Speaker 1: The Avenger wrote a crime ends in a trap that
justice said crime does not pay.
Speaker 2: The Avenger, sworn enemy of evil, is actually Jim Brandon,
a famous biochemist. Through his numerous scientific experiments, Brandon has
perfected two inventions to aid him and his crusade against
Prime as the Avenger, the telepathic indicator by which he
is able to pick up thought flashes, and the secret
diffusion capsule, which keeps him in the black light of invisibility.
Brandon's assistant, the beautiful Fern Collier, is the only one
who shares his secrets and knows that he is the
man the underworld fears as the Avenger.
Speaker 3: And now.
Speaker 2: The Avenger and the Wingate Airs.
Speaker 1: Now listen here, Rice, I may be old, but I'm
not exactly blind. It's time some drastic steps were taken
around here.
Speaker 3: Heck it easy, Captain Wingate.
Speaker 4: You might allow yourself to get so excited. She quiet, Rice.
I brought you down here to read the Riot Act.
Nothing's going to stop me.
Speaker 1: I'm not taken in by your sanctimonious ears and pretended
concern for me. You've been my lawyer for thirty years,
but I discoverage You've never been my friend.
Speaker 3: How really, Captain, that's some guy I call the.
Speaker 1: Other Choyce just waiting for me to die. Captain Wyne,
your father trying to deny it. I know you've been
using my horns to put through deals I never authorized
as good as stealing Rice. And by the great hornspoon,
I'm gonna make you pay for Captain.
Speaker 4: When dad listen, you rerisen, I want you to bring
my will over here in the morning.
Speaker 1: I'm cutting you out of it, along with those four
good for nothing nephews of mine.
Speaker 4: I'll leave every penny to the seamen's charity.
Speaker 3: Captain Windead.
Speaker 5: As your will stands, it's very eccentric in so far
as your nephew is are concerned. You're making them sweat
for every dollars it is now by who as I
tell you Rice, have that will here first thing in
the morning. I'm going to send all you vultures packing, Piper, Piper,
other places.
Speaker 6: Are you haven't?
Speaker 1: Captain?
Speaker 4: Who'll get your wind up? You drive that scoundrel of
Rice back into town? Piper?
Speaker 7: Hi, that I did?
Speaker 1: Captain, Hey, what's ailing that lawyer?
Speaker 3: I never saw him in.
Speaker 4: Such a sarity of bert. Maybe you won't be so
chippy yourself when you hear what I got to say.
Oh you got the storm signals up again, Captain? How
are you've been living here at Wingate Manor, Piper?
Speaker 3: H fifteen years?
Speaker 4: Come next month, Captain.
Speaker 1: All that time, I've paid your good salary for doing
next to nothing, haven't I.
Speaker 4: Well, I'll wait a minute. My sentiment has its limits, Piper.
Speaker 1: Just because we sailed the seas together when we were young,
there's no reason why I.
Speaker 4: Should let you cheat me, is it? What do you
get from that? Captain? This Piper, you've stripped my orchards
of their fruit and sold them.
Speaker 1: The flowers in my garden went to the florists in town,
and you collected for fifteen years. You've sold everything from
gas out of my cars to food out of my cupboards. Well,
maybe I have done a few things I shouldn't, but
I've had the girl to sit around here waiting for
me to die and leave your fat pension. Well the
wind is changed, Piper. I've found you out, and I'm
giving you a week's notice to clear.
Speaker 4: Out our cat And you can't do that him an old.
Speaker 1: I'm clearing the decks. You get one week in the meantime,
I'll expect some service from you.
Speaker 4: I knew you could be mean, but I never thought
you're thinking.
Speaker 1: Comes to rate here, deliver these four letters to my
nephews in their rooms. I think I should inform my
worthy airs that tomorrow I intend to change my will.
Get about it now, all right, I'll deliver these letters,
and I'll tell your nephews that the devil is possessed.
Speaker 4: Yes, do ingage years.
Speaker 1: Four lazy parasites sitting around waiting for Normandada.
Speaker 4: I'll show him. Joe, the engineer who never builds calm.
Speaker 1: The doctor who never had a patience, ran for Oliver,
the wastress poppers Oliver.
Speaker 4: Tomorrow cut him off completely. Then I think I'll live
to be one hundred yes, to watch them suffer trying.
Left here, Jim, that's Wingate manor at.
Speaker 1: The top of the hill. This looks like a magnificent
estate inspector. It is. But if these rich old codgers
have to jump out of their windows, I wish they
wouldn't pick three o'clock in the morning to do it. Well,
it shouldn't take very long. Say, there's quite a crowd
gathered in front of the house.
Speaker 4: Well up here, Jim.
Speaker 1: Okay, come on, let's have a look. Step aside, please, police,
there's the body over there. Jim, better look it over right, inspector.
Speaker 4: Who's taking charge of things here?
Speaker 5: I'm Smedley, Roy's Captain Wingate's lawyer. I'd be glad to
help in any way I can.
Speaker 4: Were you here when this happened?
Speaker 3: No, I just arrived.
Speaker 5: Doctor Thomas Wingate, one of Captain Wingate's nephews called.
Speaker 4: Back, who discovered the body?
Speaker 3: I think he did, doctor Thomas.
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm Tom Wingate. My room places this side courtyard.
I heard the noise and came running, but.
Speaker 3: Uncle was dead before we reached him.
Speaker 2: We yes, my three cousins, Joe, Ralph and Oliver. We
all got out here about the same time.
Speaker 4: I see.
Speaker 3: Where was your uncle when he jumped in his study
on the third floor. It's just above here.
Speaker 1: Yes, Wingate seems to have died instantly. Okay, Jim, I
mean will be here in a minute. In the meantime,
let's have a look at the study upstairs. Would you
mind coming along? Royce not at all, but Dora's locked.
Does anybody in the house have a key or no?
Speaker 4: The captain had the only key, and I suppose that's
on the inside.
Speaker 1: Shall we break the door in, Inspector, Yeah, come on, Jim,
let's put our shoulders to it. I'm ready, Yeah, eh,
I did it. Just a minute, I'll turn on the light.
Speaker 4: Captain Wingate frequently worked late at night.
Speaker 1: By the looks of his desk, he must have been writing,
john't touch anything on that Royce.
Speaker 3: Oh, I'm sorry, I just a little curious.
Speaker 1: I don't moment what the case is in the hands
of the police, of course, Captain Wingate seems we've been
tracing the history of his family.
Speaker 3: Yes, that's right.
Speaker 4: The captain was an ardent student of genealogy or Royce.
Speaker 1: Would you call the members of the family together. There
are a few routine matters to straighten out this, of course, right.
Speaker 4: Away, mister Brandon, Jim, what are you up to?
Speaker 1: There's no need to conduct the investigation tonight, Inspector. Have
your men checked to see if the captain had his
keys on him when he jumped. They're not in here, okay, Jim.
What was he writing there at the desk? Oh? Some
kind of a paper entitled Genealogical Reasons for four worthless
nephew sounds morbid. This stuff proves that the old man
was pretty low in his mind. I guess that's why
he decided to.
Speaker 3: End it all.
Speaker 1: Inspector, I'm almost certain Captain Wingate was murdered. What there
are things in this room that just don't add up
to suicide. For instance, Well, this is a small, uncomfortable room.
Nothing but work would keep a man in here until
three o'clock in the morning. Well that checks for what
Roy said. Look, if wing Gate had been sitting there working,
he would have the light on, wouldn't he. Sure, Well,
when we came into this.
Speaker 3: Room it was dark.
Speaker 1: I turned the light on him. Say that's right, Jim,
Now I am man about to jump out the window.
Doesn't bother to switch out the light first, but a
person leaving a room by the door turns it out automatically.
All of which adds up to the fact that someone
pushed Wingate out of the window. Offhand, I'd say there's
more than an even chance of it, Inspector. Well, let's
go to work, Jim, Inspector, we'd have a lot to
gain by keeping our investigation under cover until after the
reading of the will.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that will might have a very interesting story to tell.
Speaker 5: After the reduction of these personal bequests the above mentioned
four services rendered, I bequeath the rest of my estate
to my poor nephews.
Speaker 4: I should say, just a moment.
Speaker 5: I haven't finished for several conditions, provided each of those
nephews stays in my study alone for one week, and
using the books available there, traces the history of the
Wingate family down to the time of his own birth.
If for any reason whatsoever, the history is not completed,
or the person fails to stay within the room for
it required week, he forfeits his right to the share
of the estate, and the estate will be divided equally
among those nephews who succeed in this requirement. If none succeeds,
the estate is will in its entirety to the Seamen's
charity as indicated.
Speaker 6: About well, jim last Quart certainly threw a bomb sheell
into this little gathering.
Speaker 1: I think that's exactly what it was meant to do
for nim Oh. Captain Wingate certainly had it in for
those nephews of his. Ah, mister Royce, just a moment,
please say it, please, Joseph Wingate has the flo Thank you.
I like to ask a question, Miss Royce, so right ahead,
would it be possible provided we, for Wingate nephews are
in agreement to divide the estate equally among us without regard.
Speaker 3: To that last eccentric provision. I am afraid not, Joseph,
to stand your position.
Speaker 4: But according to the law, this will must be carried
out to the letter. Well, we might as well get
started on it. Then, in what order are we to
try for the grand prize?
Speaker 5: Mister Royce rap Wingate first, Oliver Wingate's second, you, Joseph
Wingate third, and doctor Thomas Wingate last.
Speaker 3: This whole thing is preposterous.
Speaker 4: You mean you're not going to try for it? Tom,
I mean.
Speaker 3: Nothing of the kind, Joe, What about you? Oliver?
Speaker 4: I am I and so is well? All right?
Speaker 5: Then provisions will be stocked within the room, and no
outside communication of any kind will be permitted. The door
will be locked from the outside by Captain Wingate's banker.
Speaker 4: Well, Ralph, are you ready?
Speaker 8: Let's see how you can take a week of solitary confinement, Jim.
Speaker 6: Even though I didn't get in on the ground floor
of his cape. I know you think old Captain Wingate
was murdered.
Speaker 1: That's right, Ferrind, But we'll have to move slowly on this.
There are six suspects. How do you figure about Jim,
the four nephews, Royce the lawyer, and Pipa the servant.
Every one of them had something to gain by Captain
Wingate's death on that particular night.
Speaker 7: Why that particular laugh?
Speaker 1: Because Wingate planned a change his will the following morning
and cut every one of them off without a cent.
Speaker 7: How did you find that out?
Speaker 1: Jim Wingate had drawn up a rough draft of the
changes he intended to make. Those papers were found in
his coat pocket.
Speaker 3: After his death.
Speaker 7: It's which one do we go to work on first?
Speaker 1: All of em. We're going to make a tour of
the house. That way we should find out a few
things about the people who live in Wingate manor.
Speaker 3: Now back to the Avenger and the Wingate airs.
Speaker 8: Well, helping that sat.
Speaker 6: We worked our way right up here to the attic
gym and haven't found a thing except the wing that man.
It could stand for some improvements.
Speaker 1: Wait a minute, friend, do you hear anything in this attict.
Speaker 7: Es sounds like water give in summer.
Speaker 1: That's what I thought. Let's have a look. It's over
here on the other side of these trunks.
Speaker 7: Oh, it's only a leafing forces. At one time, they
must have been tended to finish this at a a
living warter.
Speaker 1: No, this facet has been installed rather recently. And this
tin drain into which a Brits is almost.
Speaker 7: New, probably needs a new washer. Why don't you speak
your pipe for about No, it's all right, I turned
it off. Come on, then let's get back into town.
Him hungry.
Speaker 1: Hello, Jim, I hate to get you up like this again.
Speaker 4: Ralph wind Gate just jumped out.
Speaker 1: Of the window. Okay, Inspector, pick me up on your
way out there. Well, Jim, we had a few hours
to go over everything. You think Ralph wind Gate was murdered.
There's nothing to indicate that, Inspector. This has all the
earmarks of suicide. Then that wash is up the case.
Ralph murdered the old captain, then his conscience started bothering
him while he was locked up here alone.
Speaker 4: A possibility, Inspector, But we'll have to prove it. Well
that night not be so easy to prove.
Speaker 1: It's Oliver Wingate's turn to go into the study next.
Let everything proceed according to schedule. I'm beginning to get
an idea Inspector, Jim, this is the third night we've
set up this net under that sturdy window. I think
Oliver is going to stick it out.
Speaker 7: If he does, then we're right back where we started.
Speaker 1: Jim fer and I still believe Oliver will jump, And
when he does, we've got to the un hand to
save him.
Speaker 7: Can we rehearse everything so they won't be in a ship?
Speaker 3: All right?
Speaker 1: Here's the plan. As soon as Oliver jumps, we bundle
him off in that car over there, and the inspectors
men will rush him to the hospital and keep him
under God. In the meantime, we bring him the net,
place that dummy underneath the window and cover it up.
Then we give the alarm. Within a few minutes after that,
some of my men will arrive and bear the dummy away.
And to the best knowledge of our suspects, OLIVERA.
Speaker 4: Wingate is dead.
Speaker 7: All very as well. But where does all of us
get us?
Speaker 1: It gives us a chance to question Oliver Wingate and
find out why he jumped from there. It should be
easy to trace the murderer.
Speaker 7: Oh, Jim, it's all of it. He's on the window ledge.
Speaker 1: He's going to jump, all right, Get ready, inspect her the.
Speaker 6: Lord the Lors I came s this Wing Day case
certainly seems to have a jin Sama Jim. Every clue
we start to work on goes up and smoke.
Speaker 1: Yes, we've had some tough breaks burn the things have
worked out as planned. The case will be solved by now.
Speaker 6: Well, we had no way of knowing Oliver would crack
up completely and not be able to tell us anything.
Speaker 1: We did find out thing. Oliver had his ears stuffed
with paper. He's trying to shut out that noise he
screamed about as he was falling.
Speaker 7: The doctor says he'll probably be all right within a
few weeks.
Speaker 1: Well, we can't wait for that. In the meantime, it
serves our purpose to let everyone here at Wingate Manor
believe he's dead.
Speaker 6: Who's locked up in the study now, Jim, Joe the engineer.
I'm completely baffled. I don't know whom to suspect.
Speaker 1: There are still four suspects, Fern Royce, Doctor, Tom, Piper,
and Joe. We can't overlook any of them.
Speaker 7: This case proves that too many motives are bad as
none at all.
Speaker 1: I'm going up to the attic. I want to do
a little investigating the attic again. What's so interesting up there, Jim,
I'll let you play the fern right now. I want
you to go downstairs and keep your eye on Piper
and doctor Tom. They had their heads together in the
dining room when we came up here, Jim.
Speaker 7: Helping doctor Tom.
Speaker 3: Oh, thanks, Piper, I'm not hungry.
Speaker 4: That's too bad. You ought to eat doctor Tom. At
a time like this, a man needs you strength.
Speaker 3: Things are in a mess, all right.
Speaker 2: Every time I turn around I run into Brandon or
that police inspector. Why don't they keep then thoses out
of things that don't concern them?
Speaker 4: I reckon. The police have a right to get their
wind up over three deaths.
Speaker 3: Doctor Tom, Free suicide Piper? Were they Doctor Tom? Piper?
What are you driving at? Come on, come on out
with it.
Speaker 4: Well, you got to admit it, the old captain I
mighty convenient.
Speaker 2: For a lot of people, you included. Don't forget that
your head was gonna roll with the rest of us.
Speaker 4: Oh, I'm not I'm not accusing anybody, No, I'm just talking.
Speaker 3: Well, be careful what you say.
Speaker 2: Jim Brandon snooping around the house somewhere if he should
happen to find out the uncle planned it changes?
Speaker 3: Will he'd a rest all of us on suspicion.
Speaker 4: You know, I got to feel in all our troubles
will be over.
Speaker 1: And what makes you think that?
Speaker 4: Well, mister Joe ain't a jump in time. He'll last
the week out up there in the study.
Speaker 3: Well, if Joe can do it, so can I when
my turn comes.
Speaker 2: I'm not going to oblige Joe by jumping out the
window and letting him inherit everything.
Speaker 4: And I hope you're right?
Speaker 3: Was it?
Speaker 4: Neither you nor mister Joe sticks it out. Mister Royce
will have the most to game. Hi, he could be
one of the trustees if the estate goes to charity.
Speaker 3: Yes, that Royce is a slick one, all right right, And.
Speaker 4: I'm putting my money on mister joel over.
Speaker 1: He's got a stubborn stricken him, just like the old captain.
Speaker 3: Yes, you and Joe always did side together, didn't you.
Speaker 4: You know?
Speaker 2: Sometimes I wonder, Oh, get into the kitchen piper before
I say something.
Speaker 3: I'll be sorry for you.
Speaker 4: Hearn Hearne, where are you? Hyper?
Speaker 6: Doctor Tom has been arguing in the dining room, But
I couldn't make out what they were saying.
Speaker 1: Never mind that novel. I've hit on something, burn something
I believe may break this case.
Speaker 4: Good.
Speaker 7: What is it?
Speaker 1: You'll have to help me test it out.
Speaker 7: What do you want me to do?
Speaker 1: First? Let's synchronize our watches. It's exactly one point thirty
right now. You go up to the attic and add
one body, open that corset up there, and start the
water dripping.
Speaker 7: Okay, but that doesn't sound like a very important asylum.
Speaker 1: Believe me, it is, Fearn. I'll explain later. Right now,
I'm going into that study by way of the window
as the Avenger. What's that noise?
Speaker 4: Who's there at the window.
Speaker 3: That's strange.
Speaker 1: There's no one there?
Speaker 3: Nice place?
Speaker 4: Must with you having me batty? I'm better get hold
of myself.
Speaker 1: I am hearing things.
Speaker 4: The water you're dripping, I can't do. My mind is
planning tricks on me.
Speaker 3: That's it.
Speaker 1: That's it my mind.
Speaker 3: That's the sound of your conscience.
Speaker 1: Joseph Wingate.
Speaker 4: Who's in this room?
Speaker 1: Who spoke the voice of justice calling you to account? Joe, No, No,
it's all in my mind.
Speaker 4: There's nobody here.
Speaker 1: The Avenger is here.
Speaker 4: Joe, the Avenger where are you.
Speaker 1: I'm here, but you can't see me. You're blinded by
the crimes you have committed.
Speaker 4: Get out of this room. This is some trick to
make me lose my inheritance.
Speaker 1: You've already lost that, Joe.
Speaker 4: No, No, I haven't. Nothing will drive me out of here.
Speaker 1: And I will stay here with you the dripping water
and I you will stay here to remind you of
your crimes and wait for your confession.
Speaker 4: I confess nothing, and I never will. Listen to the water, Joe,
listen to it. No, no, let me alone.
Speaker 1: Ralph and Oliver listen to that dripping until I drove
a mat. They're whispering to you now, Joe. Their voices
accuse you, and the old captain calls out from his grave. Listen, Joe,
listen to what the dripping water says. No, do you
hear it? It keeps saying murder, murder.
Speaker 4: Murder, murder, murder.
Speaker 1: No, No, I won't confess you stay here if you want,
let the dripping water drive you mad. The stakes are high,
Allinger and Joseph Wingate is playing his hand out. It's
three o'clock, Joe, to remember it was three o'clock when
you pushed your uncle from that window. Let me, there's
to be no rest for you, Joe, not until you
confess your crime.
Speaker 4: I can't stand with any log till that wander off.
Stop it, stop it.
Speaker 1: Ralph and Oliver cried out like that, Joe, there was
no wonder stop it. They stopped aarius with paper, but
they couldn't shut out the sounds, and so they jumped.
Speaker 4: No, no, I won't jump. Confess that I can't stand it,
but tell everything.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, write it all down, Write it down, and
as soon as you've finished, sounds will stop.
Speaker 4: Start writing. Joe.
Speaker 1: That spot over there above the desk is where the
sound came out. Inspector, I don't see anything, Jim. The
wall looks all right to me. Wait a minute, tear
off the section of this wallpaper and show you what's
behind him. Well, what do you know? The sign on
the paper right here was perforated to let the sound out.
Speaker 4: By Jim.
Speaker 7: There's a big amplifying horn sat there on the wall.
Speaker 1: That's right burn. This horn was wired to that small diptophone.
I showed you under the tin drain of the water
forces in the attic. Old Joe Wingate, who has let
the water drip.
Speaker 4: A few days of listening to z was all a man.
Speaker 1: Could stand, particularly when he thought he was imagining it.
Speaker 7: Well, Fortunately Joe can't stand at either.
Speaker 1: Jim, that's all the evidence we need to convict Joe
Wingate of two murders. That's an attempt on the life
of Oliver Wingate.
Speaker 7: But Jim, Jo.
Speaker 6: Didn't used this device on old Captain Wingate, did he?
I thought you said he pushed the captain out the window?
Speaker 1: He did. The study door wasn't locked that night. As
the old captain sat here working.
Speaker 4: Here's what happened.
Speaker 1: Joe walked in on him, pushed the captain out the window,
picked the old man's key ring up from the desk,
turned out the lights automatically as he left the room,
locked the door after him, and went back.
Speaker 4: To his room.
Speaker 1: Then, when doctor Tom gave the alarm, Joe ran out
into the court right and under the pretext of helping
Tom examine his uncle, he dropped the keys into the
Captain's pocket, where we found them. Jill, what first led
you to suspect Joe? Well, that dripping faucet in the
attic and treated me from the beginning. I kept checking
back on it, and every time I turned it off,
someone turned it on again, up until the time Joe
went into the study. Then it was turned off tight.
That was the tip off, and I decided to give
Joe some of his own treatment.
Speaker 6: Well, it certainly worked, Jim, But what about this air.
Joe must have known exactly what was in his uncle's will,
otherwise he couldn't have arranged everything like this.
Speaker 1: He did burn. He admitted that in his confession he
had everything prepared months ago. Then when the captain decided
to change his will, it forced Joe's hand and he
had to kill his uncle.
Speaker 6: If anyone ever leaves me any money, I hope it
doesn't have any strings attached.
Speaker 1: You'd better send out a radio flash for that effect.
Inspector and four more millionaires That Fern prefers her legacy
and small change.
Speaker 2: All characters, names, places, and plots using the Avenger program
are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living or dead is
purely coincidental.
Speaker 1: This is a thought, a thought, a thought. Remember listen
for another adventure of
Speaker 3: The Avenger