 From Hollywood. It's time now poor Johnny dollar Bob Lord or Johnny trite state guarantee. Oh, yeah, Bob been a long time. I wish you were a longer time Nothing personal in that is here. No, no just bad tamper. I'm on the prod Johnny We had a pearl necklace swiping this copy irritated does the same thing to an oyster the way I hear yeah But in reverse if an oyster gets irritated he makes a pearl I lose a pearl I get irritated right now I'm irritated 38 pearls worth saying money 20,000 clams ever hear of smiley pearl smiley pearl. Oh sure small time jewel thief couple of wraps Haven't heard of him lately though. Well, you're here now. He phoned us from Ohio an hour ago Says he's got the necklace wants to talk a deal. Who's your client girl named Melba Crane a real snooty-tooty The way I get it owns a town or something anyhow, it's named after her family Grangeburg Ohio. Well, if I can find it on the map, I'll see about a plane reservation Oh bother Johnny. You already got one Tonight and every week day 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 to the home office tri-state guarantee company Hartford, Connecticut The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Cranesburg matter Item one a hundred and five dollars and thirty five cents incidentals in Hartford and transportation to Cranesburg, Ohio I checked into the hotel the crane hotel incidentally and per instructions waited for contact by one smiley-prale jewel thief That crane name was beginning to run out of my ears So for the moment at least I postponed calling on the family itself as it happened though The family came to me or at any rate one of them did Come in My name is Phineas crane mr. Dollar May I oh sure sure come on in mr. Crane? Thank you, sir. You're related to miss Melvin crane Melby is my niece and the necklace belong to her that is correct It was her own personal property not a part of any family holding. I see Well, sit down. Won't you mr. Crane? Oh, thank you Just to constitutes the family you mentioned well as a matter of fact mr. Dollar only Melvin myself now We're the last remaining survivors Oh now I see you're unpacking sir, but you just go right ahead and forgive my intrusion Well, yeah, you did catch me a little boy's surprise I just got in town a few minutes ago, and I wasn't expecting visitors Mr. Lauder of the insurance company wire that you were coming and I was waiting here at the hotel. Oh, I Understand the thief has approached you. Well, no not me personally. No, he phoned the main office in Hartford and talked to lauder I'll probably hear from him sometimes Now you say he mr. Dollar are you certain the call was from a man lauder was certain Do you have some reason to doubt it? Oh, no, no, no not at all. I Just wondered the name he gave is a known jewel thief several previous convictions smiley prel And the call was made from here in Cranesburg. Yeah, that's right Well, that's very remarkable why so well, this is quite a small town as you've no doubt noticed now a strange You would draw attention and be somewhat Conspicuous. Oh, not necessarily smiley may have come here some time ago to establish himself You may even have met him mr. Crane. Oh, no I'm quite sure that I was utterly impossible. Did lauder wire you a description. No, no, of course not then how can you be so sure? Well, I I just have met any strangers in the last few months not a one. Oh, I see Well, I am now at home Can I can I order you have something from the bar mr. Crane? Oh, no, no, no, thank you No, I really have to run on I only stopped in for a minute. Did you have anything special in mind? Oh No, no, no nothing at all. I don't believe you mr. Crane. Yeah I beg your pardon sir. Well, I just don't believe you care for cigarette See, oh, no, no, thank you. I never smoked and I must say I failed to understand your implication You understand it. All right Mr. Dollar, I'm a what is it mr. Crane. Is there something phony about the loss of that necklace? Certainly not then what's up? I merely came here to offer my help and melbus too, of course I wanted you to know that we'll be glad to cooperate fully in any action. You may choose to take that's very generous of you and your niece My niece Well, she's a very remarkable girl Melby. Oh, yeah, she's a trifle headstrong at times Of course and not always inclined to use the best judge. How has she shown this lack of judgment mr. Crane? There's nothing specific at all, but I I did want you I did want to see you before you talk to her you understand and let you know kind of what to expect as you might say Naturally, she's very upset over the loss of her neck. I imagine You don't have any hope I suppose of recovering it well as a matter of fact I have a lot of hope of recovering it possibly within 24 hours Oh, well, no send a meld would be very happy to hear that it was an engagement gift You understand and from her fiancee Dean Sellers his name. Oh, yeah, she was quite broken up when he was stolen Well, the $20,000 necklace is a pretty fair loss now mr. Crane Oh, it's not the intrinsic value at all. No, I suppose not since that part of it is covered by the insurance But I was referring to the sentimental attachments you understand all natural and of course to the sheer beauty Oh, it was lovely. You've seen the necklace, I suppose. No, but I've got photographs of it. Oh, yes, of course Yes from the insurance company. Yeah, it's quite an unusual ornament with each pearl set individually in a platinum mounting the whole thing is Johnny dollar this is you know who mr. Dollars are right to talk Yeah, go ahead shoot. I'll find it. Well, it's Marty pants on me here. You'll be holding the sack you Just want you and me understand no cops, huh? I've been in this game a long time. Yeah. Yeah, that's what I'm counting on So I'll see you later. That was the thief I presume So he says