British Radio Mystery: Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery Part 2

Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery part 2 of 8

Episode 2: “That Good Old Intuition”

Cast
Paul Temple – Peter Coke
Steve Temple – Marjorie Westbury
Charlie (their manservant)
Robert Ferguson
Helen Ferguson
Inspector Gerrard
Sir Graham Forbes
Max Wyman

I.
In a recap, Mrs. Ferguson tells Paul Temple that she saw her son Robert outside the hotel that morning. Before she could run across to him, he had disappeared (walking away down the Strand).

Paul asks her to explain it from the beginning. He also points out that if Robert wasn’t the victim of the crime…he was probably the killer.

Her husband tells Temple that he had seen Richard’s body that morning. Paul presses him – if he hadn’t been told that Richard was dead, would he have believed that it was Richard. [There was fingerprint evidence that it was Richard, but that will be dismissed with shortly.]

Paul tells the Fergusons to go back to their hotel and just carry on as normal for the next few days.

Charlie comes in and says that Sir Graham Forbes has arrived.

Paul comments on Red Harris’ statement about “they forgot the ring.” He also points out that the fingerprints they took that confirmed his identity were only taken from other items in his apartment – cigarette case, wallet, hair brush, and so on.

Sir Graham refuses to believe it, feeling that Mrs. Ferguson’s evidence is just that of a hysterical woman, and he, Paul and Steve argue about it for a few minutes.

Charlie comes in again. Reggie Macintosh has arrived and insists on speaking with Paul, Macintosh then comes in without waiting to be invited. He tells the assembled gathering that he’d taken Diana Nelson to the train – she had to return to Oxford, and when he went down to the Underground, he saw Richard Ferguson getting onto a train!

II.
It’s the next night, and Steve gives Paul some coffee and asks him what had happened that afternoon.

Paul tells Steve that he and Sir Graham went to Scotland Yard with Macintosh, and took a sample of Macintosh’s handwriting to compare against the magazine, the New Feature, that had been sent to the Fergusons.

“Paul, what do you think really happened?”

Paul says he was talking to Gerrard about those postcards, the ones from Jonathan. But the handwritings on those was different too, from the New Feature writer.

Steve says she doesn’t think that Macintosh actually saw Ferguson. She doesn’t know why she thinks that, only that she does.

Steve then tells him that she read Mavis Russell, aka Europa’s book, The Purple Moon. She says Paul should make a point of meeting Mrs. Russell, as she now believes that Russell might have had an evil influence on a young man.

They decide to go to Oxford for two or three days.

Paul receives a phone call from Robert Ferguson. He’s heard from Richard. He’s asked for money. Robert asks Paul to pick him to help him deliver the money.

III.
Paul and Steve drive up to where Ferguson is waiting outside the hotel. He is in distress, he has a bad heart and its acting up on him.

He’s to take the money to a flat in Lewisham, where he is registered as a Mr. Griffith. Paul tells Ferguson to go back into the hotel, because of his heart trouble, and he and Steve will go out to Lewisham and collect Robert.

IV.
Steve and Paul arrive at the Lewisham flat. It’s pouring with rain. They ask for Mr. Griffith. The landlady is stroppy, it’s almost half past 11. “You’re not one of the regulars.”

She lets them into the house, and says she’ll go up to let Mr. Griffith know they’ve arrived. But when she opens the door, she finds him dead.

Steve and Paul rush up. Paul goes into the room, then comes out again. “It’s not Richard Ferguson. It’s Red Harris.”

V.
The telephone rings and rings.

Paul answers it, breathless. He and Steve had been halfway down the stairs.

On the other end is Sir Graham.

Paul tells him he and Steve are going to Oxford .

Sir Graham tells Paul that he’ll have Max Wyman look him up. He wrote a book about Marcus Aurelius. Sir Graham will phone Wyman and have him look Paul up.

Sir Graham fills him in about Red Harris. He’d been using the name Griffiths for some time – he had a driving license in that name.

VI.
Paul and Steve are unpacking in their hotel room. Steve has brought dozens of dresses for their 2 day journey.

There is a phone call. The hall porter tells him that a Mr. Wyman is there to see him.

Wyman enters, and says that he has been invited to a cocktail party being given by Mavis Russell. He suggests that he and Steve go to the party, and then introduce Paul to her later.

They talk about Wyman’s writing for a minute, then Steve and Wyman go downstairs.

Wyman goes to get his car, and Steve is told that she has a phone call in the lobby. It’s Paul, He tells her that Max Wyman is an imposter!

End Part 2