- Beloved Vera Bethune stars as Miss Aggie in a radio soap opera, but is about to be written out. One day she drinks water from a jug and is poisoned in a murder attempt. She is taken to the hospital and survives, but the killer returns.
- Miss Aggie is the central character on an immensely popular radio soap opera. The actress playing her collapses in the recording studio, and it's revealed that the water jug she drank from was poisoned. The actress survives and seems to be recovering. Her producers try to stifle the police investigation into the crime, claiming the actress poisoned herself to garner the sympathy vote from fans -- her contract was expiring, and she was about to be written out of the show ("Pow! Double pneumonia and she's off the air for a month and when she comes back nobody will remember what she sounded like."), Unfortunately, the killer comes back -- this time with a gun -- and Miss Aggie's departure is indeed permanent. When a hospital attendant is arrested for robbing the body of the actress's prize bracelet, it's revealed that she had left a dying clue for Ellery.—Peter Harris
- A page boy brings a jug of water and glasses to the radio studio where Anita Leslie is there early going over her script, while organist Mary Lou Gumm is practicing. Announcer Wendell Warren comes in, grabs his script, and immediately calls his agent, Herb, and asks what he has. Star Vera Bethune and co-star Larry Denver come in next, complaining about the writing.
The radio soap opera is about to start, and Warren hangs up. He joins the others, and Larry says that his contract is up in seven months and then he's off to Hollywood. Vera tells Anita to speak more softly and claims that the network thinks Anita is overdoing it. They go on the air for the "Every Day's Journey ", with Vera playing Aggie, the school principal.
Out in the hallway, Simon Brimmer is trying to talk with sponsor Mr. Pearl, who brushes Simon off and goes into the sponsor's booth. Simon goes in after him, and Pearl shushes him and listens to the broadcast. Aggie coughs, per the script, and Warren narrates about whether Aggie has a life-threatening disease or not.
The show cuts to a commercial break and everyone waves through the window to Pearl, and Vera goes to get a glass of water. Wendell criticizes Mary Lou's loud organ playing, and she asks him not to criticize her. Meanwhile, Simon makes a snide remark about the show's soap operaish qualities to Pearl, who says that his wife adores the show. Despite that, Simon says that his show attracts a more superior audience, which like to spend money. Unimpressed, Pearl says that America wants Miss Aggie.
The show starts back up and Anita, playing Aggie's cousin Jenny, asks Aggie what she's hiding. Aggie and Vera continue coughing, then collapses.
At home, Ellery is trying to cook with a new pressure cooker for Richard, who is on a diet. Richard comes from bed, having had a late night. Velie calls and tells Richard that Vera has been poisoned, and Ellery overhears his father's end of the call. Ellery knows Vera and her show, and was listening to it when Vera collapsed. He asks to tag along, just as the pressure cooker in the kitchen explodes.
Vera is still alive and at the hospital, healthy, and giving a statement to the press about how she doesn't know who would want her dead. Vera says that she'll be back as soon as the network lets her. A deliveryman brings in roses for Vera.
Ellery arrives and finds Richard in the hallway talking to Larry. Larry says that he and Wendell drank from the pitcher before the show began, and Ellery figures that means someone poisoned the water after the show began. Nobody entered the studio, so someone there must have poisoned Vera. Larry swears that despite the rumors, Vera wasn't trying to get him off the program. He admits that he's been playing up to Vera, and she took it more seriously than he did. When Larry tries to break it off, Vera lost her temper and they both said wild things.
The reporters come out of Vera's room, and Ellery goes in and explains that he's not a reporter. She knows Ellery by reputation and goes into leading lady role, and compliments Ellery's deductive skills. Vera says that everyone in the studio wanted her dead, but they won't try it again knowing that Ellery is on the case.
The reporters ask Pearl for a statement, and he delays until later and takes the elevator. Simon is already in it, shuts down the elevator, and says that he'll reveal the identity of Vera's poisoner in two days and gives his personal guarantee.
Ellery tells Vera that if he gets some rest, he'll call her. Vera turns down a police guard, and her agent Louise Demery comes in. with violets as a gift, knowing violets are Vera's favorite The star introduces Ellery to Louise, and Ellery leaves.
Later, someone pretending to be a cleaning person enters Vera's room where she's sleeping. Vera wakes up, and the intruder shoots Vera using a pillow as a silencer. The press soon get word of the murder and put out extras. The mayor calls Richard at home to tell him to solve the case, and that his wife is a fan of the show. Ellery listens in, and afterward Richard tells his son that it was his responsibility to keep Vera safe.
A reporter calls asking for Richard, and Ellery answers the phone and tells him that Richard is at the office. After he hangs up, he tells his father that Vera asked him to find the killer and he should have guessed there'd be a second attempt.
Simon goes to the morgue and checks Vera's body, then goes to check her personal effects. Ellery and Richard arrive, and Simon claims that he's paying his last respects. He told the morgue attendant that he was Vera's brother, and Simon claims that it's a misunderstanding. Richard orders Simon out, and Simon points out that the second attempt on Vera succeeded. Simon tells him that he plans to personally pursue the case, and Richard will be the first to know who the killer is... along with the rest of Simon's listeners. Meanwhile, Ellery goes through the personal effects and finds a small notebook.
The Queens go to the station and Ellery tells his father that something is out of place but he can't figure out what. Leslie is in Richard's office, and she wants to make a confession. Leslie tells the Queens that she doesn't have an alibi for the time Vera was shot. The actress says that Vera treated her like garbage, and she fell apart after the last show, couldn't sleep, and took a walk around 1 am when Vera was shot between 1:30 am and 2. She came back around 3 am. Leslie claims that she doesn't have a motive, but Richard points out that with Vera dead, the network might make Leslie the star. The actress tells them that Wendell told her the network was going to do that anyway,.
The two writers, Olivia and Alvin Burns, are in their office discussing how to cover up Vera's death and Aggie's subsequent disappearance from the show. Alvin can't keep all the soap operas they write for straight. Ellery comes in and Olivia tells him that they were going to write Aggie out of the show. Alvin figures that Ellery is there to do research for his next book, and Olivia tells Ellery that Vera's contract was running out and her contract design were exorbitant. They gave Aggie a cold and would have killed her off if Vera hasn't played ball with the network.
Ellery gets a call from Richard, who says that he'll be at the studio in 20 minutes. Once Ellery hangs up, the writers ask who he was talking about--a woman--and he says that it wasn't about Anita or Debra Jo before he goes.
At the studio, the cast is doing a show about Aggie's being in a coma from her double pneumonia. Louise is in the observation booth, and Ellery and Richard meet with her. Richard says that they have proof that she was in NYC when Vera was poisoned, and Louise was ticketed in Central Park. Louise admits that she was seeing a married man, and one of the men in the cast poisoned Vera. She dismisses Anita and Mary Jo as too innocent to be the poisoner, and leaves.
After the show ends, Ellery talks to Wendell and Larry complains to his agent about the quality of the scripts. Louise comes in and congratulates Anita, and says that they should discuss Anita's contract. Ellery asks Wendell about the poisoning, and he refuses to answer and leaves for a lunch date at Sardi's. Mary Jo knows Larry's phone number by heart, and asks Ellery if she can talk to him. He agrees, and Mary Jo plays the organist because she finds it hard to talk to people face-to-face without music.
Mary Jo explains that she came to NYC six years ago, but the city frightens her. Simon secretly listens in from the booth, as Mary Jo tells Ellery that a year ago she met Wendell and they had an affair until he rejected Mary Jo for another woman: Vera. The organist admits that she hated Vera and Wendell, but a few weeks ago Vera spurned Wendell. Mary Lou says that's why Wendell killed Vera. The organist breaks into tears, and Ellery goes over to comfort her. She tells Ellery that she still loves Wendell, despite everything, but is sure that Wendell killed Vera. Ellery sits down and lets Mary Jo cry on his shoulder, while Simon considers what he's heard.
Warren is in a steam room talking with his agent, and Simon comes in and introduces himself to Wendell. Wendell thinks Simon is looking for an announcer, and Simon corrects him and explains that he's investigating Vera's murder. The host has discovered that Wendell bought Vera expensive jewelry, and speculates that Vera grew tired of Wendell, linked up with Larry, and Wendell became jealous. Wendell says that he dumped Vera, and knew Vera was on her way out.
That night at the Queens' apartment, Ellery catches Richard at the refrigerator looking to break his diet. Richard claims that he just wanted to look at the turkey leg that Ellery hid, and Ellery explains that he was up looking at the police report and there's something wrong. There wasn't much poison in the pitcher, and a bored Richard reads an old newspaper. The photo on the front page shows Vera, with a bracelet on her wrist from the hospital that wasn't in the hospital room when they found Vera's body. Ellery suggests the killer took the bracelet and figures that if they locate the bracelet then they'll find Vera's murderer.
The next day, Ellery goes back to the hospital and talks to Nurse Frawley. Frawley was on duty when Vera was admitted, and Frawley figures that Vera was wearing it when she died. The nurse says that the night orderly, Gus Geropolis, might have taken it. Simon arrives and Ellery invites him to come along as he talks to Gus. The host says that he's there to talk to the security guard, and tells Simon about the bracelet that Vera insisted on wearing. Simon dismisses it as nothing and wishes Ellery good hunting.
Ellery goes to Gus' apartment and says that he wants to talk about Vera's bracelet. When Ellery threatens to call an officer, Gus lets him in and the orderly complains that people are always blaming him for thefts at the hospital. The orderly admits that he went into Vera's room but she was already dead, and offers Ellery the bracelet that he has hidden in his closet. Ellery goes in to get it and Gus locks him in the closet. and calls through the door that now he has to make a run for it.
As Gus packs, he admits that he took the bracelet and Vera was holding onto it when she died. When Gus leaves, he finds Velie in the hallway waiting for him. Velie has Gus let Ellery out, and Ellery has Gus confirm what he said earlier. Gus says that the bracelet is with his fence, and Ellery calls him over. The bracelet is among them, and Ellery points out that the bracelet is inscribed to Vera from her mother. The fence claims that he flimflammed, and Ellery tells the fence to tell them about the bracelet. When the fence assesses the bracelet and says that was worth about $100, Velie sees a headline on Gus' newspaper saying that Simon has broken the case and is going to announce the killer's name.
Richard is at home breaking his diet. Ellery comes in and Richard invites Ellery to join him. When Richard sneezes from the pollen in the air, Ellery says "Bless you" and gets an idea. The phone rings and Richard answers it, while Ellery looks out the window and asks the viewers if they know who killed Vera.
Richard tells Ellery that the Commissioner wants Richard at Simon's show to collect the male killer, and Richard is furious at Simon's arrogance. When Ellery realizes that Simon is going to accuse a man, he tells Richard that they'd better get to the station right away because Simon is going to accuse the wrong person.
The Queens go to the station, and Simon refuses to listen to Ellery. Simon has assembled all of the suspects, and admits that he's paid all of them because they're members of the union. The host accuses Wendell, because the bracelet implicated him. Ellery shows Simon the bracelet and the inscription, confirming that Wendell didn't give it to Vera.
Simon immediately takes his show off the air to avoid being proven wrong. Pearl is listening from the booth, and tells Ellery to continue. Ellery explains that the bracelet is made of violet jade, but says that it wasn't Anita or Mary Jo. He says that Vera poisoned herself to get public sympathy, and the real murderer saw the perfect opportunity to kill Vera for real. That night she snuck into the hospital and shot Vera, but Vera woke up and recognized her killer.
Louise is in the booth with Pearl, and Ellery asks if she knows the significance of the violet jade. He points out that Louise was the only one who brought Vera violets, and the clue implicates only Louise. Louise says that there was no love lost between her and Vera, and for 11 years Louise has only been surviving because she had Vera as a client. Vera wanted more money, and humiliated Louise when she couldn't get Vera the money she wanted. Anita came along and Louise figured he could attach herself to the young actress.
The agent realized that Vera poisoned herself to get public sympathy, and Louise seized on the opportunity to kill Vera for real. As Ellery and Richard leave, Pearl tries to sign Ellery for a show but Ellery isn't interested. Simon comes out and suggests that they discuss his new concept, and Pearl tells him not to call him as he walks away.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content