Well, I've got to be running along now if there's anything I can do or you can finish what you were saying about your niece if you will No, no, no, it was nothing really not at all. It's just that Melba is a bit too Impulsive at times Headstrong, you know, she's young and she's foolish, but she never means any actual harm by it. I Know not really should I now I'm sure you understand that mr. Dahl So a good day, sir I Them to twenty six dollars even deposit and first days rental on a hired car I Checked on the location of the Green Lion 15 minutes in the center of town So there was plenty of time to follow up another angle before I went to meet smiley pro I Parked the car in front of the Cranesburg Bank went inside and presented my credentials in the letter of introduction to Milton Berkeley president step inside the office. Mr. Dollar. We have a little privacy at least thanks mr. Berkeley Have a seat. All right, thanks Any any recommendation if Bob Lauders is good enough for me Handled a lot of investments for tri-state the fine company nice company to work for him now. What can I do for you mr. Dollar? Oh, it's just the usual routine check in cases of this kind the general financial status of the crane bunch You mean the crane chemical company or the crane family? Well, I assume the two went together. No, no not for several years now Melba's father sold the last of the family stock a while before his death Neither Phineas nor Melba have one cent of ownership in the company. I see now the company of course is in excellent financial It's the family. We're concerned with well Their depiction is a little different the fact is that although they're the social leaders of the town and everybody figures They're rolling in it the cranes are broke flat broke have been for a couple of years now But as I understand it they live at quite a fancy estate out on the edge of town sure and it's mortgage Did they help hmm? That's very interesting. Well, sir lately old Phineas seems to be going around with a pocket full of money I don't know where he got it. It is a funny thing. How lately? Since the necklace was stolen or before oh long before two or three months The robbery was only last week supposedly at least no I see what you mean But it's not the answer Melba wore those pearls to the country club lands just a few days before they were taken Well, it was an idea I'll give you a piece of advice mr. Dollar have more than just an idea before you get too rough with Melba Crane or her uncle Oh, yeah, money or no money. They're still top society here the local aristocrats and the town kindly takes care of his own Well as I said, this is only routine I don't have the slightest bit of evidence that the cranes are trying to pull an insurance swindle But I get paid to be suspicious. That's all Well, I wondered myself where Phineas was getting the money any ideas about it No, unless he's been borrowing from his prospective son-in-law Dean Sellers the land who gave Miss Crane the pearls. Yes How is he fixed financially a man who can afford a $20,000 engagement gift? Yeah, we can assume he's eating regularly. I suppose well actually, I don't know too much about him He's an out-of-towner came here about eight months ago You know doesn't bank with me. I see but I will tell you one thing if he doesn't have money now He's hurt me will have before long. Oh, he's a go-getter that boy Yeah, he must be here eight months and a gauge to the town Bell. Oh, he's a whirlwind Keep six or eight projects going all at once for instance real estate business promotion one thing and another So busy even had to postpone the wedding. They were supposed to get hits three weeks ago Of course, I hear that that may be due to Well due to what? Mr. Dollar this whole thing is odd enough just on the basis of facts the rumors. I think we'll skip I'm sure you understand That was the second time I was supposed to quote understand unquote Vinnie is Crane was sure I could understand about his niece and Banker Milton Borkley was equally certain about the rumors As a matter of fact, I understood less about the whole thing than I did when I first got in town I wasn't getting anywhere. I was losing ground Item three a dollar forty two dry martinis in the Green Lion bar while I waited for smiley pro He was 20 minutes late, but he finally showed up slipped into the back booth across Right have a drink no summer time. I only got about one minute. All right. What's your price? No price not now. Oh look smiley a minute is not long enough to do much bargaining I didn't come here bargain. Well, I did and we assume from the way you talked on the phone to Hartford You felt the same way just keep your shirt on chum. We'll make a deal. All right, but later not not right now Why not because some's come up. I gotta get it straight enough. What never mind Hey, look you remember this address 1412 North Oak Street room 6 No Boarding house now you you meet me there at nine o'clock tonight. Oh wait a minute. What's this all about? I haven't got time chum. Don't you get your beads back one way or another. What do you mean? I mean that somebody's trying to handle smiley real quick shuffle first-class double-cross and I'm gonna see to it that somebody gets it right in the neck. Who who's the somebody never mind You just sit tight and meet me at nine o'clock And I think I'll be in a position to give you a lot more than just the necklace Understand frankly. No, well you will you're gonna understand real good before you're through so stick around Here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's episode of this week's story tomorrow When somebody kisses the wrong somebody and somebody gets burned up over it and then a gun is found in the ashes Man, it's murder Join us. Won't you yours truly? Johnny dollar yours truly 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