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to Transfers dot Great Detectives dot net. Now onto Follow Vans. The original
air date for this program is April the twenty fifth of nineteen fifty and we're
going to find out if Follow Vans can clean up the shower bath murder case.
I'll call Jim if you want George, but he's shaving. Yeah,
I'd much rather talk to you, thanks. That's one of those things i'd
much rather not. Remember. Look, George, Jim's going to take a
shower after he shaves. The minute is throughout. Tell him to call you
back. Goodbye. Wait a minute, well, how about inviting me to
the house. But as I understand it, married people do have friends over
once in a while. Friends. Yes, Oh now really, As a
matter of fact, Jim asked me over, I'm supposed to be there now,
Sylvia, the only thing you can possibly have against me is the fact
that I liked you. Open this door? What was there? Wait a
minute, who is it? Open this door quickly? Goodbye, George.
But Sylvia, shorry with this door. I'm coming now, what is all
this? There's the room with a narrow window, lady, fast, where
is it? The bathroom right this way? What's the matter? That's what
I'm going to find out. The scrubbing rush came flying through that window.
Who the straightest second? Ago? Who's in this room? My husband?
He threw the brush through the window. That's what I said. Now I'm
gonna find out why you're inside over now, stop being so dramatic. The
door's not locked. Oh well, Jim, tell this after time, your
husband isn't gonna be telling anybody anything ever, Lady, he's dead, and
from here it looks like he's dead from very unnatural causes. I tell you
why I ask you to come to my office. Fans, I think you
like the reason I don't like murder, Markham. My enjoyment comes from helping
catch killers. I understand that a cause, Fans. A man named Jim
Rains was found dead this afternoon in his bathroom. He'd been poisoned. It
was a slow acting poison took effect several hours after it was given him.
Not too unusual a situation. Up and now, Malcolm, no, that's
true. For listen to this. The bathroom door was unlocked, his Rains
felt himself dying or anyhow. This is what we imagine happened. He seized
a scrubbing brush and tossed it through the window. A police officer was passing
went into the house and found the body on the bathroom floor. Anybody in
the house the victim's wife, Sylvia. Why didn't he call out or open
the door to call his wife? That is why I phoned you. I
see, I don't know the answer of that, unless he suspected his wife
had poisoned him and knew she wouldn't help him. It's possible, certainly is
I think I'll find out a few things about the late Jim Rains before I
see her, though. I'm sure the victim broke that window so that we
could see through his reason and find his murderer. Just a moment, please
be right with you. Well, this is a surprise. Come in,
Come in, Please sit down, missus Rains. May I say that black
is a very becoming color? Why did you kill my husband? Sylvia?
Please? I didn't kill Jim. Why should I have killed him? You
had lunch with him, You poisoned him. You wanted me, didn't you.
You knew I wouldn't have anything to do with you while he was alive,
so you kill him. You killed him, and now I'm going to
kill you now, Sylvia, don't be ridiculous. Put that gun down.
You took Jim away from me. You're a murderer, but you'll never be
caught. You're too clever, my dear, How smart you really are.
See if you can outthink a bullet, that's better. You ought to either
not carry a gun, my dear, or learn to aim at properly.
So you imagine I poisoned Jim, that's true. I did have lunch with
him, but have you forgotten I was due at your house when he died.
I'd hardly be stupid enough to give the police a ready made suspect.
You killed him, I know you did you know, Sylvia, this could
have been a very good act you put on. Let's say you poisoned Joe.
Let's just say that you came here carrying a gun, accused me purposely
fire a wild shot. The perfect picture of an innocent, outbringing wife.
Sylvia, you're out of your mind. Maybe I'm not the only one that's
clever. Maybe it's just what I've always suspected that you and I would make
such a wonderful teams. Your attorney, Mark speaking Markham. This is Vans,
Yes, Vans anything out on a gym, Rains murderer. I've made
some progress. Rains was in the numbers racket. Did you know that Boma's
side Department and daughted a new advance. But I haven't received a report yet.
This case is only a few hours old. You know, I realized
that. I also realized that Rains operated an opposition to a man named Eddie
Keiley and Kyley wasn't too happy about the whole thing. Well as we have
a wife as a suspect, of course, but you haven't been to see
her. No, not yet. Now that you've uncovered Kyley, I imagine
you merely to be consistent, won't go to see him either. I'll see
him, but not right now. Now. I think it's time you and
I want to see missus Rains. If I'm going to see suspects, I
must remember my etiquette, you know, Markham ladies. First, what was
the take for the day whiding? I don't know yet, Eddie, why
not? It takes me a little time to add up figures. But I
like figures ever or anything like that. I like figures, and I don't
understand him, so what I like women? And nobody understands Dan. All
the run is bringing this slips all except squaremy he's do wanning a minute?
Six? Take off your shoes for that number? Whitey's huh it's over ten.
You'll run out of fingers to count on. Gee, I like ranthematics.
Hey, that must be squirmy now, witty, Yeah, okay,
come on in. After I pressed the buzzer, open the door, Hi,
mister Keyley squirming Hi, Whitey, Hi, I'm here right on schedule.
No, you're here right on schedule. Yes, empty your pockets.
Plenty of numbers today, mister Kelly. A plenty. Everybody plays numbers.
Second, Yeah, tell them a dime, get some sixty bucks, and
all I gotta do is guess three numbers, right, and they all chuck
me dimes? No, yeah, pretty good collection squirming. Gee, mister
Kelly, don't call me squirmy. My name is Claude. Pretty good reasons
for being called squirmy. Okay, sclammy, I've got all your collection slips.
Let's have the money you picked up? Surest thing? You know?
I got it right here. Plenty of money, plenty of guys, are
plenty of boy Yeah, how about that? Pretty good? No, that's
all. Huh, that'sh it. Hey, let me have them slips of
paper. Ready, gives me more figures like? Okay, squammy, come
in, what take off your hat? There ain't no lady in the room.
Okay, I'll grab it off. Hey, give me back my hat,
give me back my hard Actually, what's the inside ban? Well?
What do you know? Policy slips? You're taking numbers on your own?
Anxious squamm Look, mister Kelly. Look, I don't know how they got
up there. I've been framed somebody. He just let me come. That's
one. No, don't do it. I got rid of one competitor,
Jim Reins, and now I got another. To wait a minute, mister
Keailly. Them numbers I had up there, I kept them there in case
I got up by the cars. Yeah, that's it, in case I
got picked up by the car. Keeping up, Betty, I'm having fun.
I'm a little tired of plan. Now get up and get out of
here, squammy. And next time, remember, don't try to get cute
with me. Sure, sure, I'll remember again. I won't get cute.
I remember. So I'm mister Kearley, a long white get out of
here. Yeah, sure, mister, I mean Whitey. I guess I
can't blame him too much. Whitey, What do you mean? Jim rains
out of the way. He just got ambitious, that's all. Yeah,
that's what it is, all right. You know, Eddie, this is
no business for secret Remember that by things you guy works for, you ain't
gotten a right to keep anything under his hat. I think we're heading in
the right direction, Martel in the car or in the case, fans,
both, we're on the way to see missus Rains armed with several pertinent bits
of information that her husband was in the numbers racket, that he had a
tough competitor named Eddie Keiley, and what else, that he was quite a
bit older than his wife. We have a foundation, of course, fans,
but the puzzling features of this case are still unexplained. Why did Rains
throw a brush through the window when he could have opened the door? And
who fed him choice? Yes, well, I imagine we'll have the answers
to those questions very soon after you Margaret, right, Markholm, what is
the homicide department reported since our talk a little while ago, anything at all?
Nothing of interest. They traced rains movements during the day and found he
had lunch with a George Morrow, very respectable individual as I understand it,
and a good friend of the dead man's. But they did have lunch together,
which makes Morrow a potential suspect in case we run out of those we
already have. If you say so, the bell vans, If you says
there, we are. Let me see now Rains has been dead? How
long up till now? Exactly poor and a half hours right. That means
then, yes, I'm just yout attorney mark on. Missus Rains, this
is final Vacs. We'd like to come in if you don't mind, by
all means, how can I help you? We're not sure, missus Rains.
Your husband has been dead only a little over four hours. I noticed
a black coat and hat here in the hall, and you're wearing a black
dress. Isn't that customary when one is in morning? Yes, it is.
You had all these clothes before your husband's death. Every well dressed woman
has at least one black dress. Mister Vans on the coat, I just
happened to have a black coat. I understand, this is Rains. What
we'd like to find out is this, Why would your husband throw a brush
through the bathroom window to attract attention when he could have attracted attention so much
more easily by opening the bathroom dawn calling. I don't know you were home
at the time. I was on the telephone talking to a friend of Jim's,
a man named George Morrow. He was telling me that Jim expected him
at the house, and just then the policeman pounded on the door. Do
you mind if I see the bathroom? No? I should I this way.
I'm along, Markham right him shavy. He was going to take a
shower after he'd finished. I could hear the shower running while I was on
the telephone. Who shut off the water? I don't know. I don't
think it was running when the policeman and I found Jim's body. I'm sure
it wasn't. You're a steric oden shock at a tail such as that might
have slipped your mind. The water ahead been turned off? For what's so
important about that? I'll let you know in a moment. I want to
turn on that shower. We'll go ahead. I don't know what this is
supposed to prove, Vance, except that there's hot water in the shower.
Who are the only one who doesn't know what else mister Vance is trying to
prove. Mister Vance isn't trying to prove anything. Mister Vance is already proven
it. But all right, please both of you get out, Get out
least that's the hurry. I'm sorry. I hope you have a good reason
for rushing is out of him. I have the best reason in the world,
Mark Im. I want a twenty four hour police guard placed in front
of this bathroom. I wanted close to everybody until I ask for it to
be opened. I could be arranged, I imagine, I want to tell
me why Vans. Certainly there's something in that bathroom that tells me definitely who
poisoned Jim Rains. This is District Attorney Markham. The shower bath murder case
opened when Jim Rains, numbers racketeer, was found poison in his bathroom.
We know the poison had been administered several hours before. We know that Rains's
wife was younger than he and attractive. But the dead man's racket rival was
Eddie Cayley, and that he had a friend named George Morrow. That's all
we know. But final Vance insists he knows who killed Rains after he Vance
turned on the shower in the bathroom. It is some time later in the
morning, still not talking Vance. What's the point of telling you, Markham,
you need evidence that will stand up in court. I don't have it.
Will you get it? That's the question I'm going to try. Well,
you've been I know what you're going to say that I've been reasonably successful
in getting proof for you before. But each case is different, Markham.
President hasn't any importance, because there never has been a case like this.
Would you tell me why Jim rains through that brush instead of opening the door,
Yes, I can, but I won't. I know why he did
it. I know everything about this case. Now, all I have to
do is take the mystery of that shower and use it to make a murderer
come clean. Nine and five is fourteen and six, twenty and eight,
got it down? Whining figures, Eddie figures? You know how nuts I
am about figures. I got to keep adding them all the time. Why
are you adding? There are any policy slips in front of you? I
know, I just rehearse it sometimes. I just sit for hours adding up
imaginary figures eight and three, seven and two, Like midie, Wait,
do you hear about subtraction? You'll really be in for a great tree.
Who's that? I don't know. It's somebody who doesn't know the code.
Knock gonna wait here, Whitey, I'm gonna mind down. Oh is it?
I'm George Morrow. I'm looking very clearly. What are you looking for
him for? I'll tell him hit the buzzer, Whitey, wellout this guy
in. I'm Kaylee, Oh, come on in, that's on your mind,
Morrow, clelely, I've got a little information for you. Yeah,
you're not taking over Jim Raines's numbers business. No, that's right. No,
Hey, I dig this guy, Yeddy. He's the fellow talking to
Jim Raine's wife on a telephone when Rains kicks off in the bed. Yeah,
that's right. I knew Range is racking as all said to take it
over. When I heard that, you've moved over to Range the side of
time. So what move back, clely quick? That's all? Oh is
it? Will you listen to me? Take your hands off me. I'll
take them off tomorrow. I don't think I like being shoved around when you're
know for sure, Tell man, go ahead, boys, take care of
them. That way, I get to do some comm Okay, here we
go helping this guy. Oh that's that nice work with that black Chack White
who wasn't really nothing was what two three of boom. I don't think he'll
bother us again in a hurry. He said. One good thing he did
though. Let's say he told me he knew about Rains was all set to
take over Rains racket. The cops will be glad to hear about that,
and they're going to hear about it if they get too close to us.
He had an awful good motive for murder, whitey, awful good. All
I can tell you about Kayley is what you already know, Vans. He's
in the numbers racket. There's a couple of runners who collect policy slips for
him, and one of them is this fellow they call Squirmy. He's supposed
to hang around his territory somewhere. You'll know him when you see him.
Yes, I looked at his gallery pictures a little while ago, and Vance,
Yeah, I think that's the man right there in front of that store.
Do I look this reputable enough? Put your hat down, kiss anymore?
That's it? Go ahead, Vance, and I wish you luck.
Let me know if there's anything I will Hi, Hi, I got a
hunch you in a number. How much of a hunch you quote? Is
what? Yeah? Give me the two bits, Write the number you like
on a hunk of paper, and meet me tomorrow right here. If you're
hit okay, no? Yeah, yeah, thanks, you hang out right
here in his corner. That's right, See you tomorrow. If you get
lucky, my friend, I'll see you long before that. If I really
get lucky. Look, George, I don't want to talk to you now
or ever, and nothing you can do or say can make me change my
mind. I wouldn't say nothing silver if I were you. What do you
mean? I was just have to see a fellow named Eddie Kyley. He
was a business rival of your husband. Well what does that make me?
You'll have to listen to find out. Well, Eddie and a stooge of
his work. Me over good. I had a reason for going up there,
so you were the reason. So don't you think you should be a
little reason of them? Honest, mister Cayley. Yeah, here, here's
my head, nothing in it. See you're sure? Yeah, all the
policy slips, just like I collected him. That's a good voice, thanks
and all. I got it. He got a lot of Mendie. I'm
having a swell time adding up these numbers. I'll enjoy yourself, Whitey,
ye say, I wonder why the other runners haven't come in. It's time
for me to be here, isn't it if you say it's time, mister
Kelly, it's yours time. No, thank you, Claude, gee,
thank you. Hey, that's our knock. Let's be one of the boys.
Now let him in suddenly. Hey, hey, that ain't one of
our boys. I'm not one of anybody's boys. I'm final Vans. How
did you know the knock with you? A sensible question that seems to indicate
that you are the headman you are, Kelly, that's right. Do you
want to know about the knock? Yeah? Well, I was watching down
the hall when squirmy here knocked at the door. Oh jee, mister Kelly,
I didn't know, honest, I didn't shut up. Shut up?
Okay, no, he'll call me squirming. Will you cut that down?
You were watching Vans and listening. I stand corrected. Well, Kelly,
you want to know why I'm here, keep talking. That's simple. You're
in the numbers racket. So was Jim Rains. That's a very definite connection
between you two. Now wait a minute, advance. I know who you
are. You're no cop, and that means I'm not ratting on anybody.
But George Morrow wanted in on Rains his racket. He told me that himself.
If you're looking for Rains his killer, you don't have to look any
further than him. Thank you. But I think this number's business of yours
Kailey is sufficient to lock you up until I get rid. Why did the
blackjack my friend come to handle this? One guy craw the district attorney and
a gun. Yes, I'm getting up in the world, Markham. You
interrupted the proceedings just when I was starting to enjoy myself. But I'm glad
you did. I'm very anxious to get this case over with. I followed
your as you asked me to advance. Do I take Kayley in as Jim
Rains murderer? No? Just on the numbers, ragget charge, Markham.
Nobody here killed Jim Rains. But let's go to Rain's house and I'll point
out somebody there who did. Sylvia. I don't know why Filo Vans told
me to come over here, but I'm glad he didn't. It gives me
a chance to tell you something in person, something you wouldn't listen to on
the telephone. Go away from me, George, you make me sick.
I've got a lot of money, Sylvia, I know where to get more.
I want to marry you. We'll work things out so they'll be just
the way you want them. Get out of here. I don't care if
nine Filo Vans has asked you to come over. I tell you to get
out. You disgust me. You can't talk to me that way, Sylvia
can't. I won't let you try and stop home. Now. You either
get out of here, George, or I will take your choice. Only
don't take too long to make up your mind. Silvia. You've got to
listen to me. I've wanted you ever since I saw you. Jim was
my friend, but friends don't mean anything when a man falls in love.
He was in the way. I could never have you with him around.
You killed him. I disgust you do. I didn't do me any good
to kill him, did it? Well, I'm going to kill you like
it, So what you know any good to you? Either? Was too
harf You asked me holding Morrow, and I'll stand right where you are.
You've got here just in time, mister Makham. You advanced. We've been
here quite some time, long enough to hear you admit you killed Rains.
You had never found out any other way, either of you or the police.
I think you're wrong. Morrow. I knew you'd poisoned Jim Rains.
You knew? How did you know? Rains told me Morrow after he was
dead, before we go into the rains bathroom, Markham, you realize why
we went up to Eddie Cayley's headquarters break up his policy operation exactly then too,
I needed a little time to contact Morrow have him go over to see
Missus Rains. And I had to be sure Missus Rains knew the part I
rehearsed her. I understand all that, but there's something I don't understand.
Jim Rains was in that bathroom. He had finished shaving, was about to
take a shower. He felt himself dying, and instead of opening the door
and calling for help, he tossed a brush through the bathroom window. How
are you going to explain that? I will, I promise you, And
I'll begin by telling you that he thought George Morrow was in the living room.
Remember Rain's wife told us that when she was on the phone with Morrow,
Morrow mentioned he was due at the Rain's house and that was the reason
for his phone call. Yes, that's right, very well. Rains died
thinking that Morrow might be in his apartment. That's why he threw the brush
through the window instead of opening the door. He didn't want Morrow to come
in and find his body. Why not? And what do you mean by
saying Rains told you who killed him, I'll show you. Come into the
bathroom, all right, I'm here and waiting to be shot. I closed
the door and turn on the hot water in the shower turner. This was
the situation Rains was in. Identically, Take a look at that bathroom door,
Markham, what do you see? I see a mirror. That's not
unusual. Watch the mirror. Yes, what's happening. It's clouding up.
