 From Hollywood, it's time now for Johnny dollar Yeah, apparently now who did you say? You mean you work for mr. Bartlett, I mean I am mr. Bartlett. I mean miss Bartlett you're confused Oh, the only JD Bartlett in town is me. I'm him ever her. I mean now you see what you've done. I'll never forgive myself Well, anyway, I'm the tri-state guarantee agent here in Cranesburg Seems the least you could have done was to look me up. Well, give me time. I just got in town You had time to rush out there that south side bar and start lushing it up I came out here to this joint to talk to a jewel thief. You what? It's the guy who phoned Hartford and offered to make a deal on the crane necklace He claims he's the one who stole it that for a slight consideration. I can get it back And what do you think I think I've walked in on the nuttiest case in the month of Sundays Hey, look, he's waiting for me at the bar. Suppose I drop by later and are you sure JD Bartlett is a woman? You're the first man who ever doubted it. I'll see you later, Mr. Dollar 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 yours truly Johnny dollar From special investigator Johnny dollar to the home office tri-state guarantee company Hartford, Connecticut The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Cranesburg matter expense account continued When I told her the case was nutty I met it The start of it had been fairly ordinary a pearl necklace insured for $20,000 had been stolen from a wall safe in the home of its owner local socialite Melba crane Smiley Prell a known small-time jewel thief at Fondas claiming to have the necklace and smiley offered to talk a deal But before I'd been in town ten minutes things began to crumble and change shape Melba's feather-headed Uncle Finneas had called to my hotel to warn me that his niece was headstrong and impulsive Or at least he said that was why he called When I tagged the rumor that the aristocratic cranes were flat broke until recently And now at the Green Lion Inn Swiney Prell a burglar by admission was turning skittish and climbing up Look dollar. I got no time to talk now. Oh relax Would you Swiney a man in your profession can't afford to develop a case of nerve? Oh very funny But I gotta blow this joint now. I told you before you went to get that phone call. I got things to do Yeah, I know what you're doing right then. Are you meet me later at that place and time? I told you about it You try pushing me. You're never gonna get them beads back. You ever think of that. I don't know. I am anyway I told you I ran an hour before on the phone. You told me to meet you here. We talk a deal All right, and so we will we'll talk later. Yeah, what's the matter with you? How many times I got to tell you something's come up and I gotta get it straightened out like what for instance Well, I never mind. It's none of your business. It's it's like personal So later you said you were being handed the double-cross now what kind of a double that's exactly what I'm trying to figure out Who did it? Who crossed you never mind who crossed me? It's only your business Did you have a partner on this job? Oh Don't try to kid me you check my MO before you ever left Hartford if you did then you will you know I always work alone. Well, it can be a first time for anything. Look, I got no time to talk Somebody on the inside smiling somebody in the crane house who tipped you off briefed you Yeah, you want to know too much. Is that where the double-cross came from? I got nothing more to say more You haven't said anything. Yeah, well you meet me tonight where I said two dollar at nine You know something smiley. I don't think you've got it What are you talking about the necklace? I don't think you had anything to do with the robbery I don't believe you've got it or that you've ever even seen you don't know No, I think you're trying to pull a con of some kind, but it's not gonna work Dollar, you know what the things look like. Yeah, I got photographs of them. All right, then check me out There are 38 pearls. Yeah, and they're pink match color match size And they're not pierced like they usually are each one said in a in a fitted platinum mount and the mounts are fast and together with those You know those those little links What kind of a stone in the clasp? Class right knee stone. Hey, what are you trying to do? Okay? Okay? All right, you've got it or at least you've seen it So how much do you want? Meet me tonight at 9 o'clock, and I'll tell you 1412 North Oak Street room 6 and no cop Not if you want them beads back you understand not any more than I did when I walked in here Well, you will so just keep your shirt on smiley if you can talk tonight. You can talk now There's no I got things to do and not much time to do them in so go find yourself a cool pad somewhere and simmer down, huh? so long Item 4275 I was stuck with the check naturally so I paid it and strolled toward the door I Stopped just outside in the entrance way to the roadhouse and watch smiley cross the parking lot toward a Trisha to taxi stand where a couple of waiting hanks had parked out of the sun a Few yards away from me stood another cab this one occupied I stepped out of the entrance and walked over to the taxi because I'd recognized the passenger in the backseat Afternoon, Miss Crane. What? Oh, I'm sorry if I started it. Oh, oh not at all. Don't I I just didn't hear you walk up Yeah, I noticed you seem pretty concerned with something across the lot across a lot But I'm afraid I wouldn't be that fella getting into the taxi wouldn't what what fellow I don't know what you mean, mr. Oh, I could be wrong. I hadn't even noticed the man as a matter of fact Oh, well, then of course you won't mind if we just stand here and watch him drive off I really should get back into town. Good. I'm going that way myself. I've got a car here Be glad to take them, but I've already engaged We'll get going give us a chance to talk on the way in you might as well, mr. Crane the other taxies already out of sight Had noticed My car is over this way Pray they may be a misunderstanding of some sort, mr. Dollar You've seen the man of the Misapprehension that I was interested for some reason in that stranger who left I said I could be wrong Yeah, I can assure you that you are Here's the car To the best of my knowledge. I have never seen the man before in my life Well, there'll be days like that sometimes What's that a colloquialism of the common man, mr. Crane? What's um, what were you doing out at the Green Lion by the way, mr. Crane? Well, I was just killing time. Were you what's the matter of fact, sir? I was Waiting to talk with you. We don't say this. I was afraid. I may have left a wrong impression When I talked with you at your hotel earlier today in what way mr. Crane, but I mean About my niece Melba. Well, you said she was headstrong and pulsing Oh, yes, but not a bit more so than any other normal average girl, mr. Dollar. Oh, I see I don't really know why I considered it so important at the time. I Yeah, well, that's understandable you don't have a jewel robbery in the family every day in the family I mean to stolen from the family Apparently we're both giving wrong impressions I'm glad that everything is cleared up now. I wish it were What's that nothing has been cleared up yet as far as I can see the necklace is still missing Well, of course that isn't what I meant. It's what I mean It's the only reason I'm here in cranesburg to recover that necklace one way or another Well, what do you mean by one way or another either by tagging the thief and getting it back through police action Or if necessary by making a deal I just talked to the man who claims to be in possession of the pearls as you know, of course But he was a very big your partner sir, but I do not know of course Well, and let's say may have guessed you were in my hotel room when he phoned you heard me arranged to meet him I didn't really pay much attention to that phone call. All right. Anyway when I flew in here from Hartford I expected this to be a cut and dried matter of routine I'd meet pearl make a quick deal to get the pearls back and catch the next plane out Only it's apparently not going to be that way What do you mean by that I mean I've stumbled onto a whole nest full of question marks And nothing seems to add up quite right Pearl for one thing I think he's gotten himself into a spot of some kind his attitude doesn't make sense. And what else mr. Duller little things Rumors I picked up around town hints And of course the biggest question mark seems to be right close to home Which one is that? You mr. Crane When I dropped him off at the center of town, he was still fumbling with vague phrases Trying to clear up the misapprehensions as he put it But actually saying nothing He was sure however that I would understand He was wrong. I didn't Even my mistake about j.d. Bartlett tri-state's local agent seemed to fit in with the rest of the mixed-up case I'd assume from the name that Bartlett was a man But when I walked into the office a few minutes later I was suddenly Happy that I was wrong I presume that's right Miss Bartlett just make a jd I've spent a lot of time and effort getting those initials pounded into the skulls of the local inhabitants Why it's good for business makes me one of the boys you might say I kind of doubt it somehow As you mentioned on the phone, you're uh unmistakable But that I'm gonna drop the dollar and call you johnny pull up a chair. Yeah, thanks tady You get anywhere with that character who snatched the queen's rocks. Nope How come oh, he stalled postponed the whole deal until nine o'clock tonight. Why uh, he was nervous, I guess Well, that's about the only reason I can figure and between him and old finneas crane I'm getting a little nervous myself. How did finneas get into the act? Good question. I wish I had a good answer Hey, what about these cranes jd. What makes them tick beats me Well, you sold them the insurance policy. You must know something about them. I didn't sell the policy I just permitted it to be bought from me. How so Melba crane came snooting into the office one day dropped the pearls under my plebeian nose and one of them ensured Why do you dislike her? She's a good-looking dame and I'm pretty well favored myself and answer your question Roughly. Yes. So what happened? So I got jim markley local jeweler in here to appraise him issued the policy That was that I understand that the necklace was an engagement gift from some newcomer in town Yeah dean cellars. She had him hooked for even got his bags unpacked That skirt has the ethics of a boa constrictor and about as much personality as a face painted on an egg Somehow I don't feel I'm getting an unbiased opinion. You won't at this address Why can't she climb down off her pedestal and play ball with the rest of us? The crane name the crane tradition the crane social position The only thing they're not so high and mighty about's the crane bank account because there isn't one Yeah, except lately as I understand it old finneas has been flashing money around pretty freely the last few months Yeah, so I've heard don't ask me to explain it. I can't even explain finneas. What do you mean? He's a rare one that old boy Old school time mouthful of much that sort of thing But you know if it was a matter of protecting the family name I actually think he'd commit murder Oh, here's our star to tell you about monday's intriguing episode of this continuing story monday A thief stalls for time an old man lies desperately And a strange girl whispers the dread word murder Join us won't you yours truly? Johnny dollar Ours truly Johnny dollar starring bob bailey is transcribed in hollywood written by less crutchfield It is produced and directed by jack johnstone Be sure to join us monday night same time and station for the next exciting episode of yours truly Johnny dollar This is roi roan speaking