Auto Light and its 98,000 dealers bring you Mr. Charles Boyer in tonight's presentation
of Suspense.
Tonight, Auto Light presents a story about a man who successfully played both sides of
the law.
A true story which we call The Doc's Final Case, our star Mr. Charles Boyer.
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And now Auto Light presents transcribed VDoc's final case starring Mr. Charles Boyer and
hoping once again to keep you in suspense.
To Emil Dubigny, Commissioner of Police.
Monsieur, I, VDoc, in writing this report beg your indulgence.
This case, Monsieur, is my last.
When the series of robberies began, I was, as you know, no longer with the surety.
Ten years ago I had retired and in the last unhappy months had been touring the provinces
with a variety show.
Monsieur, Monsieur, Madame, it gives me infinite pleasure to introduce to you the first of
all, that infallible, magnificent virtuoso of crime who for 18 years to the greater glory
of the surety.
Standing in the wings, the sad realization which for months had oppressed my heart was
confirmed that already after ten short years I was forgotten in the capitals of the world.
Then applause drew me from my unhappy rebel.
And I give you my provido.
Merci, merci, merci, mes amis.
I shall describe to you some of the highlights of my career, show you some small aspects
of my technique and answer questions on the art of detection.
Monsieur, Monsieur, le bac, if you please, my souvenir.
At once, Madame.
Ah, the shoes of Poyon.
These shoes were worn by Poyon, the brigand of Rouen who frequented county fairs.
There he spied out rich men, whaling them and murdering them for their money.
It was this pair of shoes which furnished the essential clue.
Well, finally the bag of tricks was emptied and that day I took no pleasure in the wild
applause of the ignorant and credulous.
When I entered my dressing room.
Ah, maître, this young man has come to pay his compliment.
Ah, and le bac was telling me your motto.
Justitia virtutum regina, justice is the queen of virtue.
My motto?
No, it's le bac who fancies himself a classical scholar.
Oh, I misunderstood.
My name is Williams.
I came back to tell you that you are a very great artist.
Indeed, how would you know?
Well, in a small way, I'm in the same kind of work.
A musical comedian, perhaps?
Oh, no, no, no.
He is from Scotland Yard, Vido.
Oh, in a small way, correct.
Yes, I'm over here on a case.
Do you say that you were formerly with the C.O.P.?
I was formerly commissioner for 18 years, commissioner.
Oh, well, I'm on my way to see your present commissioner.
I believe his name is Dubigny.
A blackhead, a bangling fool, give him my regards.
Yes, I will do that.
And wish him luck in solving these recent robberies.
Oh, you know about them?
No, all France knows about them and is laughing at the police.
One moment.
You are here because of the robberies, monsieur?
Yes, yes, the C.O.P. seems to think an Englishman is involved.
Why, why do you ask?
To give you my sympathies, the case will never be solved.
No? Why?
You see, Dubigny has been fortunate.
Since he became commissioner,
there have been no other crimes of this type.
It involves a master criminal.
It takes a master to catch a master.
You seem so certain, monsieur.
Well, naturally, I am Vidocque.
Later, commissioner, Williams described to me
how he arrived at your office
to be greeted by a scene of noise, confusion and desperation.
Detectives carried back and forth with urgent messages,
while you, commissioner, vented your bad temper
on an unfortunate gendarme.
Fool, fool!
But their uniforms were authentic, commissioner,
and they said they needed the cabinet for evidence.
So you helped carry the cabinet out of the truck.
But it was an official truck.
They had an order signed by you.
Signed by me, signed by me!
Here, you may leave. Get back to the prefecture.
Yes, commissioner.
Well, well, what do you want?
I'm Williams from Scotland Yard.
Oh, oh, yes, yes. Forgive me.
This is a most trying day.
Yes.
Commissioner!
Yes, yes, your honor, Baudenay.
What progress have you made in finding the criminal
who stole my medals?
We must be patient.
Adal my uniform!
General, I beg you.
Unless you find a way of curbing these crimes,
we'll find a new commissioner.
I... I failed to see the humor.
He said it involved a master criminal.
Who said this?
Vidoc.
Vidoc?
Yes, I met him by chance.
He's a fascinating man. He's a real artist.
Greatly overrated, monsieur, I can assure you.
He once held this office.
His methods were most irregular.
Still, in the case of these robberies,
he might be able to find...
Never! Never!
For years, monsieur, his reputation overshadowed
every man who held this office.
Even I had to suffer these humiliating comparisons.
Oh, how is that?
Vidoc would have done it so.
Vidoc would have caught them sooner.
Vidoc would have known immediately.
Yes, that must have been very irritating.
I forgot his name to be mentioned.
I took certain steps, which made it impossible
for him to remain in Paris.
I managed judicially to keep his name out of the papers.
Now, finally, he is forgotten.
Still, in the case of these robberies,
he might be able to find...
Never!
Of course, I have no way of knowing
what kind of turnings in your brain,
before you made the inevitable decision.
I can only say that your messenger
did not take me wholly by surprise.
Naturally, as my duty to France,
I instantly obeyed your summons.
Come in! Come in, Vidoc!
How are you, mon ami?
Excellent commu...
Well... Bonjour, Inspector Williams.
Allo, Vidoc.
I want to discuss these recent robberies with you, Vidoc.
Huh?
Inspector Williams and I have been discussing them.
Shall I summarize?
Please do.
We are satisfied that they've all been carried out
by the same gang.
The crimes are all of a similar nature.
Yes, the robbery of the National Museum,
of the Petit Palais Royal,
of the home of General Bourdonnet.
Yes, the criminals have consistent taste.
We've watched all the fences closely.
Nothing has turned up.
Not a vase, not a brooch.
They may have been smuggled out of France.
No. All the stolen goods are still here.
The thieves are waiting.
They have time.
Then all we can do is wait?
You asked the help of Vidoc.
I never wait.
Well, well, what will you do?
Gentlemen thieves,
well, they are a very special lot,
a tightly-knit, highly professional group,
where each man knows everything about the others.
Yet sometimes one may be found
who is jealous of another.
And can be induced to talk?
But the commissioners had every known dual thief in Paris
picked up and questioned.
No thief will talk to a gendarme.
It's a simple fact.
Dubigny never comprehended.
Then to whom?
To another thief.
I once knew a gentleman thief,
who I doubt if he is involved in these robberies,
but he is likely to know the ones who are.
The Marquis de Villiers.
A Marquis?
He assumed the name for professional reasons.
He gained entree into the greatest houses
with such ease that he was also called Monsieur Latschke.
Oh, it sounds charming.
And you believe this Marquis would know?
If I can find him.
He isn't in Paris.
The hiding has been for years.
I'll get in touch with some of my old friends.
You'll need some officers.
Ah, what a bangler.
No, no, no. None of you are police.
I'll go alone.
Unless Inspector Williams would enjoy meeting the Marquis.
Inspector Williams and I met that night
in the Luxembourg Gardens.
It was a striking 10,
and news vendors were crying their headlines,
exhorting the public to patience,
telling them that their infallible police were at work.
Both Williams and I were dressed as sailors.
We crossed the gardens and began our search,
first calling on a certain woman of the Fauxbourg Saint-Germain.
Yes? What do you want?
Adèle.
You!
Yes. I am looking for the Marquis.
The Marquis?
Oh, chérie, I am sorry.
I have not seen him for weeks.
Then to a certain Maître D, in a fashionable restaurant,
and to a young dancer at the stage door of a well-known theater,
without success.
Finally we stopped on the boulevard
to buy white violets from an old beggar.
The Marquis, monsieur? What do you mean?
Café de la Tour.
Merci, old man.
Ah, Café de la Tour. Here we are.
Down these steps.
What do you want?
Madame, are you expecting the Marquis?
Who are you?
Two lonely sailors who have business with the Marquis,
and white violets for Madame.
Oh, welcome in. He is not here yet.
Here. We'll take this corner where we can see him.
What a place.
Something to drink, monsieur?
Two calvados, Madame.
Oui, oui, monsieur.
Yes, cafes like these are the unwashed linen Paris hides from her guests.
But I feel most at home with the criminals who frequent these places.
Because you worked among them?
No, because I was one of them.
Look, here, on my chest.
G-A-L?
Burn into my flesh, the mark of the chain gang.
You?
I spent eight years on the chain gang.
But how, then?
It was supposed to be fifteen, but I escaped.
In the habit of a nun.
Oh, but did they know when you worked in the Syrreté?
Well, of course. That's why I worked there.
You know what it is to be a fugitive?
To live expecting a return to that hell where I couldn't stand it.
So I made a supreme gamble.
And you went to the Syrreté?
Ah, non, mon ami.
What was more logical?
I knew everything about crime, every trick of the trade.
And then?
Well, then, monsieur, inevitably, I became commissioner.
Here he is.
The marquis.
Madame, have you a corn on table?
Oh, certainly. And I have cooled some of your wine.
I will bring it immediately.
Are you going to speak to him?
No, no, no. We'll wait.
Be ready to leave.
Leave? Just when he's around?
No, no. Do as I say.
When you see the old woman coming back.
Now.
Pardon, pardon, monsieur. May I pass?
Just a moment. What is this wine you have?
Oh, please. It has been ordered specially.
I'd like to sample it.
Oh, please. No, no. No, no, no. It is for the marquis.
Monsieur, the marquis. Your butter.
Eh? What? What?
Pique! You take my wine? I think not.
He's got a knife. Vidoc.
I've handled two fellows with knives.
Pique! When you steal wine, monsieur, memento mori!
Remember, you must die.
We all must die.
Stand back. Against the wall.
Attention, all. Be quick.
Now, who was responsible for this fight?
It was the sailor. He took the wine.
Nana, why blame me? I was insulted by the marquis.
I insulted you?
Liar!
Enough! You are both under arrest.
Here, put out your hands.
There. Locked together. A cozy, loving pair.
Auto Light is bringing you Mr. Charles Boyer in Vidoc's final case.
Tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
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And now, auto light brings back to our Hollywood sound stage Mr. Charles Boyer in Elliot Lewis's production of V-Doc's final case.
A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
And so, according to plan, my plan, the marquee and I, V-Doc, were thrown in the same cell.
For it has been my experience, Commissioner Dubigny, that to gain a man's confidence, one must share the hardest blows of his personal fate.
When you learn that, you will have taken the first small step toward mastering the art of detection.
But enough. I had boasted to Inspector Williams and I believed to you that the marquee would talk within 24 hours.
But the hours dragged on and he sulked in his corner and I in mine.
Finally, I gave a prearranged signal to a passing guard.
You, on your feet.
I only stand in the presence of gentlemen.
Stand up.
You are to come with me.
Don't tell me this lying pig is being released while I...
Released. He's being taken upstairs for questioning.
We have a tip on this fine bird.
A tip?
That you know quite a lot, Monsieur, about these robberies. Now, march.
Say, how did he look when you said you had a tip about me?
He interested, Monsieur Villocque, and I think there was sympathy.
No.
When I reached your office, de Minis, you were eating your dinner. Yes, Chateau Briand with sauce Henri IV.
And I thought, Commissioner, how you had never lived as I had so often on nothing but bread and water.
But I was in your office because of duty, so I wasted no time.
Well, the marquis will not talk.
Ah, well, I am afraid this case is too much for you, Villocque.
Your trap is sprung, the bird is caught, but he will not sing.
Because you have a stool pigeon in the next cell.
How did you know?
What do you take me for? His ears wave through the bars. Remove him.
Any more advice?
Yes. Have your gendarmes give me a sound beating before they throw me back into the cell.
My pleasure.
After I have eaten.
Oh.
A Chateau Briand also, and pommes soufflées, and then a sweet.
The beating was genuine. I insisted on that.
An artist must make sacrifices to be near, must be willing to risk his flesh, his very life on every turn of the wheel.
Which is why you will never be a Vidocque.
It was two hours later when they threw me back into the cell.
You will talk. You will talk.
You will talk. You will talk yet.
But I know nothing.
Here. Let me see that coat.
I told them I knew nothing. Whoever committed those robberies would not let himself fall into the hands of the police.
That is right, my friend.
But I must say I was flattered to think they believed that...
You are right to be flattered.
What? You mean you?
You know them?
The men who robbed the Petit Palais? The men who planned it?
Ah, brilliant. Incomparable.
Yes. I know them well.
And so the birds sang.
And I was ushered back to your office just before midnight.
But it was fortunate you were alone, Dubigny, for much of what I had to say was only for your ears.
Well? Well, Vidocque?
Well, the case is solved. Let me sit down, please.
Well, well? Did the marquis confess?
No, no. Not so fast, mon ami. I know the names of everyone involved.
I know where the stolen goods are stored.
Excellent, excellent. Well?
And I know I'm very weary of crime, commissioner. Of greed and envy and fear.
Of men who seek success through fraud because they have no talent.
All of us have whole crimes.
And I am weary of you, Dubigny, who stole to achieve your success.
I stole?
My name. The only thing of value I owned.
When I left the surety, I left a monument that towered in the minds of my countrymen.
You stole it. You tore it down stone by stone.
Why, I... How could I? You have delusion.
You whispered in one ear and then another.
You drove me out of Paris hoping that I would be utterly forgotten. Am I right?
Vidocque, I beg you. You know the names.
Yes. But there is a price.
How much?
I have composed a statement for you to sign.
I, Emile Dubigny, declare that whatever poor talents I possess,
I owe entirely to the master of all detectives, Vidocque.
But what will you do with it?
I will use it as I see fit. When I see fit.
Very well. There. Now, the name.
Here is the address where the stolen goods are stored.
But who?
If you make a raid now, I said immediately, you may find the whole gang there.
But their names...
Hurry, Commissioner. Do you need the names if you can't catch them with the goods?
I let you lead the raid in person, knowing that newspapers would send reporters there.
I was willing to let you have the glory for once.
I remained in your office, drinking your excellent cognac,
when young Inspector Williams joined me.
He had been informed that the case was solved.
Ah, a most charming cognac.
Yes. And now tell me, the marquis was not involved?
No, no, no, no. He merely disclosed the names.
How many were in the gang?
Seven. Yes, seven. All experienced thieves.
Oh, was there an Englishman?
Why, yes. I believe he said there was one who had escaped from Dartmoor.
The Commissioner's reasoning was correct on that.
And the mastermind?
The marquis did not say.
But surely Vidocque, you know?
Not of his certainty.
Then I have surpassed my teacher because I know.
Oh? And who is he?
You.
Oh, Mr. Williams, what possible proof.
Proof?
My proof is the marquis.
In the Cavit Latour, when you and he staged that very convincing fight.
What? Staged, Mr. Williams?
The marquis shouted, memento mori.
What of that?
The Latin motto.
The marquis is le bac, your assistant in the variety show,
the man who fancies himself to be a classical scholar.
Justitia virtutum regina.
Justice is the queen of virtues.
What could be my motive?
I mean, to rob and gain nothing for myself?
Didn't you gain great satisfaction when all of France laughed at Daubegne?
Bravo! You are worthy of your teacher.
Before I go, what will Daubegne discover in this raid?
The stolen goods, the jewels, the generous medals,
the mirrors and paintings from the Petit Palais, everything.
And the gang?
Oh, they have escaped. But they are of no consequence.
There were only two men.
And now, one is a chabé marquis, and the other, well,
a man who is rather pleased with himself.
And so, I, Vidoc, beg your indulgence,
Commissioner Daubegne, for the nature of this report.
As I said, it is my final case, and perhaps not my best.
If you wish, consign these pages to the fire.
There are witnesses revealed here, both yours and mine,
which I fancy both of us are willing to forget.
Suspense!
A true story presented by Auto Light.
Tonight's star, Mr. Charles Boyer, will return in just a moment.
This is Harlow Wilcock, speaking for Auto Light,
world's largest independent manufacturer of automotive electrical equipment.
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So remember, from bumper to taillight, you're always right with Auto Light.
And now, once again, Mr. Charles Boyer.
Next week, the fourth member of our first Drama Quartet will appear on Suspense.
Sir Cedric Hardwick will star as the most infamous poisoner who ever lived, Dr. Edward William Pritchard.
The program will be heard on Suspense.
Suspense was transcribed and directed by Elliot Lewis.
Music was written by Lucian Morawick and conducted by Lud Gluskin.
The Doc's final case was written for Suspense by Sylvia Richards.
Featured in tonight's story were Ben Wright, William Johnstone,
Paula Winslow, Harley Bear, Victor Rodman, and Joseph Kern.
Charles Boyer may be seen in the fall tour of the first Drama Quartet's presentation of Don Juan in Hell by George Bernard Shaw.
Remember next week, Sir Cedric Hardwick, in another true story, which we call The Diary of Dr. Pritchard.
You can buy auto light staple batteries, auto light electrical parts, auto light resistor type, or standard type spark plugs at your neighborhood auto light dealers.
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