The Adventures of Frank Race, starring Tom Collins. The war changed many things, the face of the earth and the people on it. Before the war, Frank Race worked as an attorney, but he traded his law books for the cloak and dagger of the OSS. And when it was over, his former life was over too. Adventure had become his business. The Adventures of Frank Race. And now we join Frank Race for the adventure of the silent heart. It was hot in New York. One of those summer days when the newspaper sent cameramen on the prowl for some citizen sufficiently touched by the sun to try frying an egg in the sidewalk. At the moment, I felt like the egg. But coming out of the furnace blast of the street into the air-cooled offices of Trans-Columbia Life Plan was like passing from this veil of tears into some unexpected Valhalla. Ho, ho, ho. Ain't this something. Say, are all offices like this, Race? No wonder secretaries look so fresh at five o'clock. The reports you look pretty first to secretaries too, Mark. At all hours. Eh, stop with the clowning. Look, who is this guy that you want to see? Fred Jeremy. He left his name right there in that dorm. Well, why don't I go and watch it? Maybe the guy's got something cool in the glass to go with the cool air. He probably wants to see me alone, Mark. Can I help you? My name's Race. I'd like to see Mr. Jeremy. Oh, go right in, Mr. Race. You're expected. Eh, Race, I think I'll wait out here after all. Mark, someday they'll pass a law making cab drivers wear blinkers. It'll be rough on you, boy. Rough. Take your time, man. I will. You take your time out here. Hey, look, baby, I know a place where there was a three-faced bandit... I hate dancing. Hey, Mark. Yeah? Try not to freeze to death while I'm gone, huh? Fred Jeremy. Thick-lensed glasses and high forehead. You had the look of the kid who sat next to you in school, the one who turned in his arithmetic paper 20 minutes before you finished yours. At the moment, his eyes were glued in some charts hanging on the wall. Know anything about graphs, Race? A little. Take a look at these. Statistics on angina pectoris. Heart disease. This one represents the national average of deaths due to heart ailments. Oh, they look pretty high. It is, Race. It's a big killer. What's the other chart? That represents one county in our New England district. Same disease? Yes, Race, the same disease. But notice the sharp upswing in deaths during the past year. Almost doubles the national average. Yes. Of course, it could be a coincidence. But you don't think so? Obviously not, or I wouldn't have sent for you. Race, I think there's a murder ring operating in that county. Any special pattern that the claims follow? Yes. The majority of the claims have been paid to business partners. Look at this latest one. The deceased, Richard Dodge, was insured for $50,000 by the financing partner, Arthur Becker. But Becker's original investment in the business was only $8,000. I'd like to have a copy of that, reporter. There's one in this folder, along with a list of other cases that are suspiciously similar. Race, the town of Midville is situated on a lake right near the center of that county. It's rather popular as a vacation resort. You could use a vacation, couldn't you? I'll leave tonight. I'll let you know where I'm staying. Oh, brother, what a layout. Now, this is living, Race. And did you see those gorgeous chicks down by the lake? I am gonna like it here. Be careful of your heart, Mark. This place is becoming noted for angina pectoris. Yeah? You know anybody who can introduce us to the town? Now, this is one you wouldn't enjoy meeting. Come on, let's climb into some swim trunks, huh? That is exactly what I had in mind. Come in. Mr. Race? That's right. My name is Arthur Becker. He was a fat man, but the way he carried himself told me that muscles were hidden under those layers of flesh. Muscles that would respond viciously if ever he was cornered. His eyes were those of a hunter, light blue and cold, very cold. Too cold for this to be vacation. My business partner, Richard Dodge, passed away a short time ago. I had him insured to protect my investment. I understand you're investigating the claim. Who sells you your information, Becker? This is a small town, Race. You sent a wire reporting your arrival to the insurance company. The boy who took the wire has rather a poor sense of ethics. He reads things. What do you want, Becker? What do you want, Race? I might help you to find it quickly and save us both a lot of time. You insured Richard Dodge for $50,000, but you only invested $8,000 in the garage here. It doesn't add up. I like Dodge. He was a competent mechanic with a good reputation. And according to the medical report when the insurance examination was made, he was a very healthy mechanic with a very good heart. People have been known to take sick quite suddenly. Well, this is a bit too convenient, especially with the money involved. Well, I can see you having a very trusting nature, Race. I thought I might be helpful. After all, none of us know when the old pump might give out, Race. Could happen to anybody. It might even happen to you. In checking around Midville, I found that Richard Dodge, the latest victim of the heart disease racket, had a mother. I went to see her. I can't understand what happened to my boy, Mr. Race. He was so big and strong. He played football when he was in high school, you know. Did he have any insurance, any payable to you, I mean? Well, he did before he went into the business with Mr. Becker. But then Richard increased his old policy and made it over to Becker so that the premiums wouldn't cost too much. You mean Richard paid the premiums himself? No, I paid them. I had a little money left over from my husband's pension. I see. I have some pictures of my son in his football uniform. And when he was a soldier, would you like to see them, Mr. Race? No, I'd... Yes. Yes, Mrs. Dodge, I'd like to see them. There are some pictures you can't erase from your mind. Richard Dodge had been tall, straight, mean-looking. Now there was nothing left for the little old lady who'd prayed him safely through a war only to see him die without reason. I walked back to the hotel. Well, hey, it's about time you got back. It's been a thang looking for you. She said there was something you didn't know and she thought might help you. I must be this week's target for good deeds. Everybody wants to help me. What's your name? She said she was Mrs. Dodge. Did that mean anything? Mrs. Dodge? Well, I just left the old lady less than half an hour ago. This thang was here a half hour ago. And, uh, she ain't old. Not with that complexion. She said she'd get down and wait for you in a car parked at the end of the driveway. It's a little convoyable. I'd better see her. Yeah, but I've got something for you to do, too. Here's a list of all the possible victims of the ring. I've got one in this county. The county coroner's right here in Midville. Go over this list with him, Willie, and find out if he performed an autopsy on any of them and tell him I'd like a copy of his report in each case. Oh, fine. I get all the nice jobs. All you gotta do is chase after the dolls, but lucky me. I draw the county coroner. Now, get going, boy. He may be beautiful. The blue convertible was at the end of the driveway, all right. The girl behind the wheel steered to the highway. I saw her face in the last glow of the sun. It was lovely. Lovely enough to make me forget for a moment why I was here. Finally, she turned into a small country lane and stopped. Got a cigarette? Here. I'll have a cigarette. Here. Thanks. You didn't know Richard Dodge was married, did you? That's something I still don't know. We were married secretly more than a year ago. I, uh... You don't want to sound like a house detective, but I suppose you have a license. No. Richard kept it. Well, that was an odd choice. Most men keep them blind. Especially when she looks like you, Mrs.... Mrs. Dodge? Call me Rain. Rain. That's an unusual name. Not really. It stands for Lorraine. When I was a child, it was too much to handle all at once. Why did you bring me out here? Not just to tell me that Richard Dodge had a wife. Our marriage was secret. I didn't know what would come out in your investigation. You're safe. His insurance wasn't made out to you. Richard and I never announced our marriage because I was sorry I ever got into it. It wasn't until later that he told me about his heart. Told you what about his heart? He was sick. He was always afraid that he was going to die. The insurance examiner doesn't agree with him. Neither did the doctors in the United States Army. They could be wrong, couldn't they, Rain? You believe me, don't you? She leaned toward me and her eyes were blue in the dusk. Blue and smoky as a Harlem band at midnight. Her hair brushed the side of my face and her arms went around my neck. A man who gets kissed like that needs a strong heart. I could go very far with you, Race, if you'd let me. I shouldn't object, should I? After all, you recover quickly. The last man you were fond of has been dead almost two weeks. I told you that Richard was a mistake. Whoever killed him made a mistake, too. You have no right to say he was killed, not unless you have some proof. Race. All right, Race. Pile out of the car or get your hands off. Race, it's a holdup. Save it for the Midville Little Theatre, baby. You'll never make Broadway. You keep your lip-button, wise guy. Tell the dame to start the car and get out of here. Why don't you tell her? You know her name as well as you knew mine. Go ahead, sister. Beat it. The light had fallen. She had to put her lights on to turn the car on the narrow road. My back was to her and the lights hit the man with the gun square in the face. My dough, manny. I'm turning this gun into your stomach. Why don't you pull the trigger now? Let me pull you. Sure. With pleasure. Oh, Race. Race, I was so frightened. You're so sincere. Come on. Drive me back to my hotel. But what about Carson? So his name's Carson. Thanks. Let's leave him there. The dew will bring him around. Brother, what happened to you? You got lipstick on your mouth, but the rest of you? What did she do, kiss you, then push you into a concrete mansion? A rival popped up, a fellow named Carson. I had to make out with the coroner. Fine, fine. He'll kill the whole quart of elderberry wine. He makes it himself. How about the death reports? He says it was all just plain heart failure. Said we was wasting our time. You too, huh? You know, some might think I'm gonna turn in early. That wine has made me woozy. It'll probably have me a Technicolor hangover. A few minutes ago, everything looked blue. Now everything looks yellow. It's a funny... Yellow? What looks yellow, Mark? Everything. It's funny, everything. Mark, line up, boy. Right here in the cart. Grace, what's the matter with me? Your order, please. Tell room service to shoot up some ice and plenty of black coffee right away. And send the house doctor up. Hurry. Hurry. What is it? Mark, you gotta be quiet, boy. I'm afraid you're gonna have a heart attack. Got about a 50-50 chance to save your life. We'll return to the Adventures of Frank Race in just about one minute. And now back to the Adventures of Frank Race. I stayed at the hotel waiting for the doctor to get finished with Mark. It was touch and go. I know he was having a rough time of it. But while he was contusing, he never lost that chance. I'm sorry, Frank. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was having a rough time of it, but while he was contusing, he never lost that grin. Made me want to go out after beckoning his mom. But you operate off cue when you get like that. I knew better. How is he, doctor? He's sleeping now. I think you came out of it all right. The coffee you poured into him probably saved his life. I was right about the drug, then. Yes. An overdose of digitalis. He's been issued orally. If he'd gotten a bit more of it, nothing would have helped. How did you spot it? We had yellow vision. I know that color distortion is often the result of a heart depressant. Yeah, it could be caused by something else. You made a good guess. No, the nature of the case I'm working on eliminated guesswork in this instance. I'll have to make out a report, naturally. Do you know who is responsible? Not for sure. But I hope to before long. As soon as I've had a chance to sample some wine. You'd better stick to water if the gentleman you have in mind spikes his wine with digitalis. Speaking of water, I think I'll try some. Help yourself. There's also some scotch over. Thanks, this will do. What's the matter, doctor? This water. I thought you said he was given the drug in wine. You mean there's some in that water? Enough to kill a mule, I'd say. I'd better have his hand, light. Yes, I'd better start shopping around for a new suspect. The next 12 hours Mark slept like a log and I stayed close to him. The stuff he'd swallowed had obviously been meant for me. I made a few long distance calls, including one to Fred Jeremy. He came up by plane loaded with information. Well, I checked with the police, race. There's a lot of stuff. I hope you can make it to the station. There's a lot of stuff. I hope you can make it fit. How about Becker? There's a prison record, alright. He also has an alias. Sometimes calls himself Benjamin Delaney. Benjamin Delaney? That's the name of another of the beneficiaries on a policy you paid off a couple of months ago. That's right. How