Jeff Regan, Investigator: The Man Who Came Back

My name is Jeff Regan. I get ten a day and expenses from a detective bureau run by a guy named Lion, Anthony J. Lion. They call me the lion's eye. With Jack Webb as Jeff Regan investigators stand by for hard-boiled action and mystery and thrilling adventure in tonight's story of the man who came back.

Well, this is the way it started. It was a hot Tuesday afternoon about four o'clock. Melody was sitting at her typewriter watching a tired looking fly crawl across the ceiling. She didn't say a word just waved an arm in the direction of his door.

Certainly we will Mr. Brown Dyke. Absolutely. Certainly. Yes of course. Come and read. Yes. All right Mr. Brown Dyke. I should be there in an hour. All right, half an hour. Goodbye. Reagan, you're it.

I'm what? Here's the address. Name's I'm a Brandeck. I've got the real estate office in Pasadena. Check in by a special messenger I have an hour ago. It was late, but the bank tells me it's good.

So you're it. You know that's what I like, the fishing. It's too hot to be funny. I want you to hop out there and see what it's excited about. Didn't me tell you? Yeah, it's one of those nasty old kutsi didn't make much sense on the phone.

Something about someone coming back. Besides, the speech was slipping around. Yeah. I think how it's a job. This has been terrible at least. You know, I still want my expenses on that tartaglia thing. Have you ever come up short with me?

Yes, I have. You'll get all the chummin' to you. When? As soon as Melody gets the bill from that hospital because that's coming out of your check. Now, beat it out there and find out what this guy wants and call me if you're running into any trouble.

Brondike Manor with a brown white cottage on the edge of ten acres of dusty land in the back of Foothill Drive. It was a big sign right in front of it, telling you how easy it is to own your own land and have your own home on Brandeich estate.

I parked across the highway and it was just about then that a big, heavy set man wearing a dirty, white Panama hat suit that didn't fit him around the stomach crawled out of a 36 Ford sedan.

Jan de Sigar in his mouth and came over to my car. He had hair in his ears. Yeah, hot afternoon, ain't it? Yes, sir. She was hot. She was hot afternoon. Yeah, it is if you spend it sitting in a car pulling on a bottle.

Smell it, huh? Mile away. Just trying to beat the heat. Okay, you've been parked in a car beating the heat. Yeah, you win. Ain't much good trying to look like a guy who wants to buy a house.

Yeah. Who do you look like? Yeah, it's a little greasy, but it's me. Mm-hmm. Marty Anderson. Confidential investigation. Guess how to have no one's printed out, huh? All right, you're a sloot. How's business, Marty?

Bank. Too bad. You going in to see all that, Brandack? and nose is getting sunburn, Marty. Heh heh. I was just gonna go and see myself when I spot you pull up. Recognize you from pictures of the people last week on that taggle you think.

I figured maybe you and me ought to talk, you know. Hey, you make it tougher, Guy Rigg, and we're in the same rocket. What you gonna see him about? You said you were going in to see him.

Well, I kinda changed my mind when I seen you. This is where I came in. Ah, you're a tough Guy Rigg, and you're a real tough guy, and a lot of people know it. But Marty Anderson's betting you're a dumb guy too, a real dumb guy.

Mm-hmm. See you around Marty. I'm an old conker, a fat old swab who couldn't get a trick as a housekeeper or a tail in a park, is that it? Oh, well you don't get too close. That's a real bad label you gotta hold up.

Okay, Reagan, okay. You're young and tough, but if you just keep my card wise guy, you'll want to see me. You don't want to see me before it's all tied up. Mr. Brandeich, please. Homer Brandeich, he's expecting me.

Your name, please. Reagan. Reagan. No, no, no. You don't have to write it down, lady. And your business? Private. I'm afraid it'll happen a little more than that, Mr. Reagan. There's always this hot in here. Yes, and I'm sick and hot.

Look, just flip your switch and tell him I'm here. What do you say for me? Wait a minute, please. Well, what is it, Connie? Mr. Reagan here, daddy, since he's expected. I don't find him listed on your appointment.

Don't be an idiot. Ten to men. Ten to men. Let me go in now, Mr. Reagan. Yeah, thanks. Is he always like that? like that most of the time other times he's bad high blood pressure got it high low in the 29 heat him a winner I'm sorry that is your name in it oh on in

before I quit I'm gonna shut the door I took you so long you're Jeff Regan I don't know much like a private detective to me sit down over there by the ink well oh now then Reagan about this Collier.

He's a no good tramp. You understand that? No good tramp. I'll see that he goes right back up to Sam Quentin if I have to. I'm a dangerous man to play games with. He found that out once and if he keeps up this business he's got to find it out again.

Alright, you're dangerous. He's a no good tramp, Sam Quentin. Hey, are you mocking me? No, I'm not. I'm just wondering what you're talking about. I just told you everything. You got ears? Can't you hear?

I don't hear anything but a lot of blubbering and that doesn't make any sense. Two big gums! Now, Kai told me all about your high blood pressure. You better watch that. No, she did, did she? Well, Connie talks too much. That's what's the matter with her.

She talks to me. Oh, sure, and you'd fire. Only she's your daughter. You'd have to pay somebody else three times. Don't you pay her to take everything she has to take. Take it out of here. Get out of here.

Never mind. Blah, blah, blah, blah. He always gets me. Yeah, me too. Now, do you want to tell me about it? He's an ungrateful scoundrel. Who? Tommy Collier, who else? I took that boy in as my junior partner in Brandeicha stage.

When he was nothing more than a car washer in a filling station. And how does he repay me? Hey, hey, hey, hey, you're letting the heat body again. Nah. Now, isn't the heat, Regan? I'll tell you that.

Those phone calls. Phone calls telling me to beware and watch out. A lot of other nonsense. Mm-hmm, now we're getting close. They let him out of San Quentin last week. You'd think he'd go somewhere where people didn't know him and wash cars again or something.

But no! He has to start telephoning my office. Telling me he's back and he's gonna get me. What was he doing in the sandquim? Two to ten on the nimdesomate count. How long ago was that?

Three years ago. I guess he got time off or something. Why is he sorry, actually? I had to testify against him. It was my firm, he was chiseling. Now he's out of the clank and he's fooling you and trying to throw a scare on you, huh?

Maybe he out, but he isn't scaring me or anybody else. I'll tell you that. Yeah. I want you to find him. Where he is. Bring him here. All right. And then I want to tell him like I'm telling you.

If he keeps bothering me with those phone calls, if he persists in threatening me, I'll haul out some stuff I have in my safety deposit box and send him back up there on a swiveling wrap.

Just to get him out of my hair. You withheld evidence at that trial? I withheld nothing! Just be a new charge and I could make it stick if I wanted to. Alright, tell me the rest of it.

What do you mean to do the rest of it? I'm going to tell you, punk. You've got to get in trouble. Where'd Marty Anderson figure? What? Anderson's Marty. Confidential investigations. Big dirty looking April Shaves every other day.

Oh. That rob part. How do you know about him? Try to shake me down outside your office. He would. And he's just a second rate gum heel I called in three years ago when I thought Collier might be fixing my books.

I think it's the only job he ever had. He's been pestering me ever since. Did he testify against Collier? Of course he testified against Collier. There was part of his job. Anything else you want to know?

Yes, there is. Why'd you call international instead of the police? You're pretty nosy, aren't you? I'm a lot of things. Now come on, why? Because every time you call a cop around this town, there's always some stupid reporter hanging around the sergeant's desk.

I got a half a million dollars tied up in this here, gravel fit. I don't want anybody who's going to buy into it, thinking that I might get knocked over by some loony. That's why I want it all quiet.

Is that a fire? Oh, it'll do. For now, you'll probably come up with something better later on. Are you done, Greg? Alright, where's Collier? If I knew, I wouldn't have called you in. You have a family here, a home, a wife, something?

It was all alone. You had a mother somewhere, I guess. Pictures? Okay, I'll keep these. What am I gonna hear from him? When I find something? You bring him to me. I'll ask him to come. He doesn't have to.

Yeah, you just spring that swindling wrap on him. Here'll come. Yeah, and if it's no good, he can turn right around and slap a slander suit right in your face and I wouldn't blame him.

What? Don't you forget your working for me, your man? No, I won't. Regan. Regan, you... You've got a nasty way of talking. People don't talk to me like that. Yeah, well, this is a brand new crowd of people frosty-toppin'. We talk just like we feel.

Now at the city hall, they didn't have anything on Toby Cottier, except that he'd been released from San Quentin August 10th. From there, I went to the parole board office, but it was closed by that time.

So I did the next best thing and I sent a wire to the officer in charge of parole prisoners San Quentin, asking for Collier's address. And I dropped into the Times office and I looked up the story of the trial.

It was a page three item for two days, a second section filler for a week after that nothing. There were no pictures. But it did give the name of Collier's lawyer, a man named Alan Nordale.

The phone book gave him an address over on Kingly. Alright, you melee. Hold on just a minute, I was gonna get my dinner over before you... Who are you? Mr. Nordale. Mm-hmm. My name is Regan, I'm a private investigator.

I'm trying to locate a former client here, it's a man named Toby Collier. Come in, come in, come in. I was expecting melee, but come in. Thank you. I always fix my own dinner. Coach Dagen, half and half.

I have ulcers. My name's Regan. Yeah. You want an egg? No, thanks. You mind if I finish? No, no, go ahead. Thank you. Well, that's what with Tobey Cuyo. Well, I'm just trying to locate him, that's all.

I found out that you were his lawyer. He was released from San Quentin 10 days ago. Hey, yep, yep, yep. You're sure you won't have any? You get used to him after a while. Or you work for, Regan?

International detective bureau. The line's still there? Yeah. Well, so you're the line's eye, huh? Yeah. The line's just abandoned. But who's Cate? Elmer Brandeich. Mm-hmm. what you want to be for ball I'm out for making threatening phone calls and that all far as I know and he was a nice kid but a calendar job born with one

more going one depression on deck and a new war starting makes different than the calendar got him and he wound up in San Quentin well everything was against him at the trial too he was pretty mad at old man Brandeich and that time of dick and me and everyone else before it was all over I tried to talk

to him from what Brandeich tells me still man I did all I could but he You didn't have a chance, see? Tried to lift a lousy couple thousand bucks and they caught him. Well, he's out now.

You handle his parole? No. You know who did? Nope. You don't know where he is in town? No. Brandeich said he had a mother? No. Okay. I'll leave you to Millie. Yeah. If we play records, Millie used to be a violinist.

Sorry I have no help. Regan, if you find Toby, I'd like to see him. Why? I don't know. Maybe I just want to see what he is and the pen does to a man like that.

Yeah, I'll bet you do. I'm calling from home. I didn't find him yet. Well, get busy. What are you waiting for? A telegram, morning, couple of things. Listen, this old Schmau is plenty tough, and he thought you were low.

Look, it's 9 o'clock at night. I'm tired. There's nothing I can do tomorrow morning. He's sorry about you. Phone up and tell you call him a lot of names. He is a lot of names.

I sat down on the phone and started at the door when it happened. Connie Brandeich was standing there, and she didn't waste any time. She didn't say a word. Just pull the trigger. The first three brought down plaster on the seat.

The fourth one ruined the shoulder on my suit. The fifth gave me a haircut. I made a grab born. I missed. I took the empty gun in my face. The next thing I knew is he pulled off one of those high-spike heels and raised it above my head.

I tried to stop her but my arms wouldn't work. That's all I remember. You were listening to the story of the man who came back. Tonight's adventure with Jeff Regan, the investigator. They're still available for qualified nurses.

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If you believe you qualify for a commission in the Army Nurse Corps Reserve, apply to the Adjutant General, Washington, D.C. And now back to the story of the man who came back and Jeff Regan, investigate.

Oh yeah, Connie had done a real good job. Six to five, I'd never get there before it stopped ringing. Hello? Something like that? You wash your face yet?

What made you think that? Half an hour. You like me, sir? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.

Don't do it without I, how did he go? I was really worried. I had thought I had some shots and I see this one jumping down the stairs like she had a good homicide somewhere.

You sure you're all right? Don't want me to get your hands off of me. Alright, Jake, let her go. Let her go. I'm going to mind. You should have thought like, Hey, you're breathing. Look at the plaster.

Ooh, they were shot. You like? Jake, let her go with you. Oh, that's me. I was cleaning a gun. Cleaning a gun. By the time to clean the gun, then a clock at night. Well, I do a lot of funny things.

Come up and have a drink sometime. Will you, Jake? Okay, Mr. Egan. Okay. Good night. Oh, no. You don't later. You stay right where you are. No, we're going to talk. You hurt my arm.

I'll rough you up good if I have to. Good if I have to. Now come on. Save it, lady. Oh, you know they ride together. I'm telling you they were mine. You should have done that.

So you come over to get him and you take five shots at me and slam a gun in my face. Why don't you finish the job with your heel? Right. You can do it. I was going through your wallet, looking for the picture.

It's all your life. The private detective. You're looking for Toby, aren't you? Call you your boyfriend. Yeah, we were going to get married. Only he went to the pan, huh? For pictures. It's all I had left of him.

He didn't write? No. You know he's out now. Yeah? Has he gotten in touch with you? Why should he? You think that was in others? You know what? The old daddy rotten thing told me was framed.

Dad hired that muddy Anders and they helped him do it. How do you know he was framed? I've been working for my dad for five years, I see things. You know what I'll bet you do.

That's true. Oh yeah, everybody's full of the truth. All the liars are dead. Look at me. Look at me, Mr. Regan. I know what you'd call beautiful. Pretty and tall. Gorgie, yo man, whatever. Look at me twice.

You hope you look at me. I love you, but what are you gonna do with him when you find him? I only been threatening your father on the phone. I'm just gonna take him there.

Yeah, would you bring him to me first because you let me tell him? Why? Because I... Maybe I... Maybe I can hold him in my arms and make him forget all his hate. Everything he's gone through.

I love me. We go away together and get married. You know where he is. Can you find him tonight? Maybe. You gonna help me mate? Hmm. I gotta see a man. I guess I went kind of crazy tonight, huh?

I don't know. I've been thinking about him so much lately. Yeah. Next time. Give me a little thought, will you? Goodnight Lee. Well Marty Anderson's office was a dirty room hanging over a shoe repair shop on Sunset near El Varetto.

You could tell it belonged to him. The glass on the door hadn't been washed for ten years. He didn't answer when I knocked, so I tried my keys on the door. The third one worked.

Inside it smelled like a pile of wet gunny sack. The only light was kind of a thick green from a neon sign going on and off outside the window. There was an old army caught in one corner and right in front of the window a big black roll top desk and a cracked leather chair.

He was sitting there looking at the neon light he couldn't see anymore. One dirty hand was on top of a scratch pad near the phone and the other was inside his coat. And I pulled it out it was covered with blood and the rest of it kind of cheap with me.

I found a 38 cartridge case on the floor. He didn't have anything in his pocket to accept some keys and I plugged a chewing tobacco. There wasn't anything in the desk drawers either. When I started a call homicide I had to move his hand.

The name Collier was written on the scratch pad and it was addressed to go with it. Extension 2521 please. Lieutenant Winnetty. Offst tonight it was calling. Alright take this down Sergeant. Shoe shop. Sunset near Alvarado.

One flight up. And office. Belong to a private detective named Marty Anderson. Yep. Got all that? Yep. He's dead. One like a fog was all over Flower Street on the 1300 block south. The street light didn't do much good just kind of hung around and watched everything get wet I use the half a pack of matches finding my address kind of late tonight. Aren't you pilgrim?

What a little beam Toby Collier here. He was here. All right. Oh wait I'm gonna be here. No more you a friend of his never met the guy Yeah, it's midnight Peter. All right. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Oh like that anyway. You want it. I'm gonna do you a favor I'm gonna tell you so alright sad a cloth before I turn night watcher they call me the candy kid

six four found the two under three hundred It'd be assault with a deadly weapon if I slept you in the mush, but you attempted me All right, wait a minute be in a night watch arranged with me down. All right now. Maybe this will I just came from Marty Anderson So what he's dead so what what and in about a half an hour the cops are gonna be here looking for Toby Collier

Yeah? Well, they can just dig him up and talk all they want. Dig him up. Are you blind or drunk or something? This outfit buried him this afternoon. This is a mortuary. How when I got home she wasn't there, but a telegram was there.

It was a long answer from San Quentin telling me how Collier had been brought to Los Angeles on a stretcher and the hospital that he was in. And a lot of other things. It took me 20 minutes to get out to Aladina, but I was too late.

Well, her aim was a lot better this time. But the time I got through the door, the old man had dropped his gun and was kind of hanging onto a piece of drapery with a window.

Gun! Gun! There'll get you a minute! There'll go! Honey Oakley, haven't you? Good to see him like this. Real good. You want to give me that gun, it's empty. Sure, why not? He had a comment for a long time.

You read my telegram? I read it. My phone and I told me Toby was dead. Bad, hot. Wasn't that bad, hot, that killed Toby? Him. He killed him. You don't have to make those faces. They don't make him any better.

You think I'm nuts, don't you? No, I'm not a lawyer, lady. You can plead any way you want. So I'll never tell it to a court. Don't bet on that. You want such a bad guy? I'll tell it to you.

All of it? How many traps you met in your life, reagan real traps? Some. Some just thought they were traps. Well, you met that genuine product today. Take him. For ten years he's been packing away money.

When the income tax people got close, he goes out and he finds Toby in a philanthropic. And makes him a junior partner. Yeah, works in a emp estimate, but he makes Toby the fall guy.

That way he doesn't have to straighten out any books. Tramp number one, genuine, huh? And then his number two, a private dick named Marty had... Pete? Oh, he's dead. Somebody shot him tonight. Yeah, he did it.

Only decent thing he ever did in his life. Marty was in on it. He testified against Toby in court. But Marty wanted money. All the time for the old man killed. And it was supposed to look like Toby.

Only Toby was dead. Toby was dead, and he... You can kill anybody. When you find out about Toby, you come back and you do some shooting in shock, don't you? You kill Toby. At the morgue, he told me it was his heart.

It's hot, so everything is made of hospital. What all the time he was just... He's gonna take me down. Yeah. Don't make me a difference now. This is Toby. You must have loved the guy.

I had to die before. Yeah lady, I guess you will. That's the way it came out. Rondai killed Marty Anderson because Marty was trying to sell me what he knew about Collier's trial. Marty was a lousy private detective making those phone calls and trying to make Rondai think it was Collier.

Well, the lion was mad because I phoned homicide and then ran away. He said it'd give the agency a bad name. And then he began talking, the way he does. The funny thing about all this regundant was two going for each other.

Yeah. She was nothing to look at. Him? He was a smart guy. He wound up in prison, didn't he? Yeah, yeah. But he was a smart guy. He was just afraid. Not many smart guys get framed.

What do you mean? I mean, Collier sold out to Brandeich and then he made the frameding. How do you know Collier left the will? You think I didn't mean to go over it. I mean, gotten there to something that always hadn't happened.

No. She went for him and he went for her say he didn't serve much time on a 2 to 10 ramp. He must had a smart lawyer No, you mean doctor. Well, he had a heart and he was dying And they parole him and let him out to die. Well, they do things like that

Sometimes no wonder he didn't write that name What do you know about them? Nothing You work on it. I'm tired. Good night. You are registered graduate nurse. Do you know someone who is? Then please listen carefully to this important message.

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between the ages of 21 and 45, drop a card now for complete information to the Adjutant General, Washington, D.C. Jack Webb is starred as Jeff Regan with Wilms Herbert as Anthony J. Lyon, the role of Connie Brandeich was played by Betty Lou Gerson. Jeff Regan is written by E. Jack Newman produced by Sterling Cracy with original music by Digarron.

It's CBS same time next week, or more hard-boiled action and mystery with Jeff Regan, investigators. If you like mystery, you'll be able to find out what makes a mystery when you find that clue with which mystery man can cross and another famous mystery expert on most of these CBS stations Monday night at 8.30.

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