 Johnny dollar Lou it's about time I got a call from you What's the problem now Johnny I've got a crazy writer on my hands. Well, maybe not crazy actually it's a very nice old guy But let me contact with this Johnstone the man who dramatizes these cases of mine to put him on the air And he's kind of another about fishing Look Lou if liking the fish is a peculiarity, I'm the nuttiest guy around That makes him a killer have a reason to think something like that's going on Lou maybe I better Her in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-pact expense a cup America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar this accounts admitted by special investigator Johnny dollar the state unity life insurance company home office Connecticut Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the imperfect crime matter expense account item one Four dollars and twenty-six cents for a tank full of gas as long as I could fill up my own car on the expense account Why not when I got to his office a little wasted no time in getting to the point Bodyguard Well, I'd say that's up to you after you've heard the facts in the case go ahead shoot Must say though. I can't think of a nicer job than acting as a bodyguard for her Her and I mean what a body and all that goeth with the wow Then you meant operas rather than author. No Johnny. I'm talking about Mrs. Porter Porter, that's right Denise Porter the wife of G Stanley Porter. That's right. You know him. No, but I'd like to I doubt that Lou in my book He's one of the best mystery writers alive no question of it over the years He's done very well for him Well, he deserves to that man can take the simplest plot and build it up into a fantastic mystery in his descriptions A little with people and places and things where he can almost make you see them just the way he does What's his problem hers Johnny and I've asked over here to tell you about herself Well, then bring her on she should have got here before you did at least let me tell you this while we're waiting Yeah, we sold him both life insurance policies right after they got married a little over a year ago Each made the other the beneficiary right How large are the policies 750,000 apiece? What double indemnity? Yeah, one and a half million dollars in case of death of either one of them and now they're not getting along Apparently they're not you see Johnny. Oh Yes, dude, please come in suddenly I began to hear sweet music That whole office took on a kind of soft One of the prettiest girls I've ever seen Denise Maybe twenty six or seven tall blonde and beautiful Her complexion frequently tamed was flawless and her figure well Her expensive carefully tailored clothes even if you carefully chosen pieces of fine jewelry she more seemed almost tawdry compared to the girl herself Her eyes were a long rich brown Yet there was a twinkle there a sparkle that was almost an invitation But in words as she talked to was came Do you know what apprehension? fear I'm not sure, but it was disturbing And it isn't as though my husband hasn't been good to me. He has almost too good a Little too considerate, but well, there's been something Insincere about it lately. Ask me Johnny. It's like giving him a condemned one a hearty last meal That's a horrible way to put it. Mr. Little Maybe that's what it amounts to Yes, he's been so moody. So we're all slightly. Why have you given him any cause? No, of course not I'm afraid it just because Well, you see up Going Denise Johnny, I don't know how to say it I I thought that our marriage would be different not like the others you've been married before no But he has and I just found out all about it and not just once Johnny But four times for other why happy as a lock with every one of them to for a couple of years And then then each of them died Suddenly unexpectedly under suspicious circumstances apparently not at all apparently a couple of them were accidents, but mind I use that word Apparently he's such a master of the perfect crime Johnny in his writing I mean, but don't you see that's all he thinks about planning perfect crimes perfect murders It's almost an obsession with him and when I found out that right after each of them died He'd written another book about the murder of a woman to commit a crime and then put it into a book would be ridiculous But I said about all that still goes Johnny Well, do you or you Denise have any real reason for thinking that he might have murdered his other wives for in a row and Each of them after only a year or two and each of them will ensure it doesn't prove anything Lou not the least suspicious Well, of course, I am but if nobody's been able to prove any scared Johnny The way he's been acting lately and this this not knowing what he's thinking or planning a If only I could know what he's writing about Locked up there in his study every day all day long most of the night And I lie there alone in my bed every night Wondering what sort of a clever diabolical trap he's setting for me if he is I'm sure he is And the same thing will happen to me that happened to the other four Unless you can help me Unless he falls into his trap himself How long has been going on Denise months now Johnny several months or she finally called this morning and asked for you please Johnny Will you help me? Will you protect me from whatever trap he's setting for me? Of course you will Denise. I'm not sure you're not sure Johnny Let me think about it. No, I'll be in touch maybe in a couple of days If you ever suffer a touch of arthritis or rheumatism and you've never tried mentholatum deep heating rub You can't know how good its deep heating action can make you feel as you massage it into painful areas You feel it's deep heating action. You know relief is on the way Mentholatum deep heating rub is an extra strong combination of active ingredients for safe temporary relief of minor arthritic rheumatic pain You was greaseless stainless Mentholatum deep heating rub often Back to my apartment to think this one over I couldn't imagine anything Pleasant than acting as a bodyguard for beautiful Denise Porter But the more I thought about it the more I wondered No question, but that an author constantly preoccupied with planning the perfect crime Wouldn't be the most likely to get away with it or at least to think he could I'd told Denise I wasn't sure if I'd take on the case I was sure Only I didn't want her to know it not yet Especially in view of the fact that when she pulled a handkerchief out of her bag and moves office a plane ticket had dropped out a ticket to New York Okay, item to 90 cents for a phone call to New York to my old pal lieutenant Randy Singer the 18th precinct Then I hopped into my car and drove out of the home of G Stanley Porter author It was an old place But in its way a very handsome one The front door of heavy oak led into a large reception hall its floor of polished marble At the right was the entrance to a human living At the left a long straight staircase all sort of Going up to the second floor in a sort of gallery with various bedroom doors facing on it But I'm getting here to myself that front door was open for me by a man in his late fifties tall Hanson with a shocker point here Yeah, mr. Porter. That's right. My name is dollar Johnny dollar. Oh, come in. Miss dollar by all means come in. Thank you I Don't know it brings you here, but I can assure you it's a real pleasure to see you. Thank you again I've been following these exciting exploits of yours for years on the radio. I'm glad to hear that Let's see now about six feet, huh? That's right. That's a hundred and sixty pounds dark hair and eyes of Graze and built like a steel spring. I'm sure that's the way I've always visualized you but Your wife isn't at home. Oh I see she's been checking with you or one of your companies about our insurance something like that Yes, and now I'm sorry, mr. Dollar, but I can assure you we have all we need and surely they aren't making you fill in Your time as an ordinary salesman. No, mr. Porter It's just that we're policies the size of yours are involved. We uh, we like to keep in touch That's a well, it's a matter of making sure that we're hail and hearty and able to keep up with Fantastic premiums they charge for a man of my age. I can show you everything's alright. Well seeing this home of yours and the way It's kept. I'm sure it is. No, I'm a writer, you know, I certainly do know I have read and thoroughly enjoyed most of your books and things been gone nicely for me financially. I mean And well as long as I have the money I like surround myself with beautiful things this home the garden beautiful painting and the beautiful wife. Yes Denise is beautiful isn't she? Very young beautiful full of vitality As I'm very lucky for man of my age and I suspect that all she needs to do was ask Can you give her everything she wants everything? Well, I try but Working the way I do long hours alone You see dollar my writing is a sort of compulsion writing is my whole life. I get ideas from From everything from everyone I meet now may sound morbid but even the passing of my former wives and believe me I love them dearly gave me ideas for stories And if I don't get them down on paper and work them out immediately Oh, I have to or I'll lose them you understand that dollar. Yeah, I think so But apart from some of my Perhaps too much of my time I I try to give her everything to keep her happy and of course when I die She'll have not only my insurance, but other things and money as well It's at least I can do when you consider how she she nursed me back to health from an almost fatal illness and if she dies Before you have that happen again moves her my little denies the way the other Sorry, darling, forgive me I'm sorry. She isn't here. She went down to New York with some of her girlfriend's and she won't be back until after the theater Well really doesn't make any difference. I guess As long as you're here Come along after my study in second floor Only it's really where I practically live these days with the book I work on. Oh, I'd I'd like to talk further with you Who knows maybe some of your exciting adventures will give me plot material. I'll leave the way why Just because I happen to be totally blind And it's study only was a small complete apartment. I tried to speak further with mr. Porter about his wife But all he talked of was plots for his own done this and asked about some of my relatively mild experiences as an insurance investigator Despite the fact is interestingly only in the final points of winter. I found his conversation fascinating Later after making and pouring enough cocktail to give both of us a bit of an edge He opened the door of a sort of a built-in kitchenette and fixed one of the most delicious steak And with such ease insurance of touch I almost forgot that he was completely blind. Well, enjoy your steak Johnny Prime well-hung and broiled to a tea fine Now just let me get these dishes cleaned up and we can talk some more You can give me some more of your idea. No, no, no, you don't I'm the host I'm the boss. All right. You always eat your dinner up here Well when Denise is away, which is rather often these days But my real fun is in raiding the big refrigerator downstairs every night long about two or three in the morning That's I put my typewriter away The supporter now I Think I would like to raid that icebox with you fine fine Maybe for two or three nights if necessary. Oh, that'd be delighted to have you stay over provided one thing Then either your wife or anyone else knows that I'm staying in this house Some mystery you're cooking up for me Johnny. Yeah, something like that And while you're doing those dishes I'll get out and move my car over to the next block. I'm not at this point. Yes some long sometimes pretty unpleasant experience When I went out to move my car, I put in another car from New York That's item four to Lieutenant Randy Singer and what he had to say told me that I'd guessed right That's right. He met her at the plane. She got off alone and where'd they go? Okay, Randy As a cover-up of course To convince me so that I would convince the law when it was all over that Mr. J. Stanley Porter had slipped up With his mind on his book he'd forgotten the trapeze set that he's fallen into it himself That's what it would look like all right And what was the trunk Johnny this this mysterious behavior of yours intrigues me more than you Maybe you'll get some material for a story. Well, at least give me some clues to what you're up to later, Mr. Porter Maybe later. Maybe tomorrow. What have you say? How the drink no, thanks. I'm fine See you Maybe that I'm ahead of you. Huh? What is it sir front door? Denise is home Now as I told you Johnny she'll stop in here for a minute say good night to me So if you want to go through this little stunt of hiding from her she's Coming up the stairs now I'll get to my typewriter The business of hiding in that tiny kitchen it with the door open only a crack seems almost childish like a couple of kids playing Mystery story, but believe me this was playing for keeps Still working darling Yeah, unusual Did you enjoy the play mind of you? Oh the other girls seemed like it. How's it all about? Oh, you know usual thing. Oh I'm terribly tired dear. I think I oh There's plenty of milk and a nice chocolate cake your favorite kind in the refrigerator You know if you're late late supper. Thank you Night dear night You may come out Sort of a game I suppose is it Well, isn't it? Oh, I'm just thinking that maybe I'd let you see the manuscript story. I'm working on I mean, sir, well, it might be quite apropos of this this game of ours with Denise Except of course that I haven't written the ending yet Is that why you've been so interested in talking with me having me here, Mr. Porter And I hope that maybe I can help you write the ending I'm not sure Yeah Tell me this mr. Porter Is there by any chance a character in it like like yourself a Man without sight Well, nonetheless manages to get around his home as though he could sing as well as I do I'm not going to tell you a thing Johnny not yet And shall we go downstairs and raid the icebox after that huge dinner only a couple of hours ago in those drinks Don't you think a little smooth sounds like a much better idea? Yeah Perhaps you're right good You want to sprawl out on the sofa? I'll grab some sleep right here in this chair Do what seemed like a couple of hours he began to snore Softly but deeply quietly as possible. I slipped out of the room Into the head of the long dark staircase that led to the marble floor of the reception hall far below Then carefully feeling my way One step at a time. I started down and there they were on the fourth step from the top There must have been a couple of dozen of them small steel ball bearings The chain of boyfriend in New York had bought Had Porter ever stepped on them In one of his usual quick flights down those stairs Nothing in the world could possibly have saved him from crashing to the stone floor below and when it was over She could have gathered up those ball bearings Disposed of them and nobody would have known the fall wasn't an accident By a blind man who simply missed a step that he couldn't see There'd be nothing to suggest that he was pushed down the stairs because he wasn't No marks were wire might have been stretched across because there was none No sign at all of what really happened Carefully still feeling my way in the dark. I Collected the ball bearings from the stairs tread and put them in my pocket Then I went back up and started feeling my way back to mr. Porter's That's all right, Charlie. Mr. Porter. I Have seen now what he planned for me Or rather my ears have told me I'm sorry, mr. Porter And it looks as though you have given me an ending to my story doesn't it You mean your story is about this About the news and her having got tired of living with an old man But her lover in New York afraid I've known all along Johnny About a lot of things and the man of my age married to a lovely young girl only half his age I guess that's why I felt in the beginning mr. Porter that if one of you were plotting to kill the end of It wouldn't be All I didn't know was how she would try it or when What did you do now, sir? No, I know what's really not a my affair and give me the little steel balls you found when I give them to her And she seems that I know Life Johnny I left him then walked out to my car drove back to my apartment poured myself a good stiff drink And have been quietly sitting here writing out this report ever may have happened when he faced with the evidence of her attempt to murder him Is none of my affair the expense account? Forget it You know, it's truly Johnny dollar next week. I start out to collect a small debt, but instead I collect a bullet join us. Won't you? yours truly Johnny dollar by Bruno Zerato, Jr. Directed by Ed oaths musical supervision by Ethel Huber The part of Johnny dollar was played by Mandel Kramer Also heard where Alan Manson as Lou Evelyn Joster as Denise Raymond Edward Johnson as Porter Eugene Francis as Randy be sure to join us next week Same time same station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar. This is art Hannah speaking