FERRARO'S FAVOR PART ONE Doorway To Nightmare Sydney Chase Season 3 Episode 05

0:00 Speaker 1: Hi, this is Winslow.

0:01 Speaker 2: This is Crimson. And if you like what we're doing, hit the like button. And if you want to hear more, subscribe.

0:10 Speaker 1: And please share it to all your friends.

0:12 Speaker 2: Everybody, everybody.

0:28 Speaker 3: With this key, you unlock the world to your dreams. What lies beyond could be the doorway to nightmare. Come in. Welcome. I'm your host through the doorway to nightmare. Raymond Chandler, creator of the fictional detective Philip Marlowe once wrote, the private detection of fiction is is a fantastic creation who acts and speaks like a real person. They can be completely realistic in every sense but one. In life as we know it, such a person would not be a private detective.

1:42 Speaker 2: Alex, maybe I shouldn't have taken on this case.

1:46 Speaker 1: Having second thoughts, Sidney?

1:48 Speaker 4: I have less than three days to find the evidence from a case that is over five years old.

1:53 Speaker 1: Well, didn't Ferraro give you anything to go on?

1:58 Speaker 2: Tony Ferrari is probably a part of this mess.

2:02 Speaker 4: Three days, Alex. Only three days. Then the state will execute a man. An innocent man.

2:13 Speaker 3: Our mystery drama from the casebook of Sidney Chase, Ferraro's Favor, was written especially for Doorway to Nightmare by Winslow Swan and Crimson McKenzie, and stars Crimson McKenzie and Dave Arkapov. It is sponsored in part by Swanage Press. I'll be back shortly with Act One. The mystery story is really two stories in one. On one side, you have what happened, and on the other, what appeared to happen. Sidney Chase, private detective, looks at both sides and tries to distinguish between the two.

3:11 Speaker 1: Yes, I'm Dr. Alexander McDougall, friend and confidant of Sidney Chase, and I suppose that you have sought me out to learn more about her efforts to free a condemned man. It all began on a Wednesday afternoon when I went around to her home and office for our weekly game of chess. Sydney greeted me at the.

3:44 Speaker 2: Door. Oh, Alex. I'm sorry. I forgot it was Wednesday.

3:58 Speaker 1: Oh, the great Sydney Chase forgot?

4:02 Speaker 2: I'm sorry. Really, I am.

4:04 Speaker 5: I just.

4:06 Speaker 2: I don't feel up to a game of chess tonight.

4:09 Speaker 1: Well, we can make it for another evening if you are not feeling.

4:12 Speaker 2: It isn't that, Alex.

4:14 Speaker 1: Perhaps I should come in and give you a quick examination. Have you been feeling ill?

4:20 Speaker 2: You don't remember what day it is, do you?

4:24 Speaker 1: Why, it's Wednesday, July... Oh, that day.

4:29 Speaker 2: Why don't you come in? I really don't want to be alone right now.

4:34 Speaker 1: Would you like me to fix the drinks tonight?

4:37 Speaker 2: I'm three up on you, but please, go ahead.

4:44 Speaker 1: I see you went on to the more medicinal drinks.

4:48 Speaker 2: It isn't fair, Alex.

4:50 Speaker 1: Cancer never is.

4:51 Speaker 2: He was only 32. Why him?

4:56 Speaker 1: I have no answers for you, Sidney. Your husband was a good man who was taken away by a... dreadful disease. There isn't anything that I can say that will change that fact.

5:10 Speaker 2: I think I need another drink.

5:12 Speaker 1: I think that you need a case to work on.

5:14 Speaker 2: Alex, you're sweet. How many lost dogs can there be in this town?

5:20 Speaker 1: In the meantime, why don't you take my advice and get your mind on something else?

5:25 Speaker 2: Like a game of chess, Dr. McGoole?

5:28 Speaker 1: Oh, Cindy, I really wish that you would not call me that.

5:32 Speaker 2: I'm just teasing, Alex. You know I'll only tease you out of love.

5:37 Speaker 1: It's your move, Miss Chase.

5:40 Speaker 2: Now who could that be? Sidney Chase. Basket Case.

5:48 Speaker 5: Sidney? Are you okay?

5:51 Speaker 2: What is it, Tony?

5:52 Speaker 5: Is there any way you could meet me tonight?

5:55 Speaker 2: Why, Tony, you're a married man. I always knew you were sweet on me, but a date?

6:02 Speaker 5: Sydney, I'm being serious.

6:04 Speaker 4: Oh, I never expected you to swoop in and take me away from all of this.

6:09 Speaker 2: Shall we make it Vegas or the Bahamas?

6:13 Speaker 5: Dammit, Sydney. Just meet me at the Slaughtered Lamb in 20 minutes.

6:17 Speaker 2: Doesn't sound very romantic.

6:19 Speaker 5: It's not supposed to be romantic. I need your help.

6:25 Speaker 2: What's the matter, Tony? Did the body from the last homicide get up and walk away?

6:29 Speaker 1: I take it that that was Lieutenant Ferrero who called.

6:35 Speaker 2: You take it right.

6:37 Speaker 4: I think I might have upset old Ferrari with that last crack.

6:40 Speaker 1: Are you going to meet him?

6:41 Speaker 2: I suppose I better. He actually said that he needed my help. Needed! How can I pass an obvious excuse to give him a hard time?

7:01 Speaker 5: Over here, Sidney. Hello, Tony.

7:04 Speaker 2: You handsome devil. And what a wonderful place to meet. How many eyeballs did they sweep up last night?

7:11 Speaker 5: Sidney, please. This is serious.

7:14 Speaker 3: Tony?

7:15 Speaker 2: I've never seen you like this. What's going on?

7:18 Speaker 5: Do you remember Carlton Baggins?

7:21 Speaker 2: Vaguely.

7:22 Speaker 4: They closed that case before I ever came to your squad.

7:26 Speaker 5: I closed that case. What there was of it.

7:29 Speaker 2: What about him?

7:30 Speaker 5: His execution is in three days.

7:33 Speaker 2: Yeah?

7:34 Speaker 5: I may have put the wrong man in the gas chamber.

7:37 Speaker 2: Why do you say that? I mean, I know you're not the sharpest detective in the world.

7:42 Speaker 5: Don't start with me, Chase. I'm a damn good detective. You know I was solving cases before you came along.

7:50 Speaker 2: You start slipping, Ferrari.

7:51 Speaker 5: Will you stop calling me that?

7:53 Speaker 1: It's Ferraro.

7:54 Speaker 2: Oh, isn't that what I said?

7:56 Speaker 5: Just forget it, Chase. An innocent man is going to die and you want to make jokes.

8:02 Speaker 2: Tony, this really is serious. What's going on?

8:10 Speaker 5: This is the entire file. The evidence, the pictures, everything that we had. It was open and shut. After I heard yesterday that Baggins was getting executed, I went back and looked.

8:23 Speaker 2: At it all again So, you had a good case, didn't you?

8:27 Speaker 5: I'm not so sure now.

8:30 Speaker 2: So tell me, what's on your mind?

8:32 Speaker 5: Okay, Carlton Baggins was just an ordinary guy. Worked as a bookkeeper at a law firm here in town. You know, personal injury stuff. He was married to Tricia Adams, one of the attorneys. One night, while working late, he manages to go home and finds his wife dead from multiple knife wounds.

8:54 Speaker 2: And you deduced that he had killed his wife.

8:57 Speaker 5: All of the evidence pointed that way.

8:59 Speaker 2: Why would he kill her?

9:00 Speaker 5: He found out that she was having an affair. We never did find the lover, but we sure found him. Covered in her blood. He was lying on the sofa with a knife in his hands.

9:13 Speaker 2: Just waiting for the cops to come?

9:15 Speaker 5: He was passed out. Said that he'd gotten knocked out by someone, but there was no bruise on his head. We got the call shortly after his wife was murdered.

9:26 Speaker 2: Pretty convenient, if you ask me.

9:28 Speaker 5: He always swore he was innocent, but the evidence was just too good against him.

9:33 Speaker 2: And now you're having doubts.

9:35 Speaker 5: Big ones. I can't put my finger on it, but... Sidney, can I hire you?

9:53 Speaker 3: Sidney looks at Ferraro and notices the lines in his face are deeper. darker. A twinge of sympathy crosses her own features. I'll be back with Act Two. Sidney Chase has taken on an old case from her former boss, Lieutenant Anthony Ferrero, who believes that the man he sent to death row is actually innocent. While looking over the case files, she explains the story to Alex.

10:48 Speaker 1: And you agreed to it?

10:50 Speaker 2: Hey, Alex, a case is a case.

10:53 Speaker 1: You mean you're actually charging him for this?

10:57 Speaker 2: Alex! What do you take me for? Ferrari is, or rather was, a fellow officer who reached out to me for help. I couldn't say no.

11:09 Speaker 1: How much?

11:11 Speaker 2: Besides, the case intrigues me.

11:14 Speaker 1: Sidney, how much?

11:17 Speaker 2: My usual fee.

11:18 Speaker 1: How much?

11:20 Speaker 2: Okay, so maybe I doubled my usual fee. But we're talking about Anthony Ferrari. Sidney! Don't worry. I'm not going to actually charge him that much.

11:31 Speaker 1: Well, that's good to know.

11:32 Speaker 2: Maybe I should triple it.

11:34 Speaker 1: Sidney!

11:35 Speaker 4: I'm just kidding, Alex. Alright, so I told you all the facts as they were told to me. Why don't you start helping me by looking at the autopsy report?

11:45 Speaker 2: I'll start reading the.

11:48 Speaker 1: Would you like me to get that?

11:49 Speaker 2: Oh, no. Let me. Yes?

11:55 Speaker 6: Miss Sidney Chase, I'm Eve Chesser. May I come in?

11:59 Speaker 2: Of course. This is my friend, Dr. Alexander McDougal.

12:04 Speaker 1: McDougal! Very pleased to meet you. May I offer you something to drink?

12:09 Speaker 6: No, thank you. Miss Chase, are you available to take a case at the moment?

12:14 Speaker 2: Well, I'll have to look at my calendar. Yep, I'm free.

12:19 Speaker 6: I'll pay you whatever you want.

12:20 Speaker 2: First, why don't you tell me what it is you would like for me to do?

12:24 Speaker 6: Carlton is innocent. He didn't kill his wife.

12:27 Speaker 2: Are we talking about Carlton Baggins?

12:29 Speaker 6: He's my brother. And I know that he's innocent.

12:34 Speaker 1: What makes you so sure?

12:36 Speaker 6: Because of what his wife confided in me. My brother is not the best at holding on to a relationship. Tricia Adams was a bit of a fluke for him. Even I couldn't believe it when they got married. You see, my brother was a workaholic. Tricia was starving for someone. Anyone.

12:57 Speaker 2: That was the basis for the homicide conviction. In a jealous rage, your brother killed her.

13:02 Speaker 6: I didn't believe it then, nor do I believe it now.

13:05 Speaker 1: Well, it would not be the first time that a husband kills his wife for having an affair.

13:11 Speaker 6: But Carlton knew all about it. He was not the most sexual person in the world. He encouraged her to go out, and she made the most of it.

13:22 Speaker 2: Uh, so he was okay with her having an affair?

13:25 Speaker 6: Yes, so why would he kill her?

13:28 Speaker 2: Maybe he really wasn't okay with it.

13:30 Speaker 6: No, I think there was something more. You see, he even knew the man.

13:36 Speaker 3: Really?

13:37 Speaker 1: Sidney, didn't you tell me that the police never found out who the lover was?

13:42 Speaker 2: That's what Ferrari told me.

13:44 Speaker 6: My brother knew. I believe that's why he was framed. You see, her lover was a cop. A detective in the Homicide Squad.

13:55 Speaker 2: Do you remember his name?

13:57 Speaker 6: Detective Anthony Ferraro.

13:59 Speaker 7: Use everything I've not.

14:03 Speaker 2: Seen in a while.

14:04 Speaker 5: By all means. Please, come right in and don't bother to knock.

14:08 Speaker 2: You lied to me, Tony.

14:09 Speaker 5: About what?

14:10 Speaker 2: You were the lover of Trisha Adams.

14:12 Speaker 5: What are you talking about? The first time I saw Trisha Adams was when the coroner took her away.

14:18 Speaker 2: That's not what Carlton's sister told me last night. Swear to me, Tony. Swear that you didn't know her.

14:24 Speaker 5: I can't do that.

14:26 Speaker 2: Tony, you're a married man. I've known your wife for years. How could you.

14:31 Speaker 5: It isn't what you think.

14:32 Speaker 2: Oh, I'm thinking a lot of things right now.

14:34 Speaker 5: Will you calm down and let me explain?

14:37 Speaker 4: A simple, I don't think we should see each other anymore, was too much for you? Tony, did you kill her and frame her husband?

14:45 Speaker 5: Are you finished?

14:46 Speaker 2: Nope, but you might be.

14:48 Speaker 5: Trisha Adams was my informant.

14:50 Speaker 2: Informant? For what?

14:52 Speaker 5: Trisha was having an affair, and her husband did know about it. It was with Detective Alan Simmons from Vice. Tricia went out a few times with him and noticed some rather strange things.

15:05 Speaker 2: Like what?

15:05 Speaker 5: Apparently, Simmons was taking money from our local drug trade to look the other way. He was investigated a couple of times by Internal Affairs, but they could never pin anything on him. She came to me, and I told her I needed evidence. She said she'd get.

15:24 Speaker 3: It, somehow.

15:26 Speaker 2: And instead got killed. But how did you know her in the first place?

15:31 Speaker 5: I didn't. Gladys, my wife, did. They used to get their hair done at the same salon.

15:36 Speaker 2: So Gladys knows all about this.

15:39 Speaker 5: Not everything, but enough.

15:42 Speaker 4: Let's just say, for the time being, that I believe you. Do you think that Simmons killed her and framed her husband?

15:50 Speaker 5: If he did, it was an excellent job. Three days from now, Carlton Baggins will be put to death.

16:00 Speaker 2: Three days, Alex. I've got to crack this thing within three days. I'm not even sure if I'm going to be able to do it.

16:07 Speaker 1: Oh, I have faith in you, Sydney.

16:09 Speaker 2: I need to talk with Alan Simmons. But I don't want it to look like I'm accusing him of anything, especially extortion or murder.

16:16 Speaker 1: So, do you have a plan?

16:18 Speaker 4: Well, I know that he frequents the Slaughtered Lamb. Maybe I could sort of bump into him there.

16:25 Speaker 1: Sounds dangerous, but... Remember, if he is the one that killed Tricia, he wouldn't think twice about doing you in.

16:32 Speaker 2: The glamorous life of a private detective. Don't worry, Alex. I'll be careful.

16:39 Speaker 1: I certainly hope so, Sidney Chase.

16:56 Speaker 3: The gleam in Sidney's eye tells Alex that she has some sort of a scheme floating around in her mind. He gives her a very worrisome look before returning to the autopsy reports. I trust that you will return here for act three. Sidney Chase has put on her most becoming and only dress and is now entering the Slaughtered Lamb, a rather seedy lounge. Seeing Detective Alan Simmons at the bar, she makes her way to the empty stool beside him.

17:52 Speaker 6: Hi.

17:53 Speaker 5: Hi.

17:55 Speaker 2: Hello there.

17:56 Speaker 7: Are you talking to me?

17:58 Speaker 2: Buy a thirsty girl a drink.

18:00 Speaker 7: Aren't I the one that's supposed to use a line?

18:03 Speaker 2: I don't believe in typical social graces.

18:05 Speaker 7: What would you like?

18:06 Speaker 2: What's good here? I've never been here before.

18:08 Speaker 3: Hey, Joe.

18:10 Speaker 7: Fireball for the lady. Now, why haven't I seen you in here before?

18:15 Speaker 4: My first time, and I didn't particularly want to drink alone.

18:19 Speaker 7: What's your name?

18:21 Speaker 2: Scarlet.

18:22 Speaker 7: Like the character in Clue?

18:24 Speaker 5: Yes.

18:24 Speaker 2: But I'm so much better.

18:28 Speaker 7: I'm Alan.

18:29 Speaker 2: Pleased to meet you.

18:31 Speaker 7: So, where is this going?

18:33 Speaker 2: You tell me.

18:35 Speaker 7: Well, you don't look like the local talent.

18:38 Speaker 2: Oh, I'm not. And I don't engage in that sort of activity.

18:42 Speaker 7: So what brought you down here?

18:44 Speaker 4: In other words, what's a pretty girl like me doing in a place like this?

18:49 Speaker 7: Something like that.

18:50 Speaker 2: Can I be honest with you?

18:52 Speaker 3: Of course.

18:53 Speaker 2: I'm in business, just not the kind that you were thinking of.

18:57 Speaker 7: Really?

18:58 Speaker 2: Oh, yes.

18:59 Speaker 4: You see, I understand that you're the go-to guy for the type of business I want to start.

19:05 Speaker 7: And just who told you that?

19:07 Speaker 2: Well, it was some time ago, but Tricia Adams?

19:12 Speaker 3: Is that right?

19:13 Speaker 7: You do know that Miss Adams is no longer among the living.

19:17 Speaker 2: I just found out last week. You see, I've been, let's just say, On vacation.

19:24 Speaker 7: For five years?

19:25 Speaker 2: It was at state's expense.

19:27 Speaker 7: Why don't we take this conversation outside? Too many ears in here. So, why don't you lay your cards on the table?

19:41 Speaker 4: Let's just say that I have a supplier in Mexico who's interested in expanding to.

19:46 Speaker 7: The area so why tell me you.

19:49 Speaker 4: Are a cop aren't you i was told that for 10 we could get some protection.

19:56 Speaker 7: That's 20 okay 20 and when are you planning to start this.

20:01 Speaker 4: Business venture not until i have everything in place probably in the next couple weeks.

20:07 Speaker 7: You do realize that I could arrest you right now.

20:11 Speaker 2: But I don't think that you will. Otherwise, a lot of nasty evidence might pop up.

20:18 Speaker 7: What evidence?

20:19 Speaker 2: You killed Trisha and then framed her husband.

20:22 Speaker 7: You have been away for a long time. No, I didn't kill Trisha or frame her husband.

20:28 Speaker 2: Not what Eve told me.

20:30 Speaker 7: Oh, that murderer sister? So, you know her as well.

20:34 Speaker 2: She had a lot of Interesting things to say about.

20:37 Speaker 7: Lady, you have no idea who you're messing with.

20:41 Speaker 4: My, that is an awfully large knife. You think this is the first time that I've faced a knife?

20:48 Speaker 7: Oh, I'm sure it's not. Just make sure you're not on the wrong end of it.

21:02 Speaker 2: Sidney Chase.

21:03 Speaker 5: Sidney, why didn't you tell me that you were hired by Baggins' sister?

21:07 Speaker 2: Well, hi, Tony. I didn't think I had to tell you. Besides, I did tell you what she said about you.

21:14 Speaker 5: She's dead, Sidney.

21:16 Speaker 2: What?

21:17 Speaker 5: Her body was found in the park a little while ago. Coroner's still counting the knife wounds. Sidney, what did you do? No.

21:26 Speaker 2: No, no, no, no. Oh, God. I think I messed up.

21:35 Speaker 3: Going undercover for the express purpose of capturing a criminal is something that can be very dangerous. Sydney Chase was willing to take on that danger, but never dreamed that it would lead to the death of her client. And now a preview of the conclusion of From the Casebook of Sidney Chase, Ferraro's Favor.

22:10 Speaker 2: This isn't good, Alex. It is too much of a coincidence.

22:15 Speaker 1: I agree, Sidney, and I know that you do not believe in coincidence.

22:20 Speaker 2: What have you learned from the autopsy report?

22:23 Speaker 1: Only that Tricia Adams was killed with a serrated knife about eight inches in length.

22:30 Speaker 2: That can't be right.

22:31 Speaker 1: Oh, the coroner did a thorough job.

22:34 Speaker 4: I read the police report that Tony did. According to him, Carlton was found with a knife, which was what convicted him.

22:42 Speaker 1: So what's your point?

22:43 Speaker 2: It was an ordinary kitchen knife. Like a paring knife. Single blade, not serrated, and certainly not eight inches long.

22:51 Speaker 3: I'll return shortly with a final word. The author Ross McDonald once said that the detective's job is to seek justice for the corpse. Perhaps Sidney Chase will be able to do just that. Our cast included Crimson McKenzie, Winslow Swan, Dave Arkapov, Annie Mick, and Ezra J.D.

23:33 Speaker 5: Emmons.

23:34 Speaker 3: The entire production was under the direction of Winslow Swan and the story was edited by Crimson McKenzie.

23:42 Speaker 2: So, did you like it?

23:43 Speaker 1: Yes, I did.

23:44 Speaker 2: Why don't you hit that like button then?

23:46 Speaker 1: Oh, I could do that.

23:47 Speaker 2: Please leave a comment.

23:49 Speaker 1: I think I'll share this to all my friends too.

23:51 Speaker 5: Yay!

23:53 Speaker 3: Doorway to Nightmare is brought to you in part by Swanage Press. This is your host, inviting you to return with us through the doorway to nightmare for another adventure into the world of your terrifying imagination. Until next time, slumber peacefully. Epilogue The butler did it.