The Fat Man Murder in Jade Date: Nov 24 1950

CAST:
ANNOUNCER
1ST ANNOUNCER
2ND ANNOUNCER
VOICE
SINGERS

THE FAT MAN
BRONSON
CHARLEY
KITTY
MRS. VINTON
ARTHUR
MAC
PEACOCK

ANNCR: Here comes .... THE FAT MAN IN "MURDER IN JADE" starring J. Scott Smart .. and presented by the makers of CAMEL Cigarettes. MUSIC: ... CAMEL THEME AND OUT. 1ST ANNCR: More people smoke Camels than any other cigarette! 2ND ANNCR: Yes, Camels are the favorite cigarette of people in all walks of life: among them are singing stars, actors, announcers, people whose voices are their fortunes! 1ST ANNCR: Make the Camel thirty-day test -- the sensible cigarette test -- and see how mild, how flavorful, how thoroughly enjoyable Camels are! 2ND ANNCR: See why more people smoke Camels than any other cigarette. (PAUSE) 2ND ANNCR: There he goes .. he's lighting up a Camel cigarette ... he's stepping on the scales .... (COIN IN SLOT) VOICE: Weight 237 pounds ... (CARD EXPELLED) VOICE: Fortune ... danger. MUSIC: ... STING AND OUT. VOICE: Who is it? FAT: The Fat Man. MUSIC: ... FAT MAN THEME ESTABLISHED - FADE DOWN AND UNDER FAT: There's always something mysterious or baffling about even ordinary crimes. In nine cases out of ten the motive is money and generally the person with the most evidence against him is the guilty party. But solving a killing is something else again, and there are all kinds of motives when the crime is murder. MUSIC: ... STING AND UNDER. FAT: The Bronson Insurance Company specialized in fire and theft. They would insure almost anything but occasionally they got hit and hit hard in spite of the persistence of old man Bronson, president of the company. I'd done a lot of work for them from time to time so I wasn't surprised when I got a call asking me to drop in. But I was surprised when I was told the old man himself wanted to see me. BRONSON: Sit down, Runyun. This is an unusual case, Runyun, and a very important one to this company. (PAUSE) Did you ever hear of Solomon's Rope? FAT: Solomon's Rope? Uh... Oh... Oh... The matched jade necklace stolen from the Mavis family about fifteen years ago? BRONSON: Yes. I don't know whether or not you knew it but this company had insured the necklace for three hundred thousand dollars. FAT: Yeah, and you paid off on it. BRONSON: Exactly. And if you remember, the Mavis home was robbed by a gang of gunmen led by a man named Jack Kelly. FAT: The first of the Dillinger breed. BRONSON: Yeah, that's right. The necklace was part of the loot. Less than three weeks later the police trapped the gang, and in the gunfight that followed, killed most of them, including Kelly. The entire loot from the Mavis robbery was recovered except for the necklace Solomon's Rope. That was never found. FAT: I think the police figured Kelly broke it down and got rid of it stone by stone before they closed with him. BRONSON: I think the police were wrong in their theory. FAT: Umm? Why? BRONSON: Look at it this way. Kelly was just a gunman with more nerve than brains. The police were closing in on him. He didn't have much time. He had plenty of ready cash. Why would he take the trouble to get rid of the necklace stone by stone? I think he liked it - hid it some place. FAT: Fifteen years is a long time, Mr. Bronson. Why the sudden interest? BRONSON: I'm coming to that. If you remember, there were two members of Kelly's gang who weren't with the rest when the police closed in. One was a little weasel-faced fellow named Tucker Malone. FAT: Oh yeah, I remember .... They caught him two days later hiding in a flophouse in Chicago ... BRONSON: That's right. And the other missing member was a girl named Kitty Cassidy. They didn't know too much about her - never did catch her. She's still missing. FAT: You think this Kitty Cassidy got the necklace? BRONSON: No. She hadn't been with the gang long and she wasn't Kelly's