 Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum, the refreshing delicious treat that gives you chewing enjoyment, presents for your listening enjoyment, John Lund as Johnny Dolly. Huh? What was that? Are you the insurance investigator? Yes that's right. You're here about the Amelkara shooting. Yes, who is this? Is this a gag? No, it isn't a gag. Well it's about time you gave yourself up, isn't it? No, I won't because I didn't kill him. Then why did you take a run out? I can promise that. You'll have to take my word for it. I'll meet you any time you say. The makers of the John Lund and in another adventure of the man with the action-pact expensive couch, America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. You're surely Johnny Dolly. Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum, Spearmint Chewing Gum gives you real chewing enjoyment. Yes, for chewing enjoyment plus Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum. The lively delicious flavor of Wrigley's Spearmint cools your mouth, helps keep your throat moist, and gives you a nice little lift. The good smooth chewing of refresh and alert adds up. So for chewing a treat yourself often too, John. Healthful dishes. Expense accounts submitted by Special Inventors Columbia All Risk Insurance Company in Hartford, Connecticut. The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Amel Carter matter. Expense account item one, two hundred and nineteen dollars, airfare and incidentals between Hartford and Los Angeles. For a day and a half the police investigation of the murder of your policy holder had taken the form of a search for the girl who phoned me, Janice Laith. Four witnesses, tenants in the dead man's apartment house, had seen her running away in the corridor outside his door immediately after they'd heard the shots. I was more interested in the existence of a beneficiary, Carter's brother. I made a statement of that effect. It was printed in the papers and I assumed that the call from the chief suspect on my second night in town was the result. Naturally I was more than anxious to set up a meeting. Later I wasn't so happy about it. According to arrangements I cabbed out to the harbor section, a suburb called San Pippo. There I found the address she'd given me, a sporting goods shop in front of which I was to be picked up. I stood there for about 15 minutes admiring the fishing equipment in the window as if I knew what it was all for. You got a match, mister? Huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks. Are you planning a fishing trip? No. Why? Just asking. No, I'm waiting for somebody. Oh, you live in the neighborhood? No. I'm from Hartford, Connecticut. I guess you're the man I'm looking for, darling. What about the girl that called me? I thought she was on a show. She changed her mind. I'll take you to her. Come on, there's a cab in the corner. The cab turned away from the business district, continued along the waterfront toward the ocean. The man slumped in his corner looked almost bored, except for the fact that he smoked one cigarette after another. It was a silent trip, and in the occasional flare lit up by his smoking, I tried to study his face. It was dark, glass featured, and at the moment, sullen. He could have been a seaman, a milkman, a mechanic, or one of the bodyguards, Amal Carter, had allegedly employed. We left the cab in front of an isolated cafe, and he led me down a narrow road to a parking lot near the outer breakwater of the harbor. In a single car on a lot, sat Canis Lake. Come on, get in, darling. He did come alone. We weren't quarreling. Ask him. He's got another habit of trusting people. I told you you could counter my coming alone. I did. Maybe you deserve it. Maybe you don't. What do you mean? I read about your background, your education, start of a good career as a dancer. I can't figure how a girl like you could get mixed up with somebody like Amal Carter. You've been here a month ago to knock that door out. Stop it, Frank. That doesn't do any good now. I never did. I didn't kill him. Mr. Dower, I swear I didn't. Then why have you done everything that a guilty person would do? You were seen running away from the scene and getting into your car. You abandoned that. A cab driver remembers picking up a block from where it was found. Everything you did has been done by scared killers before. I know. I know I did everything wrong. But I didn't kill him. I wasn't even in his apartment. To match all the testimony that says you did kill him, can you put your hands on any that says you didn't? No. When I was in the hallway, when I heard the shots, if I'd gone in instead of losing my nerve and running, I could have cleared myself. But I didn't. I ran. And then it was too late. I realized the police had never believed anything I said. What makes you think I will? I don't know. I was asking you to give me a chance. A chance to do what? I want to tell you what led up to that, Mike. It doesn't make any difference how I met him I knew he was no angel. But I never thought he was all bad. I still don't. That's what two years of college does for you. Four years of it. You're a hundred percent blind. The kindergarten would have known him a carter for what he was a second-class hood. Please, Frank. What's the story about that night? Aimee and I were going to leave town. We were going to fight a Mexican city and get married. And we were going to South America and stay there. Aimee wanted to get away from this town and the people he knew here. Well, I don't think that's worth much. Is there any way I can check it? Plain reservations? Yes, but I don't think they'll be worth anything either. They're under different names. Why the switch? Aimee said they're mighty people who wouldn't want him to leave and he didn't want us to leave town. Who was he afraid of? I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. He probably had a big choice. You know who? I'm no one, Tom. It's in his mind. Okay. What's the rest of it, Janice? We were supposed to have a date that night, but he called off, but he wasn't feeling so good. At about 10, he called again. Said he changed his mind about marrying me. What reason did he give you? He didn't give any. He hung up. I went right over to his place to try to find out. When I got there, I stopped right outside his door because I heard him talking to somebody. What about? I couldn't understand the words. I started for the door again and when I heard the shots, I don't know what happened to me except that I thought whatever was happening was somehow my fault and I ran. That's all I know. That's all. Yes. Did you hear the other voice? Could it have been a man? I don't know. But there must be a way to find out who was in there with him. Well, I'm only as good as the material I have to work with and you haven't given me any. You won't try to help. I'll do what I can, but don't go making plans for a happy future. And you won't tell the police. About meeting you. I doubt they'd believe me if I did. Okay, you can phone me if you think of anything. All right. You coming with me, Frank? No, maybe I can con dollar with that cap today. I want to talk to him. And you afford a cup of coffee, darling? Temporarily, yeah. I got an expensive cup. You know, let's go. Don't bother memorizing the license number. It won't lead to any place. It's rented. Thanks for telling me. It's not generally known that Dennis has a brother, is it? Do you think she has? Well, you're too young to be her father. You don't act like the man's scorn. Tell me, why do you think a man killed Carter? I didn't say that, did I? You asked her if there couldn't have been a man in his apartment. That was a question the insurance company wanted me to ask. He carried a life policy with his brother's beneficiary. We can't find him. I didn't even thought of that kind of an angle. Neither of the police. It's open and shut against Dennis. Do you think she's guilty? No. Can you prove it? No. Do you have any other brilliant answers? Yeah, you know, Amal Carter was married. He could be tossing some bait in to get him off your sister's trail. And Matt, the common law wife, had been paying her $1,500 a month to keep it among other things a secret. If he dropped out of sight, that payment would stop. Why didn't Janice tell me this? Because she didn't know. She didn't tell her? No. I had a better idea, but it backfired. Janice has got me to thank for this mess she's in. I tipped Carter's wife that they were leaving for Mexico. But how did I know Janice would go storming up to Carter's apartment? I don't know, but I wish she'd called another detective. Looks that bad for him. Couldn't look worse. What's the name of this wife? Hazel. She uses Carter? That's right. Oh, I guess I'll change my mind about that coffee. Maybe I'll choose. Sure. Thanks for the trip. I cab back to town, but to my hotel, not the police. I had no idea of sharing with them the vague hearsay evidence that had been given me that night. It seemed to me the logical place to go was back to the tenants of Amel Carter's apartment building. I did the next morning. And the developments that followed paint a fairly true picture of that hindrance to accurate investigation, the average eyewitness. I won't bother quoting all four of the address, but Mr. Samuel Nelson will serve as a composite. Why, yes, Mr. Duller. I'm glad I can be of some service. I'll do anything I can. Thanks, Mr. Nelson. I've just come from talking with Mrs. Roberts down the hall. Oh, yes. Didn't you say that she was already in the corridor when you got there the night of the shooting? Yes, she was. Well, she seems to think now that you were there before she was. Oh, but she's wrong. I remember distinctly. I went out and as you know, the Roberts apartment is a cross into the rear of the one Mr. Carter lift. You were looking toward the rear of the building? Yes. Well, the first person I saw when I went out was Mrs. Roberts standing there. Then I heard the sound of running up toward the front and saw this woman. She was running toward the street entrance. Yes, she was, definitely. So you looked very briefly toward the rear and saw Mrs. Roberts and then turned toward the south. Yes. Are you absolutely positive that it was Mrs. Roberts? Of course I am. Was anything said? No. Oh, nobody said anything for a minute. But we were startled, you know. Now, Mrs. Roberts remembers that as soon as she came out and saw you, she asked you what had happened. Well, she's wrong. She was there when I came out and if she said anything, I didn't hear it. Could it be that you expected to see Mrs. Roberts for you so often seen her? Then after a glance, that put maybe a second, your mind automatically said, that's Mrs. Roberts. Mr. Dollar, I know what I saw. What's the meaning of it? It's just possible that there was a second woman mixed up in this. A woman who might have come out of Mr. Carter's apartment and instead of bolting toward the front entrance headed quietly to the rear and out the back way. Well, I hardly think that... Now I am confused. I was so sure. But I shouldn't like to call Mrs. Roberts a liar if she truly believes that I was in the corridor when she came out. After all, it was also sudden and shocking. I suppose anybody's mind could play tricks. In less than an hour, four positive witnesses had broken down in the face of doubt. None of them could swear that there had been a second stranger on the hallway and neither could they swear that there hadn't been. And by the end of it, none of them was certain that Janice had come out of the Carter apartment. I wondered how the police would react. And I found out from the man in charge of the investigation, Lieutenant Scott, the Central Division Homicide. So you broke down their statements. You think that's quite an achievement? I didn't break them down. I asked them if they were sure of what they'd seen. They said they weren't. Well, I'll lay a tender one if I had time. I could go out there and make you swear that their first statement is true. But I don't have time. I've got three other cases to work out. Janice Leight's life might depend on it. I thought maybe you'd want to be sure. I hope it's sure of anyone. The DA and the good defense lawyer get a hold of those people or probably tell two other versions. That's the way witnesses are. Yeah. What makes you think this late girl is innocent? I didn't say that. I'm still dreaming about an insurance motive. Every day she stays in hiding makes the case against her stronger. She could be afraid of all the circumstantial evidence stacked up against her. Well, our city is a circumstantial. What about Carter's wife? I don't know. What about her? Have you questioned her? No more than we've questioned his other relatives or friends. Now, look, we've got a case against Janice Leight's dollar. And when we get a case, we don't start out to break it down. If we did, nothing would ever get settled. OK, Lieutenant. Sorry I took up your time. I knew I didn't have a chance of stirring up the police without something positive to offer. I didn't have it when I left the lieutenant's office. But I got it when I stopped by my hotel to check for phone calls. The clerk told me that a Mrs. Hazel Carter was waiting for me in the bar. Second boost to the right. Mrs. Carter? Yes? My name is Dollar. Oh, yes. Would you like to sit down? Thank you. Why did you get in touch with me? I think we have a common problem, the death of my husband. I thought you didn't talk about the marriage. I haven't for a long time. Not because I didn't want to. But I have been notified by the brother of Janice Late that I was called a possible suspect. Yes, your name did come up. Naturally, I'd like to do away with that suspicion. With a semi-legal arrangement that comes close to Blackmail, I can't say that I blame you. How do you plan to do it? I want you to tell me how to go about offering a reward for any help in bringing about the arrest of Janice Late. Reward or the price of getting the pressure off you? Couldn't we go to your room to talk about it? Sure, Mrs. Carter. I'm anxious to hear the amount we're bargaining for. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, you'll enjoy chewing Wrigley's Spearmint Gum. Chew Wrigley's Spearmint while you're working. The lively, full-bodied flavor of Wrigley's Spearmint gives you a refreshing little lift. The smooth, pleasant chewing of Wrigley's Spearmint Gum helps keep you feeling relaxed and satisfied, makes your job seem easier. Chew Wrigley's Spearmint Gum in your home when you're out walking or driving, when you're enjoying sports and other activities. Wrigley's Spearmint Gum tastes good anytime, and the natural chewing aids digestion helps keep your teeth bright and attractive. Yes, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, you'll enjoy chewing Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum. Healthful, refreshing, delicious. And now with our star, John Lund, we bring you the second act of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Mrs. Amel Carter was a rather plain brown-haired woman who appeared to be slightly older than her dead husband. As she talked about him in my hotel room, it seemed as though she were discussing something she had lost a long time ago. And it was hard to decide whether she was bargaining for a frame we put around Janice's late or was sincere about the reward. I knew that sooner or later, the truth about our marriage would come out. So I was almost relieved when Janice's brother phoned and said that he told you, then at least I had some place to go. You always had the police. I've heard that in these situations, widows are almost automatically suspect. Well, in your case, it's not hard to understand, is it? No, I suppose not. You knew your husband was leaving the country? Yes. You knew that his $1,500 a month payoff to you was likely to stop? Yes, but I don't see how killing him would change that. I know this isn't the time to think of myself, but with him gone, there's nothing for me. He left me nothing. Then there's the chance you were just plain in love with him. Didn't want him running off with someone else. I was in love with him. But during the years of being separated from him, I've gotten over any feelings of jealousy. When I heard that he was leaving, I talked to him on the telephone for the first time in a month. I asked him if he realized what he was doing, how leaving me could be used against him by the people who hate him. Do you have any particular people in mind? I think it's fairly well known that Amel had enemies, and I don't know why they aren't being questioned. Because the witnesses in the apartment house saw at least one woman leaving the scene. Nobody saw a man. And then that woman was Janice Leight. And I want to offer $5,000 if it will help arrest her. If you aren't interested, I'll go to the newspaper. I think you'd better, Mrs. Carter. When you lay it in front of me, it sounds too much like a pitch. Her story made the front page of the paper I bought under the heading, Cooling Murder Sparked by Reward Offer of Mystery Widow. And strangely enough, it sounded sincere, not slanted toward Janice Leight, as I'd halfway expected, but offering $5,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or person's guilty of murdering Amel Carter. I didn't know how the police were faring, but as far as I was concerned, reactions set in almost immediately. Johnny Dollar. This is Janice Leight. Oh? How are you making out? What kind of... I don't know. It's got news value, and she must have laid cash on the line. It might even be on the level. She says she didn't kill him. You talked to her? Yeah. What did you say? Just that. She didn't kill him. I'm surprised that you're so upset about her. According to your brother, you didn't even know about her. He told me about her. I don't know. But I think you'd better give yourself up. No, I won't. The longer you stay out, the worse it looks for you. Now listen to me. The witnesses who saw you outside Carter's apartment aren't sure now that they didn't see somebody else, too. On the strength of that, give yourself up. Maybe we can do something with it. I thought it was Janice, but it wasn't. It was Lieutenant Scott. He had a confession to Carter's murder that he wanted to talk to me about. It was made, he said, by a man who claimed that he was Janice's late brother. The news spread fast. It was on the radio at the cigar stand as I left the lobby of my hotel. This brother of hers says he knows you, but he met you last night. Yeah, I guess he did. He says you met Janice late in him at the beach. He phoned me, Lieutenant. Could have been a crank. Could have been anything. Well, I met them, and nothing they said would have done you any good, so I didn't bother you with it. Bother me with it? With what we haven't had, did you think that picking up a suspect would bother me? Well, you know, my racket. Sometimes I have to give my word about running to the police. If I get out of the habit of keeping it, I'm gonna miss a lot of bets. Yeah. Last night, did he question you as to why you thought a man might have killed Carter? Oh, yeah. I was thinking of the beneficiary. He said that when you mentioned that, he figured you had something on him, and when the reward was posted, he decided to give himself up. You sound like you don't believe him, Lieutenant. Well, to be honest, I don't know. You think he's protecting his sister? I said I don't know. You want to talk to him? If it'll help. It might. I'll send you in. I hope I can put you on the spot by talking about last night. Oh, that's not important. But I was surprised to hear about this. Yeah. I'm surprised, too. What do you mean? Well, I thought the whole thing. Never thought I'd go this far to get rid of people who were hurting you. Murder is pretty far. You think it was worth it? Who knows? But I had to get her away from that overrated punk. I didn't show for 10 years to see a tie-up with a guy like that. Been taking care of her that long? Oh, beefing. I was a kid with nobody taking care of me, and I wasn't going to let that happen to her. Maybe I spoiled her, I don't know, but after going that far, I couldn't stop when Carter got ahold of her. I don't think you killed him. I needed at that cop, but I did. When I found out he was taking her out of the country, I went up there and headed out with him. I thought you told me you called his wife. I did, but she wouldn't do anything, so I said I would. She told me she went to see Carter. Talk to him about how wrong it was. That's not what she told me. What then? Well, I went there about 9.30, told him to stay away from my sister, and he laughed at me. So I killed him. After you killed him, what did you do? I just stayed in the apartment until I figured the time was right, and then I looked out the door, and the people were out of sight. The back way? Yeah, that's right. What street did you come out on? Franklin Avenue. The back way comes out on Gower. Well, maybe that was it. I wasn't thinking of what street I was on. I don't think you were there. Yes, I was. Janice didn't kill him. You kill something you hate, not something you love, and she was in love with him. Why, I don't know. She didn't kill him. I tell you, I did. Oh, dollar. Yeah? Two women shot each other up over in Serrano. The address is listed as that of Hazel Carter. Hi, Lieutenant. Hello, Doc. Everything under control. I think so. How are they? They're both still alive. That's about all. Here's a late girl over here. Janice. Do you remember me? She did. We don't know yet. I hope I killed her. Why, Janice? My brother thought I killed him. He tried to save me by lying. Why not? When I heard I knew that had to be his own. Hey. There they were alone. Here's the other woman. Hello, Hazel. I never thought this... Did you kill your husband? Yes. He was going away with... I didn't mean to. Lieutenant, this one's gone. Oh. She died without finishing her statement. I don't think we need a statement. We got too many now. From too many eyewitnesses. Expense account item two. $134, miscellaneous. Item three, same as item one. Transportation back to Hartford. Expense account total, $572. Remarks? Well, I was wrong right from the beginning. I'm not making excuses for it, but I wasn't as far wrong as the brother Frank. But his false confession had ended it. He wouldn't have taken the rap for his sister, who he thought was guilty. But for Hazel Carter, when he was afraid it was innocent. Here's truly Johnny Dalle. Remember, friends, Wrigley's spearmint chewing gum refreshes you. Wrigley's spearmint chewing gum gives you real chewing enjoyment. The lively, full-bodied flavor of Wrigley's spearmint cools your mouth, freshen your taste, sweetens your breath. The smooth, pleasant chewing of Wrigley's spearmint helps keep you feeling relaxed and satisfied. Makes whatever you're doing more enjoyable. Yes, for refreshment plus chewing enjoyment, treat yourself often to Wrigley's spearmint chewing gum. Millions enjoy it daily. Get a few packages and always keep some handy. That's Wrigley's spearmint chewing gum. Helpful, refreshing, delicious. Yours truly, Johnny Dalle, brought to you by Wrigley's spearmint chewing gum, stars John Lund in the title role and was written by Gil Dowd with music by Eddie Dunstetter. Featured in tonight's cast were Mary Jane Croft, Hi, Everback, Frank Nelson, Mary Lansing and Hal March. Yours truly, Johnny Dalle, is produced and directed by Jaime Del Valle. The makers of Wrigley's spearmint chewing gum hope you enjoyed tonight's story of Johnny Dalle and that you're enjoying delicious Wrigley's spearmint gum every day. This is Charles Lyle inviting you to join us again next week at this same time when from Hollywood, John Lund returns as yours truly, Johnny Dalle. This is the CBS Radio Network.