Ellery Queen (1975) s01e03 Episode Script
43604 - The Adventure of the Lover's Leap
In a few minutes, this woman will be dead.
Who killed her? Was it the fortune-hunting husband? I don't know what you're talking about.
The stepdaughter? To tell you the truth, I really didn't know her very well.
The live-in nurse? She asked me if I heard a dog howling.
The psychiatrist? The constant repetition of words has a hypnotic effect.
The larcenous lawyer? Just what is your next question Where was I when it happened? Match wits with Ellery Queen and see if you can guess who done it.
"She was alone, alone and apprehensive.
The stillness of the night was broken by the mournful howling of a dog.
" [Dog howling.]
"There was the sound of a car coming down the driveway and stopping at the entrance.
" [Car approaching.]
"She hurried to the balcony and looked down.
There wasn't any car in the driveway.
" RADIO: Is she afraid to travel by herself? She? No.
This mummy [Buzzer.]
What' wrong with that? Some mummies are men.
Some mummies are women.
- It' a strange country.
- What' strange about it, Lou? Your mummy Your mummy wasn't she a woman? I never had a mummy.
What did your father do, win you in a pageant? Yes, Mrs.
Kendrick? Did you hear the sound of a car? A car? Driving up to the house just a minute ago.
Well, no, but I was listening to the radio.
And there was something else before that a dog howling.
A dog howling? That's what I said, didn't I? No, I didn't.
Mrs.
Kendrick? RADIO: A man would go out and leave his door open with a valuable mummy in the house.
Dr.
Zor! [Dog howling.]
[Phone ringing.]
Oh, I'll get it.
- Bill? - Is your father there? Oh, Stephanie.
No, he isn't.
I can tell by your voice you're lying.
Put him on.
Stephanie, I haven't seen or heard from him in over a week.
Then you'll have to come over.
I can't be here alone tonight.
I'm afraid.
Of what? I'll explain later.
Hurry.
Stephanie, you're not alone.
The servants aren't here tonight, and that nurse There's something about that woman I I can't s [Footsteps.]
Now, Cathy.
Leave now.
I can't.
I've got a date at 8:30.
He'll be here in in 20 minutes.
Please, Cathy, l-I need you.
All right, Stephanie, I'll leave right away.
I don't know what happened! She wasn't in her room, and then I looked over the balcony.
Handsome Hubert can't possibly win.
Ellery, he always wins.
Dad, he can hardly stand up.
Ellery, I keep telling you it's an act.
- One, two - Oh, I don't believe it.
Did you see the way his eyes bulged out when the Masked Menace was choking him? Yes, and I also heard him scream when the Menace bit his leg and saw him fall on his head when he got tossed out of the ring! Let go! That's a foul! Choking! I keep telling you it's an act.
Inspector Not now, Velie.
It's kind of important.
Hi, Maestro.
What's important, Velie? The richest lady in the inspector's bailiwick was found dead Stephanie Talbot.
Stephanie Kendrick.
After all those engagements, she got married about six months ago.
What do you mean, dead? She took a dive over a balcony.
Go ahead, Dad.
I'll see you at home.
Want to tag along, Maestro? No, I can't.
I want to type up my notes.
She was reading one of your books.
What? Which one? "The Adventure of the Lover's Leap"? Really? And she - leaped? One, two, three! And the winner is Handsome Hubert.
The best! The best! I thought these matches were all fixed.
Ah, it's just a build-up for a rematch.
[Crowd boos.]
My name is Simon Brimmer, and I have reason to believe that you witnessed the murder of Jethro Calkins.
Me? Well, now, hey, you got the wrong guy! I happen to know that you're on parole, and if I told your parole officer you've been drinking Okay, okay, I'll talk.
The man who killed Jethro Calkins is [Sound Effect Gunshot.]
Ugh! The shot was fired by a sniper on a roof.
He was an excellent marksman.
My only eye witness was dead.
This episode of "The Casebook of Simon Brimmer" will be continued next week, same time, same station, brought to you by Vita-Creme! The hair tonic that gives you that shinier shine.
And now a final word from that master of mystery, the king of criminologists, the debonair dean of detectives.
This is Simon Brimmer saying "good evening".
That rifle shot sounded like a cap pistol.
And as for the body Mr.
Brimmer, I just picked something up from the newsroom.
Stephanie Kendrick was found dead.
Kendrick? The fountain-pen heiress? Foul play is suspected, I assume? No details yet.
Well, with all that money, there's sure to be some fire to go with the smoke.
According to the local police, she landed in her driveway, and then she crawled a few feet before dying.
That's where the body was found.
By whom? Her nurse looked down from the balcony and saw it.
Her nurse? - Yeah, she's inside.
- Who else is here? Her stepdaughter.
We haven't located the husband yet.
"Lover's Leap.
" "She hurried to the balcony and looked down.
There wasn't any car in the driveway.
" She hurried to the balcony and looked down but there wasn't any car in the driveway.
Anything out here? Prints on the railing, but they're all smudged.
Smudged.
Thank you.
"She heard the dog howling again.
" What makes you think it wasn't suicide? I didn't say it wasn't.
Ellery, I know you pretty well.
We're talking with the medical examiner, and suddenly you leave without a word and with that look in your eye.
What look? That look that says you've got a hunch.
Now, what is it? People who jump usually jump from places a lot higher than that.
- There are always exceptions.
- And another thing why did she crawl away from the house.
Wouldn't you think she'd crawl towards the house, to get to her nurse or to a phone? If her mind was working at that point.
But crawling away a few feet could be a reflex action.
You're probably right.
I'm gonna have a talk with the stepdaughter.
Want to sit in? No, I'll be down in a minute.
- Have you talked to the nurse? - Not yet.
- Inspector? - Yeah? I've been over that balcony with a fine-toothed comb, Inspector.
Uh-huh.
And nothing? Nothing but this little sliver of glass.
Drop it off at the crime lab, Harry.
Dad, wait a minute.
What do you think this is? I can tell you exactly what it is piece of glass.
Just trying to be helpful.
Miss Kendrick, did your stepmother ever say or doing anything that might lead you to suspect she might have suicidal tendencies? No, she didn't.
To tell you the truth, I really didn't know her very well.
Oh? Well, after my mother died I was just a child my father and I became very close.
But about six months ago, he suddenly announced to me that he was going to marry this woman I'd never even met.
It knocked me for a loop.
Well, I can understand that.
After the marriage, I came and lived here for a while, but we never really talked.
[Door knocking.]
Oh, Miss Chandler.
I was told you wanted a statement from me.
Would you care to sit down? Thank you.
Miss Chandler, we're interested in your version of what might have happened here tonight.
Well, Mrs.
Kendrick called me on the intercom.
She wanted me to come to her room.
It was about 5 minutes after 8:00.
That must have been just before she called me.
I remember because I looked at my watch, and it was 10 after.
Did you check the time, Miss Chandler? No, I didn't, but I was listening to "The Abbott and Costello Show," and that went on at 8:00.
Was there anyone else in the house at the time? No, no, the couple who works here had the night off, and Mr.
Kendrick left early in the evening.
He never did come back.
Now, at 5 after 8:00, you went to her room.
She wasn't there.
No, I didn't go to her room until later because she changed her mind.
She said she didn't want me to come.
She was very distraught.
She was very frightened.
She asked me if I had heard a car driving up.
Did you hear a car? No, I didn't.
That's straight out of my book! Excuse me, Dad.
Well, I was listening to the radio, and l did have it turned up pretty high.
Did Mrs.
Kendrick say anything else? She asked me if I heard a dog howling.
A dog howling? Yes.
I said I didn't, and she just switched off the intercom.
Now, when you went to her room By the way, why did you go to her room? Just to see if she wanted anything.
But she wasn't there.
And then I saw that the door to the balcony was open.
