 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar Hello, mr. Perling. Mr. Aime well tells me you're in his office looking into my private affairs if Investigating the matter I came here for involves your private affairs. I guess I did that I should be irritated I suppose and I guess I'm not When can I see you most anytime? How about today? I'll be at my 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. It was truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to eastern liability and trust company Hartford, Connecticut The following is an accounting of expenditure is during my investigation of the Perling matter Item 9 10 cents one phone called a Morton Scott man advising him the Cheney Perling had been located in New Orleans by one of Operatives Mr. Scottman thought that over for a while and then assumed it would be in the best interests of eastern liability to make certain This was the truth. I told mr. Scottman. I intended to do just that Item 10 $5 cab fare from the new western hotel to the home of David Perling The man who opened the door wasn't a servant. He wore a dark blue double-breasted suit He smelled the cigars and bourbon and private detectives stuck out all over him He jammed a pudgy finger in the general direction of what later turned out to be the library and I followed The room we went into was empty except for us as far as I could see or hear the rest of the house was empty too The man in the blue suit sat down on a leather cell phone pointed to a quart of bourbon that had just come out of a sack You must be this dollar guy, huh? Yeah Mr. Perling be along in a minute. He asked me to say hello to you By the way, my name is Brad Copeland. I'm one of Niles men Niles and well, that's great Where is Niles? He's with mr. Perling. They'll be along sit down relax They said they thought it was about time for a little conference what for the girls men found hasn't she oh sure sure now They got to figure some other things out. I'll bet You don't believe much of this to you nope Well, then I put it this way. I'm the guy who found Jeanie Perling How about it now? okay Look, I got put on this thing because an insurance company executives thought Perling might have had a false death report made on him To juggle some things in the stock market all that story in the papers about Perling dying Yeah, Perling paid to have that story printed all right, but not for any stock market angles He did it to try and scare up this daughter of his who scrammed away from home a year ago Now I found that hard to believe Even after I talked to Niles a well and he told me the agency had been hired to find the girl a year ago I Suppose you're one of the men who's been looking yeah, that's about it. No luck either And yesterday morning comes a phone call. I don't know who it is tells me where she's living What name she's using in New Orleans? I scrammed down there by plane and check it out. It's all true So I come back here and here I am Conference you found her on a tip from somebody you don't know man or woman always a man's voice Wonderful ain't it what happened sometimes? How does it look to you? Like a seal freight car full of nothing. That's the girl down there and you all right I managed that I picked up a prince and checked him and what we had to go on but what's what I don't know What same well going to do now, that's why the conference we see what we'll see relax I Tried to do that, but I didn't do very well Copeland settled to his bourbon and I picked up and laid down a half a dozen magazines smoked two cigarettes paced up and down Finally, I heard a door open somewhere and Niles aim well and David Perling walked in the room Then aim well motioned Copeland to his feet and both of them left the room without a word David Perling and I were alone How much do they pay a dollar? Oh, I'm paid well enough. What's that got to do with it? I was just curious as all You seem like a competent man As a matter of fact the most competent I've met and that includes mr. Aimwell and mr. Copeland By the way, I I just fired them really. I don't think I need them anymore now that I know where genie is Oh You've had an extraordinary interest in my affairs lately I'm willing to bet that you won't leave me alone until you're satisfied about my daughter You'd be right. I Want genie to come home Here where she belongs Why don't you go get her? I? I think that might be difficult under the circumstances. I'm afraid she bears considerable rancor for myself and Mrs. Perling Perhaps someone like you could Well persuade her that it would be the best thing to do. I Get down to New Orleans and get her exactly. I was going anyway. Oh Why? Well offhand you don't seem like the father who's happy to know that his daughter whom he hasn't seen or heard from in a year is alive and well You haven't made a move to go and pick her up yourself Also, she was found too soon and too fast after I got in on the picture You can stop right there. I'm sure I wouldn't even attempt to explain any of those things I didn't think you would or could I'm on my way to New Orleans mr. Perling to get your daughter I think she'd be crazy if she came back here, but I'll take it up with her do that. I Wonder if you'd like to try to explain something else for me what? Why you were feeling me out a couple of minutes ago to see if I'd buy off Get out of here get out. Why not? Expense account item 11 $113.15 airfare incidentals New York to New Orleans, Louisiana The temperature was exactly 28 degrees hotter when I landed in the cab from the field I peeled off my coat and loosened my tie and took off my hat. I walked into the lobby the Roosevelt Hotel that way Everyone else seemed cool enough in linens and tropicals Everyone except myself and a big blonde giant of a man leaning against the CNS ticket counter Boy take mr. Dollar to 511 the giant smile when he saw me and stuck out his hand. Well, well, well I'm certainly glad to see you We thought you'd never get here. Hope you had a pleasant trip I was okay. I know you're tired and hot and would like to wash up a little and refresh yourself But the rest of boys are headquartered in 810. They're mighty anxious to meet you mighty anxious Us Delta cotton growers are gonna make it or break it at this convention. Yes, sir Yes, sir. We sure are we As soon as you're cleaned up you come right over we have a drink and I'll show you around the town Yeah, that'll be swell 810 810 about an hour about an hour. I'll see you Yes, sir How long have the Delta cotton growers been in town? Delta cotton growers or they had their convention last month, sir. Who's registered in 810? We have no 810, sir I've done someone dirty when he came over with hand out in front. I was supposed to say you got the wrong fella My name's Donner But I made him play it out for a particular reason He wanted to know who I was and he didn't quite know But then I wanted to know who he was and I didn't quite know I Wanted to know him because of that 38 strapped under his left arm. It boils down just enough to make me curious By 730 I'd eaten dinner and found an address on Ursuline Street the address where Genie Perling was living a mailbox carry that name Was one of those unpainted apartment houses in the French Quarter full of heat and low-wad light bulbs The girl who opened the door was a medium-sized blonde and she wore a black dress the girl I was looking for had cold black hair Yes, how do you do? My name is Johnny dollar. I came here to see Genie Perling Come in please You're a friend of jeans in a way. I just came from New York You know her father then yes, oh I'm Janice Floyd Jean's roommate This way Careful, it's a little dark sure Maybe I had the feeling when I saw the black dress But I knew I had it when Janice Floyd turned and led me through the two large rooms that made the apartment. I Thought that was the end of it, but there was one more room The blonde girl stood to one side so I could see in The perspiration began to trickle down my face. I knew what was coming. Yes. She is mr. Dollar. She was there all right It's lovely and as young and beautiful as the picture There was a candle burning at her head and feet And she was dead. I don't know how long I stood there in that dark room staring down at her. I Think there were other people in there too dark people heads bowed Hands folded in front of them all looking at her How did happen leukemia, you know Didn't you know her very long? No No No, as a matter of fact miss Floyd. I I Didn't never know her I Certainly didn't know she was dead when I came here tonight. I hardly expected to ask that it be this way But who are you? I'm an insurance investigator from her father. Not exactly. No. Oh, yes I see it now. You aren't the first one who's been here looking for her There have been others detectives and lawyers trying to get her to go back What if he'd loved her if they'd loved her for just one unselfish moment? She would still be there Well, mr. Dollar, she's where her father can't bother her anymore You tell him that when you go back to New York tell him he can stop hiring lawyers and detectives to find her Now get out Expense account item $13 $5 the usual charge in any city for having a legal document copied and folder-statted a Death certificate verifying the fact that the girl had died on the 20th day of the month a medical report attached to the Certificate named the cause of death as leukemia I had copies of all these legal documents by 10 o'clock the following morning. I Even went through the motions of phoning the desk and asking for a bill and making a plane reservation for that night I had a feeling someone would be very interested to see me take care of all those things and I was right The big blonde man with the 38 happened to be in one corner of the lobby when I paid my bill He also happened to be at the airport when I picked up my ticket, but then he got careless I walked through the gate waited two minutes and slipped back to grab a cab in front just in time to see him Wheel of battered convertible out of the parking lot and head back for town. I followed in my cab He went to the Ursuline Street address two minutes later. He came out Expense account item $14 $8. I let my cab go and strolled up to him just as he was getting in his car Hi, and What? Look, we've been playing games long enough. Don't you think? Well Why don't you go back to New York and do what you have to do deliver this death certificate? I Don't believe it You saw I did didn't you still don't believe it That's too bad because that's the way it is He got in his car started it up drove away. I Still there and watched him go Money I kept saying to myself money There's money in it somewhere plain old money Now here's our star to tell you about the final intriguing episode of this week's story tomorrow There's still money in it more money than it takes to save a life Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dolly? 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 final episode of this week's story of yours truly Johnny Dollar Roy Rowan speaking