Ep.489 Nick Carter Master Detective: Death In The Pines

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Nostalgia Mystery Radio. I'm your host Stevie K, and it's my honor to bring you the radio shows of yesteryear. For this episode, I bring you Nick Carter, Master Detective, episode titled Death in the Pines, originally aired March 4th, 1944, where Regan was Tate's oldest and best driver. And when racketeers stopped his truck, he recognized the voice of one of the hijackers and was shot dead along with a helper. So sit back and relax, and I hope you enjoy this nostalgic mystery radio. Thank you for listening. What's the matter? What is it? Another case for Nick Carter, Master Detective. Yes, it's another case for that most famous of all manhunters, the detective whose ability at solving crime is unequaled in the history of detective fiction. Nick Carter, Master Detective. Tonight's curious adventure, Death in the Pines, for Nick Carter and the Mystery of the Murdered Driver. Well, let's see. There's a truck coming up the grade now. It ought to be them. Yeah. Just 1.30. That's a tape truck, all right? Now, you guys know what to do. We've done it often enough before. Ah, sure. All right. Get going. When the truck gets close enough, I'll put the searchlight in the driver's face like before. Here, stop fast enough. Here goes, guys. Hey! What the blazes goes on here? What's the big idea? Get those hands up, wise guy, and get down out of that cab. You guys can't get away with this. Shut up! You want to stay alive, get down out of that cab and keep quiet. And bring your helper down with you. You're a bunch of crooks. Don't you? Don't, don't, don't. They got us. There ain't nothing we can do. Okay, boys, get busy. Get up on that truck and get that stuff dumped out in the road. Shake it up, boys. We want to get out of here. Hey, keep your voice moving, Jake. We got another one to take care of yet. Hey, I know that voice. So you're the guy who's in back of all this hijacking. Now I know you. Do you? Well, I hope you enjoy it. What's the idea? What do you have to kill him for? Shut up, punk. You don't want to get bumped off, too. But you didn't have to kill him. Shut up. Hey, that changes our plans a little, Jake. Get your men down off the truck. Pick these two stiffs up and put them back in the cab of the truck. Then put a hole in the gas tank and touch a match to it. Okay, boys, come on down. There won't be much left for the cops to work on when they get here, which is all right with me. I don't like to see them get killed, but when they know too much, it's the only way. I see, coroner. Yes, thanks very much. Yes, thanks. So long. You might as well let me know the worst, Mr. Carter. After what I've been through, a little more or less doesn't matter. Mr. Tate, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your driver wasn't burned to death. He was shot, murdered before the truck was set on fire. Yeah, he was afraid of that. Regan was my oldest and best driver. Been with me for ten years. You're having trouble with racketeers? Yes, have been for the past year. How do they work? Well, I operate about 40 trucks, hauling vegetables and green stuff from South Jersey to the New York markets. It has to be done at night, so we get to New York market before morning. About a year ago, somebody called me on the phone and said he represented a protective agency, that he'd like to sell me protection at $25 a truck. $25 a truck? That's pretty steep, isn't it? It's exorbitant. I told him I wouldn't pay it. So what happened? Two days later, one of my trucks was stopped and the drivers were beaten. The produce was dumped and destroyed. The next day, the guy called again. I told him I wouldn't pay. Did you try getting protection from the state troopers? Sure I did. And they did what they could. Whenever a trooper followed one of the trucks, or when one of their men rode on the truck as a helper, these trucks were never bothered. But the other trucks, it was the same old story. I see. Well, how do you account for the fact that the trucks with the troopers on them were never touched? I don't know. Unless the hijackers had spies at the loading points to watch if the trucks had their regular crews. And what was the outcome this time? In the end, I had to agree to pay the $25. And then, for six months, there was no more trouble. A week ago, this same guy called and said the Andy had been raised from $25 to $40 a truck. $40? I told him I couldn't pay that because I didn't make that much. And you know what happened last night. Yes, yes, I know. Well, are you going to try to keep writing this stuff through? If you can help me, I will. I'll do it. And to begin with, I'd like to put my assistant, Patsy Bowen, in your office as a typist. Sure. Maybe she can learn something that will start us off in the right direction. Well, Patsy, did you have a nice eventful day in Tate's office? I learned a few things, Nick, if that's what you mean. Good. Let's have them. Mr. Tate makes up the daily schedule of operations based on the orders he receives. Then he turns the completed schedule over to Al Leparo, who's the fleet foreman. Only Mr. Tate, the paro, and Dave Morgan, Mr. Tate's assistant, know what the orders are, as far as I can find out. I see. Any suspicions? Not yet. The paro's been with Tate nine years and Morgan for about four years. When the trouble started about a year ago, both of them rode the trucks. Morgan was one of the drivers that got beaten up, got knocked out cold before he could see anything. Doesn't leave us much in the way of anything to go on, does it? Sorry, Nick, but that's all I could get today. Don't feel bad, Patsy. You did what you could. What's the next step? I want to talk to the state trooper who found the truck in which Regan was killed. He may be able to tell me something that's been overlooked. You say you read my report, Mr. Carter. I don't know that I can tell you anything else. Were you on the state police force when Tate started having his trouble about a year ago? Yes, I was. Well, that business of the hijackers, never picking in a truck guarded by state troopers, needs explaining. Could there have been any leak from this end? Absolutely not. I rode several of the trucks myself. None of us ever knew where we were going until Tate's office gave us our orders. Then we went out on the road just as soon as we got those orders. Good. And the leak must be on Tate's end. Now, the next thing. Your report gives the impression that the thug simply stopped Tate's truck, killed the driver in cold blood, and then burned the truck for good measure. Was that your personal impression? Well, no. Ah. When I first got there I was suspicious because the truck hadn gone off the road or collided with anything that would cause a fire or a wreck Then I remembered that Tate trucks had been having trouble a while back So I took another look around And the result of that second examination? The truck was surrounded by crates which had been thrown off the truck. Crates that were smashed and broken but not burned. Now, if the hijackers were going to burn the truck, why bother to throw all those crates off the truck first? It just didn't make sense. That's what I wanted to know. I'd say the gang started out to do the usual job. Smashing the cargo and manhandling the crew. But then something happened. Something that made them switch their tactics. And they did something they had never done before. They killed the driver. Yeah, that explanation would fit the facts as I saw them. But what do you suppose caused the change in plan? Well, I can make a guess, maybe. Tate told me that Regan was his oldest driver. Yeah? Now, somebody in Tate's outfit must be in league with the hijackers. That's the only way they could know as much as they do. I believe that Regan recognized one of Tate's men in the Highgat gang Sure And that fits right in with the idea that somebody in Tate's outfit was crossing him Yes, Mr. Carter, I believe you've hit something Have you arranged with Mr. Tate for me to go to work for him? Oh, no, Scooby, I haven't said anything to him, I don't want him to know Well, then how do you know I can get the job? Tate's lost so many men since Regan was killed a couple of nights ago that he'll be glad to hire anybody. Patsy will fix you up with the necessary papers, licenses, references, and so forth. Wear your old clothes and don't wash your neck, and you'll have no trouble getting hired. And what do you want me to look for especially, Nick? According to what Patsy says, the leak either goes through Tate, which hardly seems likely, through Leparo or Morgan, or through somebody else we haven't found out about yet. So get a line on things in general, on anyone who may look suspicious. Oh, and if you're riding a truck that gets held up, don't try to shoot it out, Scubby. Just let things ride. We'll see about that when the time comes. It's a 40-to-1 shot against her getting stopped, but that's the same. Watch your step. These men, whoever they are, have two murders on their head, and they won't balk at a couple more. All right, Charlie, let's have that over here, will you? Men looking for jobs, line up over here. New men over here. Hey, buddy, who's the guy over there at the desk? Oh, that's Al Leparo, the fleet