 From Hollywood. It's time now for Johnny tell her I was already up. Mrs. Preenie How did you know I recognized your voice? What can I do for you? All right? I'm in room 22 come on up Oh, and I'm and you're a woman. Mrs. Preenie. I'm sure you haven't come into town this morning to play footsie So let's both relax and forget about the fact that this is a small town. Yeah, I know and what are they talking about this morning? Ready to confess Night and every weekday night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar From special investigator Johnny dollar location Shady Lane Vermont to the home office star mutual insurance company Hartford, Connecticut Assignment the Shady Lane matter expense account continued Item 10 55 cents a cup of coffee for myself and a pot of tea for Mrs. Sarah Preenie She considered the hotel lunchroom an innocent enough place and I met her there five minutes after she phoned my wrong It was Mrs. Preenie who brought me into the case by writing the anonymous letter to the insurance company Ellen Bates a farmwife with no known enemies had been shot to death Mrs. Preenie her best friend had implied in the letter that Ellen's own husband Ben was guilty And I was inclined to agree with her Ben was the beneficiary of Alan's $10,000 life insurance policy There seemed to be no other motive unless Mrs. Preenie was about to confess one She didn't do it. Mr. Dollar. Who didn't do what that girl? She didn't warm the teapot for two cents. I'd send it back and make her do it right Well, I'm a little pressed for time. Mrs. Preenie. Oh, I'm not going to do it really. I just said that I Wouldn't want to attract attention under the circumstances You mean the fact that I'm a man and you're a woman and apparently the twain had an autonomy meeting in Shady Lane at least Well, people will talk, you know, and I didn't want Martin to know why not Well, then he'd want to know why of course I'd have to tell him and well well as a matter of fact Mrs. Preenie. I'd kind of like to know why well, it's This isn't easy for me to say, you know, well, let's have a try on it anyway It's about that letter that I wrote to the insurance company that I didn't sign my name to yes It was a terrible thing to do just terrible in what way Why those things I said about Ben Mr. Bates, I mean Insinuating he might have had something to do with Ellen's death her murder I mean you made some fairly definite statements They weren't true, mr. Duller But I'm telling you the truth now. I Know Ben didn't have anything to do with Ellen's death. Mrs. Preenie. There were some other things you implied to me, too You know, yes about him and Aunt Millie Wells that works at the Shady Lane Cafe. I said they were carrying on before Ellen was killed. I Made that up Just to hit out at him. Why? I Don't know really Ellen was wonderful and I just loved her But sometimes I'd get to thinking that Not that my Martin isn't a fine man. You understand steady Reliable, you know, you've met him. Oh, yes, I'd say your husband is quite steady and reliable I didn't want you to think that I was saying anything against him but Life on a farm isn't easy for a woman at the best mr. Duller Sometimes she gets silly notions, I guess what sort of notions. Oh A woman's human She wants a little warmth understanding That's all nothing more You understand what I'm saying Yes, I think I do But then Bates Well He didn't even look at me Didn't see me That's all I wanted Just for him to look at me But he didn't do it mr. Duller Not even once I Left her sitting there in the stark bare wooden booth in the lunch room sipping a prim cup of cold tea and trying to hide a red-faced Confusion behind the shreds of decent dignity Constable Bramler was right Scratch the surface of shady Lane anywhere and you found a human passion just beneath the skin. Good morning. Castle Morning mr. Dollar sleep well so so how's Gordy Hawkins did asleep back down to sell He admits stealing that squirrel gun from Ben Bates Madel the week before Ellen was shot Claims he sold it to Martin pre me the week after the murder. Yeah So by his own admission the gun was in grody's possession the day of the killing but grody claims the gun is rusty and hasn't been fired in years Yeah, whether it's rusty or not grody didn't kill nobody have you been out to the pre knee farm yet to pick up the gun No figured you might like to do that yourself. You can use my car if you want to Cost you another three dollars though How did you make a living before I came along? It wasn't easy Traffic tickets mostly new turnpikes are gonna stop all that though misses the town complete along with Ben Bates farm, huh? Yeah Bad they didn't stick to the original survey made that place of his worth something maybe and it might have saved his wife's life Still beating that dead horse. Hey, oh Ben Bates was up against the wall a worthless farm mortgage for $7,500 to Martin pre knee a strong sense of moral obligation to pay it off an invalid wife who would never get well With a $10,000 policy on her life murder ain't in Ben's nature I told you then whose nature isn't in Mrs. Preenies Maybe she came to see me at the hotel a little while ago You don't say so she wanted to explain why she lied about Ben Reckon was because he wouldn't pay no attention to her Who told you hmm figured it out That can Martin ain't too easy a man for a woman to live with too straight lace tight-fisted and Ben right next door that away fine-looking young fella her running in all the time taking things to Ellen Bound to want to be noticed. Yeah, it's the nature of a woman. What about Ellen, mr. Bramler? She was your niece What was her nature? Ain't so easy to figure your own kin mr. Dollar Reckon was just her nature to be a victim kind of I Drove slowly through the early morning countryside lush and green still moist from the night do not yet touch by the heat of day Farm after farm snug and smug and safe But Ellen Bates a woman who never harmed anyone in her life had lived on such a farm Yet a bullet had crashed through the window and found her I've left the car parked in the yard and walked on up to the porch the door open before I had a chance Good morning, Mrs. Briney you surprised me mr. Dollar is your husband at home. Yes, he's He's in there working on his accounts. I Was just going to take some strawberry preserves to Mrs. Thrasher up the road. She hasn't been feeling too well. Sorry to hear it You're You're not going to say anything to Martin about Well, you know what about I wouldn't think of it Mrs. Briney I have to take these preserved to Mrs. Thrasher. You just go right on in mr. Dollar Yes, thanks Mr. Briney Sorry to bother you this early in the morning. Oh, mr. Dollar Just finishing my accounts for the fiscal year. What can I do for you, sir? Well, unless I've been misinformed you bought an old squirrel gun from Groty Hawkins a while back That's right. It's hanging me over the fireplace quite a bargain unless you stole it someplace as a matter of fact He did from your neighbor Ben Bates Then I'm out the price I'll take it over to Ben this afternoon. Mind if I take a look at the gun mr. Briney, I'm trying to check up on Groty's story. No, no go right ahead. I Just finished this total while you're at it Then we'd have time for a chat He went back to the ledgers on the table in front of him and I reached up and took down the rifle down from its hooks Above the mantle Groty had told the truth There was rust in the barrel and breach the gun hadn't been cleaned nor fired in a long time The hooks over the fireplace were old and rusted too. They'd been there for years and suddenly I knew and what you're after mr. Dollar, I found more than I was after I Found out who killed Ellen Bates Groty Hawkins. No No, not Groty and not Ben Bates Even though he has named his beneficiary of that $10,000 insurance policy. What do you mean? It was somebody who stood to profit even more than Ben did than that $10,000 Who? Somebody who made a $7,500 loan out of kindness That alone should have tipped me off mr. Prenie as Jed Bramler says It wasn't in your nature my nature But of course it wasn't kindness at the time it was good business because a turnpike was planned that would make the farm worth double Alone But the road fell through and you were stuck with a worthless farm unless Ben could get money to pay you I Imagine that's when you started thinking about Murder are you accusing me of murder mr. Dollar those hooks over the mantle have been there a long time Where's the rifle that hung there before you bought this one from Groty Hawkins? There might not have been one The neighbors will remember Let me just put down this final total Yeah Had a good year last year very good year I doubt it's going to be that good this year There he gets mr. Dollar It's like farming to take risks on drought frost insects Sometimes you make a mistake and lose I knew I'd made a mistake the second I pulled that trigger After that it was just a matter of time The gun is buried out behind the barn I'll get my hat Item 12 94 dollars and 35 cents incidentals and shading lane and transportation back to Hartford Expense account total 186 dollars and 60 cents Yours truly Johnny dollar Now here's our star to tell you about next week's intriguing story next week a diamond a huge one the star of Cape Town a Piece of ice that should have been kept on ice Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar truly Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey is Inscribed in Hollywood it is written by Les Crutchfield and produced and directed by Jack Johnstone Heard in this week's cast were Jeanette Nolan forest Louis surely Mitchell will write Burt Holland and John Dana Musical supervision by Amarigo Marino and Carl Fortina Be sure to join us on Monday night same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking