 Johnny dollar advertising agency in Denver, Colorado Advertising agency That's right mr. Milford. Yes, can you come out here to Denver to see me right away? Well now look sir if you're interested in buying commercial time on my weekly radio program You'll have to contact CBS radio in New York. No dollar This is a purely personal matter that I wish to see about but I must see you about well I'm sorry mr. Milford, but unless there's insurance involved well. Yes. Yes, there is the same company that's ensured my life One of the outfits I work with try Western life insurance company. Yeah, that's one of my clients Well, then please come out here right away Well, I'd better check first with a company and get their authorization to what was that? No by all means do not contact the insurance company Do not get well there's a little matter of my expense account that will be taken care of most adequately Okay, whatever you say. Now. What's this all about mr. Milford? Mr. Dollar Here on the phone. I can only tell you it's a matter of preventing good. Yeah Yes, in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar and now act one of yours truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar the mr. Horace w no No to the try Western life insurance company. You'll see why later on and Following is the kind of expenses incurred during my investigation of the hired homicide matter Expense account item one seventy seven dollars plane fare The big mainliner took off from Bradley Field in Hartford at 8 25 p.m. And set me down at Staples and Field in Denver at the ungodly hour of 335 a.m. Item two five dollars for a cab into the Brown Palace Hotel where I added some sleep to the few hours I'd had aboard the plane Breakfast was item three a dollar fifty and then I walked over to the office of the Milford advertising agency on California Street Or is W. Milford was tall gray-haired with a very dignified bearing He got to the point immediately and yet in a kind of roundabout way. Mr. Dollar I must emphasize that this whole thing must be completely confidential. Oh, well now that depends. I will pay you well Very well You sound as though there might be something illegal about whatever it is you want me to do I can only hope that you can prevent something illegal from happening something Terribly wrong. You mentioned murder. I said prevent a murder. Oh, Mr. Melford yours be as brief as possible, Mr. Dollar time is of the essence But first you must know some background for an answer since my wife passed away some years ago this advertising business and my daughter Claire have been my soul interests in life. How old is Claire? She was 27 on her last Now listen, please. I'm unless I built this business by myself until two years ago I made all the client contacts planned the campaigns wrote the coffee. I bought the space and radio time everything And then Tony came along Johnny Anthony Ferringer. He's my Son-in-law and he works for you, Mr. Milford Out of pity for a young man who seemed to be struggling to make his way in the world I gave him a job and then by way of repaying me. I thought he brought the bonar electronics account to this office on our Electronics corporation. Yeah, I've heard of them pretty big outfit. I understand. It means annual billings of some two million dollars to us That's a sizable advertising. Now the point is well He told me later that his means of getting it were somewhat unorthodox Unethical is a better word now How do you mean he told me that he had something on officers of the bonar organization that he threatened Exposure and ruin the scandal if he weren't permitted to handle their advertising here Well, now that doesn't seem part of all the mechanics largely to my own efforts and ideas We have established them as one of the most important companies in their field Don't ever underestimate the value of advertising. Yes to the public as well as to the company I took over the account young Tony was content to sit around collect his salary and a big commission and do not Nothing that is but constantly remind me that he had brought the business here. I say but Mr. Dollar Worthy account suddenly to go to some other agency. It would ruin now How so buying this building setting up the organization adequately to service such an account cost me everything I had I'm not a young man anymore Well, it's somebody else gunning for bone our electronics far worse than that Mr. Dollar now wait a minute, please I'm afraid we've got far away from the subject of murder that you Mr. Dollar far worse than he's simply falling down on the job Is the fact that Tony Farringer against my will mind you because I knew him well enough not to trust him Courted and he loped with my daughter. Well, it wasn't because he loved her believe me It was only a further step in a plan to get his hands on this advertising business of mine You're sure that he had the nerve the audacity to say so himself. I Can see him now sitting right there where you are with a smirk on his face Blendley telling me that now that he'd lost her he'd have to resort to other tactics that he'd have to take this important account Away from me by opening his own agency and that I couldn't stop it. Wait a minute, please