Originally Aired: January 3, 1934
Calling All Cars #6, "Missing Mexican Sheiks," begins when three armed men, led by Bob York, storm a jewelry store on South Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles. During the robbery, York fatally shoots a customer who wanders in at the wrong moment. The police arrive to find few clues: witness descriptions, the fatal bullet, and a discarded pillowcase used to carry the stolen goods. Ray Pinker from the police laboratory manages to decipher a laundry mark on the pillowcase, but the lead goes cold when the associated hotel yields no suspects.
As the investigation stalls, the gang members gather at their hideout to divide the meager proceeds from their fence. Tensions flare immediately when York proposes an unequal split, arguing that he and Frank did the real work while Hank fumbled around in the back room and Johnny merely drove the getaway car. The situation grows dangerous as the gang confronts York about the unnecessary killing, which has turned a simple robbery into a murder case that could send them all to the gas chamber. The question becomes whether greed and suspicion will tear the gang apart before the police can track them down.