Till Death Do Us Part: "I Do... For Now" – A High-Stakes Detective Mystery

0:04 Speaker 1: The Casebook of Sidney Chase. Produced and edited by Crimson McKenzie. Written and directed by Winslow Swan. And featuring Dave Arkapov, Winslow Swan, and starring Crimson McKenzie as Sidney Chase.

0:32 Speaker 2: Well, come on, Sydney. It's your move.

0:36 Speaker 3: Just give me a second, MacGoogle.

0:41 Speaker 2: What seems to be taking so long?

0:43 Speaker 3: Alex, you used the Sicilian defense when we started this game, but it looks like you changed to the Cairo Con defense.

0:53 Speaker 2: Well, you've been studying this, Chase.

0:56 Speaker 3: I had to do something to keep up with the great Dr. Alex McDingle.

1:00 Speaker 4: Oh, no.

1:02 Speaker 3: Besides, you always said that my chess game could use some improvement.

1:07 Speaker 4: There.

1:09 Speaker 3: Now you are in check.

1:14 Speaker 2: Very interesting move.

1:17 Speaker 3: No cheating while I'm answering the door.

1:20 Speaker 2: Sydney, I would never....

1:24 Speaker 3: Only kidding.

1:29 Speaker 5: Miss Sydney Chase? I'm Emily Longbow. May I come in?

1:34 Speaker 4: Of course.

1:35 Speaker 3: Please. This way.

1:41 Speaker 2: Well, good afternoon.

1:43 Speaker 4: Dr.

1:43 Speaker 3: Alex McDougall? Meet Miss Emily Longbow.

1:48 Speaker 5: Actually, it's Mrs. My maiden name is Harper.

1:52 Speaker 2: Ah, not THE Emily Harper.

1:55 Speaker 3: THE heiress?

1:58 Speaker 5: Not really an heiress, just a very fortunate lady.

2:02 Speaker 3: Who just happens to be the daughter of Bradley Benjamin Harper. World famous movie producer?

2:11 Speaker 2: May I get you something to drink?

2:12 Speaker 5: Yes, thank you.

2:14 Speaker 3: Pour me another glass, will you, Alex? Now, Miss Longbow, what can I do for you?

2:23 Speaker 5: It's going to sound a little silly, but I have to tell someone.

2:33 Speaker 2: Here you are, my dear.

2:34 Speaker 3: No matter what you tell us, I can assure you that it will not sound silly.

2:43 Speaker 5: Even if I tell you that I think my husband is trying to kill me?

2:49 Speaker 3: Maybe you better start from the beginning.

2:52 Speaker 5: I met my husband Reginald in New York about six months ago. I was doing a layout for a fashion magazine.

3:01 Speaker 2: As I understand it, you are quite the photographer.

3:05 Speaker 3: With quite a number of awards.

3:08 Speaker 5: It's the one thing that upsets Daddy, so I continue doing it.

3:12 Speaker 3: So the rumors about your father disinheriting you are true.

3:17 Speaker 5: Not exactly. He put that story out there to keep certain, shall we say, unsavory characters away from me.

3:26 Speaker 4: Ah.

3:28 Speaker 3: Didn't want a fortune-seeking con artist around you?

3:30 Speaker 4: Eh?

3:32 Speaker 5: Something like that. Anyway, while I was in New York, I met Reginald Longbow. I had stopped in at the hotel bar before going up to my room for a quick drink. I noticed this man sitting alone, and he seemed to be crying.

3:50 Speaker 3: Ugh! Hold this trick in the- Yes, that's what I thought too.

3:54 Speaker 5: But- There was something about him that drew me to him.

3:59 Speaker 3: So.

4:01 Speaker 2: So you sat beside him and listened to his story?

4:07 Speaker 5: That's right. Oh, he was very refined and worldly. I wound up staying and listening to him for almost three hours.

4:17 Speaker 2: What happened?

4:19 Speaker 5: We got married.

4:21 Speaker 3: That night?

4:22 Speaker 4: Yes.

4:23 Speaker 5: No, but it was only a couple of weeks later.

4:26 Speaker 2: And what made you marry him?

4:29 Speaker 5: My father. He met Reggie and instantly did not approve.

4:33 Speaker 3: And that was the reason you married a practical stranger? Because you were pissed off at your dad?

4:44 Speaker 5: I know, it sounds worse now, but it's exactly what I did.

4:48 Speaker 2: And you have been married for six months now?

4:52 Speaker 3: Almost.

4:53 Speaker 5: Next week will be exactly six months.

4:56 Speaker 3: Why do you think that your husband is trying to kill you?

4:59 Speaker 5: I don't know. It's little things. He's been rather short with me lately, flying off the handle over the silliest of things.

5:09 Speaker 3: Could you give me an example? Last night, I.

5:12 Speaker 5: Just happened to mention that I had an assignment next week in Los Angeles.

5:17 Speaker 2: Well, it seems rather tame to me.

5:21 Speaker 5: He was furious. Told me that I only married him to get back at my father.

5:26 Speaker 3: Well, didn't ya?

5:29 Speaker 5: I suppose in the beginning I did. But now, I really do love him.

5:34 Speaker 2: And how does he feel about you?

5:38 Speaker 5: That's just it. I don't know. He's been dropping little hints for the past few weeks.

5:44 Speaker 3: What sort of.

5:45 Speaker 5: Hence, like I had better get the brakes checked on the car, and has my life insurance paid up?

5:52 Speaker 2: Well, that could all be innocent.

5:55 Speaker 5: Maybe, but I found out something that isn't innocent. His previous wife died only a year before we met.

6:04 Speaker 3: Died? How?

6:06 Speaker 5: According to what I was able to find out, she took an overdose of sleeping pills.

6:12 Speaker 2: Well, that could happen. I suppose.

6:15 Speaker 3: Right now, all you have is a suspicion.

6:18 Speaker 5: It's more than a suspicion. This morning, I found a gun in the drawer in the living room.

6:24 Speaker 3: What's so odd about that? I have a couple of guns around here. It is our right as citizens.

6:31 Speaker 5: You don't understand. I told him that I cannot stand to be around guns. He knows that. Besides, I don't even know how to shoot a gun.

6:41 Speaker 2: Perhaps he got it for protection.

6:44 Speaker 5: I asked him about it, and he says that he never bought a gun. When I went to get it, it was gone. He denied ever having one and told me that I was imagining things.

6:56 Speaker 3: Okay, okay. Let's just calm down a bit.

7:00 Speaker 5: How can I calm down when I know that my husband wants to kill me?

7:04 Speaker 2: Mrs. Longbow, what would he have to gain by your death?

7:09 Speaker 3: Great question, Alex. I mean, I would assume that you made him sign a prenup.

7:16 Speaker 5: No, I didn't. Just something else Daddy would have wanted.

7:20 Speaker 2: But you do have a will, correct?

7:22 Speaker 3: Of course.

7:23 Speaker 5: Leaving everything to him. We both had one drawn up right after we were married.

7:28 Speaker 3: Hmm. I see. What would you like me to do, Mrs. Longbow?

7:35 Speaker 5: Please, call me Emily. I want you to do some checking up on him. Find out if his wife really did die of an accidental overdose.

7:45 Speaker 2: Do you feel safe being around him?

7:48 Speaker 5: It's okay for now. He's in New York on business. I have the house to myself.

7:53 Speaker 3: Okay, Mrs.

7:54 Speaker 4: Long.

7:55 Speaker 3: I mean, Emily. I'll take your case.

8:14 Speaker 2: Oh, yes.

8:15 Speaker 4: Please do come in and make yourself at home, Chase.

8:19 Speaker 3: Thanks, Tony.

8:21 Speaker 4: It wasn't an invitation. Now get out.

8:24 Speaker 3: Well, you just told me to make myself.

8:26 Speaker 4: I don't care what I told you.

8:28 Speaker 3: Tony, calm down. You're going to blow a gasket.

8:32 Speaker 4: What? When you left the department, I thought I was finally rid of you. But now it seems that once you got your private license, I see more of you than ever before.

8:45 Speaker 3: You just can't stay away from me.

8:47 Speaker 4: I'm trying very hard to stay calm. Now, what can the hard-working police department do for Sidney Chase?

8:57 Speaker 3: Tony, are you okay?

9:01 Speaker 2: That.

9:02 Speaker 3: It's some kind of change you just did.

9:05 Speaker 4: I'm not sure what you're talking about, Miss Chase. There.

9:09 Speaker 3: Right there. When I came in, you were ready to blow up. Now, now you're a lot calmer. What's going on?

9:21 Speaker 4: Well, if you must know, my doctor said that I needed to start taking it easy. My blood pressure was a little high. I was letting a lot of things get to me. You know? A lot of little things. But now, I'm trying to not let the world get to me anymore. You know? I'm okay. You're okay.

9:45 Speaker 3: Pins and needles, needles and pins. It's a happy man who grins.

9:51 Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah, something like that. Now, Sydney, what can I do for you? What?

10:01 Speaker 3: Oh, yes. I almost forgot why I came down here. Could you run a check on a Reginald Longbow?

10:08 Speaker 4: Oh, I can get right on that, Sydney. Just as soon as I finish these reports on my desk.

10:15 Speaker 3: You couldn't do it now.

10:17 Speaker 4: As you can see, I have quite a bit of paperwork that I have to get it finished before going home today.

10:24 Speaker 3: Ferrari! Come on, you could just type a name on your computer and.

10:29 Speaker 4: Chase! I said I would do it, okay? Now get out of my office!

10:35 Speaker 3: Tony, don't rile your bow!

10:38 Speaker 4: Chase, I swear.

10:40 Speaker 2: Just.

10:40 Speaker 3: Call me later.

10:54 Speaker 2: Over here, Sydney.

10:55 Speaker 3: Alex? What happened?

10:58 Speaker 2: Well, while you were with Tony, your phone rang. It was Emily calling from the hospital. I rushed down here and called you.

11:06 Speaker 3: Thank you, Alex. Where is my client?

11:09 Speaker 2: Oh, the doctor gave her something to calm her.

11:11 Speaker 3: But what happened?

11:13 Speaker 2: Well, according to her, she was driving home from our meeting when the brakes gave out. She said that she managed to swerve out of the way of traffic, but still ran off the road and flipped a car.

11:25 Speaker 4: Oh, my.

11:26 Speaker 3: Is she okay?

11:28 Speaker 2: Oh, just a few bruises. She's a very lucky young woman.

11:33 Speaker 3: Yes, she is. Sidney Chase?

11:37 Speaker 4: Sidney, is there something you want to tell me?

11:40 Speaker 3: Wait, Ferrari? You called me, remember?

11:44 Speaker 4: Why did you want me to run a check on Reginald Longbow?

11:48 Speaker 3: Do I need a reason?

11:50 Speaker 4: Where are you, Sydney?

11:51 Speaker 3: And why do you need to know?

11:53 Speaker 4: I'll meet you at your apartment in 20 minutes.

11:59 Speaker 2: I take it that there is more to this than meets the eye.

12:02 Speaker 3: How is my client doing?

12:04 Speaker 2: Well, last I checked, she was fine. A little shaken, but otherwise... Good.

12:10 Speaker 3: Let's go back to my place and meet with Ferrari.

12:29 Speaker 4: Thank you, Alex. I think I need this after the day I've had.

12:32 Speaker 3: What is going on, Tony?

12:34 Speaker 4: You asked me to check on Reginald Longbow. I just want to know why.

12:40 Speaker 3: Because my client is his wife and she thinks he is trying to murder her. Is that a good enough reason?

12:48 Speaker 4: I guess it'll have to be.

12:50 Speaker 2: What did you find out, Tony?

12:52 Speaker 4: Reginald Longbow's previous wife died of an overdose of sleeping pills. The coroner ruled it as accidental death.

13:01 Speaker 3: That's what Emily told us as well.

13:03 Speaker 4: Does your client know about his first wife? What?

13:08 Speaker 3: First wife?

13:10 Speaker 4: Ten years ago, Reginald Longbow was married to Gladys Wilkins.

13:15 Speaker 2: Now why does that name ring a bell?

13:18 Speaker 4: Because, Alex, she was one of the richest widowers in the country. She was also the head of Worldview Studios. Of course!

13:29 Speaker 3: That's where I heard Reginald Longbow was some sort of movie producer.

13:34 Speaker 4: That's right. He took over the studios after she died.

13:38 Speaker 2: And how did she die?

13:41 Speaker 4: Car accident. Something about her brakes failing and her going off a cliff.

13:47 Speaker 3: Oh, my. Tony, was there any evidence that might have pointed to murder?

13:54 Speaker 4: None at all. In either case... But I do find it rather a strange coincidence.

14:00 Speaker 3: And now, Emily thinks that he's trying to murder her.

14:03 Speaker 4: Why did we have to take my car?

14:11 Speaker 3: Because it's so much nicer than the one I'm driving.

14:16 Speaker 2: Sydney, are you positive that she left the hospital?

14:20 Speaker 3: Against medical advice. At least that's what my friend in the ER told me.

14:25 Speaker 4: Exactly how many friends do you have, Chase?

14:28 Speaker 3: Oh, one, two, three, more than I can count, Ferrari.

14:33 Speaker 4: Will you please stop calling me that?

14:36 Speaker 3: But you turn such a lovely shade of red when I do.

14:40 Speaker 4: You know, Chase, I could pull over and let you walk.

14:45 Speaker 2: Tony, mind your blood pressure.

14:47 Speaker 4: Leave my blood pressure out of this.

14:50 Speaker 3: What happened to... I'm okay if you're okay.

14:54 Speaker 4: Sidney! You have managed to take a year's worth of therapy and throw it down the toilet. Quite frankly, you are not okay.

15:07 Speaker 2: Tony, watch the road.

15:10 Speaker 3: Yes, let's not have a coronary.

15:37 Speaker 4: Nice house. Wonder what the electric bill looks like.

15:41 Speaker 3: Doesn't seem to have any lights on.

15:43 Speaker 2: Only the porch light. Are you sure that she came home, Sydney?

15:49 Speaker 3: Well, that's what she told the nurse when....

15:54 Speaker 2: Sydney! That sounded like... Come on!

16:02 Speaker 4: Emily!

16:04 Speaker 2: Emily!

16:04 Speaker 3: Open the door! Come on, Ferraro. Help me break it down.

16:12 Speaker 2: It's so dark in here.

16:14 Speaker 3: Look for the lights.

16:16 Speaker 4: I think... Yes, that's better.

16:24 Speaker 5: Sidney?

16:25 Speaker 4: What are you.

16:27 Speaker 5: Oh, I think I'm going to.

16:29 Speaker 2: Oh, there, there, there. I've got you, Mrs.

16:32 Speaker 4: Longbow.

16:33 Speaker 2: Come, here. Sit down here.

16:35 Speaker 4: Oh.

16:36 Speaker 5: Thank you, Dr. McDougal.

16:38 Speaker 4: We heard gunshots. What?

16:41 Speaker 5: Gunshots? Oh, wait. Yes, I shot... I think I shot an intruder.

16:47 Speaker 3: In there. Alex? Get in here!

17:03 Speaker 2: Yes, uh... He's dead.

17:06 Speaker 4: We can see that, Alex. A bullet to the head and chest will do that to a person.

17:13 Speaker 3: Tony, call in the squad.

17:16 Speaker 2: Is this who I think it is?

17:17 Speaker 5: Yep.

17:20 Speaker 3: Reginald Longbow.

17:21 Speaker 2: I can't believe it.

17:34 Speaker 4: Just tell us exactly what happened, Mrs. Longbow.

17:38 Speaker 5: I left the hospital this evening. They wanted to keep me overnight for observation, but I couldn't. I wanted to be home in case Reginald came in.

17:47 Speaker 2: But I thought you said he was in New York on business.

17:51 Speaker 5: He... he was. At least, I thought he was.

17:55 Speaker 3: It's okay. Just keep going.

17:59 Speaker 5: When I came in, I thought I heard someone in that room. I remembered the gun... Took it. Opened the door. I guess I fired without turning on the lights. I heard the body fall and that's when I screamed.

18:14 Speaker 3: Alex? Where are you going?

18:16 Speaker 2: I just want to check on something, Sidney.

18:21 Speaker 4: Seems to me like death by misadventure. Purely an accident.

18:26 Speaker 3: How long before the techies arrive?

18:28 Speaker 4: About ten minutes. Oh, Sidney!

18:32 Speaker 2: Miss Sidney Chase, would you come here for a minute?

18:41 Speaker 3: I didn't mean.

18:42 Speaker 5: I mean, Lieutenant, what's going to happen? I mean, to me.

18:48 Speaker 4: It was simply an accident, Mrs. Longbow. You couldn't have seen who was in there. You're lucky that he didn't have a gun. It could have been you lying on the floor.

18:59 Speaker 3: Oh, Tony!

19:01 Speaker 4: Tony Ferrari!

19:03 Speaker 3: Come here for a minute. Chase, can't you see that I'm... Just tell me what you see.

19:10 Speaker 4: Is that what I think it is?

19:13 Speaker 5: Oh, Emily!

19:15 Speaker 3: You've got some splainin' to do!

19:24 Speaker 5: What is it, Miss Chase?

19:26 Speaker 3: Didn't you say that you shot into the room but didn't see who was there?

19:31 Speaker 5: Yes.

19:32 Speaker 4: I mean, no.

19:33 Speaker 5: I mean, yes. I shot into the room.

19:37 Speaker 2: Stippling like that doesn't happen when you're shooting from that far away.

19:43 Speaker 5: What do you mean by stippling? What is that?

19:49 Speaker 4: That would be... considered murder one.

19:59 Speaker 2: Here you go, Tony. Thanks, Alex.

20:02 Speaker 4: Well, Cindy, I hope that you got your fee up front this time.

20:07 Speaker 3: Yeah, I did. Getting a little tired of my clients ending up dead. Or worse, being arrested.

20:16 Speaker 2: It's good to know that you have your priorities straight.

20:20 Speaker 4: You always have the missing dogs to fall back on.

20:24 Speaker 3: That's actually a good one, Ferrari.

20:31 Speaker 2: Don't feel bad, Sydney. At least you were not part of Emily's plot.

20:37 Speaker 3: Actually... It was Alex who figured it out.

20:42 Speaker 2: When she said that she had shot into the dark room, I remembered seeing something about the body.

20:50 Speaker 3: Yep, but she just shot into the room.

20:55 Speaker 2: However, the stippling or powder burns indicate that she held the gun within inches of Longbow's forehead.

21:04 Speaker 3: Yeah, if not right up against the man's head. The shot to the chest was simply a way to validate her statement of, I just shot into the dark womb.

21:18 Speaker 4: Pretty good work, detective.

21:20 Speaker 3: Well, Ferrari, he does have a brilliant detective as a teacher.

21:31 Speaker 1: You have been listening to the Casebook of Sidney Chase. Our cast included Patience Adams, Dave Arkopov, Winslow Swan, and Crimson McKenzie. Join us next time for another adventure from the Casebook of Sidney Chase. Epilogue. The butler did it.