you said lost her What did you mean by that? Because of his Uplicity what he'd done to me because of the miserable way he treated and tortured her Clare my daughter my only child Clare took her own life. I'm sorry for the shock of it almost killed me, Donna Tony Farringer was bringing my whole life crashing and crushing down upon my head. I hated him With every fiber of my being I was beside myself. I can see only one thing left for me to do Please but they're leading up then why clients that bonar came to me two days ago And they told me they realized what had happened and why and they assured me there was nothing Tony could do or say that Would hurt them and that they would stand by me Well that Straighten me out, Mr. Donna, it made me realize that killing Tony that grew but there was there was no point no use in it Well, I'm glad of that sir, but then I'm afraid I don't see why you sent for me because it was too late What because I had already hired a man a professional killer to murder him. Yes Well, I'm good heavens man. Call him. I can't sure get in touch with him and What do you mean you can't there's no possible way for me to reach him contact him Until after he's murdered Tony Farringer And now act two of yours truly Johnny dollar and the hired homicide matter You mean there's no way to reach this hired killer to call him off to tell him not to murder Tony Farringer Oh, none, whatever. But look here. You can't just a dollar when the only thing I wanted in life was to see him dead for all the terrible things he did to me and to my daughter I went about arranging it very carefully. How? My means I don't need to go into here I finally established a contact in the in the underworld here in Denver sort of a Stool pigeon I suppose you'd call him a man named Eric blinker Yeah, yeah for a price blinker had the killer contact me at my home You know the name of this killer Well, he only told me that if he felt it necessary to phone me here to contact me in any way before the job was done He would identify himself as blackie. Oh great great And the only thing you can do is contact this Eric blinker again Oh, tell him to call off blackie have blackie get in touch with you. No, mr. What do you mean? No? Eric blinker's body was found floating down the Platte River yesterday afternoon just before I called you But don't just see mr. Dollar unless we can somehow contact this blackie He'll go ahead with the murder the murder. I arranged it must not happen. All right. How much do you know about blackie? What does he look like? I don't know But you just finished telling me that he called on you to make arrangements for the killing He came to my home at night. He insisted on talking to me from outside a window where I couldn't see him I couldn't see all right. Did you give him any money? $5,000 in cash marked, huh? Mark bills. No Well, he said that if any of the money was marked in any way that he would know about it and that he wouldn't hesitate to kill me All right, when was he to do the job? He would only say by the end of the week and this is Friday This is Friday and you can't give me anything to go on to find this man blackie nothing unless he calls Well, if that happens you don't need me mr. Milford. Yes, have you have you told Tony Farringer anything of this good heavens dollar? You don't know the man can't you see what would surely happen if I did he would bleed me for everything I have me accessory to a plot to murder him. Don't you see what that means? Yeah sure I do and if you were to call in the police, it would be justice. Oh Yeah, mr. Milford, you've really stuck your neck in a loop somehow you've got to get me out of this you What about Tony right guy are wrong. He's the one who's gonna be killed. Well, I meant stop this thing I don't want his blood on my hands not anymore Somehow you've got to stop this kill. Oh, yeah, sure great, but how you got any good ideas Hey a phony telegram something like that. Yeah, some kind of a message telling Tony to get out of town But if it weren't to reach him soon enough or if he were to disregard it If you were to go to the police oh, I'd soon but kill myself. I might as well or contact them an anonymous warning Maybe there is only one place from which Tony Farringer might expect trouble from me. Mr. Milford. Well, oh I don't know so so help me. I don't know. I'm not even sure you deserve help after what you've done. I Beg your mr. Dollar. Hey you you tell me on the phone there's insurance involved in all this Well when he first came with me Tony had his life ensured he named some Distant relative is the beneficiary throw trial trial Western life. Yes But he didn't even name Claire in it when he married her. Yeah. Well, that's beside the point Do you have an idea mr. Dollar? Something here's some way. Oh, no, I was just thinking it's not only your neck I've got to look out for now, but I got to keep the insurance company from having to pay off on Tony You could watch over him. Oh, yeah, sure sit on this lamp for 24 hours a day without his knowing it Where is he now? I don't know. What does he live? Well, then you will watch over. We'll see Scribble down his address and phone over. Oh, yes. Yes, of course He lives at 425. What does he look like that same height and weight that you are Here my good 425, but he's here in complexion of somewhat different Tony that's right Papa And who are you mr. I take it you're Tony Farringer. That's right Tony. Oh, listen you old fool I just found out you spoiled my chances of starting my own agency that you can't burn our electronics into staying with you No, no, it's because you lied to me about the way you got us that account Oh, so you finally caught on Tony will you listen to you listen to me? I'm not gonna let you get away with it. Please. Maybe you will maybe I can't stop you But believe me believe me. You're gonna pay me plenty. Tony will you why I haven't figured it out But you'll pay me Papa just remember that I Don't know why I don't know what to do just keep your shirt on mr. Milford. Yeah Well, yeah, and wish me luck Item two five dollars for a taxi that followed Tony Farringer's car to a residential section He's the town and sure enough he pulled up in front of his own home Maybe maybe the wild the crazy idea that I suddenly got back there in the office would work driver Yeah, and of the line pull around this corner and stop right here Is a five-spot stick around for a while Instead of walking up to Tony's front door I sneaked around to the back half hidden by a hedge at the side I hope that none of the neighbors would see me and raise a fuss or report me as a problem I rang the buzzer at the back door then stood aside flat against the wall so that whoever opened it wouldn't see me I hoped Works out in you go touch whiskey pouring in on Tony Farringer's clothes Item three was another five to the cabbie for helping me home I apparently drunk and friend to a cheap rooming house over on the other side of town a place run by a frowsy old Dane will call the self ma lecher Here mr. Just carry him up and let him sleep it off in this room here at the top of the stairs Yeah, I'll open it up for you. You asked me somebody must have hit him with a bottle Yeah, well you can lay him on to the bed you more cost your buck and a half though I hear here's a first one. Well, thanks When who do I tell him and here's another for telling him a taxi driver brought him in here somebody you never saw before Oh, don't worry. I know how to keep my mouth shut when I get paid for it to pay good Okay, I'll make a 10 here Mr. You ain't gotta worry in the world want a bet back to Tony Farringer's house Again hoping none of the neighbors would see me. I let myself in the back door with a key had taken out of his pocket I Figured all I could do now was sit around and wait until the killer showed up But as I walked through the doorway into the living room just And don't turn around mr. Hands up high Blackie that's right blackie carrying a gun No, don't turn around just walk over to that bench now and sit down The piano bench there in front of you Now look if you think I'm Tony Farage sit down Now keep facing that way I Suppose I haven't got much choice. I know you're not Tony But you know who I am that means you know what I was hired for that means you know too much All right, I'll listen blackie I was afraid Eric blinker might talk but I didn't dump him in the river soon enough and listen how blessing you think I won't get Tony But you're wrong. I saw you take him into that crummy rooming house. I saw what you did to him, too He won't be moving out of there for a while That means I have plenty of time. Hey blackie. Oh mister. I hate to do a killing without getting paid for it But as long as you know so much Well, I'm afraid you don't give me much choice to you. Are you talking for your own amusement? I'm giving you a chance to say your prayers If you still know how hey blackie look we can front What difference does it make? Huh, if I should see you I mean if you're gonna kill me Let's just say I prefer it this way Are you ready? Are you kidding? You think you're gonna get away with this I'm absolutely sure of it and I asked you do you think I'd come here looking for you without taking precautions You said enough Now do you feel this gun in the back of your head? I could tell by his voice directly behind me I put my right heel tightly against the leg of the piano bench And then as I felt the cold muscle of this gun against the back of my head I suddenly dropped to the floor kicking the bench against his legs Well blackie I'm afraid your rather unique career has finally come to an end Boy down Hailing blackie for the murder of Eric the stooley made it easy for me to keep mr. Milford out of the picture completely No, I did blackie talk some cold in the underworld, I guess That's for the expense account Well in view of the fee that was handed to me. You can forget it Tony Ferringer incidentally never did quite know what happened to him Now will somebody please give me a nice clean case to work on? yours truly Johnny dollar use and directed by Jack Johnstone heard in our cast were Virginia Greg Marvin Miller Lawrence Dobkin and Russell Thorson Be sure to join us next week same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar Is Dan cover Lee speaking? Johnny dollar has come to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces radio and television service