 From Hollywood. It's time now for John Lund as Johnny dollar my name is Elgin Mr. Dollar claims division Delaware Mutual Light. What can I do for you? Mr. Elgin? Would you be free to work on a case for us? Well, I might be what kind of a case is it? It involves a man named Patterson and a claim we paid off to the tune of $40,000. Uh-huh. You see Patterson died in 1947 all the routine procedures were followed. There was no reason for not honoring the policy at the time and there's reason now Mr. Elgin, that's where you'll find out Mr. Dollar a lifelong friend of the deceased. Where is he still alive and kicking? I'll take the case Mr. Elgin John Lund in a transcribed adventure of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar Hartford, Connecticut To controller's office Delaware Mutual Life Insurance Company Wilmington, Delaware The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Walter Patterson matter Expense account item one $78 and 14 cents fair and incidentals between Hartford and Wilmington I arrived at 2 30 in the afternoon found a room with the Chesapeake Hotel Stowed my luggage and went directly to your headquarters. Mr. Elgin Of course reports like this cross my desk ever so often if I ran them all down I'd get nothing else done and ten times out of ten the reports wrong. Yes, I know that but this report bears investigation I can remember three years after my father's death. I saw a man on a subway train to New York who Well, he looked exactly as I remembered my dad. I finally walked up and asked him his name The minute he spoke I lost the impression altogether. I think a lot of people had that same kind of experience one time or another Don't you yes, I suppose so we all have a double somewhere they say An old friend saw this man Patterson. Yes in Tucson, Arizona. Her name is Virginia Collier I'd have her here now to talk to you but unfortunately she's unruly Europe. I see Two weeks ago Mrs. Collier stopped off in Tucson on her way back from Los Angeles She claims that she saw Walter Patterson as big as life sitting in a bar at the El Conquistador Hotel. Is that all? No, she managed to talk to him He told her his name was Yoller William Yoller Mrs. Collier says he pretended not to know her at all. Uh-huh. Now. Here's the first point dollar I wired authorities in Tucson to run a check on William Yoller in Their conversation Yoller told Mrs. Collier that he'd been born and raised in Tucson But from all we could gather he'd never bought property or made a financial negotiation there until June of 1947. Oh wait This is Mrs. Collier. Do you consider her reliable? Well, that's another point It had been anybody else. I don't think I'd have bothered to make even a cursory check But Mrs. Collier practiced law here for a number of years and sat on the circuit bench for two terms She's most reliable and she knew Walter Patterson all of his life. Okay. Go on The next thing is that Mrs. Collier distinctly remembered Patterson's limp. He was a pilot in the war One leg was about half an inch shorter than the other from injuries. He received in a crash Mrs. Collier said this man Yoller had an identical limp. Well with a similarity of features It'd be easy for her to imagine that part. Don't you think? Ah, yes. Yes. I know what you're driving at But there are some other things too Mrs. Collier asked Yoller if he'd ever gone to Amherst. That's where Patterson went to college Yoller denied it. So he was a Notre Dame graduate. That didn't check out either Now we can assume that William Yoller merely looked a great deal like the late Walter Patterson and told some inaccuracies in the conversation Or we can assume that he's really Walter Patterson covering rather badly in the face of an old acquaintance who recognized him At any rate, this is Mrs. Collier's entire statement duly notarized. All right Now this is a copy of the original policy on Patterson along with this company since 1936 Started with two five thousand dollar policies and built up to a master over a period of years. I see here $20,000 Patterson was killed in a plane crash and we paid double indemnity on the accident clause. Oh It happened in April of 1947 Patterson took off on a rented plane one day and crashed offshore down the coast Part of the plane wreckage was recovered, but his body was never found Your public court declared him legally dead after the usual three-year waiting period April 5th 1950 Patterson's lawyer filed claim for the widow April 17th, and we issued a full check April 30th of that year Investigators reports right in this folder Now this is the last picture ever taken of Patterson and these are his vital statistics I didn't know exactly what you'd want to do first. So I thought they might prove helpful If we had a body to assume it could all be handled rather simply is Patterson's widow the beneficiary Yes, Gloria and Patterson Incidentally, she knows nothing about this report yet. Oh Where these things come from pictures and fingerprints aren't stock material in insurance vials. Mr. Brennan Patterson's lawyer gathered them for me He's been very helpful. Oh Has Patterson's widow been checked as far as the money goes she simply banked it in the savings account hasn't been touched at all On the face of it that would eliminate the probability of any fraud on her part. Yes, I would Well, I want to look this all over sure You'll keep in touch with me. Won't you you bet? I Spent the remainder of my day in and about Wilmington talking to the principles connected