Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of Danger with Granger.
But first I do want to let you know that
today's program is brought you in part by the financial
support of our listeners. You can't support the show on
a one time basis. Support Dot Great Detectives dot net
and become one of our ongoing Patreon supporter as far
as little last two dollars per month by going to
Patreon dot Great Detectives dot net. Well now, from nineteen
fifty six or nineteen fifty seven, here is the episode
Phony Photographer Case.
Speaker 2: Aker where drinker.
Speaker 3: Hey you.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you mean muncy?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Got the money? Yeah, where's the stuff? Don't be
such a hook.
Speaker 5: M.
Speaker 4: That's a little kay.
Speaker 3: Er. The rocks tell the boss I getting touch something later.
But hey, what's that?
Speaker 6: Somebody took a FoST fight picture pretty quick? You can't
and get away. Take care of him. Nothing as quiet
as a knife.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I shot the guy to be a thousand cops
around in two minutes.
Speaker 2: Give me the camera.
Speaker 6: That one camera will never take another picture.
Speaker 2: Turn him over.
Speaker 4: Let's find out over here she works for a newspaper
names the Grand What do we do?
Speaker 1: Heigy wallet?
Speaker 3: And he's do when the coup find Himil, they'll think
some be tryed to hold him up.
Speaker 4: A good idea.
Speaker 6: I'll take that, bust that camera with me and burn
it up. Yeah, that'll give the cups on the chew
on two.
Speaker 3: With a Steve Granger, private detective with a story about
a cute little redhead and the cute little mess of
mayhem and murder she was involved in. And just a moment,
I'll take you back to one of my most the
thing cases.
Speaker 2: This is Granger.
Speaker 3: And as far as I was concerned, the whole thing
began and a joint called the Arabian Nights, the Arabian Nights,
or even a remote resemblance to that joint, And I
figured I was wearing a two headed turbine, smoke hung
low and the prices hung high. I was stead of
in a booth mining Steve Granger's business when a dish
with a camera moved over. No thanks, maybe I'm afraid
my face is too rugged for your camera.
Speaker 5: Oh I wouldn't say that.
Speaker 2: Oh you know me?
Speaker 5: Is that I don't know, going to give me a
paper piece? What I get you here in a few minutes,
walk out with me like you and I had a date.
Speaker 2: Where should I?
Speaker 5: Because I think somebody's after me.
Speaker 3: The camera girl smiled at me. They swung over one
of the table and talked to man and his girlfriend
and opposing for shot. A few minutes later, I got
to my feet and joiner at the door. On the
way out, I noticed nothing unusual, just a couple of
night flying characters who gave the all.
Speaker 2: The double ole, the double eyes.
Speaker 5: Yep, big favorite ranger.
Speaker 2: What's this all about? Boyfriends getting too urgent?
Speaker 5: Is there anyone behind us?
Speaker 2: Only eyes shadows and they look good together.
Speaker 5: No one's following, Nick Kase, I'll see you, lady.
Speaker 3: This is very separated, sure truth A merry one again.
You wouldn't care to mention your name?
Speaker 5: Rickie will do.
Speaker 6: I'd like to hear from you sometimes, Maybe you will.
Speaker 3: A little redhead hopped the cabin disappeared towards downtown New York,
so as I wasn't too far from my apartment, I
walked in and, enjoying the cold Chris bare I just got
inside my place when things started happening.
Speaker 5: Hello, stranger, Yeah, still interested in camera girls?
Speaker 2: If they're redheaded, why not come on over.
Speaker 5: I'm at home eleven eighty five Way, First Street, Apartment one.
Speaker 2: Is there a reason for this incipation?
Speaker 5: There is a man you've been watching my place.
Speaker 3: I cabbed it over to Ricky's address, but stopped the
block away, got out and started walking. As I came
abreast of her building, and I could see the spotter
huddled in the doorway.
Speaker 2: Across the street. I moved over looking for something.
Speaker 6: But if I am it's not you, It's gonna be
uh girl, it could be none of your business, mister.
Speaker 3: It's a blow with eleven things going on in this neighborhood.
Girls being held out.
Speaker 2: The cup then I shaved themselves in the dark.
Speaker 6: Doorways looked suspicious.
Speaker 2: If you get.
Speaker 6: Maybe I just stopped to like my pipe.
Speaker 2: In that case, I have a match. Thanks, Got anything
else to say? I just remember that day. Good for you,
and i'd better be.
Speaker 5: I got who's lost?
Speaker 3: No, you remember a sudden date? I sweated and was
on the other side of town. Suppose we get real chummy, baby,
you start telling me things.
Speaker 5: My name is Ricky Moore.
Speaker 3: I found out from the index outside. I want to
know about those.
Speaker 7: That's just it.
Speaker 5: I don't know.
Speaker 2: You work full time as a camera girl.
Speaker 5: Great, he's got to place over.
Speaker 3: H think you might have taken some guy's picture who's
allergic to that sort of thing.
Speaker 5: I wouldn't do that. I can't take pictures without permission.
I'd have to pay for the negatives.
Speaker 2: It's the same. Maybe you ought to go over and
see what you took tonight. I don't. Okay, let's go. Okay,
where did I twitched?
Speaker 3: Somebody outside on the side was looking in the door
the same, get your coat, pretendual leaving.
Speaker 2: You stay here. I'm going outside.
Speaker 3: Mask that character a few embarrassing questions. All right, go
back inside, don't turn on any lights, and.
Speaker 6: Wait for me.
Speaker 3: I got out into the street to look around. There
wasn't a sign of the guy with a curiosity.
Speaker 2: I think he was tashed out in the doorway. The
doorway was empty.
Speaker 3: I decided he must have beat it and turned round
to get back to Ricky.
Speaker 6: Okay, what the stop?
Speaker 3: I was hit hot enough to flatten my arches. I
sat to the side walk while the entire constellation passed
in review. Comets and all. I'll continue with this interesting
story in a minute. When I came to it being slugged,
it seemed like a couple of hundred years later. And
I got on my feet and went back inside of
the camera girl's apartment. There was no answer to apartment door,
and this was one time when I wanted one. I
undersnapped my pocket knight. I reached inside, flipped the light switch.
Speaker 2: And looked around. The girl was gone.
Speaker 3: She could have left of her own volition, while the
man who'd slugged me could have taken her away by force.
I looked up a boss's address and the phone book.
Speaker 2: And went over.
Speaker 3: I wanted to look at the picture she'd taken. That
her boss, mister Frederick Gray, was very obliging. You see, Granger,
These negatives adjust the ordinary snaps of people in nightclubs.
Speaker 2: Yeah, nothing there your information, mister Gray.
Speaker 3: Miss Moore has disappeared and there was a guy watching
her apartment.
Speaker 2: Oh, it might have been a personal thing.
Speaker 3: Surely Ricky might have a boyfriend.
Speaker 2: They could have quarreled, you know how those.
Speaker 3: Things outch guy didn't act like a boyfriend. Besides, she
didn't know him. I don't know if something has happened
to miss Moore to be unfortunate. Yeah, most unfortunate. I
left the office, moved on the Halloways, then tiptoed back,
just in case the photographer was playing tricks.
Speaker 2: Was sting at this door.
Speaker 3: I recognized the word of a telephone dial, and a
moment later heard his voice. Listen, there's a private detective
named Greg you're looking for her?
Speaker 2: Yes, of course, I wanted to meet you where.
Speaker 3: Very well.
Speaker 2: Twenty minutes.
Speaker 3: When Gray came out of his building and legged it
up the street, I was right behind him. He wound
up in an eighth Avenue saloon, parked in a corner.
This was the sort of place you could wear. He
had in a boot, so I pulled mine down over
my eyes as I slipped in the one next to Gray.
He was joined by the same man I'd seen watching
Ricky morris apartment earlier. The two men kept the talk confidential.
I pinned my ears back.
Speaker 6: Here is the dough in this envelope.
Speaker 3: I wont the cutage.
Speaker 6: You don't trust me?
Speaker 2: Yeah, yes, it's all here.
Speaker 3: Thanks.
Speaker 6: You're so nervous about that crummy private eye.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's very alat I think you suspect something. Are
you watching Ricky's pace?
Speaker 6: Yeah, I don't take chances. Wow, did you take care
of that little chour?
Speaker 3: Yes? I had destroyed that negative and now that our
business is finished, out saying good night.
Speaker 6: You wouldn't be pulling a fast which would you pay
your big silly Yeah, I'm being so silly. I'm going
to walk you over to your place.
Speaker 2: But listen that way will.
Speaker 6: Make sure if it's okay, you're okay. But listen, will
you it's not.
Speaker 3: Don't do that.
Speaker 2: The character.
Speaker 3: I made a motion of drawing a finger across his
throat from Gray's nervousness, climbed up to the shaky stage
and up the aph to have an a joint, and
went back to Gray's building. I walked around outside, wondering
if we should go up or not. After a while,
I got that feeling that something had gone wrong, So
I walked into the building and up to Frederick Gray's place.
All the way lights glowed with a yellow color that
added an eerie touch to the whole thing. The lights
were on in his office. The place was deserted, and
I wondered how Frederick Gray and the other man had
done the duck act.
Speaker 2: So quickly.
Speaker 3: Then I saw it on the floor, A couple of stains,
reddish and fresh looking. These stains I knew couldn't be
photographic chemicals that looked more like blood.
Speaker 2: I never considered myself psychic.
Speaker 3: Just staring at those stains gave me a quiet, little
creepy feeling, like the one the guy got when he
woke up in the middle of the night, reached out
for the matches and felt them put unto his hand.
In just a minute, I'll bring you the climax of
the case. I stood there in Frederick Gray's photographic studios.
I was looking at the fresh stains on the floor,
said how I get a crik in my neck? So
it took me a little while to turnet when I
heard the door behind me open, wore you I could
ask the same questions, fella, what are you doing in
here this time of night? Oh?
Speaker 2: I work here on mister Grey's dark room. Technician. I
developed the pictures the girls take. I see.
Speaker 3: Did you see mister Gray coming a little while ago?
Speaker 2: Why?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Was there a man with him wearing a gray suit?
Speaker 3: Yes?
Speaker 2: Was there an argument? Hear him fighting or anything like that?
I don't know, sir. I just popped him and popped off.
Speaker 4: But well, I think they walked down the hall.
Speaker 2: Did you developed the pictures, Ricky Moore took tonight?
Speaker 3: Not all of them, once you took up the Arabian
Nights were developed by mister Gray himself.
Speaker 2: You haven't seen this more tonight? Well, sir, you see,
I spend most of my time in the dark room.
Speaker 5: I like it there.
Speaker 3: Oh great, I beat it out of there and called
in my pal cal Hendricks.
Speaker 2: He kept real newspaper.
Speaker 3: Man's hours, was pretty good about giving out with information,
always provided he got first option.
Speaker 2: On any news story.
Speaker 3: Oh see this out of the night. You should be
on a many ringside table one of fifty second Street bistro.
Speaker 2: And know, why do you know about Frederick Gray?
Speaker 3: He's a photographer, operates the photos anice around the Knight's
spots as ful girls working for him. Yeah, for eight
times what they're worth. These good also snap you in
any sort of incriminating pose?
Speaker 2: It that I know?
Speaker 3: Could he work a racket along with it? Everybody has
lostoy in their heartskipt the philosophy. That's all you have
on Gray? Yep, you always seemed to be a legitimate
business man. Why it's beginning to look like he's selling
certain pictures at special prices.
Speaker 2: You're working on you and working for one of the
camera goes. Looks like she's in the same kind of enterprise.
And see a letter. H let's see that paper.
Speaker 3: Ohee soil Grant news photographer found stabbed to death on
Peer thirteen editor claims he was working in a smuggling
ex So what did man held a button off a
man's suit coat in his right hand a news photographer?
Speaker 2: I wonder.
Speaker 3: I don't know why the story about the murder of
newspaper photographer tight end with Ricky Moore in a disappearance,
but the feeling persisted. I said good night to Cal
Hendricks and went back to Frederick Gray's place of business.
Through the glass panel in the office store, I could
see movement stranger. Well, miss Moore, I thought I'd lost.
You lost.
Speaker 2: Just what kind of a racket are you pulling this?
Speaker 4: More?
Speaker 2: Don't play innocent first, you're afraid to leave. On you're not.
What's the gag?
Speaker 5: There's no gag. I don't know what you're talking about.
Speaker 2: Talking about the guy who was watching your apartment? What
about him?
Speaker 5: I don't know he looked suspicious. I became frightened.
Speaker 7: I called you.
Speaker 5: You drove him away. That's it, Grange, what's wrong?
Speaker 2: Have you seen Frederick Gray?
Speaker 3: The last you are?
Speaker 2: Let's look around?
Speaker 5: Where for room ranger?
Speaker 2: What are you looking for? Place where a man could
be hidden if you were tied up?
Speaker 3: That's the only closet in this office that's empty.
Speaker 2: What's down the hall this morning?
Speaker 5: Nothing? The broom closet?
Speaker 3: I think, let's take a look at it.
Speaker 2: Is it.
Speaker 3: Any reason why broom closet should be locked? You haven't
got time to pool her around?
Speaker 2: Then? Well well well yeah, and it's been stabbed.
Speaker 5: Why would anybody kill?
Speaker 2: If that's an act?
Speaker 3: Save it for the police, miss Moore, because from where
I stand up against to look like your boss was
doing a little blackmailing. You met a guy a while
ago in a saloon. They came up here after the
guy I'd given you a buy some money.
Speaker 2: You know I do.
Speaker 3: It's the same guy who was watching your apartment. Now,
WA's the connection, miss Moore? What are you for them done? Not?
By the way, do you know any newspaper photographers?
Speaker 5: Photographers?
Speaker 2: Say one named Grant? What's wrong? Miss Moore? You know no.
Speaker 1: No, I've never heard of.
Speaker 3: I know that Ricky Moore was keeping things from me,
one of them being the fact that she knew the
dead photographer. After the cops finished with us, I told
her to go home and stay there. I drifted back
to the Arabian Knights.
Speaker 2: The girl and I've swept hair and.
Speaker 3: A down swept evening gown was running her hands over
the keyboard of a piano. I wedged myself and was
spot at the bar. Out of the corner of my
eye could see the owner, Clint Karen start over.
Speaker 2: Oh, Venger, how are you feeling?
Speaker 3: The camera girl tried to sniffy a couple of hours ago,
and you'll wind up walking up with him.
Speaker 2: Where was that?
Speaker 3: Nor do I walk out with the strangers. I'd like
to talk to you about it, Glender, start talking? Not
here my office? Okay, here we are, sit down, Glengeer, thanks,
I'd go Rookie Moore, just how well do you know it?
Speaker 2: Just casually? What's a beef? Clint?
Speaker 3: I know exactly, but I smile swindle, huh, yeah, I've
been waiting for to come back. I think her pictures
are getting high priced.
Speaker 2: You know where she lives. I know she's a camera girl, period.
Speaker 3: Yes, I counted on you too heavily.
Speaker 2: If I come up with an I'll let you know.
Speaker 3: Fine ginger, see you lady that door pal dig this
one here?
Speaker 2: Oh? Where's this one? Later to the only way.
Speaker 3: That way, you won't have to fight that crowd inside.
Speaker 2: Thanks.
Speaker 3: I walked down the alley way towards the street with
my ears flapping like a set of mantils. After a
few seconds, I had a door open very softly, then
close again.
Speaker 2: It would have been Karen making set, and I was
on my way.
Speaker 3: I paused and went back to the door. There was
a window next to the door, dirty and grimy, but
I could see enough to recognize the man who'd stepped
in the Karen's office the moment I'd left. It was
the man who'd given them money to Gray, the same
one who'd been keeping an eye on the moor go.
I bet a need of the crank in the door.
Speaker 2: He was just here.
Speaker 3: See put him out the back door.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I spot at him.
Speaker 2: That's why I didn't come in right away. Here's a
door back well. The picture's chunk.
Speaker 6: Gray was trying to pull a fast one.
Speaker 2: What happened?
Speaker 6: He's in a brooded closet. It was the only way
about the More day.
Speaker 3: She called me, since you'd be around in a half hours, Yeah,
but not for long. I got out of the alley
and grabbed a cab out of the More girl's apartment,
but I was too late.
Speaker 2: The place was deserted.
Speaker 3: I moved around looking for something that could give me
a lead on just who she actually was. I opened
a desk drawer and found three lipsticks. Thought it was
a strange place for women to keep her kisslacker. Then
I made a closer examination. They only looked like lipsticks,
they served an entirely different purpose. Maybeat it back down
to the Arabian Nights, hoping the inmates hadn't folded their tents.
Speaker 2: Because it was getting to be dawn.
Speaker 3: I hung around the entrance to the alleyway that ran
alongside Clinton Karen spot standing first on one foot, then
on the other, and wish I got out a third
one to relieve the.
Speaker 2: Ache, and the other two.
Speaker 3: Then I spotted Ricky walking towards me, camera case slung
over one shoulder. I waited until she got a breast
of me. Ricky, where are you going?
Speaker 4: Alright?
Speaker 2: Back to the club, let's joined.
Speaker 5: Of course I have to return the photos, even if
it's great, is dead the only reason why are you
looking at me like that?
Speaker 3: I don't know whether you're on the level or tilt
it like a battleship and a mud flat.
Speaker 2: He just let me see that. Cut it out? They
usual junker woman carries around dat purse.
Speaker 5: Give it back to second just.
Speaker 3: A second, baby, don't get grabby.
Speaker 2: Wow, these are interesting.
Speaker 3: Why did you a girl carrying not one, but three lipsticks?
Speaker 2: What are you plenty to do? Make up a chorus
at the cocoaka banner?
Speaker 5: I want them right now.
Speaker 2: Look at the two of them.
Speaker 3: They have little holes in one end, a little button
on the other end. Could it be possible if these
are knock lipsticks?
Speaker 2: But they might be?
Speaker 3: Uh cameras suppose.
Speaker 6: They are here here?
Speaker 2: What's going on with this? Man?
Speaker 5: Is bothering me?
Speaker 6: He's doing as the trouble for her.
Speaker 2: Get out of here.
Speaker 3: I got someone finish business with miss Moore, and I'll
have to remain on that out stop that I said.
Speaker 2: Here, Ricky, Ricky, come back.
Speaker 3: Instead of following Ricky Moore through the front entrance of
the club, I took it back down the Alleyway, feeling
certain that she'd wind up in the office. I waited
one minute window prowling, maybe two. Then she was escorted
into the room by Clint Karen and placed in a
chair facing the window. The mug Munsey was still there,
And suddenly I noticed something that made me realize why
I'd subconsciously linked this caper with the.
Speaker 2: Murder of the news photographer. A button was missing from
Munsey's coat.
Speaker 3: Well, it's more, I've been waiting for you.
Speaker 5: Hi, Dan's characters something wrong.
Speaker 3: No, No, it's more. You don't have to pretend any longer.
I've known for some time that you worked for the news. Yes, please,
Monthly trailed you there when you made your last report.
That's when another news photographer went down to Pier thirteen.
He had a tip with some diamonds were being passed
kill I personally, my dear. Now all on from you
are the pictures you took in the club and through
that window.
Speaker 5: I have now to say I worked for Freddie Gray.
Speaker 3: We thought of Gray too, but it turned out that
he didn't have the pictures. He was just a blackmailer
showed him. There's too much talk about nothing.
Speaker 2: The pictures, please.
Speaker 3: I haven't gotten pictures on See, perhaps you'd better persuade
the young lady.
Speaker 4: Sure, why not, I've used this twice before, three times
lucky huh?
Speaker 3: All right, you Karen stands to come on here, Ricky.
I don't think this more has the pictures, Karen, because
I've got him and a couple of lipstick cameras I
swiped out of her apartment.
Speaker 4: See.
Speaker 6: Now you'll have to throw that thing left handed for
a while, are you.
Speaker 3: Well, friends, that's the story. I'll be back to wrap
up the case in just a minute. Clint Karen hit
the floor with a saw a chin as his para
Montin has to wounded arm. The police came around. The
two were taking it a custody on suspicion of murder. Also,
the customs boys wanted them on a charge of smuggling,
charges substantiated by the pictures. Ricky Moore had taken of
the jewels in Karen's office.
Speaker 2: But there were a couple of things.
Speaker 3: I still couldn't figure out how you granger, Well you
came back to the club if you had the pictures.
When I stick you're knocking back into the lion's mouth.
Speaker 5: I wanted to see if I could get a couple
more to bring in. You see, I took them to
that dirty window from the alleyway. I wasn't getting into
the office and used some dodge to clean windows.
Speaker 2: Don worked for the news.
Speaker 5: I couldn't. It was a hush hush assignment and Granger
just to show you how the news feels about you.
Speaker 1: There's a check.
Speaker 3: Well. I love figures, Ricky, whether they're numerica of physical.
Speaker 2: See how about them? Stick camerasin got one with you today?
Speaker 5: No, but wow with you. I figured I be recognized.
Speaker 2: M hmm, get news for you. You could be right,
Steve grang Riggan, You've just.
Speaker 3: Heard one of the most interesting cases in my files,
and I'll have another one for you, so I'll be
around next time.
Speaker 1: Welcome back. I didn't suspect that she was undercover as
a not club photographer to cover for the fact that
she was actually a newspaper photographer. And I guess that
does kind of make sense. Uh are about the whole
lipstick camera as being a practical real life thing. Certainly
this was the type of device that was used by
female KGB agents, and who knows it may have been
used by American female agents during the Cold War, but
lipstick cameras for actual newspaper photographers. That seems to be
just the writer having some fanciful fun. On the bright side,
Granger actually got a check that wasn't expected and got
a date with the woman involved in the case. So
this is one of those cases that make up for
all the other ones where the woman turns out to
be a line femme fatale who Stiff's our hero? Well
listener comments and feedback now, and we have a comment
over on Spotify regarding the episode The Lady Alibi Don
Wright's it sort of scares me that Adam has such
strong opinions on what makes a fixer good or bad. Well, Don,
I can appreciate where you're coming from, but yeah, I
think just a few days ago I got opinions on
what might get someone shift in prison. I tend to
assume that such opinions are based on innocent knowledge or
watching a lot of true tav and for my part,
my opinions on what makes it good fixer comes down
to more of being a consumer of a ridiculous amount
of Golden age crime fiction over the radio, as well
as some books and movies that have kind of set
my expectations, so you and anyone else concerned can rest
at ease. Well, now it is time to think our
Patreon supporter of the day, and I want to thank Catherine,
Patreon supporter since June twenty twenty one, currently supporting the
podcast at the Shawness level of four dollars or more
per month, and I will do it for today. If
you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite
podcastsquare and be sure to rate and review the podcast
wherever you download it from. We'll be back next Monday
with another episode of Danger with Granger, But join us
back here tomorrow for the big story where.
Speaker 7: All right, Tint left it, but I take your trap
shut and Tint left, I said, all right, drop the
card air under that tree. You know where it's nights
and dot look. So as I say, now, I know
if you adniffen your headline to what are you I'm
gonna do now, let's make sure you down double classes Wintle.
Speaker 1: Hope you'll be with us then in the meantime, send
your comments to Box thirteen at Great Deetectives dot net,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectors, and check us
out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com. Slash Great Detector is
from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.