White Murder Case

Originally Aired: July 5, 1949Philo Vance #52, "White Murder Case," begins with the detective being ambushed outside his own home by two armed men, Ricky and Harry, working an extortion scheme against wealthy Peter White. The criminals kidnap Vance at gunpoint, blindfolding and gagging him to prevent him from identifying their location, intending to hold him overnight while they complete their plan to extract one hundred thousand dollars from White. Despite their precautions, Vance remains eerily calm, his quiet confidence unsettling the nervous Harry, who repeatedly warns his boss Ricky that Vance is too smart to cross.When Vance is released the next morning and returns to his office, District Attorney Markham delivers grim news: Peter White has been murdered in a violent struggle at his home, and the hundred thousand dollars he withdrew from the bank has vanished. White's estranged brother becomes a suspect, having had no contact with the victim for ten years following a bitter falling out over money. As Vance heads to the crime scene and Ricky celebrates his expected payday with his girlfriend, the connections between the kidnapping, the extortion plot, and the murder begin to emerge.