. Come along, Rusty. We're going to get a good night's sleep, and then I think we can clean this case up. I don't suppose it matters that it's only the crack of dawn. I didn't sleep anyway. The least we could have done is wait for breakfast. It's inconsiderate of you, Rusty, waking Mrs. Lowe Brook at this hour of the morning to get us breakfast. It sounds we have more important things to attend to. Here's the barn. Let's go in. What do you expect to find in the barn? Well, the less we find, my dear, the more airtight our case will become. It seems to be empty, doesn't it? Except for a few broken down farm implements. For heaven's sake, what's that? Looks like a butterfly net. Maybe Howard Holbrook indulged in bug chasing as a sideline. My daughter, that net is big enough to catch a whale. Well, I guess we've checked everything that's worth checking here. Now what do we do? Now, Rusty, we go out and see how many acres of land Howard Holbrook planned to have under cultivation. That's very important. Okay. So Holbrook could have had 50 acres under cultivation, mostly in apple orchards and potatoes. Now where are we? Well, we're a lot closer to the solution of this mystery than we were a half an hour ago, Rusty. Uh-oh, who's this? Looks like the farmer from next door. Dan, look at that ugly scar running from the corner of his eye. Hello there. Looking for something? No, nothing in particular. We're staying here at the Holbrook farm for a couple of days. Oh, and my name is Dunstan, Jason Dunstan. I live next door. Well, glad to know you, Mr. Dunstan. I'm Dr. Daniel Danfield, and this is my secretary, Rusty Frifax. Well, a crime psychologist, huh? Still trying to find out if Holbrook was murdered, Doc? Do you think he was murdered, Mr. Dunstan? I'm sure he didn't crawl in that ditch himself and pull the dirt over him. Yes, you're quite right. Oh, by the way, did you hear a shot last night? A shot? No. Where'd it come from? From somewhere near Mrs. Holbrook's garage. Oh, well, I wouldn't be able to hear it anyhow. My place is half a mile away. Who was shooting at what? Well, we don't know. Tell me, did you know the Holbrook's very well, Mr. Dunstan? Oh, I didn't know Holbrook at all. I didn't buy my place until about four months ago. Mrs. Holbrook and I have become pretty well acquainted though since then. I bought some of the stuff she sold off. Did you have much to sell? Oh, plenty. Holbrook really went to town when he stopped the place. Oh, the widow would get along even though she doesn't collect her insurance, though. Dan, look, someone's driving into Mrs. Holbrook's yard. Oh, yes, that's probably a travesty. By the way, Mr. Dunstan, is there a public library in the village? Public library? Yes. That's a funny question. Yes, I suppose there is, although I never happened to see one. There's a set of encyclopedias in Mrs. Holbrook's living room, Dan, if you want to look up information. Oh, is there, Rusty? That's fine. Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Dunstan. Possibly we'll see each other again. Come on, Rusty. You bet, Doc, and if there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know. I hope I didn't embarrass Mr. Dunstan by staring at that scar on his face. Yes. Yes. Well, it all adds up, doesn't it, Rusty? What adds up? Oh, say, Dan, that man coming across the fields is Mr. Puller, the insurance investigator. Yes, so it is. Hello there, Mr. Puller. Hello, Doc. Mr. Pathback. I thought I'd drop by and see how things were going. Well, you made it bright and early, all right. It's only six o'clock. Well, I'm not used to this country air, Miss Pathback. I stayed at the hotel in the village last night and hardly closed my eyes. Oh, uh, maybe headway, Doc? Oh, yes. We've got your mystery cleared up for you, Mr. Puller. It wasn't too difficult. What? This is incredible. Do you mean that you actually know who murdered Howard Holbrook? No, but I know that my earlier conviction was right. Holbrook wasn't murdered. Wasn't murdered? That doesn't make sense. Why not? A man can die at least two ways besides being murdered, naturally or accidentally. I know, but being buried in that country... Come into the library with us, Mr. Puller, and I'll show you the final answer in the Encyclopedia National. The Encyclopedia National Let's see now. M-A to N-E, N to P. Yes, yes, here we are. I wonder where Mrs. Holbrook is. She ought to be getting up by now. Oh, I'm much more interested in what Dan Phil expects to find in that encyclopedia than I am in... Oh, no one's... Here we are. Owls. Owls? What does it say, Dan? Just what I expected it to say, Rusty. Listen. A mother owl will become vicious to a point of insanity if she thinks her offspring are in danger. At such times, they fear nothing, will attack any foe regardless of size. Their claws are like steel. They have an advantage because they are entirely soundless in flight. Dan, then it was an owl that attacked us last night. We didn't see anything or hear anything. That's right, Rusty. It was an owl that's responsible for the scar on Jason Dunstan's forehead. On Jason Dunstan's forehead? Yes, it was an unusually deep scar made about a year ago, wouldn't you think? Wait a minute, Doc. How does this business about the owls and scars on foreheads tie in with the murder of Howard Holbrook? It's rather an elaborate plan for murder, Mr. Fuller, and most cleverly executed. I'll be glad to explain. Oh, oh, come in, Mr. Dunstan. I rather expected you. Where's your partner in crime, Mrs. Holbrook? Right here. Oh. You're clever, Danfield, but you're also a fool. Dan, they've both got guns. Naturally, they both have guns. Two people who are about to be proven guilty of murder would be expected to carry guns. Well, you're a cool one, Danfield. What a pity that you went to all this trouble for nothing. Oh, I didn't do it for nothing. I did it for $10,000. $10,000, eh? Fuller, you must have been pretty sure of yourself to gamble that amount. I was, but I still don't... Of course you don't. You're not smart like Danfield. Go on, Doc. Give the guy his money's worth. Tell him how you worked it out. I'll be glad to. When Howard Holbrook was in jail, his wife got the idea about the owls. She visited her husband and told him her plan. The day before Holbrook's liberation, she left for his sister's to establish her alibi. When Holbrook got home, the place was deserted. Using the net which we found in the barn, he captured the mother owl. So that's why the net interested you so much. Yes, Rusty. Mr. Holbrook then dipped the steel-like claws of the owl in a powerful poison called curare. Poison? Then that's why Holbrook's body showed no signs of violence. You're almost right, Mr. Fuller, but not quite. After poisoning the owl's claws, Holbrook released the bird and sat back to wait. Yes? For what? You know for what, Mr. Dunstan. For the arrival of his convict friend, Guy Emerson. Then it was Guy Emerson who murdered Holbrook. Oh, no, Rusty, it wasn't Guy Emerson who murdered Holbrook. In fact, it wasn't Holbrook who was murdered. It was Emerson. What? Well, then the corpse that was found wasn't that of Howard Holbrook at all. That's right. The corpse was that of Guy Emerson. As a matter of fact, this gentleman here who is pointing the gun at me and who calls himself Jason Dunstan is actually Howard Holbrook. Oh, Mr. Fuller, did you tell your men to surround the place? What? Surround? Good, good. Rusty, step away from the window so the policeman can shoot. Is this what you're going to do? You better shoot now or you've got a chance. In a moment we return for the conclusion of Danger, Dr. Danfield, but first... Now back to Michael Dunn for the conclusion of... Danger, Dr. Danfield. Oh, come in, Mr. Fuller. Mr. Fairfax and I were just about to leave. Is everything taken care of? Yes, the local police department took them both away. Oh, by the way, Doc, before you leave, I'd like to hear the end of the story. Well, there isn't a great deal more to tell. Holbrook obviously inveigled Guy Emerson to a spot near where the owl had its nest. The owl attacked, gouged Emerson about the face, and the poison took effect, killing him. Then what? Then Holbrook transferred his watch to Emerson's pocket and severed the third toe of his left foot. Afterward, he buried him out behind the garage. And then Holbrook went to Chicago, called on his cousins, and announced he couldn't face society and was going to disappear. Yes, yes, that's right, Rusty. He stayed out of sight for a while and then returned to this town and bought the adjoining farm. No one recognized him because few people had ever seen him in this neighborhood and because his face was disfigured by this car. Well, I guess that explains everything. Well, what got you to thinking along those lines, Dan? Oh, a great many things, Rusty. But chiefly it was the ditch going in the wrong direction and netting the barn and the scar on Holbrook's face. The scar? Of course. But not unlike the one on your face, Rusty, only his was deeper. Then I remembered that after we heard the shot last night, we no longer heard the hoot of the owl. Holbrook shot the owl? Yes. When Mrs. Holbrook knew we'd been attacked, she called her husband and told him to shoot the owl just in case we got suspicious. Oh, and then when you saw the scar on Holbrook's face, you reasoned that he must have been attacked by the owl when he captured it through Divot's claws and poisoned. Rusty, you're a hundred percent right. You're always right. I don't know what I'd do without you. As a matter of fact, I don't intend to do without you. Now, come on, Rusty, we've got ten thousand dollars to spend. Let's go. Music