foreman. Oh, that's the guy. Looks like a tough egg. Don't worry, fella. He ain't turning nobody down these days. This outfit's got the finger on it. They had 40 men walk out on them yesterday. And I got a hunch this new gang ain't gonna last long either. Oh, you mean on account of the killings the other day? Yeah, that and the beating up of a couple of other drivers. Recently? Yeah, night before last. Hey, that ain't so good, is it? Ah, what's the difference? A job, ain't it? Hey, who's the other guy? Huh? Oh, that's Dave Morgan, old man Tate's assistant. All right, report to the garage at once. Next. Mike Clausen's the name Mr. LeCaro. Here are me papers. Mm-hmm. You worked here before, ain't you? Sure. I drove for you, but... Yeah, never mind that. You ain't working here no more. Right, Morgan? Right, LeCaro. Nothing doing on that guy. Oh, but what's the matter? I got a good record. I ain't never had no trouble. Maybe not, but you ain't wanted here. Get out. Next. Ah, the big farmer. Who's next? Oh, me. Uh, the name's Wilson. Where's your papers? Oh, yeah. Here. Mm-hmm. Wilson, huh? Yeah. Okay, you're hired. Report to Matt Steiger on truck number 11. You start as helper at 23 bucks a week. Satisfied? Sure, boss. Okay, by me. Tell Steiger he picks up his load tonight at Freeman's Farm down South Jersey. He knows where it is. Get going. Right. Thanks. So they took you on, did they, Scubby? I thought they would. Yes. I'm falling from a lunchroom where I just ate. Anything happen yet? Well, just before they gave me a job, an old-timer named Mike Clausen was turned down. He used to work for Tate years ago. But Lappero wouldn't take him back. I see. Maybe they don't want to take on anyone who ever worked there before or who has been there for long. Well, maybe it doesn't mean anything, Nick, but it looks as if the... What's the trouble, Scubby? I'm not sure, Nick. But I just realized the guy in the booth next to me here isn't saying a word. He went into his booth as I came into this one. But he hasn't dialed a number or said anything yet. Looks as if somebody's on to you already. Any idea who it could be? No, no idea at all. Oh, but how could anybody know about me so soon? There's always a chance that somebody's recognized you. Now keep your eyes open, Scubby. Don't start anything. Any orders? No. Let me know at once if anything worthwhile happens. And good luck to you. Thanks. Hey, what are you going to be doing? I have several lines of investigation that I want to follow up here in the city. There are certain angles of this case that I want to clear up here before I do anything else. So long, Scott. We'll see you soon. I hope. Gosh, Matt, driving one of these trucks is no sense, is it? How do you mean, kid? Well, I've been driving a truck around in the city, and it ain't been like this at all. We spent the afternoon loading the stuff on the truck. Now we got to spend all night riding it back to town. You don't like it, huh? I'm beginning to think it wasn't such a bright idea, hiring on with this pay doctor, especially with a chance of getting beat up throwing in free. Ah, cheer up. You might ride for weeks and never get stopped at all. Gosh, this is a lonely section of this country, ain't it? Nothing but these scrub pines both sides of the road. That's right. Hey. I'm getting tired, Matt. You know, it's been a long time since I done so much weight. Mind if I take a little nap? No, go ahead. About one o'clock now. I'll drive till three, then you can take over. We'll be out in the main road by then. Okay. Call me if you need me. Yeah, sure, kid. Hey, what's the matter? What's your stopping for? Somebody is signaling us with a flashlight to stop. I wonder what... Oh, no, no. No, don't stop, Matt. It may be a holdup. Remember old man Tate's orders. No truck stopped for nothing. Oh, it's a state trooper. There's nothing to worry about. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I can see the uniform now. Okay. I'll get out and see what he wants. Hey, what's the matter, officer? What the... Hey, that's our phony uniform. You're no regular cop. This is the guy, all right. One of you fellas take care of the driver. Look out, Matt! Come down out of that cap, fella, if you know what's good for you. Matt, it's a trap! Shut up, Dick, and don't move. I got you covered. Now, don't try to pull any... No! Hey, light that coming up! There, that takes care of you, you rat. Now for the other... There you are, copper. Oh! Matt! Matt! Not out yet. Here. You won't do no more fighting for a while. Okay, boys, come on. Oh, gosh, I'm tired, Betsy. I've done more of my own leg work today than I've done in years. I almost wish I kept Scubby here to do the walking around I going out on the truck myself Did you find out anything Nick Yes Patsy I think so But I can be sure for a little while yet Not until I get some more answers to some of the thousands of questions I've asked today. There have been several messages for you. I think this is probably the only one that's really important. Yeah. No, thank you. Hmm. I thought so. He's trying to borrow money. He's trying to borrow money. At least all that much of it. makes me positive I'm on the right track. Any report from the state troopers, Patsy? Yes, I think they've located the place. They're going to call you later this evening when they get the details. Good. That'll give me time to join them before they make the raid. I don't want to miss being in at the kill. No. Oh. Hey. Oh. You awake, Wilson? Oh, yeah. Oh, who are you? That's Tiger, your driver. Oh, yeah, I remember now. They stopped us, I tried to fight, and they knocked me out. How about you? Yeah, they conked me, too. Yeah? I wonder why they didn't shoot us and be done with it. Yeah, I wonder. Hey, where are we now? Any idea? No, but I seem to remember taking a long ride last night after we left the truck. I wonder what time it is. I don't know. It's still dark, though. Yeah. Hey, Wilson, I've been wondering. I heard one of them thugs call you Dick and Copper when they were scrapping with you. Are you Copper? Well, a kind of one, yeah. Just trying to get a line on what's going on in this Tate outfit. Yeah? But how in heck did that guy know it was me? Did Tate know what you are? No. Nobody knew about me working for Tate but me and my boss. Hey, wait a minute. What? Right after I got the job, I phoned my boss, and somebody in the next phone booth overheard what I told them. Boy, they trapped me neat as you please. They probably was afraid of you. Looks like it. Well, the first thing to do is get out of here. Well, I've been working at the ropes that got my tied. hands tied together with them. I can't budge them at all. They're too tight for me. Well, I think maybe I can get mine loose if I have time. I think my boss taught me several tricks to get out of ropes like this. Yeah, she'll have to get us out of this one then. I can't... Hold it, Matt. Yeah, somebody's coming. Time we got that red-headed punk waked up. Boss is due any minute now. With pleasure. Come on, you. leave me a sister to a chair. Sorry you can't walk by yourself tied up like that, but that wouldn't be etiquette. Come on, come on. Cut the comedy. Wake up, you. Come on, copper. Get them eyes open. Hey, what's the matter? Hey, what's he's trying to do? There you are, Mike. You want me to soften him up for you? Let's see if he talks first. Maybe he'll talk without any persuading. Well, okay, but I hope he needs some waking over. I enjoyed that. All right, punk. You gonna talk? Talk about what? There's no use stalling him. We know you're Nick Carter's man. Well, if you know that, what's he's wanting me to say? We know you called Carter yesterday before you left New York. What'd you say to him? What'd you tell him? Hey, I know you. Huh? You're the guy who wore the phony state troopers uniform when you held us up last night. Yeah? Well, knowing that ain't gonna help you none. Ooh! Ow! Come on, spill it. How much do you know? Okay, he ain't gonna talk, Mike. It's gotta be a real job. I gotta go to work on him. Yeah, I guess you're right, Jake. Go ahead and make it good. Sure. Oh, let me take my coat off first so I don't feel cramped. Let me have it. I'll put it on the back of the chair. Thanks, Mike. Oh, you better put my gun in the pocket of my coat so it won't get in my way when I really get going. Okay. Now, let's see some action. All right, you red-headed stool pigeon. Now spill it. spill it all or I'll... What the... Come on, Jake, there's trouble out there. Well, that's a funny one. Matt, do you see what I see? What do you mean? Jake left his coat hanging on the back of that chair there. There's a gun in the pocket of that coat. Oh, boy, what a break if we can only get loose. Just a minute. My hands are almost free. Good. Wait a minute. There. Now, get the feet loose. There. There. Yeah, that does it. Now the gun. Now let him come back. Hey, what's going on? Drop that gun. You're covered. Oh, yeah? Well, this will show you. Oh, yeah, what would you? Here. Oh, you killed me. You killed me. You got him, Wilson. Get me loose and I'll give you a hand. They'll be back in here. Right, but the gun is empty. Gee, we're in a spot. He killed the boss. Come on. Uh-oh. The boss is dead. I'm getting out of here. Yeah, let's get going. Listen, Wilson. Listen. Let