Windfall
Broadcast: 5th May 1947
Added: May 24 2009
The man stood at the railing of the Jefferson Bridge looking over the rails hesitant undecided. In a way it was a foolish move on the other hand he didn’t know. He finally made up his mind, put his foot on the rail and then stopped suddenly at the sound of steps. A half minute later he made up his mind, disappeared over the side. It was a good gamble the hat he’d seen on the ground near the bridge timbers was nearly new. He smiled to himself started to try it on and then saw something in his tracks that stopped him frozen. Not six feet away was the battered body of a man sprawled on the ground near one of the bridge stanchions. He paused for a minute thinking then moved quickly to the body and searched the pockets. He wasn’t lucky this time there was no money no identification not even a pocket-handkerchief and then as he stumbled for a nametag inside the hat he discovered something else tucked under the sweatband was a slim black covered checkbook. He just had time to stuff it in his pocket when the sound of steps on the bridge above told him the strolling officer had returned. There was only one thing to do he called the officer over. And that’s how it began with a dead man and a checkbook with stubs that showed a bank balance of over $100,000, which he considered a windfall…