by Hal Erickson
synopsis
An old couple has been brutally beaten; the husband is dead, the wife not far from it. Neighbor lady Mrs. Hurley (Barbara Eiler) informs Friday (Joe Friday) and Smith (Ben Alexander) that the couple's no-good son had recently been kicked out of the house, making him the number one suspect. However, further investigation suggests that the guilty party is someone named "Smokey"--which happens to be the nickname of the couple's former handyman. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of February 22, 1953
