Jeff Regan, Investigator: The Lonesome Lady

My name's Jeff Regan. I'm the lion's eye is private eye gumshoe peeper shamas, whatever you want to call it. I Worked for Anthony Jay Lion International Detective Bureau He's a guy who likes to make money, but when he makes money I get into trouble Here's the kind of adventure you've been waiting to hear hard-boiled action and mystery as told by

Jeff Regan So stand by for trouble, stand by for suspense, stand by for adventure in tonight's story, The Lonesome Lady. And now here's Jack Webb as Jeff Regan. Well, this is the way it started.

Everything was routine. Melody was at her typewriter working on the usual sheet of paper, backed by the usual four-carbons routine. The smell of the lion's 50 cent cigar hung in the room, routine. And the air conditioning was out of order, all routine.

I looked over Melody's shoulder and read the memo. Attention International Detective Bureau Anthony J. Lion from the American Insurance Company claims division. Here you are. He's the original for yourself and you're the other to Mr. Lion.

I guess you're going to be on me. Oh, well. You do a beautiful thing, you. Yeah. Captain Tom. Captain, don't do this, somebody might vote here. It's a lie, I'll tell you all about it.

Commander, new boyfriend. Yeah. It's a lie of waiting for you. Oh, OK. I'll talk to you later. Regan, here we hear of a guy named John Arrenzo. Nope. Dr. Nemori Swade. Nope. French name named Marie Rochelle Paudier.

Nope. Should I? Maybe. I don't know yet. It's all routine stuff on the American insurance company, country. They want us to do the work for them. Their clay man came in about an hour ago, all excited about Renzo.

He kicked off early this morning. I can't very well meet him. And there's a time and a place for wise cracks and this isn't it? It figures. Renzo kicks off from the American insurance company's going to have to kick in with $35,000, who is beneficiary. And that's Marie Rochelle Pordier, a relation, a girlfriend, I guess.

It's almost a bank buster for AIC. So you want me to see her? No. In particular, she turns out to be legitimate. Now you better look at the other angles before you see her. If AIC has to pay off to that, Dame, we might just as well say goodbye to their business.

They can't stand much treatment like that. You mean you want me to find a way for them to get out of it? I didn't say that. If it's legitimate, they'll pay. That's nice. What I want you to find out is how a guy carrying $35,000 worth of life insurance winds up croaked in a hotel on Main Street,

with two dimes and three pennies sitting on the dresser. It could happen. Sure, it could happen. But you find out why it could happen. Rentals worth $0.23 a life and $35,000 death. And the county's going to have to plant them.

The insurance company doesn't like it and I don't like it. How do you die? The coroner says it was a hard job. Insurance company? Insurance office has Renzo applied for the policy three weeks ago.

It was approved ten days ago and he kicks out today. Everything's fine. Paper. So what am I supposed to do? Find out what isn't fine about what that physical Renzo passed. Now you can start with the insurance doctor named Amari's weight.

Get on him first. And call me if you run into any trouble. The place I was looking for turned out to be a brand new three-story building on Wilshire Boulevard in the hall like it still smell wet plaster and cement.

There was one name on the neon lighted directory, Dr. Maurice Wade, internal medicine, diagnosis and the numbers three-tenth. The sign on the self-service elevator said, do not use, so I climbed the three flights of marble stairs.

The first door at the top was three-ten. Enter. I enter. A blonde girl in a white uniform sitting at a small desk smiled up at me through sharp white teeth, showed me one well-shaped leg and two well-manicured hands, all routine stuff.

How do you do? Have you an appointment? No, I know. And I was hoping I could see Dr. Wade without an appointment. Well, that's almost impossible. He's so busy these days. I'm Miss Porter, isn't he?

Perhaps I can help you. My name's Regan, but I'm afraid I'll have to see him. Oh, if you don't mind, I'll just stick around and wait for it. Oh, he isn't in just now, and I was just about to go to lunch once a week.

Well, that's fine. We'll go together. Dr. Wade will be in at two o'clock. You can come back then. I get it. Two o'clock. It was right then that my day began to change. I stepped outside the office door and walked over to the brand-new stairway of that brand-new building, and I'll get this.

I stopped them in it because I thought I heard somebody opening the doctor's door. I turned around and take a look when I felt something brush my arm. The stairway suddenly turned upside down and began to walk up me.

With a lot of noise all around I was trying to yell for somebody to shut it off. Louder and louder and louder. It was then I decided this wasn't routine. Thanks for helping me tote him upstairs.

He'll be alright now. I'll take care of him. He'll be alright. He'll be alright. a leather couch and a pointy arm. A tall thin man with a hook nose seemed to be running things. He was waving an arm at a vague crowd of people near the door. Then somebody I couldn't see shoved a bottle under my nose. Give him a whiff of that. There you are. I think you'll

be all right now. Boom. Now then. Can you hear me, mister? Don't try to move yet. Nothing broken but you had quite a tumble for yourself my friend quite a tumble you might have been killed that's what I was thinking somebody shoved me was that I was shoved that's crazy I was on the second landing when you come falling down

wasn't anyone around oh I'd anyone want to shove a man down a flight of state I don't know you just plumb rules and badness to get to thinking about it you You just got dizzy from the heat or something.

How didn't you? Maybe. Well, sure. Mary had me that like a good girl. Here you are. Yeah. I'll try a little of this. In that hell? Have another. You want me to call you a taxi, Mr. Regan?

No thanks. I got a car on front. I'll let you rest up in the minute or too long, a friend. My name is Wade, Dr. Wade. This is my office. Wade, you're the man I came to see.

I don't believe I know you. You want to my patient? Oh, this is Mr. Regan, doctor. I explained that you took patients only on appointment. Mm-hmm. Well, as long as you're here, Mr. Regan, what can I do for you?

I'm not a patient. I've been retained by the American Insurance Company to investigate a claim concerning a former patient of yours. Man named Lorenzo, a private investigator. We're checking on a policy that was issued on him. You were the examining doctor.

You don't represent the District Attorney's Office or anything like that? No. I don't. I'm with the International Detective Bureau. and you don't have a warrant that says I have to show you my files. No, I don't. I thought that as long as you were employed by the insurance company and you conducted the examination, it's you let me go.

Well, get me back my bottle, mister. And then you can get on out of my office and get out fast. If I don't know you with something like that, I wouldn't have drugged you up here in the first place.

Now get on out of here before I throw you out. Well, you can see how things stood between Dr. Maurice Wade and me. I walked out of the place with as much dignity as I had left. I had other plans.

There were other files to look at. And other people in the city I could talk to. Detective Sergeant Salvatore Winetti, more detailed, was sitting in his office, chewing on a cold cigar, reading a traffic bureau memorandum on the new liability laws.

Well, well, well, well, well. If it isn't Jeffy the Regan, how are you, Jeff Boy? Haven't seen you in a long time. Pull up a chair. What happened? You fell down a flight of stairs.

You ought to be more careful. Lots of people get killed doing things like that. So what can I do for you? Sally, I want you to find out about a man named John R. Renzo.

He died this morning and your office is handling it. Renzo, Renzo, Renzo, John Renso. Johnny Renzo, yeah sure. We got him in the ice box now. I want to see him handle it myself. No, no thanks.

I know he's dead. What else? Well never really a bad actor. Never really a good one either. Mind you all the boys and the beat knew him. Why? We made Lincoln Heights jail about nine months out of twelve on a bag wrap one thing or another routine Vigrancy just one of our lazier citizens, so he's dead now, so what's to it?

He was insured for $35,000 That's what I'm thinking so somebody's mighty glad to see little Johnny dead who gets it her name's Marie Rochelle Portier No relation our time in the old town tonight for her Tomorrow night insurance company has 24 hours to investigate. Ah, that's what you're doing. All right, Regan. What else?

You got the corners report? Sure, sure. Right here, it came in an hour ago. It was a hard job. You sure? Positive. No one deader than Johnny Renzo was bound to happen the way it did sooner later.

Was he an old man? 4550, maybe. You can never tell on that kind, but all of us around here knew it. Knew what? That is ticker. It's been bad for years. Every time he made the heights, he'd give him a soft job, couldn't take a chance.

Hey, look Sally, are you telling me it was chronic heart condition? I'm telling you it was a chronic heart condition. Well, I need that telephone. Not this one, only inside call. Try the one across the street.

This is me. I ran into some trouble. Kind of trouble. Well, you'll have to get me a warrant or something so I can get in that doctor's office. What? He wouldn't play ball. He threw me out.

Now the coroner's report shows that Renzo has a chronic heart condition. Then he never should have passed a physical. I thought that it gets through to you. But we'll have to find out what's in that doctor's office before we can do anything about it.

Now look, get a hold of one of those double-breasted lawyers and rig up a thing, will you? Hey, validate! Get my lawyer on the phone! They may take the rest of the day to get you in their legal anyway, haven't got the time!

So get busy! I just told you, I can't get in! If I can't get in, I... Can't get in. I hung up the phone and stepped out of the booth and crawled into my car.

I was sitting there fumbling with the keys, wondering how I was going to get to those files when somebody else figured it out for me. He was a big man in a brown sport coat.

Take it easy, Pilgrim. I just want to talk to you a minute. That's tough, Pilgrim, because I don't want to talk to you. I've had a busy day and I wouldn't try anything like that, Pilgrim.

I just got here. You know, that's a fool's. Come on, this one's just basic. I can tear your arm right off if I have to. Wipe up, shameless. I'm here on business. Yeah? What kind of business?

You've just been in to see one, Betty? Sure, I've been in to see him. He's a friend of mine. Why the muscle, I just don't make sure you don't start hollering your brains out of something.

Oh, like a wolf. Okay, so what the... Say, ooh! What do you say about what? You know what? Rinzo. Well, the county's gonna bury him. More shameless. Keep talking. Only makes sense. He's dead for good.

Hey, ooh! More. He died of a heart attack this morning. Somebody gets 35,000 bucks because of it. And you've been seeing people at Dr. Windetti. Eh... Damn next on your list. Maybe. Is that what you want to know?

Yeah. You're a good boy, Regent. Now here's what you want to know. You forget everything you know about anything. You don't say a word to nobody. No one understand. No one. Not even your own mother.

Just forget it. Right. Nope. Remember, not a word to anybody, or else... I wonder if you do as good without a gun. You later help from her. Sure you will, sure you will. But in case we misconnections, and so as you won't forget me, there's something to remember me right...

So long till... We'll return to Jeff Regan, investigator in just a moment. The Army Nurse Corps Reserve still has commissions available. If you're a graduate registered nurse between the ages of 21 and 45, you may be eligible for a commission in the Army Nurse Corps section of the regular officers' reserve.

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Now if you believe you qualify for a commission in the Army Nurse Corps Reserve, apply to the Adjutant General, Washington 25 DC. That's the Adjutant General, Washington 25 DC. And now, back to the story of the Lonesome Lady and Jeff Regan, investigator.

This wasn't routine either. It was brass knuckles, a big man in a brown sport coat in the front seat of my car. I guess I fell onto the horn into my steering wheel. I couldn't seem to Just sit up straight and get away from the noise.

Don't you like fishing quiet? Hey, come on, sit up. What happened to you? I don't know exactly. I don't know. Gee. You know your face just cut up a little bit. You have an accident or a smash-up?

Yeah, something like that. You want me to call a cop? Oh no. I'll handle this myself. Yeah, but don't you think you ought to go home and get some rest? Uh, maybe you ought to find yourself a sawbone or something.

Huh? Yes, sir? Maybe you ought to find yourself a doctor that kind of fits you up. You're right. You're absolutely right. Yeah, that's a good boy. You take care of yourself, young man. If you again...

Says Doctor on the door, doesn't it? The office is still open, isn't it? Yes, but I thought Doctor Wade told you that he didn't want you here. I heard him, but this is different. If he doesn't see me now, I'll pull in the state medical board and a lawyer and anybody else who's handy and make him a first class Simon Lagerie for refusing emergency treatment.

Now cut him out. Oh, you heard Mr. Ethan. Oh, please sit down. Sit down right here. Where's your doctor, lady? He isn't in here. He's already gone for the day. Let me see. What happened?

You tell me, lady, just a peaceful citizen looking for a doctor. Sit still. That's a nasty bruise on your forehead. Yeah, I got some better ones where a man tried to cave in all my ribs.

Oh, still. Lift up your face to the light. That's better. Ooh. Tender? Mm-hmm. First the stairs. Now this. You've had quite a day, Mr. Regan. Maybe you ought to quit. Oh, hold that right there.

I like to catch up this cut on your chin. Who'd you say you were worked for? International detective, you're off. I'd resign if I were you. They're working you too hard. What's happened lately isn't exactly routine.

What happened lately? Well, I found out that the man who died this morning at a chronic heart condition and he should have never been insured. You're doctors in this up to his ears for passing him.

Go on. A big man in a brown sport coat doesn't want anybody to look into anything. He's the one who did this. That's right. That should hold you. Thanks. Oh, wait a minute. Where do you live?

Huh? You're a dress. I'm coming over to your place tonight. You are? If what you say is true, my doctor is going to get 5 to 15 and Sam Quentin for doing a of six on an insurance examination, and I might be dragged into it. And I wouldn't want that to happen. So? So I'm digging up that file and bringing it over to your place, and

we'll see what's what. Why not look at it right now? Isn't here. We just moved this place three days ago, and half the stuff is still in the old office. All right. I'll buy that. Try 1720 North TAF, 308. In about two hours. Why so long? You need some rest Besides your shirt, Bloody.

Well, what was that name? John R. Renzo, R-E-N-Z-O. All right. You can expect me. Feel better now. Much better. Oh. Now, you freeze me, lady. Your boss throws me out. You fix me up. You help me.

Maybe I wouldn't have fallen down those stairs if you hadn't sent me out to eat alone. Call me Mary if you like. I thought it'd be something like that. Mine's Jeff. I've had a hard day, Mary.

I know. But maybe it'll be a better day for now on this. You know, I had a feeling I was gonna like you. It was just about then that I remembered the beneficiary. She was my last call.

I bucked beach traffic out Wilshire and pulled up in front of the Beverly Hills address lion giving me. A row of brass mailboxes on the outside of a four unit Quark told me that Marie Rochelle Fortier lived there.

The man in overalls watering the lawn blinked at me, found that the cut on my chin pointed to his own and shook his hand. I nodded back wondering what Marie Rochelle Fortier, whoever she might be, whatever a racket might be, looked like.

I found out. Yeah. It was the big man without his brown sport coat. This time it was swimming trunks and he looked as big as the super cheap. I threw my whole arm into his face.

This dank is back with the room trying to get his balance. I let him have another one in the stomach. He was not a condition. One more and his chin was in the back. He went down taking a lamp, a card table, and a glass of warm lemonade with him.

Yeah. It's real good to see you again, Pilgrim. All right, James. All right, you're the champ. Come on. Get up. Get up. Simon, I know I was going to find you here. Why is your girlfriend?

No, no. No. Just a minute. I said, where is she? In and around. In and around, but me? Honest. Okay, you give it to me. What are you talking about? You, I've met citizens like you before.

So, now come on, make it straight. Oh, all right, all right. Oh, you, what's in my head? Oh, make it straight. Where is my girlfriend? She calls me, did they, tells me what you look like?

Tell me where you'll be, tells me what to do, I do it. She knows who an insurance dick will go to. All right, go on. Catch you at the boy. You're nosy. She says to rough you up a little bit, make you forget what you're doing for a while.

Find you like she says and do what she says. And nothing personal, innit? What about the doctor? He split with you and her? Ain't no doctor in it, just me and Marie. How'd she fix it for Renzo to get insured?

I don't know. She's got connections. She gets around. That's my guy. Come on, smell. August, August, that's it, Shamas. That's all that's all there is to it. Wait, worked it a couple of times before?

I don't know how she fixes it, but she does. I do all the heavy work and we get along fine. And then somebody gets excited and I have to cool them up for a time, but...

But, well, that's it. Straight. Honest. Hey, what are you doing, Shut up. Well, now don't call the cops. Give me a break, will you? What are you, Shut up. Ants me. Reagan, where have you been?

I'm calling from the address of Marie Rochelle Porter here. I told you not. There's a big ape here who rough me up today trying to put me out of commission. I don't care about that. We have only 12 hours.

Come on out and pick him up and get a statement for a warrant. War and fro. For Marie-Rochelle Portier. This monkey can give you enough to have her picked up. She's the one we want.

You sure about that? I found out that the doctor who wouldn't let you into his office isn't a lot of trouble. Got a wife suing him for divorce and he might have been trying. Oh no, it's the Portier dame we want.

As soon as you get a warrant on her, it'll make that insurance policy invalid. I still don't trust that doc. It's early yet. Why don't you hop over? You bring in a couch out here? Look, Sheamus, I got a little dough in it. It had come to more than a ten a day and expenses.

You're getting a few little... Now you... Well, I... Oh, oh... Stay here, pilgrim. I'm tired. I'm going home. I'm waiting for you. Forget about me? No. Did Janitor let me in? I told him you were my brother.

That's nice. You didn't come straight home and get some rest. I had a couple of things to do first. No, sit down. I fixed you a drink. Good. Hot day and all. Thanks. No, tell me about your doctor.

Some things I know already. His wife's sewing him for divorce, trying to get every penny he's got. He doesn't like me. That's it. Or maybe he just doesn't like any private detective. Anybody else who might be working for his wife, huh?

Maybe. I don't know if I can spot a man who's being taken to the cleaners. He's one. He's pretty touchy these days about all the troubles he's probably caused him. What's this got to do with us?

The stars are coming out. Just straightening out. Well, if that's the way things are with him, then my job's finished. Good. Now we can relax. You've been working much too hard. Jeff, put your arms around me. Feel good. Good to have arms around you in a big city like this. Such a big city. So many people. You're nice, Jeff. Sometimes it's so lonely.

And sometimes it's like this sure Sure Marie darling Report here Mary Porter. It's all the same to me. No, don't reach for it lady. I took it out of your purse You've been I know I tricked you. I've been wanting to trick somebody ever since you shut me down that flight of stairs this morning ever

Since you shag your big boyfriend on a me. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'm not today. You won't I'm not insured I'll take it easy. Oh, let me go Jeff. Let me go, please You were so lonely in the big city that you just sat down and passed time making out phony medical reports and counting the insurance checks that you collected on bad, bad

Please, Jeff, I... Oh, just let me go, please So you have me thinking that a doctor's phony, when the only thing that's bothering him is a wife and a divorce Oh, Jeff, listen to me And when I start getting close, you try to scare me off and when I get really close, you figure to drop over and put on a good act

Oh, Jeff, listen to me, don't let me go, don't make me go old and ugly there Oh, Jeff, please, please, let me go, I'll do anything I can't you can let me go you can you can't me again. I got that warrant. Yeah, he's Bill where we're gonna find that day. He's probably skipping. No, no, he's in my place.

Well, do anything anything. Get somebody over quick will you? Get him over what you still hear. I told it all to the lion. He told it all to the American insurance company. They renewed our contract. She's being arraigned next Monday.

What happens after that is up to the jury. Melody had a question. Jeff, what do you think they'll do to us? You get about 10 years, I guess. If Mr. Lyon hadn't had that contract with AIC, would you have turned her in?

Sure I'd have turned her in. It's my job, and it's a big city. A lot of lonesome people down there. They allowed her one call when they took her to jail. She called here asking for you.

Jeff, why did she do that? I don't know, Melody. I don't know. The easiest way to save for the future is to buy United States savings bonds. Your nearest post office bank or savings and loan association can accommodate you.

Or you can buy bonds on the payroll savings plan. Just ask your employer to start deducting for a bond a month. A bond a month is good security for the years to come. For money in the future by United States savings bonds now.

You'll be glad you did. Jack Webb is starred as Jeff Regan with Wilms Herbert as Anthony J. Lyon. Eve McVay was heard as Mary Porter and Ken Christie is the big man. It's CVS same time next week for hard-boiled action and mystery with Jeff Regan investigators.

As he tells the story of the lady with the golden hair, Jeff Regan Investigator is written by E. Jack Newman, produced and directed by Gordon T. Hughes with original music by Del Castillo. This is C.D.S. The Columbia Broadcasting System.