 From Hollywood, it's time now for Duller Yes, I'd like to see you as soon as I can mr. Porter What a half an hour are you all squared away? I've got a room and I've had a bath if that's what you mean Well, then I guess you're ready to go to work. I will be as soon as I put on some pants You sound in a rush. I'm always in a rush when I think somebody might be chipping us out of a hundred thousand dollars 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 Western life and trust company 826 spear Boulevard Hartford, Connecticut The following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the Markham matter Expense account item one one hundred and forty three dollars and sixty nine cents air transportation from Hartford to San Francisco Item two seventeen dollars for incidentals along the way including transportation from the airport of the st. Francis Hotel I Walked the eight blocks to the Commodore building where Ed Porter had his office on the fourth floor He was a short thin insurance broker with a face like a tight drum He apologized for the clammy weather is all over his fault He asked me how things were out on the East Coast and invited me to sit down and looked as uncomfortable as he was I Got the telegram you were coming last night Investigator I've never met one in all my years in the business must be very interesting work. Yeah Look, I don't want to take up too much of your time mr. Porter, but I would like to get some information from you Oh, certainly mr. Dollar What can you tell me about a man named Floyd Markham the Markham? Well, he's the husband of a client of mine. I've met him, but I really can't tell you too much about him My dealings have always been with Mrs. Markham if she's my customer then tell me about Mrs. Markham Certainly I I'm not going to ask why I'm sure you have a good reason for coming all the way to San Francisco The home office thinks I have an excellent reason Yes Mrs. Markham. Well, I've known her for 20 years as a customer She's wealthy always has been and she handles her money well, and she lives rather well Mrs. Markham is the one who has the money. Mr. Markham is a salaried man and industrial engineer Frankly, I think he depends on Mrs. Markham for his livelihood. Oh, yeah These two checks were issued to Mrs. Markham this year Recognize them Yes, yes a full payments on two endowment policies if fifty thousand dollars a piece and they've cleared the bank Anything wrong with nothing wrong with the checks on payoffs like this. I always take it in person It's a custom of course to call and make an appointment and deliver the check to the client And try to sell a little more insurance in the bargain. Oh, well, that's about the idea. Yes Anything strange about Mrs. Markham when you delivered either one of these checks? No Before I left Hartford, I looked up her insurance records. Her premiums are always paid right on the button Mrs. Markham doesn't have a business office or a business manager handling her affairs The checks are always personal checks on her personal account Now can you explain why someone like that might forget a third endowment policy? Well, I know well, there is a third endowment policy it matured this month. I have to check with me for $50,000. Yes, but this business of forgetting Floyd Markham called Hartford and spoke to the head of the endowment division He explained that Mrs. Markham was ill and didn't know whether or not a third policy existed He said he was checking for her. Uh-huh. Now you say you've known Mrs. Markham over a period of 20 years Well, is she the kind of person who'd forget $50,000? No one forgets $50,000 Did you notice that both of those checks were deposited in the Markham's joint account? No So they were Maybe Mrs. Markham's feeling generous these days. Why do you say that? Well, they have a rather strange relationship as far as I've been able to receive I mean what money he makes is his and what she has is hers Oh, yeah, I always like to get out of that house because they never seem to me to be a very close couple in any way But this seems to make sense now How's that, Mr. Porter? Well now I called up and made an appointment to deliver both of these checks The first time I went over Mrs. Markham was ill and the second time she had just stepped out for a few minutes Well, who accepted the checks? Mr. Markham both times. Yes as a matter of fact now that I think of it He made the appointment on the phone both times When was the last time you saw Mrs. Markham? Last spring a check with the bank revealed that Mrs. Markham and not personally made a deposit since June the 18th The deposit slips were initialed by Floyd Markham. The checks were endorsed by Leslie Markham There had been no unusual withdrawals Expense account out of $3.30 stenographic and notary services for the attached statements Markham's been having her hair done here for nearly 10 years now Once a week every Thursday morning then she just stopped I called her home Mr. Markham informed me that she was away on an extended trip Mr. Markham called us it was last June and informed us that Mrs. Markham was resigning her membership in the bridge club I telephoned the house twice to see what was the matter. Mr. Markham answered both times and said Mrs. Markham was out Well, she used to come in here two or three times a month made a school for the car from top to bottom She hasn't been around now for seven or eight months. I don't know who's taking care of the car Expense account item 430 cents three phone calls to the Markham residence. I didn't state any particular business I simply asked to speak to Mrs. Markham Each time I called a male voice answered each time the male voice told me Mrs. Markham was out She was ill and she was away on a short trip Industrial management limited Floyd B. Markham president has a three-room office suite near the Embarcadero Ten years ago. It had been sensationally new and glassy When I got there they carpet was a little too thin and the varnish a little too thin too The whole place smell faintly of mildew Yes, I'd like to see mr. Markham, please. Do you have an appointment? No, no, not exactly. My name is Harris I'm with the Cleveland pump company pump company. Yes, we're setting in 38 of our installations at the new plan Valparaiso Didn't you get my letter? Well, I'm sorry. I'm afraid May I ask your name again Harris Steven B. Harris Cleveland pump company? Oh, yes Well, mr. Harris, I'm afraid mr. Markham never received your letter. When did you mail it 30 days ago? Maybe it was two weeks Well, tell mr. Markham. I'm here and I'm sorry mr. Harris Mr. Markham isn't in the office just now. Oh What are we? Oh? Well Well He won't be in today as a matter of fact. He won't be in the rest of the week Where can I call him? Well, I'm afraid that's impossible. Can I call him at home? No Now look is he in business or isn't he mr. Harris mr. Markham hasn't been in the office for six months or more He's he's tied up on a rather long-range project. What's your name? I'm miss Bidler. Why didn't you say that in the first place miss Bidler? Well, who else can I talk to here? No one I'm afraid You mean that's all there is in this office just you and him when he feels like coming in I'll tell mr. Markham. You were here The mark of house was on Fira delistry about six blocks from the Fairmont Hotel stone walls iron grill work tangling ivy An old house that had been built by rich people for rich people to live in The kind of shabby looking place that only New Yorkers and San Franciscans can get by with and still be called wealthy I Used at Portis car with the Western life and trust company emblem on the door parked it in the driveway as close as I could to the entrance It was exactly one o'clock when the door opened He was tall and pretty with black hair and broad shoulders. Yes What is it? I'd like to see mrs. Markham, please. I'm mr. Markham. Can I help you? My name's dollar? I'm with Western life and trust company mr. Porter called you No, he didn't oh, I must have slipped his mind. He said he was going to call. What's it about? I brought a check from mrs. Markham On her third end down one policy. Oh Well, I'll give it to her. She isn't in right now. Well, I'm supposed to deliver it to her I'll come back another time when she's in you can give it to me. I'll see that she gets it I'm sorry mr. Markham, but I have to look I know you want to give her the check and try to sell her some more insurance She's just not in the market and you can save your little spiel where it'll do some good. Oh, you misunderstand me mr. Markham I have to deliver this to her in person What's your name again dollar Johnny dollar? Come in. I'll wait till she comes back and make an appointment mr. Porter told me he'd made it for three today She's here. She's here and come in Why the run around mrs. Markham is desperately ill. I don't want to disturb her with things like like this I'm sorry to hear that What's the trouble very serious anemia? So if If you'll just give me I have a report to make out when I deliver this I just only take a minute to handle the check then it'll be off my mind and off your mind Now look here, mr. Didn't you call the company's home office about this check? I I called because mrs. Markham Requested me to call. Oh, yes Just wait here In the little swirl of his exit I smell shaving lotion a guest at the brand name I Also guessed that his suit cost three hundred dollars even if I didn't know what San Francisco Taylor had made it The shirt the tie the shoes were expensive too Yeah, mr. Floyd Markham liked expensive things. I Wondered if he died his hair to keep it all black. I wondered if he was 45 or 50 I also wondered why in a house of that size on that kind of street a servant hadn't answered the door This way mr. Dollar he led me up a flight of stairs and finally into a high-ceiling room with a fireplace at one end a Grey-haired woman with a sharp angular face was seated near the window looking out over the city in the bay She didn't turn her head when we came into the room But I could see that her eyes were watery and slightly glazed Please don't take too long and don't upset her Leslie Leslie dear Yes, this is mr. Dollar from the insurance company. He has something for you Be a good girl Leslie speak to mr. Dollar How do you do and and ask him? How is mr. Porter, oh He's so fine. Mrs. Markham fine He'll be sorry to hear that you've been ill. I I Really would rather that you didn't tell mr. Porter. Oh, I'm satisfied to Make my own slow recovery And not worry any of my friends We'd like some sherry Floyd now you know what the doctor said Leslie Mr. Dollar, you'd like some sherry, wouldn't you? Well, yes, I'd like that very much Floyd no, I'm sorry mr. Dollar. It's absolutely forbidden and you know that dear Do you have the check mr. Dollar? Yes, right here Here you are mr. Markham Thank you Is there anything else mr. Dollar? Well Leslie yes, what is it mr. Markham? Excuse me if I seem impolite Good day, Mrs. Markham Expense account item 510 cents phone call to Ed Porter at his office. Yes, mr. Dollar Look, Mrs. Markham's 5 5 about 120 black hair gray streak to the right of the part blue eyes looks about 40 years old a good 40 Why yes, that sounds like her you mean you've seen her I've seen what's left of her mr. Porter. Oh good Lord She's not dead almost what he's killing her mr. Porter. My guess is he's been at it for about six months Act two of yours truly Johnny dollar in just a moment Nobody will take a frown at face value anymore now that the word has gotten around about Jack Benny's return to the air With Mary Livingston Dennis Day Rochester Don Wilson Mel blank Frank Nelson and mr. Kitzel Nothing less than your very best smile will do for the occasion tonight and every Sunday night Here CBS radios Jack Benny show and give your sense of humor a real workout Now act two of yours truly Johnny dollar and the Markham matter Take a rich old house on a rich old street in San Francisco Walk in with a legitimate insurance check for fifty thousand dollars and tell them a name Floyd Markham You want to deliver it to his wife? Tell him this when you know that no one has seen or heard from his wife in six months Just tell him you want to see her Insist that you see her Then stand around and listen to him lie a couple of times Then let him take you to her give her the check say goodbye 20 minutes after I walked out of the Markham's house and picked up at Porter We drove back to the house and parked a hundred feet from the evidence This is the doneness thing I ever heard of mr. Dollar. I'm not sure it's all clear to me Yeah, what's our position? Oh, I wouldn't know that mr. Porter. That's up to the legal department this much I'm sure of right now Markham's already deposited a hundred thousand dollars of her insurance money into a joint account If I'm not mistaken this last check I'll go into that account too Right now while we're sitting here. She's probably endorsing that check Well, then I don't see where it's any of our he's making her endorse the check He's making her stay in that house in that room away from everybody. Well, how what way he said she was ill You said she appeared ill. I don't I don't know how he's doing it But I'm going to find out Are you sure this isn't all some eyes on your part? You weren't in the room when she said let's have some sherry Please let's have some sherry I must be she was really saying trying to say she wanted him to leave the room so she could talk to me So she could have one little minute to tell me what the matter is what's going on His next move is to deposit that check and one big withdrawal the whole hundred and fifty thousand and bye-bye Floyd markham Mr. Dollar, I'm just an insurance broker. I don't understand that Well, how'd you like to be an investigator for about 10 minutes me? Yeah, you see that car that just pulled up in the driveway Well, yes, yes the girl driving it holds down that dummy office of markham's her name's biblars She might be in on this with him and that's mr. Mark. I'm leaving the house. Good. Now. Look. Here's what you do follow them I think I know where they're going, but you follow them and make sure Where are they going to the bank to deposit that check? Oh Where are you going to have that glass of sherry mr. Porter? Ed Porter pulled his hat down lower of his face and put both hands on the wheel and took out after that 55 Cadillacs and Anne I crossed the street went back up on the porch of the house knocked I didn't expect her to answer I didn't expect anyone to answer, but I wanted to make sure I went around to the garden There wasn't a sound in the big old house when I opened the garden door and went up the stairs again The door to her room was closed She wasn't by the window anymore. She was stretched out on the demand I felt her wrist for a pulse. It was there faint, but there About three inches up around. There was a series of little marks I left it one eyelid and felt her neck muscles She was doped to the ears Mrs. Markham, Mrs. Markham. Can you hear me? Look, I've come to help you Yes, yes, I'm going to take you out of here. I don't be frightened That's right. That's right. That's the ticket Insurance company. Yes Now I remember. Yes, that's right Thank you For bringing my check. I don't want Want want what mrs. Markham want any of my friends to worry I'm improving But I don't want them to know I'm ill Just say I'm out of Town He told you to say that didn't he? He told me to say Exactly that Don't fool me Please don't fool me. What? You will help me get out of here You aren't fooling me. Are you? Are you? I carried it downstairs and put her in my car and drove her to the st. Regis emergency hospital Expense account of six one hundred dollars deposit with the hospital office I explained as much as necessary to the intern who promised to advise me when mrs. Markham became rational After that I drove back to the house Head porter's blue coupe was parked across the street I didn't know what to do but come back here and when I got back I didn't know what to do either Slow down slow down. You're doing fine. Oh, you were right. You were absolutely right They went straight to the bank of america to deposit that money I kind of thought they might be back here by now No, no, they're over at angelo's having a drink and some dinner. I followed them there You're getting to be quite a sleuth, mr. Porter. Well, I try to do my best and use my head Mr. Dollar, did you talk to mrs. Markham as much as I could she was doped. I took her out and put her in the hospital Oh What should you have done that mr. Dollar? I could have left her up in that room to die, mr. Porter Oh, yes Well, uh, what's our next move ours? Well, certainly. I can't quit now, mr Johnny Well, let's go to angelo's eddie Ed Porter settled the hat lower on his ears and gripped the wheel hider and we took off for angelo's on stoker street When we got there, we didn't have to go inside to see if our people were still around the cattle accident was in the parking lot So we took up a plan across the street Well, why wait why not go in and take them out of there and take them down to the police Well, that might blow the whole thing Now we have to wait and see what mrs. Markham has to say when she's well enough to talk Yeah, but uh, I'm sure she'll have some charges to prefer in the meantime. We wait and see what's what What do you think he'll do when he goes home and finds her gone? That'll be pretty interesting What do you think he'll do? Well, I imagine he'll um He'll think she got up and walked out. No. No, he knows better than that. He's had a doped up for six months He knows he can go out of the house and she'll stay right where he left her while he's gone Now that isn't it. Oh But then you'll know that she had help. That's more like it mr. Porter I liked eddie. It gives me kind of a feeling. Okay eddie I'll answer the question. Oh, uh, what'll he do? Well, uh It's he'll try to get out of town. That's it. He'll try to leave town. He'll know that he's had it Come on. Huh? They're pulling out We followed them to a cocktail lounge near the prosidio They waited around outside the place for two hours Expense account item 7 25 cents. I called the st. Regis receiving hospital Mrs. Markham's condition was unchanged Item eight two dollars two hamburgers two cokes and cigarettes for mr. Porter and myself We had just finished eating when floyd markham's Cadillac turned out onto the street We followed it for 10 minutes When markham parked on a dark hill we cut our lights and came to a stop Mr. Dollar Yeah eddie. Can you see what they're doing? Yeah What? Necky Huh? Necky, you know I should have telephoned my wife At 12 10 floyd markham turned the car around and drove back into town. We followed once more We saw him double park outside a four-story apartment house in a steep hill let the woman out then drive on Eddie yeah, johnny think you can handle something else alone. Oh, I'd love to women sometimes talk a lot easier than men You keep on him when he finds his wife absent. I want to know where he goes wherever it is I'll let you know you gonna shake her down Something like that get going I watched my new assistant investigator follow out after markham's Cadillac Then I went inside the apartment house I bitler was on the mailbox of apartment 104 I walked down the hall listened a minute and gave it a try Yes Well, what on earth are you doing? I'm here to see you miss bitler. It's important You're um, mr. Harris. I missed a dollar johnny dollar. I'm an insurance investigator There was something about you today. I I wasn't sure now you're sure Oh, what are you doing right now? I'm working for western life and trust company. You better sit down Well, I don't know that I'd better do anything mr. Dollar. You're rather rude then you can stand We've been checking into floyd markham. I don't think I have to tell you what we found out so far I think you also know that by this time tomorrow he'd be in jail and you might be right along with him I'm sorry mr. Dollar. I simply don't be sorry. Just use your head I said you might be right along with him On the other hand if you have some useful information the insurance company might be useful to you What do you mean? Well, I figure he sold you on a an island trip or an estate in the country bill of goods It'll be harder getting it out of him, but we'll get it one way or another. We'll get it. All right Now what do you want to do? I I want a drink You well, thanks. I'm not bad. I'm I'm not a criminal. I've never been in trouble You are now why? Because I fell in love with him Because you were helping him kill her What are you talking about? Mrs. Markham. She's in a hospital right now Why I took her there myself today. He's had a dope with I don't know what for months Having assigned checks and doors deposit slips Funny is it He told me that Mrs. Markham was out of town divorcing him I wondered how I You were right It was a country estate in england A genteel life. He said The london theater walks in the country little Harmless things that most people can never do He said we could do them as soon as he cleaned up his affairs I denied he said we could start back I took Iris by the with me back to the markham house The cat alike was in the garage and ed porters blue coop was pulled up across the street When he saw us in the cab he walked up. Hi. Hi. How's he doing? You can talk in front of her. Holy. He hasn't done anything No, I mean I saw the light go on upstairs in mrs. Markham's room Then it went out again. He's downstairs now sitting in the living room. Okay. Wait here If you're worried about your wife, which I doubt she's in the hospital Policeman insurance investigator That's miss bydler in the taxi over there I want you to come with me now Of course Yes You said your name was dollar. That's right Why couldn't you have come around say Next week She'd have been dead by then That's the way she should have been for 16 years Dead Yeah Come on markham Expense account item 9 102 dollars hotel and board in san francisco item 10 116 dollars airfare back to hartford Item 11 42 dollar 16 cents miscellaneous remarks This one will wind up in court mrs. Markham's charges will include attempted homicide attempt to defraud attempt to In the end it was his attempt to run away and it didn't work It never works Even if you get away you'll find something new to run from Total expenses nine hundred and sixty eight dollars and twenty cents Yours truly Johnny dollar Now here's our star to tell you about next week's story Before I do I want to say something to you about Thanksgiving Now there's a day that deserves celebration And heartfelt thanks to the god who made us For being able to live in the most free and peaceful and bountiful country in the world And yet why wait for next thursday or any Thanksgiving day? For americans, it seems to me Thanksgiving should be every day Think about it. Won't you Next week in our story new arleans the french quarter a beautiful girl and high adventure Join us won't you Yours truly Johnny dollar Yours truly johnny dollar starring bob bailey is transcribed in hollywood Written by john dawson. It is produced and directed by jack john stone Heard in tonight's cast were lois corbett frank nelson virginia greg Bert holland holla winslow and john daner musical supervision by marigold marino Be sure to join us next week same time in station for another exciting story of yours truly johnny dollar Roy rohan speaking