Plot

Police Inspector Steve Trent is called to the Radford Arms, a high-rise apartment building that has been taken over by a bank and its apartments now-unoccupied. There, the caretaker "Pop" Daley, leads him to an apartment where Trent finds the dead body of world-champion fighter 'Kid" Roberts. Also present are William Malcolm, Daley's unemployed nephew living in one of the "unoccupied" apartments, and Sally Grey, an unemployed secretary just in from San Francisco, also occupying an apartment unknown to the caretaker. Before long, suspects entering and exiting the building include building-owner Wells Deveroux and his knock-out wife Lola; "Knockout" Walters, a petty-thief and former fired-sparring mate of the murdered man; Jack Allen, Robert's manager, who shows up with three hoodlum bodyguards, a bad attitude and a very sour disposition; "Toledo Eddie" Marchetti, connected to a gambling syndicate; and Mabel Kane, former sweetheart of Roberts until he tossed her out in favor of an unknown "high-society, married dame." Among the many, many clues Trent uncovers are cigarette-butts with two different lipstick-brand marks, including "Tango Flower", suitable for brunettes; a Belgian .44-calibre revolver; a lingerie-filled suitcase; a ticket stub to the Opera Theatre for seat one, center section, row eight; a ladies' glove and perfumed handkerchief; expensive jewels, a diamond ring and bracelet in the dead man's room, and assorted notes, letters, lint and leavings, including a wrist-watch with a missing minute-hand which, of course, has the correct time shown only once an hour...24 times a day. It takes Trent a long time to crack the case, possibly because it takes him a long time time to ask somebody what time it is, or possibly because the title itself is a misnomer number.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>