 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar. Oh, yes was hoping you'd come out of seclusion Seclusion I arrived in Ensenada at four o'clock this afternoon It's now 10 p.m. And I still haven't been able to see the man. I'm supposed to protect Well, my insurance company doesn't agree with you and they've got a half million dollars riding on your life Get off Burton I know the good old lovable Charlie legend and I've seen your TV show Look, are you gonna talk to me or do I wire my company to cancel your policy and notify your sponsor that you've refused to cooperate with us I'll be there in an hour Burton. You wait on me for a change tonight and every weekday night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigators Australia Johnny dollar From special investigator Johnny dollar location in Sonata, Mexico to the home office Union States casualty company Hartford, Connecticut Assignment the laughing matter expense account continued Item 5 a dollar and 40 cents taxi from the hotel in the village to the condensia police on Frente Avenue I wanted to run down one of the maids at the hotel a girl named Valena Morales I'd seen her on the hotel terrace shortly after dark near Charlie Burton's room Seen her arguing with some man who'd managed to slip away from me in the darkness Captain Peral said he'd check with me later and politely avoided asking what it was all about if he had I couldn't have told him The Charlie Burton comedy show was on location at Ensenada, Mexico and Frank Maltz the producer had frantically phoned Hartford and claimed Burton's life had Been threatened Burton thought it was a practical joke Maltz didn't know neither did I but I was there to find out Hi, I'm you are mr. John dollar. I assume you couldn't assume any corrector mind if I come in by all means do nice I am Charles Burton. Yes, I know I've seen your face in a number of saloons. I beg your pardon Oh on their television sets. Oh, yes, of course. Well sit down mr. Dollar. I just did so I noticed And I don't imagine you'll be here long enough for me to have something sent up from there Oh, I'm sure I will I'll have scotch on the rocks double I see room service, please Mr. Burton in sweet D. Please send up one scotch on the rocks double Make it double. Oh, just a moment, please By the way, mr. Dollar, what is your room number? I can't seem to remember it at the moment Why don't you just charge it to yours and then bill me for it later if you think your room service cancel that order? Yes, I said cancel it I Will not tolerate this high-handed attitude from a hireling sir, but not your hireling Burton now Let's get a few things straight right now From what I've heard about you up to now I don't like you and when I get to know you better you like it or not And I certainly do not and there's nothing you can do about it Oh try throwing your weight around with the insurance company and they'll cancel your policy And if that happens you'll have sponsor trouble right up to your neck if you think you I think you're not going to let It happen Burton you can't afford to so cut out the kidding and let's get on with it You know, I I like you dollar You're so uninhibited I'm going to buy you that up. Sorry. Why not? I didn't want it in the first place It was only a way to get your goat break down that phony guard, but have one yourself though Now drinking is not one of my vices. Oh, so that explains it explains what it wasn't one of Hitler's vices either You're so delightfully insulting. You know one can hardly take offense too bad. I'd hope for better results Would you mind telling me just who exactly is responsible for this? Prejudiced opinion you have of me. Well as I remember it was fairly unanimous as I know you talked to Frank malts Malts of course is bitter because he hasn't been given complete control of my show or any control away I hear it as long as it's the Charlie Burton show mr. Dollar and Charlie Burton intends to run it only the gods are immortal Isn't that what the murder threat said I'll get to that then there's Gloria Dale my leading lady dear Gloria I suppose she told you I've treated her very badly Practically forced her to sign a contract that pays her several thousand dollars a week a hideous fate actually it could be and Al Schreiber Did he mention the fact that I took him out of a 40 a week burlesque house and taught him the subtleties of high-class big-time comedy Things that I I had spent a lifetime perfect look burden if you're trying to convince me of your fine sterling character forget it It's irrelevant. I'm here because you're here because of that note That's exactly what I'm getting at you think it was written by one of those three people don't you write I agree with you But you also take the threat seriously. I Don't why not because not one of them has any reason to kill me. Yes. I know how they talk They're underpaid and overworked the bosses are tyrant. They hate him the same old pattern and that kind of talk never leads to murder, mr. Dollar Yeah, you've got a pointer I guess that note was pushed under my door yesterday as a crude attempted a joke nothing else Then malts lost his head and