 From Hollywood, it's time now for Johnny dollar oh hi a constable Now you've got it. I'm sitting right here at the counter She's busy crying at the moment. I'm waiting for her to get through and hoping she'll confess to murder That's a trouble with this whole case according to you everybody in this township is fine people all of them Ellen Bates was a fine woman too and now she's dead and one of these fine people killed her I'm going to find out which one mr. Bramler, and I'm going to tag him for it with your helper without it 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 Shady Lane Vermont to the home office star mutual insurance company Hartford, Connecticut Assignment the Shady Lane matter expense account continues Item seven a dollar and forty cents one pot rose special at the Shady Lane cafe while waitress Millie Wells dried her tears and repaired her face I Thought over what she'd said what I'd taken for a confession and tried to fit it in with the other facts in the case What few facts there were a Young farmwife a semi-invalid named Ellen Bates had been shot to death while sitting at the front window of her house The weapon was an old-fashioned squirrel rifle a type of gun on by half the people in the township Ellen Bates had no known enemies her husband beneficiary of a ten thousand dollar insurance policy on his wife's life Have been accused by a spiteful neighbor of carrying on with pretty waitress Millie Wells Anyone who says Ben and I was seeing each other even thought of such a thing before his wife's death is a mean vicious life All right, take it easy now take it easy There's no point in getting yourself all worked up and starting to cry again Bends a fine man straight and decent and it makes me boil to have some low sneaking gossip try to smear his reputation without reason It reflects on your reputation a little too. I don't care about me. I told you what I've been through. I'm used to it Do you ever get used to something like that? No, no not really Murder charges isn't an easy thing to forget you dream about at night's Prison the courtroom the trial Things they said about you, but you were acquitted finally. I was acquitted and I was innocent Just being tried for murder brands a person for life. What were the details of the case first? Let me tell you about Ben. You haven't met him yet. Mr. Dollar. You you don't know him and I know the line You're thinking along. It's the way things point Millie then things point wrong. That's all maybe Go on Well, he's been coming in here for the last six months not often just Just every once in a while just to eat does Ben know you stood trial on a murder charge He does now he didn't before before his wife was killed. We just made conversation. That's all and since her death There's been no carrying on some people choose to think One day Ben said Millie when when this mess is all settled. I'd like very much to see more of you That's all that's all and that's enough because I love him About the trial It was four years ago in Chicago. I Was working for a family on the west side as a nurse made Governors, they were wonderful. What happened The wife died suddenly under strange circumstances It could have been an accident or it might have been poisoned. I Thought you already knew about it. That's why I blurted it out that way. Oh, I'd have found out anyway sooner or later Yes, I know was in all the headlines the same things that they'll be saying about me here What do you mean? I was accused of murdering the wife because I was in love with the husband I left the shady Lane cafe and the tortured girl whose secret close hidden for four frightened years was now the property of a stranger It was late now and the town square was dark and deserted a Stark white moon was climbing the eastern sky and the soft summer night's breath stirred in the leafy tops of the maples Whispering other secrets Secrets the villagers dared not stay abroad and listen to a fantasy sure pure and simple Oh Maybe it was a bad slice of potterist Anyway, the dim light burning in the office of Constable Jed Bramler brought me back to harsh reality Okay, thanks That girl stopped crying yet sniffling a little maybe but she's practically stopped for the time being at least Mean something by that. You know what I mean by it. Yeah, I reckon you must have found out about her past so to speak You knew about it. Yeah, since the day she came to town stopped in to see me told me all about it Well, you were keeping it pretty quiet, weren't you? It was told in confidence, mr. Dollar. All right, but this is a murder case They don't have no bearing Millie ain't involved Would you mind if I had a chance to decide that once in a while didn't know you'd be interested? Don't you realize that Millie Wells may be the reason for the killing still beating a dead horse, eh? I think that horse is coming to life, mr. Bramler You do the way things stand right now a prosecuting attorney could go into court with a pretty strong case the charge first-degree murder accused Your friend Ben Bates you ain't met Ben yet, mr. Dollar. No, no, I haven't met him, but the facts add up It's an old old story. Yeah, it's a downright classic an invalid wife a pretty girl a rundown farm that doesn't look as though It's made a profit in years a ten thousand dollar life insurance policy dangling like a carrot Yeah fact is it's even worse a picture if you remind to look at it that way Oh that farm of Ben's ain't only run down. It's mortgage to the hilt Ben needed money for Ellen's operations. She'd had three in the last year and a half He tried every way he knew how to the banks wouldn't touch it Well in that case Martin Prini his next-door neighbor come through and helped him out $7,500 is the farm worth that much nope wouldn't bring 4500 if it was sold tomorrow That's what I mean Ben feels pretty obligated and the $10,000 from that policy on his wife would have taken the pressure off all the way around Plus leave him free to marry Millie Wells I know it adds up that way I've been studying over this thing for a month now trying to figure out some other way of explaining it Hoping that somebody would show their hand. Yes. Make a move some kind of nothing's happened No, whoever done it. He's just sitting tight waiting Might be a good thing that you come along my jar things loose a little Yeah, well whether I'm right or wrong one thing. We've got the jar loose as that gun That's the fact all right can't make much of a case against nobody without that gun You said nearly everybody in the township owned one of those old-fashioned squirrel rifles the type Ellen was killed with that's right What about her husband? There's been on one No, nothing but a shotgun. Yes, I saw it when we were out there this afternoon hanging over the mantle But at the same time I noticed something else what do you mean? That shotgun was resting on a pair of hooks set into the bricks above the fireplace But the hooks hadn't been put there for that particular gun Now they were too far apart. What are you getting at mr. Dollar? I? Think those hooks would fit a squirrel rifle just fine Ben ain't one to lie. He told me he didn't have a rifle But that's something else. I've been studying about what do you mean? I kind of have to remember see and a squirrel going hanging over that mantle in years gone by Expense account item eight three dollars car expense for another trip out to the Bates farm a late night trip this time in the last one I hoped Constable Bramler had suggested that my being in the case might help stir things up good I was all for it and not just stir things up But wind them up tonight. Maybe if we caught Ben Bates at home Lights on inside. Yeah, you must be here someplace. Oh Evening Jed, Ben like you to meet mr. Johnny dollar dollar You fellas are out late little I reckon mine if we come inside Ben. Oh sure sorry Jen. I didn't think Let's go on back through to the kitchen. That's about the only room I use since Well anymore. I mean Set yourselves down there at the table. I'll get us some lemonade if there's any ice left Oh a lemonade left would suit me fine. Don't go. No trouble for us Ben. Oh, no trouble at all Got it already made just have to chip a little ice into it I reckon you'll kind of have to bear with me. I'm not much used to having callers come around since Alan it's all right, Ben Here we are You fellas got some business out this way tonight fact is Ben we come out here to talk to you mr. Dollar's an insurance investigator He's here to find out who killed Ellen. I see You've got any ideas yet mr. Dollar. I've I've kind of got an idea you might have done it Ben. I Wouldn't have harmed a hair of Ellen's head. I could be wrong mr. Dollar's been checking around Ben talking to people here and there Prenees Millie wells. What's Millie got to do with it? Nothing maybe or she might be part of the motive I didn't even make her acquaintance hardly before the last week or two. What about Mrs. Prenee you've known her longer, haven't you? Yes, she was a good friend of Ellen's Why she thinks you killed your wife She wrote an anonymous letter about it to the insurance company the woman's crazy I knew she never liked me for some reason, but I sure wouldn't figure her to go that far Ben whatever happened that squirrel rifle you had around the house why the week before Ellen died somebody Yes, Ben No, I didn't lie to you Jed not actually when I told you I didn't have a rifle like that I didn't not then and You didn't ask me if I had had one what happened to the rifle But it was stole the week before Ellen was killed. I haven't seen it since That's the truth mr. Dollar you didn't report it being stole Ellen asked me not to she figured She knew who took it and she wanted to give them a chance to make good You know how she was but after she'd been shot by that same kind of rifle you still didn't report it Report afterward that the gun had been took before Who might have taken it Ben? I've tried to think wasn't nobody came here that week except mrs. Prenee and grody Hawkins grody Hawkins That's the hired hand we met here this afternoon mr. Dollar. Yeah, I know the one who was a dead shot with a gun Yeah, no, no grody wouldn't kill nobody he's a little touched maybe but he's good-hearted and gentle Is he another one of your pets constable? Don't you care whether the killer is identified kind of a funny question to ask a murder victim was uncle Uncle Mr. Bramler Was Ellen bait your niece he was Didn't think to mention it mr. Dollar just figured you knew I guess and Anyhow it don't have no bearing Now here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing episode of this week's story tomorrow a slow net Titans and the fish turn frantic and one of them at least is armed and dangerous as deadly as a shark Join us won't you yours truly Johnny doll 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