about Carson? Able to run down anything on him? He served time with Delaney. He's also out on parole. How about Richard Dodge? Any record of his marriage? Yes, as he married a girl named Lorraine Gregory. A civil ceremony performed in the next county. Lorraine Gregory. The county coroner's name's Gregory. That's right, race. She's the coroner's daughter. What were Becker and Carson convicted for? Armed robbery. Well, we picked a less spectacular game, but one that's even more lethal. Race, in view of what happened to your friend, I think we could get the police to make an arrest. No, no, not yet, Fred. Couldn't make it stick. Why not? Because we can't prove access to the drug. It's hard to obtain. We've had every source checked and all prescriptions searched. There's no way they could have gotten their hands on the quantities used. None that we could prove. Hi, fellas. Hey, Mark, come on, now, get back in bed. Ah, not a chance. Don't you know more people die in bed than any place? I'm sorry about what happened to you, Donovan. The company will try to make it up to you. Oh, thanks. But I am interested in how you could have made it up to me if I drank just a little more of that stuff. I guess you're getting better, old man. I have been slip-nicking before, you know. But this one was meant to be permanent. I would like to get my hands on the gent who's prepared it. I hope you'll get that chance. I'm going out. Uh-uh. I bet there's another day, Minnis. Yes and no. I'm in the mood for a little elderberry wine. I'm going to visit coroner Gregory and his daughter. Well, hello. Hello, yourself. Is your father home? Come to ask for my hand, please. When I ask for your hand, baby, I'll be carrying handcuffs in mind. Who's out there, Rain? A man named Mr. Minnis. He's been in the house for a while. He's been in the house for a while. He's been in the house for a while. He's been in the house for a while. Who's out there, Rain? A man named Race. He wants to see father. Well, bring him in, girl. And who, Mr. Race? Mother, dad, this is Mr. Race. I'd like to talk to the coroner officially and alone. Wow. I can always wash my hair. But you'll find that mother and dad are hard to separate. You may leave us, Margaret. I'll stay right here. You had too much wine to be left by yourself. You mean he might say things I shouldn't hear? What I mean is my business. Gregory, you almost had another heart failure case in your hands. A friend of mine. That's all. If he had died, your report might have been interesting. I wonder what he would have said. Since he ain't dead, there's no way of telling. I think he'd have passed it off as a natural death. Best as you have in so many other cases. Heart trouble is a common disease. Yes, but not when it's caused by digitalis. Why didn't you do an autopsy on Richard Dodge? I know how to run my job. It might not be your job for much longer. I'm going to ask the state's attorney to appoint a grand jury to investigate these deaths. Go ahead. You ain't getting me out of this job. Margaret will see to that, won't you? Shut up. Why should I? These city fellas are so smart. We don't like outsiders around here, mister. You can't like your own people too well, either. They're dying off too easily. On that cue, I left. I'd uncovered one small point. Wherever Gregory's local political strength came from, it came through his wife. I had checked around and found that he'd held some minor political officer or other for years. But the key was Margaret Gregory. It wasn't long before I could fit her into the jigsaw. I went back to Fred Jeremy and Mark. Well, what's the answer, race? Who tried to throw away with me? We're getting close. The coroner? Only part of a setup. I know now why Becker and Carson, and probably quite a few others, are wandering around loose. They were paroled. Yes, but they shouldn't have been. Not if the parole board had been given the full facts. But who could hide the facts? Only one person. The secretary who prepared the reports. And when they were released, that secretary happened to be the coroner's wife, Margaret Gregory. Well, that ties us up, doesn't it, race? All but the digitalis. But I think that I know where that comes from. Well, it must have come from some place. They've got gallons of it. There was a third man that holed up with Becker and Carson. A man named Otto Rodman. Yes, but Rodman was never paroled. It was his third offense, and he got a stiff sentence. He has another 10 years to serve on a 15-year rap. Yes, but he's behaved himself very well for the past five years. He's a trustee at the prison. Yeah, so what's that got to do with a digi... Did you tell us, Mark? That's what I said. I think Rodman supplies it. Because for the past 14 months as a trustee, he's been assigned to the prison hospital. Yeah, that's rough, race. Things get around quick on a prison grapevine. If we went in to investigate, he'd know it before we got to him. Not the way we're going to do it, Fred. I'm going to set it up with the state's attorney, Mark and I, going into that state prison, as a pair of convicted hijackers. All right, now, which two go to the infirmary? Guido. Guido. Get in there. Here are two guys for sick-call, Rodman, probably faking. I'll see them on the way back after the doctor gets in. Okay, Mr. Seward. What are you guys in for? The cops say we hijacked a truck. Yeah, but of course you didn't. Of course not. Ain't it a shame the way we innocent guys keep getting thrown in here for nothing? It was a framer. What are you in for? I borrowed some money and forgot to give it back. You guys really sick or just stolen? My heart's been giving me a little trouble. I guess being in this place brings on heart attacks. You get used to it. We ain't had more than four heart cases in a year at Benandis' job. How do you get an assignment like this? Keeping my nose clean. Is this better than the other spots? Yeah, grub's better. A few special privileges. Private room visitors three days a week. Does it work hard? No. Guy's gotta be pretty sick before they let him stay in here. Mostly at the clerk's job, keeping records, ordering supplies. Those books are right there beside you. Hmm. That looks pretty simple. Aspirin, bandages, coating, and? Digitalis. Quite a lot of digitalis. Large order every month, yet you've only had four heart cases in more than a year. Well, the stuff spoils the stamp here. You gotta make sure it's fresh. Besides, you better put that book down before the doc gets here. Get over and sit on that bench. Rodman, you've been slipping that digitalis out of here a hundred grains a month. Tobacco and Carson. You're crazy. You're nuts. Both of you. Watch him, Reyes. What are you, a couple of stool pricks? Rodman, you're an accessory to more than 20 murders, and you'll die for it unless you get smart. Die? Will I? Put on that scalpel, Rodman. Put it in here. Look out, Reyes. Stay back, Mark. This thing is sharper than a razor. Can you take it? I'll kill you! Drop it. Drop it. You lose, Rodman. There's an electric chair in this set up some place. Who's gonna sit in it? You or Becker or Carson and the Gregorys? All right. All right. I'll talk. Save it. I'd like the warden and a couple other people to hear it. Open up. Gun. You know something, Reyes? I'll bet we're saving the shortest sentence anybody ever served here. Well, Reyes, can you think of any reason why we should pay your fee after treating you to such a fine vacation? A vacation? Are you kidding? I almost become a Corpus Delicious. Oh, Mark, Latin and you do not make a team. Fred's kind. I certainly am. What a ring. The coroner and his wife and daughter and a pair of cutthroats. Hey, you know something, Reyes? That rain tame wasn't bad looking. I don't think she was so bad. Maybe her family just roped her into it. So you're working on your heart for the second time? What do you mean, the second time? What do you think poured that stuff into your drinking water? You mean she did it? Why, that two time and no good day? That would have gone on if you hadn't stopped it, Reyes. You've saved the company a lot of money. I wanted to talk to you about that, Fred. You never paid Becker for the death of Richard Dodds, did you? No, no, and we won't have to now. Those premiums were paid by Dodds' mother, Fred. Sweet old lady. She's the real victim of this. Oh, I see what you're driving at, Reyes. I think I can arrange to have the claim paid to her. Ah, thanks, Fred. You're a decent guy. The Adventures of Frank Reyes starring Tom Collins with Tony Barrett as Mark Donovan comes to you from Hollywood. Others heard in tonight's cast were Virginia Gregg, Michael Ann Barrett, Jack Crouchon, Ted von Elsts, and Wilms Herbert. This series is written and directed by Buckley Angel and Joel Murcott. The music is composed and played by Ivan Ditmars. Be sure to be with us again this same time next week for another dramatic chapter in The Adventures of Frank Reyes. Art Gilmore speaking. This is a Bruce Ells production. The Adventures of Frank Reyes
