 From Hollywood, it's time now for Johnny Deller Oh, hello, friend I haven't heard from you since that case down in Monogua, Nicaragua got another nice long trip lined up for me I'm afraid not this time on the Baltimore for us Baltimore. Hmm. That depends How free I can be with my expense account in the seafood department Chick-a-teek oysters softshell crabs tariff and soup Johnny If you can get us off the hook on this one, I'll okay your expense account blind big one I over a hundred thousand murder arson $1,111,421 missing from a safe Wow, and you're liable for it if it isn't recovered on the full amount But who keep that much cash in a safe outside of a bank that is the Trillingham tobacco company for wine Better get the details from August Trillingham if you'll take this on on a free-winning expense account Freddy I'm your boy In the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigators truly Johnny dollar Expense accounts submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to the northeastern and demnity association Hartford, Connecticut Following as an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the wayward money matter Expense account item one twenty six thirty plane for an incidentals Hartford to New York to Baltimore and a cab to the Sheraton Belvedere After all I could afford the best Item two a tenth-cent phone call to mr. August Trillingham. He'd be glad to see me Somewhere that name rang a bell Item three a buck twenty for a cab to the Trillingham tobacco company on Conway near Charles Street It was a huge old brick building with what I guess you'd call a vaulted roof Officers at one end of it and the rest look like a kind of warehouse I'm glad you could get here so quickly mr. Dollar with a loss only occurred last night, you know Well, I left Hartford the minute the insurance company called me So somebody blew your safe and walked off and the safe mr. Dollar and took over a hundred and four thousand dollars You always keep that much cash on hand. Yes. Yes because of the nature of our business What do you mean? Well the tobacco was grown by the farmers hereabouts barn cured for a month or two or three And then brought here we graded according to quality and color and tied into hands hands Bunches of 20 or 30 leaves depending on size Oh, I see then we pack it in hogs heads and ship it to the auction warehouses We're kind of a middle man between the small farmer in the auction. I said small farmer mr. Dollar Well, the people for whom tobacco was only an incidental crop There are a lot of them since we buy from them outright They want cash not checks or payment do the first of the month. Oh, no cash. Oh I see and You're always gambling on what you'll be able to get at the auction. That's right How are how's business mr. Tonningham? Not as good as I'd like of course, but I'm sure it'll pick up later in the year Why do you ask? Oh just wonder it a matter like this I want to know all I can that's what you said that is though. You meant to imply that I meant to imply nothing Look, you said that safe wasn't cracked. I said it was open And I'm sure I know by whom You what? Well, then why send for me well after all the liability is now your company. Well, who did it? For years, we've had a bookkeeper Little hipskrieg of a man named elmer cockley. Well, if you must give her 15 or 20 years even before I bought this business You haven't always owned it. Oh, no No, no, I made my money during the late 20s Florida real estate. Oh Yes, yes seems to me. I've heard something about your success down there I retired traveled around till the mid 40s and then decided to get back into the swing of things And I bought this business. Yes, okay now about this elmer cockley. Oh My timid ineffectual sort of little man And I suppose after 20 or 30 years of this dull routine job After seeing and handling so much money all the time. Yeah, I see what you mean anyhow at tax time I decided to have the accounting firm of Hanley James Chadwick Kermer and worms becker go over our books Just as a matter of course and it was then that elmer cockley suddenly discovered that some of the records were missing I see things balanced out at the end of the year mind you but those three or four months were Missing and it was during that period that elmer had painted his home Bought a new car didn't you investigate immediately? Of course seems to me it was then that you should have sent for me Well, since our business is strictly cash both in and outgoing. There was nothing we could pin on him What's more he was as concerned as I was apparently And after all since things finally balanced out But I wonder yeah, I should think you would and now since he's the only other person who could open the same What does he say about this robbery? He didn't come in this morning. I called his wife. He hasn't seen him since he left for work yesterday bought it You know where he lives. Yes, you have a description of his car license and so on yes Yes, I have okay, mr. Trillingham I'll notify the police from here then I'm going out to his house to see what I can learn there may use your phone Of course Yeah, it wouldn't be the first time a timid soul had finally felt his oats had run off with company money and Usually that type was hard to find the methodical mind always planned things well including a getaway Item for 80 cents taxi to a car rental agency Item five fifty bucks deposit and I drove to elmer cockley's home a few blocks off Wilkins Avenue, west of town I Wondered why the old fella had done it Sometimes the why can be the best clue as to where to hunt for a man And you know something a good part of the why it became very clear when the door of Elmer's house was open Act two of yours truly Johnny dollar in a moment And now act two of yours truly Johnny dollar and the wayward money matters Mrs. Cockley I'm Mrs. Cockley. Who are you Johnny dollar insurance investigator insurance? Investigator I haven't even filed a claim on Elmer yet. Oh, you think your husband is dead Mrs. Cockley Well, of course he is you think for a minute he'd walk out on me. That's why you think he's dead ain't that enough You've talked with mr. Trillingham this morning. Of course. I have he wanted to know where Elmer was I wanted to know where Elmer was neither of us knows so that was that so when they find his body I'll collect his insurance and that'll be that and I won't have that helpless little worm around underfoot No more no more have it a baby and nurse him and tie his tie and feed him. Mrs. Cockley The only reason that little shrimp would dare not to come home is if somebody done him in and when you find him You can come around and pay me his insurance and that's that now. That's all you just a minute just a minute Did mr. Trillingham tell you that over a hundred thousand dollars was taken for the safe of the office? No Elmer didn't do it. I know he didn't do you working his fingers to the bone year after year handling all that money and Him and me just scraping along Well, if it wasn't for been a financial finance helping us along now, and then I don't know what we did done Yeah, well I told him more than once if he wasn't such a spineless little mouse He'd help himself to some of that money They'd never miss it being a cash business like it is and the Lord knows he deserves some of it Oh, what do you say to that scared him made him angry. So I'd keep loving it Oh great marriage you two have sometimes he'd scream and yell like a baby He dared to scream at you I'd let him I got so sick of him it did me good to see him blow his top Believe me. I told him more than once if I was in his place I wouldn't hesitate. Well go ahead. He says go ahead, and he give me go ahead He gave you what Mrs. Cargillie the combination to the safe Yes He did so what of it so maybe I went down there and robbed it last night Well, how did you know it was last night? I didn't tell you that all right All right, maybe I did I'd like to see you put it on me. Maybe I will you think I can't use that kind of money You think I don't deserve it after struggling all these years caring for him for nothing because he didn't have the gumption to get What he should have you know something Mrs. Cargillie I doubt if you ever gave him a chance to show any gumption Do you know Elmer did you ever see him no and look Look at his picture here on the hall. I'm a baby. That's all he is. All right You've made with a lot of big noisy talk now. Just probably most of it's a lie I don't believe you'd live ten minutes with a man if you really felt that way about him Look, there must be some reason for it some reason for trying to make me suspect you I told you Maybe I did do it did you I'd like to see you prove it well I don't think you did I'd like to see you prove that I think all you're trying to do is cover up for him protect him And I'll say this you're taking a mighty offy way to do it Now listen, where is he? You really think Elmer? Little Elmer could have No No, he really didn't have the gumption. All right. Who else couldn't have missed it Outside of his books and figures at that office he He could hardly take care of his self That's why I needed me to tell him what to do and feed him and take care of it Oh, this is quite a change of pace Mrs. Cochlear maybe I did make him told the line. So what about it? He liked it Some people are that way just like me. I got to have somebody I can lord it over it anything wrong with that Well, I Don't believe a thing you said. Oh, you don't now. Where is he? Where is Elmer? I don't know and if he didn't rob that safe who did he couldn't how should I know? Why don't you ask that August thrilling him this fancy boss that's kept him and me starving all these years Did you think of him? Everybody's a suspect at the time like this Including you and the boss used to go catfishing together up the creek Great privilege for poor little Elmer to go fishing with the boss who made all the money That's where I thought he was last night when he didn't come home to supper When he wasn't home all night poor deal. All right, Mrs. Cochlear just quit acting act somebody stole that money and apparently only three people knew the combination of that safe Trilling him your husband and you I tell you go ask that tree only one of the three has run out disappeared. No No, I'll never believe that Elmer did it. He could sure he could anybody could now. Where is he? I don't know I think you do no and you're trying to protect him Or are you waiting to hear from him so you can join him him and the money that isn't true Then why isn't he here if half of what you told me is true because he because I'll go answer the phone Hello Yes, I'm her who oh Oh, oh just a minute Sergeant Macklin he says no man. I talked to a police. Of course. Thanks Johnny dollar. This is Macklin. Mr. Dollar. Yeah, Mac looks like it's all sewed up. Yeah, who elmer cockley Drivers license identification you found the money Well, it's left of it. They got the money. Did they you know what cockley looks like? I've seen his picture Well, that maybe you better come out here. Where Hans's bridge. Hans's bridge. Yeah I used to go cock fishing all the time. It's about nine miles up the creek north of town. Okay. I'll see you there Yeah, I want you to see if you can identify cockley's body. Oh I see Act three of yours truly Johnny dollar in a moment And now act three of yours truly Johnny dollar and the wayward money matters Without telling Mrs. Cockley what I'd learned over the phone I took off in my rental car for the creek north of town for Hans's bridge Yeah, this was a crazy case if ever there was one Elmer cockley bookkeeper for the tobacco company was the only real suspect in the hundred and four thousand dollar robbery and Where there's only one suspect I always begin to wonder But who else was there his wife? Maybe she'd done everything she could to confuse me the owner of the company trilling him Yeah, I thought of him too Until I got the word from the police that they'd found Elmer cockley or what was left of They found the money to or what was left of it. What's left of it is right dollar I'm afraid most of that hundred thousand went floating down the creek when cockley and his car rolled over into it Now we'll see how much of the door is still inside when we get the car up on the bank How do you figure it happens? The old boy was making his getaways all going too fast when he hit the turn on to the bridge and plop oh into the creek Wouldn't there be skid marks Mac? Well, he wouldn't have to be going very fast Look cars up on the bank now come on How do you know it's Elmer cockley inside of it license number and one of the boys dove in brought up his wallet Well, here she is sergeant high and yeah high and wet Okay, let's we'll have a look only a few small bills in there the rest of the dough must be out in Chesapeake Bay by now Take a look dollar that cockley in there Yeah Yeah, that's Elmer You think he drowned yeah, or banged around so hard when the car plunged in Look see the bruises on his face and chest Yeah, not pretty And Mac well, that's that just one more who tried and didn't get away with it I wonder when they'll learn that it just did What's that a little scrap of paper out of his pocket Torn only part of it see night hands Cat cat and Mac look here You know what this bruise this mark on the back of his head I really got banged around show me one thing in this car that could leave a mark like this Most anything door handle top of the steering pole sir all the other bruises are on his face his chest And there's only one thing I know that leaves a mark like this better get the corner out here before you touch anything See you later. Look where you going? I'll see you later. Now what under this? Yes, I heard it from the police father mr. Dollar and I Well in spite of what I told you earlier. It's hard to believe Yeah, it is he'd been such a loyal soul all those years But I suppose all that cash and it was a bit more than we usually kept the safe I suppose it was just too much of a temptation for him Offer any other man, huh? Even you for instance what are you joking? So it's not funny So business has been pretty bad lately. I didn't say that mr. Dollar. I merely said that I know what you said Trillium And I remember now what I'd heard about your big success in Florida real estate back in the 20 Well, I don't see what you are one of those guys who sold a lot of swamp and jungle some of it underwater to suckers from up north I was young an opportunist you were a crook You're a crook now and a killer mr. Dollar natural to hang it on poor timid little elmer cockily sure why not? He'd be the natural suspect in anybody's boy. You realize what you're accusing me of fishing cat fishing tonight enhances bridge Only you shouldn't have put it into a note to him What no the one I found on his body So you met him there you slugged him put him behind the wheel of his car then ran it down the embankment into the creek You thought they're rolling over would account for any bruises he'd get Listen, but not that mark on the back of his head the one made by the butt of a 38 special I've seen too many of them trilling him. Oh, I see You still have it. That's right, and I'll use it You didn't get away with murdering Elmer. You'd never get away killing me I could go a long ways and a hundred thousand dollars and before I let you stop me Please told me poor Elmer You you did it well, I don't know how but you killed him. Why close it. Oh Do it myself? Yeah, he did it mrs. Cockley and believe me he'll pay for it Well So ends another dirty chapter in the history of crime. I Hope the insurance on Elmer makes up in some small way for mrs. Cockley's loss of it Well, I was going to say husband, but I Guess Elmer was kind of a baby tour to manage to brawl beat and to love Expense account total including transportation back to Hartford a hundred four dollars seventy cents yours truly Johnny dollar Our star will return in just a moment Now here is our star to tell you about next week story next week a fishing trip to Lake Mojave resort Fishing that is for a thief Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar? Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey originates in Hollywood and is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone who also wrote today's story Heard in our cast were Virginia Greg Edgar barrier Alan Reed big parent and Frank Nelson Be sure to join us next week same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar This is Dan coverley speaking Is the United States armed forces radio and television service