Have you ever watched a magician work? A really good sleight of hand artist can pull lighted cigarettes from the air. He's able to saw a woman in half. He can pull a rabbit out of a hat or make a fountain pen disappear. But have you ever seen a magician who could make a 200 pound corpse disappear? Hello Creeps, this is T4Y opening the doors of the Mystery Playhouse. Our story tonight is an imaginative tale called Who Took the Corpse? It was written by D.L. Champion. The little town of Fernville's only scarlet crime was born of a corncob pipe and grew to the stature of a celebrated case when its corpse vanished. The crime involved three men. One became the corpse, another the killer, and the third lived to record tonight's story. It all started one night in the Palace Bar where Sid Doughton, the police deputy, watched Fernville's newest resident amuse the mill hands with clever card tricks. The newcomer was good. He was a magician, a suave satanic figure in a redlined cape. He called himself Marvolo. And Marvolo, Sid Doughton noticed as he crowded into watch, carried his many drinks well. And now gentlemen, a flip so, a shuffle so, and here is your carefully concealed card, the ace of spades. Now, gentlemen, will the man who was smoking that horrible pipe desist the odour's offensive? I guess he means that corncob of yours, Sid. May I see that pipe, sir? Oh, sure. Well, let me knock the ashes out first. Here you are. I placed the horrible object on the bar. So, then I placed the magic cloth over it. So. What you gonna do, Marvolo? Make it smell like violet? No, no. I will do better than that, my friend. Now a magic word. Do shavy. Presto a new pipe. Hey, somebody should have made Sid's old pipe disappear a long time ago. Come, sir. Don't you approve a new pipe for an old one? Nope. I like my old one. Let's have it. I'm terribly sorry, sir. I can't bring your old pipe back. It's in a limbo beyond my call. Bartender, another scotch, please. Marvolo. Sir. Give me that pipe. You, sir, are an individual I dislike. A poor sport. Might be, but I'm a deputy. And also, I think you've had a lot of drinks. And also, I think I ought to take you home. Now, come on. It would be most unwise of you to lay a hand on me, my friend. Yeah, I know. I know. Now, come on. I told you I could lay a hand on me. Hey, look at that. Hey, Sid, what you doing sitting on the floor? Yeah, lots of chairs around. Hey, that's what they call jujitsu, ain't it? Yeah, that's right. Now, Bartender, that scotch, please. Hello, Sid. Hey, you ate your breakfast off the mantle this morning. Sure did. Well, I guess you heard what happened last night, Chief. Yeah. Say, what the devil are you doing? Rolling your own cigarettes now? Yeah, yeah. Ain't breaking any new pipes, and Marvolo never gave me back my old one. I'm going to the bank now, Lem. Oh, that's right. It is payroll day at the Millie. Oh, hang it, Sid. You used to knock pipe ashes out all over. Now you're spilling cigarette tobacco on me. Oh, I'm sorry, Lem. I'll see you later. And I'll be at the palace tonight in case the boys rough it up. Yeah. Best deputy in the state, but the untidyest man I ever seen. You can tell it's payday, huh, Sid? Yep. Alice, you're busy tonight, Tom. Uh-uh. What? Here comes your pal Marvolo. Gentlemen. Gentlemen, may I have your attention? Gentlemen, please. Thank you. Who's gunning for you, Sid? Shut up, Tom, and listen. Card tricks and feats of magic are merely a profession, gentlemen. My basic interest is the study of the occult, the black arts. Very few men, gentlemen, have gone as deeply into the forbidden realm of evil as I. Very few men possess my powers. What's he driving at, Sid? I read men's hidden thoughts. I see their souls mirrored in their minds. Tonight, in this room, a man plans murder. That man plans to murder me. You're all my witnesses. I will point this man out to you by means of this... Tonight! You blasted fool. All right, Marvolo, you asked for it this time. I don't know magic, but this is a 38, and these are handcuffs. And tonight you can study your black books in our jail. That's coming from the city. No jail and no steel handcuffs can hold Marvolo, you idiot. What do you say we just try it, huh? See you in court, Marvolo. All right, a little quiet, please. Say, master. One, two, three. Hahahahaha. All right, all right a little quiet please. Next case. Daniel Biggs alias Marvolo. Where is the defendant? Sid Doughton's upstairs getting him out of his cell your honor. Well what's keeping him? Somebody go up and... Judge, what's the matter? Well, Deputy, where is the defendant? He's gone, Judge. Gone? What do you mean, gone? Where? Wasn't he in the cell? Oh, he was locked in the cell with handcuffs on. And I locked the outer door, too. But he's gone. Well, that's ridiculous. Any signs of escape? No, the door is locked from the inside, and the bars are solid. He's just disappeared into thin air. But I'll find that black devil, Your Honor. With the last thing I do, I'll find him. Could very well be the last thing you do, Mr. Doughton. Order, order here. How did you get out, Mr. Biggs? Your Honor, how could you expect me to tell you that? The black arts reveal their secrets only to those who keep them. Yes, well, here's a secret the court will share with you. In Fernville, we don't go in for throwing knives around in public places. What is all this grudge between you two, Doughton? Your Honor, this guy has a screw loose somewhere. He goes around thinking that I want to kill him. And so you do. A half hour after I left the palace the first night I met you, your animal brain had conceived a cardily plot to murder me and to hide behind your badge of office. That's a lie. I warned you last night, publicly. Today, Doughton, before this court, I warn you that your plan won't work, because I am going to kill you first. Why, you. I told you, dude. Clem, did you hear that? Yep, now look, Marvolo. For that kind of talk, I can arrest you again. For killing, I can hang you. You got that straight? Hang, Marvolo? My friend, if your deputy doesn't change his mind about murdering me, I will kill him. And you will be powerless to stop me, or to hang me, or even to prove I have committed a crime. Good day, old man. Come on, man. Let him walk. Don't trust him, Sid. Keep an eye on him. Yeah, yeah, he's just a nut. Oh, that doesn't bother me, Lem. But I'll watch him. Hello, this is the freight office? Hello, Tom. This is Sid Doughton. Say, did the express stop today? Yeah, that's right. New radio with a phonograph gadget. Sure, I got it for my wife's birthday. Now look, I took a room at the Palace Hotel, room 212. I want to keep it there and try it out. Send it over tomorrow, will you? Now don't forget, room 212. Morning, bartender. Hi. I must be your first customer. Yeah, you sure are, Marvolo. It ain't noon yet. Where'll it be? Double brandy, please. Right here. Ah, there you are. Say, you don't come around till night, usually. How come you're here so early? Yes, it is unusual, isn't it? But then it isn't every day that one kills a man. I'm going to room 212. Hey, that's Doughton's room. He's up there now. There's new radio. Yes, I know. How'd you know? It's a secret. How I know is my secret. Hey, you can't. Ah, he's nuts. He wouldn't do that and tell me about it. Sid can handle him anyhow. In which direction is room 212, please? 212, it's right here, sir. That door over there. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah? Marvolo. You can't say I didn't warn you, Doughton. No, you idiot. No, put away that gun. No, you'll hang. Now, don't, Marvolo. Don't. Look, what do you want? This is it, Doughton. And after you're dead, they won't be able to bury you because they'll never find your corpse. I saw him. I saw him do it. I saw him lying right there in the blood. I saw him. I saw him. Yeah, Lem, yeah. Sure he's dead. Marvolo? No. He's just standing in front of the room, grinning. Yeah, yeah, Bill Sanders has got him covered with my shotgun. Yeah, yeah, we'll hold him. Hurry up, will you? Here comes the sheriff now. Yeah, there he's coming right up the stairs. All right, Bill, take the shotgun out of his ribs. Well, Marvolo, you weren't bluffing, they tell me. You actually killed Sid. You're the police chief, Mr. Tracy. You expect me to testify against myself? Here's the gun. Thanks. Open the room door, Bill. What's going on here? Somebody being funny? There ain't no one in this room. I saw him. I saw him lying right there, Mr. Tracy. See? See the blood? There's blood all right. The closet's empty. Windows locked on the inside. Sid's radio half out of the crate. Well, Marvolo, where is it? Where is what, Mr. Tracy? Doughton's body. Search me. I see. Bill, how long did it take you to get up here after the shots? Long enough to grab the shotgun under the counter and run up the stairs about three or four minutes. Where was this guy when you got here, Bill? Right where he is now, Chief. Look, you, outside of being my deputy and a fellow human, Sid Doughton was a good friend of mine. And I can promise you, you'll dance on the end of a rope for this. Come on, you're under arrest. What for, may I ask? Murder. Murder? But you have no corpse. No corpus delicti. How can you arrest me for murder? I can hold you for 48 hours on suspicion of murder. I should be able to find Sid's body by then. Hell, yeah. And then the mill just called to see if Sid was here. They're waiting for him to bring the payroll down. Oh, well, now isn't that a coincidence. Marvolo, you sure picked a fine day for it, didn't you? Now I've got to find a $110,000 payroll, as well as a corpus delicti. Well, then, maybe the guy really used magic to get rid of Doughton. As a district attorney, you make a lousy detective, Melton. You realize I had to turn that killer loose in 12 hours? How about the bullets? Did you find them? Marvolo's gun shows he fired four chambers. It's a 25. That caliber slug stays in a man's body. You searched the palace? Top to bottom. He didn't hide it there. How about his house? Even Superman couldn't carry a corpse over the other end of town and come back in four minutes. But I searched anyhow. The only thing missing was his car. He's got a bill of sale showing he sold it to a dealer who drove it west three days ago. OK, Marvolo. You win the first round. I can't hold you any longer. Yes. Well, thank you for your hospitality, Chief Tracy. I think I will leave Fernville. That is, if I may. Sure, sure. You can go. I'll see you in a minute. I'll see you in a minute. I'll see you in a minute. I'll see you in a minute. I'll see you in a minute. I'll see you in a minute. I'll see you in a minute. I'll see you in a minute. Sure, sure. You're free until I find Sid's body, that is. Oh, and by the way, you better spend that payroll money you took from Sid fast. Well, you're going to wind up. It ain't going to be much good to you. Hello, Melton. Yeah, Lam, what's up? I think I can crack this case. I just got a report on Marvolo's car. I can't make an arrest, of course, but the Chicago police have been able to tail the car and they've told me where Marvolo is living there. He's apparently been there since he left here four days ago. I'm leaving for Chicago today. Taxi. Taxi. Look, son, I want you to drive me out toward Jarlington Park. There's an old farmhouse out there I want to get to. I'll tell you where to drop me off. OK, Pop. All right, son, let me off at that crossroad. Don't you want to go to the house you want? No, I want to surprise a friend of mine. Here you are, son. Keep the change. Thanks, mister. There it is. Mailbox. Daniel Biggs. And there's Marvolo's car in the driveway. Yeah, that does it. Good evening, Chief Trefee. Marvolo. Put up your hand. Well, Marvolo, I thought you'd be in the house. I'm getting careless, I guess. Yes, very careless, my friend. I was afraid you might track down my car, but it doesn't really matter. Just keep your hands on site, please. Let's go inside where it's more comfortable, shall we? Believe me, I regret having to do this, Mr. Tracey. Well, you'll probably regret it longer than I will. I'll do you one favor, Tracey. As a detective, there are aspects of this case which you might like to know about. I'll answer any one question for you. Just one question, Tracey, before you die. You're very thoughtful of you, Marvolo. Not at all. All right, what did you do with Sid's body? Your deputy is... Sid! Sid Doughton! First time I ever had a corpse save my life, Sid. Sure glad to see you. Tell me what happened, Sid. Sure, give me a match first. Here you are. Thanks. Well, there's lots of it that I... I don't know, Lem. Marvolo comes in the hotel and fires at me. There's a puff of black smoke from the gun and I pass out. What then? Well, I don't know where he hid me, but I woke up, seemed like years later, in the trunk compartment of this car. Hey, that Marvolo's dead will never know how he worked it. How'd you get away from him? Worked the ropes loose this afternoon, hid in the orchard. I knew he'd taken a payroll from us. I saw him nab you, so I waited. Then I moved in. Oh, hang it, Sid. Why do you knock your pipe ashes out on floors? Oh, I'm sorry, Lem. I forgot. Hey, why are you stopping here, Lem? Well, might as well get some gas. Besides, I got a phone from Chicago police about Marvolo. Door up? Yeah. You got a phone here? Right inside the door. Thank you. Come on, come on. Hello, police headquarters? Give me Deputy Green, please. Hello, Green? This is Tracy from Fernville. Yeah. Say, send that squad car down the turnpike to Lettner's gas station, will you? Yeah, I got them both, the corpse and the killer. Sid. You were listening. Yeah, I was listening. I'd come in behind you. Easy. Don't try anything, Sid. Try anything? Why, I'll blast you open up. Oh. I'm sorry you made me do that, Sid. I'm arresting you for the murder of your partner, Daniel Biggs. Alias Marvolo. That bandage will hold you till the squad car gets here, Sid. Light your pipe if you want to. Oh, thanks. How'd you figure it out, Lem? Oh, well, I don't believe in magic, Sid. Marvolo had to have an accomplice to get out of jail. You're the only one who could have helped him stage that hokum. That all you had to go on? No, no. Man has habits, Sid. Little habits, like pipe smoking. Oh? You said you never got your old pipe back from Marvolo. And then you pulled it out when we were in the car. Yeah, I got to guess. How do you dope out my disappearance? Well, Marvolo probably shot four blanks at you. You cut your arm for the blood. The gal saw you lying there, and she ran out. You went out the window to the roof, and Marvolo locked the window after you. And I figured you made it to the car outside of town and waited for Marvolo to show up. And of course, you had that payroll with you, so I found it hidden in Marvolo's car. And by shooting Marvolo? You probably thought he was going to spill the setup to me. You're right, you know. I wouldn't have had to split the payroll with him. I should have stuck to my old profession, huh, Lem? Yeah, you should have, son. Or you should have stuck to cigarettes. Oh, hang it, Sid. Why didn't you learn not to empty your pipe ashes all over? You're the untidiest guy I ever seen. I'm sorry, Lem. I forgot. Sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry too, Sid. Mighty sorry. Come on, let's go, son. Anyhow, this is the first case in history where the corpse becomes the killer, and the killer winds up as the corpse. The story was called, Who Took the Corpse? This is T4Y closing the doors of the mystery playhouse and saying good night. Sleep tight. This is the Armed Forces Radio Service.
