Detective and Mystery – Retro Radio Podcast

A woman comes to Richard for protection. She secretly witnessed her husband plotting to kill her, but there’s more to it than that. When Dick goes to investigate, he gets a thump on the head, and wakes as the prime suspect in a murder. It seems he didn’t protect his client very well, but the cops let him go to help uncover the real killer.

After surviving more thumps, and rough treatment, Dick gets away and turns to the night club scene. Will the torch singer in the club be able to help with answers? With the unintended help of a cute hat check girl, Dick puts an end to his bad guy.

Note: Arthur Q Brian is the police investigator. William Conrad is the business partner of the gambler, Caspary.

A black Gladstone bag ties Dignam to a murder. He was a short man, with a short wife, but had a preference for tall women. The bag, and its bloody contents date back to 1924. The dapper, persuasive talker finds himself in Scotland Yard, after Mrs Digman suspected him of cheating on her. Are the contents, and the bag his own? They seem to be, but Dignam doesn’t have an explanation for the blood. Uncomfortable, long silence does wonders to get Dignam to make his statement.

He describes the perfect little get away cottage, but was awakened by a tramp. After grappling with the larger man, who was killed, he panicked. Is he telling the tale truthfully? Evidence of another woman enters the picture. The owner of the rental cottage adds more pieces to the mystery, claiming Dignam was with his tall, blonde wife. No sign of any other men.

Inspecting the crime scene, on the dismal little beach, the disheveled room is just as the statement described. But will the scene tell the exact same story? Is it possible to tell the difference between a male and female body if destroyed by fire? The technology of the day says, no. Matilda Manning enters the story, distraught that her daughter has been killed by Dignam. What makes her think that? More charges pile up against the little man for legal gambling. Forensics evidence still provides enough proof of a woman’s presence, and holes knocked into his story are more than enough to link him to murder.

Thomas Appleby was 70 when he married his 39 year old bride. When he died from a crushed skull at age 75, neighbors had only sympathy for his wife, until she confessed to the murder. Later, when thinking more sober thoughts, Mrs Appleby adjusts her story. Had her husband been struck before she found him? Who is young George, and what relation does he have to the Appleby’s?

With a tearful, emotional goodbye, the 18 year old whimpered like a young puppy, when Alma Appleby is hauled away on her confession. Was the murder of the grumpy old man justifiable? Suicidal, but fearful of death, did the killer do him a favor? As vocal as she is over it, is Alma covering up for someone?

The open and shut case bothers the inspectors of Scotland Yard. In what is clearly a matter of love, should they lay some blame at the foot of another man? Young George claims it wasn’t his aunt Alma, but does he really know who it may be? Is his confession just a cover up? Soon there are multiple confessions. will the truth be learned, or does it really matter?

Men of all walks of life are attracted to the Riviera. The gambling tables of the casino serve as the back drop to Holmes, Watson, and a mystery that is about to unfold. Two down on their luck gamblers have words, but the losing streak continues for Gilbert. A call for a doctor has Watson examining a dead Heinrich. Despite being an apparent suicide, Heinrich’s wife blames the casino and Gilbert for her loss. A puzzling factor is the large sum found in Heinrich’s possession.

Back at the gambling tables, Holmes has a bit of advice to improve Watsons luck… be the owner of the table. Gilbert also has a plan to improve his luck, but his system for winning worries his wife. Has his joke cost him his life?

Working with the local police, Holmes shares his observations of Gilberts joke, gone all wrong. Has one of the two widows of the dead gamblers done him in? Sherlock grills the psuspects, and turns up a twist, and a scandal for the motive to murder.

On a rainy day in 1883, Watson had just finished his breakfast, when Holmes surprises him while in disguise. On the streets as a ragged begger, he has learned the honor of a duchess is at stake. Does it relate to a murder case the detectives worked on in the past? Holmes and Watson recount the case of poisoning, and risk of lost inheritance.

Miss Stoner fears she’ll be murdered, just as her sister had been. What did her sister’s dying words mean about a speckled band? Will Holmes be able to protect her from her step father, Moran? Will the grumpy man be able to warn that insolent rascal Holmes off the matter? The brute strength Moran shows in bending a fireplace poker means nothing to Sherlock.

Visiting Miss Stoners room, Holmes finds curiosities with bell ropes, vents, and strange music in the night. Holmes sees danger, and develops a plan to bring it to an end. The trap isn’t without danger to Watson on this night for a fowl business. As our sleuths sneak through the house at night, the planned murder is picked apart, and the mystery of it is unraveled as it backfires on a killer.

Note: At first listen, I thought the story was a little contrived. Afterward, it dawned on me the story is from an actual Conan Doyle tale. I blame any appearance of being contrived on the nature of having to convert the story into a radio script that has to fit into a precise 30 minute format. A film was made with the same name, and is freely available on Archive.org, but it pre-dates the team of Rathbone and Bruce as the famous detectives, so if you check it out, get ready for a slightly different feel to the movie.

Watson recounts the history of Guy Fox Day, and the celebrations enjoyed by children in the streets to commemorate the demise of the would be assassin of yore. A man enters in fear of his life, thinking he may be dead in a matter of hours. With help from the medicine bag of Watson, the man calms down enough to tell his story.

The alleged murder attempt parallels that of Guy Fox, and the use of explosives. The idea amuses Holmes, but he digs for more details. Hitting the streets, the detectives find clues, but is it the kind of thing to do the explosive harm their client thinks? With his weak heart, it wouldn’t take much.

With all the clues he needs, Holmes returns to Baker Street to take the case to the next level, and prepare for a face-off with the bad guys. With all the role playing, and names tied to Guy Fox Day, Sherlock brings the deadly game to an end. Is it a conspiracy, or a prank that went all wrong?

Simon dresses up as Santa for a charitable cause, but he needs a little help in filling out hiw suit, and his ho ho ho. A dame, claiming to be Sally, barges in with a gun, but doesn\t have the heart to use it.

When more visitors come, Sally flees the scene. Then Mr Hudsondemands the same kind of package as Sally, though its a matter that Simon knos nothing about. Was it Sally’s gunshot from the kitchen that frightened away the insistent Hudson?

Checking up on Sally’s workplace, the santa suited Simon finds a wisecracking butler, and missing jewels from the swanky high rise penthouse. Joined by his cabbie friend Louie, Simon chases the trail to another apartment on the low rent side of town, and the body of the missing santa.

Putting the squeeze on their man, Simon begins to unravel a tangled mess of a love triangle. Now it\s a matter of following their noses to a killer. Danger awaits before the crime is solved, but will Simon ever make it to the job he originally took on to dress as santa?

Bonus Tracks

* Keith reviews the show, then a few facts that listeners, and visitors to the site did to make the podcast great this year.

* Hungry for Music – Christmas In Jail

Though always an energetic lad, Sherlock’s older brother Mycroft had always been plump and slow. We find Mycroft dealing with word of a spy, in his characteristic laid back way, and planning to solve this mystery without leaving London. Traverse reports on the happenings of the lady spy at the theater.

Following his own trail, Sherlock finds his way to the theater with Watson at his side. The stage magician, the Great Gandolfo, carries out an impressive disappearing trick, complete with a disappearing spy as his assistant. Sherlock thinks he has the trick figured out, and demonstrates to Watson after the fact.

At a later show, Holmes and Watson watch the stage activities closely, but somethings wrong. The spy has been murdered. Now the police join the observations of the stage, and a race is on to see whether they’ll solve the case before Holmes does.

Given the nature of the trick, a twin sister is in grave danger. Will all the loose ends be tied up, or should the aging Sherlock just return to his beekeeping? Has Mycroft figured out the mystery?

After weeks at sea, Holmes and Watson arrive in Calcutta to solve their latest problem. The Summer of 1894 finds them on the hunt for a legendary missing white elephant. For centuries, prophecies have foretold the death of an elephant, and soon after, the death of the Maharajah. The next step, to meet the Maharajah.

Descriptions of the bejeweled and golden palace are offered as Holmes and Watson wait, and hear the distant call of an elephant. The aged ruler reluctantly agrees to be examined by Dr Watson, who has a treatment for his eye trouble.

Now that Watson has examined his patient, Holmes wants to examine the sacred white elephant. Despite hearing the trumpeting of the beast not long ago, the huge animal seems to have disappeared. Will the life of the Maharaja be in danger? Holmes follows a trail of clues to solve the problem of the missing elephant, a murder, and a cover up surrounding a change of power. Western methods tip their hand over those of Eastern poisoning, but is there any justice that Holmes might bring. Is the crime of one king to another one above the law?

Lured in by a damsel in distress, the Saint finds himself in the hands of lackeys from a gang. What does the gangster, Kelly, have to tell the Saint? It’ll take work on Simon’s part to keep out of trouble when gunshots ring out from behind the locked office door.

Though the Connely Silver mine has been emptied of all it’s wealth, Simon is sure there’s more to it. Still sticking up for the dame, Betty Connely, Simon faces off with a thug for some quick justice. Doing some prospecting of his own, Simon takes Betty out of town to visit her mine.

In the mine shaft, danger arises. Simon fends it off, and finds the answer he needs. If the mine is played out, what makes it so valuable? There’s still one more twist to this mystery, but Simon explains the nuances behind the secrets as he exposes, and hands over a killer.