with the plane crash death of Walter Patterson Number one was the radio operator who'd spoken to him last Number two a mechanic at the flying field and number three lieutenant James Cragson Coast Guard Who had conducted the search in the bay see attached statement? We both agreed that an unreported rescue was possible, but highly improbable And when I left for Tucson that night, I was more or less convinced that all I'd find there would be a lot of desert sunshine Expense account item two $202.25 plain fare and incidental expenses from Wilmington to Tucson I settled for a motel room out by the veterans hospital slept six hours Then looked up sergeant Tyler at the police station Sure, mr. Dallas. What can't do for you? Mr. Elgin said you sent him a little information on William Mjoller I wonder if you have anything to add to that sergeant. No, not much Of course, I don't know what you folks are driving at exactly. I just checked up on him a little bit Well, he resembles a man who's supposed to be dead And that's why I'm here. Let's see. Well, there's nothing much I can add to what I sent mr. Elgin Dollar Yola has never been in any trouble around here gets along fine. You were the one who checked out the residency business. Yeah calling the vitals Yola wasn't born in this state and I like I said and no one knew him around here until five years ago. What does he do? Nothing always seems that plenty of money for a nice little house out in Sierra Vista paid $42,000 for it Is he married? No lives alone there putters around with clay and painting You know if he flies I couldn't tell you that he might how about his friends lots of them, mr. Dollar little town like this You get to know people fast Really you folks might be spending a lot of money for nothing Will Yola don't seem like the kind of fellow who's hiding out from anyone. Yeah, I agree But I'll have to talk to him anyhow. Yeah, here's his address Sure pretty day, isn't it? Mmm. Sure is Mr. Yola. Yeah, who are you? My name is dollar. I'm an insurance investigator. Oh Well, come on in. Oh, thanks. Take a chair anywhere No, what's on your mind? Oh, I'm just making a routine check, mr. Yola. I thought perhaps you could help me No, what about I'm running down a report in the home office Tell me you happened to remember a few days ago when you were out at the El conquistador hotel Right there all the time. What about it? I steal something. No, you met a woman named Carlier Did I yes, it was at the bar. You had a drink with her. I Might have I Still don't understand. Oh, I know it seems confusing. Maybe this will help Take a look at this. Well, you'll admit you look a great deal like the man in the picture I'll be darned I do it that well, that's why I'm here You see the company I represent ensured the man in this picture for quite an amount of money He was lost in a plane crash five years ago The Mrs. Carlier who saw you here thought you were him. Hmm. Well, I'm not. Oh, I wasn't in the army You want to smoke? Oh, thanks She was a lifelong friend of the man mr. Yola. I have her sworn statement about the identity well What years did you go to know her name? I didn't go to know the name. What is this? Well, that's what you told Mrs. Carlier. Oh Oh now I remember that woman. Well, that was On Sunday. Yeah, I might have told her anything mr. Dali, you know, she was one of those inquisitive kind. I Never could make out what was on her mind. Oh Now I get it you were She thought that I was this man Yeah It's funny. Did you go to college here to Lane? I got out in 36 you haven't lived in Arizona all your life What else have you left? Sir daughter, I don't want to be unpleasant, but do you have any right to ask me questions like this? Well, no, I don't But you'll help me a lot if you'll answer them. Mr. Yola All right, why not? I've lived in Cincinnati Buffalo around the country. I came here a few years ago for my health I got a little asthma that bothered me Ever been married? Yeah once 1944 didn't last very long Anything else you want to know? Well you in a hurry. I can come back. Oh, no, not exactly. I've got to go down town today. That's wrong look You seem like a nice enough guy, but it makes me uncomfortable answering these questions you go well and I appreciate the time You've given me already mr. Yola Please understand. It's just a matter of identity. Well, you know who I am. I just told you that's true I don't like this business much as there is any way that we can eliminate it I have a birth certificate and some other papers you can have that make photo stats if you want That's very kind of you, mr. Yola. Well, they're in my safety deposit box on the bank. I'll get them for you this afternoon. Okay My job is to check them. Sure. Sure. It's okay by me How do you like to son? Oh, it's a lot different from Connecticut. Yeah, I'll bet the birth certificate and whatever else you have will help a lot, but Wonder if I can ask another favor. Sure. What is it? The most positive identification would be Fingerprints. Oh The other I'm not so much interested in who you are But simply improving that you're not Walter Patterson if you volunteered a set of prints that it saved me a great deal of digging around Could you drop in at the police station? Certainly, mr. Dollar. Why not? Well, it'll be fine. That's all right. Nice meeting you same here If he was trying to cover something it certainly wasn't apparent from his conversation or his actions He was almost too anxious to help me By five o'clock. I'd made reservations to return to Wilmington Because the set of fingerprints see attached which mr. Yola made at the Tucson police station later that day In no way match the right common index prints recorded in your file for Walter Patterson In short the report seemed erroneous William Yoller might not have been William Yoller, but he certainly was not Walter Patterson Johnny dollar We're Yola, mr. Dollar. Oh, yeah, thanks for the prints dollar. I've got to talk to you something wrong plenty You know how to get to the Arizona Inn. Well, I can find it. I'll be there in 20 minutes The tone of his voice I felt compelled to get there in half that time I sat down at the bar in order to drink and waited for him to show up an hour later I was still waiting. I called his house three times and received no answer. I began to get worried Finally I left word with the bartender and took a cab out to his house. I Arrived there at 835. There were no lights on and apparently no one around I walked up to the front door and found it partially open Yola Yola, mr. Yola. Give me the police, please Johnny dollar sergeant. Hi, how's it going thought you were leaving not for a while sergeant I'm at will Yola's house. He's been murdered. We'll return to yours truly Johnny dollar in just a moment Every Saturday on CBS radio theater of today brings you fresh dripping drama well-acted stories of human relations Sometimes it's comedy sometimes serious always theater of today Strikes a chord of response in listeners who readily identify the stories with their own experience past or present Remember to hear theater of today every Saturday in the daytime on most of these same CBS radio stations Now with our star John Lund. We bring you the second act of yours truly Johnny dollar Sergeant Tyler and several homicide officers arrived at the murder scene within a matter of minutes and got right down to the matter at hand Yola had been beaten to death There were signs of a violent struggle having taken place all over the house kitchen bathroom living room As far as the police could determine nothing was missing the motive the name of the killer and any probable suspects were all up in the air As sergeant Tyler drove me back to my motel room Old things mess dollar. You sure he didn't say anything else to you on the phone just asked to meet me Admitted he sounded frightened worried about something They don't get it. Our business was all finished. He wasn't the man. I was looking for you're gonna be around for a while Well, if I can help you I'll stick around sure Otherwise, I'll get back to Wilmington as soon as I can like to have you around for dare to you have a particular reason Sergeant yes, I do what I want to find me a killer and I think you can help Nobody walks into a man's house fights with him breaks up furniture and lamps beach in the death Without making a lot of noise about it. Well the wind was pretty strong I don't care for a hurricane was going when people fight like that. There's always noise Somebody heard something somebody saw something Somebody saw someone my men will cover every house in Sierra Vista. They have to to turn up a witness Bound to be somebody somewhere The dogged sergeant Tyler turned out to be 100% correct. In fact 300% correct By 11 o'clock the following morning his men had located three different people who had information about the brutal murder of William Muellar One of them a mrs. Lucas Gave us what turned out to be our best lead I take a walk every evening after dinner the nicest part of the day, and you were out walking last night mrs. Lucas Yes, I told the officers everything would you tell us please mrs. Lucas? I walked past mr. Yola's house on my way down the Arroyo. What time was that mrs. Lucas between 7 30 and 8 And I saw mr. Yola standing in front of the house talking to this man I spoke to him and he spoke to me. Can you describe the man he was talking to? Yes, I saw him very well. He was a very large man bigger than mr. Yola and mr. Yola always struck me as a big man Go on this man was a good Two inches taller He had on a top coat a tweed one and he had his hat in his hand his hair was red How old would you say not over 40? Have you ever seen him before no? I noticed him when I walked by on my way down the Arroyo as I said and then when I was coming back I could see through the window and he was still there with the lights on and the huh Oh, yes in the living room and the porch light was still on too. Would you know this man if you saw him again, mrs. Lucas? Well, yes, I would I'm sure I would he was so big was there a car in front of the owner's house I didn't notice one. That's what it's been Was there a bus service? Oh, no Everyone who lives in the Arroyo has to have a car. No buses up there at all Sergeant Tyler issued an oral points bulletin according to the description given by the witnesses In the meantime his men checked the local cab companies and found out that one of the drivers had carried a fair to William Yola's house It's 6 30 the previous evening the cab driver verified mrs. Lucas's description of the suspect and the important information that he had Picked up the suspect at the airport When that was checked it was found a man had arrived on a plane from the east at 5 45 in the afternoon He had used the name Roger Bayles But except for a strong case against him the whole thing was still very confusing from our point of view Expensive out item three six dollars and fifty cents long-distance telephone charges to your office Well, I'll be done You have to stay there. Oh, they've asked me to mr. Elgin The insurance company is concerned. It's really none of our business. Is it that's right, mr. Elgin I'm going to dollar. Oh, hold on. Yeah, it's from Washington on your wire. Oh, yeah, here. Let me see Mr. Elgin. Yes, it is our business after all The war department has a better sample of Walter Patterson's prints than you gave me These check out slow down. I still don't understand I wired a sample of Yola's prints to the war department this morning for a positive identification They just answered me Yola was Walter Patterson. Oh Where did you get those prints that were in the file you gave me? Mr. Brennan Patterson's lawyer got them for me from a pilot's license. Uh-huh. I better call mr. Brennan Oh, don't you dare? Well What can I do to help you darling? Don't open your mouth. I'll handle it when I get there Expensive count item four forty two dollars and eighty five cents expenses while in Tucson and item five same as item two Traveling expenses from Tucson to Wilmington I arrived at 1015 in the evening called you obtained lawyer Brennan's home address and went directly there The house was English Conservative expensive and the fire in the living room looked cheerful when the door opened Good evening. I'd like to see mr. Brennan, please. It's rather important My name is dollar Bob has been ill for the last two or three days. Mr. Dollar He's up in his room reading now If you're sure it's important. I'll disturb it is mrs. Brennan very important. I'm not mrs. Brennan I'm mrs. Patterson What? Is there something wrong? Oh, no, no mrs. Patterson I'm gonna dollar You'll excuse me, please. I'll see if he can see you I watch waller Patterson's widow disappear up a column stairway I hadn't been ready to meet this attractive well-groomed woman But after I had met her and seen her for that brief moment I was partially prepared to meet Robert Brennan attorney-at-law Mr. Dollar Bob, hello, Mr. Dollar. You're a late-caller. Yes, I'm sorry about that mom I'll run along. It's almost seven. All right here Good night, mr. Dollar. Good night, mrs. Patterson Brennan I just flew in from Tucson, Arizona. I'm an insurance investigator Well, good night. Gloria You'll be interested in what mr. Dollar has to say. I don't understand Let's go into the living room Come on, dear Are you sure you want mrs. Patterson here? Yeah Gloria, I didn't get these bruises falling down a flight of stairs. I got them in a fight I flew to Tucson the day before yesterday to see Walter Yes, Walter's been alive all this time This is only for her benefit dollar I'll tell it just once when you get me in court. It'll be different. How'd it happen, Brennan? Gloria Walt didn't die in that crash He was picked up in the bay by a fishing boat on its way to Florida the first port they came into was Charleston He phoned me long distance from there and told me all about it. This was 10 days after we all thought he was dead Gloria it was his idea you got to believe that What was his idea? He hated you. You know how often he asked you for a divorce? Was the idea had when he phoned me from Charleston. He said it was his chance to get away from you He knew how I always felt about children. He said I could have you For a price you've been supporting him wherever he's been since then 25,000 a year regular monthly payments I could afford it. I Could afford anything for you Gloria Did he tell you he hated me? Did he he just wanted to be away from you from everything the war changed him that way About the day before yesterday The man at the insurance company called up making inquiries I didn't know if he'd send an investigator out there or not, but I gave him a lot of information and material that Well, it should have helped throw you off it threw me off. All right, especially the fingerprints Mr. Dollar can tell you Gloria how Walt didn't want to be here with you Isn't that right dollar then he do everything he could to make you think his name was Yola. Uh-huh? You see Gloria, where is he now? He's dead Mrs. Patterson Truly dead now. Oh That's all I have to say dollar You fought with Walter You killed him it was him or me Gloria I He phoned me two days ago and said that the police had been checking on him. I Told him what it was all about not to get scared, but he was scared and I got a plane the first chance I had what did you argue about? Apparently you'd been there that morning. He was going to tell you the truth and claim he had amnesia Said he had a date to meet you. He didn't answer my question. What do you mean? I didn't answer others I just told you he was going to blow the whole thing All I wanted out of this was you Gloria He didn't want you I did Last week you said you decided to marry me It took you five years to decide that And it took him one lousy afternoon to decide he was going to come back to realize that the confusion has set down in This report is worthless as evidence both to the police and your insurance company The proof that Brennan killed Patterson will be a matter for the courts to decide The proof that Gloria and Patterson is guilty or not guilty of a fraudulent claim is a matter for you to decide At any rate she is a widow now And I personally am convinced that she had no complicity in the matter of claims murderer collusion Expense account item six same as item one expenses from Wilmington to Hartford expense account total six hundred and ten dollars and thirteen cents Yours truly Johnny dollar