 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar Better get out of here chief fast. Yeah to pick up a body 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 card Harbor, Massachusetts to the intercoastal maritime and life insurance company Boston Assignment the makes palace matter report an expense account continued Whoever shot young Charlie buttons there at his sister's home in Barnsboro had disappeared down the gravel road in a cloud of dust Hence the call to the police Chief Walters was in his late 30s and definitely on the ball He made a quick call to the corner and then in his car. We took off for cod harbor We pretty much left him alone over there in Cod Harbor mr. Dollar and so far they've always managed to keep the peace This time. Yeah now listen chief and I'll give it to you fast Yes, do that make McCarthy got some threats to burn her place down notify the insurance company. They sent me out Understandable first night there I spotted a prowler around the cafe But before I could get to him somebody slugged me from behind you didn't know who not then but the prowler turned out to be Tim Beasley your well your deputy over there I guess you call him a sort of you know self-appointed lazy lot But didn't he know who slugged you he said not was mega self there. She has a powerful right dollar. Yeah I thought of that too, but let me go on now the next morning I went out on the lily and got tossed overboard and believe me chief the propeller on one of those boats isn't much fun to tangle Yes, dr. Champion told me he'd had to go over to fix you up Yeah, anyhow, I was sure that whoever was after me was a member of that crew had to be I say when I came To bank at Meg's I had visitors the crew loaded with sympathy the crew that is except for Charlie buttons That's why you traced him to a sister's house. Uh-huh and chief he confessed and I don't understand But he said he was forced to do those things by somebody who knew of his criminal record and was holding it over his head Criminal record Charlie buttons. Yeah, it seems he killed a man once when he was just a kid The point is this other person threatened to expose Charlie unless Charlie did his bidding So Charlie not being very bright didn't think he had a chance you find out who this other person is That's when somebody shoved a gun through the window and back of me shot him then took off in the proverbial cloud of dust Are you doing on suspect? Oh brother too many Make of course named her rivals in the cafe business right from the beginning. Well, I wouldn't count them very good suspect And there's Captain Billy Morgan her intended husband. Oh, what a player And if I know Captain Billy he was just scrounging a lot of free meals Say incidentally, I saw him in Barnsburg just before you called Well Captain Billy is beneficiary. It makes life policy and he still owes a lot of dough in the lily and I understand Who else Tim Beasley? What yeah? Look dolly. I know he's a good for nothing bum who has taken that job of Acting mayor acting police chief acting everything else so he can live off the fat of the land over there Did you also know the Clem Harris who runs the other big cafe is his cousin? His cousin, huh? Oh and Beasley never kept his promise to dig up the threatening notes make received and compare them with the handwriting of the others That look good does it? What do you think chief? I'm beginning to wonder if Tim Beasley will be there when we get to Cod Harbor as it turned out Tim Beasley was very much in evidence So was the whole population of Cod Harbor For as the lights of the little fishing village slowly hoping to view I saw another light down by the waterfront a rather a big reddish glow And as we pulled in closer We could see the long tongues of flame leaping up with it caused it. Yep makes Palace was on fire Chief Walters stepped on and we took the last few turns on two wheels Hoses of all sorts and shapes and sizes connected to pumps aboard the nearby fishing boats were throwing powerful streams of water at makes Palace at the back where the fire had apparently started The flames continue to spread even looking along the ground behind the building. That means Austin Johnny Well a gasoline spreading around back there now done of a chief How did start captain? Captain Billy Morgan was running the show and every one of my prized suspects was in there working his head off All of them taking orders from Captain Bill and then I realized that make McCarthy was nowhere around And I noticed something else all the firefighting was directed toward the back of the building the front thanks to the wind was untouched But that's where make McCarthy's room was chief chief Walters. Hey Johnny. Where are you going? I'm not chief. Give me a hand. What see that window up there I'm gonna climb up on the front roof of the place You'll burn to a crisp up there got to take that chance because I think I can blow this whole case right open I'll punch your hand so I can step on them hoist me up But even right here the heat is coming in quick come on. Okay Johnny, but I think you're crazy There you go. The heat was almost unbearable. I knew I had to do it I crawled all along the shingles hoping the rock no roof would hold Wittering blasts that felt like fire itself hit me full on the face as I broke the window And then she lay stretched out unconscious on her bed There was an ugly living mark across her forehead where somebody had struck her down and left it there the mercy of the fire Searing heat seemed to press in on me and gulf me and the open window gave a graph to the flames We're already looking at the sides of the open door Somehow I managed to wrap a blanket around me covering her face and staggered the window blinding Right now I got you Right Johnny boy outside of having your hair singed and there's no suit of clothes. You're all okay Thank goodness you are Maggie But tell me oh On that left arm and you've got to lie still Harris the one I always thought was such a no good blather sky that give us each a place to stay here at this house I wondered where I was when I came to a few minutes ago. I guess I misjudged the man, but how about you make? Bless you darling. You saved me life, and I'll never forget it may the good Lord strike me down But I've been for you. Oh Think of it Johnny boy. I'd be laying still in that pile of ashes out there. That was once to me nice cafe. I Love you Johnny boy, and I'm humble, and I'm grateful Maggie that mark on your head The dirty blather and spoil pin who snuck up in your room and knocked me down and left me there I didn't murderize him when I find him that dirty conard. I don't know who it was How could I when he snuck up from behind? Oh chief waters. Come in sir. Come in I must say you two look pretty good considering Ready for a visitor Johnny. Yeah, I chief Bring a man. Oh now Johnny. Are you sure you want visitors until you're feeling better? Bring them in boys right in here What's the matter with you Willie look on your face? Oh And you chief waters What was the idea of locking up my willy boy like some dirty scoundrel of a crook when he tried so hard to save My cafe from that awful fire. What do you think you are? All right, Meg Simmer down. Don't you talk to me like that you young Yes, darling, well, I won't simmer down What was a big idea resting me that way? Who do you think you are all here, and I'm talking to you dollar you went too far captain Billy I went too far You're off your course. What are you talking about? Yes, Johnny boy if you was responsible Yes, sir, I'm talking about arson captain Billy and murder and the motives behind them Motives they were all over the place by half a dozen people But yours was the strongest by far off your head the 25,000 insurance on Meg's life. That was the Let me finish this will you make played lover boy to it didn't your captain Billy To make sure you'd be her beneficiary It looked like you right from the first but I couldn't be sure until I compared the writing on the threatening letters with some of your hand writing I found oh no, so that's the way you found out your dirty under That's right threatening letters To make it look like somebody else was out to get her her competitors for instance and to leave the way clear for you No, no, I didn't I mean I didn't mean to oh, no will it tell me it ain't true don't touch me Why Billy? Why'd you do it? I had to I had to have the money. I lose my You mean your boat was more to you on Billy and quiet mag fishing Fishing was my whole life. I had to save my boat. I had to get the money for it. How else could I? I don't know Johnny a boy Maybe I'll move to someplace else and open up Wouldn't have the heart to hear God Harbor it'd be to Just hear that I met him and I believed him and Well, I guess this old heart of mine wasn't as tough as I thought it was Yeah I'm sorry, Meg. I'll get over it. Sure. Well Make McCarthy Johnny dollar no bladder and you do it of a man is going to keep Meg McCarthy down That's the here me no man on this whole earth is worth it Then all of them just a bunch of no good too tight. Oh No, Johnny boy, not you If only there was more of the likes of you in the world. I Love you Johnny boy And if I were a bit younger and maybe pretty Johnny Yeah, no, tell me who did you ever get the threat letters you compared the right to know of I just swore that I destroyed them everyone Know something make it I didn't I never saw them Never saw a sample of Captain Billy Morgan's writing either. You mean you oh, no Well, it worked didn't I and it serves that conniving murder and blathers quite in Johnny I'm afraid I really did love him Yeah, it had been a long shot and thank goodness it had paid off The courts will take care of Captain Billy The insurance on her place, of course will have to be paid to make McCarthy, but no life insurance. Thank heaven Oh poor me It'll be a long long time before she'll fall for sweet talk again Expense account totaled including fair and incidentals back to Hartford to 2160 yours truly Johnny dollar Now here's our star to tell you about next week story next week Well, I say that diamonds are a girl's best friend, but I wonder when they're a motive for murder Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar only Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey is transcribed in Hollywood It is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone who also wrote this week's story heard in our cast where Virginia Greg Jack Krushen Byron Kane Forrest Lewis Bert Holland Stan Jones Bob Bruce Austin Green and Harry Bartell Musical supervision by a marigo marino and Karl fortina Be sure to join us on Monday night same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking