Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:23 — 13.5MB)
On robbery detail Joe Friday responds to a call from a delicatessen owner. On the scene, Joe Friday interviews the victim who tells how the robber didn’t say a word, but only presented a note. The old gent is a little cranky, but helpful. Another robbery with the same method is soon reported, and Friday is off for another interview with a victim.
The frazzled woman isn’t as much help, other than in confirming that it’s likely the same guy. Downtown the woman claims to have found the robber in the mug shots. Joe Friday provides voiceover to tell how the investigation is progressing. Things take an interesting turn when a man claiming to be the robber turns himself in.
The man robbed the stores, but didn’t mean to. Huh? He isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he leads the cops to the man who put him up to it. The brains behind the outfit claimed he was a collection agent, and used the less than smart man to do the dirty work. Will the cops believe the crazy story? Will the simple minded, punch drunk former boxer take the fall for his mastermind? For now the cops track down leads for the guy named Stoney, in hopes of tieing up their loose ends.
Things happen fast once Stoney is confronted, loose ends are tied, and things become clear. Hmm… it could be that the mastermind isn’t much brighter than his patsy. This cold qualify for an episode of Worlds Dumbest Criminals, old time radio style. I almost feel sorry for the crooks, but somebody needs to lock them up to protect themselves from the world, and the gene pool.
