Dragnet – Big Elevator. ep150, 520424

Homicide Detail. A corpse has been found in the hospital elevator and it’s up to Joe Friday to identify the body and find the killer.

Working the night watch with his partner, Bill Lockwood, Joe interviews hospital staff. The body was still warm and placed in a wheelchair in the elevator. What will other attendants reveal about the elevator? Joe and Bill inspect the crime scene and marks on the body. The crime lab team gives the scene a thorough inspection and Joe reports into the chief. Will clues come in with fingerprints, or checking with the “Missing Persons” detail?

In voiceover, Joe describes the mundane details of the investigation. Clues lead to an apartment building. What will the landlady reveal about her Tennant and the recent party? The trail leads to a factory foreman, where the cops take the man outside the noisy production floor. Cheswick is the estranged husband of the dead woman. Was there any friction between the couple? He has a solid alibi for the time of the murder.

A local bartender may have the best clue in finding the killer. The off duty bartender is nervous when the cops question him and take him downtown. His story isn’t believable, as he details his whereabouts. His description matches one given by hospital attendants. Now it’s just a matter of coming clean, and confessing.