girl. I don't think she would have known where Kelly hid it. But I do think Tucker Malone might know. FAT: He got life, didn't he? BRONSON: Yes, but his sentence was commuted. FAT: Oh? BRONSON: He was released from prison three days ago. FAT: And now you think he'll go after the necklace? BRONSON: Exactly. FAT: It seems to me you missed a bet in not having somebody pick up his trail when he got out. He might be hard to find by now. BRONSON: I did that purposely. I don't want to arouse his suspicion. FAT: Umm ... He might have the necklace by now. BRONSON: So much the better. It won't be easy for him to get rid of it. (PAUSE) Do you think you can find him? FAT: Umm .... I can try. BRONSON: Good. Then you'll take the job? FAT: Why not? BRONSON: Oh, and by the way, Runyun, I might add that there is a ten thousand dollar reward posted by this company for the return of the necklace! MUSIC: . . . BRIDGE. . FADE FOR (DOOR OPENS) CHARLEY: And so with his head bowed deep in thought, the Fat Man solved another case. (DOOR [CLOSES]) FAT: (OFF) Very funny. FAT: Ha-ha-ha! FAT: Very funny. Listen, Charley, I'm busy. If you're looking for a story, go down to night court. You won't get any byline here. CHARLEY: Already I got a story but I haven't got the ending yet. That's why I came to see you. FAT: (IN) I'm not a story-teller. I'm a detective. CHARLEY: Uh ... Precisely, my dear Watson. Which brings me to the purpose of my visit. I want to hire a detective. Out of my own pocket - I want to hire a detective. FAT: I hate to miss that. But I told you I was busy. Now beat it. CHARLEY: Uh ... Ever hear of - uh - Solomon's Rope? (PAUSE) FAT: Maybe I'm not as busy as I thought. CHARLEY: I'm your employer then? FAT: Let's have the story first. CHARLEY: Well, last night in the course of my duties as an ace reporter I happened to stop in a little beer joint over on Third Avenue. FAT: That's no novelty. CHARLEY: Well, a man was standing at the bar and he was very drunk. I couldn't place him, but the face was mighty familiar. It made me think of sweet bygone memories, black touring cars with curtains, straight home-made gin and tommyguns without khaki uniforms. FAT: And that made you think of Jack Kelly, and then it clicked. The guy was Tucker Malone. CHARLEY: Yeah. (PAUSE) So you know he's out of jail? FAT: Well, I get around too. What happened after you recognized him? CHARLEY: Well, I remembered the necklace, Solomon's Rope, and how it never turned up, see? Well, I buy him a couple of drinks and finally got him out of the place. Then I tried to pump him. FAT: Did he talk? CHARLEY: Not much. But just before he passed out he did say something. I can't make anything out of it but maybe you can. FAT: What did he say? CHARLEY: Well, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "You're the first real pal I ever had. I'm gonna make you rich, pal." I shook him and said, "When? How?" Well, he stared at me a minute - then he said, "The old guy raises peacocks." Well, tie that for me, will you pal. FAT: Peacocks? CHARLEY: Yeah. That's what he said. FAT: What do you think he was talking about? CHARLEY: Beats me. Maybe he was seeing peacocks instead of pink elephants. Y'know, I liked that part about making me rich though. I think he meant the necklace. FAT: Well, what do you want me to do? CHARLEY: Listen, that guy is valuable. He's the lead sentence to the story of the year and I want that story. There may be others who want the necklace. I want to hire you to protect him until I can get him to talk. What do you say? FAT: I take it you know where Malone is? CHARLEY: Uh-huh-- I'll say I know. I wasn't taking any chances. He's sleeping it off right now in my apartment! MUSIC: . . . BRIDGE. CHARLEY: This is my apartment here. (KEY IN LOCK) CHARLEY: We gotta be careful, Brad. FAT: Don't worry. (DOOR OPENS) FAT: Uh - uh-- You'd