 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar Oh, hi Yeah, hard luck Dennis are one real key to this three million dollar case has just been murdered. I have an idea Buster I'm on my way 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 ours truly Johnny dollar Expense accounts submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar location Lake Mojave resort on the Colorado River in Arizona to the greater Southwest insurance and liability company Following is an accounting of expenditure is during my investigation of the Midas touch matter Adam 9 6 30 is stop at the sign of the flying red horse for gas for my rented car to get me from Kingman, Arizona to Lake Mojave resort About a mile short of the lake on the winding road that led in from the main highway I found Buster waiting in a spot where an old wagon trail cut off to the right. Hi a buster Well, oh, yeah, sure you see three of the tires look here where the car turned to get around this rock Yeah, yeah, three of the tires are pretty good had those big knobby treads But this one right front's almost worn smooth or is it the left rear? Oh, it's right front Johnny Car was going north out into the desert. Hmm. Tell by a little skid on this turn Plus do you read tire tracks like some people can read footprints? Oh, it's just practice Anyway, these are the same tracks that I found by the old shack where you met hard luck and he got shot at then Let's get into my car and follow these up. Oh, oh, nothing, but Jeep could get over this trail Well, where does this trail pick up a highway again? It doesn't winds around freighter 10 miles and ends up in the lake over by the southwest corner of the fence line on the Two-lady-two range and our best bet is to drive over to the two-lady-two except for one thing The Jeep we're looking for is somewhere up that trail. So we'll go by outboard. Oh, what this old trail worms around All right, but always close along the edge of Lake Mojave all the way and the end of it's eight miles to one There's only about one mile by water from our dock at the resort Uh-huh, then we ought to be able to intercept whoever's in that Jeep. That's right. Then let's go Lake Mojave was clear and calm and beautiful perfect for fishing But we had other things in our minds as the 30 horses outboard pushed our 14-foot aluminum boat along at better than 25 miles an hour We stayed fairly close to the Arizona side Look Johnny see that streak of dust along the shore. Yeah, somebody's been driving along there. All right still is Won't be able to see who though until he comes out from behind that ridge of hills over there Hey, that streak of dust hasn't grown any longer. Looks like he stopped could be I'll head his in towards shore I still don't understand why he'd be driving out on that dead-end trail Oh, unless he wants a dump of body or something in the lake. That's a morbid thought All right, but if it is a killer you're looking for You said that trail ends at a corner of it Hey, wait a minute, Boston. Yeah, if it's who I think it is he overheard me tell Jake Kessler I plan to go fishing out here today. So What was that the motor giving you trouble? What was what there hear it? Yeah, I heard it, but it wasn't the motor Funny what's there look we're taking in water those holes in the bottom. Yeah, you take this can and start bailing right I would drill a lot of holes. No, wait a minute. Look at them close. They're bullet holes. Holy smoke. You're right Hey, that was a shot came from over on shore. I saw the puff of smoke over on that patch of sagebrush Come on. Let's get out of here. Let's work us around buster. We've been a pair of sitting ducks, man You are right. Keep on bailing and swing us around that little point there and we'll be out of range Wow, you see that's pretty water beside us that guy can shoot you aren't kidding Okay, buster you can ease a rough hour out of his line. Yeah Well, I guess we pulled a boner Johnny by not having somebody posted on that road while we came out here Now he can climb back in his Jeep and yeah, there you see trail of dust again going back toward the highway I see it We hadn't taken on so much water We might be able to get back and intercept them on the highway, but it's too late now Well, at least we know what to look for what the Jeep that made those tracks Isn't that kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack out in this country buster? I think I know exactly where to look I Believe I must have bailed a good five gallons of water out of that boat by the time we reached the dock Then buster insisted on going along as I headed back of the highway toward Kingman We stopped where the old trail cut in only long enough to see if the Jeep tracks had come back on the highway They had Now that we're on the way Johnny where we gone any of these ranches out here use jeeps buster most all the big ones But including the two lazy to yeah, that's right Now wait a minute. I Didn't ask you who you thought was shooting at us out there on the lake who you thought over heard you talking about going fishing I figured if you wanted to tell me you would all the trouble is I still can't prove anything all right Let me tell you who can shoot like that and with that kind of a gun It was a 30-art six you could tell by the sound 30-art six with a long barrel That could mean it had a scope sight almost have to for that kind of shooting Alex Bundy Four minutes too lazy to that's who hard luck Dennis said shot at him and it ties up Johnny doesn't You got a few too many under his belt one night at a dance party in Kingman Yeah started yapping his head off about how a lot of soft living millionaires from back east could come out here and all in The place while he had to do all the work The one fair worm a turn sometime even if he had to help a turn and he'd be the one who counted the money But the time me everybody started talking about him and Dora Dora Wife of one of the Haskell brothers that was killed on the mine Kevin Haskell go on Bustin seems Alex and Dora Seen a lot of each other on the sly Everybody kind of stood around waiting to see if Alex was trying to get some control of the ranch that way That's Union Pass right ahead. Hmm. Let's go over the tops of road to the left shortcut to the two lazy to That's where you want to go in. Yeah, Buster. That's where I want to go It was only a couple of miles into the ranch's fence line But a good three miles further to the main house and its cluster of outbuildings Buster sharp eyes first noticed the Jeep parked by the side of what looked like a big tool shed and I drove slowly past it So only enough so that he could study its tires and the tracks on the dusty ground That's the one all right Then keep an eye out for Alex and that gun of his and be ready to duck Try the main house. Okay You know I got a kind of funny feeling now that we're here. We should have brought a posse along. I'm afraid it's too late for that now It is a gun bulging onto your jacket, isn't it? Oh, yeah, but I'm wondering what chance a little 38 lemon squeezer has against a high-powered rifle No, come on Keep your eyes Johnny I'm beginning to feel like I'm right in the middle of an old-time Western movie. Maybe you are Buster. Maybe you Why Buster? Oh Are you Dora? Don't just stand there. Yes, ma'am The woman standing on the porch of the old house looks strangely out of place on this big Western desert ranch Perhaps it was because of her clothes two-tone sports shoes and a crisp well-tailored white linen dress that served to accent the lines of a Trim athletic figure and go perfectly with a short boy's cut hair Miss Haskell. This is mr. Dollar Johnny dollar. Hello, mr. Dollar Jake Kessler told me you were here. Come in, please. Okay. Thank you. I Suppose he told you why I'm here. No leave the door open for the breeze. Oh He said to investigate the death of my husband Kevin and his brothers in that mine accident. Sit down. Would you thank you? Do you think it was an accident according to mr. Kessler? You don't why because it means his company would have to pay only a million and a half to me instead of three million Somebody found pretty concrete evidence there in the mine that one of the rock pillars supporting the roof had been deliberately pulled down Hard luck Dennis What you say is true. He must have done it It was hard luck who told me about it who showed me the winch that was used to do it And that winch Mrs. Haskell could have come from only one place around here This ranch. Oh, no You mean no, you can't mean that somebody here at the ranch did it? Hannah looks that way doesn't him but who that's what I hoped you might be able to tell me Who beside you could profit by the death of your husband and his brothers who here at the ranch? Alex Bundy perhaps Alex how by marrying into the family. What are you talking about? That is of course if one of the Haskell brothers were to die Kevin perhaps that's absurd. Oh, I had a notion that you and Alex were someone's interested in each other Well, you're wrong He may have been interested in me He was as a matter of fact. He made it very difficult for me. How do you mean that I? Kept trying to force his attentions on me, and you didn't reciprocate of course not because Well, go on Cuz I knew what his real motives were all right. Go on this ranch This ranch is what he wanted. He knew that Kevin wasn't well That's why Kevin had come out here with his brothers in the first place I did hear that he was having a little trouble with his lungs Johnny He didn't have long to live not many years. That is even in this hot dry air So Alex did it It sure looks a way doesn't Johnny What led you to look for him here? It was Alex Bundy who shot up hard luck Dennis Then somebody overheard me say I was going fishing down at the lake That's where I was shot at by somebody who was not only a crack shot But more important was driving the Jeep that's parked outside the Jeep was gone from here this afternoon Do you know where Alex Bundy is now? He must be somewhere around the ranch, and you must get him. Mr. Dollar. I'll help you. I'll help you find it But don't go unarmed Here, I'll give you one of my rifles Hey that collection of high-powered rifles is yours. Yes in a national rifle team in college here I'll give you ammunition and Buster you take one this 30 30. No, I don't know Mrs. Take it Mr. Dollar says about him is true Alex may try to shoot before you Mr. Dollar be ready when he comes in Why don't you tell me you were through with the Jeep? You know, I wanted to use it this afternoon Dora Well, well don't move mr. Dollar Your gun isn't loaded Now here's our star to tell you about the final intriguing episode of this week's story tomorrow Well, sometimes justice is done by strange and devious means Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar or is truly Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey is Transcribed in Hollywood. It is produced and directed by Jack John Stone who also wrote this week's story Be sure to join us tomorrow night same time and station for the next exciting episode of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking