Death by Ricochet: Nick Carter, Master Detective (January 21, 1945)

“Death by Ricochet” is an episode of Nick Carter, Master Detective, the old-time radio show, first broadcast January 21, 1945. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

John May confesses to accidentally killing Randolph Marquis, heir to the Marquis fortune, with a ricochet bullet from his practice shooting in a gravel pit a quarter mile away. Nick Carter is hired to investigate and prove the death was purely accidental, so May won't face future liability, but his inquiries at the Marquis estate meet with hostility and mystery.

A town with a gravel pit, the Marquis estate, and surrounding properties on or near a highway

Characters: Nick Carter, John May, Patsy, Randolph Marquis, Clara Marquis, Theresa Marquis, Dave Barton, Old Man Brundage

Listen for: Nick's investigation into whether the ricochet bullet could truly have traveled a quarter mile from the gravel pit to kill Randolph, and Clara Marquis's urgent summons to see Nick Carter as she lies ill

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.