me... Yeah. There. There you are, Matt. Oh, gee. Thanks, Wilson. Gosh, am I glad to get out of them ropes. Hey, Matt, this is the screwiest thing I ever heard of. Yeah. Why do you suppose they beat it off like that? You got me. Come on, let's get out of this place. They might come back as fast as they went out. Yeah. Okay, give me a chair. I'll break this door down for you. Okay. Gosh, Matt. There he is on the floor, the boss. And two holes through his forehead. You sure hit him square in the bullseye. Wait till I take off his mask and see if I know... Matt. What? It's Mr. Tate. Who? The owner of the trucking company. Mr. Tate? Yeah. Tate racketeering his own business? Attacking his own trucks? But that doesn't make sense, Matt. Boy, I'll say it doesn't. Why should he want to destroy his own business? And why would he ask Nick to investigate the... Hey, we got to get out of here. We're going to get our... Maybe some more of them in there. Can you see them? Yeah. Oh, they're state troopers. It's okay, man. Open up in there. Come on with your hands up. Come on, you surrounded and upnumbered. Don't shoot. We're coming out. Get that door open before they shoot. We surrender Get your hands up I got two here, man Watch the back of the house Right, Sergeant Oh, gosh, are we glad to see you Yeah, keep your hands up Oh, yeah, sure, sure Look, I'm Scubby Wilson, and this is Matt Steiger I'm Nick Carter's assistant You look it Who's the dead man lying there? Well, that's Mr. Tate I just shot him Oh, you did Well, that'll send you to the chair, all right Oh, no No, you don't understand He's the chief of the hijackers Well, he was holding us prisoners here That's a good one Where's the gun you killed him with? Well, I, uh... It's in the other room. Keep your hands up. But, officer, you don't under... I suppose you're gonna tell me you shot him in self-defense, huh? Yeah. That's just what I did. Well, look, you can ask Matt here. That's right, officer. He was gonna kill a spook. Yeah. Sure, sure. Where's the gun he was gonna kill you with? Well, it was in his hand when I saw it last. Well, it ain't here now. You're a bum liar, fella. I suppose that after you shot him between the eyes, killing him instantly, he walked over to the window, threw his gun away, and then came back here lay down and died Oh but but gosh officer I saw him Put your hands out Huh What Put your hands out Oh but you can put handcuffs on me No watch me Be sure they on good and tight Sergeant I will that Nick Nick Oh hello Scubby Having a good time You know this guy Mr Carter Does he know me Oh tell him who I am Nick Yes Sergeant I afraid I have to confess that I do know him He my assistant although he hasn been much of assistance in this case Shall I let him go, then? Yes, yes, I'll take charge of him. Okay, if you say so. Oh, gosh, Nick, am I glad to see you. Oh, this is Matt Steiger, the guy who was driving the truck I was on. Hello, Mr. Coyle. Glad to know you. Hey, look, I heard some shooting a few minutes ago. Did you get some of the gang? Yes, Cubby. Morgan and four men. We ran their car off the road and caught them all. Morgan's pretty badly wounded, but he pulled through. So Morgan was in on it after all. Morgan was the head of the gang. Oh, no. No, Morgan wasn't the head of the gang, Nick. The head of the gang is lying there, dead. And I shot him. Put two bullets in him in self-defense. Who is he? You know him? Know him. It's Mr. Tate. Mr. Tate? He had nothing to do with this. He sure did, Nick. He was holding us prisoners here. Sure, Matt can tell you. That's true, Mr. Carter. He tried to kill Wilson, and Wilson shot him. I tell you, Tate had nothing to do with this gang, Scubby. Oh, what makes you so sure, Nick? I did a lot of investigating in town today. And I found that Morgan has been trying to borrow money anywhere and everywhere he could to take advantage of what he called a chance to get going a good business, dirt cheap. Well, that obviously meant Tate's business, especially since the $40 a truck the racketeers asked was unquestionably intended to drive Tate out of business rather than to get the money out of him. But Morgan was one of the drivers who got beaten up, Nick. Who said so? Morgan. Nobody else knew anything about it. And it gave him a swell alibi. I think that Regan, the driver who was killed the other day, probably was shot because he recognized Morgan. But, Nick, everything you say about Morgan could have been true of Tate just as well. Not quite, Scubby. I found out several other things during my investigation today that proved definitely that Morgan's the one. But, Nick, I shot Tate not five minutes ago while he was trying to kill me. I wonder. You shot him five minutes ago. How does it happen that he's been dead for at least three hours? Dead for three hours? No question about it. Rigor modus has already begun to set in. It's got to be somebody's put one over on you. Well, what do you mean, Nick? Where's the gun you shot him with? Oh, the trooper took it. Yeah, that's right. Here it is, Mr. Carter. Thanks. Mm-hmm. Look here. How does it happen that you shot him with blank cartridges? Oh, Nick, now don't... Now, here are the shells I just took out of that gun you used. Four of them have been fired previously. And you can see that the other two, the two left for you to fire, have had the bullets pried out of them. There you see the mark on the edge of the shell. Yeah. So you couldn't have shot him. But, Mr. Carter, I saw Wilson plug him. I saw him fallen dead as the door closed behind him. There's no question about it. There's no question but what you thought you saw that. But it was all planned just that way. Planned? Certainly. How come you were able to get out of the ropes you were tied up with so fast? How come there was nobody in the room when you got hold of the gun? Why do you suppose that gun was left where you could get your hands on it? That is what happened, isn't it? Yes, Nick. As right as if you'd been here to see it. It couldn't have been any other way. Tate probably had a hunch Morgan was guilty and trailed him here. Morgan caught him, shot him with his gun. Then he wiped his prints off it, and he planted it where you could get at it. Then at the psychological moment, Morgan, with a mask over his face, opened the door so you could see him and shot at you. Then you shot at him as he knew you would. Using the two shells he had left in the gun for you. The two shells with no bullets in them. Then he pretended to fall dead, carefully shutting the doors. He did so so that you couldn't see what happened next. Oh, I see, Nick. And then he put Tate's body there by the door with a mask over his face. Right. Gosh. When you opened the door, there was Tate's body. Shot through the head with the very gun you held in your hand. A gun on which the police would find your fingerprints and yours only. Morgan would have made sure they found it. Boy, what a setup. It was perfect. Matt would have had to swear he saw me do it. And I was so completely fooled that... Why, I would have confessed to the murder in any court in the country. Yes, Cubby. You still trust too much to what you hear and see. Before you can be a really first-class detective, you'll have to learn to distrust everything until you've analyzed it in the light of all the evidence. This has been another of the strange adventures of Nick Carter, Master Detective, which are brought to you regularly at this time by WOR Mutual. Well, Nick, what about next week's story? Can you give us a hint? Next week, my story concerns a murderer who killed his victims according to the sign of the zodiac under which they were born. A very unpleasant and dangerous man, I might add. Yes, definitely. Patsy and I got so close on his trail that he tried two different times to get rid of us. But in his attempts to be very clever, he made a bad mistake, and Nick caught him. And caught the murderer, too, I imagine. Quite right. After a chase. I call the story The Horoscope Murders. So long. See you next week. So long. So long to you, Nick and Patsy. In the strange adventure you have just heard, Nick Carter was impersonated by Lon Clark, Patsy by Helen Choate, Scubby by John Kane. Original music was played by Lou White. The entire production was written and directed by Jock McGregor. Next week at the same time, listen to another curious experience of Nick Carter entitled The Horoscope Murders. or Nick Carter and the Mystery of the Avenging Astrologer. This story is a copyrighted feature of Street and Smith Publications, Incorporated. The Return of Nick Carter is produced in the studios of WOR and is broadcast over most of these stations every Saturday evening at 7 o'clock Eastern Wartime. And don't forget that the adventures of Nick Carter's adopted son, Chick Carter, are broadcast over most of these stations Mondays through Fridays at 5.30 p.m. Eastern Wartime. This is Mutual. This has been a Nostalgic Mystery Radio presentation. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please feel free to like and rate this podcast on your favorite app. Also, there's a Nostalgic Mystery Radio YouTube page for your perusal to subscribe to. you can contact me by emailing me at nostalgicmysteryradio at gmail.com I hope you have a blessed day or evening and again thank you for listening