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And now tonight's story, Chance and Probability, a transcribed adventure of George Valentine. Dear Mr. Valentine, chance and probability, a harmless sounding phrase isn't it? It's had a horrible influence on my life ever since I first heard it. You're in a beautiful South American town that has pink houses, incredible sunsets of liquid gold, and Caesars, the fanciest gambling casino outside of Monte Carlo. Oh yes, it also has a murder that everyone but me is willing to forget. Mr. Valentine, I need help from a fellow American, someone I at least know by reputation. So please, please use these airplane tickets and come to me. Anxiously, Mary Marston, care of Professor LaRue, 25, Aviente del Sol, Polizone. P.S. the words chance and probability refer to a gambling system which can't fail to make anyone a million dollars, except that its possession is an invitation to death. Wow, that was quite an afterthought, eh, Bruxy? Yes, George, and those tickets aren't all that Mary sent. Here. Five golden yellow chips with the name Caesars and a royal crest, no less. The fanciest gambling casino outside of Monte Carlo. Five $100 chips as a retainer. The tickets are on a flight leaving tomorrow. I'm going right home in pack. Yeah, but Bruxy, to go all the way to South America just like that. All the things we have to do here. Yes, but after all, Mary did say the place has incredible sunsets, the golden yellow color. Of these incredible chips. South America, here we come. Dancing teacher, one of the very best. Professor Marcel LaRue, at your service. Well, that's fine. Miss Marston. Ah, you mademoiselle, oh, you have the born grace of the natural dancer. Well, I get along on the dance floor. You get along? Oh, no, just get along. No, I can't teach you. Miss Marston. Oh, certainly, lovely girl lives here like the others. Like the others? Oui. I not only teach the dance, I also own this exceptionally fine establishment. No, no, no, no. Not a rooming house, really, no. Like an old-fashioned little family group. So I hear. Huh? Oh, that. Well, of course, in Palisades, I would naturally not teach the samba, the tango. No, no, no. Here I teach the jitter ball. I hear your students are waiting for you. So if you'll just tell us where we're going. Miss Marston, you have come to talk to her about the system, no? I mean, that would be the only reason you would come all the way from the United States, no, mademoiselle? No? Ah, secrecy. Oh, such a betrayed. Monsieur, I will pay you anything you want for that system. I'll keep that in mind. No, I will not let anyone else ever get it first. Please, remember that. Tell you what, I'll repeat it to myself every night just before I drop off to sleep. Ah, bonjour, bonjour, welcome to Palisades. Welcome, monsieur, mademoiselle. His name was Bill Shields. He lived at the professors too. He was the only friend that I had here. From what you told us, he must have been a pretty wonderful man. He wanted me to go back home. I didn't know he left me all his money until the police found his will. And somebody killed him at Caesars. Yes, because Bill had the system. Do you really believe there is such a thing, Mary? Well, he won $10,000 in one week and he could have won more. He said that would be enough for him, enough for me to get well and strong again. How long have you been down here? Almost a year. I was singing with a show that went broke here. Then I got sick. But once for Bill I... What was Bill doing in Palisades? Well, he'd been an engineer on some kind of a construction job. But then he got interested in this system. This business of chance and probability, what was that? Well, Bill said the answer to any system had to be in mathematics. So he always had me getting books on mathematics, chance and probability. Then he succeeded. Mr. Valentin, I can't use any of Bill's money until I find out who killed him. You can understand that, can't you? I'll do what I can. What do the police say about all this? Well, the night that Bill was killed there was a robbery at Caesars. They say the robbers killed Bill just sort of accidentally. I see. But it isn't so. Somebody killed him deliberately to stop him from using his system. See, the cop would be interested in doing that. Or somebody might have tried to get the system from Bill and failed. Has Bill ever written this system down, Mary? No. No, not that I know of. Has he ever explained it to you? I'm afraid I wouldn't be smart enough to understand it. Anyway, now you feel that nobody will do anything to find out who killed Bill, is that it? Mr. Valentin, you can get all the facts from the police and from Cesar Capo. They'll be delighted to give you the facts. That's not enough. I must know who killed Bill. All right, Mary. I already saw the fabulous pink houses of Polezon. This evening we'll see the sunset and maybe tomorrow we can complete the points of interest and look for the murderer. Say, old Valentine, I assure you we are doing all we can. Yes, so I've heard, Lieutenant de Castro. But anything you can do to help, Senor, we would be honored. Thanks. About this Cesar Capo. A fine man, fine. Everyone in Polezon seems to be an exemplary character. That is the way it would appear, Miss Brooks. Exactly. Still, a man is dead and the system... Now, that is something I would not venture an opinion on, Senor. Didn't you ever see Mr. Shields play at the casino? Oh, see, and saw him win again and again. Well. Could have been just a run of luck. That could happen. Mm-hmm. But before each play I even saw Mr. Shields figure out things on a piece of paper and always burned the paper with his cigarette lighter. Well, that could have been just window dressing, huh? I beg your pardon. Never mind. Now, about that robbery. A very unusual thing to happen in Mr. Capo's establishment. Oh, I'm sure. It is our theory that poor Mr. Shields was merely in the way of the thief, and so we should ever catch the thief. A rather doubtful possibility, eh? Frankly, yes. You see, our police force is not large and there are so many different ways to get in and out of Polezon. But naturally, if there is anything we can do to cooperate... Thanks. Thanks very much. I think I've had all the cooperation I can stand. And just one more thing, yes? Should you come across the late Mr. Shields system? The one you're not even sure exists, Lieutenant McCaster? It would be more pleasant and more profitable for you, Mr. Valentine. If you were to get in touch with me first, good day. But you have me wrong, Mr. Valentine. Mr. Shields' death was a very unpleasant shock to me. Yeah, you must have cried all that night. No, I am serious. You must admit your grief does seem hard to believe, Mr. Capo. Caesar, dear lady, a much nobler name. Well, the fact remains, Caesar, but Shields won a great deal of money here at the casino, and presumably he could win as much more as he wanted. Oh, but that is just the point. Mr. Shields was a gentleman. The night he was killed, he came here to say goodbye. He apologized for winning the $10,000 at my expense, said it was all he needed, and ventured the guess that I would survive. And as I see, you have quite well. Yes, this is a beautiful place, isn't it? You ought to see it in the evening when the pay is in full swing. It is truly worthy of a... Caesar, I know, but I still don't get what you're driving at about Shields. This is an honest casino, Mr. Valentine. I do not have to cheat, but obviously I cannot survive a truly genuine system. Mr. Shields is dead, remember? I repeat, I had nothing to fear from him anymore, but whoever has this system now... Has someone else been very lucky around here lately? No, but I think that somebody will, someday. Why? Needless to say, I watch Shields every move during the play. One evening, in the excitement of winning, he dropped one of the pieces of paper on which he was making his calculations. The paper was an unusual shade of yellow. Shields' system was the talk of the town. How many people were trampled in the rush? As a matter of fact, only one other person noticed it, a shifty individual around town called Nico. I wasn't fast enough to stop him before he reached the penalty of overweight. I'm sure you had a talk with the impetuous Nico later. I did, in private, but he said he couldn't make any sense of the figures on the paper, so he destroyed it. Oh, a likely story. Precisely. Especially since Nico has lately been seen spending more money than he ever had in his life, and more especially since Nico is now nowhere to be found. So you figure Nico sold the precious piece of yellow paper and was told to make himself scarce? Mr. Valentine, I will pay you handsomely. I must know if the system still exists and who has it. I already have a client, C.Z., but you're welcome to tag along if you'll help me. Of course. All right, I want to know all the details of the robbery. How do I get them? I will arrange for you to speak to Carl Siebring, my manager, and Frederick the cashier. Is loyal Valentine? No, I merely think my employee is dramatizing himself again. Meeting what, Siebring? There's no such thing as a winning system. The tune we've heard before, it's usually followed by another tune. When you find it, remember me first. I've been a gambler for many years, Miss Brooks. Gambling's my whole life, and I never found a system. As you notice, I'm an employee of Caesar the Magnificent who gambles not at all. The model's an obvious one. So it is, and amen. But at the moment, I'd like to know about the robbery. Well, it took place just about here at this roulette wheel. The lights suddenly went out. Aren't there extra ones? An emergency lighting system? Most gambling places have one. The switch to the auxiliary lighting system is near the cashier's cage. When Freddy turned it on, he found it had been tampered with. Oh, that was convenient. By the time some other lights went on, the croupier was neatly knocked out, the money was scooped up from the racks, and in the excitement, Mr. Shields was shot with a gun which must have had a silencer. The lights were tampered with, huh? An inside job, wouldn't you say, Sebring? I would say so, but Caesar shies away from the idea as if it were a reflection on his own honor. The men Caesar has chosen can do no wrong, that sort of thing. Again, I get the idea you're not very fond of Mr. Capo. Fond of him? Better than that, I admire him. His colossal ego. He actually has that phony royal crest on every hackage of fjorns on every cigarette he smokes. So obviously, the stolen money incident had to be put on a grandiose basis, including the Nico incident. Now, if you'd like to see the cashier. Yeah, lead on, Sebring. Yeah, I give ten years of my life for a system like that, Miss. Always knew somebody would be lucky and work one out. And the man who did wasn't very lucky, it seems. Oh yes, I see what you mean. Funny, yes sir? You can turn the emergency lights on right here near the cage, right? Righto. In fact, I tested them myself just before the casino opened. Mr. Capo was right with me. The old thing is a ruddy mystery. Yeah, but later when the lights went out, didn't you do anything? Governor, I have a game leg, see? Got it in an accident. That's why I took this cashier job, so I wasn't gonna run anywhere. Besides, it might have been a trick, so I do just that. Get you to leave the cage? You got it, Miss. So I just stayed in here in the dark, sat here with a gun. A gun with a silencer? Silencer, sir? Why? No, just an idle question. Yes. Did you notice Nico here at the casino on the night Mr. Shields was murdered? Nico? You know him, don't you? Just enough not to give him credit. He hasn't been around in days and days. No idea where I could find him? Oh no, sir. George, I think Lieutenant Necastro's looking for you. Oh good. Maybe he can help us find Nico, the only lead we seem to have. Oh, Lieutenant. Mr. Valentine, I was very anxious to find you. Yeah, what's up? It seems we have had another murder committed by the same man who killed Mr. Shields, the bullets match. Who was killed? And that is the mystery. A very unimportant man, a man who cannot have any connection with this case at all. A man called Nico. In just a moment we'll return to tonight's adventure of George Valentine. I'm sure that you've heard me say before that any gas can be made to stress one performance feature at the expense of others, but Chevron Supreme gasoline gives you not one, not two, but all eight high performance qualities in correct balance, and it's true, but the one real test for any gasoline is the way it performs in your car. That's why I also say that you'll never know real driving pleasure until you try a tank full of Chevron Supreme. Those eight high performance qualities make sure that Chevron Supreme performs best under all driving conditions. Quick starting, fast warm-up, smooth acceleration, area blending, anti-knock, vapor lock prevention, full power, and economy mileage. Those are the qualities you get in every gallon of Chevron Supreme. So if a sluggish choked-up motor has your car hugging the side of the road, better switch over now to the gas with all eight. Remember, Chevron Supreme can make your driving a pleasure instead of a chore. So next time you need gasoline, stop in and say, fill her up with Chevron Supreme at any standard station or independent Chevron gas station, where they say and mean, we take better care of your car. Chance and probability, the heart of a winning gambling system that brought luck to nobody. Not to Bill Shields, the man who invented it. Not to the shifty little South American, Nico, who tried to cash in on it. Both were murdered. Yes, you're up to your neck in this very strange case that brought you thousands of miles to the little town of Paulison. And even if your name is George Valentine, you've got to think that the chances for success are small and the probability of your getting a bullet next is great. Still, you stick to your job, which at the moment is again talking to the huge and egotistical owner of the casino, Cesar Capo. The murderer killed Nico so that he would be the only one who had the system. Now I am at his mercy. Oh, cut that out, Cesar. This place isn't worth a cent if a man can come in and win as much as he wants any time. Two men are dead. That's a little more important than the money you might lose. I built up this casino from nothing. I built it beautiful and strong because I am Cesar Capo and I am not going to see it destroyed. I am, I... Yeah? You know what? I don't know what I can do. Okay, then listen to me and try to help. Yes, yes. Who was here the night Shields was shot? Was Mary Marston here? The American girl? No. Professor LaRue? Let me think. Yes, he was here, but not that he had any money to play with, but he was here. And the lieutenant? The Castro? Yeah. He was here, but the... One more thing, the emergency lights. You were with the cashier when he tested them. That is right. They worked. Have you any idea how they could have been tampered with? No, I would swear it would be impossible for anyone to do that without Freddy seeing him impossible. Impossible, but it was done. Yeah. The murderer doesn't have to come here by himself, ever. Yes, can have dozens of people come here. Use the system, ruin me. Me, Cesar Capo, the merciless... Freddy's address. What? Freddy Griggs, the cashier. What does he live? Carl Sebring must know, but why? I don't see... I want Freddy's address and an oversized portion of good luck. It's overdue. George, what if Freddy decides to come back here after all this is his home and climbing in through a window isn't exactly... He's having dinner, so stop worrying me. Why, what are we looking for? Not sure. Good, that always helps. I'm hoping it might be money. Lots of money. The money stolen from the casino? Yeah, could be. Maybe you ought to believe Cesar that it was impossible for anyone among you to like. Then it would have to be Freddy himself. Surely he wouldn't keep the money here. Couldn't very well take it to the bank. Still it's sort of in the dream department, isn't it? I guess so. Shirts, socks, handkerchief. What is it, George? A piece of yellow paper. A very unusual shade of yellow. The system! The piece of paper that Niko sneaked out of the casino. On which Bill Shields figured his place. Let me see. The square root of C3D over A plus B equals the square root of C3D parenthesis A plus B over parenthesis A plus B times 2. Real fascinating. Well, it must be the key to the system. Uh-huh. But George, what's it doing here at Freddy's? If Freddy bought the piece of paper from Niko, then he must have killed him and Shields... That's what bothers me, Brooksie. How come this paper was left where it could be found? Freddy's too smart for that. Yes. Well, what do we do next? Come on, I'll get the lights. At least we can leave through the door. Well, the police can make Freddy talk. And if he knows anything about this piece... Brooksie, stay down. Down, down. Did you see what was? No, no, too dark. I just heard him move. I'll find out... You'll never get him, George. Please don't. Yeah, I guess you're right. The murder is getting more and more desperate, darling. Let's leave this case in the Castro. Not in your life. You still have this piece of paper and a client who has a conscience and a heartache. Come on, Brooksie, we got to see people. I just got here to the casino, Valentine. First one. Uh-huh. Caesar around, Sebring? Ah, no. He doesn't come down this early. He's probably home getting his daily manicure and shave. Freddy, he here? He should be here any minute. I'll wait. Took a little walk after dinner, I did. Always like me constitutional. It's smart to be walking alone. You don't have a lot of people watching what you do. Yes, Miss, I do like my solitude. A chance to do a little thinking. Meditate under the stars and let the balm of the evening... Yeah, you're a poet, Freddy. Nice to talk to you. So you were here in your apartment all evening, Caesar. I am a lazy man, Mr. Valentine. Have your nails manicured? Was the barber here? No, no, not tonight. I was here all alone. Even Caesar has his moments of loneliness. Oh, but it was terrible, Mr. Valentine. Would you calm down, Leroux? Oh, I was just to call the police. Oh, Mary, poor Mary. Well, what about it? It makes sense, will you? I was in the other room teaching a group ought to do the Charleston, and I heard Mary scream. I ran to her room and she was gone. Her room is this way, isn't it? Yes, Miss, yes, yes. And then one of the students ran over to the window. There is that big garden you cross before you get to the street. Yes, yes, yes, we know. The students saw a man dragging Mary across the garden, and she was struggling with him and he could not see who the man was. Kidnapping? Oh, yes, yes, yes, that is right. Oh, the room sure is a mess. Mary put up quite a fight, all right. And I think I know who she fought with. George, who was it? Get Lieutenant Nicastro Angel and meet me at Freddy's place as soon as you can. Honey, no lights. I guess it's the window again. All right, now, pull the shade down. I can risk the lights. Something is different, I swear. What the... Mary! Wait, wait a minute. Hello, Mr. Valentine. Hello. I have to gag her again, Valentine. Well, I was right about you, Sebring. Please stand here, the girl, or I'll have to kill you now instead of later. Move. The gun makes you a much bigger man than me. So you'll get no argument, buster. He said it was going to make me tell him about the system, even if he had to torture me. That's what I'm going to do. Then you'll have to go. But Valentine, joining you later. The police will say Freddy killed not only Shields and Nico, but the two of you as well. After all, I already planted the paper. You're wasting your time, Sebring. Mary doesn't know the system. I don't, really. I don't. I must contradict you. Shields was your friend, Miss Marston. Good enough friend to leave you all his money. You got him all those books. Oh, he confided in you all right. No, no, he didn't. When I get through with you, I'll know for sure. No. As a matter of curiosity, Valentine, how did you know that I took the girl here? Well, if I'm going to satisfy your curiosity, we can at least be civilized and have a cigarette together. I can offer you a good American brand. Later. Start talking. Okay. Of all the people in this case, only you, whose passion is gambling, had no interest in the system. Insisted that you didn't believe in one. Now, that was strange, to say the least. Perhaps I did overplay my hand a little. Help me. Please help me, Mr. Valentine. Point two. After somebody took those shots at me, I heard him run. Certainly, it couldn't have been Caesar, who waddles, or Freddie, who has a bad leg. Shut up. Point three. Freddie couldn't have dragged Mary across LaRue's garden, and Caesar, who only wants the system destroyed, would have killed Mary in her room, not take any chance of being seen. So again, it had to be you. Yes. Yes, it was me all along. It was me. But why? Why did you kill Bill? I took advantage of Freddie's rather obvious maneuver with the lights and his stealing the money to kill Shields and confuse the motive. But he never harmed you. I was sure I'd never get the system from him. But with him dead, I could solve the piece of paper I bought from Nico. Or as a last resort, get the system from you. And I will. Now. The paper was a fraud, wasn't it? A problem in algebra, that's all. Oh, what a laugh Shields must have had when he deliberately let that piece of paper fall to the floor in the casino. Cigarette? No. Then let me. And you can have this on the paper. Cellophane burns even better than tobacco. No second chance, but sure. Except for me. Mr. Valentine. Oh, Mr. Valentine. Okay, Mary, okay. It's over. And I think I hear the lieutenant. As polite and vague as ever, I bet. And almost too late. With crisp fall days already making an appearance, the battery in your car will be getting more and more of a workout as winter approaches. So better take time now to be sure it's in good condition. Your car savers are equipped to offer complete battery service. They'll be glad to test your battery and if necessary, give it a recharge. But don't wait until it's too late. Stop in soon for a battery checkup at any standard station or independent Chevron gas station where they say and mean we take better care of your car. Flight number 208, the Inter-American, passengers will please come aboard. Nice to be going home with you. You'll get well and strong again, Mary. Bill would want that and you'll forget all this. Sure, sure. And the sunsets back home are pretty nice too. And you can paint your house colors on pink anytime. I won't even try to thank you, Mr. Valentine. Now that's the smartest thing I heard anyone say today. George. Angel. I wonder if Bill ever did find a system or whether the lieutenant in the Castro said it was just a sensational run of luck. What do you think, Mary? I don't know. We'll never know. Now. That's right. Maybe that's best. Mr. Valentine! Mr. Valentine! He's the respondent. I have a present for you. A token of my gratitude. Cuffings. The most beautiful, the most expensive and made just for you. So personal. Oh, thanks. So personal. See? Well, the crest. Of course. To let you remember that once you help Caesar. Goodbye. Bon voyage. Goodbye. Tonight's Transcribed Adventure of George Valentine has been brought to you by Standard Oil Company of California on behalf of independent Chevron gas stations and standard stations throughout the West. Robert Bailey is starred as George with Virginia Greg as Brooksy. Let George Do It was written by David Victor and directed by Kenneth Webb. Virginia Eyler was heard as Mary. Ted DeCourcier as Caesar. Harry Bartel as Carl. Eric Snowden as Freddie. And Larry Dobkin as Nicastro. Music by Gaylord Carter. For announcer, John Heston. Listen again next week, same time, same station to Let George Do It. Let George Do It is heard overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. This is the Mutual Don Lee Broadcasting System.
