 From Hollywood, it's time now for Edmund O'Brien as... Johnny Dollar. Jack Barton, Johnny, take this down. Policy number 245-7809. Los Angeles, California. Amount $1,150,000 straight life. And officially, this is Mabel Trandem. Ensurer for her husband, Mr. Howell Trandem. Right, sold down. Now, what's the problem? Officially, there's none. As you know, the company can't take any preventive action, but we certainly aren't very happy to learn that there has been an attempt on Mr. Trandem's life. Edmund O'Brien in another transcribed adventure of the man with the action-pact expense account, America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, yours truly, Johnny Dollar. The expense account submitted by a special investigator, Johnny Dollar, to Home Office Clayson Mutual Assurance Company, Hartford, Connecticut. Attention, Jack Barton. The following is an accounting, unofficial, but very payable, of my expenditures during investigation, also unofficial, of the Harold Trandem matter. Expense account item one, $250.67, transportation incidentals, Hartford to Los Angeles into the two-acre Bel Air estate of the prominent coupon clipper, Mr. Harold Trandem. I presented my identification to the pert little maid who answered the door, was ushered through a portrait gallery and two living rooms to the terrace. Mr. Trandem was bent over his morning paper sipping grapefruit juice. He looked up at me with the same scowl I'd seen on the front pages of newspapers. Very early. Why did the servants like to win here? May I sit down? Certainly not. I don't even know you. Yeah, this is my card. Insurance investigation. I suppose you think I can't pay my next premium. Mr. Trandem, we have no doubt as to your credit rating. This is a much more important matter for you. Financial? In a way, no. Now, what is this important matter? Your life. I understand there's been an attempt on it. That's my own affair, strictly my own affair. I made adequate provisions. If your company is worried about my life, I'm very touched. But I assure you... Don't just understand, Mr. Trandem. I'm only interested in your welfare unofficially. The company takes no preventive action of any sort. However, as a friend of Jack Barton, who's the head of the Hartford office at Placent Mutual, I'm here to, well, to try to see that no further attempts occur. Unofficially or officially, I'm well taken care of. Thank you. Oh. That's that then. Sorry. Must have been a long trip from Hartford. Yes, yes, it was. I should offer you a drink, I suppose. Well, it's a little early for anything harder than orange juice for me. My doctor makes me drink this glass. Grapefruit juice. Go ahead. Shala! I rolled the table and slipped to the floor, still holding his chest. An army of servants rushed out and tried to look like they knew something. I was obviously the major suspect, and they vied with each other in their attempts to blame me. But nobody bothered to call one a hospital and two a policeman. Finally, one big guy, obviously a bodyguard, scooted everybody but me off the terrace and sat me down. Is that you didn't know it did you? No, I didn't think so. But if I go back to the boss and tell him Crandom was knocked off right in front of my eyes, I'll get the axe, you know what I mean? Yeah, I know what you mean. Oh, I'm prepared to exchange information with you. Well, that's mighty generous. I'll see you later. No, no, no. Please, wait. Don't go. Well, didn't you see nothing, nothing at all? Nothing I can go back and say. Mr. Halema, I had my eyes open. Well, if it means your job. It does. Believe me, it does. I saw a wisp of blue smoke over there, that clump of bushes across the lawn. And a man, he ran away. No, man. Just smoke. The shadow of a man. Just smoke. The gleam of the gun. A thin wisp of blue smoke. This is all? Look, you can make up the rest as you go along. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got a phone call to make. I think the police ought to know about this. When the sirens arrived, they examined the brush and found a few bent twigs among the straight ones. Nothing to go on. They said about examining all the servants, searching the house, but their efficiency got them nowhere. By the time they left, they had collected no information at all. The only thing they had succeeded in doing was to make Mrs. Mabel Trandom lock herself in her room for a good, private cry. It was after the police left that I remembered the last word of Mr. Harold Trandom. Lila. Hating unsolved mysteries as I do, I knocked quietly at Mrs. Trandom's bedroom door instead of hopping on the next DC-6 for Hartman. Go away. Please, Mrs. Trandom, I'd like to talk to you. I don't want to talk to anybody. Go away. I'd like to talk to you about Lila. Who did you say? I'm Johnny Dollar. I'm with the Hartman. What about Lila? May I come in? Thanks. Tell me what about Lila. Well, that's just what I was about to ask you. You're one of the detectives, aren't you? No. No, I'm an insurance investigator. Sit down. What did you hear about her? The last word your husband said was Lila. Yeah, it would be. That's all he talked about. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Oh, I've got a steady diet of her all right. What did he say about her? Nothing. He just said Lila. I suppose his insurance money won't be paid now that he was murdered. The fact that he was killed won't interfere with the payment, Mrs. Trandom. The way it looks now, you'll get your money with very little trouble. Because that's all he left me, Mr. Me and the Jesse Fredericka Rescue Mission money. I've got a closet full of coats and so many dresses I run out of hangers and I've got shoes piled at the ceiling. And if I wanted to go out, nobody was nicer than he was about it. He teased that one of the boys from his office took me wherever I wanted to go. He was real good to me, Mr. He picked me up in a cafe where I was working as a waitress. He picked me up and gave me all this. And still I hate it. Maybe I'd better go. No, no, no, don't go. I've got to talk to somebody. Insurance, huh? How much was it? $1,150,000. Pretty big tip for just a cup of coffee, wouldn't you say? He didn't have many friends, did he? Nobody, Mr. Not a friend in the world. You could call in the city from one end to the other for somebody to say a nice word about him the closer you lived with him, the more you hated him. It'd be pretty tough, I guess, to find out who did it. It wasn't one person. It was the whole city. The whole world. Everybody got together and said we got to clean the rot out of this territory and they hired somebody and did it. Take it easy, Mrs. Trandom. Don't call me Mrs. Trandom. Mabel, what? Mabel Harriet McGrandy. You know what I'm going to do? How much did you say? $1,150,000. I'm going to get out of here and into a little apartment and have a couple of cats. I always wanted a couple of cats, but he couldn't stand them. I couldn't have any. Sign me as I'm going to get them. Where can I find Lila? I didn't tell the police about her. Why should I tell you? No reason. I just like to know. Lila Winnie. She lives at the Village High Hotel. Very lovely. Very refined. I suppose maybe she was the only one who liked him. Hey, when you get through there, come back and talk to me some more, will you? Spencer County Item 2, taxi fare to the Village High Hotel in North Hollywood. Four tan kids dashed in and out of a sprinkler's pan. I walked to the last apartment to the right and knocked. I knocked again. I knocked a third time and tried the door. It was locked. I looked in the window. Through the lace curtains, I could see the body of a girl. Her head lulled crazily to one side. And there was a small red dot on her temple. The police investigated. The bullet hole was the quick work of a 38. There were letters in the bureau drawer, letters to Harold Trandom. The sergeant who found them grabbed the nearest chair, propped his feet up on a stool, and settled down for a long day's reading. Hey, listen to this. How I die to have you put your arms around me again. Darling, you must know how much I miss you. You must know how much I love you. And then she takes it from there. All right, sergeant. You made your kick for the day. Darling, you seem to be just about everywhere these days. Mabel Trandom gave me her address. Did she tell you anything? I gathered that Lila was the other woman in this mess. Only one left out of the three. I think maybe we'd better pick Mabel up. She didn't have time to do it, Lieutenant. I was with her right up to 20 minutes ago. Would you swear to that in the courtroom? Yeah, I'd have to. In that case, let's look around. Farrow search, sergeant. Room by room. Somebody hasn't heard. I'll get it. Hello? No, she isn't right now. Who's calling, please? I see. Now, I don't think she will. I'll tell her. Yeah, goodbye. Jesse Frederica mission calling. We wondered if Miss Wenig was going to be down today. She hasn't been down since last week. The boys miss her. I bet they do all right. I understand she was quite a charitable girl to vote at a lot of her time to the down and outters. The Jesse Frederica mission. See you later, Lieutenant. Yeah, where you going? Well, I think I've heard that name somewhere before. I'm going up another blind alley. If I pick up anything, I'll give you a ring. Spending on item three, $4.90. Transportation Bel-Air to the Jesse Frederica rescue mission on Main Street. Now that the mystery was doubled, I thought it wise to follow up every enterprise the two late lovers had in common. The driver let me out in front of a store with the Jesse Frederica mission everyone welcomed painted on the window in gold. I walked into the place past little groups of sullen men sitting their coffee from tin cups. There was a room labeled, wait in here. An abrupt young man, Natalie dressed, motioned me into an inner office and closed the door behind me. I was all alone except for the smiling old lady at the desk. Your name, please. Johnny Dollar, I'm here on business. Certainly, certainly. I think you've had a bath. Well, this morning, I... You do look pretty clean. I think our young men have a tendency to stay clean much more than say 30 years ago. Don't you? Oh, definitely. But I'm not here for a bath. Oh, sorry, but it's required. Any dependence? Not as yet. Good. Have you tried to get a job of any kind? The United States Employment Service? A private agency? I've got a job. Oh, well, I'm