It's time now for Mr. Keen, tracer of lost persons. For incredibly fast relief from the pains of simple headache or minor neuralgia, try Anisone, A-N-A-C-I-N. Anisone is like a doctor's prescription. That is, it's composed of not just one, but a combination of medically active ingredients. Take only as directed. Get convenient Anisone tablets at your druggist tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, Colonel's Toothpaste presents Mr. Keen, tracer of lost persons. One of the most famous characters of American fiction and one of radio's most thrilling dramas. Tonight and every Thursday at the same time, the famous old investigator takes from his file and brings to us one of his most celebrated missing persons cases. Next time you buy a dentabriss, get high polishing, high forming Colonel's Toothpaste or tooth powder. Colonel's is a double result dentabriss with a mouthwash effect built right in. Freshens your breath while you're brushing your teeth. Tomorrow buy Colonel's. Now Mr. Keen and the almost unbelievable case of the frightened child. Our story opens on a foggy morning in New York City. At the children's shelter on lower Manhattan, we find Mr. Keen and police Lieutenant Evans walking together down one of the corridors. Lieutenant Evans is saying with unusual emotion. Mr. Keen, I can't tell you how this kid affects me. I'm a pretty tough guy. I should be after all the years I've been on the police force, but the expression in this kid's eyes, I just can't take it. How old is the child, Lieutenant Evans? I'd say about five. You found him wandering around the streets? Down by the Brooklyn Bridge at six o'clock in the morning. Officer Casey picked him up. He said he thought he was seeing things when this little fellow stepped out of the fog. But the thing that gets me is that he don't seem to know how to talk. That seems incredible at five years old, unless he's suffering from shock. How was he dressed? Well, that's another funny thing, Mr. Keen. The suit he had on looked like it might have cost a lot of money. And he won't tell you his name? He won't or he can't. He just sits and stares at you, those big eyes of his. We've run his picture and all the papers, so wouldn't you think that somebody would know who he was? Somebody must know who he is. They're keeping quiet about it. That's what bothers me. And that's why I decided to call you and... Oh, here we are, sir. All right, Lieutenant. Hello, kid. How goes it? I brought someone to see you. Oh, now wait. Don't run away. He won't hurt you, son. I like little boys. Here, give me your hand. You see, Mr. Keen, he won't say a word. He's got to learn that I won't hurt him. Give me your hand, son. There. That's not so bad, is it? I'm here to help you. Let's have a little more light in here. Somebody must have pulled down these shades. No, no! He must have pulled them down himself. He's afraid of the light, Lieutenant. And apparently he isn't used to it. No! All right, kid, take it easy. I'll pull them down again. That's right. The sunlight's good for little boys. You mean you've never played in the sunlight with other children? He won't answer you, Mr. Keen. I think he will when he gets to know me better. I think he'll even manage to tell me his name. Name? Yes, your name. What do people call you? I'm your friend. You have nothing to be afraid of with me. So try to tell me your name and where you came from. What did I tell you, Mr. Keen? You can't get a thing out of him. Seemed he was a little less frightened when you left him, Lieutenant. That's true. But we still don't have any idea who he is. His fear of the light. That should tell us something. Mr. Keen, you mean you think he was kept in darkness? There's something horrible here. What was done to that child and why was it done? I'm going to find out if it's the last thing I do. I thought you'd feel like that about it, sir. Of course, Mr. Keen, anything that... Excuse me, sir. Are you Lieutenant Evans? Huh? Oh, why yes. My name is Clark. They sent me over here from the station house. You wanted to see me? Yes, I guess so. They told me you was in charge of the case. They thought it was important, so I come right over here. What case are you talking about? That kid you found by the bridge. What? What about him? Do you know who he is? No, but I've seen his picture in the papers. I had a funny experience a couple of nights ago and I thought that maybe I ought to report it. What do you do? I'm a night watchman down near the waterfront. One of the blocks I patrol is mostly empty buildings. An old brewery they don't use anymore and a couple of loft buildings. Go on. Well, last week one night when I was passing one of the loft buildings, I could have sworn I heard a child crying. Then I decided it must have been a cat or a boat whistle. Them boat whistles drive you crazy on a foggy night. You should have done something about it. Well, I tell you, I thought I was hearing things. Then the next night I heard it again. Yes, go on. I says to myself, there