It's time now for Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons. Ladies and gentlemen, Anason and Kalinos present 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 him his file and brings to us one of his most celebrated missing persons cases. Tonight's case is entitled, The Case of the Murdered Detective. This program comes to you from the makers of Anason. You probably have occasion at times to take something for headaches, neuritis, or neurologic pain. But if you've never taken Anason, let me suggest that you do so, especially if you want incredibly fast and effective relief. Anason is like a doctor's prescription. That is, it contains not just one, but a combination of medically proven active ingredients in easy to take tablet form. Your own dentist or physician may have given you an envelope containing Anason tablets at one time or another. Thousands of people have come to know and prefer Anason this way. So the next time you want prompt relief from the pains of headaches, neuritis, or neuralgia, try Anason. See for yourself how incredibly fast and effective it is. Ask for Anason at your neighborhood drug counter today. For most effective relief, use only as directed. Anason is spelled A-N-A-C-I-N. Now for Mr. Keene and the case of the murdered detective. Our scene opens in the office which Mr. Keene, the famous investigator, shares with his friend and partner, Mike Clancy. Telephone is ringing at the moment, and as Mike picks up the receiver, he hears a familiar voice at the other end of the wire. Hello. Mr. Keene? Oh, this is his partner, Mike Clancy speaking. Mike, this is Jim Ryan. Jim, my boy, and how are you? Fine, Mike. Would you put Mr. Keene on the wire, please? It's important. Sure, just a second. Mr. Keene? Yes, Mike? It's Jim Ryan, the police force detective. He says it's important. Oh, all right, I'll take it. Hello? Mr. Keene? Yes, Jim? I'm calling from a phone booth in the hotel metropole. I'm working on a case, and I thought you might be able to help me out. I'll do anything I can, Jim. Do you remember a man named Martin Cook? Martin Cook? He's in the real estate business. He was called as a material witness in an embezzlement case two years ago. If I remember, you had something to do with breaking that case. Just a moment, Jim. I'll ask Mike Clancy to check through the files. I don't have much time, Mr. Keene. As a matter of fact, I've been trailing Cook for the past three hours. Jim! Jim Ryan! Knife! Knife! I... Jim! What's the trouble, boss? Hotel metropole, Mike, quickly. Something's happened to Jim Ryan. And I only hope we're not too late. Here are the public telephone booths, Mike. The first one's empty, Mr. Keene. Let's see if the other one... Mike, help me open this door. Wait, there's someone inside, crumbled up against the wall. Let's see if we can open this phone booth door. Mike. Sains Preservus. It's Jim Ryan. He's dead. He's got a knife in his back. Surely he was one of my old friends in the police force. A better man never lived. I'd like to get my hands on the man... Easy, Mike. Let's keep our heads. We've got work to do. These phone booths are isolated from the rest of the hotel lobby. That's why it wasn't hard for Jim Ryan's killer to strike and get away. Step into the next phone booth, Mike, and put a call through to the police. I will, sir. I'll notify the hotel manager. Then I want to pay a visit to a man named Martin Cook. Martin Cook? Is he the man Jim Ryan was trailing, boss? Yes, Mike. Jim said he was in the real estate business. And I want to find him before he has a chance to plan a getaway. Here's the office, Mr. King. Martin Cook, real estate. Keep your gun where you can reach it quickly, Mike. I've got it handy, boss. May I help you? Is Mr. Cook in? Not at the moment. I'm his secretary, Miss Everett. Did you have an appointment with Mr. Cook? No. My name is Keane. This is my partner, Mr. Clancy. Mr. Keane? The famous investigator? Please sit down, sir. Mr. Cook should be here at any moment. Perhaps you'd better take a look in his office, Mike. Yes, sir. But I assure you that Mr. Cook isn't in, Mr. Keane. I don't doubt your word on that, Miss Everett. However, I'd like my partner to search his office for evidence. Evidence of what? Your employer, Mr. Cook, is under suspicion of murder. Murder? Is that his private office, Miss? Yes. I'll show it to you, Mr. Clancy. I'll wait out here, Mike, in case Mr. Cook arrives. Right, sir. This is Mr. Cook's private office, Mr. Clancy. Let's have a look through this desk. Mr. Clancy, who was murdered? Jim Rine, a police detective. A man with a wife and three children depended on him. Sure, and when we get our hands on the killer, he'll regret it. I'll take these books and these business papers along with me. Miss Everett, whose picture is that on Martin Cook's desk? Mr. Cook's son, Arthur. Oh, he's got himself a family, has he? Only his son. His wife is dead, Mr. Clancy. Mr. Cook! Miss Everett. What's going on in here? This man is an associate of Mr. Keen's, the private investigator. I'll handle it if you don't mind, Miss. You're Martin Cook? I am? Just a minute, Mr. Mr. Keen? Yes, Mike? Martin Cook came into his office through another door. Oh. Did you find anything? I didn't have much of a chance to look around before he came in, boss. I grabbed these books and papers on general principles just to read them over. Mr. Cook? Yes, Miss Everett. Will you leave us alone, please? If there's anything I... Just see that I'm not disturbed. Very well, Mr. Cook. Mr. Keen, if I recall correctly, we met for a few moments about two years ago. That's right, Mr. Cook. It was in regard to an embezzlement case. I remember you helped a district attorney gather evidence to break the case. You were very brave to testify, since your life had been threatened by gangsters. Have you come here to ask me for additional help, Mr. Keen? No. Next time, I'm afraid, you're not an innocent witness testifying for the state. You may find yourself a defendant. In what way? Do you know a man named James Ryan? Is he a police detective? Yes. I believe I've heard the name. He's been murdered. Murdered? Oh, no. And at the time, he was making some kind of investigation of you, Mr. Cook. I see. Do you know what he was investigating? No. Jim Ryan was investigating a theft of charity funds, Mr. Keen. Funds I stole. I see. And what about his murder? You have no father to go to find your murderer. I killed that police detective. Sure, and he admits it, Mr. Keen. Just a moment, Mike. Mr. Cook, you say you killed Jim Ryan? Yes. When? What difference does it make? Well, what did you do with the gun? I threw it away in the river. Mr. Keen. Mr. Cook. Anything you say can be used against you. But you're under no obligation to talk at this point. Take me away. Put me in jail. I've admitted the crime, haven't I? What more do you want? All right, Mike. We'll drive down to headquarters of Mr. Cook and turn him over to the police. Then we'll continue with our investigation. What more is there to investigate? You've solved the crime, haven't you? Not quite, Mr. Cook. I have a feeling there's a great deal more to be discovered in spite of your so-called confession. Now I want to know who the person is you're trying to shield. No one. No one. I tell you, I did it. Turn me over to the police. Very well, Mr. Cook. Come along. Well, I mean to find out who you're trying to shield. Well, Mr. Keen, we've turned our self-confessed murderer, Martin Cook, over to the police. Where do we go from here, sir? To Cook's residence, Mike. I've looked it up in the phone book. Drive to Carroll Street. Yes, sir. Sure, and when he said he threw his gun away, I got the shock of my life. I tricked him into that, Mike. As you know, Jim Ryan was stabbed to death with a knife. I suggested a gun and Cook took the bait. But why do you think he did that, Mr. Keen? Confessed to a murder he didn't commit. As I told him, in my opinion, he's shielding someone. Well, I heard you tell that to Lieutenant Hale at police headquarters too, boss. The lieutenant mentioned another angle to it. Yes, I know, and he may be right. Martin Cook may be a clever psychologist. He might be trying to get us to think he's protecting someone, just to make himself appear an innocent martyr. Cook could have actually committed the murder himself. But according to his account books, the money he collected from them charities is missing, boss. That's why Jim Ryan, the police detective, was trailing him. Yes, Mike, I know. Martin Cook may have stolen the money himself, or it may have been stolen by the person he's trying to shield. We're on our way to Martin Cook's house right now to check on that all-important fact. Yes? My name is Keen. This is Mr. Clancy. This is Mr. Martin Cook's house, isn't it? Yes, I'm Arthur Cook, his son. I'm afraid I have bad news for you, Arthur. Bad news? Has something happened to Dad? He's being held by the police on suspicion of murder. My father held for murder? May we come in, please? Yes, of course. You just about knocked the wind out of me, Mr. Keen. Well, there must be some mistake. My father here... He admitted the murder, young fellow. Admitted it? What? Who... who was murdered? A police detective named Ryan was stabbed to death while trailing your father. Jim Ryan evidently had gotten information that your father was guilty of stealing certain charity funds that were entrusted to him. No, no, Dad couldn't have stolen that money. I... I don't believe it. But he's admitted that, too. I must get hold of a lawyer. I... Just a moment, Mr. Keen. Hello? Arthur, darling? I... I can't talk to you now, Lola. But, Arthur, what's the matter? I'll call you back. You think I'm going to sit around in my apartment all day just waiting for your call? Mr. Keen, where is my father being held? At police headquarters. I must go down to see him at once. Since we're working with the police, you don't mind if we remain here and look the house over, do you? There's... there's nothing in this house that'll interest you, Mr. Keen. Well, I'll suppose you'll let me be the judge of that, Arthur. Very well, stay here if you like. I'm going to get in touch with our attorney and get my father out of this crazy mess. Sure, and he turned pale when you told him about his father being a murder suspect, Mr. Keen. Yes, Mike, and his reaction to the theft of the charity funds was just a startling. And I wonder why. The murder charge is a lot more serious than the theft of money, and yet... Mike, there's a small book for telephone numbers on that side table. Would you hand it to me, please? Yes. Here. Here you are, sir. That girl Arthur Cook just spoke to on the phone. He called her Lola. There's a phone number and address in here for someone named Lola Slade. I think I'll call her. Look at this, Arthur, Mr. Keen. Don't it seem that a man who can afford an expensive place like this shouldn't be tempted to steal money from charity cases? That's exactly what I was thinking, Mike. There's something strange about it. Hello? Is this Miss Lola Slade? Well... My name is Keen. I was wondering if I could see you about... I had nothing to do with it. Keep away from me, do you hear? Keep away. Hello? Hello? Did Lola Slade hang up on you, boss? Yes, after protesting her innocence about something I hadn't even accused her of. Mike, this case has a number of odd angles. We'll have to check every one before we're absolutely sure who murdered Detective Jim Ryan. I have a hunch, in spite of Martin Cook's confession, the eventual solution will be an amazing one. In just a moment, we'll return to Mr. Keen and the case of the murdered detective. Meanwhile, stop tooth decay and unpleasing breath. Yes, stop tooth decay and unpleasing breath at breeds between the teeth. Use colonose toothpaste with dental floss action. Your dentist will tell you, brush your teeth after meals to stop decay. Clean those cracks and crevices deep between your teeth to guard against unpleasing breath. Now colonose gives you dental floss action. That is, sends thousands of active cleansing bubbles to help dislodge bits of food that can cause unpleasing breath. What's more, for me, refreshing colonose brightens teeth by removing ordinary yellow surface stains, helps stop tooth decay. Get colonose toothpaste with dental floss action today. Now back to Mr. Keen and the case of the murdered detective. Mr. Keen, the great investigator and his partner, Mike Clancy, are investigating the murdered detective Jim Ryan of the police department, a friend of both Mr. Keen's and Mike's. Under suspicion for the killing is Martin Cook, who has confessed to the crime. Although Mr. Keen believes he is trying to shield the real culprit. Now Mike and Mr. Keen arrive at the apartment of Lola Slade, a friend of Martin Cook's son, Arthur. Mr. Keen suspects that she knows a great deal more about the crime than she admits to. And as Mike rings her doorbell... Hmm, no answer, Mr. Keen. Maybe Lola Slade doesn't want to answer, Mike. Open this door or I'll force the lock. What do you want? Are you Lola Slade? What about it? My name is Keen. This is my partner, Mike Clancy. I spoke to you on the phone a few minutes ago. Stay out of my apartment. Get your foot out the door. Keep this door open if you please, lady. Step inside, boss. I'll hold it open with my foot. You've got no right to come in here like this. I'm no criminal. A detective named Jim Ryan has been murdered, Lola. We're working with the police. We have a right to question all suspects. Suspects? I'm no suspect. But you seem to know a great deal about the case. You protested your innocence over the telephone even before you were accused. I heard about the murder of that detective on a news broadcast a minute before you phoned, Mr. Keen. I knew that Martin Cook had been arrested and I thought his son, Arthur, would be mixed up in it. Why should that frighten you, Lola? Well, I'm a showgirl, Mr. Keen. I sing for a living on the stage and in nightclubs. I have a reputation to consider. Mr. Keen. What is it, Mike? Take a look on that couch. Yes, I noticed that open suitcase. Evidently, Lola Slade was packing to leave the city. But I have an engagement to sing in Los Angeles. And that's just about as far away as you can get, eh? What do you mean, Mr. Clancy? Have you brought the police with you? Not yet, Lola. I'll answer that door for you, young lady. Mr. Clancy. Boss. It's Miss Everett, Mr. Cook's secretary. Oh, come in, Miss Everett. Is this Miss Lola Slade? Well, I thought I'd give you a chance to clear yourself before I turn this evidence over to the police. Evidence? What evidence? Are you crazy? Just what is it you found, Miss Everett? Mr. Keen, this letter came for Mr. Cook this afternoon. As his secretary, I opened all his business mail and I read it. What does it say? It's from a credit company. It says that unless $8,000 worth of bills are paid by Monday, Mr. Cook's son Arthur will be brought into court. Let me see that letter, please, Miss Everett. Here you are, Mr. Keen. According to this letter, the items were charged and several bad checks were passed. Bad checks? That makes it a criminal offense, boss. That's right, Mike. The items include a fur coat and a woman's bracelet, both of which were sent to me by Miss Lola Slade. But I didn't know Arthur Cook stole the money when he bought me those things. Stole what money, Lola? Why, the money that... You mean the stolen charity funds? Judging by your slip of the tongue, Arthur Cook must have told you that he stole that money from his father. Yes, it was only a few days ago. He came to me to borrow some money to pay those bills, but I didn't have any. Then he got the money somewhere else. When I heard the story of the stolen funds and the murder over the radio, I just naturally tied it up with Arthur. Mr. Cook was right about you, Lola Slade. He did his best to separate you from Arthur. You keep quiet, he'll never... You bled his son for all you could get out of him. I'll make you regret that. Put down that fire poker, Lola. I'll put it down on her head. Not so fast. Give me that poker. Let go of me. You're all against me, every one of you. But I'm innocent. I swear I'm innocent. Waving fire pokers around won't help your case any. When you've recovered your composure, Lola, I suggest you tell the police what part you had in all this. You... you're going to arrest me, Mr. Keen? I have no evidence that you were involved in the murder of Detective Jim Ryan. At least not yet. However, you may be involved in a theft before very long. Mr. Keen, I told you I didn't know Arthur Cook stole that money from his father. Miss Everett, just how, where the funds stolen? Do you happen to know? Yes, Mr. Keen. They were taken in cash from the safe. The safe in Martin Cook's office? Yes. Mr. Cook reported it as a burglary at first. Well, Detective Jim Ryan must have gotten suspicious, boss, and followed up the case, yet in evidence that it was an inside job. I think so too, Mike. Perhaps we'll have a look at Mr. Cook's safe and see if we can get any information from it. Lola, your attempt to attack Miss Everett is punishable by law. However, perhaps Miss Everett will forget it on the grounds of temperament and fear. I don't want to see her in jail, Mr. Keen. I'll accept an apology. I'm sorry, Miss Everett. I just didn't know what I was doing. I'm ready to go to the police, Mr. Keen, and tell them as much as I know. Very well. We'll escort you to headquarters and then proceed to Mr. Cook's office. And perhaps discover the final information we need as to who murdered Detective Jim Ryan. Come into the office, Mr. Keen, and Mr. Clancy. Thank you, Miss Everett. First, I'd like to examine Mr. Cook's safe. The safe is in Mr. Cook's private office. I locked the door when I left before. Key is in my desk here. Here it is. Oh, just a moment, Miss Everett. Sir? You don't mind if I smoke a cigar, do you? Why, of course not. I smoke myself, but not cigars. You have a match, Mike? Sure, boss. I have one. Wait a minute. Here's a packet of matches in the desk. May I have them, Miss Everett? Help yourself, Mr. Keen. Thank you. Now, let's proceed to Mr. Cook's private office. That's odd. I know I locked the door when I left, but now it's open. Miss Everett, Mr. Keen. Arthur, what are you doing in your father's office? I managed to get a key from Dad. I came here for evidence. What kind of evidence, Arthur? Evidence that will put me in jail for theft, Mr. Keen, and free my father of a murder charge. You mean you're confessing to the theft of that money your father collected for charity? Yes, Mr. Keen. They wouldn't believe me at police headquarters. They thought I was just trying to shield my father the way he's been shielding me. But I'm going to prove it to them. Your father also shielding you for murder, Arthur? No, Mr. Keen. I didn't kill that detective, Jim Ryan, but I'm afraid Dad thinks I did, and he's trying to take the blame for me. He found out I stole that money to make up for some bad checks I handed out. Then he tried to lead Detective Ryan to believe he stole the money. Then when Dad found out that Ryan had been murdered, he took the blame for that, too. I want to see. I've been a fool, Mr. Keen, a spineless idiot. Dad gave me a generous allowance, but I wanted more. I felt I had to impress someone to win her love. You mean Lola Slade? Yes. Maybe if I'd stuck with a girl like Helen Everett here, things would have worked out differently. You and Miss Everett were keeping company at one time, Arthur? Yes. But when I met Lola... You and I were never serious about each other, and you know it, Arthur. But Helen, I was... Let's get back to the stolen charity funds, Arthur. What kind of evidence did you expect to find in your father's private office? Well, a letter, maybe, from the credit company, Mr. Keen. They called me a few days ago and said that they were going to contact my father if I didn't make good on those bad checks. Helen Everett's already shown us the letter. However, there may be further evidence in that safe to support your father's innocence. Open the safe for us, Arthur. But I can't open it, Mr. Keen. I don't know the combination. Well, then how did you manage to steal the money, young fella? Well, the safe was wide open when I came into the office that day, Mr. Clancy. Was anyone else here at the time? No, Mr. Keen. I thought it was odd, too. It was only three in the afternoon. Dad was evidently out on business, but Helen Everett... I was out to lunch. At three in the afternoon? Miss Everett, would you mind opening the safe for us? I don't know the combination either, Mr. Keen. One lie is enough to give the lie to many other things, Miss Everett. And we'll find out if you're telling the truth about the safe. But I am, I am. Mike, call Martin Cook at police headquarters and ask him if anyone else outside of himself knows the combination to his safe. I'll wager that he trusted Miss Everett with it, since he seemed to trust her with everything else. Mr. Keen, are you trying to say that I stole that money? No, of course not, Miss Everett. Arthur Cook here admits to the theft. But what I do say is this. You left that safe open so Arthur would be tempted to take those charity funds, knowing he needed the money back. That's a lie. Miss Everett, have you ever been to the hotel metropole where Detective Ryan was murdered? No. What were you doing with these matches with the hotel's name on the cover? They're the workings I took from your desk. Mr. Keen, now I see it all. Helen Everett tried to get even with me. She gave me the chance to take the money before she knew about Lola Slade. I'll jam this letter knife into the first one who moves. Stay where you are, all of you. That's all I was waiting for, Helen Everett. I wanted to see you give yourself away, improve my theory correct. You murdered Detective Ryan. While he was following Martin Cook, you were following him. He got as far as you've just gotten, Keen. He was just about to arrest Mr. Cook, and he would have included me as an accessory. But he got no further, and neither will you. Look out, Mr. Keen. Get your hands off me. Let me go. Quiet now. That's the last knife you'll be throwing, lady. That thing you caught her arm, Mike. That knife missed me by only an inch. Helen Everett had it all planned. She thought that if she murdered Detective Ryan, Arthur Cook would be held to the crime. And at the same time, she'd get rid of any evidence that she induced Arthur to steal that money. I loved him. I loved Arthur, and he turned me down for that painted fool of a showgirl. I was willing to steal for him, lie for him, cheat for him. When your love turned to hate, you were also ready to murder. I wondered why you forgave Lola Slade so quickly. As much as you hated Lola, it was Arthur you wanted to strike back at. Yes. And I'd do it again if I had the chance. You won't get that chance, Miss Everett, I assure you. All you can look forward to now is payment for your crimes in full. And so Mr. Keen finds the solution to the case of the murdered detective. The next time you're suffering from the pains of headache, neuritis, or neuralgia, try Anison. You'll bless the day you heard of this incredibly fast way to relieve these pains. Now the reason Anison is so wonderfully fast-acting and effective is this. Anison is like a doctor's prescription. That is, Anison contains not just one but a combination of medically proven, active ingredients and easy-to-take tablet form. Thousands of people have received envelopes containing Anison tablets from their own dentist or physician. And in this way have discovered the incredibly fast relief Anison brings from pain of headache, neuritis, or neuralgia. So next time such pains strike, take Anison. For most effective relief, use only as directed. Now Druggist has Anison handy boxes of 12 and 30 and economical family-sized bottles of 50 and 100. The name is Anison, A-N-A-C-I-N. Mr. Keen Tracer of Lost Persons is based on the novel Mr. Keen. The radio sequel is originated and produced by Frank and Ann Hummert. Dialogue by Lawrence Klee. Bennett Kilpank plays Mr. Keen. It is on the air every Thursday at this time. Don't miss Mr. Keen next Thursday when the kindly old tracer turns to the eccentric millionaire murder case. Ever suffer heartburn or upset stomach from acid indigestion? Safe new bisodol mints, medically proven, quickly rid stomach of that blown up feeling. Give longer lasting relief than baking soda. Yes, hours of relief. Bicodol mints not only neutralize but actually carry away excess stomach acids. Soothe irritated stomach lining. Let you sleep all night long when acid indigestion strikes. Carry new bisodol mints for fast relief anywhere, anytime. Mr. Keen Tracer of Lost Persons will be on the air next Thursday at this same time. This is Larry Elliott saying goodbye for Mr. Keen and the Whitehall Pharmacal Company, makers of Anason and Kalanos and many other dependable high quality drug products. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