better make some coffee for Malone. (DOOR CLOSES) CHARLEY: Yeah, yeah. That's a good idea. FAT: You haven't got a girl hidden in here too, have you? CHARLEY: A girl? Of course not. Why? FAT: Perfume! Smell it? It's "Constant Love". CHARLEY: Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Well, that's funny I --- FAT: Where's the bedroom? CHARLEY: Well, that door over there. FAT: Come on. (DOOR OPENS) CHARLEY: (LOW VOICE) Look at Malone. Cute huh? Sleeping like a baby. FAT: Yeah. (SLIGHTLY OFF MIKE) Yeah, he's sleeping like a baby all right, a dead baby! CHARLEY: Dead? FAT: (FADE IN) Ummm.... Bullets! Three of 'em. They weren't taking any chances. CHARLEY: But who could have -- (PAUSE) Hey-- You don't think I did it? FAT: I don't know. (PAUSE) You're in a jam, Charley. CHARLEY: Now look-- I didn't kill him. FAT: No, I don't think you did, but I'll have to call the cops. CHARLEY: Wait a minute, Brad. I'm in a spot, you said so yourself. I'll really need a detective now for myself. I've got to find this guy's murderer. Well, this is just the beginning of this thing. FAT: I think you're right about that. CHARLEY: Give me a break, then! Let me knock out a story on this. I'll have a clean scoop. I'll call the cops the minute I turn my story in. FAT: Okay, Charley. CHARLEY: Thanks. FAT: You're sure nobody came up here with you last night except Malone? CHARLEY: What do you mean? FAT: The perfume. No girl came with you? CHARLEY: Brad, I told you the truth, so help me I have. FAT: I hope so. (PAUSE) Go ahead and write your story but make it fast. And don't touch anything in this bedroom. When you finish it, call Lt. Mackenzie at headquarters and tell him the truth! MUSIC: . . . BRIDGE. . . MUSIC: . . . . .OUT OF BRIDGE INTO BACKGROUND MUSIC FAT: I left the reporter alone with the dead man, and drove to my office. Maybe I was a sap but there were a lot of reasons why I didn't think Charley Blake had killed the little guy with the weasel face. All the way downtown Malone's last words kept running through my head, "The old guy raises peacocks." A drunk's dream or the key to something? In this business you can't afford to pass up anything, not even a drunk's dream. So somebody raises peacocks. A lot of people raise chickens and cows but peacocks! It shouldn't be too hard. It was just noon when I parked the car and went up to the office. I opened the door ... MUSIC: . . . STING AND UNDER. FAT: ... and smelled it - the same perfume - "Constant Love". The girl sat carelessly in the client's chair, one slim leg crossed over the other, however I noticed her eyes .... They were black, blacker than the inside of a derby at midnight and they caught the light like agates. She motioned slightly with the small, flat automatic pistol in her right hand. KITTY: (OFF MIKE) Kick the door closed with your foot and try to touch the ceiling with those big strong arms, Fat Man. (DOOR SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT) FAT: (ON MIKE) What movie did you step out of, beautiful? KITTY: (FADING IN SLOWLY) All right, wise guy, this gun has six bullets in it. According to my figures your gun, if you've still got it with you, has only three. I want it. Keep your hands up. FAT: Somehow you don't strike me as the "Constant Love" type. KITTY: Never mind that. Now I'll take the gun. (QUICK SLAPPING SOUND) KITTY: There -- Nice rod, but no powder smell. (QUICK SNIFFING SOUND) KITTY: Wrong guess number one for little Kitty, loaded and it hasn't been fired. It must have been the newsboy. FAT: Charley didn't kill Malone, beautiful, and neither did I. We sort of thought you did. KITTY: Do I look like the kind of sap that would kill the goose that lays the golden eggs? FAT: If the goose had quit laying, yeah. KITTY: He hadn't begun yet unless he was being partial to somebody else. FAT: Meaning? KITTY: Meaning you or the