The Big Waiter

Originally Aired: September 13, 1951 Dragnet #118, "The Big Waiter," opens with Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero arriving at the Apex Men's Shop on a foggy Los Angeles night. Inside the store's back room, they discover the brutal murder of 64-year-old shopkeeper Joseph Wilford, beaten to death with his arms tied behind his back and a woman's slip knotted around his neck. The victim's wife, Agnes, claims she found the body after returning from a friend's house and reports that several hundred dollars and her husband's engraved wristwatch are missing. However, Friday and Romero's investigation takes a curious turn when they discover a gift-wrapped black lace nightgown with a card signed by the victim himself. As Friday and Romero question Mrs. Wilford, a troubling picture emerges of the couple's unusual marriage. Agnes reluctantly reveals that for ten years, her husband had maintained relationships with numerous young women, sometimes bringing them to the shop while she discreetly left the premises. Despite this arrangement, she insists they never argued about his infidelities. With evidence pointing to both robbery and a crime of passion, Friday and Romero must untangle the victim's complicated personal life to find his killer.