Originally Aired: August 2, 1949
Philo Vance #56, "Tick Tock Murder Case," begins with detectives Dan and Billy passing time at police headquarters playing Pinochle, with Dan owing Billy a mere 28 cents after another losing hand. The monotony of their evening shift is suddenly shattered when a burglar alarm sounds from the Wellington Loan Company on Rugby Street. Someone is tampering with the safe, and this quiet night is about to turn into something far more serious.
The two detectives spring into action, racing to beat their fellow officers to the scene. As Dan flips on the siren and they speed through the streets, they know the burglar has likely heard the alarm and may be making a hasty escape. What begins as a routine robbery call will draw the sophisticated detective Philo Vance into a puzzling case where timing proves to be everything, and the ticking of a clock holds the key to unraveling a deadly mystery.