The steam from the hot water is covering vans. That's writing on that mirror.
Read it, Markham. It's just becoming legible. George Morrow poisoned me.
Then, as the beginning of Jim Rain's signature, vants, this is
fantastic, is it? I think mad Rains wrote that when he realized what
had happened to him, and he knew Morrow had poisoned him, but he
was afraid Morrow was in the house, so he didn't open the door.
That's reasonable. Morrow would have come rushing in and wiped off the mirrah.
Rains was very clever. He wanted the bathroom window broken, knowing that the
steam would be dissipated by the draft and the writing on the mirror would disappear
with it, but it could be brought back by anybody who would wonder,
just as we wondered why a window was broken when a door was available.
Now the writing stayed on the mirror. I don't understand that. Try it
some time with your own mirror, Markham, steam it, write on it.
When the steam disappears, the writing disappears, re steam it, the
writing comes back. Now you know the whole story, Yes, thanks you.
I know the story and the motive, and I see why you had
to have proof of his guilt, a proof we overheard when he talked to
missus Rains, even though you Newmorrow is our murderer right from the beginning.
Yes, Markham, I saw this handwriting on the mirror at the beginning of
our adventure. But Morrow sees the handwriting on the wall at the end of
the shower Bath murder case. It somewhere that one part at the beginning where
Vans is talking about how he doesn't like murder, he just likes, you
know, solving the cases. Makes me wonder whether folks listening in nineteen forty
nine or nineteen fifty had kind of notice the things that modern day listeners notice
now. In the interest of full disclosure, and I don't mention this a
whole lot. I'm actually recording this episode ahead in November of twenty twenty two,
so there could have been a whole host of follow vans. It doesn't
really a lot of murder episodes in between what I'm currently recording in this,
but still worth calling out. I wanted to task Vance's statement about the writing
on the mirror, as well as to how long that would last, but
it couldn't run that practical science because the bathroom mirror in my bathroom just doesn't
seem to fall up that month, even without a fan running, though it
does get a little warm in there, warm enough that my cat has to
hang around the sink and soak up the warmth. I did find myself wondering
about the victims. I guess good luck that a policeman happened to be coming
by at the time he threw the bathbrush out the window. It made me
wonder how he knew someone was going to see it going out. But then
again, I guess there are plenty of areas in New York City where someone
is always coming by and in the area, So if you live in one
of those areas someone's going to see it. Now, whether you're in a
part of town where someone's going to take notice like that guys throw a bathbrush
out his window, I guess that varies. Certainly, there are places in
America where you could throw a bathbrush out the window and people are just gonna
go on and mind their business and do whatever. And immediately it makes me
wonder, is random junk really random junk? Or is it potentially a clue
to sinister goings on a lot of story I is there. Well, now
it's time to go ahead and thank our Patreon supporter of the day. Thank
you to Marta, Patreon supporter since January twenty eighteen, currently supporting us at
the Shamas level of four dollars or more per month. Thanks so much for
your support, Marta, and that will actually do it for today. If
you're not subscribed to the podcast, I encourage you to do so. You
can use your favorite podcast software including Stitcher, Spotify, or the Amazon Music
abbot, Amazon dot Com, slash otr Dettactives. If you are enjoying the
podcast on YouTube, be sure to lock the video, subscribe to the channel,
and mark the notification bell. We'll be back here next Thursday with another
episode of Follow Vans, but joining us back here tomorrow as Johnny Doller wraps
up the Lancing fraud man or with Finally about eleven o'clock that night, my
phone, right, Johnny Doller, Hello, this is Hilary Franks. Where
are you? Never mind dollar? They know all about me back at the
home office. I suppose yes. I'd like to explain some things to you
so you will pass them on. I'd like the people back this knew why
I did it well before I leave town. You won't get far. The
police are looking for you. I can get away, all right. Mister
Franks worldwide doesn't want to prosecute the notoriety be bad for them. If you
make a statement, sign it. I think I could talk him into dropping
the hole matter. Maybe we'd let it get together. Come on, Oh
no, no, I'm not that crazy. Do you know how to get
to the send? Have your mission? I can find it in fifteen minutes,
right and yeah, it's right out in the open. I hope you'll
be with us then. In the meantime, do send your comments to Box
thirteen at Great Detectives Dot and yet follow us on Twitter Radio detectives and check
us out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash great detectives from Boise,
Idaho. This is your host, Adam Grahamson and Off