sorry. I'm an insurance investigator. Oh, you're a graduate. Well, we've had so many come back and thank us. How long since you've been here? A long time. Are you Mrs. Frederica? Miss Frederica? Oh, yes, well, Miss Frederica. Do you know Miss Lila Wainig? Why, certainly, she's on our board of directors. A wonderful girl. Did Mr. Harold Trandom also serve on your board of directors? Why, yes, he does. They're very good friends. Yes, I know. I've got bad news, Miss Frederica. They're dead. They were killed. Oh, that's terrible. An automobile? No. How did it happen? Murder. I'm an insurance investigator. If I could stay here for a while, I might be able to learn something of importance. What about it? Well, I don't know. We've never done anything like this before. I promise I'll take that back. Can't you just pretend I'm one of your boys? Well, perhaps I could, Mr.... Dollar. Perhaps I could, Mr. Dollar. You just use all the hot water you want, too. I found myself in the midst of a lot of confused men. Men made even more helpless by belief in their own failure. I hung around the rest of the day listening to their stories. Toward evening, I found myself reliving an imaginative experience with a little white-haired, stubble-chem guy who had forgotten I was even around. You, Ace Kiddison, started going up in the morning. I watched it. I never took my eyes off that tape. It was climbing like a bird straight to heaven. Well, I'm telling you, I couldn't breathe. I was so excited, and I turned to Thomas Lamont. He was as close to me as you are, you know. I turned and said, looks pretty good, huh, Tom? And he smiled and said, yes, Ben, we're gonna be all right. Yeah, yeah. Two more points. Two points more, my friend, and I wouldn't be standing out here. I'll tell you that. You didn't make it, huh? Oh, I'm not worried. I'll do it again someday. A man who's made it once can make it again. Yeah, yeah. Well, you see, I knew a man. He was much worse off than I. He had less than nothing. He owed the world. And he came back and made that biggest fortune on the whole exchange. Maybe you heard him, director of this charity. Killed recently. Harold Trandom. You knew him? No. Well, we were as close as twins. Yeah, yeah. He gave me lots of tips on the market. Nice guy, huh? He was very nice. He was a very nice man. Oh, he was gruff sometimes, kind, a really good heart. And when he took up with that woman, she was a director here, too. They killed her, too, you know. You knew that, didn't you? Yeah. Yeah. Well, when they took up together, I knew she'd kill him. She didn't kill him. Well, the other way around, then. No, it wasn't that way either. Well, you know. Yeah. I always heard he wasn't very well liked. Oh, he had lots of enemies. You see that fellow over there? No, no, the one leaning against the wall. One with the brown sweater? Yeah, yeah. Oh, that was a real big thing. That hate was. What's his name? Sanderson. Bill Sanderson. What happened was, years ago, they was partners, the two of them. Bill Sanderson and Trandom. Yep. Trandom did Sanderson out of his brokerage business and sent him down to Skid Row. I guess Sanderson was only one of many. Oh, sure. He had his enemies, Trandom did. But Sanderson, he was the one who introduced me to Trandom, you know. Sanderson hated him worse than anybody. Hated that woman of his, too. Lila, whatever her name was. Well, that's interesting, Ben. Oh, it's nothing. Well, I got stories that would make your hair curl. I'll tell them to you over a drink sometime, huh? I had noticed Sanderson watching me out of the corner of his eye. He was a big man of indeterminate age, rolling a toothpick around in his mouth. I walked to the cafe down the street, a bite to eat, and came back to the mission. A crowd was gathered in one corner, talking excitedly. I moved through to the front row and looked down. There was little Ben lying dead on the floor. I moved back through the crowd and right into Bill Sanderson. Darling, maybe you'd better come along with me. The sliver of shining metal in his hand convinced me to come along with him. There didn't seem to be a great deal of choice. He stopped me in front of a door, three buildings down, opened it, shoved me in, and closed it again. Inside, it was not quite pitch black. I'm glad to meet you, darling. Any friend at Trandoms is a friend of mine. You will return to the second act of yours truly, Johnny Dollar, in just a moment. The radio audience has the chance to be a part of a quiz show. They can enjoy laughing along with the nation's top comedians, too. Dr. Christian is the only dramatic show on the air which is actually written by the radio audience. Each Wednesday evening, over many of these same CBS stations, you hear Jean Herscheld as kindly, gentle Dr. Christian tell a story which has been sent in by a CBS listener. Here's your chance not only to enjoy a radio show, but be an actual part of that program by writing it yourself. Be listening each Wednesday evening when CBS presents Dr. Christian. And now, with our star, Edmund O'Brien, we return to the second act of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. I don't know how many times Sanderson tried to use his knife. Perhaps he was getting too big a kick out of wearing me down to use it at all. Then I was able to maneuver him around with his back against the light from the street. I grabbed his arm and smashed his fist against the wall. With the fist with a knife, and when it dropped to the floor, you got picked on the wrong guy, sir. What about it, lay off, huh? I got a lot of questions about how you kill Harold Trandem and Lila Wainig and Ben. They found out, didn't they? Out of my way! He pushed me aside and went out the door, melting into the population of Main Street. For me, the mystery was over, and the manhunt had begun. And he played possum and I fell for it. We get all the cars in the lookout, too late to stake out the neighborhood. We'll get him and go on home. I'll stick around just for last. I've got kind of a personal interest in this case. So I see. Didn't do your face much good. I think I'll drop over to the widow's house. Mrs. Trandem? She asked me to drop back to keep her company. With Sanderson on the loose, she may need more company than she thinks. Expense account item 6, $4.50. Police headquarters to the Bel Air mansion of the late Mr. Trandem. As the cab pulled away, I noticed a familiar hulk standing on the stoop. It was the big bodyguard, and he ran toward me as if he'd just seen an old friend. Oh, Mr., I'm so glad to see you again. You just don't know. Haven't you better report back to the office? There are liable to be plenty more bodies to guard. I was spied. Oh, no kidding. He wouldn't even give me a chance to explain. Mr. Halmar, I said mistakes happen. What happened to me could have happened to anybody. I really had my eyes open. I've seen a big guy with a 38 revolver over a hundred yards away, and he run for cover. I chased him all over the plantation and finally caught him. Look, look, look here. I even brought him a piece of the suit the guy wore. Recognizing a 38 from over a hundred yards away didn't do your story much good. You know I thought about that lady? Uh-huh. And that guy whose suit I tore is threatening to sue me. You made a good try. Hey, uh, you don't know where I could maybe get another bodyguarding job, huh? Have you tried plumbing? The bodyguarding is the only job I know. I'm skilled. I'll tell you what, hang around with me for a while. What's the fee? Oh, no fee. You can use the experience. I'm sorry. I have my price. A man with your pride doesn't need a job so long. But no, wait. You caught me desperate in the day. I'll put it on the swindle sheet. Max. Okay, Max. Get your foot out of that flower bed and come on. My earnest protector and I went up the grand staircase led by a butler. Max keeping a good six paces behind me like an Arabian bride. The butler went through a door leaving us to wait in the hall. When he came out he whispered to me to wait. He went downstairs. I opened the door leaving Max on the outside and walked in. Mrs. Harold Trendham who preferred to be called Mabel was fingering the ears of a white cat on her lap. Isn't he beautiful? He's lovely. I want to ask you about a guy I ran into a few hours ago. You happen to know Bill Sanderson? Bill Sanderson? No, I don't. London Dark. You know, you aren't the lonely little girl I remember talking to this morning. What makes you so happy? I'm going away. Where? Somewhere. How much did you say that policy was for? A lot of money. You can mail it to me. You're going alone? Pretty girl like you alone all this time? Hard to believe. It'll be different now, you'll see. I've got my next guy all picked out in my mind, I mean. He'll marry me for my looks and my money but mostly for my money. Then I can be both for a change. You wouldn't mind if I took a small look around the room, would you? Keep your hands off things that don't concern you. I know all about search warrants. I'll bet you do. But keeping letters like this on your dressing table isn't playing it too smart. Keep your hands off my personal mail. Bill Sanderson, you shouldn't leave things like this around. I don't know what you're talking about. Mabel, I should have known that a girl with your looks wouldn't just sit around with her crocheting while her husband gallivants about town. You better get packed. Those tickets on the table are for the 6 o'clock plane. It's 4.30 right now. Don't worry, Mr. Dollar, I'll make the plane. You keep everything handy, Mabel. Point that the other way, would you mind? We'll make that plane. Bill has wonderful plans. There's Rio and Argentina and all those South American countries. Nobody's going to stop us now. So you paid Bill the... I paid Bill nothing. He killed Harold because he loved me. I should have married him in the first place, but he didn't have the money, and that was important to me then. I met him too late. I met him after Harold had torn every penny and every bit of self-respect out of him. He's killed a few more since you last saw him. It's been one after the other. I don't suppose you've heard about Lila Wenig and poor little Ben down at the mission. You're a liar! It'll be in this evening's papers. Call the police department. You're going off with a mad dog. He's tasted blood and he doesn't know when to quit. You've got over a million bucks. Take my advice, Mabel. Find yourself another guy. Get out of my way. You're an accomplice to one murder. Don't try for three. Get out of my way! I always bow to fire. This is the room with the outside lock. Goodbye, Mr. Dollar. Boys, what happened here? Where were you? I was catching a few winks. Tired. I thought I'd die. That's being on the job, Max. You're fired. Why? What do I do? You're in a killer or about to embark for South America and you ask what you did. Here, here's your 10 spot. Try the one there. I ran down the stairs, brushed aside the butter and opened the front door just in time to see Mabel's car pull out of the garage and grind over the gravel to the gate. Through the rear window, I saw her suitcases piled high in the back seat. I rushed back into the house and grabbed the phone. Money dollar, Lieutenant. Listen, Mabel Cranham just left here in a big hurry. She had airplane tickets for Rio. The plane leaves at six. She's picking up Bill Sanderson first somewhere. Don't tell me she's in on her husband's death. Very much so. She knows I saw the ticket so she may try another means of transportation. Better cover all the exits. Good work, dollar. I'll get right on it. Say, Lieutenant, there are too many cab fares listed on my expense account. You haven't got a car you can spare. Sure thing. I'll send 109 right over. He sent 109 right over. We got to International Airport in time to check the passenger list. Sure enough, there was an A Mabel Cranham. We waited till departure time and I felt a little like Drew Pearson must when his predictions come true. It didn't show, dollar. I'd better check with headquarters to see if she's been reported at the railway stations or the bus depots. The smartest thing she could do now would be to pick up Sanderson and head for the border by auto. I've already sent out a roadblock notice. Well, your job is done, dollar. Why risk your neck? This is one I don't want to just read about. And then there's the matter of a million dollar policy. Before we're through, we might have to dig up the second beneficiary. Lieutenant Pencelli checked with headquarters. They have not shown at any departure points. The roadblock had been set up on the coast route just out of Capistrano where 101 and it's ultimate meet the only highway south. Everybody was giving a three-time killer just the sort of attention he deserved. It was getting dark. The lieutenant and I sat in his car watching the roadblock. Now this could be for nothing. Maybe they've decided to stay home. No, that's not for Mabel. She's pretty restless, likes to keep moving. I think they'll make a try for the border tonight. Hey, look up there. Somebody's pulling on a line. Yeah, he's turning over under the shoulder. You're going to try to crash the block. Okay, let's go. We weren't even sure it was Sanderson and Mabel. Might have been a couple of rum smugglers for all we knew. Whoever it was paid no attention to our siren, but we pulled closer, hugging the curves by using the whole road. See if you can use that rifle, darling. Right? There goes the tire. They're under control. No use, lieutenant. Look inside. Get on the radio. Friends of Count Item 7, another cab fare $4 from my hotel to the Jesse Frederica mission. It was a week later. The old lady nodded me to a chair and I sat down. Well, Mr. Dower, it's good to see you again. Won't you sit here? I think this seat will be more comfortable. Thank you. I've just come to say goodbye, Miss Frederica. Wish you all the luck in the world and I've got something for you. A contribution? I think you'd better sit down first. Miss Frederica, I wish I could have the pleasure of giving checks like these to people like you more often. Don't try to count the zeros. One million, one hundred fifty thousand. Oh, Mr. Dower. It's from a guy named Harold Trandom. It's his way of giving back about five percent of what he should never have taken. I can't believe it. How did it happen? He named the Jesse Frederica rescue mission as a second beneficiary and the first beneficiary is dead. Please excuse me, Mr. Dower. I think I'm going to cry. She did. As quietly as possible, I got up and left. I walked out onto Main Street, down past the little shops, the surplus stores, the shoe shine parlors, and the all night movies. And I couldn't help thinking a million dollars can buy a lot of turkey dinners. Spends a count total of seven hundred thirty-six dollars and eighty-two cents. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Truly, Johnny Dollar stars Edmund Dobrian in the title role and is written by Gildowd and David Ellers with music composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Edmund Dobrian can soon be seen starring in the Columbia Pictures production, The Los Angeles Story. Featured in tonight's cast were James Eagles, Ted Osburn, Ed Max, Gloria Blondel, Raymond Burr, Eda Rhys Maren, and Junius Matthews. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar is produced and directed by Jaime Del Valle. Join us again next week when from Hollywood, Edmund Dobrian returns in another transcribed adventure of Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. This is CBS, where once tonight is Bing Crosby Night, the Columbia Broadcasting System.