had you sent down here from Hartford and the whole thing has become Ridiculous you may be right Well, you sure you won't have that drink. No, no, thanks. Oh By the way, there's a maid at the hotel here I believe she works all the rooms along the terrace here a small girl very pretty with a short curly hair. Oh Yes, yes, yes, the leaner. Well, you've noticed it. No quite. I find her utterly charming Would you happen to know whether she's married? I really didn't bother to ask does it matter not to me? But a might to her husband You are determined aren't you? There must be some reason why you're so scared scared You do have a preposterous imagination Good night, mr. Dollar It wasn't my imagination Burton was scared or worried or upset At any rate something was bothering him But at the moment he was covering up for some reason and there was nothing more I could do to push him So I gave up for the time being and went back to my room But I wasn't ready for sleep and the terrace outside my window is lying empty in the moonlight seemed inviting And even more so the sound of breakers a hundred yards beyond I followed a winding path through the hotel gardens and came out of the sandy cove And there I found her Gloria Dale sitting on the seawall in rocks by the water's edge with a bottle beside her getting quietly drunk You've discovered my guilty secret mr. Dollar, and I've only got one glass It's that or the bottle. I'll share the glass with you if it's all right sure There you are. Thanks Here's to the moon people they seem real close tonight, don't they yeah, they'll be dancing out there on the water by midnight I Think you're as crazy as I am crazy you're not even in the same league. I'm glad you came I Go sort of nuts on moonlit nights by myself. Hey, what happened a while weren't you two together? I sent him off to bed He gets a little wearing sometimes. He's real gone on you, isn't he? I guess so He's a good guy. I like him a lot. He's fine, but But no click, huh? No click Here's to better and better clicks. Hey easy kid. You're drinking it straight, you know Help yourself What are you trying to do to yourself, Gloria? learn to forget Forget the emptiness hollowness There's nothing in me anymore Except the hate of course. There's plenty of hate for Charlie Burton for Charlie Burton. Do you hate him enough to kill him? You've always got your eye on the ball. Haven't you missed a dollar more or less Would you like to tell me about this emptiness? No, I don't think so Why not though? It's the edge of the land and the edge of the sea You're from the moon and you'll go back there at dawn. So why not? Here's to the moon. It makes people crazy. Hey save half of that one for me. Sure. Here you are. Yeah, just leave it there. So Well a year ago my contract was up and I was leaving the show and I was about to be married Jerry's name was And he's the only man I ever really loved Burton was furious so I was letting him down. I was ungrateful But he couldn't stop me because my contract was up And one morning I got a note from Jerry special delivery We were through with that. Why? No explanation Just cold vicious note That same morning Jerry left town with a friend Charted a plane and went to Canada on a hunting trip and you didn't find out the reason for it later. Yes At the time I was hurt. I was terribly hurt. I Signed a new contract and went on working Months later. I got the story around about what was it a Private detective one of the crooked ones that gone to Jerry with a complete report about me supposedly my private life field reports affidavit statements even photographs a fake the whole thing But it convinced Jerry You know who was behind it? I can guess you're good old lovable Charlie Burton He wanted to make sure I'd sign that contract, but when you did find out why didn't you go to Jerry? I could have Then hunting trip the plane it crashed Jerry never came back He was killed It's crazy, huh? Oh easy sweet. Do I hate Charlie Burton enough to kill him? That's what you asked me wasn't it? Sure, I hate him enough a thousand times enough Only I haven't got the nerve So what do I do I? Drink Gloria Love and hate and the black sea rocks and a lunatics moon at midnight And no help on this earth for a wounded heart, but time itself a Tide was rising now and rising fast and hidden by the darkness a wave curled and broke and time ran out I lunged out of bed and fumbled in the blackness for my robe and slippers and gun Yeah, who is it Charlie Burton? Open up hurry Dollar you've got to protect me somebody took a shot at me through my window from the terrace Oh, it was probably just a crude practical joke joke joke. This is no laughing matter. Don't you understand dollar? Somebody's out to kill me now Here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing episode of this week's story tomorrow a thickening wedge Cleaning and sticky, but one of the flies pulls free by using a gun join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar Yours truly Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey is transcribed in Hollywood written by Les Crutchfield 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