 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny Deller This is Don Serrano, the Almeida Epico. Oh? We have not met, senior dollar. No, all right, I've been sure to remember the name, Don Serrano. Oh, wait a minute. You're Maria de Lago's brother. That is correct. I was planning to call on you this morning, Don Serrano. That will not be necessary, senior. Since I am taking the liberty of calling on you, I am downstairs in your hotel at this moment. Oh, I see. I believe I may be able to cast some light on the unfortunate tragedy which overtook my poor sister and the other passengers of that ill-fated airplane. Do you know something that hasn't come out? Rather a great deal, senior. I know the crash which resulted in the deaths of ten innocent people was the evil work of a diabolical maniac. Yes, well... The product of the warped mind of a scheming, worthless, unspeakable dog, a sneaking, money-hungry snake, a scurrilous, unprincipled... Don Serrano. See, senior. Come on up. Tonight, and every weekday night, Bob Bailey and the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account, America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator... Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. From Special Investigator Johnny Dollar, location Mexico City, to the Home Office Guarantee Transport Insurance Company, Hartford, Connecticut. Assignment, the Flight 6 matter. Expense account continued. Item 5, $3.90, room service, breakfast for myself and a pot of coffee for my visitor, Don Serrano de Almeido y Pico, I think. He was a thin, straight man with a small goatee in the face of a hawk, stiff, formal and bending, a classy grand day type from an old school long out of business, and a man of much suppressed violence and hate. Once upon a time, senior, there existed a gentleman's code for the settlement of such matters as this, the dwellow, as it was called. But we are living now in lesser and more decadent times. A man is no longer permitted to kill his enemies. He must suffer interference by the police, the Civil Air Transport Department, the government. And even Special Investigators from the States, huh? Is that what you mean? I was not speaking personally, senior Dollar. You are as much a victim of the times as I am. Well, it doesn't seem to be irritating me as much. More coffee, Don Serrano? The grass is no. Perhaps it is because you have not lost your dearly beloved sister, senior. Oh, maybe. In that, at least, you have my sympathy. Well, let's get to the point. You've done quite a lot of talking about wanting to kill somebody, but I'm still not too sure who or why or what. It is very simple, senior. Not to me. Suppose we start at the beginning. As you like. But who can ever say what is the beginning of anything? All right. Then let's be arbitrary about it. Let's start three weeks ago when your sister Maria came here from Havana to join her husband, Ramon Delagos. I believe you said Ramon had been here for a month at that time on some kind of a business deal. A business deal? Do I look like a fool, senior? Oh, now, let's stick to the point. Women. That is his business, senior. Women with money. Then a week ago, Maria wired you, said she was terribly unhappy, and asked you to come at once. And when you got here, she told you what was the matter. She said Ramon was carrying on with an American girl named Marvel Terence. A Jezebel, senior. So you took over. You got Maria an airline reservation back to Havana. On flight six, the one that crashed. And told her you'd handle Ramon. Oh, she was putty in his hands. He lied to her every day since they were married. And she always ended up by believing him. I told her in the beginning he was interested only in her wealth. Which amounts to how much? Oh, much. Even after Ramon's foolish dissipation over the last few years. What happens to her estate now? Half of it she was permitted to dispose of as she wished. She made a will some time ago in favor of Ramon. Against my advice, I may say. What about the other half? That reverts to me, senior. Oh. It is a matter of family tradition. Who managed your sister's estate before Ramon came into the picture? I did, senior, and quite profitably. I did not waste my energies on illicit follies and ludicrous intrigues. All right, all right. Night before last, then, you took Maria to the airport and saw her off on the plane. What was she planning to do when she got back to Havana? Was she going to divorce Ramon? My sister was a very pious woman. May she rest in peace. A religion would never permit such an act. I see. And, of course, there was the matter of family tradition. Oh, naturally. Did Ramon go to the airport with you? I had not seen Ramon since the night before. Nor had Maria. He quarreled violently over his disgrace for conduct. Did Ramon know that his wife was taking flight six? I informed him the night before. Did you or Maria see him at the airport? Oh, no, senior. He was much too clever. He managed to keep out of sight. Then how can you be sure he was there? Senior Dollar, who else would be so vile as to place an explosive on board the plane? Oh, well, now I can follow your reasoning, but... The matter is self-evident. I'm afraid we need more than self-evidence, Don Serrano. The problem of evidence is your responsibility, senior. I have told you who committed the deed. No, you've told me who you suspect. Do you doubt my word? Not as far as it goes. Sure you won't have some more coffee? No, gracias. Do you happen to know this girl, Marvel Terrence? By sight, I mean. She has been pointed out to me. Did you see her at the airport? She, I did. She was under the impression she was going to leave on the plane, but after it departed, she was still in the terminal. Did you notice her talking to anyone before the take-off? Yes, to some American, I believe. Red hair, stocky build, about 35. See? He would fit that description quickly. Did you see her talking to anyone else? Any of the baggage handlers or the ground crew? I'm afraid I did not notice. Is it important? It could be. Thanks for your information, Don Serrano. My only concern is to see justice done. I'm sure it will be. And I'll suppose we take a look at what you didn't tell me. Senor? The fact that Maria took out a flight accident policy for $25,000 named you as her beneficiary. I considered it a mere whim of my sister's. But the way things turned out, it was a pretty valuable whim. Wasn't it, Don Serrano? For you, I mean. Senor, are you implying? I'm implying that Ramon wasn't the only one with a motive. The only one who will profit by Maria's death. You'll do pretty well yourself. Half for a state and $25,000 cash, that's not a bad deal. I should kill you for such an insult. You'd like to, wouldn't you? You're very big on this killing business. That's how you planned to handle things with Ramon, wasn't it? As soon as Maria went back to Havana... It is only what he deserves. And now you're trying to use me to do it. That's why you came here. You don't care about justice. All you want to do is get Ramon. He is guilty. If he is, Don Serrano, I'll find it out and I'll pin it on him. But if he isn't, I'm not going to be pushed into framing him. So you can take these dirty, underhanded insinuations of yours and you can... Get out, Don Serrano. Expensive count item 6, $12.60. Taxi fares in and around Mexico City. I checked with the federal police first. They had their best men working on the murder of the baggage handler at the airport. And so far, they turned up nothing. They didn't have a single lead. There were files on the other seven people who died on the plane. Nothing. The two pilots in the stewardess were Cuban and apparently had no close friends or enemies in Mexico City. Two of the passengers were Brazilians and were only traveling through en route from the States. And as far as the other two were concerned, there seemed to be no motive. So it came right back again to the three I was already working on. Maria Delagos and the two business partners, Ed Palmer and Jim Rourke. The three people who'd bought flight insurance policies. And that left me with four possible suspects. Ramon Delagos, Maria's husband, Don Serrano, her brother, Marvel Terrence, and Bill Blakely, the partner of Palmer and Rourke. I checked with Inspector Mocklin, but he'd made no progress. With Gina Romero, no progress. I tried to reach Blakely, but he hadn't shown up at his office. I phoned Marvel Terrence and got a reluctant agreement from her to meet me for lunch. I waited for her at the Vendome for an hour. She didn't show up. Finally, at one o'clock, I went to her hotel. Capacita, cuarto número 85. Agarrita, vaya. Andre, pues. Si, senor, what can I do for you? I'd like to see Miss Marvel Terrence. I wonder if you'll... Ah, Miss Terrence. Que senorita tan bonita, tan hermosa. Yeah, well, if you'll... She's the most beautiful woman where I've ever stayed at this hotel. Yeah, she's pretty gorgeous, all right. Would you mind telling me? Sometimes I think everybody in the world is in love with this senorita. All they're longing is one man after another which call up to talk to Miss Terrence. Why would you ring her and tell her I'm waiting for her? Sometimes so many calls, we get on the switchboard while a senorita is living here. That's very interesting. And now what you do is... We must forgive me, amigo. When I think of Miss Terrence, I lose all sense in my hair. All right, all right. You're forgiven. Now, if you... What is it you wish, senor? Will you ring Miss Terrence and tell her I'm waiting down here in the lobby? Immediately, senor. Your name, please? Johnny Doller. Johnny... D-O-L-D-O. How do you spell it, please? D-O-L-L-A-R. Ah... Gracias. I would tell her at once that you... Sucre normal. Pray her for God. For God what? She's not here no more, senor. What? She has checked out of hotel at 11 o'clock this morning. Expense account item seven, two dollars and ten cents, lunch at the Monte Cassino Hotel alone. I was sorry she'd skipped. I guess I was secretly hoping Marvel turned out to be in the clear. But if she were, then why not? It didn't add up. I paid my check and started to leave the dining room, and at the entrance I ran square into a man I was planning to see later in the day. He didn't seem very happy about it. Senor Doller. How are you, Roman? It is a pleasure to see you again, senor. I'd like to talk to you a couple of minutes. Come on, let's step into the bar. But I have a most important engagement, senor. Oh, this is important, too. I understand you're a friend of Marvel Terrence's. Perci, it is my honor and pleasure. Well, she's checked out of the hotel here. Do you know where she went? Senor, I do not discuss the private affairs of my friends. Knock it off, Roman. This isn't a tea party. Ten people have been murdered by an explosion aboard a plane. One of them was your wife. Remember? I cannot help you. I know nothing of Mr. Terrence's plans. I talked to your brother-in-law this morning, Roman, Don Serrano. He tells me you're the one who put the explosive on board the plane. What? It is a lie. He seemed pretty certain of it. He tells me you stand to inherit half of your wife's estate. Then he is better informed as to the details of the matter than I am. I do not know what happens to the estate, Senor. He seems to think you wanted to get your wife out of the way in order to have a free hand with Mr. Terrence. Don Serrano, as you may have noticed, is a bigoted and jealous old fool who thinks only of money. He knows better than that. What do you mean? Maria was different from the women of your country, Senor. She understood such matters as my friendship with Mr. Terrence. And accepted them? Accepted such times as Don Serrano goaded her into being foolish. Yes, it is a difference of the Latin temperament, Senor. I see. Then there was no trouble between you and Maria. None of importance. The trouble was Don Serrano. He has hated me from the day of our marriage. Because from that moment on, he no longer had any control over Maria's fortune. If you wish to discuss this further, Senor, I will be happy to do so later. But I must leave now. For who can me so? I watched him hurry out of the hotel. I had no real reason to stop him and no authority to. On sudden impulse, I crossed the lobby to the public phones, called the hotel rehease and asked for Don Serrano de Almeida y Pico. Don Serrano had checked out. No forwarding address. I called the del Prado and asked for Bill Blakely. Mr. Blakely had checked out. No forwarding address. I left the phone booth and hurried back to the desk. The clerk was very sorry. Ramon de Lagos had checked out earlier in the day. No forwarding address. Here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing episode of This Week's Story. A rendezvous in a tropic port. And a lot of things come together. Things like romance, desire, and death. 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, Roy Rowan speaking.