01 - Twelve Times Zero by Howard Carleton Browne

Explore the intriguing love-triangle murder thats causing a stir in todays headlines. The key to solving this mystery is found not on Earth, but in a distant corner of the universe, hundreds of thousands of light years away! A tale woven from the pages of If Worlds of Science Fiction March 1952 edition.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter one of Twelve Times Zero by Howard Brown. This
is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
LibriVox dot org. Read by Ben Tucker, Chapter one. They
brought him into one of the basement rooms. He moved

(00:21):
slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a
man moves on his way to the firing squad. A
rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor
of a gaunt face empty at the moment of all expression,
harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny
beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
The three men with him watched him out of faces,

(00:43):
as expression was as his own. They were ordinary men
who wore ordinary clothing in an ordinary way. Yet in
the way they moved and in the way they stood,
you knew they were hard men who were in a
hard and largely unpleasant business. One of them motioned casually
toward a stree backed chair, almost exactly in the center
of the room. Sit there, Cordell, he said, a quiet voice,

(01:07):
not especially deep, yet it seemed to bounce off the
painted concrete walls. Wordless, the young man obeyed, sitting he
seemed as stiff and uncompromising as before. The man who
had spoken made a vague gesture, and the overhead light
went out, replaced simultaneously by strong rays from a spotlight
aimed full at the eyes of the seated figure. Involuntarily,

(01:29):
the young man's head turned aside to avoid the searing brilliance,
but a hand came out of the wall of darkness
and jerked it back again. Just to remind you, the
quiet voice continued conversationally. I am Detective Lieutenant Kirk, Homicide Bureau.
A pair of hands thrust a second chair toward the
circle of light. Kerk swung it around and dropped on

(01:49):
to the seat, resting his arms along the back, facing
the man across a distance of hardly more than inches.
In the pitiless glare of the spotlight, Cordell's cheek bones
stood out sharply, and under his deep set eyes were
dark smudges of exhaustion. His rigid posture, his blank expression,
his silence, these seemed not so much indications of defiance

(02:10):
as they did the result of some terrible and deep
seated shock. Let's go over it again, Cordell, Kerk said.
The young man swallowed audibly against the silence. One of
his hands twitched, came up almost to his face as
though to shield his eyes, then dropped limply back. That light,
he mumbled, stays on, Kerk said, briskly. The quicker you

(02:33):
tell us, the answers, the quicker, We all relax, okay.
Cordell shook his head numbly, not so much in negation
as an effort to clear the fog from his tortured mind.
I told you, he cried hoarsely. What more do you want? Yesterday?
I told you the whole thing. His voice began to
border on hysteria. What good's my trying to tell you?

(02:54):
If you won't listen, how's a guy suppose then try
telling it straight? Kerk snapped, You think you're fooling around
with half wits. Sure, you told us a crazy pack
of goofball dreams about a blond babe clubbing two grown
people to death, then disappearing in a ball of blue light.
You figure uncoppying a plea on its sanity. It's the truth,

(03:16):
Cordell shouted, as God hears me it's true. Suddenly, he
buried his face in his hands, and long, tearing sobs
shook his slender frame. One of the other men reached
out as though to drag the young man's face back
into the withering rays of the spotlight, but Kerk motioned
him away without haste. The lieutenant fished a cigar from
the breast pocket of his coat and began almost leisurely

(03:38):
to strip away its culliphane wrapper. A kitchen match burst
into flame under the flick of a thumb nail, and
a cloud of blue tobacco smoke writhed into the cone
of hot light. Cordel Kerk said mildly. Slowly. The young
man's shoulders stopped there shaking, and after a long moment,
his wan tear stained face came back into the light.

(03:59):
I I'm sorry, he mumbled. Kerk waved away the layer
of smoke hanging between them. He said, wearily, Let's try
once more, step by step. Maybe this time. He let
the sentence trail off, but the inference was clear. An
expression of hopeless resignation settled over Cordell's features. Where do

(04:20):
you want me to start? Take it? From five o'clock
the afternoon, it happened the tortured man wet his lips.
Five o'clock was when my shift went off at the
plan The plant, in case you've forgotten, is the Aims
Chemical comp and I'm a foreman in the dry packaging department.
Save your sarcasm, Kerk said equably. Yeah. I changed clothes

(04:42):
and punched out. Around five fifteen. Janita had called me
about four and said to pick her up at Professor
Gilmore's laboratory at what time, No special time, just when
I could get out there. We were going to have
dinner and take in a movie. No particular picture, she said,
we'd pick one out of the paper at dinner. Go on. Well,

(05:03):
it must have been about a quarter to six when
I got out to the university. I parked in front
of the laboratory wing and went in at the main entrance.
I walked down the corridor to the Professor's office. His
typist was knocking out some letters, and there were a
couple of students hanging around waiting for him to show up.
How about a smoke, Lieutenant Kirk nodded to one of
the men behind him in A package of cigarettes was

(05:23):
extended to the man under the light A match was proffered,
and the young man ignited the white tube, his hands
shaking badly. The Lieutenant crossed his legs the other way.
Let's hear the rest of it, friend, What for? Bitterness
tinged Cordell's voice. You don't believe a word I'm saying
up to now? I do well? I said something or

(05:45):
other to Almah, she's the Prof's secretary, and went on
through the door to the hall that leads to the
private lab. When I got Kirk held up a hand.
Wait a minute, you're busting right in on the professor
like that doesn't sound right. Why not wait in the
office for your wife? What for? Cordell squinted at him
in surprise. He and I get got along fine when

(06:08):
when Nita first went to work for him, he said
to drop in at the lab anytime, not to wait
in the outer office like a freshman or something. Go ahead, well,
the young man hesitated. We're back to the part you
don't believe, officer. I can't hardly believe it myself, but
so help me, it's gospel. I saw it. I'm waiting,

(06:30):
Cordell said doggedly. The lab door was open, a crack.
I heard a woman's voice in there, and it wasn't
my wife's. It was a voice like like cracked ice,
you know, cold and kinda well, brittle and deadly. That's
the only way I can describe it. Anyway. I sort
of hesitated there outside the door. I didn't want to

(06:50):
go bulling in on something that wasn't none of my business.
But on the other hand, I figured my wife was
in there. Else Almah would have said, so you hear
anything besides this collection of ice cubes. The young man's
jaw hardened. I'm giving it the way it happened. You
want the rest or you want to trade wise cracks.
One of the men behind Kirk lunged forward. Why you

(07:12):
cheap punk? Kirk stopped him with an arm. I'll handle this,
Miller to Cordel, I ask you a question. Answer it.
I heard Professor Gilmour only a couple words. Then two
quick flashes of light lit up the frosted glass door panel.
That's when I heard these two thumps, like when somebody
falls down. I shoved open the door fast, and right

(07:34):
then I saw her. Kerk nodded for no apparent reason,
and was careful about knocking a quarter inch of ash
off his cigar, tell me about her. The young man's
hands were shaking again. He sucked at his cigarette and
let the smoke come out with his words. She was
clear over on the other side of the lab, standing

(07:54):
a good two feet off the floor, in the middle
of a big blue ball of some kind of soft fire,
blue fire that sort of pulsed, you know. Anyway, there
she was this hell of a good looking blonde looking
right smack at me, and there was this funny kind
of gun in her hand. She aimed it and I

(08:16):
ducked just as this dim flash a light came out
of it. Something hit me on the side of the head,
and I well, I guess I blinked out. Then what Well,
like I said yesterday, I suppose I just naturally came
out of it. I'm all spread out on the floor
with the damnedest headache you ever saw. Over by the
window is the prof. And he wet his lips, and

(08:39):
what Nita. They're dead, Lieutenant, just kind of all piled
up over there, dead, their heads busted in and the
U the He sat there, his mouth working but no
sound coming out, his eyes, staring straight into the blazing light,
the cigarette smoldering forgotten between the first two fingers of
his left hand. Almost gently, Kerk said, let's go back

(09:02):
to where you were standing outside the door. You heard
this woman talking. What did she say? Cordell looked sightlessly
down at his hands. Nothing that made sense. Sounded near
as I can remember, like twelve times zero, then some
words or more numbers, maybe I'm not sure. Then she
said chain to a two hundred thousand years, and the

(09:25):
professor said something about his colleagues having no idea and
he had warned them, and the blonde said three in
the past five months, and then something about taking in washing.
The detective named Miller gave a derisive grunt. Oo've all
the goddamn stories, Kerk, you're going to listen, Eddie. Kerk
silenced him with a gesture, go on, Cordel. The young

(09:45):
man slowly lifted the cigarette to his mouth, dragged heavily
on it, then let it fall to the floor. That's all.
That's when the light started flashing in there, and I
tried to be a hero. Shrry, You've left nothing out.
You've got it all the truth like you wanted, Kirk said, patiently,
give it up, Cordell, you're saying as the next guy.

(10:06):
Give that story to a jury and they'll figure you're
trying to make SAPs out of them. And when a
jury gets sore at a defendant, he gets the limit.
And in case you didn't know, in this state, the
limit for murder is the hot seat. The prisoner stared
at him woodenly. You know I didn't kill my wife
or Professor Gilmour. I had no reason to, no motive.
There's got to be a motive. The police officer rubbed

(10:29):
his chin reflectively. Uh huh, motive. How long you married? Cordell?
Six years? Children? No aimes chemical? Pay you a good salary,
enough enough for two to live on? Sure? How long
did your wife work for Professor Gilmore? Four years? Next month?

(10:52):
What was her job? His assistant? Pretty big job for
a woman, wasn't it. Jannita held two degrees in nuclear physics.
You mean this Adam Baum stuff that was part of it.
Gilmore's a big name in that field, I understand. Kirk said,
maybe the biggest kind of young to rate that high.

(11:14):
Wouldn't you say? He couldn't have been much past forty?
Cornell shrugged? He was thirty eight, and a genius. Genius
has nothing to do with age. I hear not married.
I understand that's right. A slow frown was forming on
Cordell's face. How old was your wife, Kirk asked. The

(11:34):
frown deepened, but the young man answered promptly enough, Juanito's
my age twenty nine, Martin Kirk eyed his cigar casually. Why,
he said, did you want her to walk out on
her job, to give up her career? Cordell stiffened. Who
says I did? He snapped, Are you denying it? You're

(11:55):
damn well right, I'm denying it. What is this? Kirk
was slow shaking his head, almost pityingly. On at least
two occasions, friends of you and your wife have heard
you say you wished she'd stay home where she belonged
and cut out this playing around with a mess of
test tubes. Those are your words, Cordell. Every guy, the

(12:16):
young man retorted, who's got a working wife says something
like that now and then. It's only natural. Kirk's jaw hardened.
But every guy's wife doesn't get murdered. The other looked
at him unbelievingly. Good God, he burst out, Are you
saying I killed Banita because I wanted her to stop
working of all the there's more, snapped the homicide man.

(12:38):
When you pass Professor Gilmore's secretary in his outer office yesterday,
what did you say to her? Say to her, the
prisoner echoed, in a dazed way. I don't know that,
I some kidding remark. I guess how do you expect
me to remember a thing like that? I'll tell you
what you said, Kirk said coldly. It goes like this,

(12:59):
h alma ye think the profs through makin love to
my wife. Cordell's head snapped back and his jaw dropped
in utter amazement. What of all you nutsend? Never said
anything like that in my life? Who says? I said that?
Without haste? Kerk slid a hand into the inner pocket
of his coat and brought out two folded sheets of paper,
which he opened and spread out on his knee. Listen

(13:22):
to this friend, he said, softly. My name is miss
Alma Daikon. I reside at eleven forty two Monroe Street,
and am employed as secretary to Professor Gregory Gilmore. At
approximately five fifty on the afternoon of October nineteenth, Paul Kordell,
husband of missus Juanita Cordell, laboratory. Assistant to Professor Gilmore

(13:42):
passed my desk on his way into the laboratory. I
made no effort to stop him, since my employer had
previously instructed me to allow mister Cordele to go directly
to the laboratory at any time without being announced. Kirk
looked up at the man in the chair opposite him. Okay,
so far, Paul Cordell nodded numbly. At the time stated above,

(14:04):
Kirk continued reading from the paper. Mister Cordell stopped briefly
in front of my desk. He seemed very angry about something.
He said, Hi, all, may ye think the profts through
making love to my wife? Before I could say anything,
he turned away and walked into the corridor leading to
the laboratory. I continued my work until about five minutes later,

(14:25):
when mister Cordele came running back into the office and
told me to call the police that Professor Gilmour and
Miss Cordell had been murdered. Since there is an automatic
closer on the corridor door, I did not see mister
Cordele enter the laboratory itself. I do know, however, that
Professor Gilmore and missus Cordell were alone in the laboratory
less than ten minutes before mister Cordell arrived, as I

(14:47):
just left them alone there after taking some dictation from
my employer. Since I went directly to my desk, and
since there is no entrance to the laboratory other than
through my office, I can stay with certainty that mister
Cordell was the only person to enter the laboratory between
five that afternoon and five fifty five, when mister Cordell
came out of the laboratory and told me of the murders,

(15:08):
I hereby deposed that this is a true and honest
statement to the best of my knowledge, that it was
given freely on my part, and that I have read
it before affixing my signature to its pages, signed almah
Ka Dakin. There was an almost ominous crackle to the
document as Lieutenant Kirk folded it and returned it to
his pocket. Paul Cordell appeared utterly stunned by what he

(15:29):
had heard, and his once stiffly squared shoulders were slumped
like those of an old man. I don't have to
tell you. Kirk said that the only window in that
laboratory is both permanently sealed and heavily barred no one,
but you could have murdered those two people. You say
you saw them kill by some kind of a gun,
Yet a qualified physician states both deaths were caused by

(15:51):
a terrific blow from a blunt instrument. We found a
lot of things around the lab you could have used
to do the job, but nothing at all of anything
like a projectile fired from a gun. The prisoner obviously
wasn't listening, but she lied, he stammered wildly. All I
said to Almah Dakin was a couple of words, three

(16:11):
or four at the most, about not working too hard.
Why should she put me on a spot like that?
I just don't get it. Why should she go out
of her way to make trouble? Dawning suspicion replaced his bewilderment,
I get it, you cops put her up to this.
That's it. You need a fall guy, and I'm a
let listen to me. Cordell Kirk cut in impatiently. You knew,

(16:36):
or thought you knew, your wife was having an affair
with Professor Gilmore. You tried to break it up to
get her to leave her job. She wasn't having any
of that, and the more she refused, the soarer you got. Yesterday,
you walked in on them unannounced, found them in each
other's arms, and knocked them both off in a jealous rage.
When you cooled down enough to see what you had done,
you invented this wild yarn about a blonde and a

(16:59):
ball of fire, hoping to get off on an insanity plea.
I want a lawyer, Cordell shouted. Kerk ignored the demand.
You're going back to yourself for a couple hours. Buster,
think this over when you're ready to tell it right.
I wanted in the form of a witnessed statement on paper.
If you do that, if you cooperate with the authorities,

(17:21):
you can probably get off with a fairly light sentence,
maybe even an outright acquittal on the old unwritten law plea.
I don't make any promises. Gilmore was a prominent man
and a valuable one that might influence a jury against you.
But it's the only chance you've got, and I'm telling
you by God to take it. Cordell was standing now,
his face working sure. I get it. While you're after

(17:43):
is a confession. What do you care if it's a
flock alives. My wife wouldn't even look at another man.
Not you or anybody else is going to make me
say different. That blonde killed them. I tell you, and
I'll tell a jury the same thing. They'll believe me.
They're not a bunch of lousy framing cops. You'll find
out who's Lieutenant Martin Kirk wearily ground out his cigar
against the chair rung. All right, boys, take him back upstairs.

(18:08):
End of chapter one,