 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar Mr. Dollar attorney for Sheldon Forbes. Oh, hello, Mr. Gumbay. How are you? Okay, I'll be there no need to particularly I told you yesterday he requested me to wave trial and plead yelling Well, won't he be sentenced today? The court will simply consider the waiver and inform him of his rights today. Oh anything I can do And get him to reconsider the waiver I doubt I'll have much luck, but I'll try all he has to do is return the money Well buck up, Mr. Gumbay if he won't return it, maybe someone else will What do you mean? I'm gonna try and find out what he did with it. My company wants it back Sure, but we also want Forbes to have a fair chance And every weekday night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-pact Expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to the Continental Adjustment Bureau 418, Elizabeth Avenue Hartford, Connecticut The following is an accounting of expenditure is during my investigation of the Forbes matter embezzlement and a very frustrating case Expense account continued item six three dollars and fifty cents lunch for myself and a mr. Arnold Haven head of the accounting department For Century Styles Incorporated Mr. Haven a tall balding man in a dark suit had ulcers his poached egg and dried toast didn't interest him too much And what's going to happen to Forbes? Oh, I don't know mr. Haven that depends on several things Right now. I have to tell you that it looks like he'll go to prison Worse than that it looks like he wants to go to prison. He's waved trial prison That's too bad too bad. I always liked Sheldon Forbes. You were you hired him. Did you mr. Haven? Yes, I hired him. He was a good man right from the start. He did his job and he did it well I never had a complaint against Forbes. Why do you suppose he stole the money? You've got me mr. Dolly we paid him the going rate. That's a good salary for accountants He seemed happy enough with it when he knew he was in line for substantial raises I could understand it in a way if he had a family and heavy responsibility Or if he played the market or if he gambled but Forbes He just baffles me baffles me too Hey, oh, yes, well the people around the office. They're they're pretty upset about this any particular people mr. Haven everybody but anyone in particular a girl for instance Oh girl, yes, I see what No, did he go out with any girl in your office? No, no most of them are married No, at least as far as I know Forbes didn't go with any of the girls there. He kept to himself Oh, he might have lunched with one of the other now and then but No, no he more or less kept to himself. Uh-huh all the reason I asked you mr. Haven is that what little I've been able to find out about his personal life isn't very helpful My company wants the money back. We're willing to give him a fair break if we can get it back He's pretty stubborn about cooperating. Yes, we know about that mr. Dolly, but how can we give him a break if he doesn't want us to and we can't find out anything about him? Look if there's anything you can think of any any reason he might have had for taking the money I've wracked my brain. I can't think of any reason I Oh No, wait a minute. Just a minute. I did notice a change coming Forbes. It was about a month or six weeks ago Oh, it was nothing really. It was just I guess an anxiety about him Well, he took all the money within the last four weeks with that correspond Roughly yes. Well, that's a start. I hope I I Returned to the accounting offices of Century Styles with mr. Haven and spent two hours questioning different members of his staff regarding Sheldon Forbes His habits and his personality were pretty much the same as Haven himself had described Expense account item seven four dollars gasoline I put a tank full of gas in my rented car and went over to an apartment on 59th Street where Sheldon Forbes had lived According to the pencil note above the first door to the right of the entrance Mrs. Anastasia Kanopka was the manager What is please you're Mrs. Kanopka? Yes What do you want, mr? I understand mr. Sheldon Forbes lives here. Is that right? Oh, I hear he's still money's He not in I in the jail I think yes, I know about that Mrs. Kanopka. I'm from the insurance company And we're involved in this case. We're trying to recover some of that money if we can I wonder if you'd help me I fix dinner for my husband. He's come home from work. It won't take long What I do well, I want to know about Sheldon Forbes what the works Mrs. Kanopka Did he drink? Gamble these stay-in nights or go out did he pay his rent? He always pay his rent You are police and insurance investigators Please sometime else. Maybe you speak to my husband. He's big much better than me But it's important now. I talked to mr. Forbes on telephone. He called me from jail He said I no have to answer any questions. No, you don't have to answer any questions, Mrs. Kanopka But I'd sure appreciate it if you would My husband home pretty soon you ask him you can help him possibly now. Would you like to help him in this trouble? How I know these things you ask about men who live well Look, how about his friends who visited him? I cannot say no visitor Was he a good tenant? No trouble like mr. O'Sullivan on third floor mr. O'Sullivan always drunk call police twice Mr. Forbes not drink whiskey Did you ever meet his girl? Sure. He had a girlfriend, didn't he? Oh, I think you mistake. I know ever see girlfriend here All right How long have you known him? Five six here maybe ever since he moved in here to this place, but no girl No Well, how do you spend his time work? He worked very hard. No, I mean besides working at the office How else did Forbes spend his time? He poor fellow that one huh sure he steals money, but he poor fellow just the same for him I feel yeah, mr. Forbes see quiet and he think I know he live up in that little room quiet and think He does all time think No whiskey no girls or he paint some time listen to music think My husband in a burn, please you go just a minute. I'd like to see his apartment if I can Oh, no matter here. You bring that key. Please sure. Thank you, Mrs. Canofka The apartment Sheldon Forbes called home was as dismal as the neighborhood a Tiny closet kitchen a bed that came out of the wall and a pair of grimy windows that looked across the court onto another pair of equally grimy windows The furniture was threadbare and dusty a small ironing board and iron attested to the fact that Sheldon Forbes laundered his own shirts Other small evidences of frugality were about the premises a hot plate and a can of souring cream Two suits of clothes neatly brushed and pressed but inexpensive The record player in a collection of a half of dozen good albums were the only sign of material accomplishment The painting materials easel canvas and oils were also inexpensive no liquor and no jewelry no expensive clothes Nothing that cost four thousand two hundred and eighty five dollars or anything like Here's your key, Mrs. Canofka. Thank you very much. Thank you. Yeah. Hey, thank you What you think I think he's had a very lonely life here The word lonely Wait has he got a car in back through Ellie. Thanks. It was a Ford vintage of 1946 tightly locked up The paint was skinning away the tires worn down the mileage seventy seven thousand miles He certainly hadn't blown the money on a fancy car Now I felt completely frustrated Expensive count item eight seventy nine cents dinner I had it in a neighborhood restaurant called the 79er a place I learned where Sheldon Forbes frequently took his evening meal the restaurant manager a man named Alexander Dupoulos Remembered Forbes. He liked him a woman who ran a bakery shop across the street Also remembered him as the young man who bought a roll there every night Probably the roll to go with a lonely cup of coffee in his room the next morning. She liked him too All in all I was getting a composite picture of Sheldon Forbes. It didn't look quite right Whatever he was to the people who knew him casually He wasn't a man who ever had any money to spend I dropped in at the city jail about 730 and I was surprised to find lawyer Edward Gumby sitting on a bench briefcase in hand Hello, Mr. Gumby Nothing new, huh? Yeah, that's the way it goes I guess We had some action today. Oh, yeah The hearing was this afternoon man from the district attorney's office took about 15 minutes to lay out the evidence against four And make the charges. Uh-huh. I spent the whole time pleading with Forbes not to go ahead with the waiver Did I miss anything? No, he wouldn't open up at all Just said he'd spent the money. I couldn't talk him out of the waiver. So it went through When will he be sentenced? They set the date for Friday. I don't know whether they'll get around to it or not I'd like to talk to him again. Has he been moved yet? No, I thought he'd be transferred to the sheriff's office Ordinarily would but since he waived trial they announced bail its proper procedure in cases like this gives him a couple of days to straighten out his affairs Why somebody bail him out. I did. Oh Has he left yet? Uh-huh won't get out too late. That's when the shift changes. I think it's worth trying to see him Yeah, I think I'll stick around Mr. Gumby. I'm gonna find out something about this case An hour later when Sheldon Forbes emerged from the doorway and turned right. I was following him When he caught a cab and headed uptown I caught one and stayed right with him When he got out at the Empress theater and walked around at the stage door. I was standing by the alley entrance Ten minutes later. He came back out hailed a cab once more. I followed this time I followed into his apartment on 59th Street. I waited 15 minutes before I went in Forbes Forbes Hey Forbes, it's me journey dollar. I want to talk to you Took me a few seconds to understand what it was I got a couple of whiffs of it coming from under his door The room was accurate stinging with gas fumes and Sheldon Forbes was stretched down on the floor of a six-foot kitchen When I picked him up and carried him up I didn't know whether he was alive or dead There'll be another intriguing episode in our story of the Forbes matter tomorrow tomorrow a switch in the case that Starts a real chase and a race against time Join us won't you yours truly Johnny dollar Starring Bob Bailey is transcribed in Hollywood written by John Dawson. It is produced and directed by Jack John Stone Be sure to join us tomorrow night same time and station for the next exciting episode of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking