In this gripping episode, we delve into a complex web of deceit, love, and murder. The story unfolds with a mysterious disappearance of an operator from Assignments Unlimited, leading to a chilling discovery at the city mortuary. As the investigation progresses, we uncover a tangled relationship involving a private investigator, a woman named Nancy Sloane, and her husband, Edwin. The narrative takes us through a series of revelations, including a love affair, a murder charge, and a cunning plot involving identity deception.
Our host guides us through the twists and turns of this intriguing case, exploring themes of betrayal, justice, and the lengths people will go to for love and revenge. As the truth unravels, we are left questioning the nature of innocence and guilt, and the ultimate price of passion. Join us as we navigate this thrilling tale, where nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to a new mystery.
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[00:00:01]
Unknown:
Darling and mix me a Martini with ice on the sideboard.
[00:00:06] Unknown:
It's been a wonderful evening. I wish it could go on forever. Goodbye, darling. And when they find your body, darling, I shall have conveniently left via the fire escape. Now, just quickly make sure you have no identification on you. Just as well I looked. Police identification card. Assignments unlimited. Address, 33 Half Moon Street.
[00:01:14] Unknown:
The girl in the Ascot hat. We haven't seen him for two days. Not a very long time, you might think, but it's a hard and fast rule at Assignments Unlimited that operators report in every twenty four hours. He hadn't been home and his landlady confirmed that his bed had not been slept in. I asked Crashed Castle to check his filing cabinet for a clue because I knew he was on an assignment. It was ominous that Castle drew a blank.
[00:01:42] Unknown:
Chief, a meticulous man. This file reads like a lovesick teenager. He's been telling somebody for the past six weeks a well good husband. The wife employed him and paid weekly in cash, but listen to this. Previous docket detail destroyed. Nancy wishes to have the whole thing as secret as possible. I can surely grant her such a small request. Oh, but that's against the rules. Yeah. When an operator starts calling a female client by a Christian name, rules usually fall by the wayside.
[00:02:11] Unknown:
You said he was telling the husband.
[00:02:13] Unknown:
Well, look up his name, and, well, you've got hers. Yeah. That's right. And that makes her name Nancy X. Is that how you refer to the moon? Listen. Kept the tale on X today as usual. Same social round, but nothing incriminating. X is playing it cool, but he'll make us slip soon. I feel sure of it and hope so for Nancy's sake. Yeah. Well, I've already checked on the fees. He's paid them in regularly every week. Yeah. I know. I checked too. Every Saturday morning, except last Saturday morning. Did he report to the office on Friday, chief? At 10AM. And nothing from him since? Not a word. Well, maybe he took off for a long weekend with this Nancy doll. Oh, he'd have reported first. He always has in the past. Chief, you're worried. Well, now I've seen the file I am. You better ring the police, Carson, and report him missing. I did like the chief said. And having done it, I just sat back and waited. There wasn't anything else to do. The file gave no name of client and referred to the trillie as x. No lead, no clue, nothing.
It was the x that had me guessing, and I'm a doubt at crossword puzzles. They didn't take the cops long. They rang back in under an hour. Carson, assignments unlimited.
[00:03:32] Unknown:
Mister Carson, we found your missing employee. Oh, you have? That's dandy. I must ask you to come straight over and identify him. You mean you're gunning with you? Yes, sir. Okay. I'll be right over. Where are you speaking from? The city mortuary.
[00:03:52] Unknown:
Outside, the street was full of stiff necked actors. Inside was full of just steps. The marble floor of the mortuary was cold and echoed the footsteps of the curious, the cautious, or those to whom calamity had come suddenly. Inspector Bottomley of the murder squad was there as the attendant pulled open the drawer and flung back the sheet. But for the grizzly pallor of death, he could have been sleeping. There wasn't a mark on him. Just a look of utter astonishment. The kind of golfer might get who hold him one. We turned him over, and I regretted the mental simile.
There were two bullet holes drilled neatly into the center of his back. Well, what's the story, inspector?
[00:04:34] Unknown:
We picked him up in the restroom and off a suite in Chamber And Buildings. It's a good business address on Sloane Street. He copped it late on Friday night, and we got there in fifteen minutes. Office block. I know what you're thinking. Who'd work in an office block on a Friday night? Well, we were lucky there. A firm of chartered accountants were working overtime. They heard the shots and rang Scotland Yard. The bird had flown, of course, via the fire escape. She'd left the window open and made no attempt to cover her tracks, which would indicate that it was a crime of passion executed in a moment of stress.
You said she. Yes. We've arrested her missus Nancy Sloames and charged her with the murder. Nancy,
[00:05:11] Unknown:
Yeah. Does the name mean anything to you? He was an operator from Assignments Unlimited. His file's in the office. I'll get it over to you at the yard. Doesn't say much, but it does mention the name Nancy. He was employed to tell her husband. Mister Edwin Sloane. No. The file first ring was x, but I guess it must be the same guy.
[00:05:31] Unknown:
You'll work fast to get on to her. We found a note addressed to her in this pocket and, an amorous note. The suite of offices is rented by her husband. It was pretty cut and dried, mister Carson. Carson. I see. It's just occurred to me. When you searched his pockets, didn't you find his identity docket?
[00:05:46] Unknown:
All our waiters from our outfit carry police identity cards. There was nothing on him except this note. Nothing to tell who he is or was. He was listed unknown until you rang. Oh, he must have been goofy about this dame to forget his identity, Duncan.
[00:06:00] Unknown:
What does Nancy Sloames have to say? Denies all knowledge of it, of course. But both the caretaker accountant remember seeing a woman answering to her description, entering the building every Friday night for the past six weeks. Now that checks. His file states that he reported to her weekly on Friday nights. Queer twist, isn't it? The investigator in the matrimonial case falling in love with the client. It must have been bad enough for Edmund Sloames to discover that his wife had been having him watched and then to be told his wife was having a torrid love affair with the very man who was watching him. I know this operator very well. If he was having an affair, it wouldn't be torrid. I'll, I'll show you the love note. Oh, yeah. The love note. I suppose there's no chance for error, like the wife covering up for the outraged husband. No. None at all, I'm afraid. Only he and this woman entered the office block on Friday night, and the husband anyway was at a party with friends until three on Saturday morning. I just asked. And missus Sloane was a smart dresser, by the way, had a penchant for those big floppy hats. Asker hats, I believe I called. They were described by the witnesses together with other garments she wore on various Friday nights, and we found the exact clothing in her wardrobe.
Like you said, it's open and shut. There'll be an identity parade tomorrow. If you'd care to come along, you'd be more than welcome. Thanks. I'd like to. Just show your card to the constable on duty. You'll see missus Sloames then. We'll dress her in her own clothes, though she wore on Friday, and ask the accountant and the caretaker to save well, if it's the same woman they saw. Where is she now? Holloway. I'd like to visit her in the prison today. Yeah. I can arrange it provided you haven't any silly notions of revenge. No. I'll leave the revenge to the judge. Very well. Now call by my office after lunch, and I'll have a two seven four made out to admit you.
[00:07:42] Unknown:
Sorry about your friend. Not half as Sally as he is. Holloway Prison is a grim monument of feminine folly. I've been there before years ago when the inmates shuffled aimlessly to and fro in the cross cloth uniform that was meant to exact penitence. The times have changed, and the accent today is on rehabilitation so that floral dresses and a dash of lipstick has transformed the atmosphere into something resembling an all women university campus. And that's one of the things the university does, turns precocious adolescents into responsible citizens. I was shown to missus Nancy Sloane's cell.
There were curtains in the window and a religious picture on the wall. Missus Sloane was on her feet to greet me. I mentioned that because I saw her through the bars before we went in, and she was standing on her head in the middle of the cell. I thought that maybe also she was crazy, but when she looked at me, I knew that she was very sane and also very beautiful.
[00:08:54] Unknown:
Matron said you were coming. Mr. Carson, isn't it? Yes. You're Nancy Sloanes? I am. You,
[00:09:00] Unknown:
you always stand on your head like that?
[00:09:03] Unknown:
Not always. Just half an hour every day. I'm a yoga. Oh, yeah. I've heard of that. Please sit down on the chair. I'll use the bed. Thank you. Matron said you're a friend of that unfortunate man. That's right. And now that I've seen you, I realize just how unfortunate he was. I didn't know him. I've never met him. But then, like the police, you'll have difficulty believing that. To be blunt, I don't believe it. Then that's your misfortune, mister Carson. For a woman who will shortly have a date with justice, you seem to be awful cheerful. I have an English woman's complete faith in British justice. I didn't kill him. And in the fullness of time, the police will know that I didn't kill him. You better try another exercise. That yoga's gone to your head. Why did you come, mister Carson? To see you. Just morbid curiosity.
[00:09:50] Unknown:
He kept a file. It mentioned your name, Nancy. It doesn't need a marriage to prove that he had no intention of letting you go back to your husband. He was in love with you. And if he couldn't get grounds on your husband, it's an even bet he'd have given your husband grounds to divorce you.
[00:10:07] Unknown:
Well, this would have made Edwin very happy. For the past two years, he's done everything a man can to make me divorce him even to the point of lodging evidence of his infidelity with my own lawyer. Why didn't you divorce him? Oh, I don't know. Pride I suppose. That and the fact fact that the other woman is my own cousin. It's sorted to have a relation steal your husband. I get it. Just as he'd go to any lengths to get a divorce, you go to any lengths to stop him. That's Inspector Bottomley's line of reasoning. He says that I'm supposed to have engaged your friend to keep a watch on my husband presumably to gather evidence for a divorce. That's what the file says. Am I supposed to have known your friend before I decided to engage his services? He probably says not. And net would figure.
[00:10:50] Unknown:
I know this operator pretty well, and if he'd known you six weeks and more ago, I'd have known about it too. You wouldn't be an easy person to forget, missus Sloane. Thank you.
[00:11:00] Unknown:
Well, and since my lawyer has all the evidence I could possibly want for a divorce, it seems rather pointless to engage your friend to discover more. Now the report on file shows your husband to be blameless over the past six weeks. Then if you'll forgive me for saying, your friend was either grossly incompetent, a fool
[00:11:16] Unknown:
or was engaged for some quite different purpose. He was a meticulous guy. He wouldn't fabricate a story in his file. What did you say the name of your lawyers was?
[00:11:27] Unknown:
But they're Castlemere and Brown at Lincoln's Inn. Mr Castlemere himself handles all my affairs. Why do you ask? Would you mind if, I did a little investigating of my own? I'd welcome it. But I ask again. Why?
[00:11:41] Unknown:
There there's something screwy about this case. You're you're just too beautiful. Maybe that's it. Given the slightest encouragement, any man would fall in love with you. That much I can understand. But I just don't see you shooting anyone in the back. It's very flattering.
[00:11:56] Unknown:
But you must remember to the male spider the female is also beautiful. What's the spider gotta do with it? Do you know what the female does to the male after he's made left to her? I'll buy it. She eats him, Mr Carson.' Carson left Holloway Prison, his mind a confusion of thoughts.
[00:12:15] Unknown:
He went straight to Lincoln's Inn and the offices of Messrs, Castlemere and Brown. One glance at its prim and austere interior decided for Carson that here was a house of impeccable honesty. It gave him a comforting feeling as he was ushered into the presence of Mr Castlemere, a benign old gentleman with snow white hair and a ruddy complexion.
[00:12:40] Unknown:
Come right in, mister Carson. Take it easy, Joan. Make yourself comfortable. Thank you, sir.
[00:12:46] Unknown:
You've, come about miss Nancy. She telephoned. Are you allowed to telephone in the Holloway prison? Naturally.
[00:12:53] Unknown:
Miss Nancy has been formally charged, but in England, a person is innocent until proven otherwise. Do you think she's innocent? Well, that goes without saying, doesn't it? I'm her defending counsel, and I would never take on the task if I believed her duty. Not even when her family have been clients of yours for years? Not even if it were my own child.
[00:13:15] Unknown:
Now I'll just get the file. That won't be necessary, mister Casselmere. I I simply wanted to ask you a few questions if you'd be kind enough to answer them. If I'm able to give a truthful
[00:13:25] Unknown:
answer, then I will. Thank you, sir.
[00:13:28] Unknown:
Tell me about her husband, Edwin Sloane.
[00:13:32] Unknown:
A mean and avaricious fellow. She was afraid to marry him, and I told her so. But he has a great deal of charm for the opposite sex, and I fear he turned the poor girl's head.
[00:13:44] Unknown:
He never loved her, of course. She's a very beautiful woman. Really?
[00:13:48] Unknown:
That wouldn't interest Sloane's, except as a passing fancy. He thought she was heiress to a considerable fortune. And she wasn't. Her father died a few years ago. He left her the house in a small annuity, and that's all. And so Boyle starts looking around for something better. Financially better. Yes. He's next onto a miss Nancy's cousin, an empty headed Good Times Society girl with a fat bank balance deposited by her indulgent father. I, I think you don't like her very much. I like the way her father made the money even less. However, to continue, Sloane has left in his office all the evidence required for a quick divorce.
He flaunts his women in front of his wife, but, unfortunately for him, this Nancy has a virtue that isn't in Sloane's vocabulary, character. She's flattered refused to give him a divorce. There, again, I don't agree with her. She'd be well aware of him, but sometimes there's no fathoming of the female mind.
[00:14:52] Unknown:
Has it occurred to you, mister Casselmeer, that the tables are now turned? Sloane has all the evidence he needs to divorce her. Naturally.
[00:14:59] Unknown:
It's occurred to Sloane too. I have a letter here from his attorney setting out the details of his proposed action. Alrighty. But this business only happened on Friday. Sloane is an impetuous man, mister Carson. Quite without feeling for anyone except himself. Now, what else would you like to know?
[00:15:18] Unknown:
That's all, I guess.
[00:15:21] Unknown:
May I indulge in the small liberty of asking if you think she's guilty? Sure you can.
[00:15:27] Unknown:
I don't think she's guilty. In fact, I'm certain that she's innocent. In the presence of that kind old man, I would have been happy to agree that there was no evil at all in the world. But on the pavement as I walked home, the old doubts about Nancy Sloane came creeping back. Like that female spider webbing her way hungry towards her mate. Following day, I arrived at Scotland Yard, produced my police card, and was shown into a small drive room that housed a few deal chairs and a glassed in stage. It was on this stage that I was soon to get my second look at Nancy Sloane's. She would parade in the dress and ascot hat that she allegedly wore on Friday night.
Inspector Bottomley was already there. And when I arrived, he was in conversation with two men whom I correctly deduced to be the accountant and caretaker respectively. Bottomly greeted me as affably as always.
[00:16:26] Unknown:
Oh, I'll take a few, mister Carson. Thanks. Over here. Go on, man. Okay. The law says I may not introduce you to the witnesses until the parade is over. You think I might influence them? We take no chances. The accused is innocent until proved guilty. It seems I've heard that before. Is Nancy here? Nancy? Mrs. Sloane's. Oh, I know who you mean. I was just surprised at the use of our Christian name. After all, you've only met her once, haven't you? Yes. And don't lay it on. It was a slip of the tongue. Oh, you've been thinking a lot about her, haven't you? But then she's a most attractive woman physically that is. What's that supposed to mean? I'll be with you cousin. I expect this identity parade to be no more than a formality.
[00:17:06] Unknown:
They'll both swear it was her in the office block on Friday. That's what I think. What does she say she was doing every Friday night for the past six weeks? Practicing yoga in private at home. The servants, they must have seen her. No. You really have got it bad. There are no servants. Her allowance doesn't run to it. Yeah. Yeah. I heard that too.
[00:17:25] Unknown:
Right. Shall we begin? Okay. Sure. Alright, constable. Bring them on. Bring them on. Thank you. Well, gentlemen, which is the woman you saw on Friday night?
[00:17:43] Unknown:
Session from the right. The second one. No doubt about it. Sorry, cousin.
[00:17:55] Unknown:
I could only think of the hat. At first, I saw only her, a proud, lovely woman walking with a firm step across that broidered stage, her shoes clacking a rhythm in the groove, hollowed by a thousand felons' feet as they'd shuffled the walk down half a century. But then the witnesses had spoken up, and now only the hat remained. A ridiculous memory of floppy purple, half conceding her face like the plumed helm of novoir. I don't remember saying goodbye to Bottomley. I don't remember what prompted me to visit Edwin Slooms. But there I was in his Hartford house talking to him, hating him and knowing all the time that my hate was illogical.
You wasted no time in presenting your case to attorney. Are you being impertinent? I guess I wasn't, dad. I apologize. The man was my friend. Somehow, you never think it can happen to a friend. I guess I mixed up some. I can understand. It's been a tragedy for me.
[00:18:49] Unknown:
To be spied on is valid enough. To be cuckolded is the last humiliation. She might pay for it with her life. You may think me callous, but I can shed no tears for her. The inspector showed me the little love note in that fellow's pocket. She's she's a beautiful woman. What excuse is that? Anyway, her cousin is just as beautiful and we're leaving tomorrow for Bournemouth for a few days to forget. And if you're wondering about my scruples, forget it. After that note they've found on the body of your friend there can be no doubt about the kind of woman she was. Not only the note. I handed over his work file to the police. There's a wealth of detail in that.
[00:19:25] Unknown:
He sure ripped it up every Friday night for the past six weeks. That's a lie. But you know it's the truth. Nothing went on between them in my offices. And if you say otherwise, you're a liar. Alright. Take it easy, Sloames. What does the venue matter? Nothing happened in my offices on those Friday nights. I tell
[00:19:40] Unknown:
you. Now please get out of my house and don't ever come here again. He
[00:19:46] Unknown:
glowered at me like a man demented his face mottled with boiling anger. He accepted an unfaithful wife, but not on his office premises. That didn't add up. He tried everything to get rid of his wife. How could he be even remotely jealous? Everything. The words sprung out like a scarlet billboard. Everything except one thing. I recalled in horror at the thought, but I knew in my heart that what I was thinking was the ghastly truth. My mind chased back over our conversation. I'm scrambling the jumble of words.
[00:20:17] Unknown:
He said, nothing went on between them in my offices. And if you say otherwise, you're a liar.
[00:20:23] Unknown:
That could mean only one thing. He was jealous of whoever was in that room Friday nights, and he wasn't jealous of his wife. He hated her. What else was it he said?
[00:20:32] Unknown:
Her cousin is just as beautiful and we're leaving tomorrow for Bournemouth for a few days to forget.
[00:20:37] Unknown:
A few days. For a few days the house would be empty. It was my only chance. Her only chance. From a nearby thicket, I watched them leave. I entered the house at midnight. After two hours searching, I found it. Charred embers in the combustion stove were proof that most of the clothing had already been destroyed. But this was intact, perfect as the day it was made. A great floppy purple creation that any milliner would tell you was an Ascot hat. Sloane's had all his wife's town clothes duplicated and all of her hats. He used a different dressmaker and milliner, both of whom were able to testify at his trial.
Nancy Sloane's cousin was very much like her in exactly the same build. It was she who engaged the operator from Assignments Unlimited using the name Nancy Sloane's. It was she who attended those Friday night meetings at the offices, dressed in the same clothes and the same big, floppy hats that her cousin Nancy wore. Both knew that the caretaker had never met the real Missus Sloames and that on an identity parade he would swear that it was the real Missus Sloames he'd seen. The ascot hat net, half concealed of her face, clinched it. And it very nearly worked too, except that the man she engaged really fell in love with her. It must have been interesting watching him, knowing that she was eventually going to kill him, just like the female spider.
He loved her, but she murdered him in cold blood.
[00:22:10] Unknown:
You know, it's a it's a terrible story, Carson. Will Nancy Sloane now see the judge about her divorce? She doesn't need to now, chief.
[00:22:19] Unknown:
Justice Justice will do
[00:22:24] Unknown:
it for free.
Darling and mix me a Martini with ice on the sideboard.
[00:00:06] Unknown:
It's been a wonderful evening. I wish it could go on forever. Goodbye, darling. And when they find your body, darling, I shall have conveniently left via the fire escape. Now, just quickly make sure you have no identification on you. Just as well I looked. Police identification card. Assignments unlimited. Address, 33 Half Moon Street.
[00:01:14] Unknown:
The girl in the Ascot hat. We haven't seen him for two days. Not a very long time, you might think, but it's a hard and fast rule at Assignments Unlimited that operators report in every twenty four hours. He hadn't been home and his landlady confirmed that his bed had not been slept in. I asked Crashed Castle to check his filing cabinet for a clue because I knew he was on an assignment. It was ominous that Castle drew a blank.
[00:01:42] Unknown:
Chief, a meticulous man. This file reads like a lovesick teenager. He's been telling somebody for the past six weeks a well good husband. The wife employed him and paid weekly in cash, but listen to this. Previous docket detail destroyed. Nancy wishes to have the whole thing as secret as possible. I can surely grant her such a small request. Oh, but that's against the rules. Yeah. When an operator starts calling a female client by a Christian name, rules usually fall by the wayside.
[00:02:11] Unknown:
You said he was telling the husband.
[00:02:13] Unknown:
Well, look up his name, and, well, you've got hers. Yeah. That's right. And that makes her name Nancy X. Is that how you refer to the moon? Listen. Kept the tale on X today as usual. Same social round, but nothing incriminating. X is playing it cool, but he'll make us slip soon. I feel sure of it and hope so for Nancy's sake. Yeah. Well, I've already checked on the fees. He's paid them in regularly every week. Yeah. I know. I checked too. Every Saturday morning, except last Saturday morning. Did he report to the office on Friday, chief? At 10AM. And nothing from him since? Not a word. Well, maybe he took off for a long weekend with this Nancy doll. Oh, he'd have reported first. He always has in the past. Chief, you're worried. Well, now I've seen the file I am. You better ring the police, Carson, and report him missing. I did like the chief said. And having done it, I just sat back and waited. There wasn't anything else to do. The file gave no name of client and referred to the trillie as x. No lead, no clue, nothing.
It was the x that had me guessing, and I'm a doubt at crossword puzzles. They didn't take the cops long. They rang back in under an hour. Carson, assignments unlimited.
[00:03:32] Unknown:
Mister Carson, we found your missing employee. Oh, you have? That's dandy. I must ask you to come straight over and identify him. You mean you're gunning with you? Yes, sir. Okay. I'll be right over. Where are you speaking from? The city mortuary.
[00:03:52] Unknown:
Outside, the street was full of stiff necked actors. Inside was full of just steps. The marble floor of the mortuary was cold and echoed the footsteps of the curious, the cautious, or those to whom calamity had come suddenly. Inspector Bottomley of the murder squad was there as the attendant pulled open the drawer and flung back the sheet. But for the grizzly pallor of death, he could have been sleeping. There wasn't a mark on him. Just a look of utter astonishment. The kind of golfer might get who hold him one. We turned him over, and I regretted the mental simile.
There were two bullet holes drilled neatly into the center of his back. Well, what's the story, inspector?
[00:04:34] Unknown:
We picked him up in the restroom and off a suite in Chamber And Buildings. It's a good business address on Sloane Street. He copped it late on Friday night, and we got there in fifteen minutes. Office block. I know what you're thinking. Who'd work in an office block on a Friday night? Well, we were lucky there. A firm of chartered accountants were working overtime. They heard the shots and rang Scotland Yard. The bird had flown, of course, via the fire escape. She'd left the window open and made no attempt to cover her tracks, which would indicate that it was a crime of passion executed in a moment of stress.
You said she. Yes. We've arrested her missus Nancy Sloames and charged her with the murder. Nancy,
[00:05:11] Unknown:
Yeah. Does the name mean anything to you? He was an operator from Assignments Unlimited. His file's in the office. I'll get it over to you at the yard. Doesn't say much, but it does mention the name Nancy. He was employed to tell her husband. Mister Edwin Sloane. No. The file first ring was x, but I guess it must be the same guy.
[00:05:31] Unknown:
You'll work fast to get on to her. We found a note addressed to her in this pocket and, an amorous note. The suite of offices is rented by her husband. It was pretty cut and dried, mister Carson. Carson. I see. It's just occurred to me. When you searched his pockets, didn't you find his identity docket?
[00:05:46] Unknown:
All our waiters from our outfit carry police identity cards. There was nothing on him except this note. Nothing to tell who he is or was. He was listed unknown until you rang. Oh, he must have been goofy about this dame to forget his identity, Duncan.
[00:06:00] Unknown:
What does Nancy Sloames have to say? Denies all knowledge of it, of course. But both the caretaker accountant remember seeing a woman answering to her description, entering the building every Friday night for the past six weeks. Now that checks. His file states that he reported to her weekly on Friday nights. Queer twist, isn't it? The investigator in the matrimonial case falling in love with the client. It must have been bad enough for Edmund Sloames to discover that his wife had been having him watched and then to be told his wife was having a torrid love affair with the very man who was watching him. I know this operator very well. If he was having an affair, it wouldn't be torrid. I'll, I'll show you the love note. Oh, yeah. The love note. I suppose there's no chance for error, like the wife covering up for the outraged husband. No. None at all, I'm afraid. Only he and this woman entered the office block on Friday night, and the husband anyway was at a party with friends until three on Saturday morning. I just asked. And missus Sloane was a smart dresser, by the way, had a penchant for those big floppy hats. Asker hats, I believe I called. They were described by the witnesses together with other garments she wore on various Friday nights, and we found the exact clothing in her wardrobe.
Like you said, it's open and shut. There'll be an identity parade tomorrow. If you'd care to come along, you'd be more than welcome. Thanks. I'd like to. Just show your card to the constable on duty. You'll see missus Sloames then. We'll dress her in her own clothes, though she wore on Friday, and ask the accountant and the caretaker to save well, if it's the same woman they saw. Where is she now? Holloway. I'd like to visit her in the prison today. Yeah. I can arrange it provided you haven't any silly notions of revenge. No. I'll leave the revenge to the judge. Very well. Now call by my office after lunch, and I'll have a two seven four made out to admit you.
[00:07:42] Unknown:
Sorry about your friend. Not half as Sally as he is. Holloway Prison is a grim monument of feminine folly. I've been there before years ago when the inmates shuffled aimlessly to and fro in the cross cloth uniform that was meant to exact penitence. The times have changed, and the accent today is on rehabilitation so that floral dresses and a dash of lipstick has transformed the atmosphere into something resembling an all women university campus. And that's one of the things the university does, turns precocious adolescents into responsible citizens. I was shown to missus Nancy Sloane's cell.
There were curtains in the window and a religious picture on the wall. Missus Sloane was on her feet to greet me. I mentioned that because I saw her through the bars before we went in, and she was standing on her head in the middle of the cell. I thought that maybe also she was crazy, but when she looked at me, I knew that she was very sane and also very beautiful.
[00:08:54] Unknown:
Matron said you were coming. Mr. Carson, isn't it? Yes. You're Nancy Sloanes? I am. You,
[00:09:00] Unknown:
you always stand on your head like that?
[00:09:03] Unknown:
Not always. Just half an hour every day. I'm a yoga. Oh, yeah. I've heard of that. Please sit down on the chair. I'll use the bed. Thank you. Matron said you're a friend of that unfortunate man. That's right. And now that I've seen you, I realize just how unfortunate he was. I didn't know him. I've never met him. But then, like the police, you'll have difficulty believing that. To be blunt, I don't believe it. Then that's your misfortune, mister Carson. For a woman who will shortly have a date with justice, you seem to be awful cheerful. I have an English woman's complete faith in British justice. I didn't kill him. And in the fullness of time, the police will know that I didn't kill him. You better try another exercise. That yoga's gone to your head. Why did you come, mister Carson? To see you. Just morbid curiosity.
[00:09:50] Unknown:
He kept a file. It mentioned your name, Nancy. It doesn't need a marriage to prove that he had no intention of letting you go back to your husband. He was in love with you. And if he couldn't get grounds on your husband, it's an even bet he'd have given your husband grounds to divorce you.
[00:10:07] Unknown:
Well, this would have made Edwin very happy. For the past two years, he's done everything a man can to make me divorce him even to the point of lodging evidence of his infidelity with my own lawyer. Why didn't you divorce him? Oh, I don't know. Pride I suppose. That and the fact fact that the other woman is my own cousin. It's sorted to have a relation steal your husband. I get it. Just as he'd go to any lengths to get a divorce, you go to any lengths to stop him. That's Inspector Bottomley's line of reasoning. He says that I'm supposed to have engaged your friend to keep a watch on my husband presumably to gather evidence for a divorce. That's what the file says. Am I supposed to have known your friend before I decided to engage his services? He probably says not. And net would figure.
[00:10:50] Unknown:
I know this operator pretty well, and if he'd known you six weeks and more ago, I'd have known about it too. You wouldn't be an easy person to forget, missus Sloane. Thank you.
[00:11:00] Unknown:
Well, and since my lawyer has all the evidence I could possibly want for a divorce, it seems rather pointless to engage your friend to discover more. Now the report on file shows your husband to be blameless over the past six weeks. Then if you'll forgive me for saying, your friend was either grossly incompetent, a fool
[00:11:16] Unknown:
or was engaged for some quite different purpose. He was a meticulous guy. He wouldn't fabricate a story in his file. What did you say the name of your lawyers was?
[00:11:27] Unknown:
But they're Castlemere and Brown at Lincoln's Inn. Mr Castlemere himself handles all my affairs. Why do you ask? Would you mind if, I did a little investigating of my own? I'd welcome it. But I ask again. Why?
[00:11:41] Unknown:
There there's something screwy about this case. You're you're just too beautiful. Maybe that's it. Given the slightest encouragement, any man would fall in love with you. That much I can understand. But I just don't see you shooting anyone in the back. It's very flattering.
[00:11:56] Unknown:
But you must remember to the male spider the female is also beautiful. What's the spider gotta do with it? Do you know what the female does to the male after he's made left to her? I'll buy it. She eats him, Mr Carson.' Carson left Holloway Prison, his mind a confusion of thoughts.
[00:12:15] Unknown:
He went straight to Lincoln's Inn and the offices of Messrs, Castlemere and Brown. One glance at its prim and austere interior decided for Carson that here was a house of impeccable honesty. It gave him a comforting feeling as he was ushered into the presence of Mr Castlemere, a benign old gentleman with snow white hair and a ruddy complexion.
[00:12:40] Unknown:
Come right in, mister Carson. Take it easy, Joan. Make yourself comfortable. Thank you, sir.
[00:12:46] Unknown:
You've, come about miss Nancy. She telephoned. Are you allowed to telephone in the Holloway prison? Naturally.
[00:12:53] Unknown:
Miss Nancy has been formally charged, but in England, a person is innocent until proven otherwise. Do you think she's innocent? Well, that goes without saying, doesn't it? I'm her defending counsel, and I would never take on the task if I believed her duty. Not even when her family have been clients of yours for years? Not even if it were my own child.
[00:13:15] Unknown:
Now I'll just get the file. That won't be necessary, mister Casselmere. I I simply wanted to ask you a few questions if you'd be kind enough to answer them. If I'm able to give a truthful
[00:13:25] Unknown:
answer, then I will. Thank you, sir.
[00:13:28] Unknown:
Tell me about her husband, Edwin Sloane.
[00:13:32] Unknown:
A mean and avaricious fellow. She was afraid to marry him, and I told her so. But he has a great deal of charm for the opposite sex, and I fear he turned the poor girl's head.
[00:13:44] Unknown:
He never loved her, of course. She's a very beautiful woman. Really?
[00:13:48] Unknown:
That wouldn't interest Sloane's, except as a passing fancy. He thought she was heiress to a considerable fortune. And she wasn't. Her father died a few years ago. He left her the house in a small annuity, and that's all. And so Boyle starts looking around for something better. Financially better. Yes. He's next onto a miss Nancy's cousin, an empty headed Good Times Society girl with a fat bank balance deposited by her indulgent father. I, I think you don't like her very much. I like the way her father made the money even less. However, to continue, Sloane has left in his office all the evidence required for a quick divorce.
He flaunts his women in front of his wife, but, unfortunately for him, this Nancy has a virtue that isn't in Sloane's vocabulary, character. She's flattered refused to give him a divorce. There, again, I don't agree with her. She'd be well aware of him, but sometimes there's no fathoming of the female mind.
[00:14:52] Unknown:
Has it occurred to you, mister Casselmeer, that the tables are now turned? Sloane has all the evidence he needs to divorce her. Naturally.
[00:14:59] Unknown:
It's occurred to Sloane too. I have a letter here from his attorney setting out the details of his proposed action. Alrighty. But this business only happened on Friday. Sloane is an impetuous man, mister Carson. Quite without feeling for anyone except himself. Now, what else would you like to know?
[00:15:18] Unknown:
That's all, I guess.
[00:15:21] Unknown:
May I indulge in the small liberty of asking if you think she's guilty? Sure you can.
[00:15:27] Unknown:
I don't think she's guilty. In fact, I'm certain that she's innocent. In the presence of that kind old man, I would have been happy to agree that there was no evil at all in the world. But on the pavement as I walked home, the old doubts about Nancy Sloane came creeping back. Like that female spider webbing her way hungry towards her mate. Following day, I arrived at Scotland Yard, produced my police card, and was shown into a small drive room that housed a few deal chairs and a glassed in stage. It was on this stage that I was soon to get my second look at Nancy Sloane's. She would parade in the dress and ascot hat that she allegedly wore on Friday night.
Inspector Bottomley was already there. And when I arrived, he was in conversation with two men whom I correctly deduced to be the accountant and caretaker respectively. Bottomly greeted me as affably as always.
[00:16:26] Unknown:
Oh, I'll take a few, mister Carson. Thanks. Over here. Go on, man. Okay. The law says I may not introduce you to the witnesses until the parade is over. You think I might influence them? We take no chances. The accused is innocent until proved guilty. It seems I've heard that before. Is Nancy here? Nancy? Mrs. Sloane's. Oh, I know who you mean. I was just surprised at the use of our Christian name. After all, you've only met her once, haven't you? Yes. And don't lay it on. It was a slip of the tongue. Oh, you've been thinking a lot about her, haven't you? But then she's a most attractive woman physically that is. What's that supposed to mean? I'll be with you cousin. I expect this identity parade to be no more than a formality.
[00:17:06] Unknown:
They'll both swear it was her in the office block on Friday. That's what I think. What does she say she was doing every Friday night for the past six weeks? Practicing yoga in private at home. The servants, they must have seen her. No. You really have got it bad. There are no servants. Her allowance doesn't run to it. Yeah. Yeah. I heard that too.
[00:17:25] Unknown:
Right. Shall we begin? Okay. Sure. Alright, constable. Bring them on. Bring them on. Thank you. Well, gentlemen, which is the woman you saw on Friday night?
[00:17:43] Unknown:
Session from the right. The second one. No doubt about it. Sorry, cousin.
[00:17:55] Unknown:
I could only think of the hat. At first, I saw only her, a proud, lovely woman walking with a firm step across that broidered stage, her shoes clacking a rhythm in the groove, hollowed by a thousand felons' feet as they'd shuffled the walk down half a century. But then the witnesses had spoken up, and now only the hat remained. A ridiculous memory of floppy purple, half conceding her face like the plumed helm of novoir. I don't remember saying goodbye to Bottomley. I don't remember what prompted me to visit Edwin Slooms. But there I was in his Hartford house talking to him, hating him and knowing all the time that my hate was illogical.
You wasted no time in presenting your case to attorney. Are you being impertinent? I guess I wasn't, dad. I apologize. The man was my friend. Somehow, you never think it can happen to a friend. I guess I mixed up some. I can understand. It's been a tragedy for me.
[00:18:49] Unknown:
To be spied on is valid enough. To be cuckolded is the last humiliation. She might pay for it with her life. You may think me callous, but I can shed no tears for her. The inspector showed me the little love note in that fellow's pocket. She's she's a beautiful woman. What excuse is that? Anyway, her cousin is just as beautiful and we're leaving tomorrow for Bournemouth for a few days to forget. And if you're wondering about my scruples, forget it. After that note they've found on the body of your friend there can be no doubt about the kind of woman she was. Not only the note. I handed over his work file to the police. There's a wealth of detail in that.
[00:19:25] Unknown:
He sure ripped it up every Friday night for the past six weeks. That's a lie. But you know it's the truth. Nothing went on between them in my offices. And if you say otherwise, you're a liar. Alright. Take it easy, Sloames. What does the venue matter? Nothing happened in my offices on those Friday nights. I tell
[00:19:40] Unknown:
you. Now please get out of my house and don't ever come here again. He
[00:19:46] Unknown:
glowered at me like a man demented his face mottled with boiling anger. He accepted an unfaithful wife, but not on his office premises. That didn't add up. He tried everything to get rid of his wife. How could he be even remotely jealous? Everything. The words sprung out like a scarlet billboard. Everything except one thing. I recalled in horror at the thought, but I knew in my heart that what I was thinking was the ghastly truth. My mind chased back over our conversation. I'm scrambling the jumble of words.
[00:20:17] Unknown:
He said, nothing went on between them in my offices. And if you say otherwise, you're a liar.
[00:20:23] Unknown:
That could mean only one thing. He was jealous of whoever was in that room Friday nights, and he wasn't jealous of his wife. He hated her. What else was it he said?
[00:20:32] Unknown:
Her cousin is just as beautiful and we're leaving tomorrow for Bournemouth for a few days to forget.
[00:20:37] Unknown:
A few days. For a few days the house would be empty. It was my only chance. Her only chance. From a nearby thicket, I watched them leave. I entered the house at midnight. After two hours searching, I found it. Charred embers in the combustion stove were proof that most of the clothing had already been destroyed. But this was intact, perfect as the day it was made. A great floppy purple creation that any milliner would tell you was an Ascot hat. Sloane's had all his wife's town clothes duplicated and all of her hats. He used a different dressmaker and milliner, both of whom were able to testify at his trial.
Nancy Sloane's cousin was very much like her in exactly the same build. It was she who engaged the operator from Assignments Unlimited using the name Nancy Sloane's. It was she who attended those Friday night meetings at the offices, dressed in the same clothes and the same big, floppy hats that her cousin Nancy wore. Both knew that the caretaker had never met the real Missus Sloames and that on an identity parade he would swear that it was the real Missus Sloames he'd seen. The ascot hat net, half concealed of her face, clinched it. And it very nearly worked too, except that the man she engaged really fell in love with her. It must have been interesting watching him, knowing that she was eventually going to kill him, just like the female spider.
He loved her, but she murdered him in cold blood.
[00:22:10] Unknown:
You know, it's a it's a terrible story, Carson. Will Nancy Sloane now see the judge about her divorce? She doesn't need to now, chief.
[00:22:19] Unknown:
Justice Justice will do
[00:22:24] Unknown:
it for free.