And I went out.
I looked down Here you are, Miss Chandler.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
I looked down, and I saw her body.
And when I ran out of the house, Miss Kendrick was just driving up.
Yes, she told us.
Thank you, Miss Chandler.
Miss Chandler, why did Mrs.
Kendrick need a nurse? Well, in my opinion, she didn't.
She seemed overly concerned about her health.
Her only symptoms were migraine headache and insomnia.
Okay.
Miss Kendrick, from the books in the bedroom, I guess your father's an avid reader of mystery stories? How did you know that they weren't my stepmothers? Well, her bookplate is in some of the books.
Aha, and my father's are in the mysteries elementary.
Can you remember, did she ever read mysteries? Why are you so interested in what she read? Well, your father left early this evening, and tonight a mystery novel was found in the middle of the bedroom floor.
Are you suggesting that my father came back here and had something to do with this? Oh, no, just exploring the possibilities.
Did you notice anything cockeyed out on the balcony, like a chair that was overturned, or glass that was broken, anything like that? No.
No, I didn't.
Right.
Well I can't think of anything more.
I guess I'll go home and work on my book.
Oh, does anybody have the time? Good evening.
I thought I told you to put a guard on the door.
- I did.
- Splendid chap recognized me immediately.
Had no reason to doubt that you were expecting me.
Velie, show the gentleman out.
I have some very interesting information for you, Inspector.
Hold it, Velie.
That'll be all, ladies.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
What was this I heard about an overturned chair and a broken glass? That ticket of admission you have is for that very interesting information.
Oh, fair enough.
Let's begin, then.
Jonathan Kendrick, the missing bridegroom, has been an extremely unhappy man since his marriage.
Loved her money, hated her.
She was a shrew, impossible to live with.
Where do you hear that? Oh, I made a few phone calls.
To whom? Actors, people who knew him when.
You see, he was a would-be actor who never made it.
I auditioned him once years ago, offered him a small part which he turned down.
Well, he's finally gotten a leading role.
Prime suspect in a police drama.
Anything else? Not yet, but I'll dig in tomorrow.
That's what I was afraid of.
Taking a shortcut? I beg your pardon? I think you've had a few too many, pal.
Officer, you you seem to be laboring under the false assumption that I have been drinking.
Maybe you'd better come along with me.
Why? I was just walking.
I'm not driving.
Oh, yeah, but you're a cinch to get rolled or hit by a car.
So, come on.
Say, I've seen you before.
I sincerely doubt it.
Sure the front page.
You're Jonathan Kendrick.
Oh? Jonathan Kendrick.
I was playing poker with some friends, drinking a lot.
L-I don't know what time I left.
But I do know I was, shall we say, under the influence.
That's why I was wandering around.
I want to know the names of those poker players.
Excuse me.
I'm a wee bit hung over.
I I just don't remember.
Don't? Can't? Won't? I'm sorry, Inspector.
Oh.
Here, this might help.
Hey, thanks.
All right, Mr.
Kendrick, let's try another approach.
Where was the poker party? It was on Park Avenue somewhere.
It was a new place for the game.
Wait a second.
Ed Harper Call Ed Harper.
He was there.
Harper? Yeah, he's a car dealer, runs a Hudson dealership on 6th Avenue.
Now, he'd know what time I left.
He'd better.
May I go now? I guess so.
Keep yourself available.
By the way, you have our sympathy on your wife's death.
Oh.
Thank you.
Well, we'll check out his story.
But there's one man who isn't very upset about his wife's suicide.
If it was a suicide.
[Door knocking.]
Come in! Good day, Inspector.
I passed Jonathan Kendrick in the corridor.
He seemed very chipper for a man who just lost his bride.
- See here, Brimmer - I've been digging in, as I said I would, and at this point, it's my supposition that I'm not interested in supposition.
I want facts.
Oh.
Well, I thought you might like to compare notes.
Well, I wouldn't.
Well, you might change your mind when you get the coroner's report.
I just read it.
What are you fishing for, Brimmer? No one reads those reports before I do.
Well, he happens to be a fan of my show, and he was quite intrigued when I told him that this might provide the springboard for an episode.
Oh, he was, was he? Call the coroner.
Sure.
It's not a new idea for a mystery, as you know, but it always works.
A person is found dead.
It looks like suicide.
It turns out to be murder.
Well, what did the coroner say? Death was instantaneous.
Then she didn't crawl off the driveway.
If she died immediately, somebody had to move the body.
Exactly.
It's obvious.
What we're dealing with is murder.
Yeah.
And I assure you this is not mere supposition.
The name of the murderer is Agnes Weatherby.
Yes, Miss Weatherby, you killed Jethro Calkins.
She faints, sound of falling body.
George! Shall we take it from the top? Whatever you say.
You're the director.
Right, from the top.
Hit the E.
T.
[Record singing plays.]
# What' the tale, nightingale? # # What' the deal, McNeal? # # I got a dream guy Vita-Creme guy with a shine # # That makes me squeal # # It' the Vita-Creme shine # Let's break.
All right, everybody lunch.
- Hello.
- Back in half an hour.
The reason I asked you here, when I left your father's office before, I dropped in for a chat with the head of the crime lab.
Who happens to be another fan of yours? As a matter of fact, he is.
Unfortunately, he's a stickler for regulations.
Coffee? No.
No, thank you.
And all he would tell me is that a shard of glass was found on the balcony.
I assume you've seen the lab analysis.
Well Oh, come, now.
Your father has frozen me out, but you and I we're sportsmen, aren't we? We're above petty rivalry.
And since I have an intriguing new lead to offer in exchange All right, what is it? It's your serve, Queen.
The shard is a colorless mixture of silicon, potash, various oxides, barium, and manganese.
It's the kind of glass that's used in fancy crystal ware and art objects.
Isn't barium used to increase the refractive index of, uh, eyeglass lenses, for instance? That's That's one possibility.
It's listed in the report.
What's your lead? J.
T.
Latimer, the late lamented's attorney he's had severe financial reverses.
The lawyer who probates an estate the size of this one will receive an enormous fee.
Think about that, Queen.
I fail to see what my financial position has to do with this.
Mr.
Latimer, you told me that the Talbot Foundation gets 2/3 of the estate, and Mr.
Kendrick gets the other third, so there are no other beneficiaries.
Now, that is correct.
Could you give me a rough idea of how much you'll get for seeing this through probate? That is determined by the probate judge.
Just what is your next question, where was I when it happened? No.
When I was out in the reception room, your secretary told me that you were here that night, working late.
She said she left about 8:00.
And I stayed on until 9:30.
I see.
You free for lunch, darling? Mr.
Queen, I didn't know you were here.
Well, I'm glad you came by because I was gonna call you up.
I wanted to get the name of Mrs.
Kendrick's doctor.
Norman Marsh.
He's a psychiatrist.
Mr.
Queen, perhaps I should explain.
Miss Chandler and I we're old friends.
I gathered that, yes.
And when Mrs.
Kendrick told me that she needed a nurse, I recommended Miss Chandler.
That was a very nice thing of you to do.
Do you mind if I use your phone? Not at all.
I want to call Dr.
Marsh.
Oh, he isn't there today.
- Are you sure? - Positive.
It's Wednesday.
You know what doctors do on Wednesday.
Dr.
Marsh? My name is Ellery Queen.
I'm sorry to bother you on your day off, but if you don't mind, - I have a couple of questions - I do mind.
This is my one day for recreation.
Why don't you call the office for an appointment? It's about Stephanie Kendrick, Doctor.
It Dr.
Marsh, it's abo He has great powers of concentration, Queen.
Tunes out the world when he's making a shot.
Brimmer, where is that caddy? It's getting late.
Well, they promised us the first boy that arrived.
There are none at the moment.
No, there aren't, huh? Well, I'm not gonna wait around here all afternoon, and I certainly am not gonna carry my own bag! There's one of the balls up there.
Oh, there's the other one.
Amazing, I'm a very long driver, and you're right there with me.
Dr.
Marsh, you were saying Mrs.
Kendrick found marriage difficult to adjust to.
Yes, and I probably shouldn't have.
What a patient tells a psychiatrist is privileged.
Ah, I understand that, sir, but when a patient's been murdered Yeah, that does make a difference, but I still can't divulge confidences of a strictly personal nature.
As, for instance, the fact that you suspected her husband of being unfaithful? I will not answer questions of that sort.
You're away, Brimmer.
Mashie.
Huh? Oh.
Awfully nice of you to caddy for us, Queen.
I must have strained a ligament when I teed off.
Dr.
Marsh, how well do you know Mrs.
Kendrick's nurse? I've never met her.
Getting a nurse was Mrs.
Kendrick's idea.
Oh, then you didn't think she needed one? No.
Her physical ailments were all psychosomatic.
Did she ever imagine that she was hearing things? You mean voices? Oh, anything a dog howling or a car coming up a driveway? No, no, there wasn't anything like that.
You're sure? She would have told you if she had? Oh, yes.
A patient under hypnosis conceals nothing.
[Yelling from far away.]
Four! Oh, Brimmer, will you hit your shot? It's a bit of a twinge in the shoulder, Doctor, it's fine now.
Uh, Dr.
Marsh, you mentioned hypnosis? Yes, she didn't respond to conventional techniques, so I used deep hypnosis.
I see.
When was the last time you saw her? Yesterday afternoon.
Well, is it possible she didn't fully come out of that hypnotic trance? No.
No, that's inconceivable.
But she might have been in a light trance, induced by my recording.
Recor Ah, there it is.
And underneath, soothing music, as prescribed.
It's an experimental technique I've had considerable success with.
Fascinating.
Extraordinary behavior pattern.
This is Dr.
Marsh, Stephanie, your friend Dr.
Marsh.
I'm going to help you to go to sleep, Stephanie.
The constant repetition of words has a hypnotic effect.
Your eyes are getting heavy, and soon they'll close.
That gives you an idea.
It's all pretty much the same.
Is this a recording of an actual session in your office? No, I don't have the facilities.
I make these records at a recording studio.
Oh.
Well, I didn't realize it was so late.
I have an appointment.
A major breakthrough the butler didn't do it.
Pop? The butler and his wife, the couple that worked for Mrs.
Kendrick they're in the clear.
Visiting friends in East Orange.
How'd you know? Mrs.
Kendrick told Dr.
Marsh, and he told me.
You know she told him everything, every detail in her life? You think he's withholding something? Dad, you have the most wonderful habit of asking leading questions.
And you have the most wonderful habit of not answering them.
You got a pencil? Pencil.
For Christmas, I'm gonna buy you your own phone.
Yeah.
Go ahead.
Uh-huh.
Can I help you? Hey, wait a minute.
You can't go in there! Inspector.
Miss Kendrick.
Is my father under surveillance, or isn't he? Not to my knowledge.
Why? Because he says he's being followed.
It's remotely possible.
In some instances, my detectives have the authority to act on their own initiative.
Well, they don't have the authority to harass innocent people.
We haven't determined anyone's guilt or innocence at this point, Miss Kendrick, and frankly, it's not unusual for people under great stress to imagine that they're being followed.
My father is not the type of person to imagine things.
Well, I am, and I'm beginning to imagine that you're being overly protective of your father.
How do you put up with him? Excuse me.
Practice.
You're absolutely sure? Okay, thanks a lot.
Aww, is it all mine now? Live it up, Gracie, and buzz him for me, will you? I got to see him.
Yeah? Sergeant Velie to see you, Inspector.
Send him in.
Sorry to break in, Inspector.
It's important just take a minute.
Cathy, do you know J.
T.
Latimer, your stepmother's lawyer? No, I've never met him.
What about, uh? Dr.
Norman Marsh, her psychiatrist? No, no.
One thing I do know my father could never have done something like this.
You're quite right, Miss Kendrick.
He was playing cards at the time.
The sergeant tracked down the other players.
They say he didn't leave until 3:00 a.
m.
That's wonderful.
I'm sorry about all this, but as long as he couldn't remember what time he left I understand.
And I hope you understand why I had such a chip on my shoulder.
Thank you.
Good-bye.
- Good-bye, Mr.
Queen.
- Good-bye.
[Phone ringing.]
Inspector Queen.
J.
T.
Latimer.
Yes, Mr.
Latimer? Oh, I completely understand.
Thank you very much.
He was so upset by your veiled accusations Ohh! That's a quote.
that he forgot to mention a codicil to Stephanie Kendrick's will, another bequest $1 million.
Who gets it? Dr.
Norman Marsh, her psychiatrist.
Look at that.
"Police say it's murder.
" We didn't even tell the reporters that we suspected murder.
Five suspects one has an alibi that checks out.
Then there were four.
Kendrick wasn't even there at the time.
Mm.
"Stephanie Kendrick fountain-pen heiress Long Island"we know all that.
He still could have planned it.
What, hired a professional killer? No, this wasn't a pro job.
I'll tell you who's at the top of my list.
Yeah, I know Dr.
Marsh.
Right.
Dad, that $1 million goes to a research project, not to him.
It's his project.
Who's gonna be watching while he skims the cream off the top? Well, I looked into probate fees.
J.
T.
Latimer gets a minimum of $200,000, and let's not overlook the possibility that his good friend Evelyn Chandler might have been interested in helping him get it.
Supposition, supposition.
Now, I want facts.
Cathy Kendrick was there when Chandler found the body.
It had already been moved off the driveway.
And that's a good question.
Why was it moved? I wish I knew.
Have you checked out Cathy's story? The maid was there when the call came in, and she wrote a note that said she was going to spend the night with her stepmother.
[Door bell ringing.]
Stephanie Kendrick was afraid afraid of what? A car in the driveway or a dog howling.
You know, it's an odd coincidence that the characters in the book she was reading heard the same thing.
She was a neurotic woman.
Neurotics often have overactive imaginations.
Well, that was fast.
What did you do, lose him? No, sir, he went to a recording studio on 48th Street.
Dr.
Marsh? Brimmer.
Br Simon Br You're having Simon Brimmer tailed? Why not? He's doing better than we are.
What else, Velie? Well, I waited in the doorway across the street.
Perfect concealment, Inspector, perfect.
- But then when he came out - He spotted you.
He said to tell you that he knows for sure who did it, and he'll have conclusive evidence to give you.
Sure, after it comes out in "The Gazette.
" He said he'd let you break the story on one condition.
That I give him credit, eh? You have to be at the Kendrick house tonight at 10:00, you and the five suspects.
I could be home listening to "Gangbusters.
" The maid cleaned the balcony, and nothing was broken, nothing to explain the shard of glass.
The shard looks more like a splinter to me.
If only I could figure out where it came from.
Well, what's the difference? Brimmer's already solved the case.
Come on, Ellery.
We'll be late.
Late? Dad, it's only quarter to 10:00.
That dashboard clock is on the fritz.
Huh? It's two minutes after 10:00.
Come on.
Of course! I've got it.
How do you have it figured? Was it the husband, the stepdaughter, the lawyer, or the doctor, or the nurse, or somebody else? Now, I know you don't think it was Simon Brimmer.
Or do you? Anyway, there's a hint.
The body was moved to make room for something, and time is of the essence.
Dr.
Marsh Mr.
Queen Dr.
Marsh, this is my father, Inspector Queen.
Doctor.
Oh, so, you're the one who said I had to be here.
I had to cancel several evening appointments with patients who were in critical condition.
All my patients are in critical condition.
I'm sorry, Doctor.
- Where's Mr.
Brimmer? - On the balcony.
- Brimmer.
- Please I must have complete solitude before a broadcast.
And I must have an explanation, or there isn't going to be any broadcast.
All in due time, Inspector, unless you'd rather read about it in "The Gazette.
" We're ready when you are, Mr.
Brimmer.
Well, Inspector? Let's get on with it.
Thanks so much for your cooperation.
Places, please.
Dr.
Marsh? Mr.
Brimmer? Good evening.
This is Simon Brimmer.
Before presenting the sequel to last week's episode, I have the privilege of bringing to you the dramatic climax of a real-life mystery.
It is being prerecorded in the bedroom of the late Stephanie Kendrick.
As you know from newspaper accounts of the murder, the police have questioned five suspects.
They're all here now at the scene of the crime, and everything you hear will be spontaneous and unrehearsed.
- I will not stand for this! - It's illegal! Let him get on with it.
We can always destroy the record.
Those were the voices of three of the suspects and Inspector Queen of the New York police.
To continue, something that has not yet been divulged to the public is that Stephanie Kendrick had a phonograph recording which induced sleep, a new technique in hypnotic therapy.
And what we are dealing with here is a new technique in murder murder by remote control, committed by someone who was not even present when she met her death.
Then who moved the body off the driveway? Would you talk into the mike, please? Who moved the body off the driveway? The gentleman who asked that is Ellery Queen, the famous author.
Take that out later.
The gentleman who asked that is Ellery Queen, a fairly well-known writer of mystery stories.
Nobody moved it, Mr.
Queen.
She crawled a few feet before dying.
The medical examiner said death was instantaneous.
But being a fallible human being, he made a mistake, Inspector.
To continue It so happens that Mrs.
Kendrick was reading an Ellery Queen mystery just before she met her death.
Mr.
Brimmer, you said you had conclusive evidence.
This is all supposition.
The book is part of the evidence, Inspector.
What you're about to hear now is a portion of the recording I told you about.
This is Dr.
Marsh, Stephanie, your friend Dr.
Marsh.
I'm going to help you to go to sleep, Stephanie.
Go to sleep.
Go to sleep.
Stephanie Kendrick listened to that record sometime before 8:00 on the night of her death.
The hypnotic suggestion worked.
She went to sleep.
And then another record on the automatic changer dropped down, another record with another posthypnotic suggestion.
That is a lie! She only had one recording.
No, Dr.
Marsh, she had another one, even though she didn't know it.
Didn't she, Mr.
Kendrick? I don't know what you're talking about.
But there is a gentleman here who does.
Would you tell our listening audience who you are, sir? Yes, I'm Roy Miller.
I own a recording studio in New York.
Do you see anyone in that group who ever made a recording there? Dr.
Marsh, he's made quite a few.
Each one was for a different patient.
And that gentleman looks familiar.
Of course he does.
We all look familiar.
You've seen our picture in the papers.
She's right, Mr.
Brimmer.
I could be wrong about him.
So much for conclusive evidence.
I've had enough of this.
Let him go, Dad.
Mr.
Miller, you told me yesterday that most of your customers are amateur musicians who come to your studio to make demonstration records.
Yes, sir.
It's hard to get personal auditions.
Everybody says, "Send us a demo.
" Now, tell me when they're being recorded, do you hear them? No.
No, the customer is alone in a booth, but I can hear them later.
The sound is hooked up to a wire recorder in the back room.
- Tell us why, Mr.
Miller.
- Well, I I got a deal with a guy in the music business.
He's always looking for new talent.
So, he drops in every week or so, and I let him listen to everything that's been recorded.
- Everything? - Yeah.
I play him a beat or two of each recording, and if it grabs him, he he listens through.
If he doesn't, I jump to the next one.
- Thank you, Mr.
Miller.
- Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, I, too, have listened to that wire recorder.
I will now play for you something that was recorded last week.
This is Dr.
Marsh, Stephanie, your friend Dr.
Marsh.
But it isn't Dr.
Marsh.
It's someone simulating the voice of Dr.
Marsh, a man who used to be a professional actor, Jonathan Kendrick.
Well, that's that's not true.
I I didn't make that.
Oh, come now, Mr.
Kendrick, even though you're disguising your voice, we can all recognize that it's you.
You are sleeping, Stephanie, sleeping peacefully.
When the clock strikes 8:00, you will wake up and start reading the book which is on the table beside you.
Everything happening to the character in that book will seem to be happening to you, and you will do exactly what the woman in the book does.
Now, I quote from the book, "She heard footsteps approaching her door.
" When Stephanie Kendrick read that, she heard footsteps.
"She stared at the door and saw the knob turning.
Her fear exploded into unreasoning panic.
She ran out to the balcony and jumped.
" Murder by remote control.
Stephanie Kendrick did exactly what she was told to do.
She jumped.
Did you make the recording, Mr.
Kendrick? No, no, just a moment.
You don't have to say anything, Jonathan.
Yes, I made it.
You're about to hear a confession from the murderer, a new first in radio history.
I I knew the doctor's record put her to sleep, it always did.
I put the other record on the changer, on top of his.
And I left.
In order to establish an alibi that you were playing poker.
Precisely.
He set up his drunken wanderings, knowing that sometime the next day he could go back and destroy the incriminating record.
After all, why would the police listen to the recordings on her changer? How about it, Mr.
Kendrick? Is all this true? I'm sorry, Cathy.
I just I couldn't take living with her any longer.
And I knew she'd never let me go.
Velie? Excuse me.
Congratulations, Simon.
That's a terrific piece of deduction.
Why, thank you, Queen very magnanimous of you.
Unfortunately, there's only one problem.
You see, Mr.
Kendrick didn't kill his wife.
Nonsense.
The man confessed.
You heard him.
Oh, he thinks he killed her and his wife did listen to that record, and she went out on that balcony.
But you're forgetting that piece of glass.
Extraneous detail.
Not really.
Cathy, what time is it? Oh, I I haven't the vaguest idea.
Is it important? What's important is the fact that you're not wearing a watch.
How long have you known? Oh, I just figured it out a little while ago.
Inspector, uh I killed her.
I I can't let you take the punishment for something I did.
Nonsense.
She's She's just saying this to protect me.
Absolutely she's just trying to protect him.
Mr.
Queen, would you please tell them? When you arrived that night, Miss Chandler was running from the house, but that was the second time you came up that driveway, wasn't it? Yes.
The first time I let myself in.
She She was on the balcony.
She was still alive and very bewildered.
She She said she had this strong urge to jump, but that she couldn't bring herself to do it.
The will to live she was resisting the hypnotic suggestion.
She started screaming at me.
And she said that she hated you, was going to get a divorce, that she hated me.
And then she started hitting me.
We struggled, and and I I pushed her over.
It just I just stood there, staring down.
Then you noticed that your watch had been smashed.
I picked up the pieces, and then I ran downstairs.
I had to drag her off the driveway.
That explains the body being moved, as she was blocking your car.
You didn't want to back up over it, nor did you want to leave tire tracks on the lawn.
And I started to drive home.
But you turned around, and you came back.
My maid knew I was coming over here.
I had to show up.
So, I pretended that I was arriving for the first time.
Yeah.
Velie? The broken glass was from her watch crystal.
When I asked for the time that night, she looked at a clock.
Remember she turned around a desk clock to see what time it was? That's what gave you a lead? Why do that if she was wearing a watch? But we know that she had been wearing one earlier that evening.
She told us she looked at it when Mrs.
Kendrick called.
If I had heard her tell you that, I would have known, too.
Obvious.
The watch was broken, so she took it off.
There's no way she could get another one before she drove back here.
You knew that an hour ago.
Why didn't you tell me? Dad, you keep saying you want facts, not suppositions.
Next time I say that, ignore it.
Ah.
All the mikes functioned perfectly, sir.
We got everything.
Break the record.
Who killed her? Was it the fortune-hunting husband? I don't know what you're talking about.
The stepdaughter? To tell you the truth, I really didn't know her very well.
The live-in nurse? She asked me if I heard a dog howling.
The psychiatrist? The constant repetition of words has a hypnotic effect.
The larcenous lawyer? Just what is your next question Where was I when it happened? Match wits with Ellery Queen and see if you can guess who done it.
"She was alone, alone and apprehensive.
The stillness of the night was broken by the mournful howling of a dog.
" [Dog howling.]
"There was the sound of a car coming down the driveway and stopping at the entrance.
" [Car approaching.]
"She hurried to the balcony and looked down.
There wasn't any car in the driveway.
" RADIO: Is she afraid to travel by herself? She? No.
This mummy [Buzzer.]
What' wrong with that? Some mummies are men.
Some mummies are women.
- It' a strange country.
- What' strange about it, Lou? Your mummy Your mummy wasn't she a woman? I never had a mummy.
What did your father do, win you in a pageant? Yes, Mrs.
Kendrick? Did you hear the sound of a car? A car? Driving up to the house just a minute ago.
Well, no, but I was listening to the radio.
And there was something else before that a dog howling.
A dog howling? That's what I said, didn't I? No, I didn't.
Mrs.
Kendrick? RADIO: A man would go out and leave his door open with a valuable mummy in the house.
Dr.
Zor! [Dog howling.]
[Phone ringing.]
Oh, I'll get it.
- Bill? - Is your father there? Oh, Stephanie.
No, he isn't.
I can tell by your voice you're lying.
Put him on.
Stephanie, I haven't seen or heard from him in over a week.
Then you'll have to come over.
I can't be here alone tonight.
I'm afraid.
Of what? I'll explain later.
Hurry.
Stephanie, you're not alone.
The servants aren't here tonight, and that nurse There's something about that woman I I can't s [Footsteps.]
Now, Cathy.
Leave now.
I can't.
I've got a date at 8:30.
He'll be here in in 20 minutes.
Please, Cathy, l-I need you.
All right, Stephanie, I'll leave right away.
I don't know what happened! She wasn't in her room, and then I looked over the balcony.
Handsome Hubert can't possibly win.
Ellery, he always wins.
Dad, he can hardly stand up.
Ellery, I keep telling you it's an act.
- One, two - Oh, I don't believe it.
Did you see the way his eyes bulged out when the Masked Menace was choking him? Yes, and I also heard him scream when the Menace bit his leg and saw him fall on his head when he got tossed out of the ring! Let go! That's a foul! Choking! I keep telling you it's an act.
Inspector Not now, Velie.
It's kind of important.
Hi, Maestro.
What's important, Velie? The richest lady in the inspector's bailiwick was found dead Stephanie Talbot.
Stephanie Kendrick.
After all those engagements, she got married about six months ago.
What do you mean, dead? She took a dive over a balcony.
Go ahead, Dad.
I'll see you at home.
Want to tag along, Maestro? No, I can't.
I want to type up my notes.
She was reading one of your books.
What? Which one? "The Adventure of the Lover's Leap"? Really? And she - leaped? One, two, three! And the winner is Handsome Hubert.
The best! The best! I thought these matches were all fixed.
Ah, it's just a build-up for a rematch.
[Crowd boos.]
My name is Simon Brimmer, and I have reason to believe that you witnessed the murder of Jethro Calkins.
Me? Well, now, hey, you got the wrong guy! I happen to know that you're on parole, and if I told your parole officer you've been drinking Okay, okay, I'll talk.
The man who killed Jethro Calkins is [Sound Effect Gunshot.]
Ugh! The shot was fired by a sniper on a roof.
He was an excellent marksman.
My only eye witness was dead.
This episode of "The Casebook of Simon Brimmer" will be continued next week, same time, same station, brought to you by Vita-Creme! The hair tonic that gives you that shinier shine.
And now a final word from that master of mystery, the king of criminologists, the debonair dean of detectives.
This is Simon Brimmer saying "good evening".
That rifle shot sounded like a cap pistol.
And as for the body Mr.
Brimmer, I just picked something up from the newsroom.
Stephanie Kendrick was found dead.
Kendrick? The fountain-pen heiress? Foul play is suspected, I assume? No details yet.
Well, with all that money, there's sure to be some fire to go with the smoke.
According to the local police, she landed in her driveway, and then she crawled a few feet before dying.
That's where the body was found.
By whom? Her nurse looked down from the balcony and saw it.
Her nurse? - Yeah, she's inside.
- Who else is here? Her stepdaughter.
We haven't located the husband yet.
"Lover's Leap.
" "She hurried to the balcony and looked down.
There wasn't any car in the driveway.
" She hurried to the balcony and looked down but there wasn't any car in the driveway.
Anything out here? Prints on the railing, but they're all smudged.
Smudged.
Thank you.
"She heard the dog howling again.
" What makes you think it wasn't suicide? I didn't say it wasn't.
Ellery, I know you pretty well.
We're talking with the medical examiner, and suddenly you leave without a word and with that look in your eye.
What look? That look that says you've got a hunch.
Now, what is it? People who jump usually jump from places a lot higher than that.
- There are always exceptions.
- And another thing why did she crawl away from the house.
Wouldn't you think she'd crawl towards the house, to get to her nurse or to a phone? If her mind was working at that point.
But crawling away a few feet could be a reflex action.
You're probably right.
I'm gonna have a talk with the stepdaughter.
Want to sit in? No, I'll be down in a minute.
- Have you talked to the nurse? - Not yet.
- Inspector? - Yeah? I've been over that balcony with a fine-toothed comb, Inspector.
Uh-huh.
And nothing? Nothing but this little sliver of glass.
Drop it off at the crime lab, Harry.
Dad, wait a minute.
What do you think this is? I can tell you exactly what it is piece of glass.
Just trying to be helpful.
Miss Kendrick, did your stepmother ever say or doing anything that might lead you to suspect she might have suicidal tendencies? No, she didn't.
To tell you the truth, I really didn't know her very well.
Oh? Well, after my mother died I was just a child my father and I became very close.
But about six months ago, he suddenly announced to me that he was going to marry this woman I'd never even met.
It knocked me for a loop.
Well, I can understand that.
After the marriage, I came and lived here for a while, but we never really talked.
[Door knocking.]
Oh, Miss Chandler.
I was told you wanted a statement from me.
Would you care to sit down? Thank you.
Miss Chandler, we're interested in your version of what might have happened here tonight.
Well, Mrs.
Kendrick called me on the intercom.
She wanted me to come to her room.
It was about 5 minutes after 8:00.
That must have been just before she called me.
I remember because I looked at my watch, and it was 10 after.
Did you check the time, Miss Chandler? No, I didn't, but I was listening to "The Abbott and Costello Show," and that went on at 8:00.
Was there anyone else in the house at the time? No, no, the couple who works here had the night off, and Mr.
Kendrick left early in the evening.
He never did come back.
Now, at 5 after 8:00, you went to her room.
She wasn't there.
No, I didn't go to her room until later because she changed her mind.
She said she didn't want me to come.
She was very distraught.
She was very frightened.
She asked me if I had heard a car driving up.
Did you hear a car? No, I didn't.
That's straight out of my book! Excuse me, Dad.
Well, I was listening to the radio, and l did have it turned up pretty high.
Did Mrs.
Kendrick say anything else? She asked me if I heard a dog howling.
A dog howling? Yes.
I said I didn't, and she just switched off the intercom.
Now, when you went to her room By the way, why did you go to her room? Just to see if she wanted anything.
But she wasn't there.
And then I saw that the door to the balcony was open.
And I went out.
I looked down Here you are, Miss Chandler.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
I looked down, and I saw her body.
And when I ran out of the house, Miss Kendrick was just driving up.
Yes, she told us.
Thank you, Miss Chandler.
Miss Chandler, why did Mrs.
Kendrick need a nurse? Well, in my opinion, she didn't.
She seemed overly concerned about her health.
Her only symptoms were migraine headache and insomnia.
Okay.
Miss Kendrick, from the books in the bedroom, I guess your father's an avid reader of mystery stories? How did you know that they weren't my stepmothers? Well, her bookplate is in some of the books.
Aha, and my father's are in the mysteries elementary.
Can you remember, did she ever read mysteries? Why are you so interested in what she read? Well, your father left early this evening, and tonight a mystery novel was found in the middle of the bedroom floor.
Are you suggesting that my father came back here and had something to do with this? Oh, no, just exploring the possibilities.
Did you notice anything cockeyed out on the balcony, like a chair that was overturned, or glass that was broken, anything like that? No.
No, I didn't.
Right.
Well I can't think of anything more.
I guess I'll go home and work on my book.
Oh, does anybody have the time? Good evening.
I thought I told you to put a guard on the door.
- I did.
- Splendid chap recognized me immediately.
Had no reason to doubt that you were expecting me.
Velie, show the gentleman out.
I have some very interesting information for you, Inspector.
Hold it, Velie.
That'll be all, ladies.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
What was this I heard about an overturned chair and a broken glass? That ticket of admission you have is for that very interesting information.
Oh, fair enough.
Let's begin, then.
Jonathan Kendrick, the missing bridegroom, has been an extremely unhappy man since his marriage.
Loved her money, hated her.
She was a shrew, impossible to live with.
Where do you hear that? Oh, I made a few phone calls.
To whom? Actors, people who knew him when.
You see, he was a would-be actor who never made it.
I auditioned him once years ago, offered him a small part which he turned down.
Well, he's finally gotten a leading role.
Prime suspect in a police drama.
Anything else? Not yet, but I'll dig in tomorrow.
That's what I was afraid of.
Taking a shortcut? I beg your pardon? I think you've had a few too many, pal.
Officer, you you seem to be laboring under the false assumption that I have been drinking.
Maybe you'd better come along with me.
Why? I was just walking.
I'm not driving.
Oh, yeah, but you're a cinch to get rolled or hit by a car.
So, come on.
Say, I've seen you before.
I sincerely doubt it.
Sure the front page.
You're Jonathan Kendrick.
Oh? Jonathan Kendrick.
I was playing poker with some friends, drinking a lot.
L-I don't know what time I left.
But I do know I was, shall we say, under the influence.
That's why I was wandering around.
I want to know the names of those poker players.
Excuse me.
I'm a wee bit hung over.
I I just don't remember.
Don't? Can't? Won't? I'm sorry, Inspector.
Oh.
Here, this might help.
Hey, thanks.
All right, Mr.
Kendrick, let's try another approach.
Where was the poker party? It was on Park Avenue somewhere.
It was a new place for the game.
Wait a second.
Ed Harper Call Ed Harper.
He was there.
Harper? Yeah, he's a car dealer, runs a Hudson dealership on 6th Avenue.
Now, he'd know what time I left.
He'd better.
May I go now? I guess so.
Keep yourself available.
By the way, you have our sympathy on your wife's death.
Oh.
Thank you.
Well, we'll check out his story.
But there's one man who isn't very upset about his wife's suicide.
If it was a suicide.
[Door knocking.]
Come in! Good day, Inspector.
I passed Jonathan Kendrick in the corridor.
He seemed very chipper for a man who just lost his bride.
- See here, Brimmer - I've been digging in, as I said I would, and at this point, it's my supposition that I'm not interested in supposition.
I want facts.
Oh.
Well, I thought you might like to compare notes.
Well, I wouldn't.
Well, you might change your mind when you get the coroner's report.
I just read it.
What are you fishing for, Brimmer? No one reads those reports before I do.
Well, he happens to be a fan of my show, and he was quite intrigued when I told him that this might provide the springboard for an episode.
Oh, he was, was he? Call the coroner.
Sure.
It's not a new idea for a mystery, as you know, but it always works.
A person is found dead.
It looks like suicide.
It turns out to be murder.
Well, what did the coroner say? Death was instantaneous.
Then she didn't crawl off the driveway.
If she died immediately, somebody had to move the body.
Exactly.
It's obvious.
What we're dealing with is murder.
Yeah.
And I assure you this is not mere supposition.
The name of the murderer is Agnes Weatherby.
Yes, Miss Weatherby, you killed Jethro Calkins.
She faints, sound of falling body.
George! Shall we take it from the top? Whatever you say.
You're the director.
Right, from the top.
Hit the E.
T.
[Record singing plays.]
# What' the tale, nightingale? # # What' the deal, McNeal? # # I got a dream guy Vita-Creme guy with a shine # # That makes me squeal # # It' the Vita-Creme shine # Let's break.
All right, everybody lunch.
- Hello.
- Back in half an hour.
The reason I asked you here, when I left your father's office before, I dropped in for a chat with the head of the crime lab.
Who happens to be another fan of yours? As a matter of fact, he is.
Unfortunately, he's a stickler for regulations.
Coffee? No.
No, thank you.
And all he would tell me is that a shard of glass was found on the balcony.
I assume you've seen the lab analysis.
Well Oh, come, now.
Your father has frozen me out, but you and I we're sportsmen, aren't we? We're above petty rivalry.
And since I have an intriguing new lead to offer in exchange All right, what is it? It's your serve, Queen.
The shard is a colorless mixture of silicon, potash, various oxides, barium, and manganese.
It's the kind of glass that's used in fancy crystal ware and art objects.
Isn't barium used to increase the refractive index of, uh, eyeglass lenses, for instance? That's That's one possibility.
It's listed in the report.
What's your lead? J.
T.
Latimer, the late lamented's attorney he's had severe financial reverses.
The lawyer who probates an estate the size of this one will receive an enormous fee.
Think about that, Queen.
I fail to see what my financial position has to do with this.
Mr.
Latimer, you told me that the Talbot Foundation gets 2/3 of the estate, and Mr.
Kendrick gets the other third, so there are no other beneficiaries.
Now, that is correct.
Could you give me a rough idea of how much you'll get for seeing this through probate? That is determined by the probate judge.
Just what is your next question, where was I when it happened? No.
When I was out in the reception room, your secretary told me that you were here that night, working late.
She said she left about 8:00.
And I stayed on until 9:30.
I see.
You free for lunch, darling? Mr.
Queen, I didn't know you were here.
Well, I'm glad you came by because I was gonna call you up.
I wanted to get the name of Mrs.
Kendrick's doctor.
Norman Marsh.
He's a psychiatrist.
Mr.
Queen, perhaps I should explain.
Miss Chandler and I we're old friends.
I gathered that, yes.
And when Mrs.
Kendrick told me that she needed a nurse, I recommended Miss Chandler.
That was a very nice thing of you to do.
Do you mind if I use your phone? Not at all.
I want to call Dr.
Marsh.
Oh, he isn't there today.
- Are you sure? - Positive.
It's Wednesday.
You know what doctors do on Wednesday.
Dr.
Marsh? My name is Ellery Queen.
I'm sorry to bother you on your day off, but if you don't mind, - I have a couple of questions - I do mind.
This is my one day for recreation.
Why don't you call the office for an appointment? It's about Stephanie Kendrick, Doctor.
It Dr.
Marsh, it's abo He has great powers of concentration, Queen.
Tunes out the world when he's making a shot.
Brimmer, where is that caddy? It's getting late.
Well, they promised us the first boy that arrived.
There are none at the moment.
No, there aren't, huh? Well, I'm not gonna wait around here all afternoon, and I certainly am not gonna carry my own bag! There's one of the balls up there.
Oh, there's the other one.
Amazing, I'm a very long driver, and you're right there with me.
Dr.
Marsh, you were saying Mrs.
Kendrick found marriage difficult to adjust to.
Yes, and I probably shouldn't have.
What a patient tells a psychiatrist is privileged.
Ah, I understand that, sir, but when a patient's been murdered Yeah, that does make a difference, but I still can't divulge confidences of a strictly personal nature.
As, for instance, the fact that you suspected her husband of being unfaithful? I will not answer questions of that sort.
You're away, Brimmer.
Mashie.
Huh? Oh.
Awfully nice of you to caddy for us, Queen.
I must have strained a ligament when I teed off.
Dr.
Marsh, how well do you know Mrs.
Kendrick's nurse? I've never met her.
Getting a nurse was Mrs.
Kendrick's idea.
Oh, then you didn't think she needed one? No.
Her physical ailments were all psychosomatic.
Did she ever imagine that she was hearing things? You mean voices? Oh, anything a dog howling or a car coming up a driveway? No, no, there wasn't anything like that.
You're sure? She would have told you if she had? Oh, yes.
A patient under hypnosis conceals nothing.
[Yelling from far away.]
Four! Oh, Brimmer, will you hit your shot? It's a bit of a twinge in the shoulder, Doctor, it's fine now.
Uh, Dr.
Marsh, you mentioned hypnosis? Yes, she didn't respond to conventional techniques, so I used deep hypnosis.
I see.
When was the last time you saw her? Yesterday afternoon.
Well, is it possible she didn't fully come out of that hypnotic trance? No.
No, that's inconceivable.
But she might have been in a light trance, induced by my recording.
Recor Ah, there it is.
And underneath, soothing music, as prescribed.
It's an experimental technique I've had considerable success with.
Fascinating.
Extraordinary behavior pattern.
This is Dr.
Marsh, Stephanie, your friend Dr.
Marsh.
I'm going to help you to go to sleep, Stephanie.
The constant repetition of words has a hypnotic effect.
Your eyes are getting heavy, and soon they'll close.
That gives you an idea.
It's all pretty much the same.
Is this a recording of an actual session in your office? No, I don't have the facilities.
I make these records at a recording studio.
Oh.
Well, I didn't realize it was so late.
I have an appointment.
A major breakthrough the butler didn't do it.
Pop? The butler and his wife, the couple that worked for Mrs.
Kendrick they're in the clear.
Visiting friends in East Orange.
How'd you know? Mrs.
Kendrick told Dr.
Marsh, and he told me.
You know she told him everything, every detail in her life? You think he's withholding something? Dad, you have the most wonderful habit of asking leading questions.
And you have the most wonderful habit of not answering them.
You got a pencil? Pencil.
For Christmas, I'm gonna buy you your own phone.
Yeah.
Go ahead.
Uh-huh.
Can I help you? Hey, wait a minute.
You can't go in there! Inspector.
Miss Kendrick.
Is my father under surveillance, or isn't he? Not to my knowledge.
Why? Because he says he's being followed.
It's remotely possible.
In some instances, my detectives have the authority to act on their own initiative.
Well, they don't have the authority to harass innocent people.
We haven't determined anyone's guilt or innocence at this point, Miss Kendrick, and frankly, it's not unusual for people under great stress to imagine that they're being followed.
My father is not the type of person to imagine things.
Well, I am, and I'm beginning to imagine that you're being overly protective of your father.
How do you put up with him? Excuse me.
Practice.
You're absolutely sure? Okay, thanks a lot.
Aww, is it all mine now? Live it up, Gracie, and buzz him for me, will you? I got to see him.
Yeah? Sergeant Velie to see you, Inspector.
Send him in.
Sorry to break in, Inspector.
It's important just take a minute.
Cathy, do you know J.
T.
Latimer, your stepmother's lawyer? No, I've never met him.
What about, uh? Dr.
Norman Marsh, her psychiatrist? No, no.
One thing I do know my father could never have done something like this.
You're quite right, Miss Kendrick.
He was playing cards at the time.
The sergeant tracked down the other players.
They say he didn't leave until 3:00 a.
m.
That's wonderful.
I'm sorry about all this, but as long as he couldn't remember what time he left I understand.
And I hope you understand why I had such a chip on my shoulder.
Thank you.
Good-bye.
- Good-bye, Mr.
Queen.
- Good-bye.
[Phone ringing.]
Inspector Queen.
J.
T.
Latimer.
Yes, Mr.
Latimer? Oh, I completely understand.
Thank you very much.
He was so upset by your veiled accusations Ohh! That's a quote.
that he forgot to mention a codicil to Stephanie Kendrick's will, another bequest $1 million.
Who gets it? Dr.
Norman Marsh, her psychiatrist.
Look at that.
"Police say it's murder.
" We didn't even tell the reporters that we suspected murder.
Five suspects one has an alibi that checks out.
Then there were four.
Kendrick wasn't even there at the time.
Mm.
"Stephanie Kendrick fountain-pen heiress Long Island"we know all that.
He still could have planned it.
What, hired a professional killer? No, this wasn't a pro job.
I'll tell you who's at the top of my list.
Yeah, I know Dr.
Marsh.
Right.
Dad, that $1 million goes to a research project, not to him.
It's his project.
Who's gonna be watching while he skims the cream off the top? Well, I looked into probate fees.
J.
T.
Latimer gets a minimum of $200,000, and let's not overlook the possibility that his good friend Evelyn Chandler might have been interested in helping him get it.
Supposition, supposition.
Now, I want facts.
Cathy Kendrick was there when Chandler found the body.
It had already been moved off the driveway.
And that's a good question.
Why was it moved? I wish I knew.
Have you checked out Cathy's story? The maid was there when the call came in, and she wrote a note that said she was going to spend the night with her stepmother.
[Door bell ringing.]
Stephanie Kendrick was afraid afraid of what? A car in the driveway or a dog howling.
You know, it's an odd coincidence that the characters in the book she was reading heard the same thing.
She was a neurotic woman.
Neurotics often have overactive imaginations.
Well, that was fast.
What did you do, lose him? No, sir, he went to a recording studio on 48th Street.
Dr.
Marsh? Brimmer.
Br Simon Br You're having Simon Brimmer tailed? Why not? He's doing better than we are.
What else, Velie? Well, I waited in the doorway across the street.
Perfect concealment, Inspector, perfect.
- But then when he came out - He spotted you.
He said to tell you that he knows for sure who did it, and he'll have conclusive evidence to give you.
Sure, after it comes out in "The Gazette.
" He said he'd let you break the story on one condition.
That I give him credit, eh? You have to be at the Kendrick house tonight at 10:00, you and the five suspects.
I could be home listening to "Gangbusters.
" The maid cleaned the balcony, and nothing was broken, nothing to explain the shard of glass.
The shard looks more like a splinter to me.
If only I could figure out where it came from.
Well, what's the difference? Brimmer's already solved the case.
Come on, Ellery.
We'll be late.
Late? Dad, it's only quarter to 10:00.
That dashboard clock is on the fritz.
Huh? It's two minutes after 10:00.
Come on.
Of course! I've got it.
How do you have it figured? Was it the husband, the stepdaughter, the lawyer, or the doctor, or the nurse, or somebody else? Now, I know you don't think it was Simon Brimmer.
Or do you? Anyway, there's a hint.
The body was moved to make room for something, and time is of the essence.
Dr.
Marsh Mr.
Queen Dr.
Marsh, this is my father, Inspector Queen.
Doctor.
Oh, so, you're the one who said I had to be here.
I had to cancel several evening appointments with patients who were in critical condition.
All my patients are in critical condition.
I'm sorry, Doctor.
- Where's Mr.
Brimmer? - On the balcony.
- Brimmer.
- Please I must have complete solitude before a broadcast.
And I must have an explanation, or there isn't going to be any broadcast.
All in due time, Inspector, unless you'd rather read about it in "The Gazette.
" We're ready when you are, Mr.
Brimmer.
Well, Inspector? Let's get on with it.
Thanks so much for your cooperation.
Places, please.
Dr.
Marsh? Mr.
Brimmer? Good evening.
This is Simon Brimmer.
Before presenting the sequel to last week's episode, I have the privilege of bringing to you the dramatic climax of a real-life mystery.
It is being prerecorded in the bedroom of the late Stephanie Kendrick.
As you know from newspaper accounts of the murder, the police have questioned five suspects.
They're all here now at the scene of the crime, and everything you hear will be spontaneous and unrehearsed.
- I will not stand for this! - It's illegal! Let him get on with it.
We can always destroy the record.
Those were the voices of three of the suspects and Inspector Queen of the New York police.
To continue, something that has not yet been divulged to the public is that Stephanie Kendrick had a phonograph recording which induced sleep, a new technique in hypnotic therapy.
And what we are dealing with here is a new technique in murder murder by remote control, committed by someone who was not even present when she met her death.
Then who moved the body off the driveway? Would you talk into the mike, please? Who moved the body off the driveway? The gentleman who asked that is Ellery Queen, the famous author.
Take that out later.
The gentleman who asked that is Ellery Queen, a fairly well-known writer of mystery stories.
Nobody moved it, Mr.
Queen.
She crawled a few feet before dying.
The medical examiner said death was instantaneous.
But being a fallible human being, he made a mistake, Inspector.
To continue It so happens that Mrs.
Kendrick was reading an Ellery Queen mystery just before she met her death.
Mr.
Brimmer, you said you had conclusive evidence.
This is all supposition.
The book is part of the evidence, Inspector.
What you're about to hear now is a portion of the recording I told you about.
This is Dr.
Marsh, Stephanie, your friend Dr.
Marsh.
I'm going to help you to go to sleep, Stephanie.
Go to sleep.
Go to sleep.
Stephanie Kendrick listened to that record sometime before 8:00 on the night of her death.
The hypnotic suggestion worked.
She went to sleep.
And then another record on the automatic changer dropped down, another record with another posthypnotic suggestion.
That is a lie! She only had one recording.
No, Dr.
Marsh, she had another one, even though she didn't know it.
Didn't she, Mr.
Kendrick? I don't know what you're talking about.
But there is a gentleman here who does.
Would you tell our listening audience who you are, sir? Yes, I'm Roy Miller.
I own a recording studio in New York.
Do you see anyone in that group who ever made a recording there? Dr.
Marsh, he's made quite a few.
Each one was for a different patient.
And that gentleman looks familiar.
Of course he does.
We all look familiar.
You've seen our picture in the papers.
She's right, Mr.
Brimmer.
I could be wrong about him.
So much for conclusive evidence.
I've had enough of this.
Let him go, Dad.
Mr.
Miller, you told me yesterday that most of your customers are amateur musicians who come to your studio to make demonstration records.
Yes, sir.
It's hard to get personal auditions.
Everybody says, "Send us a demo.
" Now, tell me when they're being recorded, do you hear them? No.
No, the customer is alone in a booth, but I can hear them later.
The sound is hooked up to a wire recorder in the back room.
- Tell us why, Mr.
Miller.
- Well, I I got a deal with a guy in the music business.
He's always looking for new talent.
So, he drops in every week or so, and I let him listen to everything that's been recorded.
- Everything? - Yeah.
I play him a beat or two of each recording, and if it grabs him, he he listens through.
If he doesn't, I jump to the next one.
- Thank you, Mr.
Miller.
- Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, I, too, have listened to that wire recorder.
I will now play for you something that was recorded last week.
This is Dr.
Marsh, Stephanie, your friend Dr.
Marsh.
But it isn't Dr.
Marsh.
It's someone simulating the voice of Dr.
Marsh, a man who used to be a professional actor, Jonathan Kendrick.
Well, that's that's not true.
I I didn't make that.
Oh, come now, Mr.
Kendrick, even though you're disguising your voice, we can all recognize that it's you.
You are sleeping, Stephanie, sleeping peacefully.
When the clock strikes 8:00, you will wake up and start reading the book which is on the table beside you.
Everything happening to the character in that book will seem to be happening to you, and you will do exactly what the woman in the book does.
Now, I quote from the book, "She heard footsteps approaching her door.
" When Stephanie Kendrick read that, she heard footsteps.
"She stared at the door and saw the knob turning.
Her fear exploded into unreasoning panic.
She ran out to the balcony and jumped.
" Murder by remote control.
Stephanie Kendrick did exactly what she was told to do.
She jumped.
Did you make the recording, Mr.
Kendrick? No, no, just a moment.
You don't have to say anything, Jonathan.
Yes, I made it.
You're about to hear a confession from the murderer, a new first in radio history.
I I knew the doctor's record put her to sleep, it always did.
I put the other record on the changer, on top of his.
And I left.
In order to establish an alibi that you were playing poker.
Precisely.
He set up his drunken wanderings, knowing that sometime the next day he could go back and destroy the incriminating record.
After all, why would the police listen to the recordings on her changer? How about it, Mr.
Kendrick? Is all this true? I'm sorry, Cathy.
I just I couldn't take living with her any longer.
And I knew she'd never let me go.
Velie? Excuse me.
Congratulations, Simon.
That's a terrific piece of deduction.
Why, thank you, Queen very magnanimous of you.
Unfortunately, there's only one problem.
You see, Mr.
Kendrick didn't kill his wife.
Nonsense.
The man confessed.
You heard him.
Oh, he thinks he killed her and his wife did listen to that record, and she went out on that balcony.
But you're forgetting that piece of glass.
Extraneous detail.
Not really.
Cathy, what time is it? Oh, I I haven't the vaguest idea.
Is it important? What's important is the fact that you're not wearing a watch.
How long have you known? Oh, I just figured it out a little while ago.
Inspector, uh I killed her.
I I can't let you take the punishment for something I did.
Nonsense.
She's She's just saying this to protect me.
Absolutely she's just trying to protect him.
Mr.
Queen, would you please tell them? When you arrived that night, Miss Chandler was running from the house, but that was the second time you came up that driveway, wasn't it? Yes.
The first time I let myself in.
She She was on the balcony.
She was still alive and very bewildered.
She She said she had this strong urge to jump, but that she couldn't bring herself to do it.
The will to live she was resisting the hypnotic suggestion.
She started screaming at me.
And she said that she hated you, was going to get a divorce, that she hated me.
And then she started hitting me.
We struggled, and and I I pushed her over.
It just I just stood there, staring down.
Then you noticed that your watch had been smashed.
I picked up the pieces, and then I ran downstairs.
I had to drag her off the driveway.
That explains the body being moved, as she was blocking your car.
You didn't want to back up over it, nor did you want to leave tire tracks on the lawn.
And I started to drive home.
But you turned around, and you came back.
My maid knew I was coming over here.
I had to show up.
So, I pretended that I was arriving for the first time.
Yeah.
Velie? The broken glass was from her watch crystal.
When I asked for the time that night, she looked at a clock.
Remember she turned around a desk clock to see what time it was? That's what gave you a lead? Why do that if she was wearing a watch? But we know that she had been wearing one earlier that evening.
She told us she looked at it when Mrs.
Kendrick called.
If I had heard her tell you that, I would have known, too.
Obvious.
The watch was broken, so she took it off.
There's no way she could get another one before she drove back here.
You knew that an hour ago.
Why didn't you tell me? Dad, you keep saying you want facts, not suppositions.
Next time I say that, ignore it.
Ah.
All the mikes functioned perfectly, sir.
We got everything.
Break the record.