can't be a kid in that empty building. But finally I went back. I found a window open on the ground floor and then I decided I must have been crazy. Why? You've never seen such a place. Dust over everything. Dust and cobwebs. It hadn't been used for years. I was just about to go and all at once I happened to turn my flashlight on the floor. There was footprints in the dust. The child's footprints. And they was pointing toward the window. I hope we're doing the right thing, Mr. Keen. I'm afraid it's the only thing to do, Lieutenant. We've got to find out if the child knows that building and if that's where he came from. Besides, he isn't afraid, are you, son? No. Of course you aren't. As long as you're with us, nothing can happen to you. Just remember that. Well, this is George Street. And that looks like number 17. That's right. That's the place. Okay, driver, here we are. Now wait right here. We won't be long. You coming, kid? No. Sure you are, little fellow. Just keep your hand in mine. You'll be perfectly all right. What a God-versaigen spot. That building looks as if it had been shut up for years. There's no name on it, Lieutenant Evans. Nothing. I was hoping there would be. What a place to leave a child if I did leave him here. We'll soon find out. Come on, son. Just a little bit farther. No. No. It'll soon be over with. And I'm here. You can trust me. There's the window, Mr. Keen. It's still wide open. If the kid was in there, that's how he must have gotten out. But how did they take him in? They must have realized that window was open. Let's go in and see if we can find out. No. No. I thought so. He's afraid of the place. They had him here all right. They certainly did. Okay, son. It's all over with. We're going away now. Mommy. Mommy. I want my mommy. Hush. Now hush. We'll find your mother for you. And I'll find out who did this to you. You can count on that, too. Why, yes, Lieutenant. I just as soon keep the youngster with me. Meanwhile, I sent Mike Clancy, my assistant, to look up the records in that building. Oh, boss. Mr. Keen, sir. Oh, yes, Mike. I'm in here. Hello, Lieutenant. Mike just came in this minute, and I'll call you as soon as I hear what he has to say. Goodbye. Well, Mike. Well, I found out who owns the building, sir, but that's all I did find out. Who owns it? Three brothers named Brandon. Three brothers? Yes, sir. Philip, George, and Richard Brandon. They're in the textile business. Live up at Rawlins, New York. Ten years ago, they moved their business up there. But their old loft building here has been empty ever since. Brandon. Brandon. Does it mean anything, sir? No. But I think I'll pay a call on the Brandon brothers up at Rawlins tomorrow. I won't mention the child. I don't dare mention the child. But I'll think up some excuse for going to see them. Yes, sir. And Mike, I'd also like to read the back editions of the Rawlings newspaper. As far back as a month. Possibly three months. Please sit down, Mr. Keen. My brother will be right with us. Thank you, Mr. Brandon. I appreciate your seeing me. Since I happen to be in Rawlings, I thought it would save time if I came directly to you. You wanted to see me, Philip? Yes, George. Come in. Mr. Keen, this is my brother George. How do you do? How do you do? George, Mr. Keen wants to lease that loft building in New York. What? Yes, that is, he's acting for a client. He seems rather vague about the whole thing. Not at all. I'm simply making inquiries for a client. But why that particular building? I don't know, George. Ask Mr. Keen. Perhaps he can tell you. I'm just acting on instructions. I want to find out the terms. So you said that unfortunately we can't quote you any terms until... Until we talk to our sister-in-law, Edith Brandon, and right now I'm afraid that's out of the question. But I don't understand. Does she own that building? Well, no. That is not entirely. You see, our younger brother Richard owned two-thirds of the business. Mr. Keen isn't interested in that, George. I'm just explaining the circumstances. Anyhow, Mr. Keen, after Richard's death, well, his wife Edith inherited that building. So we'd have to consult her before quoting terms. And Edith is in a rest home. She had a nervous breakdown about a month ago. In a rest home? Mr. Brandon, you don't mean that your brother Richard... Good heavens, of course. Now I remember. He was killed, wasn't he? He and his little boy. Yes. They were out boating and Richard must have lost an oar. And the current is very strong on the river here, and they must have been carried into the rapids. That's right. The boat was found smashed to pieces, but the bodies of your brother and his son were never found. How do you happen to know all that? I read it in the Rawlings newspaper. I remember thinking how ghastly it must have been for that poor woman to lose her husband and her boy both at once. How is it that you were interested in reading the Rawlings paper? Do you have friends here, Mr. Keen? Do you... Philip. Philip, I think there's someone at the door. The door? Oh, Agnes, what are you doing here? Hello, darling. I wasn't eavesdropping. I was just passing by and I... I heard voices, but I wasn't eavesdropping. I didn't say you were. I thought perhaps it was someone I knew. No, Mr. Keen, this is my wife. How do you do? How do you do? Did you say Keen? That name, it sounds familiar. I don't know why it should be. You've never met before. Mr. Keen has a client who wants to lease that loft building in New York. What did you say? Agnes, I'm sorry, but we're trying to talk business. But that building... Agnes, I'll see you later. Yes, dear, I'm going. I'm going right away. Goodbye, Mr. Keen. Goodbye, Mrs. Brandon. I'll wait for you outside, Philip, and I... I really wasn't eavesdropping. You must excuse the interruption. As a matter of fact, I can't see much point in continuing the conversation. But, Mr. Brandon... I'm sure that my sister-in-law wouldn't be interested in leasing that building, especially since we may use it ourselves later on. Don't you agree with me, George? Oh, yes, absolutely. You mean you won't even ask her? I can't see any point to it, Mr. Keen. It isn't as though Edith needed the money. She's extremely well-off. She has everything she wants. You mean she has everything except her husband and her little boy. Hello? Mike? Oh, Mr. Keen, where are you? Sure I've been wondering when you were going to call. I'm still in Rawlings. I'm calling from the hotel here. I'm going to stay over another day. Why, sir? I want to try to see Mrs. Richard Brandon, if I can. And Mike, listen carefully. This is frightfully important. Yes, sir. Tell Lieutenant Evans that child must be watched. He mustn't be left alone for any reason whatsoever. When I return, I may take him up to my house. Meanwhile, he must be guarded night and day. Just a moment, we'll witness a dramatic and moving scene as Mr. Keen continues the case of the frightened child. Meanwhile, whenever you feel cold miseries coming on, do this right away. Get Hill's cold tablets at your drugists. Hill's cold tablets are especially prepared to go right to work on all these distressing cold symptoms you feel. That flushed feverishness at present, the headache and the pains and aches of a cold, all those important ways of treating cold symptoms, and for that clogged up feeling in your nose, get Hill's nose drops. They help clear up nasal congestion fast. Like only as directed, ask for Hill's H-I-L-L-S, Hill's cold tablets and nose drops at your drugists tonight. Now back to Mr. Keen and the strange, almost unbelievable case of the frightened child. It's early evening of the following day, and we find Mr. Keen moving restlessly about his study. With him is a frail, attractive young woman who watches him with sad and haunted eyes. Will they be here by now, Mr. Keen? Don't worry, Mrs. Brandon. Mike can be depended to get him here safely. And you really think it's my son? Oh, it doesn't seem possible. I tell you, Mrs. Brandon, I'm not promising you a thing. But there's a chance that it is your son. And if it is? If it is, it means a hideous crime has been committed. It will take a lot of courage for you to see this thing through. My boy will give me courage. If it is my boy... It won't be easy. It will take a lot of patience to nurse him back to a state of normalcy. During that period, I want you to stay right here in my house, where Mike and I can act as a bodyguard. You think there's danger? I know there's danger. By the way, Mrs. Brandon, did your husband ever quarrel with his brothers over the business? Was there resentment because he inherited two-thirds of the stock? On the surface, no, Mr. Keen. Underneath, it was always there. Even so, I can't believe in this monstrous thing. Maybe you've made a dreadful mistake. Perhaps this child... Perhaps it isn't Joel. Perhaps not. We'll soon find out. Mike just came in. He has a key. Just wait here a second, Mrs. Brandon. Here we are, boss. What a time we had getting here. Hello there. Hello. Will you look at that now? He actually smiled at you, Mr. Keen, sir. Oh, I didn't know there was anyone else here, sir. This is Mrs. Brandon, Mike. She just arrived. Come over here, son. Joel. Do you know this lady? Joel, don't you remember? Mommy! Mommy! Joel, my baby. Now, sweetheart, let's play our game again, shall we? Let's pretend that you and Daddy are in the boat fishing. I caught a fish, too. I caught a fish, Mr. Keen. I know you did, Joel. You told us you did. But then what happened after you caught the fish? Nothing. Something must have happened. Daddy never came back. Why didn't he come back? Why, darling? I don't know. Are you sure you don't know? Perhaps... perhaps somebody came down to the shore and called to you? Yes. They did? Who was it, Joel? Who was it, darling? You've got to tell me. Easy, Mrs. Brandon. But he's got to tell me. He simply has to. No. I can't. I don't know who it was. Mr. Keen! Mr. Keen, here we are! High time, too, Joel. It's almost dark out. I know, sir, but I couldn't get him to come in. Sure, I never thought the day would come when I'd play nursemaid. You weren't followed by anyone, Mike. Not that I know of, sir. What, Fowl? It means someone walking behind you, watching you. Perhaps the same person who called to you and your father that day from the shore. Oh. Joel, you say you can't tell us who that was. But someday, if I take you to visit some people, do you suppose... do you suppose you could point that person out? Would Mommy go, too? Yes, your Mommy would go, too. So no one could harm you. Will you do that someday, Joel? Yes. Bosh. Okay, Joel. It's a deal. We'll talk about it tomorrow morning. And here comes your mother. Joel, it's almost bedtime and you haven't had your supper. Go in your room right this minute and take your things off. Yes, Mommy. Mommy, I made a deal. Oh, you did, did you? Well, see that you're ready for supper in five minutes or I'll make a deal and you won't like it much. Only first kiss me. And now off you to me, boy, or we'll take no more walks. James Preservers, that's the first time I heard him laugh. I thought he'd forgotten how. Oh, Mr. Keen, I... Oh, no. You've been a brave, patient woman, Mrs. Brandon. Just keep it up a little longer. The end is in sight. That deal he spoke of, he promised to point out your husband's murderer. Mr. Keen. That is, if he was murdered. At any rate, I think Joel is ready for it now. And tomorrow morning... Mommy! Mommy! What's that? Joel! Come on, I'm coming and I got the gun handy. Mommy! Darling, what is it? Joel, what's the matter? The window! Someone must have climbed in the window. The kid must have scared them away. Never should have left him in a room on the ground floor. Quick, Mike, do you see anyone? No. Yes, yes, there's someone run down the street. It's too dark to see. I'd fire into the air. Okay, Mike. Stop or I'll shoot! It's no use. They kept on going. They turned the corner. You couldn't tell what they looked like? No, I couldn't tell a thing. It was like a shatter. Look, what's the matter with the kid? What's he standing on? Joel. The noise must have frightened him. Joel! We're gone! Daddy! We're gone! So that's what happened, Mr. Keen. They shot my husband and put his body in the boat. And then they turned the boat adrift, knowing it was sure to break up in the rapids. And that Richard's body would be carried out to sea. I'm afraid that's exactly what happened, Mrs. Brandon. But, Joel, why didn't they kill him, too? He was a witness. He saw them kill his father. I know. That's what interests me, too. Mrs. Brandon, are you sure no one knew you were coming here? No one. They gave me their word at the rest home that they wouldn't tell anyone where I was going. You yourself persuaded the doctor to let me come here to your home, Mr. Keen. Someone must have known. Someone must have realized the boy was here with me. Mrs. Brandon. Yes? We don't wait any longer. We don't even wait until tomorrow morning. But, Mr. Keen. We're going up to Rawlings tonight. And Joel is going to tell us who murdered his father. We must, Mrs. Brandon, without further delay. His safety, his life, depends upon it now. The house is lit up like a Christmas tree. It must be entertaining. Good. The more people, the safer we'll be. We're not too safe at that, boss. Anyone who could do such a frightful thing. Not only to my husband, but to Joel, too. I know. But we've got to go through with this, Mrs. Brandon, for Joel's sake. You understand that, don't you? Yes. Which room is the library? That one right there, with the French windows opening onto the terrace. All right. You wait with Joel and Mike on the terrace, and I'll call you when I'm ready. You all set, Mike? All set, sir. As for you, Joel, you'll be a brave boy, won't you? You and Mommy won't leave me. Of course not, darling. Your mother will never leave you again. You're doing this for her, Joel. Yes, Mr. King. I knew I could depend on you. Just remember, there's only one thing we want you to do. When I call you, when you step into that room... Yes? I want you to show me who it was who shot your daddy. Mr. King, this is most presumptuous. I don't understand it. We have guests, Mr. King. I know you have guests, but this is important, or I wouldn't have troubled you. We told you the other day that building wasn't for rent. I didn't come here about that. Did you want me, dear? I didn't want you, Agnes. This gentleman, Mr. King, sent for you. And if he's wise, it explains just what this is all about. I intend to. Please sit down, madam. But I have guests. This won't take long. First of all, I must tell you, that business about the building was a necessary lie. I came for quite a different reason. I'm a tracer of lost persons. A tracer of lost persons? That's where I heard his name. Now I remember. And just why should you be interested in talking to us, Mr. King? The police were interested. They sent for me, Mr. Brandon, because a child was left to die in that building of yours. A child who had been held a prisoner for more than a month. A child held prisoner? Why, who was it? Your nephew. My nephew? Joel? But, but that's impossible. Joel is dead. No, Mrs. Brandon. He's very much alive. I don't believe it. It's fantastic. He was drowned with his father. His father wasn't drowned. He was shot, Mr. Brandon. And Joel happened to witness that shooting. Richard, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know what you were shooting. Richard, murdered? Philip, it's not true. He must be mad. That's exactly what I was thinking. No, I'm quite sane. You see, Joel is waiting outside with his mother. What? I'm going to call them in. Mike Clancy, my assistant, is with them, Mr. Brandon. And I must warn all of you that Mike is armed. All right, Mrs. Brandon. Bring him in. Joel. No. Stay where you are. Don't move, any of you. Don't move, any of you. All right, Joel. Come here. Now Joel, you promised me you'd be a brave boy. Don't forget, we're depending on you. Yes. Who was it, Joel? Who shot your daddy and then took you away? Who was it? Tell us. It was her. She did it. Mrs. Brandon. She took me away. She got me tied up. And then she left me in that place. That dark place. Agnes. Is that true? Yes, sir. It's true. Well, it's all over with Mr. Keen. She signed the confession. Mr. Brandon, I can't tell you. This is what makes my job so difficult at times. I've been afraid of something like that for so long, Mr. Keen. Agnes was insanely jealous of my brother Richard. She felt it wasn't right that he should have two-thirds of the business. She thought... Well, she thought of it constantly. She talked about it constantly. It became an obsession. Yes, I know. In cases like that, there's bound to be an explosion. She probably set out to have a showdown with your brother, but her emotions got the best of her and she shot and killed him. But why did she spare Joel? He saw what she did. She knew that someday he'd tell. Mr. Brandon, it's not easy for a woman to kill a child. That's what first made me suspect it might be your wife. At first she kept Joel a prisoner in that old abandoned boathouse. But of course, that couldn't go on forever. She grew desperate, so she drove him down to New York to that empty loft building on the waterfront. She was so frantic by then, so completely demoralized that she didn't stay long enough to find out about that open window. But she left him there to die. It was the same thing as murdering him. Not quite. Not to her poor, twisted mind. She couldn't bring herself to kill him, but by leaving him in that building, she didn't have to watch him die. My keys to that building disappeared two weeks ago. That's why when you came to see me, I was startled. I was frightened. Poor child, poor Agnes, and my poor brother. Mr. Brandon, your wife will be sent to a mental hospital. She'll be better off there. Mr. Kane! Mr. Kane! Excuse me, Mr. Kane, I can't bear to face that child. Not yet. Not yet. I understand, Mr. Brandon. Mr. Kane, I'm going home. Mommy's taking me home to the house where I used to live when I was little. Why, that's fine, Joel. May I come to see you sometime? Sure you can. Mr. Kane, was I a good boy? You were a very good boy, Joel. I was very, very proud of you. Two handicaps to business and social success are surface stained teeth and unwelcome breath. To help correct these conditions when due to improper cleansing, try colonose, a double result toothpaste that freshens your breath while you're brushing your teeth, a high-polishing, high-foaming toothpaste with a mouthwash effect built right in. When you try colonose, use it just like any other toothpaste, but swish its active foam thoroughly through your mouth to get the extra benefit of its added mouthwash effect. That's K-O-L-Y-N-O-S, colonose toothpaste. Or if you prefer powder, try refreshing colonose tooth powder. Friends, this week and next, thousands of servicemen and women on furlough, including many wounded heroes on leave from hospitals, will be going home to spend Thanksgiving Day with their families. We are asked to keep trains and buses free for them and for essential travelers engaged in all important war activities by canceling any trip that is not absolutely necessary. Remember, don't travel unless your trip helps win the war. Thank you, Mr. Keen. You have been listening to Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons. On the air every Thursday at this time. Don't miss Mr. Keen next Thursday when the kindly old Tracer brings us another thrilling Missing Persons case. Save time and money in waxing floors. Use economical, no-rubbing Aero-Wax. You'll be delighted to see how floors shine like new with a lustrous finish that saves countless scrubbing. Remember, Aero-Wax dries in minutes, but lasts for weeks. Try Aero-Wax, A-E-R-O-W-A-X, tomorrow. Full pints, only 25 cents. Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, will be on the air next Thursday at this same time. This is Larry Elliott saying good night. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
