 From Hollywood, it's time now Johnny Duller, who is this? Joe clearly yeah, I want to talk to you. Where are you? Why not? About the rackets here and the police and the peculiar morals of his lovely young wife Joe listen Problems of an intellectual lush a reformed idealist who wants her even Joe an hour ago in front of City Hall somebody fired five shots at me Joe are you there? Rainbusser walk but get out now when they put the finger on it sticks Greensport boy is a wide open town 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 From special investigator Johnny dollar location Greensport, Missouri To the home office Great Plains Guarantee Company Hartford, Connecticut Assignment the open town matter Expense account continued Item seven a dollar and eighty-five cents taxi to the home of the mayor of Greensport will lands I Decided to go straight to headquarters so to speak Joe Crowley professional reporter and semi-pro drunk might have been able to help but I didn't know where to find him So far I had a lot of questions no answers Police chief Ed Blake had been shot to death in his own home with his own gun His young widow Marty and city attorney Dave Sherman had been present and both told the same story mysterious prowler Supposedly the prowler was shorty Wells an ex-convict with a grudge against the murdered chief But shorty was missing and the case was at a standstill So I went right to the top to Mayor Lyons Mr. Dollar come right in thanks my wife has gone out this evening committee meeting at the women's club We can talk here in the library if you don't mind all right fine take a chair there Yeah, well, mr. Dollar, I will say it's a pleasure to see you safe and sound Well, you heard about the shooting that I heard the shots from my office Then the acting chief of police phoned me a few minutes later Well, does he know yet who did it and not the slightest there were no witnesses at least none who cared to talk Car took off at high speed and then just disappeared like shorty Wells fine I Sympathize with your feelings mr. Dollar. I'd feel the same way if I'd been made a target of But you can rest assured sir that every facility of law enforcement in this town is working round the clock to bring the culprits to justice Yeah, well, that's very comforting mayor But actually I'm not sure I was the target. What do you mean? Well, when I left you and Dave Sherman and came out onto the sidewalk Marty Blake was waiting for me in a car parked at the curb She'd been there about 20 minutes. She told me yes But whatever fire those shots had to set up plan worked out and I don't think they could very well have planned it for me Why not? My schedule wasn't predictable enough. They didn't know when I'd leave city hall Whether I be alone or not or what I do when I stepped outside It's a point all right Marty on the other hand had been there for 20 minutes plenty of time to arrange the thing But why why should anyone want to kill her? Well, you got me. I don't know after the shooting, of course I had a police officer assigned to guard duty at her home But I regarded it as merely a routine precaution I was certain that the attempt was made on your life mr. Dollar Well those bullets came too close to both of us for very much peace of mind Well, at least mrs. Blake has protection now. Oh, yeah, yeah Unless that police officer himself knocks her off Were you you're joking, of course? Me and that's the worst thing about this whole case. I don't know whether I'm joking or not But surely you don't and you are you certain of which ones you can trust in the attorney's office the police force in your own department even Not entirely no the rackets as wide open as they are here some of the men around you are bound to be involved I know it stands to reason Every raid we've ever attempted has been tipped off before we even got started Blake tried while he was alive Dave Sherman tried I even organized to myself told nobody about them brought in state police to carry them out Same results say what about Blake? He must have been in with a mob to live on that lavish scale. He did my supposed so Dave and I suspected him at times, but we could never turn up any actual evidence Why are he in the city attorney friends Ed and Dave? No, they couldn't get along at all and yet the night Blake was shot Dave Sherman was staying overnight in his home Yes, I know I've thought myself. It was a little odd Dave says Blake had asked him to invited him to go on a fishing trip the next morning A fishing trip and yet they couldn't get along. I know I Can't explain it any more than you can Any chance Dave Sherman was the intended victim that night instead of Blake I really don't see how mr. Dollar in view of the circumstances Blake was killed when he heard a prowler and went downstairs to investigate No one could have expected Dave to do something like that No, no, I guess not. It was just an idea. I've thought of all kinds of outlandish possibilities myself But it always comes back to the same thing Shorty Wells, yeah, the ex-convict who swore he'd get Blake when he went to prison He was parole just the week before mr. Dollar and he was seen in town the day before the killing and nobody has found Hide nor hair of him since yeah, yeah, it adds up all right But somehow I still can't buy it Maybe it just adds up a little too well Three-fourths of the criminals who are sentenced make threats like that, but it's a rare one who carries it out rare Yes, but not unknown. Oh true. I admit he's a strong possibility But when I hit town this afternoon, I thought Marty Blake was a strong possibility Until the city attorney himself came up with an airtight alibi for why did you suspect her mr. Dollar insurance? $50,000 policy on Blake's life his wife's the beneficiary. Well, I don't imagine 50,000 the last mrs. Blake very long Hey, tell me something mayor Are she and Dave Sherman? Close friends at one time. Yes In fact Dave was pretty serious about her But after she married Blake last year Dave turned against her completely. I see I don't think he'd Risk an alibi for her out of friendship if that's what you're thinking. Oh, I don't know exactly what I'm thinking mostly I'm just guessing I've been doing that two years now mr. Dollar guessing figuring trying to spot the leader behind these rackets not knowing which officials I could trust mayor Is Dave Sherman one of those you can trust? I'm not sure Good evening, Mrs. Blake. Well, this is a surprise come in Johnny Join the party. Thanks Of course, I'm the party There isn't anybody else Except my watchdog sitting out there in front. Yeah, I saw it's cute, isn't it? I didn't notice I did Think that's terrible Johnny a girl has been a widow for days noticing another guy. Why not? You didn't care anything about your husband. That's right. I didn't Here's to all husbands may they rest in peace He's a cute cup or I'd you know what I asked him to come inside and have a drink with me And he actually blushed and stammered now wasn't that cute devastating Would you blush and stammer Johnny? No, I take the drink which I will by the way if you don't mind here Make me another one too What's the reason for this one woman's celebration Mrs. Blake I Said what I heard you and you can call me Marty if you want me to answer you all right Marty Why the lonesome gal routine? It's not so lonesome now Johnny. Oh Here's your drink He's to getting shot at Shot at how Marty like we were this afternoon or like your husband Everybody can't be lucky Maybe I just didn't live right Well, he's not living anyway now I'll bet you know how to live Johnny. Oh sure. I get a system tell me about Well, the first thing I do is hook up with the rackets so I can buy my wife lots of expensive gifts Why don't you lay off that stuff? Why don't you try being? Nice for a change. Well, it's not part of my system. I Didn't kill him. You know that now. So why don't you relax and be human? Oh the last time I relaxed around you I caught the breeze off of five bullets breathing aren't you I might not be if they'd been after me instead of you So you're still on that kick. Oh it figures Marty. I'm no threat to anybody not yet I don't know enough about this mess and you're saying I do I suppose I think so Now who'd want to get you out of the way Marty to keep you from talking maybe don't you ever give up? All right, tell me this did Dave Sherman really see that shooting or is he just giving you an alibi? Why don't you ask him or is he giving himself an alibi by any chance? You're crazy, maybe We're shorty wells. I said where is shorty? I heard what you said. Well, then suppose you tell out What are you so upset out of here right this minute get out or so help me up take it easy money What's that cute cop going to think? I don't care what anybody thinks you get out of here and get out fast I Don't nine fourteen dollars and forty cents drinks tips and transportation For a local expedition in plain and fancy pub crawling I was looking for Joe Crayley disillusioned idealist a nurse while reporter on the Greensport Daily Herald I found him on my third martini. He was on his seventh How Johnny How'd you do it to what how'd you find me? Called your paper. They gave me a list of your hangouts. I had four more to go Reputation is a wonderful thing keeps you from staying off the straight and narrow is looking at you, right? Joe Tell me about Marty Tell you what about it everything, you know before she's got an alibi. Oh, yeah, but you still won't give up Well She hates champagne, but she always orders it why because it costs more I see She's every man's dream Johnny a pink and gold all in spangled tights, and she's a four-star tramp She's an ex dancer, isn't she? She's an ex a lot of things ex-girlfriend of shorty Wells ex-girlfriend Girlfriend of shorty Wells. Sure that Blake took her away from that's why shorty threatened to kill him Said Blake was framing him. Maybe he was I don't know anything could happen with the police They got in this town crooked is that what you're trying to say some of them are that the rest of them are useless Like that business with the gun what God the red Blake was shot with they found a line beside his body his own gun They just assumed he'd shot it out with the killer It was two days before they realized he'd been shot with that gun that Blake hadn't used it the killer had wait a minute Do you think shorty Wells and Marty could have planned the thing together? Johnny I wouldn't put anything past that game Why do you hate her so much Joe? Guess again, my friend. I don't hate her. I'm in love with her always will be Joe Yeah, before she met shorty. Well, she used to be my girl Gives you something to think about doesn't it Johnny? Now here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's episode of this week's story tomorrow a man with a gun Desperate faces a blazing inferno and gambles his life join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny doll? 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