 From Hollywood, it's time now for Johnny Deller. Oh, hi, Don. Thanks for the Christmas present Yeah Nothing good about him. Why? Pranker was born to be murdered. Wow. Who's the beneficiary? Nick shurn you picked a fine pair of rats. Yeah, I know that any witnesses What's her story Don? Maybe they already have 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 investigator yours truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to the home office Tri-mutual insurance limited Hartford, Connecticut The following is the account of expenditure is during my investigation of the Nick shurn matter Item one twenty-two eighty transportation to New York tips and incidentals and taxi fare to the office of Lieutenant Ed Rafferty homicide division the man in charge of the case Oh, hi Johnny Not bad, Ed. How's the homicide business? Terrible. Did you look at that teletype shoplifting five complaints right in a row the week before Christmas? That's all we get shoplifters. Mel Pryker wasn't shoplifting. Oh, you're working on it Johnny Yeah, the insurance angle Nick shurns the beneficiary a hundred grand policy. Are you got a top one boy? Sure and killed him all right, but I don't think we're going to be able to stick him come on in the office Hey, you know what that kid of mine wants for Christmas Marlon Monroe. Oh, nice here Johnny. He's only ten you know go ahead You want some motorbike can you tie that ten years old and he says he needs a motorbike Have a chair. Okay Well, look, I know a factory representative here will make you good deal on one end. Oh now forget the Johnny No, I was 14 before I even had a pair of roller skates, and then I had to buy them myself Kids are spoiled today. That's the half of what's wrong with them. Ah, there's the pile on the case. What little we've got. Okay Yeah, how'd it happen I mean, how do I think it happened that's good enough for me Mel Pryker and Nick shurn were both in the rackets for years as you probably know Yeah, I've heard rumors. Well a while back. They teamed up and opened a string of supper clubs That's where Pryker got it in their main club the Chesquilette strictly legitimate. Huh more or less I guess they could afford to be The door they were making and arguing over according to the word around that's the reason for the killing the way you see Sure, Nick figured if half was good all the take could be twice as good and the insurance on top of it You're a fast one Johnny Anyhow as several people heard the shots about 2 30 in the morning it was right after the club closed But none of them bothered to report it the cleanup crew came in at 3 and found Pryker's body He was lying in his office shot twice gone on the floor beside him no prints With his own gun and it was kept there in his desk. Where was Nick shurn? And we picked him up an hour later at another one of their clubs The manager was with him and oh Benny Stark now he any yeah, no trigger man for Nick's mob in the old days 15 years overdue for hanging That's our Benny any how they they both swear that Nick was there from 1 30 on what about a perfume test and positive clear to the elbow And you can throw it out the window what do you mean? Earlier that evening Nick spent two hours at a shooting gallery uptown firing a pissy smart Huh, he really planned for it. He really did jump without a witness. We haven't got a chance I understand there was a witness some girl who was mixed up in it easy Johnny You're talking to a rafferty. Hmm. So the girls Irish miss Kathleen O'Dare All country back three generations county killed her then naturally she says innocent as a newborn babe naturally Then how does she frigging a taxi driver who knows her said that he saw her leave the club five minutes after the shots She denied it such as she left at closing time But now in my book she was lying scared to talk paralyzed and with plenty of reason, you know shurn's reputation What about the cab driver now I changed his story said it might have been some other girl He's home. Oh, no, don't tell me Ed. Let me guess. That's right. These names or two And I forgot to mention that Kotli is pretty naturally Anyhow, I let her go No, I do and when I went around to talk to her this morning She'd flown the coop any chance. I'm a next boys graphing. I don't think so It looked more like she came home Packed in a hurry took her kid and blew kid. Yeah, eight-year-old daughter Irish and a mother too I was on sacred ground way was fingering me gone No, seriously, would you find her? She may be able to break Nick's alibi and it's our only chance And it might be her only chance Nick shurn's not the boy to leave a loose end line around I know I've got 30 men chicken bus depots air line. No luck, huh in this mess at this time of year I'm a hard-boiled cop Johnny. I've got no Christmas for it. I'm glad it only comes once per annum Well, there's not very much to go on. That's for sure. I'll see what I can turn up and check with you later All right, that's fine. Oh, oh by the way Johnny. Yeah About that friend of yours. What friend? The guy with the motorbike sir, how would I be getting in touch with him? Oh, yeah His name is Ralph sterner. He's in the phone book office in the Macley building Hard-boiled cop Kids only young ones. Yeah, sure Now you find that oh dare good find her keep her alive and get it to talk. How long have I got to find it? What do you mean Nick shurn? How much longer can you hold him? Johnny he was turned loose an hour ago So that was it a lot of maybe is a lot of questions and a lot of pressure a John to be done and done fast find one Catholic no dare former hat check girl at the Shea Colette Keep Nick shurn hoodlums away from her and persuaded to talk and three-to-one Nick was looking for a two He was free now on the loose and he might be anywhere Only the way it turned out he wasn't just anywhere he was in one particular place Farke writes Mac in front of the precinct station He was sitting in the backseat of a sedan and his trigger man Benny Stark was at the wheel About five years as I remembered Nick It was that warehouse robbery over in Queens when you got away with forty thousand dollars worth of furs You've forgotten. I was acquitted on that one. Oh, yeah I know after they pull the only witness out of the East River is feet in a bucket of cement just coincidence I've never seen him before you've seen miss O'Dare before Sure, I have she works for me. She's a good kid Johnny. So I hear I Wouldn't harm a hair on that girl's head. She'll be relieved when I tell her that Get in I want to talk to you. No, no, no, sorry Nick I like it fine just the way it is in the car. I'd be outnumbered. You got me all wrong Johnny I don't play that way anymore. What about Benny? Has he reformed to? Well, that's what Benny go take a walk. Yeah, boss. I said go take a walk Okay Get in Johnny. What's on your mind Nick? You were working on this game. Yeah, I'm on it. Why? That's what I figured. I was talking to my lawyer in there and so you go to Rafferty's office. I Guess the insurance company is gonna try to welsh on that claim at your party Nick you talk Get a better idea. What's that? You know, it's real nice out in Las Vegas this time of year Johnny The man can have a lot of fun out there for the next month with maybe $10,000 to play with what man are you talking about? You I don't have $10,000 you will 30 minutes from now If you say the word Nick you're lucky we're not standing out there in the sidewalk and a car seat I haven't got room to swing still a fool. I don't know. Why don't you write me about it? You'll have plenty of time me up there in the death cell Suppose I didn't make any claim on that policy and you wouldn't have any reason to stay on the case No sale Nick a hundred grand is a lot of money I'd want to find out why you didn't make a claim. You'll know why you're out to penis on me and so the cops a Man with a racket hasn't got a chance. You should have thought of that before you kill Mel Pranker Want to know something Johnny? I didn't kill him. Well, I'm betting you did. What do you care who killed him? You're not shedding any tears over it. No, but I'd sure hate to see you get away with it And I'd hate it even more if anything happened to that girl Kathy out there Now what could happen to her? She just might fall in the river She probably thinks she's safe as long as she hides from the police and refuses to talk She doesn't know you very well You know you hear a lot about peace on earth goodwill toward men around this time of year Well, I don't have much goodwill toward the kind of rat you are and I figured to be more peace on earth If you weren't on it push me and maybe that's what'll happen. Well, at least that's fair warning. Yeah, it's fair warning I'm gonna tag you for this Nick. You can count on it Expensive count item two two dollars and forty cents taxi to the east side rooming house at canthio dare I didn't have much hope of turning up anything at rafferty and this man had already been through the place inch by inch It was the only starting point I had The landlady was out in a uniform policeman led me into Kathy's flat I spent an hour and a half and got nowhere I went through her mail bills advertisements casual notes from men. She'd met at the club but nothing personal not even a postcard There were no pictures photographs of Kathy or her daughter anywhere in the flat She made a clean sweep then left in a hurry and obviously she didn't mean to be found But I had to find her and fast It was dusk when I left the street lamps were on and the colored Christmas lights in the windows of on the block Snow was falling in big soft gentle flakes and there was a holiday feeling in the air It was neither the time nor the setting Contribution son give you something to help poor sure How's it going this year center? Oh, it's better than you know, but it just seems is never enough to go around no matter Well, bless you son. Thank you. Can't know much in it. Good luck pop. Thank you, son Well The city ought to clean the streets better. I've been waiting for you. Sorry, Benny. It's not my day for punks It's your friends want to talk to you Start walking Johnny down the alley. It's dark down there start walking This ain't just my hand in my pocket better be Benny with two cops standing up there on the porch watching You're talking about there ain't no I Smashed him in the mouth and knocked him flat followed it up and kicked his gun He rolled over came to his feet and rushed me. I was hoping he Had it coming He sure did get it. Yeah. Hey, you know something pop. I think Benny wants to make a contribution to help the poor He's a good boy at the moment at least there you go that ought to help son $500 what it will do the most good well Merry Christmas, son. Happy new year. Yeah, same to you pop and many more of them Hey taxi Another intriguing episode in our story of the next shern matter tomorrow tomorrow an old lady with a broken arm a shivering girl and Bullets in the snow Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar? 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 This is Roy Rowan speaking