Crime and Peter Chambers.
Directed by Henry Kane, transcribed and starring as Peter Chambers, Dane Clark.
Your private eye, that's your business.
Anything else, that's for laughs.
You find yourself in a university, but you're not a student.
Generally you're allergic to classrooms, but the lady talking to you, a teacher by name
Elaine Janis, well, she's sort of an antidote for the classroom allergy.
I need your help, Mr. Chambers.
I need your help desperately.
She has large brown eyes and a smooth white forehead.
And despite her obvious agitation, she's a sweet young thing, this Elaine Janis.
Starchy, but sweet.
I need your help, Mr. Chambers, not for myself, for another.
Help, that's my racket.
Help, a public helper.
Although sometimes I'm known as Peter Chambers' private eye.
Oh, well, there will be a fee, of course, Mr. Chambers.
Don't worry about the fee.
I'm like a doctor, it depends on what the traffic will bear.
And sooner or later you'll get your bill.
It's about Professor Stanley Sanders.
Sanders?
Hey, the papers have been full of it.
Your dear Professor Stanley Sanders, suspected of killing his wife and suspected of putting
him mildly...
Oh, not Stanley.
Not Professor Sanders.
He could no more harm any human being than...
Oh, I know, I know.
Not Stanley.
He's the sweetest, kindest person in the whole world.
Well, what do you want me to do, Miss Janis?
I want you to try to find out who did kill Mrs. Sanders.
Well, does the good professor know that you're retaining me?
Oh, no, no, he doesn't.
And I don't want him to know.
Well, I'll have to talk to him.
Well, tell him.
Tell him that you've been retained, but that your client doesn't wish the name divulged.
Just one more little question.
Yes?
What's your interest in this?
Mine?
Yes, yours.
Well, I have known Professor Sanders for a long time.
I think by his silence and his non-cooperation with the police, I think he's been wrongfully
suspected.
He's a fine person, a good man, a kind man.
Professor Stanley Sanders lives in a suburb at the edge of the Bronx.
You drive up there and you find a modest, neat little house.
Yes?
Yes, Mr. Chambers?
The professor's a young man, sandy-haired and straight-eyed.
Yes?
What is it, please, Mr. Chambers?
Well, I'm not here as a student, Professor Sanders.
No?
What are you here as?
An investigator.
Investi- Are you from the police?
No, no, no.
I'm a private investigator.
I've been retained to look into the, well, the death of your wife.
I'm sorry, Mr. Chambers.
I don't know who retained you and I don't care.
I've told the police what I know and that's that.
There's nothing further I can add.
Now if you please, I'm a very busy man.
And that's how you read about it in the newspapers.
Stubborn Professor Stanley Sanders who disclaims any knowledge of the murder of his wife, although
he was home at the time.
Three children, all of them up in camp.
So you go to the Fountainhead of Information, police headquarters, and your very good friend,
Detective Lieutenant Louie Parker.
I am mixed up in a rough one this time, Petey, my lad.
Louie, Louie, what happened there?
Exactly what happened there?
Well, all we got is Professor Stanley Sanders' story.
All right, what's the story?
Well, it's about a week ago.
It's a warm night, three kids are off at camp.
Professor is alone with his wife at their home in the Bronx.
Now he's wearing slacks and a sweatshirt.
Louie, I'm not interested in this sartorial of...
Well, be interested.
Why must I be...
Because it's got a bearing on the case.
All right, all right.
All right, okay, all right.
Well, about 10 minutes before the murder happens, Professor Sanders is seen strolling outside
in the slacks and the sweatshirt.
Then he goes into the house.
The rest is his story.
All right, what is his story?
Well, the wife was in the kitchen.
He went upstairs to the bedroom to read.
Well, according to him, he hears sounds of a scuffle.
He runs downstairs and he gets hit.
A hard blow on the neck knocks him out.
When he comes to, his wife is on the kitchen floor, stabbed 15 times.
She's dead.
The sweatshirt he was wearing, it's gone, missing.
And so?
So, that's the story, period.
Guy himself, the professor, absolutely refuses to cooperate any further.
What's he got to cooperate about?
Oh, now listen hard, Mr. Peep.
And try and think like a grownup detective.
I'm listening, Master.
Look, I'm a harness bull.
I don't do the glamour routine like you guys.
I said I was listening, Louis.
All right.
It's an isolated home on Staten Island.
Wife stabbed to death.
Nobody home except him and the missus.
Kitchen knife missing, sweatshirt missing right off his body.
And what are your ideas on that?
Well, only that the sweatshirt was blood stained and he got rid of it together with the knife.
We accuse him, he refuses to talk except to deny the murder.
We want him to take a lie detector test, refuses, absolutely.
Now, what would you think, Peep?
Don't ask me, Louis.
I'm a glamour boy.
You're the harness bull.
It's your thinking that counts.
Well, I think the guy's guiltier than seven devils in Haiti.
Why don't you lock him up?
Because there's one thing missing.
And that?
Motive, my boy.
Motive for murder.
That we ain't got.
Joe, so far all we can do is accuse him and holler and papers make a big stink about it.
Without motive we're hamstrung, Peep.
Yeah, I suppose you are.
What else you got, Louis, that the newspapers haven't got?
Oh, now look, Sonny.
Come on, Louis, it's confidential.
It's always confidential.
I've been retained on this thing.
I'm working.
Whatever I dig up, I turn it to you.
So no bless oblige, tit for tat.
Come on.
All right.
Take a look.
Search of the house, disclose these.
First note, type written note.
Let me see it.
Yeah.
Let's see.
Look out for yourself.
You'll be sorry.
And it's signed by initials SS.
SS.
Stanley Sanders.
And a couple of weeks ago he was out of town, so it figures that he wrote her this nice,
sweet little letter.
We found it in her handbag.
And what's the rest of this stuff?
Menus.
Menus from restaurants, nightclubs.
Looks like she was one of them collectors, you know, menus.
Can I see that?
Yeah, help yourself, detective.
Thank you, detective.
Don't mention it, detective.
One of the menus sort of tickles at you.
It tickles at you fit to bust.
It's from the Casino Rouge, a hot shot nightclub over on the East Side.
So you take your leave of your beloved harness bow, but you're too early for the Casino Rouge,
so you try Professor Sanders again.
There's absolutely nothing I can tell you, Mr. Chambers.
Nothing that I haven't already told the police.
What about that note, Professor, that typewritten note that they attribute to you?
I didn't write that note.
Then why don't you submit to a lie detector test?
Because there's no reason to submit to it.
I'm not a criminal.
I've lived an exemplary life all my life.
I have three children whom I adore.
I'm not riff raff, scum.
There's no reason to submit to a lie detector test.
I've told the police exactly what occurred, exactly what happened that night.
Well, do you have any explanation for the disappearance of your sweatshirt right off
your back?
No.
Well, what about the kitchen knife, which in this case seems to be the murder weapon?
I have no explanation for that, but it's not my province to find explanations.
That's the business of the police.
Well, Prof, do you know a lady by the name of Elaine Janis?
Yes.
Yes, I know her.
She teaches at the university.
Look, Professor, how did you get along with your wife?
Mr. Chambers, I consider that an impertinent question and one that will end this interview
right now.
Good day to you, sir, and please don't trouble to come back.
So that evening, you're an early night clubber.
Casino Rouge goes into action late, but you're early.
Sebastian Slocum owns a joint, affectionately known as Siby to the Joes and the No.
But you're not interested in Siby, not now.
Now you're interested in a slick chick who goes by the name of Carmen La Rose.
She used to be nuts about her boss, and maybe she still is, but anyway, you ask around for
her, she's a singer at the joint.
Have you been looking for me, handsome?
Carmen La Rose, tall, dark, and electric, plenty of voltage, voltage like a third rail.
I hear you've been asking around for me, Petey Boy.
Yeah, I've been asking around.
Tell you something, kiddo, I've been asking around for you.
Like how?
I called your office a couple times when I got the chance.
Who's been stopping you?
Nobody.
And what do you mean when you got the chance?
Siby, he's been close to me, so close to me.
Yeah, and you hate him for that, huh?
Yes, I hate him, I hate him.
I call you, but you are not in.
I've been working on a case.
What's with you and Siby?
I thought you were nuts about that mug.
No more.
I hate him, and I am scared, pretty, scarce Jeff.
I don't know if he knows, but I thought, I don't know if he knows.
You don't know if I know what, my little boy?
Well, how are you doing, Siby, my little boy?
I don't like you in my place of business, Snooper.
Me, Siby, my little boy?
I don't like no coppers in my place of business.
I'm no copper, Siby.
To me, you're a copper.
My little boy, Siby, Sebastian Slocum, six feet tall, Latin type, lover type, sleek,
slim and dapper, with wild black eyes that look like they need four alarms to put out
the blaze.
So kindly do me a very small favor.
For you, Siby, anytime.
Get out of my place of business.
Look, Siby, will you look?
Get out of here.
Free country, Siby.
Free country, sure.
A place of business that ain't free.
So get going, Snooper.
Get out of here.
And if I don't, my little boy?
Then I help you.
Mike, Jack!
What do you mean?
Hey!
Get him out!
Holy moly!
Have you ever been bounced out of a nightclub?
No.
No
Am I shot?
What a fool.
Bob, the club owner, thrilling news.
Taped the seat.
Come on.
of his wife. So you high-tail her down to headquarters and you're ushered into
Parker's office and there they are. The good lieutenant, the professor, and what
do you know, Elaine Janis. Okay Pete, we got the whole story. We even know that
Miss Janis retained you to help our professor here. Well you said you didn't
have enough on him, Louie, until you had a motive. Which is what we got right now.
Plenty of motive. Like what? Like love. Love? Mm-hmm. That's motive for murder? It is
when you're in love with the wrong party. I had to tell them, Mr. Chambers. I had to
talk. I couldn't hold it any longer. Holding it back was, well it was like
lying. Yeah but you... And they should know everything. They should know the truth.
Truth? What truth? Dear Professor Sanders and dear teacher here are very much in
love. Professor asked his wife for divorce. His wife refused. Good enough,
detective? Do we have a motive? See, he didn't do it. I'm perfectly confident and
I want you to know everything but, but he didn't kill her. Want to talk,
professor? I've told you all I intend to tell you. I'll add that I did ask my wife
for a divorce and that she refused. But I didn't kill her. As to that, I've given
you all the facts. Now you in love with Miss Janis here? I am and I would like to
marry her but I'm not a murderer. I have three children and it's my intention to
try to save them from any possible scandal. Is that why you wouldn't talk? I
didn't kill her. That's all I have to say except I should like to call my lawyer.
You don't need a lawyer to answer the simple question.
And so it goes deep into the night. They put the grill on Professor Sanders but
he clams tighter than a teenager's evening gown. Finally when Parker throws
his hands up in disgust, you get out of there. Where to? Casino Rouge. You owe a
debt there. Your dignity's been bruised among other things but you're late.
Carmen La Rose left with Sebastian Slocum. You throw the bartender a couple
of tens and you learn that Carmen lives up at Rye Beach, a little shack up at Rye
Beach. It takes you a half hour to get there and then you mosey over to a
window and you make with the gander. There they are drinking it up, the two of
them. The windows locked from the inside but you can hear. Nothing, Siby, I didn't see
nothing. I don't know what you're talking about. You can tell me honey, I don't care
if you saw. I want to know. I don't want you holding out on Siby. Here, have a little belt.
Have a little belt on Siby. You wouldn't hurt me Siby. You wouldn't do me no harm, huh?
Wouldn't hurt a hair on your head my little boy. Now come on, loosen up.
Did you tell me that night? Yeah, yeah I did. I was crazy jealous Siby on that
phony society dame. You were a toy to her, a plaything and you were thinking she
would divorce a guy for you. Shut up. Okay, okay. I'm shutting. Don't ask me no more Siby.
No more. I don't want to talk no more. I didn't see nothing. I don't want to talk
no more. Don't you worry my little boy. You ain't gonna talk no more. Never.
The guy pulls a knife that looked like it's a foot long. You go into action, you
crash the window and you are in action. Tough, but he's not tough enough and when you're
finished. He's stretched out, cool and comfortable and nobody's going to hear
from Sebastian Slocum until he gets dialed in. Meanwhile you've got Carmen
Larose on your hands and I mean on your hands. Hold me Petey. Kiss me. I am afraid.
Hold me please. Easy does it Carmen girl. Kiss me. What's going on here? Kiss me please.
Look Carmen my little boy this isn't the time it's not the place. It is when I am
frightened. When I am frightened I am like a little child. Please kiss me.
Please please please. Okay okay. And now. Yes. Talk it up sister. Oh yes I will. Once
once I love him. I thought I loved him. No more. No more. He is like Tomcat. Women
he does not care. Anyway this one came. This one. For once he is entangled. A society
this professor's wife this Mrs. Sanders. She lead him on. She lead him by the
nose. She is one to enjoy but she does not become entangled. So then Siby talks
to the wife and she laughs in his face. She says she is happy protected as a
married woman. So? So later on he types note to her from Casino Rouge office. He
thinks I do not see it but I see it. I see a threatening note and she comes then
to the club and again she laughs at him. She laughs right in his face. And then? Then
last week he goes there. I go after him. He does not know it but I am tailing him
because I want to know. I want to see. The husband is upstairs. I am by the
kitchen window. They fight. They argue and he kill her.
Butchers her with kitchen knife. The husband comes down the stairs. Siby wait
behind the door. Slugs him. He falls near her. There is blood on his shirt. Then
Siby takes the shirt off him. Tears the knife and he goes. Got any idea why he took
the sweatshirt? I imagine to make something that cannot be explained. I
imagine to put the suspicion on the husband. Yeah yeah I imagine that you
imagine pretty good my little one. Ah so now please hold me. Please kiss me. I am
afraid.
So once more you're at police headquarters. Sebastian Slocum is
confined to the calaboose. Carmen LaRose is held as a material witness and
Professor Sanders free as a lock is in Parker's office with Elaine Janis and
you you're listening. Professor I don't get you. I simply don't understand. He is a
good dear fine man. Yeah but he almost got him so fried in the hot seat clamming up
like he did. Oh there are all kinds of people Lieutenant. Yeah there certainly must be. Scandal
Lieutenant. I shudder in it. I have three children. So you told me over and over
and over. Let me give you a little background Lieutenant. My father was a
minister. My mother a devout woman a social worker. I was brought up very
strictly. I am in essence an old-fashioned man. So you know about
Slocum? He came to you to ask for your okay for a divorce. Why didn't you tell
us? Scandal again Lieutenant. Bad enough she was dead. I wasn't going to heave
scandal upon scandal. My children, my community, my students. Oh what a guy. Yes
he's the dearest finest. Yes but not taking the lie to take the test. Holding
out on your affection for Miss Janis here and holding out on that Sebastian
Slocum thing and that that note the typewritten note. Weren't you worried man?
Not for a moment Lieutenant. As I said I am a devout man. I knew that one way or
another truth would out. Yeah truth would out thanks to the crazy operations of
this crazy private eye. Thank you Louis. Well then Lieutenant may we go? And peace
go with you professor. You're quite a guy. Bye Miss Janis. Bye now.
Bye now. What a man. Yes sir there's a certain simplicity a certain integrity
you got a hand into him. I suppose you have to. All right now let's get to you.
What sent you off to that Casino Rouge? Well you did Louis. Me? Yeah you. Well like
how? How did I send you? Well maybe I'm a little bit of a rounder more than you
let's say but I knew that the Casino Rouge was owned by Sebastian Slocum. So?
What's that got to do with it? Well that note you showed me. Here let me see it again.
I'll show you. Yeah sure. Here you go. See it's a typewritten note. Mind you a typewritten
note. Now it reads look out for yourself you'll be sorry and it's signed by
initials SS. That's right SS Stanley Sanders. Professor Stanley Sanders. Also SS for
Sebastian Slocum which it turned out to be. Well how in heck did you know that?
Psychology Louis psychology. First ask any married man in the world if he drops
his wife a note would he type it? The answer is no. Plus and this is even more
incontrovertible psychologically. Incontro what? Never mind never mind. What
husband in the world would sign a note to his wife by both his initials? Yeah you
got a point there. A husband would sign by his first name perhaps even by his first
initial but think no husband is that formal with his wife both initials. It
just didn't figure psychologically. And that plus the menu from Casino Rouge
plus SS owns Casino Rouge. Yeah and it sure tickled me Louis in the right place.
Look pal can I say something? Louis you can say anything. Well for once I'd like
to go on record with a statement. You know people make jokes about routine
hottest cops like myself and the glamour boys you guys private eyes. So I'd like
to go on record with a statement. All right now hit me easy Louis. Not gonna hit you at all
Pete. All I want to say for the record honest bull look private eye. Well done
young man. Very well done indeed.
And there you've had crime and Peter Chambers.
Dane Clark was starred as Peter Chambers. Crime and Peter Chambers transcribed was
created and written by Henry Kane. Others in the cast were Bill Zuckert
heard as Lieutenant Parker, Mary Patton as Carmen and Bill Lally as Dr.
Sheffman. It was directed by Fred Way. This is Fred Collins inviting you to
tune in next week same time same station for Dane Clark in crime and Peter
Chambers.
Be with us again next week at this same time for another adventure by Peter
Chambers in crime and Peter Chambers. This is the United States Armed Forces
Radio and Television Service.