newsboy. It's not in this office and it's not in your pockets. Take your necktie and shirt off, Fat Man. FAT: Why the strip tease, sweetheart? KITTY: A necklace is made to wear around the neck -- even a neck as big as yours. FAT: (LAUGHS) Smart girl but wrong guess number two for little Kitty. (PAUSE) KITTY: (SOFTLY) Yeah, let's stop guessing. Where is it? FAT: I don't know. KITTY: Look, I'm not kidding with this gun, Fat Man. FAT: Shoot, sweetheart. I wouldn't tell you even if I did know. (PAUSE) KITTY: You've got nerve. I like guys with nerve, FAT: I don't like girls with guns. What made you add my name to this party? KITTY: That's easy. I saw the newsboy pick Malone up last night. I tailed them to his apartment. Malone was loaded, and I knew he wouldn't move until late today. I came back this morning and paid a call. The reporter was gone, Malone was dead, and the necklace was missing. It wasn't hard to figure. So I hung around outside waiting. I saw you and the newsboy come in. That gave me ideas so I came to your office to wait. FAT: How did you know me? KITTY: Why, Mr. Runyun, haven't you heard? You're a celebrity. FAT: Oh - Stop. KITTY: Turn around and face the wall. (PAUSE) It's time for me to travel. (FADING OFF) Maybe we'll meet again. (DOOR OPENS OFF MIKE) FAT: I can hardly wait. (DOOR SLAMS OFF) (KEY TURNS IN LOCK OFF) FAT: (SOFTLY) Okay, sweetheart, lock the door - have it your way. (RECEIVER OFF HOOK) (DIALS ONCE) FAT: Operator, I'm in a hurry. Get me the city zoo. (PAUSE) Yeah, that's right, the zoo. (TO HIMSELF) That's quite a girl, Kitty. I'd hate to have her for my first date. (PAUSE) Hello, City Zoo? I'd like to know the name of anybody who raises peacocks within a hundred miles of the city! MUSIC: . . .CURTAIN. . . (COMMERCIAL) MIDDLE COMMERCIAL FAT MAN: Where do you phone when you want to find out about animals? (LAUGH) Why, you call the zoo. Logical ... simple ... straightforward. And if you want to find about the mildness of a cigarette, there's a logical, simple, direct technique for that, too! 1ST ANNCR: What's the best way to find out if a cigarette agrees with your throat? Well, smoking is something we enjoy many times a day -- day-in and day-out. So it makes sense to test a cigarette over a period of time! There aren't any shortcuts -- one puff won't tell you ... one sniff won't tell you! 2ND ANNCR: Smoke Camels for thirty days and you'll find out just how mild a cigarette can be. You'll enjoy those thirty days -- because Camels have a wonderful, rich, full flavor. And you'll appreciate those thirty days even more when you find out that the cool, cool, mildness of Camels means continuous smoking enjoyment! 1ST ANNCR: In a coast-to-coast test of hundreds of people who smoked only Camels for thirty days, noted throat specialists reported not one single case of throat irritation due to smoking Camels! 2ND ANNCR: Make your own thirty-day Camel test -- the sensible test -- and see why more people smoke Camels than any other cigarette! SINGERS: How mild, How mild, How mild can a cigarette be? Make the Camel thirty-day test And you'll see! Smoke Camels and see! 1ST ANNCR: And now here again is the Fat Man. MUSIC: BRIDGE . . . . . (SOUND OF CHICKENS, ETC.) (FOOTSTEPS ON GRAVEL TO PORCH) (SOUND OF OLD-FASHIONED DOOR BELL) (PAUSE) (DOOR OPENS) FAT: Good afternoon. Mrs. Vinton? MRS. V: Why yes, how did you know? Land sakes, it's gettin' cold, ain't it? FAT: Yes, it is. MRS. V: I just told Arthur, he's my husband, Arthur. I just told him he was foolish to go out without a coat but he won't let those peacocks alone. Oh -- Won't you come in? FAT: Thanks. MRS. V: I reckon that's what you come about, ain't it, the peacocks? FAT: As a matter of fact it is. MRS. V: Well, set down, Mr. -- FAT: Runyun. MRS. V: Set down, Mr. Runyun. Arthur'll be in in a minute. My, I never saw the like of it. FAT: Um.... What? MRS. V: All the peacock buyers comin' at once. Here we go along raisin' 'em for years and nobody wants 'em and then in less than a week two of you fellows show up to buy. (PAUSE) That's what you're here for, ain't it? FAT: Yes, that's it. Of course I'll want to look them over pretty well. MRS. V: That's just what the other feller said too. FAT: I always like to know what my competitors are doing. I was just wondering who this other fellow was. MRS. V: Well, I don't rightly remember his name but Arthur might. He was a little fellow with an awful pale face. That was just two days ago he was here. FAT: Oh -- (PAUSE)..(FADING SLIGHTLY) This is a nice old house you have here, Mrs. Vinton. MRS. V: Yes, it's real homey. FAT: (OFF) Lived here all your life? MRS. V: Oh, land sakes, no. Arthur bought this place about ten years ago. FAT: (FADE ON) Uh-huh -- You never know what you might find in an old house like this. MRS. V: Ain't it the truth. FAT: Antiques and things. (PAUSE) MRS. V: (CONFIDENTIAL) Y'know, it's funny your sayin' that. I found something very peculiar in this house right after we moved in. FAT: You did? MRS. V: Yes. Arthur don't like for me to talk about it. He says it might not be good publicity. FAT: What did you find, Mrs. Vinton? MRS. V: Guns, Mr. Runyun. Five of 'em, all loaded up. They was under the floor in the kitchen. FAT: Guns? MRS. V: Lots of folks don't know it, but this house was a headquarters for some gangsters in the old days. FAT: You don't say? MRS. V: Yes sir. What do you think of that? FAT: That's very interesting. You never found anything else, did you? MRS. V: Nope, not a thing. Some folks think there's loot hidden somewhere on the place, but we ain't never seen any of it. (DOOR CLOSE--OFF MIKE) MRS. V: Oh, here comes Arthur now. Don't let on I told you about the guns. He don't like my talkin' so much. ARTHUR: (FADING IN) Maggie, where's that pair of shoes -- MRS. V: Come in, Arthur. This here is Mr. Runyun. He's another one of those peacock buyers. He wants to look at your birds. ARTHUR: I ain't interested in selling my peacocks, Mister. MRS. V: Why, Arthur, what on earth are you -- ARTHUR: You heard me, Maggie. I ain't interested so you might just as well run along, Mister. MAGGIE: But, Arthur, you know very well - ARTHUR: I said no. FAT: Well - uh -- Do you mind if I just look at them? ARTHUR: Why, yes, I do mind. I told you I ain't interested in sellin' so why look at 'em. I don't want no more buyers comin' around here so you can get. MRS. V: Arthur Vinton, you must have lost your mind! ARTHUR: (YELLING) I know what I'm doin'. I ain't sellin' my peacocks, and I ain't showin' 'em to anybody either, and that's final! MUSIC: . . .BRIDGE . . . MAC: Where have you been, Brad? I've been looking all over town for you. FAT: Well, I was in the country, Mac .. seeing a man about some peacocks. MAC: Peacocks! Look Brad, I thought we were friends. That newshound says you were with him when he found the body. FAT: That's right. MAC: Why didn't you report it? You know better than to - FAT: Now, now, calm down, Mac. I gave Charley a break because he gave me one. MAC: Yeah, I'll say you gave him a break. The paper's already on the street when he calls up nice as pie and says, "I've got a murder for you, Lieutenant." I'm surprised he didn't wait for me to read it in the paper. FAT: (LAUGHS) Maybe he doesn't think you can read. MAC: Yeah. Well, I'm putting the heat on Charlie Blake. I think he killed Malone. FAT: Oh now - Quit acting like a kid, Mac. MAC: I mean it. I think that newshound did it just to get a good story. I'd pull him in on suspicion if it weren't for the paper. FAT: Why don't you ask me about the peacocks? MAC: Yeah, what were you doing in the country? What about the peacocks? FAT: The farmer doesn't want to sell them any more. MAC: What are you talking about? FAT: Solomon's Rope. Remember? MAC: (PAUSE) So that's why Malone was knocked off! FAT: I think so. MAC: But Kelly broke that necklace up and got rid of it before the police got him. FAT: I don't think he did. MAC: Why not? FAT: Because I think I found the place where Kelly hid it. MAC: Where? Is that what you mean about the peacocks? FAT: Yeah. A farm up near Statesville that Kelly used as a hideout once. A farmer and his wife live there now and the farmer raises peacocks. I've got a hunch the necklace is still there. MAC: But that doesn't make sense. Malone must have had the necklace. Why else would he be killed? FAT: I'm not sure but I've got an idea. MAC: You're crazy. Besides we got a tip that Kitty Cassidy was in town. She's been missing for years and was one of the old Kelly mob. She must have done in Malone and got the jade. FAT: Yes, she's in town, all right, with a gun of her own and one of mine. MAC: Yours? (LAUGHS) What happened, Brad? FAT: She dropped in to see me, made me do a strip tease, and took my gun. MAC: (LAUGHS) That's one for the book. Why did she do that? FAT: She thought I had the necklace. She didn't have it, and she came after Malone was killed. Oh - uh -- Where's Charley Blake now? MAC: He's not at his office at the newspaper. I called there. FAT: Let's try his apartment. We've got to see him right away! MUSIC: BRIDGE. . . . . . . . . (FOOTSTEPS IN HALL) MAC: I still think Blake killed Malone and pocketed the necklace. FAT: Why would he come to me then? MAC: Oh - he's smart. Maybe he figured that would make him look innocent. FAT: No, I don't think so. I hope he's in his apartment. (FOOTSTEPS STOP) MAC: There's a light under his door. (KNOCK ON DOOR) (PAUSE) MAC: Uh - He knows the game's up, and he's stalling. Come on, put your shoulder against this door and heave. FAT: Wait a minute! (TRYING DOORKNOB) FAT: You don't need a shoulder, it's unlocked. (DOOR OPENS) MAC: All right, Blake, don't try any -- FAT: Now put your gun away, Mac, somebody else got to Blake first. MAC: Dead? FAT: (SLIGHTLY OFF MIKE) Yeah but not long. MAC: Kitty did it! He did have the necklace, and she got it away from him. FAT: I think the girl killed him, but she didn't get the necklace. Come on, Mac, we haven't got much time. MAC: Where are we going? FAT: Back to the peacock farm! MUSIC: BRIDGE . . . . . . . . . (SOUND OF CAR MOTOR) MAC: I hope you know what you're doing, Brad, coming up here at this time of night. I've got no jurisdiction up here. FAT: I just brought you along for company, Mac. If we need the law we can call the local lads. (PAUSE) Oh - there's the Vinton farmhouse up ahead. MAC: It's so dark it's hard to see anything ... (MOTOR SLOWS DOWN) FAT: Yeah. (MOTOR STOPS - CRICKETS OFF MIKE) MAC: Uh - There's a light on downstairs. They must still be up. (CAR DOOR OPEN) MAC: Most farmers go to bed early. (CAR DOOR CLOSE) (CRICKETS UP) (FOOTSTEPS ON PATH TO PORCH) FAT: Huh -- I don't think this farmer is like most other ones. MAC: I'm beginning to wish he was. (DOG HOWL) (FOOTSTEPS ON PORCH) (FOOTSTEPS STOP) (OLD FASHIONED DOORBELL) (PAUSE) MRS. V: (OFF MIKE MUFFLED NERVOUS) Who's there? MAC: (LOW) Who's that, Brad? FAT: (LOW) Vinton's wife. (LOUDER) Open the door, Mrs. Vinton. (DOOR OPENS - FADE CRICKETS DOWN A LITTLE) MRS. V: Why, why Mr. Runyun! What in the world are you doin' here at this time of night? FAT: Where's your husband? (CRICKETS OUT) MRS. V: Why he's gone out to show his peacocks to -- who's this other feller, Mr. Runyun? FAT: He's a friend of mine. MRS. V: Well I never -- I just never saw nothin' like it. First the little man, then you and now tonight that girl. FAT: Girl? MRS. V: Why yes. She come about a half hour ago. I thought she must be crazy wantin' to see them birds at this hour. I says, Arthur, them peacocks must be mighty all fired important all of a sudden. FAT: Did he take her out to look at the peacocks? MRS. V: Yes. They been-out there for the last -- FAT: Come on, Mac. MRS. V: Why Mr. Runyun, what's the matter? Where you goin'? FAT: To see your husband. MRS. V: (OFF) Well, I don't know, it's mighty dark out there -- (DOOR CLOSE--CRICKETS--FOOTSTEPS) MAC: What's it mean, Brad? FAT: The girl's after the necklace of course. We'd better hurry. MAC: You think the girl's gonna try and knock off the farmer? FAT: I don't know. MAC: I can't see anything out here, can you? FAT: That dark building off to the left is the peacock pen and house. That's where they must - MAC: Hold it, Brad. FAT: What's the matter? MAC: Over there in the other direction - that other big building. I just saw a light flash over there. FAT: That's the barn. They must be in there. Come on. (RUNNING FOOTSTEPS) FAT: You got a flashlight, Mac? MAC: Yeah. FAT: Good. (RUNNING FOOTSTEPS STOP) FAT: Now -- Here it is. Hold it a second. (PAUSE) MAC: I don't hear anything. FAT: Get out your light and let's go in. (BARN DOOR CREAKS SLOWLY OPEN -- STEPS -- FADE CRICKETS OUT) FAT: (CALLING) Vinton? (PAUSE) MAC: They've gone. FAT: Shine the light around, Mac. (PAUSE) MAC: There's nothing in here. FAT: Wait a minute. Shine it back there on that pile of hay again. (PAUSE) Hey .... I thought I saw something.. MAC: It's just an old shoe. (SEVERAL STEPS--SOUND OF HAY BEING PULLED ASIDE) FAT: Yeah. It's a shoe all right, Mac, a girl's shoe and the owner is still wearing it. Look! MAC: Dead! Is that -- FAT: Yeah -- It's Kitty! MAC: Strangled with a piece of twine. FAT: Yeah, that's your murderer, Mac, the farmer. He killed Malone and this girl. MAC: Yeah. But Blake? He couldn't have killed him. FAT: No. Kitty killed Blake because she thought he had the necklace. When she didn't find it she must have suspected the farmer of killing Malone. MAC: But why? FAT: Don't you get it, Mac. The farmer found the necklace. He's had it all along. He knew Malone was after it. He probably followed him back to town, waited his chance, and killed him. (FAR OFF MIKE A PEACOCK STARTS SCREAMING) MAC: What's that? FAT: That's a peacock screaming. Somebody's in the pen. Come on! (RUNNING FOOTSTEPS) MAC: But the peacocks? What do they -- FAT: I don't know. (OFF MIKE SOUND OF SHOTGUN BEING FIRED) FAT: That was a shotgun. It came from the peacock pen. Hurry Mac. Here's the pen. (RUNNING FOOTSTEPS STOP) (GATE FLUNG OPEN) MAC: Yeah --- He's gone. FAT: Look there on the ground, Mac. MAC: A dead peacock! FAT: He shot it. MAC: But why? (SOUND OF SCREECHING PEACOCK FADING OFF) FAT: I'll tell you later. Come on. He's running off through that field with one of the birds. Hear it? MAC: Yeah. (RUNNING FOOTSTEPS AGAIN) (SCREECHING BIRD STOPS SUDDENLY) FAT: He probably broke the bird's neck to shut it up. He's not too far ahead. MAC: But it's so dark it'll be hard to - (SHOTGUN SHOT OFF MIKE) MAC: The shotgun again. What could he be shooting now if he's killed the bird already? FAT: I don't know. Hey -- look Mac, over there in the field, near the fence. MAC: I can't see - FAT: Give me the light. (RUNNING FOOTSTEPS STOP) FAT: There. Now do you see? MAC: The farmer! But what happened to him? He must have fallen - FAT: Yeah. He fell all right. Look there. MAC: Half his head blown off. FAT: He tripped in the dark and when he fell, the shotgun went off and hit him. MAC: Well, that'll save the state a lot of trouble. But what about the peacock he was carrying -- FAT: (SLIGHTLY OFF MIKE) Yeah... Dead too. He wrung its neck while he was running. MAC: But I don't get it. What did he want with the bird? FAT: (OFF) ... This, Mac. Look here, look where I'm shining the light, here on the bird. MAC: I don't see any-- Well I'll be darned. FAT: (ON) The necklace. Smart boy that farmer. What better hiding place could he find than the feathers of a peacock? MAC: Yeah. But how did he manage it? FAT: Easy. It's strung around the body of the bird and held in place by a piece of wire. The green color of the jade fits in perfectly with the green feathers of the bird. MAC: Yeah. But why did he shoot the other bird back there? FAT: It was dark. He thought he had the bird with the necklace. He shot it so he could get it off easier. Then he realized he made a mistake. He probably heard us coming and didn't have time to shoot this one. Or maybe he wanted that one remaining shotgun shell to fire at us. MAC: Uh huh -- But it got him instead. That's irony isn't it? FAT: Yeah. Wait a second, Mac, till I get this necklace off. (PAUSE) There. Well, come on let's go. (FOOTSTEPS) MAC: Well, you got your necklace and I got my murderers even if they're both dead. We've still got to untangle this with the local cops tho! FAT: That won't be hard and then we'll both be five thousand bucks richer. MAC: What? What are you talking about? FAT: That's right, Mac. There's a ten thousand dollar reward for the recovery of this necklace. You helped me get it so I figure you're entitled to half the reward. (FOOTSTEPS OUT) MAC: You mean I'm going to get five thousand dollars all at once? FAT: Uh huh. Five thousand dollars. And I guess you'll be able to -- (BODY FALLS HEAVILY TO GROUND) FAT: Hey, Mac, what's wrong, what's -- (LAUGHS) That's the first time I ever saw a cop faint. MUSIC: CURTAIN ... SEGUE TO THEME. CLOSING COMMERCIAL ANNCR: (OVER MUSIC) ... The Fat Man will return in just a moment. 1ST ANNCR: You know, there are Camel smokers in all walks of life. Stars, whose voices mean so much in their work, choose Camels for mildness. Dick Powell, Paul Lukas, Opera Star Nadine Conner are some of them - and there are many, many others! 2nd ANNCR: Camels are the choice of many doctors, too! In a recent nationwide survey, doctors in all branches of medicine were asked what cigarette they smoked! The brand named most was Camel! Yes, according to this survey, more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette! 1st ANNCR: Friends, make the Camel thirty-day test and see how mild, how flavorful, how thoroughly enjoyable Camels are! 2nd ANNCR: Buy your Camels the handy, thrifty way -- by the carton. That way you always have Camels when you want them! (SINGING COMMERCIAL) ANNCR: And now here's the Fat Man with a special message. MUSIC: FAT MAN THEME AND FADE. . . . . FAT: As a tribute to the men and women who have served our country, the makers of Camel cigarettes send gift cigarettes each week to hospitalized servicemen and veterans. ANNCR: This week, the Camels go to: Veteran's Hospital, Shreveport, Louisiana, and Medford, Oregon..U.S. Army Station Hospital, Fort Ord, California ...National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. MUSIC: CAMEL THEME. FADE UNDER: CUSHION. . . 1ST ANNCR: Tonight's program starred J. Scott Smart as The Fat Man and was directed by -- MUSIC: OUT 1ST ANNCR: Clark Andrews. The music was under the direction of Glen Oser. MUSIC: CAMEL THEME..CUSHION THEME FADE AND OUT. . . ANNCR: Men, pack your pipes,with Prince Albert. The rich flavor and natural fragrance will tell you why P.A. is America's largest-selling smoking tobacco! Prince Albert's choice tobacco is specially treated to insure against tongue bite and it's crimp cut to smoke cool and even. Get Prince Albert -- it's the National Joy Smoke! MUSIC: CAMEL THEME CONTINUING UNDER. . . . ANNCR: Listen, next week for that fascinating and exciting character The Fat Man, in the adventure called "Post Mortem On Murder." MUSIC: BOARD FADE. . . . . . . . ANNCR: THIS IS YOUR FBI -- the official broadcast from the files of the FBI - follows immediately. Stay tuned. This program has come to you from New York. (TWO SECOND PAUSE) THIS IS...THE AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANY.