 From Hollywood. It's time now for Johnny Duller You don't know me. Oh, but I do Mrs. Considine. You're the best friend a doctor ever had dr. Palmquist That is he paid you a professional call the night his wife was murdered that was lucky Alibis don't grow on trees. Just a minute. Look lady. I've been slug shot at matter of fact Someone tried to pick me off with a rifle a couple of hours ago right near your house Maybe dr. Palmquist will alibi you this time return the courtesy All right, when the martinis will be waiting tonight 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 From special investigator Johnny dollar to national underwriters Association 1180 River Road Hartford, Connecticut Assignment the long shot matter expense account concluded There was still a lot of questions like where I was getting trying to find out who really had killed Mrs. Palmquist Like was it all a smoothly planned frame on the part of her dr. Husband or had it been a prouder killing by another man now in jail? Or had the dead woman's son Eric a complex we didn't know about Mrs. Considine was five minutes late, but I hope she could answer some of them. Mr. Dollar. Oh Come now Mrs. Considine that reading it implied we haven't met before and you know that we have The day you visited dr. Palmquist in the hospital and pretended you had the wrong wrong sit down There was a reason for that sure there's one for everything is there You think Victor Palmquist had something to do with his wife's death, but you're wrong Completely wrong correction. You don't know what I'm thinking and being wrong as anybody's preference You don't know about Victor mr. Dollar what his life's been like what he had to put up with why don't you tell me Mrs. Considine that wife of his a millstone around his neck a woman in love with a bottle go on and that son of his that Eric Insane completely insane. He hates his father. He always has He gains a fortune by that woman's death, but do you suspect him? No, of course not You badger a man like Victor Palmquist that does that make sense? You're building a big thing on the fact that a lot of people hate Victor Palmquist But you're overlooking something mr. Dollar where there's that much hate. There's always a good reason I went to the hotel garage rented a car and pointed it toward Burbank There was a man in a pawn shop there I wanted to see the man who had identified Lonnie Miller as the buyer of the gun that had killed Mrs. Victor Palmquist He turned out to be a mile-friendly little guy with thick glasses and a desire to please He barely glanced at my identification pushed it back over the counter to me and smiled What do you want to know? Everything you can remember about the man who bought the gun mr. Warner watch to remember kind of skin and gray Head fella come in said he wanted to buy a gun. I showed him when he bought He showed you a driver's license for identification didn't I copy the information right here in the book Lonnie Miller 173 fuller San Diego height six feet weight a hundred and fifty-two color right here. Yeah, look yourself Yeah Look at this paper mr. Lerner one of these the fella Hmm Liner adjusted his glasses and leaned forward to peer at the newspaper. I put on the collar It was the way I was leaning on the paper that really started the whole thing The two pictures were side-by-side dr. Palmquist in a business suit and Lonnie Miller in a cab leather jacket and work pants My arm was covering everything with the faces Lerner moved my arm before pointing out Miller as the buyer of the gun Then he knotted emphatically. Sure. That's the fella who bought the gun that Miller You had to move my arm before you'd say so mr. Lerner You were covering up half the picture. Well, am I a mind reader? No, but I think you might have made the most normal mistake in the world Wait, wait, you're trying to tell me this Miller didn't come in here and buy a gun for me That's about it. So how come a fellow who wasn't here gave me a driver's license? It said he was That's a good question, mr. There were two people I wanted to see now real bad Lieutenant Barry at homicide and Lonnie Miller sell a day city jail I straight down to headquarters and guess what the lieutenant was out on police business should be back in a while. I Knew Lonnie Miller wasn't out. So I settled for him There were only two or three questions. I wanted to ask him, but they were important I spent about 15 minutes in the cell with Miller got my answers and they made sense now Then I spent an hour waiting for the lieutenant. He finally showed This time he was the hard sale even after I discussed what I'd figured out at the pawn shop Johnny Johnny, I'm tired. Oh sure me too. Now look lieutenant. You know what I'm pushing is possible Dr. Palmquist and Lonnie Miller are approximately the same size age coloring even the bone structure is fairly similar But they don't look alike. They don't have to because it's the impression that counted here Johnny That's exactly what palmquist was counting on now look lieutenant. You've been around You know what people go by when they're asked to identify someone and all over impressions And you know a big factor is clothes Particularly the type of clothes. All right. All right. What are you going for this if dr. Palmquist walked into that pawn shop wearing a cap leather jacket and work pants and then six days later You show the pawnbroker a picture of Lonnie Miller dressed in the same kind of clothes You know whom he'll identify every time Especially when he'd already seen a driver's license made out to Lonnie Miller a thousand ways to make a living Lieutenant look suppose I buy that. Where are you dr. Palmquist for some reason or other wants his wife dead he needs a patsy So he picks up Lonnie Miller a hitchhiker on the Pacific Coast Highway if you say so at a coffee stop The doctor remembers something he left in the car He goes out for a minute sticks a match or a toothpick and a tire valve guaranteeing a flat a few miles further on So when they stop it's the doctor who looks at the flat gets rid of the toothpick Grateful for the lift Miller changes the tire you ever change a tire in a hot summer night. Well sure you took off your jacket Didn't you how else that's what doc was counting on He had a couple of minutes alone with Miller's jacket and lifted his driver's license Then he keeps Miller in town on the promise of a job He buys the gun at the Burbank pawn shop wearing work clothes and giving Miller's license as identification Monday night he killed his wife called Miller to the house with a phony story about a job struck him from behind and staged the scene the police found Smooth huh Johnny. Can you see me going to the DA with all that theory and no proof? Palmquist had left me out of town very look knock it off. You're no kid. You know, I'm right Well, don't go away mad Sure, I know he was right. That's what was driving me crazy Proof one little piece of it, but where? Old palmquist had used his head all right, but the smartest ones alive always leave one little hole somewhere along the line The three hours later in my hotel room, I hadn't found it Steffi, what are you doing here Johnny? Eric's been drinking all day Brooding working himself into a rage saying terrible things about Mrs. Considine and his father and about his father being a murderer. I Don't know what he'll do Help me Johnny, please. He give you any idea of where he was headed He mentioned going home to get a gun and then going to Mrs. Considine's house Johnny, I'm afraid. All right, come on The drive to the palmquist house on the palisades was a long one But educational because Steffi had nothing to hide now She was just a kid worried to death about her husband and her bitterness toward dr. Palmquist came rolling out. It's an easy man to hate my father-in-law All charm on the outside Petty little dictator inside Man who's trying to prove something you can't abide weakness Tries to make everyone over into his own image a horrible man. Tell me about Eric's brother Paul He was the favorite the doctors pride and joy They hunted together all the time Only one day Paul had a cold tried to get out of a hunting trip This offended the doctors weakness fetish Made the boy feel like a coward. So Paul went hunting Died of pneumonia Mrs. Palmquist never got over it as you saw before she was killed Nice Johnny You like the family. I married him too The house was dark when we got there. We hurried to Eric's bedroom and Steffi leaned against the door weak with relief Eric lay sprawled on the bed snoring fine alcoholic noises The rival he still clutch made very clear what he'd been thinking about before the liquor had taken over We were just getting him comfortable when we heard it a car pulling into the garage Palmquist I got Steffi down the back stairs and out of the house as soon as I was sure he was inside and then I turned back Because suddenly I was tired of a killer walking around free while everyone else stepped softly And the anger was good because it suddenly drove into my mind the one thing Palmquist might have overlooked I Let myself into the garage for the small window move to the doctor's big car You ever try to force open a car trunk with a claw hammer don't pay it's rough and be it takes your eyes off the door leading to the kitchen a gun doctor No instrument of healing all that's nice and it tells me something about the trunk That there's a spare tire in there. That's flat, but doesn't have a puncture a Service station might remember a thing like that, huh doctor Goodbye He couldn't pick me off because of the car, but the car was working against me too. You did better with a rifle yesterday doctor I'll manage mr.. It's no less He had it he'll look good in court small question lieutenant Nothing. I'm ungrateful ask aren't you a long way from home? I didn't like to look in your eye when you stomped out You know something Johnny You're easier to tail than a trolley car Expense account item 12 71 dollars la hotel bill item 13 174 dollars and 90 cents return airfare to Hartford Expense account total 490 dollars and 80 cents details Eric Palmquist admitted sending us the original warning note out of fear of his father He never knew till the death of his mother that he himself was the beneficiary remarks about Hollywood Let's call it the easterners revenge quote. It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there unquote Yours truly Johnny dollar Now here's our star to tell you about next week's intriguing story next week three million dollars worth of a worthless goldmine and There's blood on the desert sand Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar truly Johnny dollars starring Bob Bailey is transcribed in Hollywood Written by Tony Barrett. It is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone heard in this week's cast were Virginia Greg Victor Perrin Lillian Bayef Russell Thorson James McCallion Edgar Berry or Don Diamond and Herb Butterfield Musical supervision by a marigomarino and Carl Fortina Be sure to join us on Monday night same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking