 From Hollywood, it's time now for Johnny dollar Well, that's good news is it what where'd you find him a cabin on the other side of the lake and expensive It'll cost the company. I represent a cool $50,000 Tonight and every week day night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed Expensive out America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to amalgamated life associates home office Hartford, Connecticut Assignment the crystal lake matter Expense account continued Item three two dollars and fifty-five cents telegram to Tom Wilkins of amalgamated life associates notifying him of Edward Russell's murder I was reasonably sure the telegram wouldn't make Tom sleep any easier. I Headed for the office of Ansel Garrett deputy sheriff in charge of the crystal lake substation Sit down good Johnny. No, not good. Not good at all. Who found the body answer a fellow named Bixby's waiting next door I figured you'd want to talk to him. Thanks. I do first though. I'd I'd like you to run over what you know about this deal again for me I want to know just where we stand in it people at this resort pay a lot of money for peace and quiet I want to disturb it any more than I can help. Good luck Meaning meaning if you know where you stand in this deal You're a lot better off than I am and I've got a strong hunch a lot of peace and quiet's gonna get disturbed before it's wound up I don't like your hunches Johnny. You got a way of proven out like the one about Russell being dead. I Suppose you give me the rundown. Okay. Okay, and I can make it short because there's not much to tell The company I represent holds a fifty thousand dollar policy on Russell about a week ago. He disappeared his wife file a missing persons report Yeah, Leona Russell over in Denver She said her husband had told her he was going on an overnight business trip to Boulder He never came back. His car was found in a garage in Colorado Springs. His wife couldn't account for it. No, she said she was completely in the dark. I Take it she's his beneficiary. Oh, yeah, sure. I thought of that too. I asked her about it What kind of an answer did you get tears mostly and a pretty withering look? Either she's completely clean or she's one of the best actresses I've ever seen The rest of the story you told me how Russell came into your offices several days ago looking for a guy named Bill Last name a description unknown. No, like I said, there's a flock of bills in this neck of the woods Yeah, no the bartender the man who runs the boat house or clerk in a hardware store a few assorted others. Hmm I Told you I saw Russell having a drink with Betty Norton the same night he came to see me you check her out Yeah, yeah, I had to go swimming with her in that sub-zero lake before she'd answer any questions though Then when I got from her was nothing She said she'd met Russell at the hotel. I had a drink with him then left That's all you've got huh. That's it That's precious little to go on I'll let you talk to mr. Bixby. Oh Mr. Bixby, would you step in here, please? This is Johnny dollar insurance investigator. Mr. Clarence Bixby. Hi. How are you? Not too good at the moment You got troubles was my cabin the body was in oh a padlock had been changed Johnny Here it is No fingerprints other than Bixby's I'm monkey with it for a while until I realized my key wouldn't fit in and I pried it Open with a big screwdriver mr. Bixby Would you mind showing me your cabin and just what happened? I guess not doesn't matter much now anyway What do you mean? Well? I was gonna show the cabin to a guy when we found the body he wanted to buy the place But who'd want to buy it now? Bixby and I drove halfway around the lake his cabin was a couple of hundred feet from the edge and had a good view of the Water a nice spot here Bixby. It was you used the cabin much I haven't been able to regularly for the last couple of years. I got to figure and why I keep on paying for taxes and upkeep on it So I decided to sell it. Did you advertise it in the papers? I didn't first crack out the box I got a hot prospect. He's the one you brought up here to show the cabin to that's right His name is Putnam. I'd like to talk to him. Let me stand at the hotel Probably looking for another cabin to buy Here we are Let's see This is where the padlock was, huh? That was the first thing I noticed that the padlock had been changed When I had on there was better. Well, but did it probably pride the first one off? Right here is where I I pride off the lock this morning. Mm-hmm, then what and I opened the door Body was on the floor right over here I See Putnam turned green Well, that's not a very pretty sight to find in your own cabin. No Let's go sit outside The dead man Edward Russell. Did you happen to know him Bixby? No never said eyes on him before Why did they have to pick my camera? That's a good question Hey that camera about a hundred yards away who lives there or that one owned by the Butler family They spend their summers up here. Well, maybe they saw or heard something. No deputy sheriff questioned them They arrived here three days ago. He figured that was the morning after the killing Have a cigar What does it add up to darling Another moment mr. Bixby not much I Sat there and watch Bixby tie his cellophane cigar wrapper into a neat little knot And I realized that was exactly my situation at the moment The whole deal was a knot and I didn't know how to untie it. I Went back to the hotel. I had him for an expensive count of $1.75 Telephone call to the dead man's wife Leona Russell over in Denver I see I'm sorry, Mrs. Russell. I'm afraid not all the time I was trying to tell myself he was alive Yes, yes Look, Mrs. Russell. Have you ever heard of a man named Clarence Bixby? Your husband was found in Bixby's cabin. Did you ever hear him mention the name? Okay Thanks. Anyway, I'll keep in touch I hung up and sat there a moment thinking her over She stood to benefit to the tune of $50,000 by her husband's death She seemed on the up and up and yet Expense account item five another call to Denver to the police department I wanted them to check check on her But I found out that they and Ansel Garrett working together were a couple of jumps ahead of me It already checked on Leona and established the fact that at the time of her husband's murder here at Crystal Lake She'd been in Denver. I Decided to look up Putnam the man who'd wanted to buy Russell's cabin. I found him in the bar at the hotel Yes, I've said you it was quite a shock mr. Dollar when Bixby opened his cabin door Body sprawled there in front of us. Yes, sir quite a shock. Yeah How come you decided to buy Bixby's cabin mr. Putnam? Well, my wife and I'd been on the lookout for cabin for some time when I saw Bixby's dad in the paper It sounded like just sort of place I was looking for I see So I answered the ad made the arrangements with Bixby to come up here and have him show me the place Mm-hmm. You still interested in buying a cabin up here possibly I've always wanted a place where I can come for rest now and then but after what's happened I don't think I'd be too happy in Bixby's place. Mr. Putnam the dead man's name was Edward Russell Dead, uh, did you have to know him? Of course not. Why ever hear him before see here, mr. Dollar What is your reason for asking questions like that? Surely you don't think I'm involved in this routine mr. Putnam Well, I don't care for the routine mr. Dollar. Well, look I was Skipping see you later put I started remembering a few things number one Edward Russell had been looking for a guy named Bill Number two the bartender was one of several guys with that name here at Crystal Lake Number three something I saw on the bartender's face Maybe think he could be the bill that Russell been looking for I left Putnam's table and slid onto a stool at the bar Hey, hi, what'll it be is is that I to be a harvester? Yeah, and sort of Coming up Sort of quiet this evening. Yeah, yeah, I've been a little slack this season so far. I made a little pickup later on the summer Yeah, there you are. Thanks. Must have been quite a fight Come again. You're wearing what looks like the tail end of a black eye. Oh No, I've I've been down to pick up a bottle of mix yesterday and I bumped my face on the corner of the bar You're sure that's the way it happened. Well, you getting that pal Better take a look at my car now Insurance investigator. Yeah a guy named Edward Russell was in here a few nights ago with Betty Norton He was looking for someone named Bill by some strange coincidence Your name is Bill and by an even stranger coincidence. You've got a black eye Okay, so Russell did give me the black eye. I traded him a split lip for it. What happened I still haven't figured it out. He was in here drinking. He started talking to miss Neuton She called me by my first name and suddenly this Russell heats up He comes up to me and starts asking me a bunch of questions. What kind of questions? Well, mainly had I ever lived in Denver. I told him no, but he didn't seem to believe me got pretty insulting And we ended up outside. He pasted me first And I let him have one and I spotted the hotel manager and broke it off They left right after that why the cover-up about hitting your face on the bar you kidding Look, how long do you think a bartender will last in a hotel like this if the management knew he got in a fight with a customer? Particularly if the customer winds up dead, huh? Yeah, I heard about the killing this afternoon tough But I must say that guy was asking for trouble. I don't know what was eating him But something sure was you didn't see him after that night. No check on me if you want. Oh, don't worry. I will Hey, wait a minute. What's the matter? You said something a minute ago that just rang a bell You said they left together after the fight. Who's they Russell and Miss Norton? You sure about that? You sure she was with him when he left sure, I'm sure you miss any tricks about a guy like that Hey, look if he told you different, I don't want to get nobody in trouble. That's where you and I differ bill There's one person I want to get in trouble real bad. Oh the person who killed Ruston and right now Betty Norton looked like an interesting possibility I went outside and started walking along the lake shore on the moonlight thinking about it She told me she'd left alone after one drink with Russell, but according to the bartender. She'd lie She and Russell had left together The motive stumped me though As far as I could figure Leona Russell was the only one who could profit by a husband's death yet. She didn't kill him But Betty Norton the girl who always had to play everything her way I Decided to have another talk with her and turn to go back to the hotel and I stopped Out of the corner of my eye I had seen a movement near a tree on the slope above me a shadow where there shouldn't have been a shadow I scrambled up the slope There was nobody inside So somebody was keeping an eye on Somebody who knew this area pretty well An nasty thought started pecking away at me to wit and getting closer to Russell's killer I might be getting closer to something else to a bullet Here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing episode of this week's story tomorrow a girl who lies And a padlock that didn't Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar? There's truly Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey is transcribed in Hollywood written by Robert Reif It is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone Be sure to join us tomorrow night same time and station for the next exciting episode of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking