 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar ready with your call to San Francisco Go ahead, please. Hello. That's you Johnny. Yeah, I'm in Salt City. I'm surprised. They have phones there I just got here. It looks terrible, and I haven't even located a hotel room. Mr. Gumby If I have any luck at all, I'll be back in San Francisco by tonight I'll serve the subpoena on him if he's around From what I've been able to pick up. There isn't much of a law enforcement agency here Okay Yeah, find out how a town like this ever got built 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 goes to Lee Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to Samuel Rubin and Associates insurance brokers majestic building Hartford, Connecticut The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the salt city matter It all started when Sam Rubin asked me to bodyguard Ed Julian Julian was supposed to be in San Francisco when I never saw him there I saw his wife and his lawyer and the insurance agent who had sold on the policy But no Ed Julian and then a clerk at his apartment told me about Salt City He didn't tell me much else. I found the rest out for myself. I Checked my bag in the station locker and walked over to the Salt City bar and grill Expense account item 12 10 cents coffee Yeah, a few minutes ago everybody calls me Connie everybody calls me Johnny Never seen you around here before well, I've never been around here before Gonna stay long. I hope not No fault of yours. I Can't blame you soon as I get a stake for myself. I'm pulling out too all kinds of funny things going on around here Now for instance last week Hello, Mr. Reno I recognized him from the Landry killing that he'd stood trial for in Baltimore in 1950 He still looked like his pictures tall thin and quiet I'd always wondered where he disappeared to after his lawyer got him off with a board jury My name is Jim Reno. I run this restaurant Everything all right Everything's fine. That's good You were you would have some of us too This time of morning sure it is a thing Connie Why don't you go back in the kitchen and put some stew on the fire? Well, Mr. Reno, I don't cook, you know that learn Yes You wouldn't be connected with the Salt City Smellerworks. Would you Mr. Reno? I own them with some other friend Then you might know Ed Junion. I understand yes. Yes. I know it He's out there at the Smellerworks staying in a cottage right by the office I'll look call you taxi if you like well the last taxi driver I asked to drive me out there threatened to call a cop This town it's better if I call you know small town sure Finish your coffee, Mr. Dollar What I'll call the cab for you. I Own the taxi company too Expense account item 12 10 more cents more coffee while I waited for the cab to appear Somehow I wasn't surprised that Jim Reno had been able to read my name in the coffee grounds But by that time I'd learned not to be surprised by anything in Salt City Item 1350 cents tipped the cab ride out to the Smellerworks was on Mr. Reno The chimneys and stacks were dark and sullen against a gray storm gathering sky The only sound was a gasoline generator is somewhere Lights were on at intervals across the smoky area One dim light burning in a little yellow cottage just inside the main gate caught my eye No one seemed around to ask questions of me. So I walked in Ed Junion and another man. I didn't recognize we're sitting in chairs opposite each other Neither of them moved or flicked an eyelash. They just sat there propped up staring at each other. I Got closer and decided one could get surprised in Salt City They weren't dead Dead men don't perspire Dead men don't have pulses Dead men don't breathe They were just kind of in between If you ever walk into a house in Salt City and find two men just sitting in a room quietly staring at each other And they aren't dead turn around walk outs Don't fall down on your hands and knees and crawl around the floor Don't start to laugh to yourself about nothing at all Don't get weepy and perspire And don't rub yourself up against the wall Then I could see somebody standing beside me looking down Couldn't move my arms and legs and that's pretty funny somebody liked about it Then it came to me. I was doing the laughing the noise was coming out of me Somebody down took my gun out of my shoulder hosting. He was wearing gloves and dark glasses And then on all at once. He had a face Easy dollar easy. I'll just take this Sure, I know all about it. I know all about it. Well, what is it? Well, what is it? Well, you came to town looking for a Julian so you could protect him maybe serve a subpoena Get him in jail. Well, I don't need no protecting. You can see that he don't need no subpoena You don't need anything better. Not now You slipped me something at the cafe. Don't you worry about that? You see, darling, you were just out on a regular job for Sam Rubin But you got in a fight in Ed's place in San Francisco bashed up a couple of his boys He came over to Salt City looking for him He walked in this place and Ed was sitting here talking to chili winners Another fellow's chili winners. No, you're getting chili winners a big powder from the East bad boy Ed didn't want you to protect him. Did he dollar? No, no, he didn't he didn't want to take the subpoena. No, he didn't So you argued with him didn't you know? You argued with him like you did with a pair of his boys in San Francisco. You beat them up Well, chili got into the argument here. Not didn't he? Chili might have pulled a gun on you. He was famous for that I don't know what you're telling you had to protect yourself. You just pull out your gun and you shot them both Like this. Oh No, no, you well valley. You just shot and killed Ed Julian and chili winners As good a job as anyone in his town ever saw and I saw it I Guess I'll have to call the police and Unopsie report will show they were drugged before they were killed And how how are you going to explain that? We don't believe in autopsy reports in Salt City All our police need is your gun. It won't work Dollar, you know it will you'll be a rain and died it and tried right here in Salt City It'll be second-degree or self-defense, maybe Now if I'd have done it or some of the boys had done it that have been all kinds of trouble from San Francisco to New York This is the way it was figured this is the way you walk right into it right smack into it Got to a street and try to drag me up with them and then both of us Over Any other place the next move would have been to run to the nearest police station But from what I'd heard of the brand of law and order practice in Salt City that wouldn't have been much help to me Instead I walked the three miles back to town making my way over the Crusted Arroyos and cactus lands that seemed to surround it My first stop the Reno bar and grill That's about the longest story in history anybody around Did you and me Johnny my full name is Johnny dollar. I'm an insurance investigator. I came here to see Ed, Jr And I saw him so I'm shot to death. What now listen to me I saw him shot to death along with a man named chili winters about half an hour ago Jim Reno did the shooting with my gun. I better call it wait wait now listen to me Remember I came in here from the station. I made a phone call from that booth outside there Yeah, I sat down had some coffee two cups. I remember you remember putting anything in my coffee me What are you talking about somebody did probably Reno when he came up now? Look you said something about wanting to get out of Salt City was sure not your chance. I'll get you out of here Oh, you got a car. No, all right Can you buy one for this? 350 I think so go do it. I'll wait here for you. You better not wait here My room's across the street second floor use the back stairway. I'll be there in a half hour Expense account item 14 $350 one automobile 1948 vintage The waitress returned with it in exactly one half hour and another ten minutes the time it took it to pack two suitcases We were on the road to San Francisco Item 15 $18 and 30 cents gas and oil it took a seven hours and 20 minutes to make it item 17 $50 I gave the waitress the car and the money then went back to my hotel Showered shaved and changed clothes or made a phone call Johnny dollar inspector Yeah, I thought they might be Inspector, I'll be glad to explain all of it, but I need some time Listen to me I was sent to Salt City to be a patsy Reno wanted to get rid of Ed Julian and chili what is it? Never mind I got out of the hotel in about 20 seconds care picked me up and I spent item 15 Three bucks transportation getting to Ray Gumby's office at 8 Julian's enterprises. No Ray Gumby Item 16 $8 more cab fare this time locating Ray Gumby's home address an apartment over in Berkeley He took a long time to answer No, I don't know how he ever made it with the two holes in his neck. He lurched forward Who did it mr. Gumby Swiftie met him at Ed's apartment house Oh What it was a good question Little Ray Gumby was a dead attorney And Ed Julian and chili winters were dead gunsles. Why? Everywhere I seem to go people were dying hard violently without apparent reason why I Had one idea same old thing the feeling the old feeling It didn't explain anything It was just there now Here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing episode of this week's story It winds up tomorrow the whys and the wherefores love and hate the usual ingredients for big explosions Join us won't you yours truly Johnny dollar doors truly Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey is Transcribed in Hollywood written by John Dawson. 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