 Johnny dollar Miniatures, you know those tiny paintings portraits usually done on porcelain. Oh, yeah, I know what you mean But I don't think I ever heard of any rhymer collection Half a dozen of them stolen from the rhymer gallery in Philadelphia cost us something over $20,000 insurance never found them Huh? Here's the thing. I just got a phone call from Wilbert rhymer. He wants to see you just as quickly as possible about those miniatures He wouldn't say Johnny, but I'll bet on it then Funny since I had nothing whatsoever to do with the case But I thought you usually had a staff man I took care that our company investigator at that time was Jerry pitcher Jerry pitcher Yeah, the one who was suspected of complicity and some of the cases he was supposed to be investigating That's the one. Well, wasn't he suspect in that robbery? Yeah, but neither we know the police could ever pin anything on him Hmm. Oh, we could do is fire him and warn the other insurance companies to look out for it Fred Any idea where Jerry pitch is operating now not the league, but nobody was sure of it. Hmm. I wonder if rhymer's suddenly got a lead on him Okay, Freddy, I'll grab the first train You'll bring you Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-backed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. It was truly Johnny dollar and now act one of yours truly Johnny dollar Expense accounts submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar the mono guarantee insurance company Philadelphia office The following isn't a count of expenses incurred during my investigation of the rhymer collection matter Expense account out of one eight twenty five train fare and incidentals Hartford to Philadelphia PA Item two seventy cents for a taxi to the rhymer galleries over on Walnut Street Mr. Rimer turned out to be short slightly gray and very very British Let's go into my office, Mr. Dollar where we can talk and disturb. Yeah sure, Mr. Rimer Well, the art business must be pretty good with a crowd like this in the store In here, please. Hey, thanks Well, the gallery is rather well patronized this morning isn't it? Who's it done for you? I don't I must say Mr. Dollar I many times wish that you would be an assigned to the case when these Priceless miniatures that I brought to me from Europe was sold in a year ago. Oh, how so? Well, it was so vastly uninsured So the man of your capabilities would have been able to find them for you Maybe you instead of that that Jerry pitcher I understand that although nobody could prove anything you suspected him of somehow being involved in that lawsuit Oh, yes, it's only because of his failure to investigate it properly. But now look here, sir This stuff this check has a direct relationship with the unusual number of people visiting the gallery this morning This check was made out by you. Yes I intend to put it in the mails before the day is over the Mono guarantee insurance company $4,050 the exact amount I received for the loss of one of the miniaturas a genuine Pellegrini But you collected something like 20,000 and all on the 6th of the stolen. Yes But now suddenly and most mysteriously the Pellegrini has been returned to me What and of course the people out there in the gallery and most of them connoisseurs would be interested in seeing it again Wouldn't that yeah, I should make sure there's a matter of fact I've already found a buyer for it. Oh, Mr. Charles Cunningham one of my regular clients. Well Just how did you happen to get this one back? Two days ago when I opened the place I found it lying inside the door on the floor under the letter slot for the morning mail Just lying there, but it was wrapped in a bit of coarse wrapping paper The sort of green dress I might use and it was tied up with a piece of dusty string No note or anything with it. Nothing. They're very mysterious. But why was it returned? Who knows? Would you call it a pretty well-known piece one that might easily be recognized? Oh, definitely and of course there were pictures of it in the papers and of the others at the time that they were stolen In other words anybody having it stood a pretty good chance of being caught if he tried to sell it But that does seem to be a logical conclusion, doesn't it? Yeah, there's always the black market. I mean abroad in Paris a Lot of fine either was stolen during the war has suddenly shown up over there Yes, and I understand that otherwise perfectly honest collectors haven't hesitated to petition it things taken from the Louvre from various museums in Germany and Alive of mr. Dollar if the thief were caught Smuggling the miniatures out of this culture. Yeah, I know what you mean But now why return these to you are one of them, Mr. Dollar. Okay, one of them, but why? Well, there is of course one possibility. Yeah Like what if the thief himself for the connoisseur one who would fully appreciate the value of the miniatures Well, I'm certain that he would never bring himself to simply destroy them that he's ought to realize He couldn't very well dispose of them without being caught So rather than destroy them he decided to give up and return them to you Well, it is a possibility isn't it, but he returned only one of them and of course this theory of yours rules out Jerry pitcher Well Yes But it's puzzling isn't it? Ah wait now the paper in the string you found wrapped around it, but where are they? I'd like to see them Well, oh how utterly stupid of me. What do you mean? I? I'm afraid I threw them out to the trash mr. Dollar. It was taken away yesterday Great you might have found fingerprints on the mic control. Yeah, and they might have given us a lead on whoever sold those things in the first place I'm terribly sorry for terribly stupid of me. My reason for sending me for you I hope that by finding who returned this one you might find the rest of sure in which case your insurance company Well, he'd listen. Yeah, I would gladly return all of the money. They paid to me. I'm pretty happy Wouldn't I that now? Yeah, they might even feel like handing me a nice big fat commission How I destroyed one possible clue. Well, how much we others if I can take them up Oh, I hope so Mr. Dollar or of course we we could just sit here and wait for the other five to be returned to you. I Presume your destiny, sir Yeah, I'm afraid so yes So how will you proceed? Well, I'll tell you something mr. Reimer. Yes. Yes, mr. Dollar. I haven't the least idea And now act two of yours truly Johnny dollar and the Reimer collection matter Expensive count out of two sixty cents for a cab to Fred Porter's office at Bono guarantee insurance And it was about the stolen miniatures of mr. Reimer sent for you and it was Freddie Over twenty thousand dollars worth Johnny Well, is he some idea now about who might have taken Fred one of them a palette greenie has just been returned to him What yeah, Reimer sending you a check and the amount your company paid him for that particular one Well, who returned it to him? I don't know. He doesn't know I was simply pushed through the letter slot the door of the gallery No clues no nothing Johnny whoever returned it must have been the thief or someone who knows the thief has contact with him So if you can find this person who ever brought it back We may be able to recover the other many time. Did the police really do a job when they were stolen a year ago? Yes, and the only suspect was that so-called Investigator we'd mistakenly assigned to Reimer because he seemed to know something about art. He was familiar with Reimer's place I was Jerry pitcher. That's right But they couldn't prove a thing against him and after all it was only Reimer's theory that Jerry might have been mixed up in it why I Don't know It may have been because of the sloppy way he handled his end of the investigation And don't forget it was about that time we learned to pitch his reputation wasn't all that it might have been beginning idea What Jerry might be now as I told you over the phone Johnny. It was talk that he'd skip the country Reasoning itself to be suspicious of him if you ask me I'll tell you this Fred if he did skip and if he had those miniatures with him the one place he might have gone to Listen mind if I use your phone. It's right beside you help yourself Hello operator, I want to put through a call to Paris France Paris Johnny Let's take it easy Freddie and stay close to this phone so that you can hear strange little character whose name is de Marseille But who calls himself a shock wreath a great cat His knowledge of the Paris underworld and everything that goes on in it is nothing short of fabulous Yeah, because he himself is very much a part of it of what goes on there Not a single important work of art could ever hit the black market without his knowing about it First friend Oldest and dearest friend Oh sure and I'll listen to my sack. I want some information. Maybe you can give it to me Perhaps a thousand you're out of your mind Maybe a couple a hundred if it's worth anything I'll take it easy tell me handless now listen to my sack here Well, I'm looking for a man named Jerry pitcher ever see you're here with him. You're sure Yes, I'm sure Then what about the Rimer collection of miniatures? There's some tiny paintings on porcelain. You get that sure did go on Johnny When de Marseille when did you see them? You kidding? Of course it is 200 now when Three years ago. We when they purchase for the gallery there in the United States Oh, that's a lot of help But who brought them for the Rimer gallery who purchased them. Do you know? Well, that's right Okay, 250 now tell me who Rimer himself bought them there in the black market. Oh, I see No on second thought to my sack. I'm afraid it doesn't mean a thing. I'll mail you check What was that well Okay, 400 In June What do you mean because he could not sell them they were what you call too hot Because they were known to have been so recently stolen from the gallery there in America too hot So whoever hem brought him back here All right to my sack Who is that fence that do boss on who was he trying to sell them for this man pitcher? Oh, I told you I never heard of you. Well, who then? I do not know and would you clever man like to be so on all this my dearest friend and Take some time and make you think they're nobody yet. Well, I get it. I'll send you check Only you can send it to him Fred say putting it on my expense account Well, wait a minute Johnny if he can find out who was trying to pedal the miniatures over there Are you underestimating the chargris? Well if he's seen them he knows what they're worth So what by the time he got that information you have to pay him a thousand maybe two We've been so Johnny if it leads us to the thief and the other miniatures that were stolen leads us to him or merely tells us Who he is what's the difference and I thought you were convinced of sherry pitcher. Well, who else why I? Don't know that's the police ask Grimer. Maybe I will Or maybe I got a better idea Item $4.50 for a taxi out to the Museum of Art where I finally ran down one of the curators a man by the name of Kingman Well, of course, I know the rhymer miniatures. Mr. Dollar priceless and such a shame They've been lost to the world of art stolen. Yeah stolen by a fool. How do you mean, sir? Well, I mean the thief would never dare to try to sell them such well-known pieces Anyone anywhere would recognize them would see that he was brought to justice maybe How much would you say those six little paintings are worth about two or three years ago? Not very much, but now that their history is known. Well, this often happens with works of art, Mr Dollar, how much Mr. Kingman was somewhere I would say that is if they're ever found yes somewhere in the neighborhood of two hundred thousand dollars You're serious where among them is a body for instance in a genuine Pellegrini yes, Pellegrini Pellegrini the elder and one of our wealthy collectors mr. Charles Cunningham Would pay Listen, you know where I can find him. I believe I have his address and phone number in my office. Good. Come on But to why all this interest mr. Dollar. I'll tell you about it on the way to your office, mr. Kingman Item five ten cents for a phone call only to learn that mr. Charles Cunningham was out of town for the day so item six fourteen dollars even is for a dinner a room and some breakfast at the Bellevue Stratford Then early the next morning item seven another dime for another phone call That's right mr. Cunningham Just answer one question, please How much are you paying the rhyma galleries for a Pellegrini miniature? That's the one I mean what's the price? How much sir? Well, yeah, I know all about that. How much mr. Cunningham? Would you rather be hauled in as accessory to a fraud? Oh, it probably is much more how much? Maybe you'd better call your bank and have them stop the check Thank You mr. Cunningham. It looks as though my hunch was right. What? Goodbye, sir I need a buck for a taxi to Fred Porter's office item nine another buck for a cab for the two of us to the rhyma galleries You please tell me what this is all about Johnny. Had you got on the trail of Jerry pitcher now Freddie? I haven't even bothered trying. Hey listen, do you handle all a rhymer's insurance? I wonder his premiums do well as a matter of fact or rather large would slightly overdue now Why didn't you tell me that? What difference does it make? Well a business were good for a man like that. Wouldn't he keep up with his insurance payments? I wonder how much else he owes. What are you getting at? Money. Looks like we've arrived You know, you still haven't told me why we've come here to the gallery at the crack of dawn. Yeah, buddy Now keep the change. Yeah, man See mr. Rhymer's already opened shop Johnny. Come on. I am indeed glad to see you indeed indeed Good morning, mr. Porter. Mr. Rhymon Look here, mr. Dollar here on this tater. Why? Another of the military has a lumbar day what is lying on the floor under the mail slot just like the other that was returned Can't believe it. Yeah, let me see. No, no such and you see mr. Dollar this time I saved the string and wrap it for you. Oh, why fingerprints is of course only I doubt if we'll find any But you were most explicit matter of fact if you didn't wear gloves and wrapping it up you were pretty stupid I beg your pardon asked that I be dragged in so that nobody would suspect you huh suspect Johnny What of Jerry pitcher who knows what Jerry is and who cares mr. Rhymer? When was your last trip to Europe in June? Wasn't I make many trips to Europe in order in June Yes, yes, it was but now look yeah back to your office. I want to look at your bank statements for the past year Mr. Dollar or would you rather I just call in the cops? I don't know what you're talking about real honest business You've been running on of course, but you didn't hesitate to buy stolen smuggled artworks on the Paris black market now look here I suppose I should have started thinking when you told me those miniatures were considerably underinsured What yeah, because you insured them before their true value really became known But by the time you did know what you'd already pulled the fake robbery Collected the insurance on them to keep your business going well I've had a piece you tried to sell them in Paris then but they were too hot that was in June But you still needed money didn't you would have I did not know you had to bring them back After all you'd only collected about 20,000 on them now you could sell them for 200,000 at least Is this true a pretty nice profit even after you got through returning what you collected from the insurance company mr. Rimer how to get them back Haven't mysteriously reappear one at a time and give out that cock-and-bull story about the thief not daring to sell them without being caught Well, mr. Rimer well You think If I produce the others if I if I write and sign a full confession the authorities will be more Gentle with me Son of a gun why do they do it They ever learn what's the matter with people anyhow some people it is oh Well expense account total including the trip back to high frid 3550 and Freddie don't forget a nice fee on this one as Well as a check of a chagry over there in Paris Here's truly Johnny dollar Originates in Hollywood and is written produced and directed by Jack Johnstone Herded our cast were Harry Bartell Ben right for us Lewis juniors Matthews and Marvin Miller He's sure to join us next week same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar This is Dan Cumberley speaking Johnny dollar has come to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces radio and television service