Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Dragnet.
You're a detective sergeant.
You're assigned a missing person's detail.
You get a call that a man has failed to return to his home.
There's reason to suspect Powell play.
Your job, investigate.
It was Friday, January 2nd.
It was overcast in Los Angeles.
We were working the night watch out of Homicide Division, missing person's detail.
My partner's Frank Smith.
The boss is Captain Warman.
My name's Friday.
I was on my way back from communications and it was 8, 12 a.m. when I got to room 24, squad
room.
Well, it's hard to believe, isn't it?
January 2nd, another year gone by.
Yep.
You see this evening's sports page?
No, I didn't.
Why?
Still talking about that Rose Bowl game.
Oh, is that so?
You know, Joe looks to me like that last play of the game's gonna end up like the Dempsey
Tunney thing.
The what?
The Dempsey Tunney fight.
Oh, no, I don't think it will.
Oh, yeah.
Big controversy over that last play.
Well, since when all the sports writers agree?
Well, that's where you're wrong, Joe.
Well, how do you figure that?
I read them all.
Examiner, Times, Herald News, The Mirror.
They all agree the officials called it right.
All the sports writers, huh?
Every one of them.
Apparently, you haven't seen this.
I've never seen that paper before in my life.
No, that's where you're wrong, Joe.
All the writers don't agree on that last play, see?
Finchley Crockett, right there, you can see for yourself.
Who?
Finchley Crockett.
Who's he?
Only the sports editor, that's all.
The editor of what?
What paper is this?
Jesse County Realist.
Picked it up tonight on the way in.
Yeah, well, the game's over, so let's just forget about it.
What do you say?
Oh, sure.
Just overlook the only right call on the game, huh?
Just pass it right by.
Joe, Finchley Crockett's never been wrong.
All the World Series, the all-star game, picked the heavyweight champ before the fight.
He's accurate, Joe.
Well, good for him.
But it's over and the score still stands.
Next year's another game, okay?
Listen to this.
I'm gonna read this column to you.
The Bird Says by Finchley Crockett.
What's the name of the column?
The Bird, Bird Crockett.
Who?
Well, oh, I forgot to tell you.
When Crockett played for the Trojans, his nickname was The Bird.
I don't remember anybody with that name playing for USC.
No, Joe.
JCU, Jesse County Trojans.
Oh, yeah, sure.
Now listen to what he says.
It is a rare treat when the editor of a small town paper gets to see one of the nation's
bowl games.
But your editor was so treated this week at the county seat.
As you all know, the new television transmitter is now operating and it is a rare treat.
As you know, there's nothing like being at the game, but it is a rare treat when the
editor of a small town paper gets to see one of the nation's bowl games.
He's a real great guy, Joe.
And in closing, yours truly would like to go on record and say that the last play of
the game was a complete mystery to me.
Go ahead.
Go ahead.
That's it, Joe.
He made his point.
That's all there is to the entire column.
Well, that's it.
It proves that all the sports writers didn't agree on the last play of the game.
I get it.
Missing persons, Friday.
Yes, ma'am.
That's right.
All right, we'll be right out.
No, ma'am.
Right away.
Bye.
What do you got?
Missing husband.
Wife says he and another man went out this afternoon.
He's over three hours late getting home.
It's kind of early to start worrying, huh?
No, not the way she puts it.
What do you mean?
Well, the fellow with him.
Yeah.
Her husband was going to have him put in jail.
Eight thirty-two p.m.
Frank and I left the office and drove out to the address.
It was located on Agatha Street.
The lettering on the window read, Helmers Mannequin Rental and Sales.
The store was dark except for a single light at the rear of the place.
We knocked and a small woman in her fifties answered the door.
We identified ourselves and she asked us in.
You want to come back to the office?
Thank you.
Watch your steps there.
It's kind of dark.
Thank you.
These dummies sure look like real people.
Yes, they specialize in life-like models.
I've been working on the book, trying to keep my mind off of what's happened.
Uh-huh.
You want to sit down?
That's all right, Miss Helmer.
You go ahead.
You want to tell us what this is all about now?
Jason's gone.
That's your husband's name, Jason Helmer?
That's right.
How old is he?
Fifty-three.
He had a birthday last October.
Why do you think something's happened to him?
Because it's not like him to do a thing like this without telling me.
You told me on the phone that you'd heard from him.
Is that right?
Not from him.
Fred Madison called me.
When was that?
I guess it was about 5.45.
It might have been six, no later.
What did this fellow Madison say to you?
He told me that Jason was coming right home.
Were they together when he called, you know?
Fred said they were.
He said they were.
He said they were.
He said they were.
He said they were.
He said they were.
He said they were.
Did you talk to your husband?
No.
At the time, I didn't think it'd be necessary.
You know where they called from?
Well, Fred said some bar.
Did he mention a name?
No, and I didn't ask.
I guess I was afraid to.
What do you mean?
Well, Jason used to drink quite a bit.
We had a lot of trouble over it.
It seemed like everything was falling apart, and then he straightened up and quit.
He hasn't had a drink of liquor in ten years.
When Fred called, I thought that maybe he'd gotten Jason started again.
Did he say your husband had been drinking?
No.
No, he just told me that Jason was leaving the bar and he'd be right home.
Was he driving?
Well, I don't know.
Ma'am?
My husband hurt his shoulder a couple of days ago.
He wrenched it.
I don't think he's able to drive very well.
Well, he might try to make it.
With one hand, our car has that automatic drive thing, you know.
You don't have to shift gears.
Yes, ma'am.
But I don't think he'd have driven.
Did he leave in your car?
Yes.
I told him he'd drive.
Where'd they go?
Well, like I told you on the phone, to the races.
Your husband usually go there?
No.
The only reason he went today was to collect some money.
From who?
Fred.
He's the man your husband was going to put in jail, is that right?
Yes, that's right.
Why?
Well, he's owed us some money for quite a while.
About four months ago, Jason asked him for it.
Fred wrote a check.
I see.
And it wasn't any good.
Why don't you want to go ahead?
Well, Jason tried to get in touch with Fred and wanted to give him the chance to make good
on the check.
He was never able to catch him at home.
Talked to him on the phone, but Fred was never there when my husband went over to see him.
Jason told him to have the money this morning or the bad check would be turned over to the
police.
Fred showed up here this morning.
We thought he'd come to pay the money, but he told us he didn't have it.
And Jason said there wasn't any reason to spend more time on it.
Said they might as well go to the police.
That's when Fred told us that he could get the money out at the racetrack.
He wanted Jason to drive him out there.
Is that what happened?
Yeah.
But first Jason didn't want to, you know, with his sore shoulders.
Yes, then.
He told Fred to take a bus.
Fred said he didn't have any money and begged my husband to drive him.
Told him how he'd pay the money he owed and have enough to get home.
Yeah.
Well, they left here about 11.
Did this Fred Madison say who he was going to get the money from?
No.
Just that it was some friend.
Can you give us a description of your husband's car?
Yes.
I've got the license number too, if you want it.
How about a description of both men?
Well, I can give you that.
All right, Ms. Hallmer.
Sergeant.
Yes, ma'am.
You've been through this kind of thing before.
You ought to know.
What's that?
About Jason.
Do you think he's all right?
Well, I wouldn't know, Ms. Hallmer.
We'll try to find out.
We've been so close the last 10 years, ever since he stopped drinking.
I guess that's what I'm afraid of more than anything else, him starting up again.
Yes, ma'am.
I can understand.
Do you think he might have started up again?
Well, I wouldn't know that either, but I'd say things might be in your favor.
Well, how's that?
Well, 10 years is a long time.
Yeah?
Good habits are hard to break, too.
Before we left the store, we got a complete description of Jason Hallmer and Fred Madison.
We also got Madison's address and the license number of the car they were driving.
Mrs. Hallmer gave us a recent photograph of her husband, and we checked with R&I on both
men.
We found a record on each one of them.
Hallmer had been booked 12 times for drunk.
The last one was over 10 years ago.
Madison had been picked up for drunk, suspicion of burglary, and writing checks without sufficient
funds.
We checked the jails and the hospitals, and we found that neither man had been booked
in the last five hours.
We went back to the office and got a local on an APB on both men and the car.
946 p.m.
We drove out to talk to Fred Madison.
There was no one at home, but we got the information that his wife was employed at a restaurant
on Clay Street.
We went over to see her.
Can I help you?
Yeah.
I'd like to see Mrs. Madison, please.
Who are you?
Police officers.
This is my partner, Frank Smith.
My name's Friday.
Here's our identification.
Uh-huh.
Well, I'm Lorna Madison.
What do you want?
A few questions we'd like to ask.
You wouldn't mind going in the back to talk.
I don't want everybody in the place to know my business.
Well, uh...
The booth back here.
I'm hard enough to keep the job.
Go ahead.
Sit down.
Thank you.
Can I get you some coffee?
No, thank you.
No, ma'am.
I don't have to ask you what this is all about.
I guess...
Big part?
Something about Fred.
Yes, ma'am.
What'd he do?
Well, we're not sure that he's done anything yet, Miss Madison.
And why are you here?
We're trying to find him.
He is in trouble.
We just want to talk to him.
Could you tell us where he might be?
He should be home.
Have you tied there?
Yes, we have.
Well, I don't know then.
He left this morning and said he'd be home early.
Have you heard from him?
No.
Did he say where he was going when he left?
The racetrack.
Was he going with anybody, would you know?
He didn't say.
What kind of work does your husband do, Miss Madison?
He's a collector.
What's that?
He collects corks and bottles.
Ma'am?
I'm trying to tell you it doesn't work.
He just drinks.
Uh-huh.
Now, what's the matter?
He can't.
The only money he's got is what he can borrow from other people to steal from my person.
Did he say why he was going to the races?
No.
I don't care what he does anymore.
I tried to help him, but he doesn't make any effort to change.
He just goes on drinking and feeling sorry for himself.
Any idea of where he'd go if he was drinking?
Any place where he can mooch a drink.
He's even tried it here.
Can you give us the name of any of the places?
Yeah.
I can tell you, but will you tell me what he's done?
Well, it's just like we said, Miss Madison.
We're not sure that he's done anything yet.
Is that the truth?
Yes, ma'am.
We'd just like to talk to him.
All right.
I think I can help you find him.
I got a phone call earlier this evening.
From your husband?
No, from a friend of ours in the valley, David Neeson.
Fred had called him.
Uh-huh.
Fred wanted to use his place tonight.
Davis said he could.
I asked him if Fred had been drinking.
He said he couldn't tell, but I know he has.
It follows a pattern.
How's that, Miss Madison?
He's done it before.
Go out to David's place, drink himself into a stupor.
David always calls me, so I won't worry.
Could I ask something of your office?
All right.
If you find him there, will you do what you can for him?
What, you think it's gonna do any good?
Why you mean Mr. Friddy?
I don't think he'd take our help, would he?
Why?
He didn't want yours.
Miss Madison gave us the address of the place where her husband was supposed to be.
We also got the address and phone number of David Neeson.
We put in a call to him, but he hadn't heard from Madison.
Frank and I left the restaurant and drove out to the San Fernando Valley.
On the way out, it started to rain.
3113 Nordhof Street was a small redwood house.
We parked the car and walked up onto the porch.
Frank tried the door.
Better try it again.
Yeah.
Well, who's there?
Madison, open the door.
Go away. I didn't order anything.
Come on, Madison, open up.
Doesn't sound like he's doing too good.
Yeah.
What do you want?
Let's talk inside.
Sure.
Wouldn't keep anybody out on a night like this.
Come on in.
Police officers.
Yeah.
Let's go over by the fire.
It's cold out here in the middle of the room.
You Fred Madison?
Well, that's what you call me when you're pounded on the door.
That's right.
You friends of Dave's?
We've talked to him.
He's a nice fellow, old Dave.
This is his house, you know.
Yeah, we know.
Nice place.
Roof's tight.
Good bar.
He's a great friend, old Dave.
Come on, get out.
Yeah.
How you fellas like to drink?
You know, something to keep the chill out?
No, we don't want one.
We think you've had enough, too.
Well, how about you, mister?
No.
Okay.
But don't sit and try to...
Put the glass down, Madison.
You're going to have enough trouble answering our questions as it is.
Well, that's just where you're wrong.
That's right.
Yeah.
One thing everybody says about old Fred, he can handle his booze.
You've never seen old Fred swinging.
Put that glass down.
Okay.
Like to cooperate.
Mind if I sit down?
Here, I'll help you.
Sit right here.
All right.
Old Dave ought to get some cushions for these benches.
Yeah, you want to start talking now?
Whenever you're ready.
What'd you do today?
All day?
That's right.
Nothing, absolutely nothing.
Where'd you go?
Took a little ride out to the tribe.
Races?
Yeah, took a little ride.
Did you go by yourself?
Mm-hmm.
I said, did you go to the races by yourself?
As a matter of fact, I didn't.
Who'd you go with?
A friend of mine.
What's his name?
Well, you don't know him.
Give us his name.
Jason Homer.
Tell us what happened.
Well, nothing.
We drove out there and saw the horses.
Did you make any bets?
No.
Then why'd you go?
I like horses.
You know that's not the reason.
Now, come on.
Okay, I went out to collect some money.
From who?
Why are you asking all these questions?
Did you get the money?
Yeah.
What'd you do with it?
I don't think that's any of your business.
You doing anything wrong with it?
No.
Well, then you don't mind telling us, do you?
Pay the bill.
To who?
Jason.
How much you owe him?
A hundred bucks.
Listen, I don't like all these questions.
The way you guys came in here, I don't like it at all.
I don't think I'm gonna answer anything more for you.
I think you are.
Well, where'd you go after you left the track?
Come on, Madison.
Told you I drove out to the valley.
Did Halmer go with you?
Yes, he did.
Who drove?
Me.
Jason has a sore shoulder.
All right.
We stopped at a bar, had a couple of drinks.
Halmer was feeling pretty good that he got paid.
How about Halmer?
Did he have anything to drink?
Who?
Halmer.
Yeah, yeah, a couple.
What was the name of the bar?
What?
The bar.
Well, I don't know.
You stopped at a place and you don't know the name of it?
That's the way it is.
It doesn't matter what name's on the outside.
Anyway, just what's on the bottles.
That's what's important.
All right.
What happened then?
Jason said he had to go home.
He wanted me to call his wife and tell her he was on the way.
Did you?
Yeah.
What time was that?
I guess about 5.30, someplace in there.
Yeah.
Well, we sat around, had a couple more, and then he left.
You stayed on after Halmer left.
Yeah.
Who paid for the drinks?
Well, who do you think?
Me.
How much money did you collect out of the trach?
A hundred bucks.
Collected it and then paid Jason.
All right.
Let's see your wallet.
Why?
Come on, get it up.
How much money have you got?
I don't know, not much.
Well, take a guess, will you?
Twenty, thirty dollars.
All right, open your wallet and count it.
Well, it might be better if you do.
I said you count it.
Okay, but don't get mad at me if I do it wrong.
We'll try not to.
All right.
Let's see, there's ten, twenty, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven.
Twenty-seven dollars, that and the change I still got in my pocket.
You want me to count that too?
Never mind.
I'll be glad to do it for you.
Let me see your wallet.
Well, certainly.
Here you are.
You keep the money.
All right.
Now give me the wallet.
That wallet's a present from my wife.
Hmm.
Real nice, that cordovan leather.
Yeah.
Not a stitch in it, you know, it all folded.
Okay, here, put it back in your pocket.
Yeah, thank you.
Where'd you get the money, Madison?
From in my wallet.
Before that.
I had it.
Since when?
This morning.
I won't hold.
Why?
We got it that you were broke this morning.
Oh, I got it now.
Now I have got it.
You have, huh?
You think I'm a thief, isn't that it?
We'll let you tell us.
No deal.
Huh?
All right, then where'd you get it?
From my bank.
When'd you get it?
Tonight.
Well, you're gonna have to do a little better than that, Madison.
Well, I don't know why.
I'd be perfectly happy to prove it to you.
When you're ready, huh?
All right, I'll show you.
Take your right out there.
You think all the banks close at the same time, don't you?
Go ahead.
Well, you're wrong.
Mine's always open.
Of course, you don't pay any interest, but it's there and it's always open.
All right, let's go.
Sure.
Take your right out there.
It's out in Canoga Park.
You got a coat?
No, sir.
Now, how about a little drink before we go, huh?
Kind of warm itself.
Put that down.
I told you once.
You've had enough of that.
Ain't that much.
Hate to figure what would happen if I ever ran out.
I hate to think about it.
It'd be terrible to have to go without it.
Well, I'll tell you something.
What's that?
If that bank of yours isn't there, you're gonna get the chance.
Because of Fred Madison's condition, it was difficult to know how much of the truth he was telling us.
We went back to the car and started to drive toward Canoga Park.
On the way, we stopped and put in a call to Mrs. Hellman.
Her husband still hadn't returned.
Madison directed us to drive to a ranch-type house on Kelvin Avenue.
By the time we got there, it had stopped raining.
We parked the car and walked up to the house.
There were no lights on and no answer when we rang the bell.
All right, Madison, you through playing games now?
The bank's out in the backyard.
What?
Backyard.
There's a barbecue out there.
The bank's at the tin can near there.
All right, show us.
Sure.
I used to live in this house.
I bet so.
Yeah, I always figured that someday I was gonna need some money.
One time I just went out and buried some.
Figured there'd be a time when I was gonna need it.
Yeah.
It's a tin can near the barbecue.
What time are you here today?
I don't know. I don't have a watch.
You haven't got any idea, huh?
Sorry.
That catch is kind of tricky. You gotta pull it towards you.
I always meant to fix that when we lived here.
All right, now where's the barbecue?
The one you got a flashlight?
Let me have it.
You tell us where you want it pointed.
Gee, you don't trust anybody.
Where's the barbecue?
It's over in the corner of the yard right near the fence.
Where? Over here?
Now swing the light over to the left.
All right.
There's nothing there.
Maybe I made a mistake.
It's been a while since I've been here.
There must be any other corner of the yard.
Over here, huh?
Yeah.
All right.
Take a good look.
You're not doing so good tonight, are you, Madison?
I don't understand.
I saw it today.
Mm-hmm.
Probably the owner of the house, huh?
We'll check with him.
I sure don't understand.
It's right in the corner of the yard near the fence.
Some of you fellas you're looking for?
Police officers, sir.
We tried the door.
There wasn't anybody home.
You gonna tell me what this is all about?
You live here, do you?
That's right. What are you looking for?
You know anything about a barbecue pit in the backyard here?
Yeah, why?
You want to tell us where it is?
I tore it down three months ago.
We returned Fred Madison to the office for further interrogation.
Frank and I attempted to talk to him without result.
He said he couldn't remember where he'd gotten the money.
He couldn't tell us where Jason Halmer was.
We put in a call to the missing man's home, but he still hadn't returned.
We rechecked the hospitals and the jails without result.
1 14 a.m. We were ready to give it up for the night.
Frank went over to the office and I got Madison ready to leave.
You're going to take me to jail now?
You call it.
Come on.
Joe.
Hold it up, Madison.
What do you got?
That call just came in about Halmer's car.
They just found it.
While men from the business office took Madison over to the main jail for booking,
Frank and I drove out to the valley again.
Halmer's car had been found about a mile off Topanga Canyon Boulevard on Farview Road.
It was back off the road and partially hidden by the trees.
When we got there, a radio car was standing by.
We talked to the officer.
Take a look at the back.
Stuff on the ground there.
I covered it with the boxes in case it started to rain again.
That's good.
These stains here on the ground, I don't know if they're going to mean anything.
You got anything we can use to open this trunk?
I'll check our car.
All right.
What do you think?
I don't know.
Better get in touch with the crime lab, have them come out and go over the place.
Yeah.
I got something.
Right here.
Thanks.
Can you get it?
Put that light over here, will you?
Yeah.
How's that?
That's better.
Need some help?
No.
I got it here.
Once more ought to do it now.
Yeah, there we are.
Let's get it open now.
Thought maybe we'd be wrong.
Yeah.
It's Hallmark.
We put in a call to the crime lab and they came out and made an investigation of the scene.
From what we could tell, Hallmark had been killed by some sort of blunt instrument.
His empty wallet was in the trunk beside the body.
6.48 a.m.
We had Fred Madison brought from his cell.
I feel lousy.
My head feels like it don't belong to me.
Why don't you tell us the truth?
You haven't told me what this is about.
There's no reason why I should answer your questions if I don't know what you're trying to get at.
We told you we want the truth.
All these questions over and over, the same things.
You can make it easy on yourself.
Well, how?
Come up with the right answers.
Well, I told you.
Yeah, like the bar you went to called the I Don't Know, huh?
I'd tell you the name if I knew I'd been drinking pretty good.
I'll get it.
Right.
Yeah.
Here, Joe.
Madison?
Yeah?
This is about your bank.
What do you mean?
Let's explain where you got the money.
Why?
When you took the currency from Hallmark's wallet, you left three perfect prints on one of the celluloid envelopes.
You mean something has happened to Hallmark?
You tell us.
Come on, you can drop the bluff.
These prints are enough to indict you.
You want to tell us?
He was going to send me to jail.
I didn't get the money at the track.
I tried to get him to give me some more time.
Yeah.
I was so righteous about it, said I had enough time.
He was going to go to the police.
I pleaded with him, but he wouldn't listen.
It happened real quick.
Maybe if I hadn't been drinking, it might not have been this way.
I don't know.
Yeah.
I started to think about the big trouble I was in.
I figured it was all a kind of money.
Is that right?
There really was a guy at the track, you know.
He was going to lend me the money to pay Hallmark.
Mm-hmm.
If he'd have loaned me the money, it would have solved everything.
What was the mother way?
What do you mean?
That money owed Hallmark?
Yeah.
He could have worked for it.
Frederick Carson Madison was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree
and received sentence as prescribed by law.
On recommendation of the jury, he was sentenced to life imprisonment
in the state penitentiary, San Quentin, California.
You have just heard Dragon, the authentic story of your police force in action
and starring Jack Webb, a presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.
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