 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar this is Betty, mr. Dollar Betty screens made I'm the one who Well, oh, yeah, what can I do for you Betty? The gun no not yet What do you think I do bury it somewhere look you look somebody's used this gun used it recently Who was it you know, I never saw it before then why were you trying to hide it in the incinerator? I was scared. I didn't know what I was doing. This is your gun. I found where Is it tied in with a theft of Miss Crane's necklace? I don't know 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 location Cranesburg, Ohio To the Home Office Tri-State Guarantee Company Hartford, Connecticut Assignment the crane matter Expense account continued Item seven three dollars and ten cents for a bad steak and worse coffee in the hotel dining room But it didn't matter much. I had to rush it anyway with one eye on my watch I was meeting jewel thief Swanny Prell at his rooming house at nine o'clock and Melba Crane's made Betty was coming here to the hotel at ten Providing she could slip away from the house The schedule was tightening up on me, but I still hadn't seen hide nor hair of the stolen necklace That is if hide nor hair can apply to a string of match pearls insured for $20,000 1412 North Oak Street was in a lost and forgotten corner of town dark and nearly deserted at this hour of the evening The rooming house the ramshackle frame built flush to the sidewalk seemed to wait for me brooding and silent There were no names on the letterboxes and no sign of an office. I tried the front door It was open Rome six was the number Somalia given me I Walked down the long hall studying the numbers on the doors with a dim light from a single bulb at the far end four five Six at the barest hint of movement behind the door Then silence I reached down quietly and turned the knob The door was unlocked. I Took a deep breath and then went in fast Oh What the devil take it easy Mike. All right, hold it now. It's all right find the light switch Well, well, I'll be Mr.. Don't you a little out of your territory mr. Crane? I don't know what you mean Sit down before you shake your teeth loose. I beg your pardon, sir. Don't mention it If I may remind you who you're talking you don't have to remind me your finiest peak crane Uncle of miss Melba crane who had a pearl necklace stolen from her You're one of the last two surviving members of the crane family who founded cranes, mr. Daughter I have just caught you prowling the room of a known professional jewel thief now sit down Yeah, I can explain this yeah, I hope so I suppose our host isn't home. There's no one else here Was the door unlocks or were you equipped with a set of keys? I beg your pardon again. You're the most polite burglar I've ever tagged this is not the way it seems I assure you all right now. You've assured me convince me I Came to ask some questions of the gentleman who lives here. Do you know him certainly not It's hardly likely that I'd be acquainted with a person of his type. Oh, I don't know He's a jewel thief your knees had a necklace stolen ten days ago. It kind of adds up in a way Oh Are you accusing me of complicity? I'm not accusing you of anything I'm just trying to find out what you were doing hiding here in Smiley Prell's room. I I came here to talk to what about But the reasons are personal, mr. Then you did know him no I I knew he lived here because I followed him one day. I I didn't know his name And I didn't know he was a jewel thief until you said so just a moment ago That's one way of putting it you'd understand if I were in a position To explain I might be a good idea if you got in that position in view of the circumstance I simply cannot and I do not believe your capacity is such that you can force me to you're quite right But the police might handle it somewhat different. Oh my doubted very much My grandfather founded this town They remember that here a matter of pulling rank Oh, I think they had leaned toward believing any reasonable story that I might give them a story like that is Reasonable only as long as there's no actual evidence to disprove it. Oh, is that so and you have such evidence not yet But I think I will be for long. Oh Then I'll have to deal with that eventuality When and if it happens who are you trying to protect mr. Crane? I don't know what you mean. Why did you follow Smiley because I saw him under rather unusual circumstances before or after the robbery both Well after yes when I followed when was that tonight? No, there were several days, but but I expect him to be here tonight. Oh, you're counting on his room being empty I did not come here to commit burglary May I remind you sir? Oh, yeah, I know you're Phineas P Crane and you and your niece are the tip-top aristocrats on the local totem Ball also, I happen to know your flat. I'd be I imagine $20,000 worth of insurance would look pretty good to you I am not a thief people have an odd moral sense sometimes a lot of them seem to think insurance for it is not quite the Same as actual theft you do not happen to be one of those persons. Mr. Don. What about your niece? Well that necklace was given to her as an engagement gift by the man She's going to marry and I'm sure it's value to her is much more than the amount of the insurance Maybe and maybe not You did tell me this afternoon that she's headstrong impulsive. Well, yes, but I I did not mean to imply All right, I imagine you'll be around when I want you you're not the kind of man who runs away So for the moment play it your way cover up and hide behind the family name But sooner or later, you're going to have to talk it out with somebody either with me or someone else Am I free to go now? Sure sure as far as I'm concerned Unless you want to stick around and wait for smiley. Well, I doubt whether there's much point in that now Under the circumstances Good night, sir. Keep cool. Mr. Crane. I shall make every effort to As soon as crane left. I made a quick search of the room and found nothing Smiley evidently traveled light and lived light. There was hardly any sign. He was even living in the place. I Gave it up as a bad job. Finally closed the door behind me and drove back to my hotel. I Was starting to see a faint gleam of daylight in the case But I couldn't quite figure how Phineas Crane fit into it and Unfortunately, I was in no position to push him very hard since technically I had no more right in that room than he did But all of my theories fell apart when I walked through the door of my hotel Come right in son. Have a seat. Thanks One of us could be in the wrong room, of course not if your name's dollar. Oh, I wasn't questioning my presence, mr You know fellow name Smiley Prell Well, I know who he is got business with him. Have you maybe Do I have any with you? My name is Durham. Mr. Dollar Ed Durham. Oh, well, it's a little late. Mr. Durham. So if you don't mind I'm chief of police here in Cranesburg. Oh Maybe it's not as late as I thought Founds your name where this fella Prell had wrote it down along with your room number here at the hotel No careless of him kind of helpful though Your friend of yours? No, no, I'd hardly call him that Oh, I don't see any point in holding out on your chief Durham. Here are my credentials I'm an insurance investigator working on that crane robbery. You don't say Smiley Prell is a jewel thief two previous convictions He phoned the insurance company in Hartford and wanted to talk a deal. I flew in here this afternoon Mm-hmm. Well, these seem to be an order. All right, thanks I had an appointment to meet Prell this evening in his rooming house at nine o'clock, but he didn't show Reckon he wasn't in what shape to mr. Dollar. Oh, what do you mean? Prell got himself shot four or five hours ago Shot yeah real shot Matter of fact, he's dead Murdered kind of looks that way found him in a back alley behind the city park Must happen sometime this afternoon You wouldn't know anything about it. Would you mr. Dollar? I don't know I might You know what kind of a gun was used to kill him 32 revolver according to the boys and ballistics Hold on to your hat. I may have it right here. Don't bother looking under the mattress mr. Dollar what I already found it Yeah, got it right here You're pretty cagey aren't you wasn't sure how to figure you Reckon you're all right though, or you'd have kept your mouth shut. Oh, thanks How'd you come by it? I took it away from Melba Crane's housemate a girl named Betty. Yeah, I know who she is There was some time between 6 30 and 7 this evening. I caught her trying to hide it in the incinerator You don't say it's been fired as you undoubtedly noticed You might have a check through but I don't imagine it's registered. It's registered. All right We don't have many guns around here. I recognize this one right off belongs to Phineas Crane What they add up to anything mr. Dollar not the way I've been adding it's got me stumped, too I uh, I don't suppose you found that necklace on Smiley Pearl's body. No not a sign of it You figure then this murder is tied up some way with that robbery. What else is it a figure? What about these cranes chief just who are they what are they well an old-line family just two of them left now Phineas and Melba not as wealthy as they used to be Mealton Borkley at the bank told me the same thing funny thing about that though Lately at least old Phineas seems to have plenty of cash to jingle together how lately now not just since the robbery if That's what you mean. It's longer than that last four or five months That checks to with what Borkley said you got some idea. They planned that robbery mr. Dollar Oh, I don't know. I've got no evidence of it if that's what you're asking How do Phineas and Melba get along together? Well, they're kind of like royalty here You know they're pretty much to the selves man if they do have any trouble. It's never heard outside the house What do you know about Melba's fiance this Dean Sellers? Well, he's been here about eight months seems to be pretty nice fellow Civic leader and all that Everybody in town thought it was just fine when they got engaged Figured they was meant for each other Well, he certainly goes in for lavish gifts a necklace with 38 match pearls as credit Expecting somebody yeah quiet Who is it Betty? Let me in mr. Dollar or just a minute She phoned earlier once the gun bank. Maybe you'd better listen in from the bathroom there. Good idea. Let me get set Okay, right Come in Betty. Thank you I've got to have it back mr. Dollar have what back the gun you were trying to hide in the incinerator this evening Yes, of course You mean this one. Oh, yes, please mr. Dollar somebody's trying to get me into trouble. I don't know I found that gun. That's the truth found at where hidden in a drawer in my room out at the crane Oh, put it there. I don't know. I don't know when I saw it. I got scared I was trying to get rid of it when you stopped me in now tonight on the radio It says a man's been shot. Did you know him? No, you know who's gun this is I don't know anything about it. Oh give it to me, please. I'd like to buddy But I'm afraid things aren't that simple. What do you mean? All right, chief. It's all yours Oh, here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's episode of this week's story tomorrow a castle crumbles Cupid goes to jail and a lovely iceberg thaws a bit join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar or is truly Johnny dollar Starring Bob Bailey is transcribed in Hollywood written by less crutch field 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